March 2016 - Your Local Birstall & Wanlip

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LOCAL

Bowls Club History

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The continuing truly remarkable story of the St Margaret's Co-operative Bowls Club

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In the previous edition of Your Local, I explained that the club was originally founded by Leicester's leading textile manufacturer, the giant Corah company. The fortunes of the company plummeted during the 1980s and the one time largest clothing manufacturer in Europe finally closed its doors after 170 years of trading. The last season for the company bowls club was 1989.

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The members were determined that the club should carry on. An approach was made to the Corah directors who were happy for the new club to take the old pavilion and the turf and soil off the bowling green. So, 38 yards square of turf together with well drained sandy soil to a depth of 18 inches, was lifted and taken to the new site, an old tennis court on the Co-operative Sports Ground, Birstall Road less than a mile from Corah's Thurcaston Road ground.

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This picture from 1989 shows the turf being lifted. Interestingly it also shows, the old station master's house and the kennels, both since demolished.

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The new site was prepared, edging and surrounds put in, soil and turf were levelled. The old pavilion was craned in and only one season was missed before bowls recommenced in 1991.

The vast majority of the work involved was done by club members in their own time. Such was the thoroughness of that work that the green now ranks as one of the finest in the county.

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This picture below from 1993 shows the green becoming established and play in progress. The old pavilion is seen which now serves as a changing room. On the extreme right the Thorn Lighting factory can be seen, a famous Leicester landmark, since demolished.

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Thursday 14th April 2016

DEADLINE DATE: Monday 11th 2016

Deadline and delivery dates are subject to change depending on how far we are ahead or behind.

The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the original advertisers & contributors and do not necessarily represent Your Local or Open Box Promotions Ltd. Open Box Promotions Ltd reserves the right to amend or refuse to publish articles or adverts submitted for publication.

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In the next few years, again with very little professional help, members set to work improving the kitchen facilities and creating an extensive function room which is used for club events and is also available for hire.

The story of the founding and building up of the St Margaret's Co-operative Bowls Club must rank as one of the most remarkable in the annals of bowls history. A truly monumental achievement.

The bowls season will soon be on us and I should remind readers that the club takes new members of all ages and standards. For more details ring Carolyn or John on 0116 2675947 or visit the club web site.

Sam Dobson

- smcbc. com

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Birstall Parish Council – Councillor Vacancies Birstall Parish Council currently has four Councillor vacancies that they are looking to fill, and are asking for residents of Birstall to consider joining the Council, where together with their fellow Councillors can help to make a difference to their community. You may have seen the advertisements for this before and thought it to be of interest, but were unsure of exactly what would be required from you to be able to fulfill the role and so I have included some FAQ’s below to assist you in making a decision to become part of the Parish Council.

What is a Parish Council?: A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. As it is the authority closest to the people, Parish Councils are invariably the first place people will go with concerns or ideas. For this reason they are a vital part of any community.

Why become a Parish Councillor?: If you’ve never been to a Parish Council meeting before, you may be forgiven for thinking that parish councillors are a group of (probably older) people who meet now and then in a draughty village hall. If, however, you live in a community where something ‘big’ has happened, you’ll know that when people in the community need support and guidance, it is sometimes the Parish Council that is turned to.

By becoming a Parish Councillor you become someone your community will look to for help, guidance and support? A community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve. Seeing your community change for the better, as a result of decisions you have helped to make, is something that can give you a sense of achievement and pride.

What decisions do Parish Councils make?: Parish Councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community.

Probably the most common topics that Parish Councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), crime prevention, managing open spaces and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.

It’s true to say that on their own, Parish Councils have limited powers to make decisions. But they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the

final decisions (such as the borough council, health authorities, police etc).

In this respect Parish Councils are extremely powerful. The organisations that make the final decisions know that a Parish Council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its views will be taken seriously.

How much time does it take up?: The Council meets once a month for the main Council meeting, to which members of the public are also invited, and the meetings may last two or three hours, depending on the agenda set for the meeting to discuss, and this may be all the time you wish to commit, however, once members have joined the Council, after a time they feel that they would like to get involved with one or all of the other three Committees that deal with specific subjects, such as Planning, Estates & Recreation and Events, that also meet once a month. In addition to the regular meetings, councillors may be required to attend other meetings and represent the Parish Council? Such meetings won’t happen every day, so it’s not going to take over your life.

How long does a Parish Councillor serve for?: Once elected, Parish Councillors sit on the council for a maximum of four years. If they then want to stay in the post they can stand for re-election. However, you don’t have to wait for the elections, you can put yourself forward for co-option onto the Council at any time between elections.

Am I eligible to be a Parish Councillor?: To stand for election on a parish council, you must: • be a UK or commonwealth citizen, or; •

be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or;

•

be a citizen of another Member state of the European Union;

•

be a least 18 years old.

To be eligible to stand for an election for a particular parish, you must: •

be an elector of the parish, or;

•

for the whole of the previous 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish, or;

•

during the previous 12 months have worked in the parish (as your principal or only place of work), or;

•

for the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the parish or within three miles of the parish boundary.

You don’t have to be connected to a political party, in fact Birstall Parish Council prides itself on being a-political.

What powers do parish councils have?: They have a wide range of powers which essentially related to local matters, such as looking after community buildings, open space, allotments, play areas, street lighting, car parks and much more. The Council also has the power to raise money through taxation, the precept. The precept is the Parish Council’s share of the council tax. The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the borough council, which collects the tax for the Parish Council.

Parish Duties: Birstall Parish Council has 20 Councillors who stand for election every four years. The duties and functions of a Parish Council are many and varied. All meetings are open to the public and there is a forum before the start of the meeting at which members of the public can raise concerns and ask questions. There is also an annual meeting which all parishioners are invited to attend. All meetings are advertised on the council notice boards and the Council’s website. Residents can bring to the attention of the Parish Council anything that concerns them, either directly or through the Clerk. If matters raised are not the responsibility of the Parish Council, the Clerk can bring them to the attention of the proper authority.

Don’t take our word for it!: The best way to find out what it’s like to be a Parish Councillor is to talk to someone who’s doing it now.

Come along to a Parish Council meeting, or speak to one of our Councillors and find out what they think of the job.

If you are interested in applying to become a Parish Councillor, please contact the Clerk on Tel: 0116 267 6191 or email: admin@birstallpc.org.uk.

Alternatively you will find the application form on the Parish Council’s website: www.birstallparishcouncil.org.uk on the Councillors page.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Sue Coulson – Clerk to the Council

Passive smoking puts pets at great risk If nothing else will stop you smoking, consider this: smoking can even kill your pet. Cats and dogs spend most of their time in your home, and are close to carpets where smoke particles linger.

Recent research at the University of Glasgow has found that animals exposed to second-hand smoke develop health problems ranging from cancer to cell damage to weight gain.

Cats are particularly vulnerable, as they self-groom extensively, and thus ingest smoke particles into their bodies. Such ‘third-hand’ smoke particles are considered even more carcinogenic than second-hand smoke.

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Council confirms increase in local element of Council tax

Look out for Real Eggs this Easter

Charnwood Borough Council has agreed to raise its share of council tax by less than 9p a week for a band D property.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is asking you to be on the look out for real ‘Easter’ Eggs this coming Easter. Traditionally, this is a time when people give their garden a spring clean. However, this is also often the time that many garden birds start to lay their first clutch of eggs.

It is the first increase in the local element of council tax for six years and sees the annual charge for an average Band D property rise to £107.09, an increase of 4.36 per cent or £4.47 a year.

The decision was taken at a Council meeting tonight (February 29) when members also agreed to raise the Loughborough Special Rate, paid by residents of Loughborough and the equivalent of a parish precept in villages, by less than 3p a week. It means the annual charge is now £74.97, an increase of 1.99 per cent or £1.46.

Councillor Tom Barkley, Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We feel that after five years of Council Tax freezes now is an appropriate time to bring in an increase.

“Government funding is reducing and our services are as efficient as they can be. I also feel they are very good services and according to our recent residents’ survey, most people are satisfied with them.

“Therefore, we want to do everything we can to make sure these services are maintained for the benefit of people living and working in Charnwood.”

including the replacement of some pay and display machines •

Invest £164,000 on various improvements to the borough’s parks and open spaces

•

Invest £131,500 on more environmentally-friendly and efficient heating and lighting in Council buildings

•

Allocate £21,000 towards supporting The Hut in Loughborough, creating a Community Hub in Thorpe Acre, Loughborough and supporting a Community Hub co-ordinator (funded by the Loughborough Special Rate)

•

Continue funding Friday opening of Biggin Street toilets in Loughborough town centre (funded by the Loughborough Special Rate)

Until recently councils had been required to hold a referendum if they wanted to increase council tax by two per cent or more.

However, changes announced by the Government last year mean shire district councils can consider an average band D increase of up to £5 per annum without the need for a referendum.

The Council approved the budget by a majority vote at tonight's meeting.

Charnwood Borough Council currently has the 19th lowest council tax charge out of 201 district councils in the country.

The budget for 2016/17 includes proposals to: • Invest £200,000 on improvements to car parks around the borough,

For more information about the budget, see the reports to Council on the Council website.

Neil Pilcher, Senior Conservation Officer, said “Easter is early this year and the winter weather has been remarkably mild which means that birds will also be nesting early. I would urge people to be careful.

The Trust has already had reports of blackbirds building nests in gardens. It only takes a moment for a nest to be accidentally destroyed or exposed to predators.”

The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust recommends that you check your garden before starting work. Hedges are the most likely places to find nests, especially dense evergreen hedges such as Leylandii. However, working in the same area for long periods can also cause birds to abandon their nests. People should spend just a few minutes looking through their hedges and shrubs for signs of nests before starting work.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act all birds are protected whilst nesting. This protection starts from the moment they start building the nest until the young have fledged. The Trust recommends that if there is any doubt then the work should be postponed until the nesting season is over, which is generally accepted as 31st July.

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Cloudy2Clear Windows – Service With A Smile!

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It’s been a crazy few months for Cloudy2Clear Windows. The company which specialises in repairing windows which are steamed up, broken or damaged by replacing the panes – not the frames has grown rapidly as homeowners take advantage of their services.

Managing Director Michael Parr feels that it’s all about service. ‘Our product is simple. If your double glazing is misted up we can replace

the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 5 year guarantee.

But it’s not just about saving people money, although that obviously helps.

Many tradespeople have struggled since last year and I honestly feel that during the good times a minority perhaps didn’t focus on customer care as much as they should have done.

We make sure we turn up when we say we will, do the job the customer

requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle. I often get comments back from customers on how they really didn’t expect that sort of service which, in a way, is very sad for the service industry as a whole.’ Cloudy2Clear service the Birstall & Wanlip areas and Michael is finding that his approach is a major factor in his success. ‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I get from doing

a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated.’ So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Michael a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

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Bfest

What We Wore Stories and pictures of children's clothes, 1900-1999 An exhibition by three local women Three local women with a collection of children's clothes from the 20th century and an interest in textiles have put together a unique exhibition for the Loughborough Museum.

The three women are Felicity Austin and Biddy Saunders from Syston and Joy Lambell from Birstall. They have been collecting stories and photos of what people remember wearing when they were children, and would like to share these memories with the public, so are mounting an exhibition in the Charnwood Gallery in Loughborough Museum from February 6th until May 16th this year. The memories and the photos cover every aspect of children's lives, from school uniform to fancy dress; from baby clothes to swimming costumes. Clothes from their collection will also be on display, several dating back a hundred years to the Edwardian era.

You might think that this is a specialist subject that doesn't have any relevance to you, but these ladies think you'd be wrong! Why do they think that?

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It's the story of many manufacturing firms in Leicestershire and Great Britain, as well as the story of home-made clothes.

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And for those of us born in the 20th century, it's the background to our lives!

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Saturday 30th April Sunday 1st May Live Music, Live Rugby, Beer Festival & Cocktail Bar Bfest is celebrating all things Birstall from local business to local bands, with local foods and drinks as well.

Bfest has been organised by Birstall RFC to celebrate our 40th anniversary and replaces our annual presidents day this year, the aim is to give something back to Birstall and get the community involved more with the club.

Family Fun and something for everyone.

For more info check us out on Facebook @bfest

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Compassion in Rwanda, Mountsorrel JFC support African Children.

"A member of Barrow Baptist Church, Richard Jayes, has recently returned from a trip to Rwanda, which was organised by the Compassion Child sponsorship Charity.

Compassion works throughout the world in 26 developing countries, in trying to free children from their poverty.

Whilst in Rwanda, a visit was made to the Gihinga Child Development Centre, near Kigali, which is one of the projects run by Compassion.

The children at the centre were given gifts of clothing and school materials , and a full football strip was kindly donated by the Mountsorrel Junior Football Club".

Picture right shows Children at the Gihinga Child Development Centre with Richard Jayes and Eugene Bahire (Compassion Rwanda).

Fundraising Afternoon Tea for the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation Activity Centre Appeal The Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation invites you to enjoy a traditional ‘SCF Afternoon Tea’ in aid of the Activity Centre Fundraising Appeal. The afternoon tea will take place on:Saturday 9th April at Ulverscroft Grange Tearooms, Whitwick Road, Leicestershire, LE67 9QB from 3.00pm - 5.00pm.

Helen Baxter, Activities Coordinator at the Foundation said ‘ We are currently raising funds for our Activity Centre appeal, enabling the Foundation to provide more services and activities to those in local community and beyond. Our new centre will provide much needed accessible space which will be utilised for a range of educational and creative opportunities for the elderly, adults with disabilities and young people throughout Leicestershire’. She added ‘We are striving to raise more funds this year to make the Activity Centre a reality in 2016, your attendance at this event and other fundraisers is greatly appreciated and we thank you for your continued support’.

Tickets cost £12.50 per person to include tea, coffee a selection of sandwiches, delicious homemade cakes and a scone served with jam and clotted cream. Booking is essential and a non-refundable payment in advance is required to secure your booking.

For more details about the Activity Centre Appeal, to make a donation or to book a place please call Helen Baxter on 01530 244914 or email hello@shuttlewood-clarke.org. Details can also be found by visiting www.shuttlewood-clarke.org Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation - Registered Charity 803525

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NORTH LEICESTER MGs AT THE MG & TRIUMPH SPARES DAY Cars owned by two members of the North Leicester MG Club (NLMGC) were recently on display at a major classic car event, the MG and Triumph Spares Day. The show is held at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire annually, in February.

At Derby Theatre on Sunday 17th April 2016 4.30pm Grand Central Chorus – 5 times UK Barbershop Champions, are hosting a major show to celebrate their 25th Anniversary on Sunday 17th April 2016 at Derby Theatre. This spectacular event will showcase the very best of UK Barbershop and follows on from their sell-out show in Derby last April. It will also be a first opportunity to see this outstanding men’s harmony chorus perform the songs they will be singing at the 2016 UK Championships – and well as many others from their current repertoire.

This year, nearly thirty car club stands were in attendance, split fairly evenly in their allegiance to either the MG or Triumph marques. Over two hundred trade stands were also present, catering for the needs of owners of cars produced by these two iconic British sports car manufacturers.

Amongst the MG club stands was one dedicated to the Jubilee and Limited Edition (J.U.L.E) variants of the MG Midget, MGB and MGC models built between 1962 and 1980. One of the cars on their stand was the 1980 MGB LE (Limited Edition) Roadster owned by Colin Readwin, the chairman of NLMGC. Colin has only owned the car for a couple of months, so he was pleasantly surprised when it was selected for inclusion in the J.U.L.E. display.

Representing the Charnwood-based club on the MGs on Track (MGoT) stand was the MGA of John Dignan. MGoT organises non-competitive track days at motor racing circuits, specifically for owners of road-going MGs. Although John’s MGA is well over 50 years old, his membership of MGoT reflects his enthusiasm for using it as a working sports car. Besides using the MGA on track days, John is a regular participant in rallying events. The MGA has competed in many rallies and achieved two outright wins - the La Carrera D’Espagna rally in Spain and the Prix des Alps in France. He also owns an MGB which won class and team prizes in the International Rally of Tests last November.

The North Leicester MG Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month at the Lingdale Golf Club near Woodhouse Eaves, and draws most of its membership from all parts of north Leicestershire. Several members also hail from the southern parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. For information about the club and its annual classic car run, The Charnwood Caper, visit the club website

www.northleicester-mg.org.uk.

A Grand Celebration – 25 Years of Harmony

Guests include: Tagline – 2015 UK Quartet Champions, Hannah and the Hurricanes – 2015 UK Mixed Quartet Champions and YesterYear – as seen on Gareth Malone’s “Naked Choir” on BBC2. Tickets £15 (Under 12’s £10) are available from the Theatre Box Office 01332 593939 online from the theatre’s website www.derbytheatre.co.uk or from any chorus member.

Charity Whist Drives Charity Whist Drives are held on the 1st Thursday of every month at 7.30p.m at the Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley.

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Rotary Support for Local Good Causes President of the Rotary Club of the Soar Valley Richard Hilliar announced on Monday donations to local charities in excess of £4,600.

Hedgehogs in need ONLY A few weeks to go, and hedgehogs will be waking up from their winter sleep.

Keep an eye out for them this Spring, and do try and offer food to any that you see. For hedgehogs are in trouble: numbers have more than halved in rural Britain in the last 15 years, where intensive farming and poor hedgerow management have destroyed their habitats. In the city it can be just as bad: fenced off gardens and lawns laid to concrete can mean death to a starving hedgehog.

There are now believed to be less than a million hedgehogs left in the entire UK, according to the ‘State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2015’ report.

So here’s how to help your local hedgehog:

Soar Valley Rotary President Richard handing over cheques to Roy Bennett of the local ProstAid group and Ivan Brookes a Rainbows Ambassador.

Much of the money was the result of the Club’s Christmas Santa appeal and at the time of that collection the Club donated the first night’s donations to help the flood relief efforts

by Rotary clubs in the North West & Yorkshire. In addition the Club has raised over £1,800 for LOROS and made grants to the Guides, Rotary Stars and the Air Ambulance.

Amongst the good causes to benefit on Monday were charities Rainbows, ProstAid, Shelterbox and “Wishes for Kids” and President Richard said “We are pleased to be making this initial tranche of grants to local charities. My chosen charity this year is the Air Ambulance and the Rotary club is planning a special fundraising event for this excellent cause later in the year”.

Alan Meredith -

•

Cut a five-inch square hole in the bottom of your garden fence, or remove a brick or two from the base of a wall, to let hedgehogs get through.

•

Where possible, replace fences or walls with hedges. Don’t pave over your garden.

•

Encourage insects with nectar-rich plants.

•

Leave out meaty cat or dog food.

•

Avoid treating your lawn with herbicide.

•

Pile up logs to create a habitat for hedge hogs. Take care when clearing piles of leaves, in case you disturb one.

PRO - Rotary Club of the Soar Valley

• And finally, please avoid using slug pellets!

(Advice from Hedgehog Street)

tel’: 0116 230 3895 e-mail: alanmeredith@talktalk.net

Get gardening this Spring, and beat the blues!

THE GARDENERS among us have long known that there is nothing like an hour or two in the garden to dissolve your tension, depression, and anger, and to bolster your feelings of calm and well-being. It also helps keep you in good physical shape.

Now the scientists agree: recent research from the universities of Westminster and Essex has found that gardening (especially caring for an allotment) can prevent a range of diseases (ranging from mental illness, obesity, and cardiovascular disease to straightforward loneliness) - and thus save the NHS a good deal of time and money.

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Leicestershire Author Releases Debut Novel Inspired By His Dramatic Heritage A LEICESTERSHIRE author is set to debut his first novel Broken Vows, an historical romance inspired by his maternal grandparents’ forbidden romance.

Talk by David Bridge

Set in New Zealand and Fiji during the 1930’s, Broken Vows is loosely based on the story of author Rohan West’s Grandfather Alec Robinson, an ordained Catholic priest who broke his vows after finding love with nurse Anne McLaughlin.

Sports marketing expert Rohan, 49, who lives in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire is delighted that his book is set for release after more than five years in the making.

“This has been a labour of love for me but it’s an inspiring story which I wanted to share,” he said. “The story of how my grandparents met, fell in love and eventually ran away together was a family secret for over 50 years.

“My Mum and Aunt only found out by accident, after some loose talk by a family friend.

“My Grandpa loved literature, so I wanted to honour their beautiful story by writing about it.”

The release of Broken Vows coincides with the 85th anniversary of the Napier Earthquake, in which the protagonists meet as nurse and patient.

“That earthquake still has great resonance in New Zealand,” added Rohan. “So having the book come out around the anniversary is fortuitous.”

Originally hailing from Palmerston North in New Zealand, Rohan has lived in Mountsorrel for two years and found that weekends in The Swan pub there, proved to be the best opportunity to put the finishing touches to his book.

“The original manuscript was too long and I needed to do some ruthless editing,” he said. “Being a first time author, I could see I’d fallen into the standard novice writer traps. Ultimately, I had to trim around 15% of the word count and put in some much needed additions in crucial areas.

“The crew down at The Swan are great. Some days I’d go in a nurse a single pint for an hour and a half while working on a chapter or two. It’s a great little pub with a good atmosphere and perfectly set up for aspiring writers.”

Broken Vows was released on 28 February by Kibworth-based Troubador Publishing.

The official book launch event is scheduled for Thursday 17 March at The Swan, 10 Loughborough Road, Mountsorrel LE12 7AT, starting at 5pm. All journalists and interested parties are welcome.

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14

Fracking, our new neighbour?

Monday 25th April at 7.30 p.m.

Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall David Bridge qualified as a geologist in 1968 and has spent his entire life in the field. He spent many years with the British Geological Survey, at home and abroad. He retired in 2007.

Fracking, the extraction of natural gas from deep in the ground, by various means is a highly topical subject. It is widespread in the United States and is making a major contribution to energy supplies there. The British Government is very supportive of projects here. A licence for prospecting North of Loughborough has already been granted.

The subject has provoked major controversy.

Our speaker will give the facts and explain doubts by various groups.

Members are free. Guests are welcome, £3 at the door. Refreshments included.

Further information: Peter Bertram 01162 100 572 or www.focf.org.uk Advance notice. There will be a visit to Ulverscroft Woods and Herbert’s Meadow led

by Neil Pilcher of Leicester & Rutland Wildlife Trust on June 8th. Details later.

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