Bp13 10 363

OCTOBER 2013 No. 363

the Birstall postY O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R

www.birstallpost.co.uk

Longslade pledges toimprove after criticalreport by inspectors

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A GANG of men who entered a Birstall bank brandishingknives and hammers have been sentenced to more than 10years in prison.

Jermaine Jesse Johnson (25) of Mon-treal Road, Leicester, Rizwan Ramzan(20) of Welford Road, Leicester andHamza Pandor (18) of Bakewell Road,Loughborough (pictured l-r above)pleaded guilty to two counts of attempt-ed robbery at Leicester Crown Court onTuesday August 6. They were all sen-tenced on Friday August 30. Johnsonwas sentenced to four years, Ramzanand Pandor were each sentenced to

three years and four months.The first incident happened at around

12.20pm on Thursday May 9 on Lough-borough Road, Birstall at the Santanderbank.

The defendants entered the buildingwith hammers and knives threateningthose inside. The quick thinking staffactivated the emergency cashier screenand the men fled empty handed. They

THE LEADERSHIP of Longslade College say they are well onthe way to securing rapid improvements at the school afterOfsted found it was "inadequate" and placed it in “specialmeasures”.

Ofsted inspected the college in Juneand found that:

• the majority of teaching is eitherinadequate or requires improvement

• progress by students in years 10and 11 in English, Maths and someother subjectsis too slow

• theschool’s lead-ers and gover-nors have beenineffective inhalting thedecline inachievement,teaching and learning over the past threeyears.

• attendance is too low• expectations of behaviour are too

low• the school site is not secure enough

to guarantee students’ safetyThe Inspectors recognised that Longs-

lade’s new principal, Mrs Kirstie Black,

had “quickly and accurately identifiedwhat needs to be done to tackle theweaknesses in the school.”

In a letter to parents sent at the startof the autumn term, Mrs Black said: “Iam incredibly disappointed with the tone

of the report.The report andgrading is notreflective of thecollege I amproud to workin. There is nodoubt that hadwe been in-spected this

week, the college would have seen avery different outcome”.

This summer Longslade achieved itsbest ever GCSE results. The number ofstudents getting five or more A* to Cgrades including English and Maths was60%, a rise of 21 percentage points

Continued on page 2

Bungling robbers jailed

Continued on page 2

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from 2012, when Longslade was belowthe Government’s floor target of 40%.

Ofsted’s report identified that thequality of teaching at Longslade wasinadequate, and that the expectations ofwhat students should achieve are nothigh enough. The Inspectors found thatin some Maths lessons students werecarrying out tasks that pupils in primaryschools would be expected to completesuccessfully.

The report states that in the sixthform there is a greater proportion ofgood teaching, and the Inspectors foundexamples of outstanding teaching in acitizenship lesson.

The achievement of pupils is inade-quate, says the report: in English andMaths students in Years 10 and 11 make

“extremely slow progress … standards areapproximately the same at the begin-ning of the year as they are near theend.”

The report identifies rising standardsin the sixth form and says that in somesubjects such as dance, art and designand physics achievement is better andstudents gain standards that are averageor above.

The Ofsted inspectors visited 51 les-sons and observed 48 teachers. They

witnessed students “… chewing gum,wearing headphones, using inappropri-ate language and answering phones. Onall these occasions adults were presentand did not challenge the behaviourwhich is contrary to the policies of theschool.”

The Inspectors found that bullying isdealt with effectively at Longslade, andthat behaviour in the sixth form is con-sistently good with students workinghard and co-operating well with eachother.

The report states that LeicestershireCounty Council has had “too little impacton the school’s effectiveness [and] didnot challenge school leaders and gover-nors with enough rigour to improvetheir performance…”

The governors, says the report, “…have been ineffective at halting the de-cline in achievement, teaching and learn-ing over the last three years.” Theirperformance has improved over the last12 months, with governors undertakingtraining, challenging teachers’ perform-ance and students’ behaviour and effec-tively securing the future leadership ofthe school.

Principal Mrs Kirstie Black said: “Therecent improvements in exam results,attendance and behaviour demonstratevery good progress since the report.

“Every member of staff at Longslade is

striving to improve standards and wehave embraced the initiatives being im-plemented to move the college to being‘good’.”

On September 10 around 100 peopleattended a parents evening at Longsladeto hear about the college’s plans and toask questions of the leadership team andsenior County Council Education officers.

Questions were raised about howstudents can feedback their views,school sponsorship, new courses, staffnumbers, academy status and the pros-pect of Stonehill and Longslade becom-ing one school.

It was reported that a sponsor shouldbe in place for next summer and thatthe conversion to academy status wouldfollow. David Atterbury, Head of Strategyat Leicestershire County Council’s Educa-tion Department said that Stonehill andLongslade working together and eventual-ly becoming one was the best solution asit was “common sense to share resourc-es and expertise”. He said this wouldtake time to realise and if both schoolsdecided now to join together the earliestit could happen would be September2015.

Mrs Black identified the changes thathave been put in place including a re-structured leadership team, the newuniform, student charter, improved envi-ronment and a no-nonsense behaviour

system. It was reported that both behav-iour and attendance had both improvedmarkedly.

Mrs Black said: “Students and staffare re-energised and there is a verypositive feeling across the campus. Thisis despite the fact that we are a collegein Special Measures. There is optimismand hope regarding a new era at Longs-lade and we will continue to harnessthis as the term continues.”

The College will now have regularmonitoring visits from Her Majesty’sinspectors and the college can expect afull Ofsted inspection within 18 months.

“I hope to bring this inspection for-ward based on my confidence in thecontinued increase in performance” saidMrs Black.

were spotted by a member of the publicgetting into a vehicle nearby and hemanaged to get part of the registrationnumber before they sped off.

30 minutes later, at 12.50pm, policereceived a call about another attemptedrobbery at the Post Office in Main Street,Ratby. The men entered the premiseswith hammers and knives but were againunsuccessful in stealing any cash andmade off empty handed. The postmasterand a customer gave chase and managedto take down the registration number ofthe vehicle before it drove off ramminganother vehicle in its path.

Observations were put out to all offic-es in the area and a police car pickedup the vehicle on the A46 travelling ontoAnstey Lane. The vehicle failed to stopfor police and was pursued before it wasabandoned on Somerset Drive in Glen-field. Johnson and Pandor ran off whileRamzan was arrested in the vehicle.Pandor was witnessed dumping a bagwith the weapons in and was arrested bypolice nearby after he was detained by amember of the public whom he hadasked for help. Johnson was arrested ashort time later by officers in the localarea.

Detective Constable Rob Buckley, theinvestigating officer, said: “A largeamount of credit must go to those mem-bers of the public who helped us inresponse to these incidents. If it wasn’tfor their quick thinking and bravery inhelping us apprehend these men we maywell have not arrested them so quickly.They acted with violence and disregardfor the staff and customers involvedincluding other motorists when theyreached speeds of 70mph in a residen-tial area when failing to stop for police.This is a great result and I think it showsthat the fact that they pleaded guilty is areflection of the weight of evidenceagainst them.”

Longslade continued from page 1

Robbers continued from page 1

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those who donated prizes: Dominic atDavid North’s, Rawlins College, Greena-cres Cafe, Hannah’s of Quorn, Tesco,Co-op, Starbucks, Wilkinsons, Amy Harri-son for her design work, Flexpress fortheir printing and to Nick Loach foradding the Sunday quiz money to thefund raising pot.

Charlotte and Beccy would especiallylike to thank everyone who baked forthe event. “We hopemany more willjoin in the funnext year so wecan crown anew great Bir-stall Bake Offchampion in2014 and raiseeven more forMacmillan” saidCharlotte.

OCT 2013THE BIRSTALL POST 3

Rebecca Kay, who came up with theidea, said: “I wanted to offer the villagea community event in which all couldjoin in and it be a bit of fun!

“We were thrilled to receive over 35entries, including six young bakers.There were a wide variety of offeringsfor the categories and the standard wassuperb.”

The Bake Off was just the first stage

of a busy weekend at the White Horse ason Sunday September 22 the pub heldits annual Macmillan World’s biggestcoffee morning. “It seemed a perfecttime to do the Great Birstall Bake Offthe day before as then we would havesome really special cakes to offer at thecoffee morning” said Charlotte Foy ofthe White Horse.

The event raised over £500 for thecancer charity, thanks to all the donatedcakes for the Bake Off and those whoattended the coffee morning and gavegenerously. Additional funds raised bygift aided donations are likely to takethe final total to nearer £600.

The cakes were judged by Mr andMrs Allen from Allen’s family bakers,Maxilyn Geary and Kath Wright from theBirstall WI and Rob Mackay, Chef at theWhite Horse, following WI guidelines forappearance, texture and flavour.

The winners received a prize and arosette with the best overall Birstallbaker, Meg Roach, receiving a sash forher peanut butter cupcakes and stunningcoffee mocha chino cake which lookedand tasted delicious, said the judges.

Hayley Toone won best cake as wellas the best decorated categories for herthree tiered carrot cake, a unanimous

decision by the judges. Faye north wonthe cupcake section, Laura Florence thebiscuits, Ian Critchlow the bread catego-ry and Jacqueline Abela the Sweet Bakefor her custard tarts. The best under 16entry went to nine year old LexieMcLoughlin for her beautifully decoratedVictoria Sponge.

Charlotte said: “Thanks goes to all

CREATIVE CAKES and fabulous flapjacks were part of a cakefuelled weekend at the White Horse for the first Great Bir-stall Bake off.

Pic (top): The judges (l-r): Mrs Allen, Rebec-ca Kay, Mr Allen, Maxilyn Geary, Charlotte

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A FULL meeting of BirstallParish Council was held onSeptember 9.

PCSO Charlotte White reported thatthree offenders in Birstall have beenarrested and charged in connection withthefts from stores and that incidents hadsubsequently reduced. She has undertak-en a beat walk with partners from Charn-wood Borough Council in theLoughborough Road, Station Road andTempest Road area, talking to residentsabout their concerns. That area is partof the route taken by criminals enteringthe village from Beaumont Leys.

PCSO White was notified that HGVsare using Greengate Lane in the earlymorning, despite the weight restriction

Offences dealt with were:29: seat belts not worn9: driving while using a mobile

phone1: no insurance. The vehicle was

impounded.1: number plate that failed to con-

form1: obscured number platePolice say the operation, on Monday

September 23, was conducted as a

result of community consultations overthe last six months.

PC Des Hearnshaw said: “I hope thissends out the right message to driversthat choose to flaunt traffic laws and thatthe people of Birstall feel reassured thatwe are trying to make the roads safer.PCSO 6611 Mark Butler is currentlylooking to set up a community speedwatch within the village that the Neigh-bourhood Watch will take on and run.”

Parish Council noteson the road.

The Council will be sending a letter ofobjection to the City Council followingthe submission of planning applicationsfor traveller sites on Greengate Lane andRed Hill Way. It was reported that theLE4 Action Group had worked hard onpreparing objections based on validplanning reasons, were organising publicmeetings and were encouraging resi-dents to formally object to the plans.

It was agreed to spend £500 on ad-vice to help clarify the legal positionregarding Meadow Lane and the Mead-ow Lane ditch. It is hoped that the ad-vice will clarify ownership of the Lane,responsibility for upkeep and any liabili-ty if the Parish Council undertakes anyimprovements.

It was agreed that the Council contin-ue to support Birstall and Wanlip VillageWatch. This amounts to £960 a year forthe printing of the Village Watch newslet-ter and £179 a year for a dedicatedlandline number. The council receivesan income of £200 a year from thegroup for the hire of the 10 Sibson Roadbuilding.

The Council agreed to spend £32,819on improvements to the paths in theSchool Lane playing fields, and £3750on five steel litter bins.

Following some vandalism of a win-dow at the Stonehill Avenue toilets, theCouncil agreed to spend £1160 for thefitting of external grilles and vandalresistant acrylic perspex.

A FOUR hour Police operation on Sibson Road saw 45 vehi-cles stopped and 38 fixed penalty notices issued for driv-ing offences.

A DAY centre session for frail and elderly people in Bir-stall and Wanlip has been saved.

Cuts in funding meant that theThursday session at the St James DayCentre, run by Age Concern Birstalland Wanlip, was at risk of being axed.

It provides support for up to 15elderly people who are collect-ed by mini-bus at 9.30am andbrought to the centre, locatedwithin the Village Hall onSchool Lane.

They have coffee and tea,lunch, an afternoon activity

and aretakenhome at 3pm.

A steep reductionin the money AgeUK Leicestershireand Rutland receivefrom the CountyCouncil has contrib-uted to the fundingcrisis, but by dip-ping into their re-serve fund, AgeConcern Birstall andWanlip have securedthe Thursday ses-sion. They have alsohad to increase thefee charged to thoseattending from £8to £20.

These measureswill cover the costsof employing themanager,driver/carer and thehire of the room.

Secretary of Age Concern Birstall &Wanlip, Christine Winfield said: “Wewere all shocked and upset when wewere told the session might close.

“The Thursday session started forpeople who are lonely,

widows &wid-owers, per-hapsdepressed,and this maybe the onlytime they getout of theirhouse all week.

Closure would have made a tremen-dous difference to them, with morepeople ending up at the doctors or inhospital.

“Coming here helps keep peoplegoing, they talk to us and we help sortout their problems – if it finished itwould be a terrible loss.”

The St James Day Centre also pro-vides a bath service with a trained bathnurse, a height adjustable bath and ahoist. The fee is £3.50

Monday to Wednesday, the centre isrun by the County Council for elderlypeople with dementia in the widerarea – their sessions will continue.Betty Howard, Chairperson of Age Con-cern, Birstall & Wanlip said: “The com-mittee would like to thank all themarvellous volunteers who help thecentre to be run in such a happy andefficient way and we are very gratefulto all those who throughout the yearshave provided donations and legacies.”

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The LE4 Action group have beenorganising public opposition to the plans and held an open morning at the Vil-lage Hall on Saturday September 14 toassist anyone wishing to object, eitheronline or by post.

Spokesman Tony McGreal said: “Oneof the big problems we have is a lack ofenthusiasm. It’s important people objectand that they use material issues in plan-ning policy terms, like the fact that thesites are in the Green Wedge.”

Leicester City Council’s plans are fora six pitch site at Greengate Lane and 10pitches at Red Hill Way.

Leicestershire County Council hasobjected to the plans. The County High-ways Authority says:

• The speed surveys have been donein the wrong place and at the wrongtime of day

• Vehicle speeds are likely to be highenough to require that the access has a120 metre ‘visibility splay’, and that it isnot clear that there is sufficient land toprovide one

• The footways on Greengate Lane aresub-standard and the pedestrian crossingpoints are harzardous. The plans haveno mitigation measures to address theseissues

• The site is in open countryside withpoor links to local amenities

The plans will be determined atLeicester City Council’s planning commit-

tee meeting on October 16. Details ofthe plans and the decision notice will bepublished on the planning section of theCity Council’s website. The planningapplication reference numbers are20131494 and 20131493.

LE4 Action Group:www.le4.moonfruit.com

KEY:PITCH

Pic: the Greengate Lane site

POSTERS, LEAFLETS and facebook postings have featuredin an action group’s campaign to stop traveller sites beingbuilt on Greengate Lane and Red Hill Way.

A BIRSTALL toddler group has won a top award.Karen Smith is celebrating after her

toddler group, part of Acorn UnderFives, was named one of the Best inthe East Midlands region in the UK’sbiggest parenting competition run byBritain’s largest parenting siteNetmums.com.

The group, which runs at HighcliffePrimary School Community Centre onMonday mornings, is open to childrenaged from 1-3 years and is a firmfavourite with local mums. The grouphas received glowing reviews on theCharnwood & Melton Netmums site.

More than a million parents wereeligible to take part in the voting toselect the best-run toddler groupsaround the country. Acorn Toddlerswill get a winner's certificate to displayat the group, along with a winnersbadge and a gold listing in Netmums'Toddler Group section. Acorn Toddlerswill also be presented with a money-can’t-buy box of Andrex toy puppies.

Karen said: “Thank you to everyonewho has taken the time to write areview on Netmums. I am so pleasedthat people enjoy my sessions. This

recognition makes the hard workinvolved in the organisation and plan-ning of the sessions worthwhile. I havegreat fun running the group and enjoyseeing the toddlers having a whale ofa time!”

For more information, please con-tact Karen Smith at: Acorn Under Fives0116 2672795Pic: Karen Smith holding her certificatesurrounded by toddlers

BIRSTALL HAS a new Prin-cipal Beat Officer.

PC David Jaeckels 1759 replacesPC Des Hearnshaw, who has movedto a new role as Sergeant on anotherbeat.

PC Jae-ckels hasworked forLeicester-shire Policesince 1998.

Action group organisesopposition to sites

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A spokesman for Abbeyfield said: “Thedecision was not taken lightly, but aftermuch consideration it was felt that theaccommodation in its current state wasnot viable because of alack of demand over thelast five years.

“Many of the roomsare small and only twohad ensuite facilities. Wehave found that this doesnot meet the needs oftoday’s older people in Birstall. Olderpeople are now seeking modern selfcontained one or two bedroomed accom-modation as a minimum.”

Abbeyfield say that the expenditure toupgrade Grove House would be costlyand that the investment may not generatesufficient interest in the refurbishedrooms.

The spokesman added: “We will ofcourse be working closely with the four

remaining residents and their familymembers to ensure that they find accom-modation either in a nearby Abbeyfield or

other suitable housing orcare homes. No furtherdecisions have beenmade regarding GroveHouse beyond re-hous-ing the residents. Resi-dents remain ourpriority at Abbeyfield andthis decision to close has

been a difficult one to make. We are alsoconsulting with the one permanent fulltime staff member and the two part timestaff members, to try to redeploy themwithin Abbeyfield where possible.”

Abbeyfield is a charity that providessupport services and care for older peo-ple. It has had a home in Birstall for over40 years. Abbeyfield’s Barnes House, nextdoor to Grove House, closed in 2012.

Customers at the store were given atoken to put in the pot of one of threelocal community groups and BUJFCcame second.

Phil Hughes from BUJFC said: “Theclub would like to thank every singleperson who put their green token in ourpot. The money will go towards purchas-ing new training equipment for the newUnder 7s team which ahs just started itsvery first season of playing mini-soccer.These are the kids who have moved upfrom our very successful soccer school,and have now begun playing 5-a-side

matches against other clubs.“It is a very exciting time for them and

we want to make sure they have all theright equipment to make it as fun and assafe as possible.”

The club’s soccer school, for kidsfrom reception year and year 1, is con-tinuing under a new coach this year andtakes place on Saturday mornings from11am to 12pm.Pic: BUJFC players Barney and Reg wentalong to collect a £50 cheque from ASDAstore manager, Ian Rowntree

GROVE HOUSE, the Abbeyfield home for older people onChurch Hill, is to close.

BIRSTALL UNITED Juniors FC have received a cheque for£50 from Thurmaston ASDA as part of their “Chosen byYou” promotion.

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ADULTS AND children en-joyed themselves and learntnew skills at summer work-shops run by a local couple.

Local professional artist Sue Faulks,and her husband Simon, a guitarist andteacher, organised the sessions fromtheir new studio in Birstall.

Simon ran an ‘Improvisation Work-shop’ for guitarists. This was a two-hoursession with the topics including eartraining, scales and arpeggios and rhyth-mic phrasing. “Theemphasis was on learn-ing to unlock one’sown musical creativity,and the age range wasfrom teenagers rightthrough to retired folk”said Simon. “I am hop-ing to run a variety ofsessions in the futurefor beginners to themore advanced” headded.

‘The Art for Children’course was attended bya group of nine childrenfrom the age of 7-11years. Activities includedlearning to draw a car-toon bear; crayon-melt-ing; tie dying t-shirts; clayfridge magnets and galaxydoor plaques Sue said:

“We managed to pack alot into the week! Therewas a lovely atmosphere, the childrenproduced some fabulous work and hope-fully made some new friends too.”

‘The Artsy Videos for Teens’ workshopsaw a group of four teenagers produceline and wash illustrations which werethen photographed and imported intoediting software and music was added toit. The end result was a little stop frameanimation called ‘Seasons Change’. Itcan be seen on YouTube, by going tothe channel SueFaulksArt.

At ‘The Portrait Workshop for Adults’the day was spent building skills towardsa life-drawing session. Sue said: “In themorning, the focus was on drawingskills and techniques as well as the mainaspects of portraiture. Then the after-noon was all about observational draw-ing – firstly the eye, and then a portraitfrom life, which everyone found veryabsorbing after some initial trepidation.

She added: “I thoroughly enjoyed allthe sessions and hope that everyone feltpleased with the creativity they had dis-covered. It’s surprising what you canachieve when you’re prepared to have a

go! Many thanks must go to Simon and my daughters Joannaand Jenny Faulks, whose help was invaluable throughout theevents.”

Sue hopes to run more courses like this in the future, andas well as her private lessons/workshops, has been running asmall group for adults called ‘Promising Painters’ from herstudio since April 2013.

For more details contact Sue on mob: 07984 197114 orvisit her website: suefaulksart.co.uk

For guitarist courses contact Simon on 07954379482Pic (top): ‘Art for Children’ Navya Sharma, Lydia & Olivia Bonshor,Arjun Pancholi, Ellie Macmanard, Jonah Whatley Reynolds, SohiniPhull, Bethany Dearden and Khyati Bhatt. Below: ‘Portraits Work-shop for Adults’ (l-r) Hanna Booth, Beverley Hooper, Patricia Page,Nicola & Sue Cousins

BIRSTALL POLICE are in-vestigating two arson at-tacks to a motor vehicleon Newton Drive that oc-curred over a 2 week peri-od in mid September.

Birstall’s PBO PC Des Hearnshawsaid: “We are also aware that othermotor vehicles from the surroundingstreets have been previously targetedover the past seven years.

“As this is a serious offence, it may-be noticed there is an increased Po-lice presence in the area - this is tohelp re-assure the community and toassist with preventing another similarincident. At this time we urge peopleliving in the area to remain calm butvigilant.”

The Police are encouraging anyonewith information to come forwardeither directly by calling 101 or anony-mously by ringing crime stoppers0800 555 111.

A BURGLAR from Birstallhas received an 18 monthprison sentence forstealing a laptop compu-ter from a student’s bed-sit.

Shane Warland (24) of HallamFields Road, admitted burglary atLeicester Crown Court.

Warland crawled through an openwindow of the premises at MinsterCourt, York Road, Leicester on June6 at 9.15am. He stole the computerof a Chinese student, worth £1500and containing her coursework. Healso stole her purse, containing herUK residency card, bank cards andcash.

Warland, a heroin addict, has 78other offences on his criminalrecord including one for house bur-glary and four burglaries of commer-cial premises. He was on bail forshoplifting at the time he committedthe offence.

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Burglarjailed

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I would like to say a big thank you tothe two kind young gentlemen whostopped on the way for a drink on Fri-day August 23 to help my daughter movesome slate which had been left on theroad instead of the drive.

M Burden

Also we allotment holders would liketo thank ‘Rob’ for spending two week-ends in the ditch to try to clear the gul-lies of debris, to ensure ‘Riparian Dutiesand Rights’ are maintained to try to stopthe flooding.

Dave Cherry, on behalf of Bir-stall Allotment Society

I understand the football club wantsthe access to Worcester Avenue allot-ments and wants to take a road throughthe playing fields, that is not a good ideawith young people, skate board trackand youngsters play area. Please some-one use your common sense!

What on earth is going on with theBirstall Parish Council, everyone seemsto be leaving, why?

Also according to form they [theCounty Council] are trying to close theoverflow car park at the top of MeadowLane, Watermead Country Park.

Not a good idea, where will we park?Do they not realise a number of bigdisabled vehicles came to park there towalk the disabled, they need extra park-ing space. I’m disabled so need extraspace also. Surely something can bedone to stop vandalisation and drugabuse down there. Maybe CCTV cameras,more police patrol and even closing thecar park at night, with barriers!

Please do not victimise us the regularcar park users, and disabled vehicles,no room in the other car park for thesebig vehicles. What happens at the week-ends when it is busy, and it does getbusy?

Come on Leicestershire County Coun-cil, sort something out.

Anita J Gamble (Mrs)PS A big thank you again Jim!

I have heard the phrase, “Things arenot built to last” many times over theyears, and from my first hand experi-ence a truer word has never been said!

We moved into a new home on theHallam Fields estate just five years ago,in that time we have had to have a newfridge freezer because it was faulty be-yond repair, three new roof slates puton because original ones ‘dropped off’,the boiler has had to be repaired threetimes due to faults, and the element inthe cooker has now ‘blown’ for a fourthtime!

To compound matters the elementfault caused the mains plug on the cook-er to blow its fuse, I naively thought itwould be a simple job to replace thefuse in the plug; the problem was Icould not locate the plug! After muchsearching I found the mains plug sockethad been put behind the built in cooker,so you have to remove the built in cook-er to get to the plug to change thefuse...incredible design!

I did contact the developer regardingthese issues but, as you can guess wereceived no joy, we were told “not ourproblem”!

Hallam Fields Resident

YOUR SAY...

The Birstall Post welcomes your viewsand opinions on any subject. Letters,which must include your name andaddress, (though not necessarily forpublication) can be posted to: The Bir-stall Post, Longslade College, WanlipLane, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GH, orhanded in at Birstall library or email:[email protected]

I write on behalf of Meadow Laneallotmenteers to thank Jim Lennon forhis sterling efforts in strimming bothsides of Meadow Lane.

The nettles and vegetation had madeit virtually impossible to pass walkers,cyclists or vehicle drivers, in safety. Hehas once again set an example for those,who we pay handsomely to look afterthe needs of residents of Birstall, tofollow.

No doubt other users of MeadowLane will reiterate our sentiments.

Despite my appeal in a previous edi-tion of this paper I still witness childrenbeing taken across Greengate Lane,outside my home, by adults who may beunaware that recently two very nearmisses occurred due to cars ignoringthe 20mph lights and adults using mo-bile phones thus not fully concentratingon the risks involved. There is a schoolcrossing patrol at the zebra crossingwhich is much safer and I would appealto ‘Guardians’ of children to use thiscrossing.

I have lived here for 43 years duringwhich time I know of five children beingknocked down so please think carefullyabout how you cross Greengate Lane. Afew extra steps could be a life saver.

Roy Ewens, 95 Greengate Lane

I would like through the Birstall Postto thank Mr Jim Lennon, groundsmanfor Birstall United Football Ground.

Mr Lennon had made a lovely job ofstrimming the hedgerows on MeadowLane so the traffic can now get by with-out being scratched up, pedestrians also!

It’s about time the Birstall ParishCouncil got their act together and sortedMeadow Lane out, it’s a disgrace!

Also what happened to replacing thefence alongside the Meadow Lane allot-ments, we were coming along last nightwhen a teenager came off his bike andlanded in the ditch, he looked fine. Butone of these days a serious accident willhappen, who will be to blame?

CLASH2012 (Community, Leicester,Arthritis, Self, Help) would like to hankthe Birstall community and all of itsmembers in the help and support provid-ed by you all at our annual coffee morn-ing which was held at the BirstallMethodist Church on August 24.

The morning was a great successwhich enabled us to raise £189.54which would not have been achievablewithout the aid and support of commit-ted members and members of the public.Thank you to you all.

Karen Martin

The family of Eric Phillips who passedaway on August 19, 2013 wish to thankneighbours and friends for their cards,flowers and messages of sympathy sentat this sad time.

He will be sadly missed.Loving wife Mavis

Please would you let the ‘person’who bent my car aerial in order to stealthe three ribbons in Tigers colours (thisevening in School Lane) know that I willbuy him some of his own – all of 50pfrom the market!

He will be easily recognised now,

Thanks

Thanks

Crossing

Thanks

Thanks

Built to last

Eric Phillips

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Charity BridgeDriveorganised by Loughborough LionsClubThe Rothley Centre, MountsorrelLane, RothleyWednesday October 16 at 1.30pmAfternoon tea provided£6 per personTo book a table please contact Jack-ie 0116 2303317 oremail:[email protected]

Welcome &HospitalitySt James Churchon Church Hill, Birstall is open everySaturday morningfrom 10am to 12noon and a warmwelcome awaits all visitorsIf you are looking for quiet time andprivate prayer, just to have a lookaround or have a chat, do pop inA cup of tea or coffee will be provid-ed

Barn DanceSat Sep 287.30pm, Birstall Village HallTickets £8, students £4, childrenunder 10 freeinc Ploughman’s SupperTickets available from Gill Pope2675086 or Sandra Robinson2677238

Film NightSong for MarionFriday October 11 at 7pmSt James Church, Church Hill, Birstall

A likeable and heartwarming Britishdrama enlivened by a trio of terrificperformances from Gemma Arteton,Terence Stamp and Vanessa Red-graveNo charge – refreshments available

Autumn ArtExhibition 2013October 25-27, 11am to 5pmNewtown Linford Sunday School(next to main entrance to BradgatePark)Around 100 original paintings willbe on display – most of them forsale at very reasonable pricesAdmission freeRaffle for an original painting withthe proceeds going to RainbowsHospice, LoughboroughWebsite:www.charnwooddrawingpaintingclub.com

Birstall QuiltersInvite you to theirAnnual Coffee Morning and SaleSaturday October 12From 10am to 12noonat Birstall Methodist ChurchCome & join us relaxing with friendsover coffee. Solve some of the prob-lems of Christmas shopping. Tryyour luck in the raffle – 1st prize aquilt made by the group members.Sale in aid of Birstall BAGS(Breast Cancer Awareness Group)

Birstall & District Art Society

AnnualExhibitionat the Village HallNov 2-4Birstall Road, Birstall, Leicester LE44DHOpen 9.30am-5pm, Sat & Sun;9.30am-3pm Mon

Free admission, wheelchair access,refreshmentsFree parking to the rear of the Vil-lage Hall

Charity Christmas

Craft FairSaturday November 2 from 10am to3.30pmat The Rothley Centre, MountsorrelLane, Rothley LE7 7PRAdmission £1Lots of lovely craft stalls, in jewel-lery, ceramics, textiles, toys, giftsand lots more individually made anddesigned itemsCakes, refreshments and raffleWhy not spread the cost of Christ-mas and start your shopping early?All proceeds to the LeicestershireMS Therapy CentreContact Susan on 0116 2388035 formore information

At the meeting of Leicestershire &Rutland Dowsers on Sat Oct 12Di Holliday will talk about

Emotional FreedomTechniqueChair of Slimbridge Dowsers, Di willexplain practical applications foraccessing the intuitionThe meeting will take place as usualat St James’ Day Centre, Birstall Vil-lage Hall and will start with refresh-ments from 10am to 10.30amAdmission £5

Birstall Royal BritishLegionOctober 5: Dave Ross (M/V)October 12: Charlie (M/V)October 19: Jacqui Daniels (F/V)Octobar 26: Lauren Rose (F/V)Dancing every Saturday night withlive entertainmentBingo, free beer raffle and not for-getting Open the Box

It was reported (Mercury Mailbox,August 23) that Mayor Sir Peter Soulsbysaid, in referring to plans for traveller sitesin Red Hill Way and Greengate Lane, thatthe managed sites would help preventunauthorised encampments springing up. Ihope when he uses the word "managed"he means managed much better, managedproperly, rather than the management ofthe present temporary site on GreengateLane. It seems doubtful that he has visitedthat site recently or if he has visited it atany time. It looks a mess and very over-crowded and it is obvious the site is notlarge enough for all the cars, caravans,other vehicles and ponies etc which arecrammed into it. It seems likely that healthand safety rules are being broken. Anymanagement by Leicester City Councilneeds to include instructing the travellersabout the Highway Code and impressingupon them the need to keep their dogsunder control.

A few weeks ago a friend was in his carand about to drive past the Greengate Lanesite when he was suddenly confronted witha young man driving a pony and trap com-ing very rapidly out of the site. Obviouslymy friend had to brake hard very suddenlybut was rewarded for his quick reactionby being greeted with a rude, two-fingeredgesture from the young man who insteadof doing that, should have been thankingGod and indeed my friend, that neither henor his pony were killed nor even injured.

A near neighbour a few weeks agowhilst walking her two dogs (on leads andunder control) past the Greengate Lanesite had the upsetting potentially dangerousexperience of having her dogs attacked byaggressive, uncontrolled travellers’ dogsrunning out of the site. Thus she is nowafraid of walking past the site again and soit has become a no-go area for her. Ano-go area in so-called Environment Cityfor a woman just wanting to walk her dogson leads on part of a public footpath iscertainly not a good advert for a city vyingto be the City of Culture in 2017.

In recent weeks we have seen severallarge ponies belong to the travellers onthat site tethered to nearby grass verges.The tethers, anchored to the ground, areof fairly short lengths so that the poniesalthough able to eat a circular area ofgrass have little room to move around anddon’t have the freedom to gallop aboutand have proper exercise. Also these poorponies being tethered next to a busy roadare subject to the noise and fumes createdby passing vehicles. Their situation andtreatment seems inappropriate and is pos-sibly a case of cruelty which the RSPCAneeds to investigate.

J Woods

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OCT 2013THE BIRSTALL POST10Every Tuesday night Bingo startingat 9.15pmQuiz nights Sunday Oct 13 & 27,starting at 9pmAcoustic night Sunday Oct 20 at 8pmRock & Roll nights Wednesday Oct 2& 16Food available every Saturday12noon-2pmWakes catered for

It’s that time again to enjoy thefabulous Brass Band music of the

Ibstock Brass BandThey will be back in Birstall on Sun-day November 3at 7.30pm at St James Church, FrontStreetPay on the door £5Come along and enjoy a great nightof live and lively music

Variety Show‘A good old Sing-Song’7.30pm on October 10 & 112pm on Saturday October 12at Birstall Methodist ChurchTickets £5. tel: 2122513

Birstall FlowerClubA Blooming Good ReadGill ShanksWednesday October 23 at 7.15pmBirstall Village HallVisitors very welcomeSylvia Simes2674206

Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston ParishCouncil

Les MiserablesFriday October 11 (158 mins)This epic musical drama film hasgreat power. Anne Hathaway de-served her Oscar as Best SupportingActress. Hugh Jackman won an Oscarnomination for his fearless portrayalof the convict Jean Valjean who onlyjust survives starvation. We have tolaugh at Helena Bonham Carter andBaron Cohen as Innkeeper and wife.Even if you have already seen thisfilm, you’ll still be entranced.

Hyde Park on HudsonFriday November 8 (94 mins)This British comedy is set in theHudson Valley and features KingGeorge VI and our Queen Mary onthe first trip across the Atlantic for areigning British monarch. World WarII is looming and our king is on adiplomatic mission to secure alliedsupport, led by President Roosevelt,played brilliantly by Bill Murray.The recent best-ever version of‘Great Expectations’ will be shownon Friday December 13.Thurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil will be showing these filmsat Thurcaston Memorial Hall. Start-ing at 7.30pm, tickets cost £4.50and concessions are £4. The priceincludes refreshments and a luckyprize draw.Advance tickets can be purchased

via the parish office, 0116 2367626or at the door.Book your tickets early to avoid dis-appointment.

Birstall & District LocalHistory SocietyThursday October 10, Birstall Vil-lage Hall, Birstall Road.The talk will be ‘Bess of Hardwick,Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury’Speaker will be Julie EdeAll visitors are very welcome andparking is available on the playingfields via School Lane entrance

St James Day Centre 200ClubWinners for September:1st Mrs Leanne Green2nd Mrs Pat Hilton3rd Mrs Kathleen Davison4th Mr John Healey

Calling AllToddlers!Age 12 months to 3 yrsBring a grown up to the ‘NetmumsFavourite’ Parent & Toddler Group inthe East MidlandsOur sessions are fun, interestingand very messyPainting, sticking, play dough, bis-cuit decorating and lots more messyplayGrown ups enjoy a cuppa while thelittle ones munch on a well earnedsnack of milk, fruit & a biscuitLots of toys, books & jigsawsTo finish we sing, clap out numbersor have fun with the parachuteIt’s a great place to spend an hourand a half of your dayInterested?Call Karen at Acorn Parent & Tod-dlers 2672795Venue: Highcliffe Primary SchoolCommunity Room

Yes Folks It’s Panto Time Again

Highcliffe AmateurTheatrical Societypresents

Bah! Humbug thePantoby Elaine Hunt and Phillip WaltonAt Highcliffe School, GreengateLane, BirstallThursday Nov 28 and Friday Nov 29at 7.15pm and Saturday Nov 30 at2.30pm & 7.15pmTickets Adult £6, concessions £5,discount group booking from 0781702 0064 or 0116 2128757Don’t delay book [email protected]

Annual ExhibitionSoar Valley ArtistsSat/Sun, Oct 12.13Rothley centre, Mountsorrel lane,Rothley10am to 5pmAdmission freeRefreshments and homemade cakesA warm welcome to all

Barbershop Singing

Taster CourseSun Oct 13, 3-5pmMon Oct 14, 7.30-10pmBirstall Social Club, Wanlip LaneWe invite all men who can sing,even those who think they can’t, tocome and join us and have a lot offun. Any and all music materials willbe supplied by the club.On Fri Oct 18 there will be anAfterglow ConcertIn aid of LOROS, donations on thedoorThe Heart of England Chorus will bejoined by other choruses fromaround the MidlandsCall Jan Hunt 2675339 or [email protected] to bookyour place

What do you do forBirstall?If you run any kind of club or groupin Birstall the library would like tohear from you.We are hoping to have a display of‘What goes on in Birstall’ whichwould detail any activities available.If you have any photographs we candisplay those too. So drop into thelibrary and let us know what you do.

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Silly ScienceAt Birstall LibraryCome to the library and enjoy sto-ries and some silly experimentsThursday October 24, 2.15-3.45pmFor children aged 5 to 10 years£1 per childBooking is advisableFor further details contact the li-brary 0116 3058756or [email protected]

Saturday October 26from 10am to 5pmSt James the Great Church is cele-brating the

50th anniversary of theDedication of the modernextension in 1963Come and share in the celebrations

Exhibitions portrayinglife in 1963See what cars we were driving, whatTV we were watching, what was onat the cinema, what music we werelistening toDisplays of wedding dresses andChurch VestmentsBirstall as it was in 1963A display of the church, past,present and futurePerformances from the Gospel Choir(morning and afternoon)Refreshments all dayAdmission freeThere will be a special commemora-tive service on Sunday 27 at 10am

Allotment gardeningfor disabled peopleThe Council has in past years madea commitment to accommodate dis-abled residents who wish to take upan allotment and will create a raisedbed for easier access. If you wouldlike further details please contactthe Parish Council direct on

2676191 or email:[email protected]

Birstall’s biggestand best bonfireand fireworks!Birstall United Juniors FC Friday No-vember 8Meadow Lane training groundGates open at 7pmBonfire starts 7.30pmFireworks 8.15pm£1 per person (for all ages)Pay on the gate (please bring cor-rect change)BBQ/can-bar*/sweets*no alcohol to be brought onto site

CLASH 2012Drop-in Sessions for people withArthritis and other Musculoskeletalconditions, to gather informationand to have a general chat aboutthese conditions.Sessions held every Monday, 10amto 12noon, Room 7, Peepul Centre,Orchardson Ave, Leicester LE4 6DP -sessions are free.General Fitness Sessions Tuesdays1-2pm and Chair Based ExerciseSessions Wednesdays 1-2pm forpeople with arthritis and other mus-culoskeletal conditions at thePeepul Centre, Orchardson Ave,Leicester. Sessions are free.CLASH 2012 monthly meeting. WedOctober 9, 7-9pm at the PalmerTomkinson Centre, Longslade Com-munity College, Wanlip Lane, Bir-stall LE4 4GH – speaker TBCCharity Fundraising Indian Buffet,Tuesday October 15, Tamarind res-taurant, Peepul Centre, £15 pp6.30-9.30pm. Please contact Karenfor further information07954584402

Quiz NightHighcliffe Primary SchoolElmfield HallWednesday October 16 at 7.30pm£10 per team (max 5 per team) inadvance, £12 on the nighthttp//highcliffequiznight.eventbrite.co.uk/to pay via PayPal or [email protected]

“Longslade ischanging….come & see foryourself”Wanlip Lane, Birstall, Leicester LE44GHwww.longslade.leics.sch.uk

Open EveningLongslade College Tuesday October15, 6-8.30pmFor prospective students

THIRTY LADIES includingsome new faces met onSeptember 2 for Birstall andWanlip WI’s first meetingafter the summer break.

It was time to catch up on our summeractivities including an August coach trip toSpringfields Shopping Centre, WI quiz,petanque evening and a trip to the NationalArboretum. We were told of card makingworkshops, debates, lunch clubs and craftingand chatting that will all take place in theautumn at WI House. There is even a triporganized for the Birmingham tattoo on De-cember 1 but this coincides with the BradgateGroup carol concert. This year it is hosted byBirstall and Wanlip WI at Harrison RoadMethodist Church. Everyone is welcome solook out for more details next month.

Julie Ede then spoke to us about the amaz-ing Tudor entrepreneur Bess of Hardwickwho worked her way from being a youngnanny to a good friend of Elizabeth I viaworking for the Grey family at BradgateHouse. It was a totally captivating talk by avery enthusiastic speaker.

Our next meeting will be at 7.15pm atHighcliffe School, Greengate Lane on October7 when Bill Wells will entertain us with ‘FireSafety with a Smile’.

From Birstall & Wanlip WI

BIRSTALL PARISH Councilcurrently has two vacancieson the Parish Council.

The Council owns and manages threeparks, including School Lane, where thereare four football pitches or two cricketsquares according to the season, the Green-gate Lane Cemetery and three allotment sites.The Council also owns the Village Hall andthe old offices in Sibson Road which areavailable for hire and manages the Youth Caféin the School Lane playing field pavilion.

“The commitment required is for an inter-est in preserving and improving the communi-ty and to attend the council meetings whichare hold on the second Monday of eachmonth” said Parish Clerk Steve Blackburn.

To be eligible an applicant must be on thecurrent register of voters or be employed inthe community. Joining at this stage will notinvolve a public election as the council haspower to co-opt suitable candidates.

For further information please contact theClerk to the Council, Steve Blackburn on2676191 or email to [email protected]

CARL GUNNS’ boxing gym on Bir-stall Road is bidding for a shareof Lloyd’s Bank’s CommunityFund.

The gym is in a final shortlist of four inthe Charnwood area. The two good causeswith the most votes each receive £3000while the other two get £300 each.

Carl has put up a display inside Lloyds onHigh Street, Leicester and with help fromsome of his young gym members has beenexplaining to bank customers what goes onat the gym and asking for their votes.

To vote for Gunns’ Gym, text VOTE KMJCto 61119 before November 1. Texts cost yourstandard network rate.

• Carl was invited by the High Streetbranch of Lloyds to cut the ribbon at theofficial re-opening of the branch, followingLloyds separation from TSB.

The November issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POSTwill be published on Nov 1.The copy deadline is Oct 18.

WI news

Vacancies

Gym’s bidfor funds

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Jamie, a silver tabby cat, was famousfor sitting in the middle of the road andrefusing to move for drivers.

His owner Paula Lehane said: “Jamiecame to us as an eight week old kitten.Just a ball of fluff. We knew he was hereto stay when after inspecting the lounge,he sat down and proceeded to watch thetelevision. At that point my young sonsaid: “Can we keep him Mum?” And ofcourse we did.

“He spent the following years roamingthe streets of Birstall but mainly theGates estate. If a back door was open hewas in. The owners would often findhim curled up on their settee and on theodd occasion on their bed. He seemedto think that anywhere was fair game.He would be picked up and put outside.But you could guarantee, at some point,he would be back again and again, so inthe end he would be just left to sleep tillit would be time to go home. And homehe came every night. He was not one forroaming the street at night. I think heknow which side his bread was buttered.

“Dogs and cats would steer clear ofhim as he was a large cat, yet he wouldsit on the pavement or wall outside ourhouse for hours and let adults andschoolchildren alike stroke him as theypassed. I think it was part of the schoolrun to stroke Jamie on the way toschool and back.

“His party trick was to sit in the mid-dle of the road and refuse to move if acar came. The driver, despite honkingtheir horn, would have to get out oftheir car and put him on the pavement.It came to pass that everybody in thearea knew him and would stop to movehim. In later years he would be broughthome by concerned neighbours. “Your

Jamie’s been sitting in the road again” Iwould be told. He was actually the sub-ject of ‘Thought for the Day’ on RadioLeicester one day because of his partiali-ty for sitting in the road. My biggest fearwas that he would be run over by astranger who didn’t know about him.Thankfully this did not happen.

“As old age and arthritis got to hisback legs his roaming area becamesmaller so that in the end he would onlysaunter round Denegate and Ryegate.But he would still know which house hecould go to, to be given the best ham orsalmon, or which house had a cushionby an open fire where he could sleepthe day away. He still came home atnight. Sometimes not till 10 o’clock atnight.

“It was a sad day when Jamie wasbrought home by a neighbour fromDenegate, who picked him up andbrought him home in his van because hethought he didn’t look well. Unfortunate-ly Jamie passed away in his van on theway home.

“Well Jamie thank you for 21 years.You will be sadly missed not only by mebut many people in this area, but I amsure that you are happy exploring pas-tures new.”

THE NIGHTS are getting darker andwe all need to be vigilant, both forourselves and our neighbours.

Overgrown shrubs and hedges near toproperties can shield opportunist thieves,as they cannot be seen by neighbours andanyone passing by. Please don't give themthe chance! If you are out at night, pleaseclose your curtains and leave a light on, itlooks like somebody is in. You can alsobuy TV simulators, which makes it looklike the TV is on. These are available fromus for £10. Please make sure all tools andladders are all locked away safely, as theseare often used by burglars to gain entry toyour property.

If you do see anything suspicious,please report it to the Police on 101. If acrime is taking place always call 999. Witha few simple measures, such as not leavingvaluables on show, you can reduce thechances of it happening to you.

For more advice, please pop in for achat at our monthly advice shop on Octo-ber 19. This is held at the old parish coun-cil office (opposite the garden centre)from 10am to 12. Alternatively, we have anadvice line (with answerphone). Pleasecall: 2676397.

From Birstall & Wanlip NHW

being charged and subsequently havingconditions not to enter the village again.This has had a big impact. The shopshave adopted a more robust approachand have new practices in place to helpus identify the thieves and bring them tojustice, so I would like to thank themfor all their hard work. The word isgetting back to the neighbouring areasso I hope we can continue to maintainthis approach. Should you be stood in ashop and see someone stealing, I askthat you raise the alarm with staff imme-diately, this will deter them from comingback.

Since arriving here on the beat I havebeen asking you all to tell me what mat-ters the most to you. What can I do tomake Birstall a better place to live. Theresults show me that speeding and park-ing issues are the most important areasyou would like us to concentrate on.PCSO Mark Butler is setting up a priorityplan for this and is currently arrangingevents around schools and known trou-ble spots in order to tackle the issue. Ihave enforcement days planned in thecoming weeks so you should see a bigincrease in Police presence on the roads.I will also be looking for help from thecommunity in setting up a speed watchin the village. Should you wish to volun-teer or would like to know more pleaseget in touch.

PCSO Charlotte White has been busyworking on her beat problem priorityand is putting her plans in to actionover the coming weeks. We will havemore visible officers on the village butalso plain clothes too. She has beentargeting those who have been causingthe most ASB and as such issued antiso-cial behaviour contracts and warningletters. As I said when I arrived I ampassionate about tackling ASB and I canassure you we all work tirelessly to tar-get the main offenders and work toresolve the ongoing cases.From PC 688 Des Hearnshaw – Beacon OfficerPCSO 6611 Mark Butler & PCSO 6148 Charlotte WhiteEmail to: [email protected]: 0116 2677355 or 101. Twitter: @birstallpolice

A POPULAR cat who was known by many on the Gates es-tate has died aged 21.

A BIRSTALL man haspleaded guilty to stealinglager from a Birstall su-permarket.

Jason Lee Parker (25) of LongMeadow Way appeared at LeicesterMagistrates Court in September. Headmitted stealing Carlsberg lagerworth £13.25 from the Co-op on Wan-lip Lane on July 23.

He was discharged conditionallyfor six months and ordered to pay£13.25 compensation and £85 costs.

NHW news& crime report

Crime Report : Birstall & Wanlip Au-gust 2013

Assaults 15, burglary 2, burglarynon-dwelling 1, damage 6, damage tomotor vehicle 2, drugs 2, theft 7, theftmotor vehicle 1, theft stores 4.

Lots of work has gone into the target-ing of people travelling to Birstall inorder to steal from the shops here onSibson Road. We have made severalarrests which have resulted in offenders

Memories of Jamie

Pic: Jamie the tabby cat

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COUNTY YARNS, Birstall’snew wool shop, has every-thing for new and sea-soned knitters.

A family business, run by Sue, Vic,Wendy and Sheila, County Yarns hasrelocated from Leicester’s indoormarket.

Sue said: “Our objective is to pro-vide a variety of knitting/crochet yarnsand accessories at sensible pricesalong withgood oldfashionservice too”.

Sheadded: “Wehavebrought with us some of our bestselling yarns and also have some newones coming in for the autumn, froma new lace weight to super chunky.

“Anyone who wishes to start knittingor crocheting we will do our best tohelp you find what you are looking for,we all knit, even Vic, well - in a fash-ion!”

The shop has a selection of knittingyarns from a number of suppliersincluding Sirdar, Robin, Woolcraft,Stylecraft and James Brett.

“If you cannot find what you arelooking for please ask, we may beable to get it for you” said Sue.

“To all our customers who havesupported us in the indoor market wewill be pleased to see you in our newshop on Wanlip Avenue, and to thosewho have yet to try us, give us a look,we will be pleased to see you” sheadded.

County Yarns, 2a Wanlip Ave (op-posite Co-op Travel) Open Tuesday toSaturday, 9.30am to 4pm Tel: 07926630 973

Newwoolshop

A BIRSTALL teenager and her friends organised a charity cycleride to raise money for Rothley based charity Alex’s Wish .

Paige Bradshaw(15), Ravina Battu,Heather Yeomans,Georgie Roe and MegHolland cycled a sev-en mile route aroundWatermead CountryPark, raising £100.

Alex Hallam isseven years old andsuffers with DuchenneMuscular Dystrophy, arare severe muscle wasting disease thatshortens his life. Sufferers either becomeparalysed or have to use a wheelchair intheir late teens.

Paige, of Johnson Road, said: “I wasreally happy with the ride, all of us hada great morning, getting fit and raisingsome much needed money for research

into such a terrible disease. I first dis-covered Alex’s Wish in early 2013 andfelt that such a lovely boy like Alexdoesn’t deserve to have such an awfuldisease. The Hallams are absolutelyamazing people and are definitely peopleto look up to. Alex has got to be themost inspirational person I have evermet, his courage and bravery was one ofthe first thing I noticed about him. I’mprepared to do whatever I can to helpand support the Hallams, so DuchenneMuscular Dystrophy can be eradicatedfor good. A massive thank you to mybikers, all of you were fantastic!”

YOUNG PEOPLE aged 16-17can enjoy a four day stay atan outdoor adventure centrefor £35.

The National Citizen Service (NCS) is agovernment scheme, launched in 2012,that aims to engage young people with amixture of outdoor activities, businessworkshops and voluntary work in the com-munity.

The scheme usually lasts 2-3 weeks butLoughborough College are offering a oneweek ‘Awesome Autumn’ programme thisOctober half term.

The week involves a four-day stay at anoutdoor adventure centre with activitiessuch as wall-climbing and archery, threedays working with businesses to improveyoung people’s employability skills and asocial action project that allows partici-pants an opportunity to give somethingback to their community.

Food, travel to the residential and threenights of accommodation are included inthe programme cost.

Phil Everett, Communications Officer forNCS EM1, commented: “Awesome Autumnis a slightly shorter version of our summerprogramme, but it offers all the same bene-fits including a chance to meet new people,try new things and build experience foruniversity applications and CVs – all thewhile giving back to the local community.We’ve already had several young peoplesign up for the October programme, butthere are still plenty of spots available.”

You can also register for Spring 2014 ifAutumn is not suitable.

For more information contact JessicaPavey 01509 618062 [email protected] You can alsovisit wwww.facebook.com/NCSEM1 and/orregister your interest atwww.ncsem1.org.uk/young-people, quotingLoughborough College as the local deliverypartner.

Cycle ride for Alex

Pic: Paige Bradshaw (2nd from right)& her friends

Four dayadventure

County Yarns

Having a good range of yarns from major suppliersbeing a stockist of selected yarns by

SIRDAR, JAMES C. BRETT, ROBIN,Stylecraft & Woolcraft

2A Wanlip Avenue, BirstallLeicester LE4 4JP Tel 0792 6630 973

Opposite Co-op Travel & behind Purple Pear Greengrocers

A local supplier of most of your

Our current opening times are : Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 am to 4:00 pm

e-mail: [email protected]

Knitting & Crochet needs

We can supply most of your basic needs forknitters & crochet crafts

Our current range includes basic DK, Chunky& Aran Yarns. Also Super & Mega Chunky Yarns

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IT WAS certainly a day to re-member for Connor Wintertonat Birstall Watermead TennisClub’s Finals Day.

Young Connor (19) clinched themen’s singles title for the first time whenhe beat John Hurst 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.

It was a physically demanding eventfor Connor as he was involved in twoother finals, and although he lost in themixed doubles with Mary Whiteman, to

Laura Morley andVikesh Navsaria 2-6, 2-6, hetriumphed in the men's dou-bles with Colin Lister, winning6-4, 6-2 against Kieran Wil-

liams and Neil Bayliss.In the ladies' singles, club coach

Laura Morley defeated Rachel Chalmers6-1, 6-1 to repeat her victory of last year.

In the ladies’ doubles, Wendy Morleyand Lucy Evans beat Mary Whiteman andRochelle Muller in an exciting match,6-3, 7-5.

In the under-18s final, Ryan Burtonbeat Kuljit Tara in a thriller, 6-2, 4-6,6-4. However, Kuljit gained revenge inthe under-16s final, defeating Ryan 6-0,5-7, 6-4.

Joe Collings beat Dan Phillipson 6-3,6-2 in the under-14s, while in the un-der-12s, Lewis Platts defeated JakeMcLeary 6-2, 7-5. In the remaining final,the under-10s, Finley Platts beat Ben-

jamin Mills.One feature ofthe juniorfinals was thehigh quality ofthe tennisplayed, whichbodes well forfuture years.

Organiserswere delight-ed with sup-port given onthe day by

parents, grandparents and friends of thecompetitors.

From Birstall Watermead Tennis Club

BOWLERS FROM Birstall Bowling Clubwon three county titles, and were run-ners up in two more, over one week-end at the start of last month.

The club won the Greenwood Cup forthe third time in five years with a com-bined score of +83, 37 shots clear ofrunners up Market Bosworth and 48clear of third placed Fleckney. BirstallScores: Grahame White, Richard Smith,

John Lee & Dave Clarke +35 v Rothley.Roger Savill, Stuart Hartop, Jan Everitt andAndy Wye +28 v Wymeswold. John Hurst,John Walker, Paul Young & Di Hurst +14 vMeasham. Gary Norman, John Jenkins, PaWalker & Tom Cowles +6 v Abbey Park.

Pa Walker, Noi Walker (substituting forJennie Groves), Jan Everitt and Di Hurstbeat a Kibworth team skipped by JeannieFilppance to win Birstall the ladies countyfours title for the fifth time in seven years.Pa also won the ladies county champion ofchampions competition, beating Joan Big-gadike (Loughborough Granby), but missedout on a treble, losing to Kingscroft’s Pam

Sutton in the ladies singles final.In the county mixed pairs, Birstall’s

Jan Everitt and Andy Wye who last year’swinners, reached the final again but lostto Belgrave’s Dee Davies & Jamie Wain.

Birstall’s John Hurst was one of twoLeicestershire qualifiers at the men’sNational Championships in the two woodcompetition, but lost out in the firstround to Alan Cawdell (Isle of Wight)who went on to reach the quarter final.The championships took place at Wor-thing for the last time before moving toLeamington Spa next year.

Bowls club

PLANS FOR a £2.4millionrefurbishment of a Birstallsheltered housing complexhave been announced byCharnwood.

The plans will see Riversdale Court onRiversdale Close extended with seven newflats built, two of which will be suitable forwheelchair users.

The existing flats with shared bathroomfacilities will be converted into one bed-room self-contained flats.

There are also plans for a 13 passengerlift to allow easier access to all floors, toexpand the car park and provide a newcommunal lounge and kitchen on the firstfloor.

There are currently 25 units withinRiversdale Court – 16 bedsits and nineflats. 22 are occupied by 23 residents. Ifthe development plans are approved therewill be 32 one bedroom flats.

A spokesman for Charnwood BoroughCouncil said: “Much of Charnwood’s shel-tered stock was built many years ago andinvestment is required to ensure that it isfit for the purpose of providing good quali-ty housing for older people now and in thefuture. A survey was carried out in 2010 toidentify what investment was required inthe sheltered courts and the Council isnow beginning an investment programmefor its stock.”

Riversdale Court residents are involvedin an ongoing consultation process and arebeing kept informed of the progress of theplans. A public consultation meeting washeld in September to give local residents achance to view the plans and raise issues.

Charnwood Councillor for Birstall Wa-termead, David Gaskell, said: “I think theseplans are absolutely magnificent. Therewas some concern raised at the publicmeeting, which I share, about the exten-sion on stilts which looks too prominent.”

Charnwood says the plans are beingamended following the public meeting andit expects to submit a planning applicationby mid October.

RiversdaleCourt plans

HarvestThis is the theme for October’s All Togeth-

er service at St James on Sunday 6 at 10am,and everyone is invited to come along withtheir harvest gifts, to be distributed later tocharitable organisations. The many peoplewho attended the Church’s Garden Party atthe end of August will be glad to know thatthe event raised over £1700, which will bedivided between the City of Sanctuary charityfor refugees and the homeless, and thechurch. Thank you to all who helped orsupported.Autumn events

A very interesting speaker is booked forthe next meeting of the Men’s Group on Sun-day October 6 in the British Legion. DavidWalmsley will be talking about “Life as a Pris-on Governor”. The meeting starts at 7.45pmand visitors will be welcome.

The first Film Evening of the season willbe held in St. James on Friday October 11when “Song for Marion”, a heart-warmingand very well-reviewed film, will be shown.The performance will start at 7pm and admis-sion is free to everyone. As in the “good olddays”, ice-creams and sweets will be servedand coffee and tea will be available at theinterval. Donations will go to church funds.

The social committee has also bookedseats at Loughborough Town Hall on Wednes-

Church news

Club’s finals day

Pics: (top) ConnorWinterton; (left) LauraMorley (right) &Rachel Chalmers;(right) Finlay Platts(left) & BenjaminMills

Continued on page 15

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Part 3: Birstall Hall and John Mans-field continued

John Mansfield was resident at Bir-stall Hallfrom 1797to 1839and wasBirstall’slord of themanor.

Hisqualitieswere quick-ly recog-nised byLeicester’scorporation and by the age of 22 he waselected a councillor. With the countrygripped by fears of a Napoleonic inva-sion he became, at the age of 25, Lieu-tenant Colonel of the LeicesterVolunteers (the equivalent of the HomeGuard) responsible for the defence ofthe town and county. During these criti-cal times he put much time and energyinto bringing his untrained Leicestervolunteers up to scratch. He was sosuccessful that, following a searchingthree week inspection and field exercisein Derbyshire, General Roberts wrote ofthem

“I am highly gratified with their ap-pearance and extremely goodconduct…in point of discipline, theywould do credit to any regiment of theline.”

Following the Battle of Trafalgar, withinvasion no longer a threat, Mansfieldresigned his commission.

By the age of 37 he was Leicester’syoungest mayor. This honour came at atime when the peace of Leicester wasdisturbed by serious rioting by the pooragainst industrial change and the risingprice of food. He took control of thepeace-keeping volunteers and, leadingfrom the front and facing up to themobs, he defused more than one danger-ous situation. He was commended in thepress for showing “the courage, tact andenergy of a military chief”.

As a persistent campaigner for thebetterment of Leicester’s working men,who acknowledged him as ‘The PoorMan’s Friend’, he was founder member

of Leicester’s National Society for theprovision of schools and Leicester’sTrustee Savings Bank and other reform

and improve-ment socie-ties but,above all, hepressed forimprovementof wages andconditionsfor the frame-work knitters.This was themain plat-form in his

election to Parliament in 1818 and inthe following year he initiated andchaired a select committee on condi-tions in the framework knitting industry.The Commons accepted his report’sfindings but they were rejected by theLords. In the year that he entered Par-liament he showed that he was notafraid to stake his life in a matter ofhonour. He challenged a Mr Clarke ofBrooksby Hall to a duel for what he feltwere scurrilous insinuations. The twomet at 7am on July 13 at Danes Hill butthe worried seconds impressed upon thetwo men what a tragic waste it would beif either of them, as strong family men,were to be killed. The two agreed andafter shaking hands they went on theirways. So ended Leicester’s last duel.

By the age of 50, after eight years asan MP, he resigned his seat due in largepart to festering relations between him-self and Thomas Burbridge, Leicester’svenal town clerk who, in twenty twoyears of office, made the town’s corpora-tion recognised, throughout England, asthe most corrupt in the country andmade himself a wealthy man. By 1831Mansfield had resigned from Leicester’scorporation. A disillusioned man, he was,in 1833, made High Sheriff of Leicester-shire. This was the same year that aRoyal Commission of Enquiry from Lon-don came to investigate ‘the working ofthe corporate system in Leicester’. Thecommissioners concluded their reportwith 20 damning observations: one said:

“It is impossible to speak of the [Leices-ter’s] corporate authorities except interms of unqualified censure”.

Although the last six years of his lifewere dogged by ill health he continuedto campaign vigorously, especially onbehalf of Leicester Infirmary and thenew County Lunatic Asylum. As a closefriend of the Duke of Rutland his influ-ence and work became county wide.

He died at Birstall Hall on January 9,1839 after collapsing at a family Christ-mas party. Deeply mourned throughoutthe county his funeral service, in Birstallchurch, although for family and friendsonly, saw almost all of the village popula-tion lining the route from the hall to thechurch.

Next month: Following his wife’smove from Birstall, Mansfield’s bankand the estate face bankruptcy.Pic: Haymarket and Gallowtree Gate ca.1840. Humberstone Gate is on the left,further down beyond the two curved cano-pies is Mansfield’s bank.

Methodist Variety ShowOn Thursday, Friday & Saturday October

10, 11 & 12 come along & enjoy a ‘good oldsing-song’ at the Concert Hall at the Method-ist Church. Under the guidance of ShirleyHarrison talent has been gathered together topresent this variety show. On Thursday &Friday performances start at 7.30pm and onSaturday at 2pm (no evening performance onSaturday). Tickets are priced at £5 adultsand £2 for children 10 & under.

Call Deborah for tickets Tel 2122513.Lunch Club

Any retired folk in Birstall are welcome toour lunch club which meets every Wednesdayin the Church Lounge from 11.30am onwardsfor a chat, followed by an excellent twocourse meal & a cup of tea which is allserved in the main hall. Transport by mini-bus also available. If you are interested con-tact Janet (2671471) for more details.Room Hire

The rooms on the Methodist Churchpremises can be hired out for events andmeetings. To book a room or to make furtherenquiries either phone 2677576 or email:[email protected] Services

There are two special services this month.The Civic Service on October 6 when we shallbe welcoming members of the Parish, Districtand County Councils who represent the Bir-stall Community. The service will be led byAndrew Biggins.

On the 27th it is World Church Sundaywhen we think of the worldwide church espe-cially those in poorer countries and the workof the Methodist Church overseas. There willbe a visiting speaker from Methodist MissionHouse in London.

From Tony Moore, Birstall Method-ist Church

Harvest ThanksWe would like to thank those of you who

joined with us for our Harvest ThanksgivingService on September 29. We are sending adonation to Care Sri Lanka, a Christian chari-ty which is involved in supporting orphansand widows amongst other healthcare andrelief projects for people of all religions inthis needy land. If you would like to knowmore about their work, the web address iswww.care-srilanka.org.Discussion Topics

October’s topic follows on from the above,for we all ask the question, ‘Why all the suf-fering?’ at some point. It may be felt on aninternational or national level, with such dis-asters as the massive flooding in Sri Lanka orthe victims of war-torn regions, as well as ona personal level, when we or our loved onesface illness or abuse for instance. None of usis immune from suffering at some time in our

NOTHING REMAINS today of Birstall Hall, built in 1758 onRoman Road. Local historian Mike Smith tells the story ofthe building and its inhabitants.

day October 16 to see the musical play, “TheHired Man”. Tickets are £10, so if you areinterested please sign the list in church orcontact Sandra on 267723.

Sunday October 20 is our annual Thanks-giving Sunday, with services at the usual timesof 8am and 10am at St. James and 6pm atWanlip. There will be a thanksgiving Bringand Share lunch at 12.30pm at Birstall, soplease add your name to the list in thechurches if you wish to come (or phone2674913) and indicate what food you wouldlike to bring.Reaching the half century

Finally this month, on Saturday October26 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of theopening of the ‘new’ St. James church, addingto, but not replacing the old church, foundedin Saxon times. Throughout the day therewill be an exhibition of memorabilia andphotos associated with 1963, connected bothwith the church and with the village of Bir-stall. If you have any items of interest fromthis period, which you are willing to loan forthe day, it is not too late to contact church-warden Tony Bloxam, on 2675381. There willbe a flower display, an exhibition of weddingdresses, and music from the 60s plus manysouvenirs of the era (anyone still got their oldschool uniform or school photos?) so comealong and enjoy the nostalgia!

From Beryl McHugh, Parish churches

lives. These discussions are open to individu-als of any denomination or religion (ornone) and you can opt to attend as many oras few of them as you wish. They are free ofcharge, last about an hour, are informal andit is expected that participants will show re-spect for others’ views. If you would like toattend this month’s discussion, then pleasecontact the number given below to registeryour interest and state your preference forday(s) and time (morning/afternoon/evening)and we will get back to you with an agreeddate, time and venue.Sunday Services

These are held in the Community Room atHighcliffe Primary School (LE4 3DL) at10.45am. Our visiting speaker is Richard Hall(Loughborough) on the 6th. You will be mostwelcome to join with us for our services.

Further information please ring 01162214883.

From Anne Taylor, Birstall Inde-pendent Baptist Church

Continued from page 14

Birstall’s John MansfieldThe history of Birstall Hall

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One for the BOYS!The number of men getting cancer is

rising. Overall, men are 14% more likelyto get cancer than women. This is partlybecause men are living longer than everbefore – age is the biggest risk factor forcancer. The good news is that the numbersurviving is also increasing.

Men are more at risk of nearly all thecommon cancers that affect both sexessuch as bowel, lung and blad-der. Some cancers obviouslyaffect just men, they are pros-tate, testicular and penilecancer. Like all cancers earlydiagnosis save lives. Here aresome signs and symptoms ofmale only cancers:Prostate

As men get older their prostategland often enlarges. This is usually notdue to cancer. It is a condition calledbenign prostatic hyperplasia.

The symptoms of growths in the pros-tate are similar whether they are non can-cerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant).The symptoms include:

• Having to rush to the toilet to passurine

• Difficulty passing urine• Passing urine more often than usual,

especially at night• Pain when passing urine• Blood in the urine or semenThe last two symptoms – pain and

bleeding – are very rare in prostate cancer.They are more often a symptom of noncancerous prostate conditions.

TesticularThe most common symptom of a testicu-

lar cancer is a lump or swelling in part ofone testicle. It can be as small as a pea orit may be much larger. It is worth remem-bering though that fewer than four in every100 testicular lumps (4%) are cancer.Only medical assessment and tests canreassure you that your lump is not cancer-

ous, don't take any chances!Testicular cancer is not usual-ly painful, but about 1 in 5men (20%) have a sharppain in the scrotum as a firstsymptom. Some men mayhave a dull ache in the affect-ed testicle or their lowerabdomen and occasionally

some men describe their testi-cle as feeling heavy.

PenileThe symptoms of penile cancer can be

seen on the skin of the penis. It is impor-tant to be aware of what is normal for youand report any changes to your doctor.Penile cancer symptoms may include:

• A growth or sore on the penis thatdoesn’t heal within 4 weeks - it can looklike a wart, ulcer or blister and is notalways painful

• Bleeding from the penis or from un-der the foreskin

• A foul smelling discharge• Difficulty in drawing back the foreskin

(phimosis)• A rash on the penis• A change in the colour of the penis or

foreskinStatistically symptoms described are

more likely to be due to a non cancerousproblem but you have no way of knowingthat. Of course it is only natural to feelembarrassed and shy about many of thesymptoms described but don't let embar-rassment get in the way of saving your life.These cancers are curable, please seekmedical advice if you have any of thesesymptoms.

For further informationwww.cancerresearchuk.org MacmillanCancer Support free phone help line 0808808 000 Monday – Friday 9am-8pm.

University Hospitals of Leicester CancerInformation Centre on 0116 258 6189.

For more information on the funds we haveraised, projects we support and forthcoming eventssee www.birstallbags.co.uk

Are you worried about cancer in thefamily?

People concerned about a family historyof cancer are invited to meet with expertswho will advise on preventing or delaying thedisease.

The University of Leicester’s Genetics Edu-cation Networking for Innovation and Excel-lence (GENIE) will hold its fourth Lifestyleand Cancer Awareness Workshop on Saturday,October 12, 1.30 – 5pm, Maurice ShockBuilding, University of Leicester

Come and meet with specialists, ask ques-tions, share your views and find out moreabout preventing or delaying the onset ofinherited cancer. All welcome.

To register or find out more call 01162523405 or email: [email protected]

TELEPHONE EXTENSION Sockets fittedby ex-BT engineer. Cable, BT and dig-ital TV. Over 25 yrs experience. John2675132AMLI DESIGN Architectural Consultancy.Plans drawn and submitted. Exten-sions, conversions, new build. DavidIves B.Sc.(Hons) FBEng MCIOB 01162674395 / 07974807111www.amlidesign.co.ukFOR SALE Large bird cage new £24Phone: 2673180FRENCH TUITION provided for examsand/or holidays. Experienced languageteacher. Tel: 01162201206

Birstall BAG’s cancer corner

Small ads are 25p for the first 16 words. 17-32words: 50p. Enclosing payment, post your ad to us orhand it in (inside an envelope) at Birstall library.

Trade/business rates for small ads are 25p aword. You are liable for the trade/business rateif you are offering a service for which you areasking for payment, or if you are advertisingnew goods for sale. All text will be printed bold.Box outline £1 extra. Max 50 words. Phonenumbers count as one word.

Small Ads

THE BIRSTALL POSTYOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Longslade College, Wanlip Lane,Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GHEditor: Mr Jerry Jackson

Editorial/Advertising (Tel & Fax)

0116 2674213Correspondence, news etc

can be handed in at:Birstall Library or to our office in the

Youth Centre,Longslade College, Birstall

[email protected]

P/13/1899/2: 180 Birstall Road – proposed ga-rage and recreation room at the rearP/13/1783/2: 20 Walker Road – erection of asingle storey extension to rear of dwellingP/13/1735/2 : 49 Oakfield Avenue – the erec-tion of a single storey rear extension extendingbeyond the rear wall of the original house by4m with a maximum height of 4m and height tothe eaves of 2.9mP/13/1721/2: Former Corah Sports Ground,Thurcaston Road – consultation from LeicesterCity Council. Change of use of former sportsground to gypsy and traveller site with 10 pitch-es and 10 amenity buildings (LCC ref.no.20131493)P/13/1720/2: Land at 269 Greengate Lane –consultation from Leicester City Council. Demoli-tion of 2 dwellings. Change of use of land fromhouses/garden to gypsy and traveller site with 6pitches and 6 amenity buildings (LCCref.no.20131494)

Planning

The November issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

will be published on Nov 1.The copy deadline is Oct 18.

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