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June 2001 Birstall Post continued

Stalls galore

PICTURED AT Wanlip Church’s May Fair, running one of the event’s many stalls, are Mrs Shelagh Key (left) and Mrs Liz Heath

WI news

UNDER THE guidance of Mrs Brenda Werry of Whetstone WI, Birstall & Wanlip WI went through the Resolutions to be discussed at this year’s conference in Cardiff, at their May meeting.
There was a lot of discussion on the question of more nurses being needed in schools and also another Resolution concerning the lack of training required for care assistants, both in residential homes and for care in the community. The delegate to the meeting was given power to vote at her discretion after she has heard both sides of the debate. It was felt that the wording of the actual Resolutions was somewhat ambiguous.
A vote of thanks to Mrs Werry was given by Freda Jones. Arrangements were discussed for the members evening which will be on June 4. This is the birthday meeting of the Institute. It was decided to have a fish and chip supper followed by entertainment. A competition for ‘A Limerick’ was won by Dorothy Gregory.

Stories for tots

BIRSTALL LIBRARY will continue to have storytelling sessions during the summer for the Under 5’s.
There is regular storytelling every second Monday of the month at 10.15am. This is an opportunity for parents and carers to let someone else read those favourite stories and maybe try out some new ones, and also to meet other parents and carers. If you would like some ideas on something new to read, the library will be happy to help. Please note the change of date for August, which ties in with our Summer Reading scheme for children aged 4-13 years.
Dates for this summer: Monday June 11; Monday July 9; Monday August 6 (stories and activities event); Monday September 10

Birstall crime drops

CRIME IN Birstall dropped by 18.9 per cent in the period April 2000 to March 2001.
East Area Commander Duncan Cullen reported the figures at the Village Watch AGM in April. He told the meeting: “This means that in Birstall there were 150 fewer victims of crime. The whole East Area saw a drop of 4.5 per cent, so I have no doubt that the very active Neighbourhood Watch plays a major part in the excellent figures in this area.”
The meeting was told that most crime in Birstall and Wanlip is drug related, with burglaries committed to finance drug habits. The Birstall Drugs Forum has been created to address the problem of drugs. One aspect of its work has been the formation of a family support group for Birstall and the surrounding area. To find out more, contact the Drugs Forum via Birstall Parish Council on 2676191.

Arrests

TWO YOUTHS were arrested after a member of Neighbourhood Watch alerted police after spotting suspicious behaviour.
The youths were seen climbing into Birstall cemetery and police apprehended them in possession of property believed to be stolen.
Sheds and garages are being targeted by burglars in Birstall. Police believe that criminals from outside the area are walking into Birstall along the railway line. At particular risk, says Birstall’s beat office Kevin Palmer, are garages with a Yale type lock. Police advice is to upgrade security on garages fitted with only this type of lock.

TG news

AT THE AGM of Birstall Highcliffe Townswomen’s Guild a new committee was elected and Mrs Alwen Skinner was retained as Chairman.
The Fellowship Award was given to Mrs Jean Veitch (for the third time) in recognition of her good work in the Guild.
The topic at the May meeting was about community fundraising for ‘Rainbows’, the speaker being Mrs Dana Simons, to whom a donation of £25 was given plus the proceeds of the sale of Rainbow ribbons.
The Social Studies meeting in May discussed topics relevant to the NCM.
The next Guild meeting is on Tuesday June 19 and will be an open meeting at Highcliffe School at 7.30pm when Mr Roy Stretton will motivate members and guests how to enjoy country dancing.
Mrs Alwen Skinner recruited some of the TG members to act as a choir when her son, Ian and wife Joanne who live in Australia, re-enacted their wedding at Barkby Church on Saturday May 19.
The choir are looking for new members - if interested please contact Jean Sumner on 0116 2675430
From Anne Boden

Children sing

DRESSED IN Victorian costumes and waving national flags, the children of The Highcliffe Primary School Choir recently took part in a joint schools production of the musical ‘Cook’s Tours’. Written by Alan Simmons, the show tells the story of Leicester man Thomas Cook. The choir joined with children from Elizabeth Woodville Primary School in Groby and Newtown Linford Primary School to put on two performances at Groby Community College. Children enjoyed the experience of singing in a large choir of 120, singing in parts and making new friends. Parents were thrilled at the standard achieved, especially since the children only rehearsed together on the afternoon of the performance.
The Highcliffe Primary School Choir, along with the recently formed youth choir Tombo, is to join the Leicester Philharmonic Choir and Leicester Children’s Choir Alumni at De Montfort Hall on Sunday June 24 for the Robert Mandell Family Concert in aid of Coping with Cancer. The children feel it is a great honour to be invited to work with such a renowned professional and are very excited by the project.
The adult choir, Highcliffe Harmony, has also been busy. In April they took part in a charity concert at the Grand Hotel in Leicester to raise money for the Mayor’s Macmillan Nurse Appeal and in May participated in the Coalville Music Festival, winning certificates for second place in four separate classes. The adjudicator, Gabrielle Birgin-Lister said that she was very impressed by the very high standard achieved by choirs in the festival and would long remember the day
The choir is now preparing for a charity concert for Hearts of Charnwood in Loughborough and the Norwich Festival.

Jokers’ donation

LEICESTER JOKERS Club have agreed to donate £200 to Stonehill Schools Speech and Language Unit.
The Unit was opened in 1994 to provide specialist support and teaching for young people with language disorders. The money will help finance a trip to Aberglaslyn Hall in Wales.
The Jokers have also agreed to sponsor Birstall’s 10th Duck Race and to help out on the day, which this year will be held on August 12, on the Whiles Lane Riverbank from 10am to noon.

Planning

Mr M Patel - 2 storey extension to rear of dwelling. 11 Kedlestone Avenue
Mr & Mrs Garratt - erection of 2 storey extension including garage to side of semi detached house. 17 Dalby Avenue
Mr & Mrs Cresswell - erection of conservatory to side of dwelling. 48 Cliffe Road
Mr Davis - erection of conservatory to rear of dwelling. 11 Melba Way
Mr & Mrs C Grey - erection of 2 storey side extension to detached dwelling. 29 Walker Road
Mr Giga - erection of 2 storey extension to rear of semi detached dwelling. 128 Harrowgate Drive
Mr & Mrs Hing - single storey extension to rear of semi detached house with conservatory. 10 Cliffe Road
Mr M Fewkes - 2 storey extension to side of semi detached house with insertion of 2 dormer windows to front and rear for loft conversion. 14 The Crossways
Mr & Mrs I Whetherley - erection of 2 storey extension to front of semi detached house. 25 Roman Road
Mr Hopkins - single storey extension to front of semi detached house. 24 Northfield Avenue
Mr King - erection of porch to front of dwelling. 530 Loughborough Road
Mr & Mrs George - 1st floor extension to rear of semi detached house. 16 Stonehill Avenue
Mr Derbyshire - erection of single storey extension and insertion of roof light for loft conversion. 10 Fielding Road
Mr Patrick - variation of condition 2 to allow premises to open between 1200 and 2300 hrs, Mon-Sat 85 Sibson Road
Mr V Patel - extension to side/rear of dwelling. 8 Roman Road

New principal

LONGSLADE COLLEGE has announced the appointment of a new principal.
Mr Geoff Court will take up his post at the start of the autumn term.
The selection procedure involved several interviews and activities for each of the candidates including an interview panel of students from each school year.
Mrs Gwen Newton is leaving the post to work in education training and consultancy, having been principal at Longslade for seven and a half years - longer than she has worked anywhere else.
Mrs Newton said: “Longslade is the best place I have ever worked. Any organisation is the sum of the people within it, and it is the people in it that make Longslade so special. The staff are exceptional, the governors extremely supportive and the students are great.”
She added: “I am most grateful for all the support I have received at Longslade and I’m sure that the college will go from strength to strength.”

Abbeyfield week

BIRSTALL’S ABBEYFIELD Society has organised a week of activities in June for all the community to enjoy.
Raising awareness of the work that Abbeyfield does in the Birstall community and helping people get to know the residents of its homes on Church Hall are the main aims of the week.
The Society, a registered charity, provides all-in accommodation for elderly people
Talking about the forthcoming week, which runs from Saturday June 16 to Sunday June 24, one Abbeyfield resident said: “We aim to have fun in life no matter what our age is. Getting to meet new people and building new relationships is all part of keeping oneself fit and healthy in body and mind and we wouldn’t be able to do that without the help of the staff and numerous volunteers who give so generously of their time.”
A programme of the week’s activities can be found on the advert on this page.

Tory AGM

MORE THAN 30 people attended the AGM of the Birstall Conservative Association in May.
A guest at the meeting, held in the St James Day Care Centre, was Stephen Dorrell MP.
The officers elected were David Allen (Chairman), Bernard Crayfourd (Vice Chairman), Mary Allen (Vice Chairman), Richard Wallis (Secretary) and Neville Hanger (Treasurer). Ernest Steffens stepped down as Chairman and received a vote of thanks.

Cross country winners

STONEHILL SCHOOL has an excellent reputation for sporting success in the county.
Pictured above are the school’s cross country runners who have won three lots of medals this season in the County League, County Relay Championships and the County Championships. With the runners are headteacher Alan Baker (right) and Jo Maric.

Road improved

IMPROVEMENTS TO road safety will be made on Birstall Road after a meeting between Parish Councillors and officers from the county’s traffic department.
Near the junction with Holt Road, additional bend signs will be installed with yellow surrounds for greater visibility. The slow signs will be enlarged and repositioned. The white line carriageway markings will be flared and the word slow on the road surface enlarged.
Some of the road will be resurfaced.

President

BIRSTALL’S BERNARD Crayfourd has been appointed President of the Syston and Wreake Valley Lions.
Bernard, of Wanlip Lane, has now held the post for two years.

General Election 2001

THE BIRSTALL Post invited the prospective parliamentary candidates for the Charnwood constituency to submit up to 200 words addressed to the voters of Birstall.
The turnout at the 1997 General Election for the constituency was 76.9 per cent and the result was:
Con 26,110 (46.5%), Lab 20,210 (36%), Lib Dem 7224 (12.9%), Referendum 2104 (3.7%), BNP 525 (0.9%)

Jamie Bye UKIP

Leicestershire born, I grew up in Mountsorrel and now live in Rothley with Shirley, and our two youngest daughters. I attended state schools and on completing my education, at sixteen, went to work for a local auctioneer. After several years I moved to London to work in commerce returning to this area as a senior manager for a major recycling company.
Because the old parties of power were constantly misinforming us, usually by omission, about the true costs and real purpose of the European Union my disillusion grew and I now believe we will be better off out of it.
For example by leaving the European Union we gain an instant ‘Independence Dividend’ of £20,000 million gained not by stealth taxes, or by public spending cuts, or a penny on income tax, but by simple exercising our right to govern ourselves
These vast savings could then be used for fairer pensions, greater school spending, an improved NHS, more police for safer streets and better crime prevention.
A vote for the United Kingdom Independence Party also means we will keep the “£” for ever which was the overwhelming choice of voters in the recent Parish Polls.
Jamie Bye
United Kingdom Independence Party Candidate, Charnwood Constituency

Stephen Dorrell, Conservative

Stephen Dorrell has been a Leicestershire MP since 1979, and won the seat of Charnwood in 1997 with a majority of 5,900. During the 1990’s he served in the Cabinet as Heritage and then Health Secretary and was the Opposition spokesman on Education until 1998. He is actively involved in the textile industry as well as playing a part in the management of local independent schools.
Conservative Priorities for Charnwood
A successful economy is the bedrock on which we depend to provide improving living standards and the money to pay for better public services. If British business is to remain competitive we must reduce the burden of tax and regulation imposed on it by Labour.
Every child and every patient should have access to high quality schools and healthcare. This can only be sustained by developing new partnerships involving both public and private sectors, and cutting bureaucratic interference from Whitehall.
Power should be given back to the local community. More planning decisions should be made locally, and our schools and hospitals should be locally run. We should not have quotas of new houses imposed by Whitehall, or have to wait for the agreement of Whitehall to build necessary local bypasses.

Susan King, Liberal Democrat

Susan served as Liberal Democrat Councillor on Blaby District Council representing Kirby Muxloe ward between 1995 and 1999 and took an active role in ‘constructive opposition’. Her administrative and effective public relations skills come from running a leading commercial landscaping company and as a nationally known campaigner determined to stop fluoride being added to water. She has also campaigned on the need for recycling facilities since the mid 1980’s, when she was co-ordinator of the Birstall Friends of the Earth and helped to relaunch Leicester FOE. Brought up on a farm and having always lived in this area, genetic modification of food, pesticides, BSE and Foot and Mouth related issues are cause for great concern and she is keen to help with challenges facing the rural community.
‘I know how tough running a family business can be particularly coping with the increasing burden of new legislation. Long hours, tight deadlines and lots of paperwork but now the next generation is getting involved and my role is definitely changing!’ she commented.
Married to Nigel, they have a family of three young adults plus a nine year old. Susan’s other interests include riding, walking, lots of reading and gardening.

Sean Sheahan, Labour

Sean Sheahan is the Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate for Charnwood. He lives in Measham with his partner, Alison and her two children. Sean is 38 years old and works in the gas service industry.
Sean has been a District Councillor for ten years and a Leicestershire County Councillor since 1997. He is also Chair of Coalville & District Citizens’ Advice Bureau and President of Homestart North West Leicestershire. Sean was Chairman of North West Leicestershire District Council in 1999-2000.
Sean believes in working closely with local people and representative groups to seek improvements which would benefit the whole community.
As the MP for Charnwood, Sean would -
Work for quality local schools and colleges that provide opportunities for all and first class health and social services that are accessible to everyone who needs them.
Work alongside local people to protect and improve their environment, whether the issue is new housing, telecommunications masts, flooding, road safety, GM crops or Park and Ride.
Oppose the expansion of the boundaries of the City of Leicester, enabling communities on the edge of the City to preserve their identity and retain more control over local services.

Nature Notes

by Finch

At the moment I write this, the sun is actually shining, which makes a change from the rain of the last two days. I admit that there is a towering cumulus cloud on the horizon, and I would not be totally certain that it will not rain again today. So I sit and look out of the window - I cannot justify to myself the need to be a drowned rat in the name of Nature Notes.
Not that there has been any dearth of interest in the garden these last few weeks. For a start, the blackbirds have been busily fighting over territory. Every few minutes two cock birds fly round the garden, or turn on each other and fly straight up in the air. The magpies, which have threatened to breed all last winter finally settled upon a neighbour’s fir tree, though the local carrion crows took too great an interest for the venture to be crowned with success. A wren built a cock next in the ivy. Apparently wrens build a number of desirable residences, then give their mates the pick of the collection. For the second year in succession we lost out.
Dunnocks have been more successful; a pair has been feeding young for the last week, in between fending off a neighbouring bird who is intent on trespass. The local house sparrow population has certainly increased. I saw a young bird being harassed by a cock blackbird as its father was trying to feed it. Soon after the blackbird gave up (partly because I chased it off), the old familiar sound of young starlings squawking resounded round the garden. I sometimes feel that all the energy derived from the food that the adults stuff into them is used up waddling about making this unholy sound.
The blue tits have built, and are now sitting. For several days the hen busied herself collecting moss from the pond (which leaks) and stuffing it into the bird box they used last year; it makes a good case for cleaning out bird boxes every winter. The cock flew about inspecting the works, but did very little. He was distinctive in that he was carrying a BTO ring. We have had variable luck with blue tit nests. For every one that fledges young, it seems that another will be abandoned, either with addled eggs or dead young.
Those apart, we have had a pair of goldfinch collecting nesting material; a pair of missel thrushes chasing the local carrion crows and screaming at them; a greenfinch hen bullying a starling; the odd pair of collared dove and wood pigeons wandering round feeding; and a visiting cock linnet.
The local song thrush is singing again, though not in the garden. And those regular winter visitors, great tits and robins, have moved on (though the good lady swears that she saw a young robin yesterday).
Which leaves only a solitary long-tailed tit which spent a week rattling on the bay window. Perhaps the present wet weather has had some good points, otherwise I would not have spent so long watching the activities in the back garden.

Your Say

Councillor Clarke’s last letter states “public servants” must reply to correspondence from the public. Perhaps the reason he gets replies from Borough and County councils but not Birstall Parish, is that in relation to those other councils he is indeed a member of the “public”. In relation to Birstall he is just one of 21 councillors, the rest of whom seem reasonably content with part-time staff’s responses to their possibly lesser demands. If a councillor asks for a response from an officer when directly representing an individual (eg when a borough councillor asks for help from a housing officer for someone with accommodation problems), them of course a swift reply is expected. That is not the case here.
Mr Clarke’s at best controversial behaviour has been involved in Police being called to a Parish Council meeting and got him a criminal conviction, with another case pending. I find it bizarre he still feels it appropriate to publicly challenge whether others behave in a “proper, satisfactory and acceptable” way!
I was a member of the Parish Council before Mr Clarke joined, and whilst the 21 individuals had their disagreements and frustrations as in any committee, the work got done and the atmosphere was usually co-operative and positive. Party politics never featured in our discussions on allotment rents, dog pooh and the state of our football pitches. The hanging baskets were planted out by a working group of Independent, Liberal Democrat, Conservative (and for all I know Labour) members, without any adverse affect on the flowering. Councillor Clarke’s worries about political conspiracies were in my experience unfounded.
We all accepted the limitations of our roles as a body (Parish Councils being the lowest of three levels of local government) and as individuals. On a training course at County Hall we were told in no uncertain terms that being a councillor does not make anyone important or powerful. It is the majority vote of a Council that carries authority, not any individual.
Demolishing public property is indefensible, full stop. One reason for the change from No Dogs to Dogs on Leads policy at the Cemetery was that, after heroin users and dealers were arrested in the toilet block, it was felt visitors (many elderly and vulnerable) may feel safer accompanied by their dogs; and of course pets are also a comfort to many bereaved people. So long as any “accidents” were properly disposed of in a dog refuse bin, it was felt a more tolerant policy was warranted. Policy can change again; but I feel anyone who instead chooses to impose their opinion with a hacksaw should be ashamed, especially a Councillor (and sign design details are a red herring here).
I wonder what motivates Mr Clarke’s continued membership of the Parish Council, a body for which he appears to have only contempt. Birstall is blessed with many talented and selfless people who have unsuccessfully applied for co-option in the past, and who would undoubtedly make excellent councillors should a vacancy arise. The honourable, public-spirited course of action would be for Mr Clarke to resign so that both he and his community can put the controversies behind them and the Parish Council can move on with new members in a positive manner.
An Ex Councillor
Name and address supplied

I have just been reading through the May edition of the Birstall Post, and have really had to write to you, regarding the Hallfields Lane Allotment site, that had been turned down to build 50 new homes on part of it, the Rothley Parish Council said that this would have been an intrusive extension to the village, reducing the separation between Rothley and Birstall!
What a laugh that is! When we are to have another over 800 homes built here at Birstall, surely that amount makes us a lot nearer then to Rothley, so why didn’t they put in an objection to these plans, or failing that, why didn’t the Birstall Council think of this, I feel that this village is going to become a huge congestion, it is bad enough at the moment trying to even get near enough to park where the shops are, even with shops proposed for the new development, it is bound to get worse, I, only having been living in this village a short time, am amazed that these plans even got passed at all, it’s obvious to me that the Rothley Council must be a lot more dedicated to its people than the council we have here.
Mrs B Lovell
Reply from Councillor Tony Stott
Had your correspondent lived in Birstall for more than a short time, they would have known of the way in which the local community had throughout the 1990s at every stage of the Charnwood Local Plan process fought proposals to develop Hallam Fields.
At different times, residents of Birstall and Wanlip, all County and Borough Councillors, Birstall Parish Council and BAD (Birstall Against Development) had vigorously opposed this development. Two petitions of approximately 2000 signatures each were presented to Charnwood Borough Council. In addition, at the deposit draft stage of the process in 1996, thousands of residents individually objected to the plan, resulting in a national record for the number of objections to a single proposal in a local plan. The strong feelings of local people were made abundantly clear.
Using a barrister and planning and transport consultants, Birstall Parish Council and BAD presented the case against Hallam Fields over several days at the public inquiry. The points that your correspondent makes about ‘an intrusive extension to the village’, the reduction of separation between Birstall, Wanlip and Rothley, the congestion in the shopping centre of Birstall and the associated parking problems were among the many points that have been made throughout this long fight.
Your correspondent complains that Rothley Parish Council ‘must be a lot more dedicated to its people than the council we have here’ because a site at Hallfields Lane, Rothley was not, and Hallam Fields was, included recently in the Borough Council’s response to the Public Inquiry Inspector’s Report. The Hallfields Lane site in Rothley, which was only for 50 houses, was never a serious candidate for development. It had never been endorsed by councillors. The Inspector had recommended it to make up what he saw as a possible shortfall in overall housing numbers. The Hallam Fields site, on the other hand, which was originally for 600 and now is for 810 houses, has been the number one candidate of the planners since 1994 and of the then Labour controlled Borough Council after 1995 for development in this area. I suspect that in the next local plan for the period beyond 2006, given the way the numbers for new housing are beginning to emerge, the Hallfields Lane site is very likely to be a serious candidate for development.
Given the importance of the Hallam Fields development to the achievement of local plan targets and its endorsement by the public inquiry inspector, it is regrettable, but not surprising, that it has not been dropped at this late stage of the Local Plan process. This is not due to a lack of dedication by Birstall Parish Council. Birstall Parish Council, together with the area’s elected representatives on other councils, continue to scrutinise the local plan and planning application proposals. In doing this, they seek to represent the interests of residents as best they can, given the severe constraints that they have to contend with now that the principle of development has been endorsed by the public inquiry.
I would respectively put it to your correspondent that there has been and is no lack of dedication on the part of the Birstall Parish Council or on the part of Birstall’s elected representatives on other councils in seeking to voice and represent local concerns. There are however limits to what can be achieved in the face of national government policies that have in the last two or three years put increasingly strong emphasis on developing sites such as Hallam Fields.
Tony Stott
Chairman of Birstall Parish Council Planning Committee

They bring their dogs down Whiles Lane
To run upon the grass
But when you put your foot in it
Alas, alas, alas!

It was only just the other day
I took my granddaughter out
To play upon the grass I thought
And then I heard her shout

‘Oh dear, what have I got on my shoe
It don’t half small’ she said
It must be those dirty doggies
Who do it here instead

So please don’t bring your dogs down Whiles Lane
To run upon the grass
But do it in your own back yard
Upon your own green grass

As dear old Victor would have said “I don’t believe it!”. Could it be true? Was I seeing things? Families, elderly people, children, dogs, all crossing Sibson Road on a Saturday morning without the danger of being run over by the tin hoards. Had the much asked for pedestrian crossing finally arrived?
Sadly no. But the temporary traffic lights had certainly achieved what I had thought was the impossible. The ability of all pedestrians to cross this busy road in safety.
Am I asking too much, that the councillors or planners had also seen the effect and have taken a positive note.
Time will tell, but if this is a pointer to the future then let’s have lots of nice slow road works along Sibson Road with temporary traffic lights to slow the traffic and make it safe to cross this busy road.
Of course proper pedestrian crossings would also achieve safe crossing with the added advantage of being permanent. My original number of five still seem a good idea, but we will just have to wait I suppose.
Still, look on the bright side, when the lights have gone then the area might just look a bit tidier than at present while you wait for the elusive gap in the traffic.
Roy Hatwell

This letter is to convey my thanks and appreciation to members of the Birstall Methodist Church and St Teresa’s Social Group for their kindness and assistance whilst I have been incapacitated with a broken arm since moving into Birstall seven weeks ago.
It has been wonderful to witness such first class friendship. Also thanks must be given to the neighbours and friends whom I have met. Birstall is a happy village to live in.
Mrs Doreen Pearce

Jean and family would like to thank everyone for the kindness shown to them following Jack’s death. The expressions of condolence received in the numerous cards and from all the friends and family attending the funeral meant a great deal to them. They would also like to express their gratitude to Rev Chris Grey for conducting the service and Mr Edward Gamble, Funeral Director, for his sensitive and professional assistance.
Jean Best

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