Birstall Post Dec. 2001 (221) cont.

Lifeboat cash

THE CHILDREN of Highcliffe School have raised £800 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution with a sponsored swim.
Pictured handing over a cheque to Dave Cornish and Derrick Young from the RNLI are pupils Cally Fazackerley (11) and Suheil Sheikh (10)

Your Say...

A lot of MPs are concerned about the delay of the Freedom of Information bill.
Why cannot Birstall know details of the Park and Ride next to the A6/Western Bypass junction? First it was on the west of the junction then because someone was a friend of the Prince of Wales it was changed to the east. It was planned by Charnwood Borough Council and a developer.
Leicester Mercury discovered on March 14 this year that Leicester City Council was planning this Park and Ride. Then on April 25 Leicester Mercury informed that it was planned by Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council. In the last Birstall Post (November) it was back with Charnwood and the developer.
Leicester City are planning a village a short distance west of south west Wanlip. The Leicester Mercury states that this village, Ashton Green, may be cancelled by government restrictions on greenfields developments (October 26 2001). Since the development in south west Wanlip [Hallam Fields] is approximately the same distance from the centre of Leicester and next to Ashton Green could the development in south west Wanlip [Hallam Fields] be also cancelled?
If Ashton Green and SW Wanlip [Hallam Fields] are developed then a small town is created. Have the bus companies been invited to make bus routes? The escape route is Greengate Lane. However on the original plan for the Western Bypass there was a junction near Thurcaston.
In the ‘Package Deal’ (Birstall Post November 2001), these include infrastructure work on the A6 and junctions.
Can we know the plan for Greengate Lane junctions £150,000 for the establishment of a commercially viable bus service to penetrate the development. How is this possible with one narrow alley. Once again have the bus companies been invited to make a bus route (full size buses)?
How does upgrading GCR’s North Leicester Station help Birstall?
Having forced a development on Birstall why should Birstall honour Palmer Tomkinson?
Finally if development takes place in Wanlip why not develop in Central Wanlip since SW Wanlip (Hallam Fields) with one small alley will not integrate with Birstall but a development in Central Wanlip might. Make West Wanlip a part of the New Midlands Forest The planned [foot]bridge over the A6 is dangerous. At the planned place the cars are speeding 60+. A bus route in Central Wanlip could be more viable (ask the bus companies).
I shall always think of traffic in Greengate Lane and the dangerous bridge over the A6.
Les Briers

How would you feel, if you were elected to a local group, discovered it was wasting large sums of public money, many tens of thousands of pounds, but were persuaded to step down and not pursue your concerns, by those whose statements you believed, but turned out to be completely inaccurate.
How would you feel, if, later, on being re-elected to the group, you found yourself in the same position but this time being able to produce written confirmation from an independent nationally recognised specialist source that they had got it wrong.
How would you feel if in short order, you were this time threatened with the option, withdraw within 14 days, or face the prospect of prosecution by the Police.
How would you feel, when a specialist national advisory body they consulted, advised them to leave it be, but if difficulties remained, to hold a special meeting of the group to try and resolve the issue.
How would you feel if instead, without your knowledge or attendance, a meeting of the group’s elite members, decided to recommend the adoption of a process which would deprive you of a voice in the group.
How would you feel, when at the court hearing, the prosecuting solicitor accepted your solicitor’s statement that you had an impenetrable defence to the charges laid against you, so that the case against you could be dropped, and you could be awarded costs.
How would you feel if you later found out that you would not be able to recover all the costs you had been forced necessarily to incur.
How would you feel, when almost immediately afterwards, the elite group issued a one sided clarification document in line with their public statement that what has happened does not change the fact that if Mr Clarke participates in sensitive discussions he is breaking the law, and if he does so again in the future, then the whole thing starts again, he has committed an offence and will be reported, while at the same time ensuring you were given no opportunity to make any effective reply.
How would you feel when the elite group sought the advice of the group’s solicitor as to how they should proceed, based solely on their one sided view of the situation.
How would you feel, when at a special meeting of the group, you were unexpectedly given a copy of the solicitor’s advice, told to read it, found it recommended prosecution, and had to stand by and without effective opportunity to reply, listen while the group agreed that you be reported.
How would you feel when you had been landed with the need to employ and brief a solicitor and barrister, for a five day court hearing, at an immediate cost to yourself of several thousand pounds, you found out that those of the elite group who had volunteered to give evidence for the prosecution, and had in fact provided witness statements for the prosecution had, through an initiative by the elite group, been guaranteed immunity from financial loss arising from their actions.
How would you feel when immediately after completion of the court preliminaries, a member of the elite group, who was the prosecution’s first witness, had to agree your barrister’s submission that, on the day in question, you had not committed the criminal offence with which you had been charged.
How would you have felt, when the Judge stopped the hearing there and then, stating that the prosecution had been badly flawed and that there should be a full Inquiry into the facts of the prosecution, acquitting you of the charges laid against you; awarding you costs. Would you not have felt after two years and two failed prosecutions that would be an end to it.
How would you feel then, when, a little later, the elite group proposed renewed consultation with the group’s solicitors as to how they should proceed, the same solicitors who had recommended prosecution when they had been consulted previously after the first court case was dropped.
How would you feel, when all this had been going on for two and a half years and you had never, ever been given any effective opportunity to state your case to the group, and had recently suggested that the only reasonable way to proceed now, was for the group to follow the advice given to the elite group over two years ago by an independent senior solicitor that the matter should not be pursued, but should be discussed at a special meeting of the group, if the matter continued to present difficulties.
Perhaps, most significantly, how would you feel if all this had arisen, effectively from the acceptance by the members of the elite group, at a meeting way back in October 1999, (which you were not allowed to attend), of hearsay statements, not backed up by written documentation, that three independent specialist solicitors, a senior solicitor of a national specialist advisory body, their local specialist representative and the Police all confirmed the view of the elite members that the matter should be reported, when you knew for certain that there was not any written evidence supporting that hearsay evidence statement; but that you had been and would, as things presently stood, continue to be allowed no effective opportunity, at any time, to refute, or make effective reply, to the charges the elite group were alleging against you.
C D Clarke

I would like to refer to your article in the Nov issue of the Birstall Post regarding the financial problem of the Birstall United Football Club down at Meadows Lane.
I admit that the club has a problem and there is a danger that the club may fold.
The Birstall Parish Council were prepared to spend £35,000+ to build a Skate Board Area down at the Birstall United Football Club ground for the use of half a dozen teenagers. This is now covered by graffiti and I have also heard needles have been found there.
If you go down to the ground on any Saturday morning you will find up to 100 children between 6-12 football training with volunteers from the Birstall United Football club.
What happens if the club folds?
What happens to these 100 children?
Isn’t it about time the Birstall Parish Council get their priorities right
I invite any member of the Birstall Parish Council to come down to the ground on a Saturday morning, if they know where it is, and see what’s going on down there.
From a worried member and grandfather of a 9 year old boy.
Name & address supplied

We are writing to congratulate The Post on publishing the piece “My son is addicted to heroin” in your last issue.
We particularly wish to acknowledge the fortitude of the parent concerned in putting her painful emotions into print and her admirable courage in attempting to provide a very meaningful insight for those readers who perhaps can only view the problem from a safe distance.
Although we have only encountered drug addiction via our respective professional capacities, we were extremely impressed and moved by the writer’s ability to share the grief that all parents must surely experience when an offspring suffers such tragic problems.
In addition to sharing her own profound pain, the parent also gave a valuable message to society at large and to our local community in particular, that young people with such problems are not, as often regarded, trash and deadbeats who deserve contempt, but are the sons and daughters of loving, caring parents who are pained and dismayed that their ordinary and normal family has been afflicted in this way.
We sincerely hope that your article will have opened a few eyes and minds and perhaps ignited a sense of compassion and understanding that is sometimes lacking whenever the ‘drug problem’ is discussed.
There is a place for judgemental attitudes and feelings of anger and contempt but these should be directed where they belong and that is with those who import, deal, and snare the vulnerable young people who fall prey.
We hope and pray that your author will eventually have a healthy son returned to her.
Her love, resolve and dedication is the best chance he’s got.
Mike and Anne McCann

Hallam Fields is a green field site. The Government set Local Authorities targets. They say development should be focused in existing built up areas. Charnwood are nowhere near meeting the target.
There is nothing in Government guidance shat says when a new road is built such as the A46 Western Bypass, that becomes a new/natural boundary up to which ‘new development’ can be built.
The Parish Council ‘Levy’ means that living in Birstall is expensive in Council Tax terms. I would like an answer to why the residents of Birstall were let down by the planning consultants who appeared at the Charnwood Local Plan Inquiry. I’ve heard it said that the cost of the consultants was over £50K. I don’t think that can represent value for money - the amount of residential development on Hallam Fields has increased!
In your November issue the Parish Council Chair says he is ‘suspiciously pleased’ with the package the landowner and the developers are proposing.
The package is nothing more than a bribe. The Inspector in his report on the Local Plan is clear that there must be a limit to how Hallam Fields can be expected to provide ‘off site’ benefits.
Birstall is the neglected part of Charnwood Borough Council. They have cared little for it. The package is no more than a sop. I thought our Borough councillors were going to continue to fight these proposals. They seem to have just rolled over.
What line has the Parish Council taken with regard to the County Council structure plan proposals? Why aren’t they challenging the proposals for the number of new residential developments required over the life of the new plan?
Likewise our County Councillors - in other parts of the county the Structure Plan proposals for residential development are being questioned. I’ve heard nothing from Birstall’s county councillors.
I have read that Councillor Wilson apparently welcomes the possibility of one of the bribes from Hallam Fields - a new Fire Station - surely he should continue to oppose all the proposals.
The response from Charnwood B.C. to the modifications to the Deposit Draft of the Charnwood Local Plan indicate that in Quorn for example, proposed residential development provision is to be deleted - I get the impression that Charnwood BC just want to dump their need to show significant new residential local development in Birstall.
One of the biggest bribes is the proposed Park and Ride site. Not surprisingly Leicester City council support this. How will the location help bus users in Birstall? Just like the existing site off the Hinckley Road, the service will be non-stop to Leicester City Centre. Are existing bus users going to be expected to walk uphill to a facility that in reality will benefit car users from elsewhere in Charnwood and beyond.
Lacking in the ‘detail’ of the ‘package’ is reference to ‘transportation improvements arising as a consequence of the development’.
The reality of this is a wider A6 all the way through Birstall, and possibly alterations to Greengate Lane. I predict a wider A6 with two new bus lanes. The widening will split Birstall in half and add considerably to the present difficulties in crossing this road. Why aren’t our councillors (Parish, District and County) not sharing this with the Birstall public?
The proposals for a park and ride site are flawed. A site is needed now but it should be provided in the city - it’s for their benefit. A more beneficial location would be the massive Red Hill Circle roundabout. Why aren’t the Parish Council actively pursuing this? If the developer has all this money to spare, why can’t it be given to the County Council for them to work with the City Council to look at a better location for a park and ride site?
If the Parish Council still care about Birstall, they shouldn’t be giving the impression Hallam Fields is a done deed. A further Local Inquiry into the Charnwood B.C. Deposit Draft Local Plan and the need for residential development in green field sites being subject to approval of the Secretary of State means that there is still time to put forward measured and considered objections. I was amazed to see that all the Parish Council has done is to arrange one meeting (Oct 31) at an inconvenient time for most people at work, with families. It’s still not too late to object and I urge your readers to write to the Parish Council, local Charnwood Councillors (District and County), the local MP, the Government Office for the East Midlands at Nottingham before December 21.
I’m critical of the Parish Council and our local councillors. I also want to criticise the owners of Hallam Fields. Aren’t the Palmer-Tomkinson Trustees aware of the damage this development will do? Why don’t they take heed of their wider responsibilities? Is there an address that can be written to? If so people should let them know of the potential disaster.
Can I turn to the City Council’s proposals for Ashton Green and their wider proposals in the new City of Leicester Local Plan?
Ashton Green once developed will impact heavily on Birstall. Pressure will come (if the A46 Western Bypass ‘boundary’ is anything to go by) and eventually triumph, from developers for residential development to go all the way up to the A46 and along to the railway. The phase one proposals indicate a need for improvements to Greengate Lane. The Parish Council should be actively opposing the proposals. They have a significant impact on Birstall and you can see that eventually Greengate Lane will require widening, losing its pleasant grass verge just like what is likely to happen to Loughborough Road.
It’s too late now, but I think the Parish Council has received bad advice. The City Council has got acres of land to the west of Thurcaston Road. When the examination in public of the County’s Structure Plan took place, and during the Charnwood Local Plan Inquiry, the point should have been continually made that it is this land that should be developed for residential/ancillary employment use, to meet any target for Central Leicestershire. This would, if accepted, have lessened the pressure for development at Hallam Fields.
With regard to the Draft City of Leicester Local Plan, there are a number of suggestions that will impact on Birstall - proposals to extend Belgrave Cemetery, decommissioning of the Loughborough Road allotments, and as I’ve already mentioned, support for the park and ride site being located in Birstall. How are the Parish Council going to respond? How are they going to gauge public opinion?
To conclude I find the comment in the Post about the Local Democracy week for Charnwood B.C. that they would oppose any move by Leicester City to be worthless. Together with the Parish Council and our local councillors they have done nothing to stop the bandwagon rolling. In reality it’s probably common sense for Birstall to be part of Leicester City - others will have to decide if it is to be ‘for the best’.
Name & address supplied

Did you ever see one of those old, usually American, movies? You know the kind of thing, small town, lots of people wanting to raise money and suddenly some bright spark says ‘I know! Let’s put on a show!’ Something along those lines happened in Birstall in April. We were discussing ways to raise money for the MU’s 125 Project. Each branch had been asked to raise £125 and we were struggling to find a way of fundraising that was different to our usual coffee morning/tea afternoon.
Wheels were set in motion, the village hall booked for October 28, and various people contacted/begged, cajoled to participate in an afternoon’s entertainment. Two of our members, Chris Walters and Helen Tarry, must take a huge share of the praise for the very successful afternoon which resulted. Their efforts in arranging the concert were wonderful, even if it did give them sleepless nights and on one occasion, Helen was so busy mentally planning the afternoon that she missed her bus stop and was almost late for work! Our thanks go to everyone who took part in the concert, entertainers and those working backstage, catering, selling programmes etc. The children from the Monica Osborne School of Dance and Drama were delightful.
We reached our target, in fact we doubled it and raised £250 for the work of the Mothers’ Union in this country and overseas. A very big ‘thank-you’ to everyone for their support on the day.
Carol Woods, Birstall and Wanlip Mothers’ Union.

Mrs E Robinson of 9 Cliffe Road, Birstall wishes all the people she sends Christmas Cards to “Good Wishes for Christmas and the New Year”. Unfortunately Mrs Robinson has problems writing as a result of her car accident.
Mrs Robinson

I have just learned that the RNLI are not collecting stamps and picture postcards any more.
May I take the opportunity of thanking all the kind people who have contributed in the past. I am sure there are other charities who would accept them and would suggest that there is a postbox in the lobby of the vets at the corner of Loughborough Road and Sibson Road for the Dogs for the Blind.
Many thanks for your help.
Jean Ward

Flower Power Saved The Day
As a member of Birstall Flower Club I would like to thank the committee for giving members such a fun evening at the October meeting.
Due to illness, the demonstrator was unable to come and the committee found themselves in a dilemma to know what to do at short notice. Those who volunteered to demonstrate overcame nerves by putting together interesting, colourful and topical arrangements.
Pat Hipwell (Chairman) demonstrated the wonders of harvest festival with autumn colours of yellow and orange flowers and fruit arranged in a basket.
Mary Wadsworth (President, and a recognised demonstrator of Ikebana) depicted the Moon Viewing Festival in Japan.
Mary Linnett (Media Officer) dressed as a witch, interpreted Halloween with vibrant colours of flowers set in a cauldron.
Norma Lynch then celebrated bonfire night. She arranged flowers to represent rockets, golden rain and sparklers etc on a silver stand. Underneath, she then placed flowers for rings of fire and wood representing smoke, making an explosive end to a most enjoyable evening. Well done ladies!
Also thank you to the other members of the committee who have worked hard all year, and give the rest of such relaxing evenings.
Anne Boden

The Birstall Methodist Women’s Group would like to thank all members of the group for their generous help and donations to our Coffee Morning held on 27th October for the Alzheimer’s Society and Society for the Blind (Children’s Section). We raised £260.
Thank you so much to the people of Birstall and Methodist Church for your loyal support.
Chris Tilford and Pat White

Birstall Royal British Legion Women’s Section would like to thank all who supported our Coffee Morning for the Poppy Appeal. Over £275 was raised.
Mrs Angela Parkin

Were you on the Home Front during World War One?
During the First World War (1914-18), when many men went off to right, those left behind also had a vital role to play. Before the war a woman’s place had been firmly in the home, but now women took the place of men. In the cities they endured dangerous conditions in munitions factories, and worked to keep Britain’s transport system running. In the countryside they joined ‘The Women’s Land Army’, reclaiming land and bringing in the harvest. Children were also expected to contribute to the war effort in every way they could, with many leaving school to start work. People on the Home Front lived under the threat of attack, both from the sea and from the air. Night time bombing raids from planes and zeppelins caused huge damage and loss of lives. Every man, woman and child was affected by the war. If you have interesting memories of the Home Front (1914-18) please contact: Ellen Quinn, Testimony Films, 12 Great George Street, Bristol BS1 5RS Tel: (0117) 9258589 Email: mail@testimonyfilms.force9.co.uk

My younger son (who lives with his family in Syston) rings home if he is going to be late. Last Tuesday he called from his hands-free phone in his car. His younger daughter aged 8 answered. He told her that the journey which would normally have been 2 hrs was going to be longer due to an accident on the motorway. He said tell Mum I’ll be about an hour as I’m near Oxford - do you know where Oxford is? To which she replied “Is it next to Wilko?”
Mo Vincent

Nature Notes

Are zoological gardens a good thing or a bad thing, as far as the permanent inhabitants are concerned?
I ask this because I have been pondering a visit to Twycross in the line of discovering the habits of fruit bats. Now fruit bats are not a good subject for a Birstall Nature Notes, as the nearest wild fruit bats are a few thousand miles distant.
Zoos are a different matter. In the good old days, when Victoria ruled the waves and Britons (of the right class) would never be slaves, wildlife was a curiosity. The threat to livelihood from wolves had been moved back to the continent (where it should be), the fox had been hunted for years, though rarely for the threat it posed to chickens, and the only things which gave concern were poisonous snakes, wasps and anything that ate or poisoned the crops. Ecology and genetics were unheard of, animals and plants were of no importance so could be destroyed or reduced to their entertainment value at man’s will. This is the impression the Victorians left behind, at any rate.
In my very young days, all those years ago, Africa was THE dark continent - unexplored and mysterious, rather than full of dark-skinned people. Books were written about the exploits of heroes facing raging lions. I could even go to Chessington Zoo (those were the days) and see these great beasts prowling round concrete-floored cages behind iron bars. Yet somehow they never seemed so fierce nor so threatening. They seemed bored and ill at ease. Then came Gerald Durrell, ecology, population studies, extinction rates and all sorts of other spanners in the Victorian works.
Zoos became breeding centres for endangered species, but nobody seemed to give much thought to why they were endangered in the first place. Peter Scott may have made headline news at Slimbridge saving the nene, but where was it to be seen in the wild? Sadly, most of the reductions in that species’ population were due to human pressure, and the human population has increased in Hawaii - the nene’s homeland. So we invent the nature reserve, or, in Africa, the reservation. We populate the reserve with our rescued species, sit back and wait for something to happen which undoes all our good work.

ATC reach sixtieth

BIRSTALL’S AIR Training Corps Squadron is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary next March.
They are trying to contact as many people as possible who have had connections with the Squadron, to invite them to the event.
Brian Axon of Woodhouse Eaves writes: “No.1947 Squadron was originally formed on March 10 1942 at Mundella Boys’ School, Overton Road, Leicester. The Commanding Officer was Flight Lieutenant R Dickens, with 8 other officers and 10 civilians, including a bandmaster, medical officers and chaplain.
“The Air Training Corps was a vital part of the nation’s war effort, contributing in no small way by providing young men for the Royal Air Force. After the end of the war, the need greatly diminished, and many of the ATC Squadrons were disbanded, one of which was No.1947 Squadron, which ceased in 1946.
“There was still a demand from the youth of Leicestershire for this type of organisation and in 1964 No.1947 Squadron was reformed by Flt.Lt. Bill Rowlands from Cosby. This time, the location was to be Birstall. Now 37 years later, 1947 Squadron is still thriving with an average of 40 cadets under the command of Flight Lieutenant Neil Liquorish, who started with the Squadron as a cadet many years ago meeting in their own HQ at Riverside School twice a week, and often weekends. Cadets, who also include young ladies these days, learn about aviation and the RAF, have flying and gliding experience, go camping, visit RAF Stations, including visits abroad on occasions and much more. There are also opportunities for all types of sport, instruction being given by officers of the RAFVR and civilians, all of whom are unpaid volunteers.
In 2002 No.1947 Squadron will be celebrating its 60th (diamond) anniversary and it is proposed to hold a special event at Longslade School, Birstall on March 16. We are hoping to be able to contact as many personnel as possible who have had connections with the Squadron, be they officers, NCOs, cadets, civilian instructors, committee members and the all-important tea lady, so that they can be invited to this important event. It is hoped that we may even find some members from the original 1947 Squadron.
“Anybody who was with the Squadron, or has any information, please contact me, Flight Lieutenant Brian Axon at 30 Church Hill, Woodhouse Eaves tel: 01509 890788. Or phone Squadron HQ on 0116 2672868”

Planning applications

Mr & Mrs Tinbergen - conversion & extension to front & rear of garage into kitchen, dining room & store. 88 Roman Rd
Dr K S & Mrs Sher - erection of 2 storey extension to front of dwelling with single storey to side and rear. 51 Rectory Rd, Wanlip
Dr R Gupta & Dr R Ghadali - erection of 1st floor extension to side and single storey extension to rear. The Firs Dental Practice, 534a Loughborough Rd
Mr R Booth - erection of 1st floor extension over garage with single storey extension to rear of garage and pitched roof over porch. 52 Oakfield Ave
Mr & Mrs P Holland - erection of 1st floor extension to side of semi detached dwelling. 4 Kedlestone Ave
Miss J L Webster - erection of single storey extension to dining room and new pitched roof to existing garage. 4 Park House Close
Mr & Mrs J Lewin - erection of single storey extension to rear with creation of first floor extension to side of semi detached dwelling. 56 Orchard Rd
Mr S Lord - erection of 2 storey extension to side of semi detached dwelling. 49 Sibson Rd

Age Concern Info

WINTER INFORMATION PACK
Age Concern England has launched its free information pack to help older people ensure they have a healthier and safer winter.
22,700 more older people died last winter than in the summer months. It is older people who are frequently the most isolated, living in the coldest homes and on the lowest incomes, without enough money to pay for adequate heating. Age Concern England is therefore encouraging them to take care this winter by taking three steps:
1. Get vaccinated against influenza
2. Check out entitlement to money grants
3. Find out if grants for help with heating are available
The winter information pack contains:-
Age Concern’s ‘Help with Heating’ factsheet with tips on keeping warm and cutting fuel bills at home.
The Dept of Health’s ‘Keep Warm, Keep Well’ guide to staying healthy in winter (produced in association with Age Concern and others).
Age Concern’s ‘Top Tips for Keeping Well’ leaflet - full of advice on various winter issues.
The Dept of Health’s leaflet ‘Beat Flu, Use a Jab’.
To get a copy of the pack, simply ring 0800 00 99 66 from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week.

FOREIGN COIN APPEAL
To help fund its winter support for older people, Age Concern has launched a new fundraiser ‘Fight the Freeze Foreign Coin Appeal’ to coincide with the introduction of the Euro. People wishing to donate their spare foreign currency can visit any of these stores to make their deposits: Alliance & Leicester, Bank of Scotland, Britannia Building Society, Halifax, Northern Rock, Skipton Building Society, Travelcare and participating Age Concern shops.

CARERS: NEW WEBSITE INFORMATION
Web pages containing information and advice for carers, called ‘Looking after Someone’ have been included in the ‘Life Episodes’ section of a Government website at www.ukonline.gov.uk. This site was launched in September last year as part of a Government initiative aimed at making the Internet more accessible to individuals and to businesses. The site provides links to over 1,000 Government websites which are grouped under a number of Life Episode sections. These sections include, in addition to the carers site; going away, having a baby, learning to drive, dealing with crime, moving home, looking for a job and death and bereavement.
The carers site is aimed at anyone caring, without payment, for someone who needs support because of physical or mental health problems, learning disabilities or illness. Subjects covered include: financial support; practical advice and support; looking after the health and wellbeing of the carer; breaks and respite care; support for young carers at school; information on specific health conditions; alternative caring options; emergency care; and dealing with the end of a caring relationship.
(Cabinet Office press release CAB 121/01, 20 June 2001)
YOUR TAXES AND SAVINGS 2001-02
The new edition of this Age Concern annual publication was published in the summer. It covers tax, savings and investments and other financial options. It includes details of tax changes announced in the March 2001 Budget.
‘Your Taxes and Savings 2001-2’ by Sally West and the Money Management Council. 187pp. Price £5.99 plus £1.99 p&p, available from Age Concern Books, P O Box 232, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4XQ Tel:0870 442 2044

THE BATHING SERVICE AT ST JAMES DAY CENTRE
The installation in September of the height adjustable bath with a shower unit has proved to be a big success. The bath nurse says it has made her job a lot better and it is popular with those having baths.
There are still some vacancies for elderly people living in Birstall and Wanlip who don’t attend any of the groups at the day centre but who wish to have a supervised bath there, by making prior arrangements. Cost £2.50. For further details ‘phone Jill Smith 2677023 Mon-Thurs 9.30am-3.30pm