Rothley Post (96) Sept 2012

SEP/OCT 2012 No. 96www.birstallpost.co.uk

THE ROTHLEY POSTY O U R F R E E C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R

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TWO ALTERNATIVE sites fora new primary school inRothley have been put for-ward by different develop-ers.

Charles Church, who have alreadysecured planning permission for 170dwellings at the Brookfield Farm site onHallfields Lane, have submitted a plan-ning application for the site that wouldincrease the number of dwellings to 180and provide a primary school with alarge capacity and improved facilities.

The new school would have room for420 pupils and replace the school onMountsorrel Lane, which would be de-molished. Charles Church plan to build16 new homes on the old school site

If planning permission is granted,

Plansfor newschool

The next issue of

THE ROTHLEY POSTwill be published on Nov 10The copy deadline is Oct 26

Pics: (above) Elijah Trickett, Bobby Swinhoe & Ben Riley; (right)Keeley & Ethan Hill hold on tight to one of the rides (below); Mil-lie & William Thomson waiting for Thomas to arrive

ChildrenmeetThomasTHOMAS THE Tank engine steamedinto Rothley station at a GCR eventthis summer.

Children got to meet Sir Topham Hat,the Fat controller and rode with Thomasand his friends between Loughboroughand Leicester.

PH

OTO

S: C

AR

OLE

WH

ITE

Continued on page 2

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SEP 2012THE ROTHLEY POST2

Charles Church says the developmentcould start in April 2013.

Developers William Davis have an-nounced plans for 250 dwellings and anew primary school on land east ofMountsorrel Lane. The school would belocated 400m north of its present site.Their proposal would also make availa-ble the property at 149 MountsorrelLane for a doctor’s surgery with addi-tional parking, and provide a link roadfrom Mountsorrel Lane to the old A6.

The chair of governors at Rothleyschool, Rob Gladstone, and RothleyParish Council have expressed concernsabout a new school at Brookfield farm –they say it is in the wrong place at theedge of the village and would present

highway safety issues.Percy Hartshorn, Chairman of

Rothley Parish Council, said:“The William Davis proposal [offMountsorrel Lane] is also notan ideal location for a schoolbut given the fact that there isnot sufficient room to expandthe existing school, it is the bestalternative.”

A NEW 20mph zone is planned for streets in thevicinity of Thurcaston school.

The County Council schemeaims to improve safety byreducing vehicle speeds,and to promote the feel-ing of a safer environ-ment so that parentsare more willing toallow their chil-dren to eitherwalk or cycle toschool.

The zone willinclude a sectionof Anstey Lane,Mill Road andLeicester Road.

New signagewill incorporateamber flashinglights pro-

grammed to flash at schoolstart and end times. The

20mph limit will be en-forced when the lights

are flashing.A County Council

spokesman said: “Anumber of similarsigns have beenerected at sitesthroughoutLeicestershirewhich haveproduced con-sistently lowervehicle speedsand improveddriver behaviouroutsideschools.”

Continued from page 1 Pic: The Charles Church design for the new primary school

Pic: The William Davisproposal

School safety zonefor Thurcaston

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SEP 2012THE ROTHLEY POST 3

A DECISION on the traveller site onGreengate Lane is expected in Sep-tember.

Leicester City Council received 1486 responses to itsconsultation on proposals to locate authorised sites onGreengate Lane, Beaumont Way and Red Hill Way. Theconsultation period ended on July 13.

City Mayor Peter Soulsby and his executive team willmake a decision on the proposals after they have ana-lysed the responses and the recommendations of theCity Council Scrutiny Commission.

The Commission’s report has recommended that theBeaumont Way site be dropped and replaced with asite on Hoods Close, next to Birstall Golf Club’s course,on Thurcaston Road.

If the sites are recommended, the City Council mustsubmit a formal planning application which will be afurther opportunity for the public to object. LeicesterCity Council’s planning department will then make adecision on whether planning permission should begranted. Elected members of Leicester City Council willthen vote on the application.

THREE NEW tennis courts and a full size artificial turf foot-ball pitch are planned at Longslade College, Birstall.

The facilities will be locat-ed next to the Palmer Tom-kinson Centre on land partlyoccupied by an all weathersports pitch and on arableland beyond the existingcollege boundary to thenorth.

The proposals includethree standard sized tenniscourts, one to be designatedas a tournament court and afull sized artificial turf foot-ball pitch, which may beused as three individual 5-a-side pitches across its width.

The courts and pitcheswill have a perimeter fenceand floodlights. The flood-lights will be fitted with amechanism that will automat-ically switch them off outsidethe hours of permitted use.

The changing room facili-ties are provided within thePalmer Tomkinson Centre,which opened last year.

Sports pitch & tenniscourts at college

19 VISITORS from Japan were hosted in county homes and enjoyedeight days of sightseeing.

The visitors and their hosts are all members of the Friendship Force Club – its aim is tospread global friendship when visiting each other and sample local customs and traditionswith their hosts as part of their family.

The Japanese guests enjoyed a walking tour of Leicester City, met the Lord Mayor at acivic reception, visited Rutland Water and tasted pork pies in Melton Mowbray.

The Leicestershire Friendship Force Club is planning trips to New Zealand, Indonesia andBournemouth and will be welcoming guests from Costa Rica, California and County Durham.

There are 360 Friendship Force Clubs in 55 countries around the world. To become amember or to obtain further information regarding Friendship Force visit“leicestershirefriendshipforce.org.uk” or contact its Membership Secretary, Margaret Myatt,tel: 01530 244388.

New gypsy sitefor local road?

Pic: the red zone indicates the proposed site

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Mrs Ann Harmer was a secretary atthe Parish Council and has worked withfour Parish Clerks over the years: MrRex Poole, Mr Roy Knowles, Mrs MaryNeale and Mr Robin Dent.

Ann said: “One of the first jobs I wasinvolved in was setting up the RothleyCentre. It had previously been called thePippin Inn. When Mr Poole and I firstcame into the building it was like the

A POPULAR and respected local figure has retired from herposition at Rothley Parish Council after 33 years.

Marie Celeste with half empty glassesstill on the tables and doors smashedwhere everything had just been left. Oneof the main tasks was to clean the build-ing and make sure that it could functionas a village community facility. The clearup operation and the establishment ofthe ‘New’ Rothley Centre soon became acommunity activity which a lot of parish-ioners played their part in. When theRothley Centre was opened in 1980 theParish Office moved from the VillageHall to the new Centre.

“Over the intervening years the Roth-ley Centre has developed into an impor-tant hub of community functions in thevillage. It has been my pleasure to ar-range bookings for the Art Class, Needle-work Class, WEA, Bridge Groups CoffeeMornings and many other local groups.The Parish has always promoted theVillage Hall as a smaller self containedfunction room and I have enjoyed beingpart of the setting up of Playgroups,Mothers & Toddlers, After School Clubs,Dancing Classes and Sunday School.

“Some years ago on a Friday morninga young lady rang me in tears asking ifthe Centre was available that Saturday asthe venue where her wedding reception

was to be had lost its licence. We ar-ranged that she should come to theoffice with her mother and we wouldsomehow sort it out for her. By lunch-time that day we had fixed the new ca-terer, organised the bar and arrangedfor flower decorations for the tables andthe room. She said afterwards that herwedding reception was everything shehad hoped for.

“Because in any one day I could betracing a 50 year old folder in the ar-chives one minute and next be advisinga bereaved family about the family gravein the cemetery my work has alwaysbeen extremely varied. However forsome time now my job has also includedarranging the Late Night Shopping Eventwith the Rothley shopkeepers. This hasdeveloped over the years into one of themain events in the village calendar. Overthe years we have been lucky enough tohave many different personalities switchthe lights on including Robbie Savage,Darth Vader aka Geoff Woodgett, CliffRichard and not forgetting Sven GoranEricksson. Variety has really been thespice of my working life.”

Rothley Parish Council ChairmanPercy Hartshorn said: “Ann has been avery loyal person and organised theChristmas lights switch on event eversince we have been doing this in herown time. Ann is a people person andvery interested in village events. Herother interests have been the VE-VJ com-mittee, organising village picnics forseveral years and the History Society ofwhich Ann was a founder member. Wewish her well in her retirement.”

Ann and her husband John have livedin Rothley ever since they were marriedand have two sons, Paul and Simon.

A RETIRED university lecturerwill be giving two talks inRothley on the history ofGermany and Russia.

Dr Michael Lynch, who taughtModern History at Leicester University,will be talking about Germany fromHitler to the present day, and onRussia from the time of Stalin.

The talks will be given in the Roth-ley Centre where Dr Lynch has previ-ously given lectures on China and theMiddle East, both of which were wellsupported.

Held on Tuesday October 2 andTuesday October 23, both talks are at7pm for a 7.30pm start and tea andcoffee will be made available. Therewill be a question and answer ses-sion. The talks are organised by theRothley Branch of the CharnwoodConservative Association, are non-political and all are welcome.

Tickets at £4 are available viaNorman Pratt on 0116 237 5254 orby post to 17 Windmill End, RothleyLeicester LE7 7RP. Please include astamped/addressed envelope.

Parish Council secretary retires

Pic: Anne Harmer receives a bouquet offlowers from Parish Council ChairmanPercy Hartshorn and Vice Chairman Brian Popple

Modernhistorytalks


THE WEEKEND June 30/July 1 saw the villages of Thurcas-ton and Cropston welcoming hundreds of visitors fromacross the county and further afield to their annual OpenGardens.

A spokesman for theorganisers, Richard HillSchool PTA, said: “We weredelighted to see so manypeople obviously enjoying anunusually dry afternoon, con-sidering the recent weather,wandering around the variousbeautiful gardens of the par-ish. We would like to say ahuge ‘Thank You’ to everyonewho so generously opened their gardens forthis year’s event. The gardeners themselveswere also thrilled to see so many people andreally appreciated visitors’ comments on alltheir hard work.”

Richard Hill School garden, recently award-ed Charnwood Borough Council’s Don’t MuckAround Award , was also open to the public

showing off the children’s green-fingeredabilities. Their ‘Crazy containers’ compe-tition entries were also on display in thenew greenhouse, showing the children’simagination and creativity.

The whole event also featured onRadio Leicester’s ‘Clueless’ programmeon the Sunday morning when one of theclue’s was found in amongst the com-post heaps of one garden!

The event has raised just over £1600which will go towards a new OutdoorClassroom at the school. This will facili-tate the children’s learning in an out-

door environment.The spokesman added: “Photos from

this year’s event can be seen atwww.tcog.org.uk; maybe you’ll feel in-spired to open your garden next year!

“Many thanks to everybody who con-tributed to the success of the weekend,whether by visiting the gardens, openingtheir garden, making refreshments, al-lowing use of their car park, putting upposters, or tolerating the numerousparked cars! It was a great communityweekend!”

ROTHLEY PARK Golf Club’s Assistant Professional, MattCort, is celebrating a successful summer.

He started the season with an appear-ance at the European Tour BMW PGAChampionships at Wentworth where hefinished ahead of many notable playersincluding Rory McIlroy. He then wenton to win the PTS Invitational (A Mid-lands PGA order of merit event) winningby 6 shots, beating past Ryder Cup play-ers Peter Baker and Paul Broadhurst.

His biggest achievement was retainingthe British PGA Assistants’ Championship– winning with a score of -5. Matt is thefirst player to defend and win the title in60 years and only the third person everto defend – the other two being RyderCup players Harry Weetman and DaiRees. This win now qualifies Matt to

play in the PGA play offs and the Austral-ian Futures Championship that he wonlast year.

“It’s been a fabulous run of tourna-ments for me and makes next yearsAssistant Professionals’ tournament extraspecial as no one has ever won threeyears on the spin” said Matt. “It’s allfitted in well with working at RothleyPark Golf Club in the Pro Shop andlooking after our members. I’ve alsopassed my Year 2 P.G.A. exams whichwas pleasing. With the recent weathercausing the course to be closed on andoff over most of the summer it’s good tosee the course now looking back at itsbest.”

Hundreds visitparish gardens

Pic: Radio Leicester broadcast from the event

Pic: Matt Cort

Tournament successfor Rothley’s Matt

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WOODGATE CLINICOSTEOPATHY & PHYSIOTHERAPY

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room in buckets and kept at 35°f for3-4 hours, the ph of every batch ischecked regularly.

When the process is complete theyoghurt is transferred to a cold storeuntil such time the flavouring can beadded and the pots are filled, sealedand ready for distribution to the stores.The family business have built up areputation and broad distribution basedpurely on the high quality of the probi-otic yoghurt made from fresh milkfrom their own dairy herd at ManorFarm . The family are understandablyvery proud of the awards they have wonfor their yoghurts. Rothley WI memberswere then shown around the farm andwere just in time to catch the end of theafternoon milking.

Having seen the herd, seen theequipment used in the processing andtasted flavoured and plain yoghurtsmembers of Rothley WI left with a hugevote of thanks to Mr Holmes and his

family for a very interesting and inform-ative afternoon.

From Maureen Bulmer, Rothley WI

A FULL meeting of Rothley ParishCouncil was held on July 9.

PC Ed Stephenson’s report stated thatthere was very little crime across Roth-ley. It was reported that immediatelybefore the meeting the Parish CouncilOffice had been broken into and cashstolen.

The Parish Council has expressedconcerns about the proposal by develop-ers Charles Church to build a school onthe Brookfield Farm site, because of itslocation and access difficulties. Develop-ers William Davis, who plan to build upto 300 homes off Mountsorrel Lane,have indicated they may be prepared tobuild a school an land for a doctor’ssurgery.

The Council agreed to seek advice onpreparing its Neighbourhood Plan, thesubject of a public consultation earlierthis year.

It was reported that the BrookfieldFarm balancing pond did not appear tobe working – there have been severalincidents of Hallfields Lane flooding andthe level in the pond remains constant.It was agreed to report the problem tothe Environment Agency, PersimmonHomes, Severn Trent and CharnwoodBorough Council.

It was agreed that the Village Hall beredecorated at a cost of £3500.

AUGUST IS usually the month when Rothley WI take abreak from a meeting.

However Thursday August 2 sawmembers enjoying a pub lunch followedby a pleasant drive through the countrylanes to the picturesque village ofThrussington where we were met bysmiling farmer owner, Mr Peter Holmes.

The Holmes family have owned thefarm for the last 73 years and havereared Friesian and Jersey/Friesiancross herds. Mr Holmes explained thatthe Jersey bull provides the Friesiancow with calves whose milk when readyhas a much higher fat content, thuspassing on the benefit to the high levelcreamy yoghurt produced after process-ing.

The members were shown the largevats where the milk is separated, thenpassed onto a vat which is heated to80° f the milk is then cooled by run-ning cold water through a series ofcoils, which cools the milk down to35°f when it is time to add the culture.Afterward the yoghurt is placed in a hot

WI visit dairy farm

AT OUR June meeting, Mrs Marga-ret Sharman came and gave a talkabout ‘Street Pastors’ and thework they do.

We were told that Street Pastors is anational project which was pioneered inLondon in 2003, and arrived in Leicesterin April 2005. There are now more than30 people offering a Christian servantministry to anyone who is out in the citycentre on Friday and Saturday nights.Starting at 10pm, they patrol the streetsin pairs. The majority of people theyhelp at this time are the homeless, whomay need someone to talk to or some-thing to eat and drink.

After midnight their clients are differ-ent. Very often they are night clubberswho may only need help with directions.Sometimes however, more challengingsituations arise, such as calming down avolatile situation or calling the emergen-cy services.

This was a very interesting talk whicheveryone enjoyed. The members all hadadmiration for the bravery of the pastorsgoing out on the Leicester streets lateinto the night.

From Thurcaston & Crospton WI

THE POPULATION of Charn-wood rose by 12,600 in theperiod 2001 to 2011.

The figures were released by theOffice for National Statistics, following ananalysis of the 2011 census.

The 8.1% increase compares to a6.7% increase for Leicestershire as awhole (650,500).

Leicester’s population grew by 17%,the highest growth in the East Midlands.The city’s population is now 329,900.

Leicester is the most densely populat-ed part of the East Midlands at 4,500people per square km, which equates toabout 45 people on a rugby pitch. Theleast populated local authority was WestLindsey in Lincolnshire with 77 peopleper square km.

The number of people in 2001 agedover 65 in Leicestershire was 95,400.Ten years on that figure has grown to115,500. This represents an increase of21%.

The number of people in 2001 agedover 85 in Leicestershire was 10,900.Ten years on that figure has grown to15,200. This represents an increase of39%.

The age group which has had thelargest increase in numbers since 2001are those aged 60-64. Their numbershave grown from 30,600 to 44,400. Thisrepresents an increase of 45%.

The age group which has had thelargest drop in numbers since 2001 arethose aged 30-34. Their numbers havefallen from 45,400 to 35,100. This rep-resents a decrease of 27%.

The population of England and Walesis 56.1million, an increase of 7 percent. The population of London grew by12 per cent to 8million.

The population of England and Waleshas risen by approximately 50% since1911 – so for every two people in 1911there were three in 2011.

ParishCouncilnotes

THE ANNUAL parish meeting of Thur-caston & Cropston Parish Council washeld on May 17.

Cllr Richard Younie was elected asChairman for the ensuing year. Cllr Tho-mas Green was elected Vice Chairman.

It was agreed that four trees be plant-ed in the hedgerow at Jubilee Park laterin the year.

The Council agreed to relocate aplanter to the grass verge on AnsteyLane, fronting Wallis Close retirementvillage.

PCSO Alex Bierne reported that arecent funeral service at the Parishchurch had resulted in complaints aboutparking. PCSO Bierne will raise the mat-ter with the church to consider a wayforward.

It was agreed to enquire about theprocess for installing vehicle activatedspeeding signs, to be located on StationRoad, Cropston.

The County Council intend to intro-duce an advisory 20mph zone for Rich-ard Hill primary school. The ParishCouncil suggested the location of one ofthe street signs is too near the schooland proposed that it be moved furtheralong Anstey Lane towards the church.

Pic: WI members sampling yoghurt

Growingpopulation

The next issue ofTHE ROTHLEY POSTwill be published on Nov 10.

The copy deadline is Oct 26.



Become a

LOROS lottery volunteerBeing a LOROS lottery volunteer is fun,

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peopleYou will benefit from knowing that you

are helping to make a difference to a localcharity

We would love to hear from you if you areaged 16 plus so please contact Jane Tay-

lor for more informationTel: 0116 2318430

Email: [email protected]• • •

Family Night CharityDisco

By RS EntertainmentSaturday September 22

7-11.30pmBirstall Social Club

Tickets £5 adults, £1 childCharities: Wishes 4 Kids/Gynae Oncology

Unit LGHFor tickets contact Paula on 07934551563

This is a ticket only event• • •

Coffee ShopRothley Methodist, Howe Lane

Every Tuesday morning, 10-11.30amCome rain or shine

Now open : Book exchangeEveryone welcome

Tea, coffee, biscuits, toasted tea cakeProceeds for the Methodist Church

• • •

Leicestershire PastelSociety

13th annual exhibitionBrocks Hill Environment Centre, Wash-

brook LaneOadby, Leicester LE2 5JJ

(in the grounds of Parklands Leisure Cen-

tre)Sep 6-9

Weekdays 10am-5pmSaturday 10am-4pmSunday 10am-3pmAll works for sale

Visit our website:www.leicestershirepastelsociety.com

Enq: Secretary 0116 2375277• • •

Coffee Morningand SaleThe Rothley Centre

Saturday September 29from 10am to 12noon

in aid of Cancer Research UKStalls to include bric a brac, books, cakes,gifts and jewellery (new and old), plants,toys, Phoenix Cards, tombola and raffle

Entrance !3 includes unlimited coffee/teaand biscuits

Everyone welcome• • •

Ladies CircleHowe Lane, Rothley

2.30pm on Tuesday, Sep 11Will start again on the date above and

then from every other TuesdayLook on the notice board for our pro-

gramme of speakers• • •

Table Top Saleat the Rothley Centre LE7 7PR

Saturday Nov 10From 10am to 12.30pm

£10 per table – to book and for furtherinfo ring 0116 2661342

• • •The next in the series of

Charity WhistDrives

organised by Derek Farr will be held at7.30pm in the Rothley Centre, Mountsor-

rel Lane, Rothleyon Thursdays Sep 6, Oct 4 and Nov 1

Admission £2• • •

Charity Craft FairSat Oct 27 from 10am to 3.30pm

at the Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane,Rothley LE7 7PR

Admission £1Over 25 craft stalls, including jewelleryceramics, textiles, toys, gifts and lotsmore individually made and designed

itemsCakes, refreshments & raffle

Why not spread the cost of Christmas andstart your shopping early?

All proceeds to the Leics MS Therapy Cen-tre, reg charity no.701925

Contact Susan on 0116 2388035 for moreinformation

• • •

Charity BridgeDrive

organised by Loughborough Lions Clubat the Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane,

RothleyWednesday October 31 at 1.30pm with

afternoon tea provided at a cost of £6 perperson

To book a table please contact Jackie on0116 2303317 or email

[email protected]• • •

Coffee Morningby Mountsorrel Book Group

in support of Help for HeroesSat Sep 22

from 10.30am to 12.30pmMountsorrel Library (upstairs)

Lift access availableCakes, raffle, tombola, books, DVDs, pro-

duceAdmission £1 inc refreshments

• • •Charnwood Orchestra

Autumn ConcertSep 29 at Holy Trinity Church, Barrow up-

on Soar, Leicestershire at 7.30pmDebussy: Petite Suite

Haydn: Cello concerto No.1 in C, cello so-loist Jenny Curtis

Gounod: Symphony No.1 in DTickets £10 (£8 concessions), £3 for ac-

companied children under 16Available from the Box Office 07718

153117or by emailing

[email protected], membersof the orchestra or on the door

There will be an interval bar selling wine,Castle Rock real ale and fruit juice

• • •

‘A MidsummerNight’s Dream’

by Northumberland Theatre Companyon Friday October 5 at Humphrey PerkinsCommunity Centre, Cotes Road, Barrow

LE12 8JU at 7.30pmAn introduction to Shakespeare for chil-

dren and adults alike, its target audience

is 10+One happy customer commented “Bril-

liant! Usually I haven’t a clue what’s goingon with Shakespeare but tonight it all

made wonderful sense, andit was so funny”

‘Soapsuds’A murder mystery

by Barrow Panto Groupon Friday October 12 at Humphrey Perkins

Community Centre, Cotes Road, BarrowLE12 8JU at 7.30pm

Solve the murder of a beloved nationaltreasure

Set in the TV studios of a fictional popularsoap drama called ‘Diamond Road’

Book a table of 8 and challenge family &friends to solve the crime

• • •St James Monday Group

Invites you to a

Coffee Morningat St James Church, Birstallon Saturday September 8

10am to 12noonBring & buy stall, raffle

Coffee & biscuits £1, cake 50pAll proceeds to Cystic Fibrosis Trust

• • •

Children’s ArtCompetition

Open to everyone under 19 yrs oldSubject: ‘Old Rothley’

Your artwork can be any size up to A3 andmust have your name, address and date of

birth on the backEntries to be handed in to Rothley post

OfficeLast date for entries: Friday September 28

Prizes awarded in four groups: under 8year olds; under 12 year olds; under 15

year olds; under 19 year oldsEntries will be displayed at the Rothley

Centre on Friday & Saturday, October 5/6,as part of a Rothley History Society exhi-bition ‘The Changing Face of Rothley:

1780-2012’The presentation of the art competitionprizes and certificates will be on Sat

morning October 6 at the Rothley CentreMore details in the autumn Rothley Post,or phone Ursula Greaves 0116 2303500

• • •

‘The ChangingFace of Rothley’

The story of steady development from1780 to 2012

An Exhibition and Book LaunchFriday October 5, 6-9pm

Saturday October 6, 10am-4pmThe Rothley Centre

Information: Ursula Greaves 01162303500

Rothley History Society• • •

Noticeboardall details printed free

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Tuesday Toddlersat Rothley Village Hallfrom Sep 5, 1.30-3pm

For parents, carers and O-preschool chil-dren

Fun and a chance to meet and chat£2 per family inc refreshments

Phone Christine: 0116 237 5537• • •

Birstall Methodist Church, Wanlip Lane,Birstall

Table Top SaleSaturday November 24

10am to 2pmTables @ £10 each

Contact: Margaret 0116 2671181(Table Top Sale is part of the annual

Christmas Festival Nov 24/25)• • •

Film NightThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

If you missed it when itfirst came out, or enjoyed it so much you

would like to see it again,then come along to St James Church,

Church Hill, Birstallon Friday Sep 28 at 7pm

No charge,Refreshments available

• • •

FilmPresentations

From Thurcaston &Cropston Parish Council

'The Artist'Friday September 14 (100 mins)

This romantic comedy won five Oscars in-cluding Best Actor award for Jean du Jar-

din. It also gained twelve BAFTAnominations. Being tender, romantic andincredibly funny, in black and white si-

lence, this film describes the rise and fallof a dashing actor against the backdrop of

tumultuous change in Hollywood.

'The Help'Friday October 5

Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett,this film explores the touching relation-ship between two black maids in 1960sMississippi. In an era of social upheavaland racial tension, there are very funnyperformances and scenes of heartfelt

emotion. As this film progresses, we cansee ourselves or someone we know, with-

in each of the characters.'War House' Friday November 9

Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Council willbe showing these films at Thurcaston Me-morial Hall. Starting at 7.30pm, ticketscost £4.50 and concessions are £4. Theprice includes refreshments and a lucky

prize draw.Advance tickets can be purchased via theparish office, 0116 2367626 or bought at

the door.

CHILDREN ARE being invited to takepart in an art competition.

Their artwork, on the theme of ‘OldRothley’, will then be displayed in theRothley Centre as part of a Rothley His-tory Society exhibition called ‘TheChanging Face of Rothley’.

“We are organising this art competi-tion as a way of encouraging youngpeople to take a closer look at theirsurroundings and to help them appreci-ate that they live in a village steeped inhistory” said Ursula Greaves, secretary ofRothley History Society.

She added: “By displaying all compe-tition entries alongside the exhibition wehope that young people and their fami-lies will come and look around the exhi-bition, which will show how and why thevillage has grown from a small agricul-tural community to the expanding com-muter village it is today.”

Retired Rothley teacher Kate Crodenis liasing with Rothley school to involvepupils in the art competition.

“Planning for the exhibition started inMay 2011” said Ursula “in a response tothe enormous number of new housesthat are either being built or are beingproposed for our village. It is the brain-

child of John Brooks, long time residentof the village and one of the foundermembers of the history society.

“We hope that it will be of particularinterest to people who have moved in tothe village recently.”

The exhibition will show how thevillage has developed since the enclo-

sures of the 1780s up to the presentday. It will be held in the Rothley Cen-tre, Mountsorrel Lane on Friday October5, 6-9pm and Saturday October 6,10am–4pm• Art competition:

Open to all under age 19, subject‘Old Rothley’, artwork can be any sizeup to A3 and must have your name,address and date of birth on the back.Entries to be handed in at Rothley Postoffice by Sep 28. There will be prizes forfour age groups, presented on Sat Oct 6at the Rothley Centre exhibition.

Artwork inspired by old Rothley

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Although the summer months here atBrookfield are very busy, as on allfarms, we have had to start thinkingabout our move from Rothley. We haveto leave the farm by mid-April 2013, andalthough this seems a long way off, mov-ing a farm business as well as our homeis a daunting prospect.

On Saturday July 21 we held an auc-tion style farm sale at Brookfield. Thiswas to sell all the equipment that we arenot taking with us on our move. As thefamily has been here for almost 60years, in addition to the machinery,there were many things hidden in cor-ners, behind buildings etc, having beenkept just in case they may be useful atsometime. It was quite exciting, buttime consuming assembling all the vari-

ous lots for the auctioneer to numberand catalogue.

We were very fortunate with theweather on sale day as the sun shonefor the first time for several weeks, andit was a good excuse for farmers tocome early to view the lots and then bidon them during the auction. It was asuccessful but tiring day as there wereapproximately 500 people who attended,and the auctioneer was kept very busy.As is usual at Farm Sales many farmerscame to catch up with their friends andit was a lovely social occasion. It was aday of mixed emotions for EsmahWright, Bill’s Mum, as she was driven

around the auction enabling her to catchup with old friends and remember hap-py times here at Brookfield Farm.

As soon as the sale was completed,and the purchases collected by their newowners, harvest began. The oil seedrape is the first crop to be harvestedhere at Brookfield Farm and the weatherhas been reasonably good for cuttingand collecting this crop. Oil seed rapedries quite quickly in the fields before itis cut so we have been able to work inbetween the showers quite well. Howev-er, with the large amounts of rain duringJuly, the combine harvester and tractorshave left large ruts in the wet fields.

Within the next week or two thewheat will be ready to be harvested.Due to the dreadful June and July weath-

er the yield of thewheat crop will prob-ably be around halfof what it should be.Although the crop isgenerally standingwell in the field, theears are only holdingabout half thenumber of healthyseeds. This is due tothe weather condi-tions causing fungusto form within theear. This is a prob-lem which is com-mon throughout thecountry, and with thefailure of many crops

in the USA wheat prices, and thereforefood prices will unfortunately be drivenup.

On a lighter note, I would like toshare another amusing incident whichhappened here in Rothley. One sum-mer’s day some years ago, Bill was driv-ing a tractor and trailer full of very wetcow slurry through the village to bespread on a field at Mountsorrel. Unfor-tunately, as he was passing the fish andchip shop a car pulled out in front ofhim, causing him to make an emergencystop. Of course the tractor stopped, thetrailer stopped but the liquid slurrydidn’t. It came over the front of the

trailer, at speed, hit the road and splat-tered up the front of the fish and chipshop. I’m sure Mandy and Jim and theirneighbours remember the incident well.

BIRSTALL & ROTHLEY WEA have an-nounced their autumn 2012 pro-gramme.Draw, Paint And Print

This course will look at working in avariety of drawing and painting mediaand serves as an introduction to basicrelief printing techniques. The course issuitable for returning learners wishing totry something new whilst expanding theirknowledge and understanding of thelanguage of art. Beginners are also wel-come. Teaching is supported by exam-ples of artists’ work, demonstrations andgroup discussion.

Tutor: Jo Sheppard. Fee £70, dis-counted: £63 (not available to the re-tired) or Free

Venue: The Rothley Centre, 12Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley LE7 7PR

Date: Monday 1–3pm, 10 meetingsfrom 17th September 2012Politics, Literature & Social Life In18th Century England

Too often the eighteenth century inBritain is studied from the point of viewof the historian, the student of literature,the historian of art and architecture, orthe social historian. This course willlook at the ‘long’ eighteenth century as acoherent whole. It will be argued thatjust as literature must be read within thecontext of the period, so all aspects ofsociety fit in with each other.

Tutor: Aubrey Newman Fee £47.25,discounted: £42.55 (not available to theretired) or Free


Date: Tuesday 10–11.30am, 9 meet-ings from 16th October 2012Afternoon Tai Chi

The soft flowing movements of TaiChi promote health and mental focus.One posture of the 24 sequential move-ments of the form is taught each week.Please wear loose clothing and flat-soledshoes.

Tutor Laraine Tucker Fee £84, dis-counted: £75.60(not available to theretired) or Free

Venue: Birstall Methodist ChurchRooms, 40 Wanlip Lane, Birstall LE4 4JS

Date: Tuesday 1.30–3.30pm, 12meetings from 18th September 2012Panoramas: Life, Landscapes & Art

Take a new look at landscape paint-ing-urban and rural-to explore some ofthe inspirations, insights and influencesthat lie behind the work of a range ofartists from Camille Pissarro, GustaveCaillebotte and Georgia O’Keefe to thepresent day. No experience necessary –just a lively, open-minded interest in art!

Tutor Janis Baker Fee £63, discount-ed: £56.70 (not available to the retired)or Free


Date: Wednesday 7.15–9.15pm, 9meetings from 26th September 2012

Contact: Marion Vincent, Telephone:0116 2375156 or send your enrolmentsto John Laurance WEA Treasurer, 33Loughborough Road, Hoton LeicesterLE12 5SF

Please make cheques payable to WEABirstall & Rothley Branch

Visit our website!www.birstallandrothleywea.org.uk

Life on the farmLiving & working at BrookfieldAS YOU drive down Hallfields Lane in Rothley many people hard-ly notice the farm gate which leads to Brookfield Farm.

There has been a farm on this site for many years, long before many of the hous-es which now make up the village of Rothley.

Today Bill and Sarah Wright live at Brookfield Farm on Hallfields Lane. In thisand future issues of the Rothley Post, Sarah will be writing about life on the farm:

LOUGHBOROUGH IS one ofonly 15 towns in the countryto receive a £100,000 cashinjection from retail guruMary Portas.

The aim of the scheme is to re-invigorate the country’s high streets.

Roger Perrett, chairman of Lough-borough Business Improvement Dis-trict (BID), said: “We are absolutelydelighted by the news and so proudof the team which worked hard onthe submission.

“We are joined together as a‘Town Team’ and this is very much acollaboration with other partnershipsin the town and each one of theserelationships is vital for its futureprosperity.

Mr Perrett said the Portas cashwould be used for a number of initia-tives including market start-ups, gen-erating interest in vacant units, ‘retailmasterclasses’ where LoughboroughUniversity will offer training and sup-port for new and existing retailersand mentoring on social networking.The University will also be involved inresearch to gain a greater insight intofurther developing Loughborough’scatchment areas.

The Portas cash is being matchedby BID Loughborough, the University,Charnwood Borough Council, theLocal Sustainable Transport Fund andLeicestershire County Council. It willbring the total amount of money be-ing spent on improving Loughboroughto £175,000.

Cllr David Slater, leader of Charn-wood Borough Council, said: “Thisinvestment in our town benefits notjust the town centre but the wholelocal economy. When the town centreprospers, the whole town prospers.This news is a vindication of all thehard work that has been put intomaking Loughborough town centre athriving shopping destination thanksto our thriving markets and the workof BID Loughborough. We have out-lined in our Corporate Plan that wewant to ensure that Charnwood con-tinues to be a prosperous and innova-tive Borough which embracesenterprise.”

Loughborough will also receive atailored package of support fromPortas and Local Government MinisterGrant Schapps, who described thecash as a “golden ticket”.

Town’sPortas cash

WEAcourses

Pic: Esmah Wright chats to a visitor

Pic: the auctioneer taking bids


A MAN who drove a woman to a re-mote location near Cropston reservoirand then sexually assaulted her haspleaded guilty to kidnap and rape.

Kevin Hills (39) of Barnsdale Road,Beaumont Leys, Leicester entered aguilty plea at Leicester Crown Court onJuly 31.

The incident happed on Friday Janu-ary 20, 2012 when the 24 year oldvictim met with Hills in the Leicesterarea. After leaving the area in his van,he threatened her with a knife and madeher sit on the floor of the van beforedriving around the county for severalhours. He later stopped near to Crop-ston reservoir and sexually assaultedher. Following his arrest, Hills waschanged with kidnap, rape and threecharges of assault by penetration.

Detective Constable Sarah Walker,who was part of the investigation teamsaid: “The victim in this case has beenvery brave to come forward and reportthese incidents to us. She was subjectedto a terrifying ordeal at the hands ofHills and has obviously been left ex-tremely distressed by the attack.

“I know it was very difficult for herto talk about some of the things thathappened and we are pleased that Hillspleaded guilty and spared her the ordealof having to give evidence in court. Inci-dents as despicable as this are rare, butall rape, whatever the circumstances, isviewed by Leicestershire Police asamong the most serious of offences. Wewould encourage anyone who has beena victim of rape to always contact policeas we can assure the crime will be in-vestigated thoroughly with support pro-vided.”

“I hope that today’s result will gosome way to reassure the public that weare committed to investigating crimes ofthis nature and will do everything in ourpower to support victims through theentire judicial process.”

Hills also pleaded guilty to eightcharges of making indecent images ofchildren. The charges relate to the peri-od between November 2009 and Febru-ary 2011.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

ALL OF the newly plantedash trees at Birstall’s parkand ride will have to bedestroyed after becomingdiseased.

A county council forestry officerraised the alert after it was noticed thatsome of the leaves on the trees werewilting and dying.

Tests have shown that the trees aresuffering from a condition known asChalara dieback of ash, caused by thefungus Chalara fraxinea.

The council, which runs the parkand ride service along with the citycouncil, has teamed up with the For-estry Commission and Fera (Food &Environment Research Agency) to tack-le the issue. 484 trees were planted onthe site and will all be destroyed.

Lesley Pendleton, County CouncilCabinet Member for Environment andTransport, said: “We want to reassurepeople that this disease has no impacton humans or animals. The operationof the park and ride will be unaffected.

Sadly the trees will have to be de-stroyed on site but this is necessary toprevent the disease from spreading. Weare taking advice on the disposal of thetrees which will be replaced.”

The Forestry Commission and Feraare currently investigating the sourceof the disease – the trees were sup-plied by a nursery. There are no otherreported local cases.

60-90 per cent of Denmark’s ashtrees have been lost to the disease andthe Forestry Commission is concernedas Birstall is the second case of thedisease to be reported in England thisyear.

Dr John Morgan, Head of the For-estry Commission’s Plant Health Serv-ice, said: “This is a very worryingdevelopment. C fraxinea is an aggres-sive pathogen which has the potentialto inflict considerable damage on Brit-ain’s ash trees.

“We are urging anyone who has

received ash trees in the past five yearsto check their trees’ health and toreport any suspicious symptoms to uswithout delay.”

Further information and a pest alertfactsheet can be viewed atwww.forestry.gov.uk/ashdieback

500 ash trees to be destroyed

STAFF AND students at the PilbeamAcademy of Dance are celebratingafter successful examination re-sults this summer.

On Sunday July 1 an all day exami-nation and medal session was judgedby Mrs Dawn Callis of Sileby and pu-pils from both the Monday andWednesday classes were joined bystudents from Our Lady’s ConventSchool, Loughborough where theAcademy has classes in ballet andjazzy dance.

A total of 56 entrants coveringballet, tap, theatre, modern, jazzydance and national syllabii produced6 Special Commends, 22 Commendsand 3 Recommendations

On Tuesday July 3 an evening ses-sion judged by Miss Monica Bannister(chief examiner) of Nuneaton, saw atotal of 24 entrants from the Tuesdaysenior classes produce a further 6Special Commends and 10 Com-mends, covering ballet, tap, modernand national syllabii.

Spokesman John Sambrook said:“Well done to all the girls and boyswho took part. These results finish offour year splendidly and are a testa-ment to the hard work you and theteachers have put in throughout theyear.

“We shall start the autumn term onMonday September 3 and look for-ward to you all getting into ‘showbusiness’ mood as we prepare for ourshow in December.”

Manjailedforrape

Pic: the diseased trees

Studentssailthroughexams

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THE SUMMER activities ofthe Thurcaston and Crop-ston Gardening Club contin-ued through July andAugust.

The July event was a ‘garden trail’ inCropston. The three gardens taking parthad all opened their gardens during theOpen Gardens weekend, were very dif-ferent from each other, and were alsoclose to each other. This was anevening for members and their guests,and we spent about half an hour in eachof the first two gardens. The owners ofthe final visit provided not only a lovelygarden, but also excellent food, drink,and warm hospitality. In this final gar-den, members and guests were able torelax and socialise.

The evening was designed to be aninformal social event, based on localgardens – and it seemed to work verywell. The Club committee wish tothanks the members who allowed theirgardens to be visited, as well as thosewho offered their gardens as part of thetrail but were not included this year.

The August event was in the Memori-

al Hall was a talk about Autumn colourby Stuart Dixon, titled ‘they think it’s allover’. This talk was a ‘walk throughStuart’s garden’. The garden, renovatedover many years, has a focus on peren-nial plants and old roses. Stuart talkedabout a range of perennial plants thatprovide excellent late colour in the gar-den. These included rudbeckia, heleni-um, anthemis, dahlia, phlox and aster.Stuart showed us a range of excellentphotographs, mostly taken in his garden,to illustrate his talk and gave lots ofadvice and tips on growing these won-derful plants.

This was an entertaining and informa-tive talk, and enjoyed by a very goodturn out for our first August meeting fora number of years.

The Club’s remaining meetings of theyear are:

• Wednesday 10 October – ArableMargin Flora – Richard Penson

• Wednesday 14 November – Garden-er’s Almanac – Stuart Phillips

• Wednesday 12 December – AnEvening with Howard Drury

For information of any of these events

call Dave Haddon on (0116) 235 9758.All these events start 7.45pm at the

Memorial Hall, Thurcaston.The club welcomes visitors and new

members. If any of these final events ofthe year appeal to you, then come alongand give it a try. The fee is only £3.00per meeting (with ‘special offers’ if youwish to join for the rest of the year!).

From Thurcaston & Cropston Gardening Club

Crime UpdateBurglaries are still an issue though

they have again fallen in number. Re-sources are being dedicated to the areaand tackling the problem.

We have had a number of reports ofantisocial behaviour which we are start-ing to tackle by talking directly to theparents of those involved. Advice is be-ing given but warnings will be issued ifthe problem persists. I would ask thatresidents do try to be tolerant of chil-dren playing though – especially duringthe summer holidays – we were all kidsonce!Good News:

Recently two people were arrested onsuspicion of burglary in Rothley andhave subsequently been charged and aredue to attend court. Another male hasalso admitted to a burglary in Rothley.

We have had a drop in the number ofburglaries reported but we continue totarget those people who are involved inthis type of crime. We have increasedpatrols but I would still ask people toremain vigilant and report anything sus-picious.

I have received a number of com-plaints about vehicles parked on pave-ments causing an obstruction. We willbe checking this and issuing tickets ifappropriate. Please park considerately,making sure people, pushchairs andwheelchairs can get past easily.

We conducted a beat surgery with theAA on July 4 where we offered free antitheft screws to be fitted to number plates– we had over 150 people turn up overthe day! Great support.How to contact us

You can contact your local neigh-bourhood policing team – PC 2029 EdStephenson and PCSO 6595 Alex Bierne– by telephoning 101, selecting option 2and when prompted, tap in identificationno.2029 or 6595 to leave us a message.We will get back to you as soon as pos-sible. You can also send us an email bylogging onto the website atwww.leics.police.uk and clicking on the‘Neighbourhood Policing’ icon. We arealso on Twitter so please follow us forup to date info – Charnwoodwest.Crime Report: June & July

Theft: Jun 12, metal table stolen fromTemplar Way garden; Jun 21, plant sto-len Swithland Lane; July 7 theft stores

Burglary: Hallfields Lane (2), Brown-hills Crescent, Swithland Lane, ChurchStreet, Kiln Garth, Breech Hedge

Burglary non-dwelling: MountsorrelLane

Damage: Town Green St, paintworkdamaged on car

NHWnews &crimereport

Garden get-together for club

Pic: club members on their own graden trail

Yoga Classes restart in Mountsorrel & RothleyGOOD NEWS

This well established class is taught bya qualified tutor and is suitable forpeople with any level of experience inthe practice of Yoga. New members ofall abilities and especially those thathave never experienced Yoga beforeare most welcome to join. Pleasecome and join us. Yoga is fun! Comeand experience Yoga and enjoy thatexperience.For more information contact:Moira on 0116 2302 402

On Tues Sept 11, 2012 at Mountsorrel MemorialHall, Leicester Rd, Mountsorrel from 7-9pm

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THE MONDAY Club experienced a veryhappy afternoon on July 9, enjoying awell presented Strawberry Cream Teaat the “Wheatsheaf” in Thurcaston.

Thirty two Members and visitors at-tended and we comfortably occupied therestaurant. We were also fortunateenough to journey to and from the ven-ue in sunshine, which, in view of recentweather conditions, was a blessing!

The purpose of our annual strawber-ry cream tea, is to raise money for ouryearly elected charities. This year wehad chosen the NSPCC, and as a resultof a generously provided table of raffleprizes we raised £40 pounds. Our totalthis year to date, is a worthy £100 plusand we have further projects later thisyear to raise hopefully, in the region of£200 to £300.

On August 13 we started the meetingwith the knowledge Mrs Diana Whattonhad taken the opportunity to celebrateher birthday which took place on August8, by once again treating the member-ship to her truly delicious meringues.The resplendent table greeted us as wewalked through the front door, com-memorating the event. A huge thank youto Diana, who never fails to please us.

Our speaker was Mr Brian Johnsonwith an in depth study of the origin anddevelopment of industry in Leicesterfrom the 1800s to present day, entitled“Made in Leicester”.

Mr Johnson accompanied his de-scriptions of the whereabouts of themany well known factories and originalbusiness premises, by the use of somethought provoking photography.

Our free prize draw was won by MrsAnne Frisby.

Our next meeting on September 10,will be our annual Harvest Bring andBuy supporting our Charity, NSPCC.There will be FREE admittance - every-one welcome - and it would be appreci-ated if a contribution of any sort couldbe made to the Sales Table i.e. books,magazines, knick-knacks, toiletries apartfrom fruit and Veg (Tinned or Fresh)and, of course, cakes and tarts.

We thought this year’s competitionshould be favourite savoury dishes. Reci-pes for the dishes entered should ac-company the item and can be duplicatedon request and supplied at a cost of 25peach, also going towards the charityfund-raising. There will be free admit-tance for this meeting, so please encour-age your friends to come along andenjoy the club’s happy atmosphere andtheir contributions would be very muchappreciated for this very worthy cause.Any details required concerning thevenue, please ring me on 01162363467.

From Ann Farndon, The Monday Club,Anstey, Thurcaston & Cropston

AN ADULT swan and twocygnets have been killed bya dog at Watermead CountryPark.

Watermead swan volunteer Julie said:“For a brief moment in time we sawZaura the grandmother very happy withher new partner and two little chicks.Sadly that was not to last. She lost bothlittle chicks and then I went down to thepark to find her new partner dead. He’dbeen savaged and killed by a dog. Zau-ra’s second partner to be killed like thatin five months. It broke my heart andhas upset a lot of people too. So manyof the public were going down to watchthis story and enjoying it.

“Both of these dog attacks were verynasty, but swan and dog injuries are notuncommon. I see and get to know aboutquite a lot as a rescuer. A few of theseinclude one of our cygnets that waskilled by three dogs a few days ago. Theowners walked off and left it injured.There was also another attack not longago where an owner allowed its dog torun up to a cygnet. The dog suddenlypinned the cygnet down and dug its

teeth into it. After special care and £100costs if survived.”

She added: “The vast majority ofswan and dog injuries are actuallycaused by really nice people whowouldn’t dream of letting their dogsinjure a swan. Their dogs end up nearthe swans either because they have al-lowed them to go near them or becausetheir dogs have run off up to them. Ihear things like “It’s never done thatbefore” or “I didn’t think it would harmit”. The owner is then really upset aboutwhat has happened and the enjoymentthey’ve wrecked for others .

“If you let your dog near a swan, thedog doesn’t know the swan and theswan doesn’t know the dog. That’s howit happens. The worst injuries are thosecaused to swans with cygnets becausethe swans will protect their young. Aswan also has the capability to drown adog. It will use its wings and body topush the dog under the water and holdit there until it’s killed it. Swans do notlive in water 100% of the time. They getout and walk round and exercise. Theyeat grass as part of their diet. Theirwebbed feet are not designed for run-ning and being chased. It stresses themout and causes injuries.”

The County Council advise that if yousee swans being fed or not in the wateryou should keep your dog on a leaduntil you have walked by.

Julie said: “We have lots of reallyfantastic dog owners at WatermeadCountry Park. They make the park areally nice place to be and I find themreally considerate and helpful with thework I do. I’d like to say to thank youto them all for what they do. I’m surethey won’t be impressed by what’s hap-pened.”

Swan and cygnets killed by dog

Pic: Zaura & Jake

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GLASS IS the archetypal fragilematerial but All Saints’ Church inThurcaston has examples of me-dieval stained glass that havesurvived - just - through six cen-turies of change.

Instead of our usual outside visit forJune, we moved next door into the nave ofthe church and welcomed Paul Sharpling,advisor to the Diocese of Leicester, to tellus about them.

Rector Richard Hurd had most of thestained glass removed from the church inthe 18th century for being too “Catholic”.However, fragments from various windowswere preserved and at an unknown datethey were brought together to form a cen-tral light of the East Window. Paul told usthat, despite the fragmentary state of theglass today, it is of national importance.

Most of the glass dates from the early15th century, though small pieces may be ahundred years older. We know that atleast some of it was donated by John deMershden: rector of Thurcaston and acanon of Windsor, whose brass lies in thechancel. The window includes a charmingimage of him kneeling at prayer in a redrobe. This image of the donor and thoseof three angels can be recognized as thework of John Thornton, who was the great-est stained glass artist of his day. Thewindow was probably made at Thornton’sworkshop in Coventry before he departedin 1405 to create his masterwork, theGreat East Window of York Minster.

It was glaziers from York Minster whorefashioned Thurcaston’s window in 1972.They skillfully arranged the fragments torecall a traditional depiction of the Trinity,in which God the Father supports Christ onthe cross. Although the original figure ofChrist has been lost, we still have two flyingangels catching drops of blood from hiswounds. A central roundel contains anoth-er angel representing the evangelist Mat-thew; it would once have had threecompanions. Two more roundels containheraldic symbols, namely a swan represent-ing the de Bohun family (Earls of Herefordand Northampton) and a hart representingKing Richard II. At the bottom of the win-dow are text fragments reading MARG andA:F, which probably refer to Margaret Fal-coner of the family who were lords of themanor of Thurcaston. The background ismade up of a jumble of arches, pinnaclesand battlements with small heads peepingout and it is worth exploring the details toimagine the fantastic scene that the originalset of windows must have displayed.

Following a long period of almost con-stant rain, the evening of July 17 was fineand dry for our walk around the originalvillage of Birstall, guided by two membersof Birstall and District Local History Socie-ty, John Kilby and Michael Smith.

Our tour began at the Village Hall,which was originally built in 1870 as theVillage School and served as such until1928 when the purchase of land on WanlipLane enabled the construction of largerpremises to house the Junior and Seniorschoolchildren. The old Village School wasretained until 1936 as the Infants’ School,which before 1929 had been housed in theReading Room on Birstall Road (formerlyknown as Education Road up to the junc-tion with Church Hill). Today, the “ReadingRoom”, which has had several previousroles, is in use as a gymnasium. It was in1936 that the old Village School was con-

verted to become an all-purpose VillageHall.

Moving along School Lane, with ourguides having secured the owner’s permis-sion, we were able to view, from the out-side, a delightful example of a cruck beamcottage, which is tucked away behind someother properties and possibly dates backaround 500 years. Retracing our steps weapproached the corner of Church Hill –the cottage on the corner was originallythree separate dwellings and one was usedas the Church Vestry house. Further along,there is another pretty thatched cottagesecreted behind a former barn, now con-verted into two homes.

In 1961 St James’s Parish Church wasgreatly enlarged by the completion of anextension to the church which cost£45,000. A former Birstall resident, JohnHannah, served in the R.A.F. as a wirelessoperator and gunner on a HampdenBomber plane during World War 2. After araid over Antwerp on the night of15th/16th September 1940, John’s planewas badly damaged and on fire, but thanksto his extreme bravery, after the pilot hadordered the crew to bale out, ignoring thisorder, John managed to put out the fireand the aircraft got back to England safely.At the age of 18 years, John was the young-est person at that time to be awarded theVictoria Cross and he is commemorated atSt James’s Church. Across the road fromthe church are the Abbeyfield Society flat-lets for the elderly. The first stage of thisproject, named Barnes House, was opened

in 1971, then in 1986, another new part,named Grove House, was visited by thePrince and Princess of Wales, PrinceCharles being there in his capacity as Pres-ident of the Abbeyfield Society.

Moving on to Mill Close which leadsdown to the river, where, during the1930’s, there was a proliferation of rats,we heard an entertaining tale, concerning aman named Jim “Snap” Green, who earneda living as a rat catcher. Together with hisdog, Nip, his prowess at disposing of nu-merous rats made him a well-known andpopular figure in the local community.Jim’s and Nip’s exploits were featured inthe Leicester Mercury, such was the impor-tance of their achievements at the time!

As we continued along Front Street, itbecame more obvious that Birstall’s char-acter has undergone many changes overthe years, particularly where previousbuildings have been demolished to makeway for new, some of which have enhancedthe area and others which have not. One ofthe attractive cottages on the corner oppo-site St Theresa’s Catholic Church, providedby Elizabeth While in the late 1800’s,housed the first telephone exchange in thevillage and another was the Police House.The present St Theresa’s was constructedand completed in 1988 through the gener-osity of local entrepreneurial resident, thelate Hughie Murphy, to replace the churchthat had been in use on Wanlip Lane since1941.

The Co-operative (formerly Somer-field’s) Supermarket stands on the site ofwhat was The Lawn Cinema which closedin 1970, and the rather ugly group ofshops, known as Libra Parade, were erect-ed in 1967 following the demolition of fivepicturesque cottages on Front Street –some years previously, these cottages wereused as Birstall Workhouse, so maybe theyhad unhappy memories for some people.

I have barely touched on all the inter-esting information that John and Michaelwere able to tell us – between them theyhave a wealth of fascinating anecdotal sto-ries to tell about the place that is clearlyvery special to them both.

Our remaining meetings for 2012 willall be held in the Harrison Room attachedto All Saints’ Church, Thurcaston, eachbeginning at 7.30pm as follows:

Sep 18: “Life on a Tudor Manor” –speaker Alison Coates.

Oct 16: “The Civil War in Leicester-shire” – speaker Trevor Parr.

Nov 15: Short AGM prior to “Read allabout it” (local people in the news) –speaker Brenda Hooper.

There is no meeting in December.From Jennifer Kennington, Thurcaston &

Cropston Local History Society

Small AdsSmall ads are 25p for the first 16 words.17-32 words: 50p. Enclosing payment,post your ad to us or hand it in (inside anenvelope) at Rothley library or RothleyPost Office on Woodgate.Trade/business rates for small ads are 25p aword. You are liable for the trade/businessrate if you are offering a service for whichyou are asking for payment, or if you are ad-vertising new goods for sale. All text will beprinted bold. Box outline £1 extra. Max 50

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P/12/1721/2: Cropston House Farm, 7Cropston Rd, Cropston – erection of porchto front of dwellingP/12/1656/2: 180 Station Rd, Cropston –erection of extensions to front, side andrear of dwelling and detached triple ga-rage to frontP/12/1555/2: 14 Cropston Court, offCropston Rd, Cropston – erection of singlestorey extension to rear of dwellingP/12/1574/2: 6 Caudle Close, Cropston –erection of single storey extensions tofront, side and rear of dwellingP/12/1741/2: Land at Brookfield Farm,Hallfields Lane, RothleyP/12/1740/2: Rothley Church of EnglandPrimary School, Mountsorrel Lane, RothleyP/12/1723: 40 Town Green Street, Roth-ley – erection of single storey extensionto rear of dwellingP/12/1716/2: 25 Swithland Lane, Rothley– widen driveway and formation ofdropped kerbP/12/1609/2: The Co-operative 929-931Loughborough Rd, Rothley - installationof 24hr ATM cash machine into front ele-vationP/12/1502/2: 25 Breech Hedge, Rothley –erection of 1st floor rear extension

£1300 HAS been donated to the charity Wishes 4 Kids bythe Rotary Club of the Soar Valley.

The founder of the Leicester based charity, that grants wishes to terminally illchildren, came to speak to Rotarians about the work of the charity, now in its tenthyear.

Russell Brickett was presented with a cheque by Rotary Club president GrahamMartin (pictured above).

YOUNG PEOPLE can make allthe right waves in a new funevent at South CharnwoodLeisure Centre in ParkstoneRoad, Syston.

The Friday night ‘Splash Bash’ is foreight to 16 year olds who want to enjoytime in the swimming pool with theirfriends – and splashout or chill out tothe latest sounds. Under-eights can at-tend the session if accompanied by anadult. As a special introductory offer, the‘Splash Bash’ entry price of £3.20 in-cludes a free drink and snack after thesession.

Cllr Paul Harley, Charnwood BoroughCouncil’s Cabinet member for Leisureand Culture, said: “This is an ideal op-portunity for a bit of fun in the pool forthis younger age group and part of thewide range of sporting activities on offerin the borough.”

There will be special occasions whena twin-track inflatable will be availablewhich can be used to hold fun racesbetween two children at the same time.

Further details on activities at theleisure centre are available on 01162640057 or by visiting:www.charnwoodleisure.com

TWO MEN, aged 30 and 31, have beencharged with burgling a house in KilnGarth, Rothley.

The incident is alleged to have oc-curred on Tuesday July 24

LATEST OFSTED figures showthat Leicestershire’s schoolsare better than the nationalaverage.

Information published by the edu-cation watchdog reveals that last year,over there quarters of county schoolswere rated good or better.

Compared to similar areas in theUK, Leicestershire ranks top with itsbest-ever rate of 76 per cent.

Schools can be rated either out-standing, good, satisfactory or inade-quate. Just one per cent ofLeicestershire’s schools are in specialmeasures, compared to the nationalaverage of four per cent.

Ivan Ould, Leicestershire CountyCouncil cabinet member for the chil-dren and young people’s service, said:“This is a great result and shows thatwe have been effective in challengingschools and helping to bring aboutpositive Ofsted reports.

“Like councils across the country,our role is changing but we will con-tinue to be a champion for childrenand ensure that schools support eachother to maintain standards.” Themove to re-shape children and youngpeople’s services has been sparked bynew national rules, schools becomingacademies and moving out of councilcontrol and a reduction in funding.

These mean that services providedby local authorities are changing andthat a number of responsibilities aremoving from the County Council toschools.

• Ofsted compares councils withsimilar economies and demographics– these are called ‘statistical neigh-bours’. The table featuring Leicester-shire and similar areas is below:

Leicestershire – 76%Central Beds – 75%West Sussex – 74%Hampshire – 74%South Gloucs – 71%Worcestershire – 66%Staffordshire – 66%Essex – 64%Warwickshire – 61%Kent – 59%North Somerset – 55%

A GROUP of Year 11 students at Longslade Community Col-lege have transformed an overgrown piece of land on thecollege grounds into a vegetable plot.

Longslade’s newgarden shortlisted

The students, Josh Gillett, Jack Good-win, Cale Borland, Connor Garner, DayleLefort and Liam Eldridge, were shortlist-ed for Charnwood Borough Council’s“We Don’t Muck Around Awards’.

Jack and Cale represented the groupand the college at the award evening

held on June 14 where they enjoyed afull silver service three course meal andshared their table with three councillorsand an MP.

The students thoroughly enjoyed theevening and although they did not winan award they were congratulated by themayor and councillors. Nigel Jarvis, thestaff member at the college who hasmanaged the project, said: “They were acredit to Longslade and should be ex-tremely proud of their efforts.”

The project will be continuing nextterm with a brand new team that willimprove more of the garden, as well as

maintaining the crops that are already inplace. It is hoped that some of the pro-duce can be used within the collegecatering and food technology depart-ments and also to raise a small amountof funding to cover costs of gardeningequipment and seeds.

Men chargedwith burglary

Splashingtime

Rotary’s cash gift

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A MURAL made up of art-work by children from fourBirstall schools was offi-cially unveiled at the Bir-stall park and ride in July.

The mural, which takes up onewall of the park and ride’s terminalbuilding, was put together as part of acompetition between local schools.The various pieces involved tell thestory of Birstall’s history, from the IceAge to World War 2. Children fromHighcliffe Primary, Riverside Primary,Stonehill High School and LongsladeCollege all took part in the competi-tion and each school will receive acommemorative certificate for theirstudents’ had work.

The competition, organised by theMidlands Highway Alliance SkillsAcademy, Leicester Education Busi-ness Company and Birstall ParishCouncil, was funded by Jelson Homeswho contributed to the cost of thepark and ride.

Lelsey Pendleton, Cabinet Memberfor Environment & Transport atLeicestershire County Council, whichruns the park and ride along withLeicester City Council, said: “Thechildren have put together somethingrather special to represent their localarea, and park and ride passengersare sure to appreciate it.”

The purpose of the mural is toengage the local community with thepark and ride project, and to leave alasting legacy. Chairman of BirstallParish Council, Patrick Cleere, said:“We’re very proud of our localyoungsters’ hard work and were hap-py to encourage them to learn abouttheir local history.”

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Rothley Post (96) Sept 2012