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Birstall Post May 2002 (226) cont.

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Village Watch news

THE SUN is shining and the birds are singing, our thoughts are about holidays and if you have a caravan it’s the time to get off for the weekend.
The Commander of the Loughborough division Chief Superintendent Ian Stripp when he visited me the other day was very concerned that caravans are becoming the target for thieves. Most of them are stolen to order and disappear without trace in the network of motorways around this area. Simple but effective measures can be taken to minimise these thefts. Always ensure that a good hitch lock is in place, one that covers the bolts on the towing frame, this prevents the whole hitch and lock being unbolted and another hitch fitted to tow it away. Wheel clamp fitted to one of the wheels. The VIN number of the caravan should be etched into the windows. All caravans built after 1998 have an electronic tag inserted into the van and this helps to trace them. An audible alarm can also be fitted which has a tilt mechanism; this will also help to prevent theft.
Remember to keep a note of special features, VIN number and any modifications you have done, plus a photograph, this will also aid identification if you are unlucky and have your van stolen.
The mobile gardener and builder is still about and looking for vulnerable people he can rip off. Remember do not be forced into getting work done on the spur of the moment and get more than one quote for the work to be done. If you are unsure say NO.
Our next Advice Shop date is Saturday May 18 when the Watch will be pleased to advise, code cycles or other items. We have personal and shed alarms for sale. This will take place at the Old Council Offices, Sibson Road from 10am until midday.
From Peter Allen
Crime Report March 19-April 16
House Burglary 2; Other Burglary 8; Theft Person 1; Theft from Vehicle 3; Theft of Vehicle 5; Damage to Vehicle 8; Theft 2; Damage 4.
Good News: A 21 year old man, who was charged in connection with a bag snatch in Birstall on 22nd March 2002, appeared in court in April and was given a three month custodial sentence.

Website reunites

A NEPHEW in Birstall and his uncle in New Zealand have been re-united thanks to the Birstall Post website.
Graham Findley, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand, was trawling the internet looking for Findleys when he came upon a Steve Findley, mentioned in an article about Birstall Cricket Club on the Birstall Post website.
He emailed the editor, who published a letter from Graham asking for Steve to contact him.
Steve (40) of Newton Drive, replied and now the pair are in regular contact via email. Steve said: “I last saw Graham in 1972 when he joined me, my sister, Mum and Dad and we all emigrated to New Zealand. I returned to England in 73 and after my Dad, Graham’s brother passed away, we lost contact.”
Graham told the Birstall Post: “Thanks to you we can now catch up on lost time. I just can’t thank you enough for doing what you did for me and my family by putting my letter in the Birstall Post. Keep up the good work and I will enjoy reading the coming papers on the internet.”

Birstall garden trail

IT’S MAGIC! Pictured is Brian Lord, a member of Leicester Magic Circle, trying to cast a spell over his Heathgate Close garden to make it look sparkling for the 2002 Garden Trail.
Sorry, Brian, but there is no substitute for hard work, as some of Brian’s neighbours are finding out! Opening on Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23, will be twelve gardens in Heathgate Close, Barngate Close, Denegate Avenue, Harrowgate Drive and Ambergate Drive.
Passports giving admission to all gardens will be on sale early in June for only £2 if bought in advance. Proceeds will be shared between Rainbows Children’s Hospice and Birstall Methodist Church, who are organising the event. Come along - you’ll be spellbound!

Appeal for governors

STONEHILL SCHOOL is appealing to local businesses in a bid to find individuals who will consider becoming a School Governor.
Clerk to the Governors Cheryl Read said: “Stonehill wishes to attract people in the community who can bring energy, experience and fresh ideas. People who would make very good governors may be put off because they think they need to be an ‘expert’. Not so - interest, enthusiasm and commitment are much more important”’
One of Stonehill’s Governors says: “I have been a Governor at Stonehill for seven years. At first I was apprehensive as I didn’t know what was involved. These fears were allayed by the support and encouragement of the school and the Governor Support Service at County Hall. The rewards are not financial, but if you care about children, raising standards in education and your community, then being a governor is a productive way to develop your own skills as well as the children’s.”
If you are interested in finding out more, without making any commitment at this stage, then please either telephone Cheryl Read on 0116 2656491. Alternatively, if you would like to look around the school then please telephone Mr Alan Baker, the Headteacher on 0116 2673384.

TG news

THE ANNUAL General Meeting of the Townswomen’s Guild took place in March and a new executive committee was formed.
The new Chairman, Mrs June Flower then presented plants to thank leaders for their valuable work in the various groups within the TG for the past year. Mrs Jean Veitch, the retiring leader of social studies, Mrs Jean Sumner of the choir and Mrs Mary Bruce for drama. The Fellowship award went to Mrs Marion Middleton to show appreciation for her hard work behind the scenes.
After coffee, members had donated various items to be auctioned. With June Flower as the auctioneer, Margaret Jones displaying the items and Dot Rowley collecting the money, there was much hilarity within the audience, as June & Margaret did their utmost to get ‘blood out of a stone!’ The evening ended with most lots being sold and the buyers went home with bargains galore.
The choir will be entertaining St Margaret’s Evergreen Club on April 29 but still need new members. The next rehearsal is at Highcliffe School at 7.30pm on May 2 when anyone interested will be most welcome.
The next meeting of the TG will be held on Tuesday May 21 at Highcliffe School, Birstall at 7.30pm when it will be an Open Meeting and visitors will be warmly welcomed and the drama group will have a few surprises in store.
From A Boden

WI news

IT WAS unfortunate that the speaker booked for the April meeting of Birstall & Wanlip WI was unable to attend to give a talk on reflexology.
It was fortunate that Mr Eggington was free to come with one of his quizzes instead and what could have been an evening with no speaker had everyone puzzling out who was playing a piece of music or giving a speech etc. It proved to be very entertaining and was much enjoyed by all present. Mrs Betty Barker gave a vote of thanks to a very talented gentleman.
At the beginning of the meeting a minute’s silence was taken in memory of the Queen Mother whose funeral was to be the next day.
President Mrs Dorothy Gregory was warmly welcomed to the meeting after her absence due to a fall resulting in a broken hip. Though still walking with the aid of crutches she was able to negotiate the steps of the hall and to chair the meeting.
Mrs Belton gave a report of the Annual Council Meeting at which six of our members were present. Everyone agreed that the whole day had been a thoroughly enjoyable and amusing experience. It was lovely that the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress were able to stay for the whole meeting and Don McLean the afternoon speaker had everyone holding their sides with laughter.
Further business was discussed and the county news and future events were pointed out before it was time for the quiz. With lighter evenings and some warmer weather everyone left in a happy mood.
Next month the meeting will be on May 13 when Resolutions to go before the AGM in Brighton will be discussed.
The competition will be for a ‘A favourite recipe’ with examples to taste where possible!

Planning

Mr Flintham - erection of 2 storey extension to side of detached dwelling. The Gate House, 1 Mill Rd
Mr A Latif - erection of 1st floor & single storey extension to rear of detached house & erection of pitched roof at 1st floor level to front of dwelling. 22 Birstall Rd
Mr D S Bains - site for the erection of 2 detached houses and associated garages. 5 Tempest Rd.
Mr & Mrs M Pole - extension for conservatory to rear of detached house. 36 Kilby Ave
Mr Karvin - change of use from optician to restaurant. 15 Sibson Road
Westleigh Developments - erection of 2 & 3 storey buildings to form 36 flats, following demolition of existing factory
Mr J Todd - demolition of existing store/garage and erection of double garage. Land adjacent 44 Front St
Mr & Mrs D Healy - single storey extension to rear of dwelling. 14 Elmfield Ave
Mr A Stead - erection of single storey extension to rear of semi detached dwelling. 27 Hill Rise
Leics County Council - extension to replace demountable classrooms & admin annexe. Riverside County Junior School, Wanlip Lane

Mr Llewellyn and Mr West will probably never see eye to eye, not least because Mr Llewellyn links the ‘real world’ with Saturday morning at Birstall United Juniors, and Mr West, like other councillors, has to consider broader issues. During my term on the Parish Council (where I often disagreed with Mr West) I learned that Birstall is awash with good causes that could benefit from public subsidy, but councils do not grow money on trees, they take it from every resident’s pocket and must be very even handed in its disposal. In fact there are regulations about what councils can fund. Borough and County Councils both have systems for allocating sporting grants, Parish does not.
Birstall United is just one of many equally valuable village activities for people of all ages and interests, including both old established and younger football clubs. Social and hobby based clubs open, close, and merge as human and financial resources allow. Only United can decide its own priorities for the future, and I wish it well in seeking funds from the many other public, private and voluntary sources that provide grants to football in particular, sports clubs in general, and to community activities. If United are unsure of these, advice can be found. The small groups officer at the new centre for voluntary work in Leicester has a ‘Fundfinder’ database that might help.
As the Olympics demonstrates, sport takes many forms; some individual, some team, and some almost art forms (ice skating for instance). There are many energetic youths who will never be attracted to team sports. I have watched some of our local skateboarding talents, practising long hours, taking falls and achieving some impressive results without pitches, changing rooms, coaches, or until recently any publicly funded provision. Some of them play football and other sports too. Some may cause trouble, but every sport has its hooligans including football. Who knows, now that we have a half pipe in the village and an indoor centre opening soon in the City, we may yet rear a Birstall skate board champion.
Helena Edwards

It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, as we made our way to the Methodist Church for the joint service, we arrived to be warmly greeted as always, and found that the church was filling very quickly, and by the time the service began it was filled to its capacity
Our sincere thanks go to the Rev Chris Gray for a truly spiritual and uplifting service, reminding us of the day our Lord made his agonising journey to Golgotha even to the sound of the nails being put into the cross, and the cross being carried nearer to us throughout the service. I think it was at this point that both Peter and I made a silent promise to take our turn in carrying the cross on our walk to Calvary, to remind us of the pain that our Lord suffered for us all.
The walk reinforced our commitment to our Faith and Belief in the Risen Lord to the people of Birstall and to each other.
Once again Easter and especially Good Friday brought all the three churches together as brothers and sisters, the mingling with the ‘crowd’ on the walk made you think and put things into perspective.
On behalf of all who attended. Thank you Chris.
Peter & Daphne Stephenson

I READ with interest the article describing the proposed design by Mr Norman Sims for the Birstall Village sign.
I have been involved with design for over 30 years and would suggest the most effective designs are the simplest visually. The Barkby Village Sign is a prime example of simple design.
The cedar tree and lighthouse do not convey any character of Birstall to visitors or anyone who has not studied the history of the village.
I would like to suggest a few symbols which could be used: King Lear (not substantiated); Prehistory, mammoths/fossil remains; The River Soar and wild life; Local flora; The watermills (now demolished); Canal/boats, locks/bridges etc; Substantial buildings (cottages/churches); The ‘Beast of Birstall’ is a Saxon depiction of a Lion and if included would add a feeling of history and heraldic design.
I hope my suggestions meet with positive comments and I wish the project good luck.
Nicholas J Birchall MCSD

Thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts and cards over the loss of my husband John. Thanks also to the Co-op Funeral Service, Sibson Road for their kindness.
Beryl Hulls

Watermead Country Park

WATERMEAD COUNTRY Park north, is situated between Birstall, Wanlip and Thurmaston. There are four rangers who manage the park carrying out a number of different duties, including estate work (fencing, pond clearing and hedge laying), guided walks/talks, conservation work and looking after visitors. We hope to write a short article once a month to let you know what is happening on the park.
The park was originally meadowland and flood plains. Sand and gravel extraction began in the 1940s and produced the series of lakes and ponds, which are now more familiar to us. Over the years nature has reclaimed this land, so that the park is now home to a diverse array of wildlife (pipistrelle bats, grass snakes and harvest mice). In addition the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal run through the park. The potential of the area was realised in the early 1980s when a programme of management was introduced and the area became known as Watermead Country Park.
Watermead has two qualified bird ringers who are members of the ornithological society and who help to ring the young herons in the nature reserve. This is useful, as the strength of the heron population is a good indicator of the quality of the environment, and any adverse changes can affect the number of herons on the park. This is because the heron is at the top end of the food chain. We have managed to ring twenty-four so far this season and recently one of the herons ringed in a previous year was found in Ireland! However heron ringing is not without its dangers. The curious young herons overlook the edge of their nests, and occasionally regurgitate their last meal of frogs and fish. You have to remember to keep your mouth tightly cosed and not to yawn!
The spring birds are now coming in; we have swallows, house martins, sand martins and reed warblers. Summer is on its way.
From Jenny Charles, Watermead Ranger
Guided Walks

Saturday May 4 Dawn Chorus. Get up with the lark and listen to the birds
Wednesday May 22 Bat Walk. Come and find out about these unusual animals
Wednesday June 12 Land Rover tour. Find out about Watermead the easy way
For more information and to book a place please phone 2671944 (answer phone please leave name and number)
£2 adults; £1 concessions

Nature Notes

The weather forecast is for rain, though this morning has been dry and reasonably bright; dry enough for the good lady friend to have her washing hanging on her clothes line, As I write about six house sparrows are hopping round my neighbour’s bird table, with the odd blackbird and blue tit also in attendance. Earlier there was a robin and a mistle thrush singing in my tree.
How different a fortnight ago: wall to wall sunshine. Then I could have sat here writing and not seen a bird from dawn to dusk, save for the occasional gull or a magpie flying over. So where had all the birds gone?
Even though there does appear to be a group of ‘garden’ birds and a separate group of ‘countryside’ birds, with some species not caring which they are, I have noticed that more and more these divisions break down outside the breeding season. For example, take rooks. These birds usually breed in large tree colonies by woods, along hedgerows and on the edge of villages. Yet I have seen them every winter in the city itself. Pied wagtails inhabit car parks and street corners every winter - including Somerfield - but go away to breed somewhere else.
Then there are those opportunist species which desert gardens about harvest time, only to return when autumn really sets in and the harvest has gone home. At one time the house sparrow was considered a pest by farmers for large flocks would descend on the ripening cereals and flatten them - literally. Combine harvesters like upright stems and will miss those flattened to the ground. Now the sparrow has been replaced by the collared dove and (in Birstall) by the Canada goose, though both these species glean spilt grain rather than attack the standing crop (as far as I know).
The last cold snap may have emptied my garden of house sparrows, but redwings - a winter visitor from Scandinavia which lives in fields and hedgerows - appeared frequently on my neighbour’s apple tree. Loughborough was besieged by fieldfare, another countryside-loving winter visitor. Clearly there is still much to learn about local movements of common species, for to tell the truth I do not know where all the sparrows went during that cold snap.

Age Concern INFO

St James Day Centre - Volunteer Drivers Needed
Volunteer drivers are needed to drive the minibus which transports elderly people to and from St James Day Centre. The job would only entail a few hours on any particular day, Mon to Thurs. For insurance regulations there is regrettably an age limit of 70 years. if interested in helping elderly people in this worthwhile way, please telephone St James Day Centre (0116 2677023) and have a talk to one of the managers.
Many Elderly People Failing to Claim Benefits
Age Concern estimates that older people are losing more than £1 billion a year because of not claiming benefits to which they are entitled. Many people fail to claim a benefit because they feel there is a stigma attached to relying on state help. Others have a fear of the paperwork involved, the filling in of forms, and this deters many from making an application. Many people do not know they are entitled to benefits, eg many elderly homeowners think they have no right to council tax benefit because they own their homes. It seems that the majority of unclaimed money is for Income Support, now also known as Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) which is rather confusing. Government figures estimate that at least 770,000 older people are failing to claim this benefit, so it seems important to supply further information about this particular benefit and a few other benefits.
Income Support or Minimum Income Guarantee
If you are already receiving Income Support you cannot get anything extra by applying for the Minimum Income Guarantee because it is the same thing.
Income Support is a benefit which help with weekly basic living expenses by topping up your income to a level set by the Government. You do not need to have paid National Insurance (NI) contributions to qualify but your income and any savings and capital over a certain level will be taken into account. Income Support is not taxable.
If you receive Income Support, you are also likely to qualify for Housing Benefit and for Council Tax Benefit, which are based on similar rules. Income Support can be paid to homeowners, tenants and people in other circumstances such as living with family or friends.
Attendance Allowance
This is a benefit for people aged 65 or over who need help with personal care, or need supervision, or need someone to watch over them because of physical or mental illness or disability. It does not depend on National Insurance (NI) contributions, is not affected by savings or income and will not normally affect or be affected by other benefits or pensions received. It is not taxable. There are two weekly rates: the higher rate is £56.25 and the lower rate is £37.65. You will receive the lower rate if you fulfil either the day or the night conditions. You will get the higher rate if you fulfil both day and night conditions.
You can receive the allowance if you live alone or with other people and regardless of whether or not you receive any help from someone else - what matters is that you need help with personal care, supervision or watching over, not whether you are actually getting help. You do not have to spend the allowance on paying for care: it is up to you how you use it. However, your local authority may take it into account when assessing whether, and how much, you need to pay for any care services you have.
Disability Living Allowance
This benefit replaced Attendance Allowance and Mobility Allowance for people who become ill or disabled and make a claim before the age of 65. It is for disabled people who:
need help with personal care, or need supervision, or need someone to watch over them, or
are unable to walk, have great difficulty in walking, or need someone with them when walking outdoors, or
need help with both of these.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) does not depend on NI contributions, is not affected by savings or income, and will not normally affect other benefits or pensions received. DLA is not taxable.
Full details of the benefits mentioned and other benefits for older people are in the Age Concern Factsheets which are in two folders at Birstall Library.
From Jex Woods

Boarding area extended

FACILITIES FOR skateboarders and BMX rides on the Meadow Lane playing fields are to be extended.
The Parish Council are providing four new pieces of equipment including a corner/ramp jump, a fun box and grind box, a square grind rail for BMX and a round grind rail for skateboarders. Extra tarmaccing will also be laid.
Around 15 young people have been involved in the planning of the equipment, providing designs and visiting the manufacturers.
The work is expected to start on May 13 and last two weeks.
A small children’s play area for Meadow Lane is now being planned.