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Birstall Post April 2004 (249)

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Pic: at the marker post unveiling are (l-r) County Cllr Peter Osborne, Mayor of Charnwood Jack Moore, landowner Charles Palmer Tomkinson, Andrew Robinson who made the post, Director of Jelsons Graham Jelley and Vice Chairman of Birstall Parish Council Stuart Jones

Birstall enlarged

THE PARISH boundary between Birstall and Wanlip has been moved and marker posts erected to define the change.
The boundary was changed after Wanlip Parish meeting decided it did not want the Hallam Fields development within the parish of Wanlip.
The new residents of Hallam Fields will be parishioners of Birstall, and Birstall Parish Council will be involved in managing the site’s community facilities.

Altering historic parish boundaries is a rare occurrence and the erection of the marker posts is the culmination of months of discussions between Charnwood Borough Council, Birstall Parish Council, Wanlip Parish Meeting and the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Wheelie decision

CHARNWOOD BOROUGH Council’s cabinet is standing by its decision to introduce wheelie bins for domestic refuse.
The proposals have generated fierce opposition both from the public and from many Borough Councillors.
Charnwood’s Head of Technical Services Peter Rook concedes that it would be possible to increase recycling rates to 37 per cent with no wheelies, keeping bags only and retaining a weekly collection. He said: “At some point in the next three years it’s likely that all councils will be asked to increase recycling returns again and when that happens, there won’t be options it will be wheeled bins or bust. If we commit to spend the extra £2 million [needed for a ‘without wheelies’ scheme] and then have to introduce wheeled bins anyway at a further cost of £1.5 million then we are looking at the best part of £5 million just to delay the inevitable.”
Councillor Jill Vincent, the Cabinet Lead Member for recycling, said: “I just hope that people will look at the facts. We have decided to introduce an unpopular scheme. Why? We are politicians and supposed to shy away from bad publicity. The fact is that if we fail to act decisively now we would be known as the administration that ducked the tough question, did the easy thing and let the next administration and the Borough tax payers carry the can. That’s simply not our style and not something that we can, in all conscience, do.”
Cllr Vincent confirmed that the Council stands behind its commitment to make the introduction of wheeled bins as professional and pain free as possible, by introducing the following measures:
There will be assessments and service alterations for people with mobility problems, including the elderly
A bag only service for people with no rear or side entrance
A specialist service for people living in flats and communal dwellings
All bins will be returned to the edge of properties after emptying
Special assistance for terraced streets
Cllr Vincent said: “These measures will ensure that those people with special requirements will be taken care of, that’s a promise.”

Dog digging holes

A DOG is digging holes up to a foot deep in School Lane playing fields causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.
Parish Council ground staff have seen the black Labrador type dog digging holes but have not identified the owner.
Parish Council Clerk Hugh Knight said: “We have a responsibility to the public to provide safe conditions in the playing fields and we want to keep our high quality pitches. We would like this dog owner to keep his dog under control.”

Parish Council notes

A FULL meeting of Birstall Parish Council was held on March 8.
It was reported that an elderly person had fallen on the steps outside Glenwood Interiors Ltd on Sibson Road. Charnwood Borough Council plans to install stainless steel railings on the steps.
It was reported that the County Council had proposed two schemes for improvements to the Sibson Road highway and southside pavement, and that more details would be available next month. A scheme may start later this year.
Inspector Chris Brown reported on the year’s crime figures. There had been 535 crimes reported in Birstall in the last 12 months, 147 of which were for criminal damage. The figure for 2003 was 499. Thurmaston had 598 crimes and Syston 620.
Inspector Brown said that he had organised an operation on the A6 to detect known criminals and motorists without tax and insurance. The operation used new technology that can read number plates and check them against the Police database in seconds. 93 motorists were stopped in one day, he said.
Inspector Brown was questioned on why Birstall did not have two beat officers and replied he did not have an officer available.
Councillors discussed proposals to combine Thurmaston and Birstall into a single division with two county councillors and agreed that Birstall residents should be consulted, requesting that The Birstall Post publish details (see particle on page XXX).
The Council agreed to donate £100 to Birstall and District Local History Society’s project to publish a village trail.
The Council agreed to object to a planning application for Goscote Hall on the grounds that it involved the removal of trees.
County Councillor Roger Wilson reported that the proposed traffic calming scheme for the Stonehill Avenue area was “dead”.

United’s under eights

Pic: back row (l-r) Toby Hay, Tommy Robertson, Rowan Kirkland, Ashley Jordan. Front row: Jake Wells, Sam Finlow, Owen Neale, George Griffiths, Jordan Scragg

BIRSTALL UNITED Juniors Football Club are developing an under 8s squad for the next season 2004/05.
A club spokesman said: “To start up a new junior football team can be expensive, luckily we have in place under the banner of Birstall United Juniors a well organised committee which ensures efficient management.
“We already have the support of Johns Barbers who has supplied a set of kit for the new under 8 team as well as for an older age team. We also would like to thank JCD Training and Development Consultants who have supported us in the investment of training and match day equipment.”
The squad train at Lakeside Meadows, Meadow Lane on Saturday mornings 10.30am-12noon and all children aged from 4 to 8 are always welcome. The spokesman added: “We aim to provide an enjoyable environment for the children to train and develop not just football but inter personal and social skills that will assist them in later life.”

Gunns gets gong

CARL GUNNS and the young people who train at his Birstall Road boxing gym were recognised at Leicestershire’s annual Crimebeat awards.
The Crimebeat awards recognise the achievements of young people and the positive difference they make to their communities.
Gunn’s Gym was the runner up in the Off the Street Award and Carl himself won the Thank You Award sponsored by the Everard Foundation, for training more than 100 boys and girls at the gym he founded.
The event was staged at the Stardust nightclub near Coalville in March, and Carl took 50 young people from the gym with him. He said: “It was a terrific night and we all really enjoyed ourselves. It felt tremendous just to be there and I know it’s an experience that none of the young people will ever forget.”
• FUNDS NEEDED to keep the gym going were given a boost when nine gym members, all pupils at Stonehill School, spent two days packing bags for customers at Marks & Spencer on Gallowtree Gate, Leicester.
The eight girls and one boy raised £606 which will go towards the gym’s insurance cover which costs £1500 a year.

School report

STONEHILL IS a “good school” with “very good features” according to Ofsted, who inspected the school in January 2004.
The Ofsted report says Stonehill High School: “Gives very good value for money. Standards are above average and achievement of pupils is good. The majority of pupils show good attitudes to school and the behaviour is satisfactory. Teaching and learning are good. There are effective procedures for the care of pupils and the leadership and management of the school are good.”
The report commented on the leadership of Headteacher Alan Baker: “[He] provides very good leadership to the school community. He has a high profile around the school, embodies the inclusive ethos and is highly regarded. He provides a strong sense of direction and has been the driving force behind the last inspection [in 1997]. He is well supported by a knowledgeable and experienced senior management team.”
The inspectors found that the quality of education at Stonehill is good. The report states: “Pupils achieve well overall, especially in English, mathematics and science...[and] very well in art and design. “The provision for pupils with special educational needs and for pupils in the speech and language centre is very good, says the report.
The report states that standards and achievements in citizenship are unsatisfactory. They are below average in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), but improving significantly.
The inspectors found that most pupils behave well but in some lessons a small minority present challenging behaviour and the teachers do not always deal with this consistently. There are good rewards and sanctions procedures in place to promote improved behaviour, the number of exclusions is falling steadily and a strong racial harmony exists within the school, says the report.
The report states that the school’s main weaknesses are:
Monitoring of teaching and learning and use of assessment in departments are inconsistent.
Procedures for the management of disruptive or oppressive behaviour are not consistently effective.
Competence of pupils in using ICT across many subjects is below national expectations.
The quality of accommodation in science is poor.
The report also states that the statutory duty of the governing body to ensure provision of a daily act of collective worship is not fulfilled.
Chairman of the Governors Mrs Eva Stott said: “On behalf of all the governors I would like to thank Mr Baker and all the teaching and support staff for all their work prior to and during the inspection and to congratulate them on such a successful report. My thanks also go to the pupils whose efforts and achievements were recognised in the report.”

Carl new VP

Pic Carl Crowe (back row, ctr) at a coaching session with junior members of Birstall Village Cricket Club

BIRSTALL VILLAGE Cricket Club are delighted to announce that the former Leicestershire cricketer Carl Crowe has agreed to be a Vice President of the club.
Junior Co-Ordinator Andy Corbett says: “Carl has been coaching the juniors at Longslade School for the last two years with his academy partner John Smith also a former Leicestershire player”.
Carl is captain of one of the top teams in local cricket Leicester Ivanhoe who last season won the Leicestershire County Cup, beating Loughborough Town in the final held at Grace Road where Leicestershire play. Birstall Village, having won the Leicestershire Senior league last year, have been invited to enter the County Cup for the first time in their history and by a strange twist of fate they have drawn the holders of the cup in the first round. They will play Carl Crowe’s Ivanoe on May 30.
Carl said: “Last year we won the cup and had a wonderful day and I hope we can hold on to the trophy. We know Birstall Village won their league and we will treat them with the respect that they deserve”. Andy Corbett concluded “The junior section is now full and unfortunately we are unable to take any more members on. We have already increased the under 10s kwik cricket to two teams.”

Our last 100 years

A NEW book on Birstall contains a wealth of information and anecdotes about life in the village in the twentieth century.
Birstall Village, A Brief History of Birstall 1900-1999 by John Kilby is the latest publication of Birstall & District Local History Society and is reviewed below by Rachel Goddard.
This book contains a unique selection of memories and anecdotes about the village of Birstall, recounted by John Kilby, chairman of Birstall & District Local History Society.
Surely John must be the best qualified person to record these events. Not only he but his grandfather, father, son and grandson have between them witnessed most of the happenings and characters mentioned in his book, encompassing life in Birstall during the twentieth century. Moreover, John’s family have an unbroken line of male descendants who have all been born or lived in Birstall since 1707.
I was fascinated to read about the buildings of Birstall which were important features of life in the village in the early years of the twentieth century. Today several of them are no longer in existence but a wonderful collection of photographs illustrate some of these buildings and also portray some of the interesting personalities and special events which are recorded in the text.
Glimpses of life during the First World War, including interesting letters written to John’s grandparents, connect Birstall with life in the trenches. Just over twenty years after the Great War ended Birstall, to a much lesser degree than other parts of the country, was again involved in war and many of the memories are vividly recorded by John himself. Evacuees, ration books, air raid shelters, wartime food, unexploded bombs and the dropping of land mines in Birstall all combine to reveal John’s own recollections of the second world war in Birstall, culminating in the victory celebrations, some of which are illustrated in the photographic collection.
Amusing anecdotes and recollections of the Lawn Cinema and early days of public transport are recalled including local bus services and the beginnings and demise of Birstall’s railway station which had enabled Birstall residents to travel quickly to Leicester, and to Rothley, Quorn and Woodhouse and Loughborough on the Great Central Line. This was reopened between Birstall and Rothley in 1988 by the Great Central Railway Trust, thus providing nostalgic rides on steam trains for recreation, giving pleasure to railway enthusiasts from all over the country.
The development of village businesses and shops, housing and school provision are recalled in a manner which bring back memories to many a Birstall resident. An interesting observation I noted was concerning the supply of school dinners. In 1961 approximately five hundred school dinners were served at Stonehill School. Sixty years earlier the 1901 census recorded the population of the whole village of Birstall as 611 persons! More recent recollections include the opening of Birstall’s present attractive library and Harrowgate Drive playing fields, and not least the formation of Birstall’s Local History Society.
A very special occasion which caused great excitement in Birstall was the visit of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1986. Many residents will recall their arrival in a red helicopter on the School Lane playing field. John’s last year of recollections records the centenary of the Great Central Railway line in Birstall. John has made this book even more accessible I feel by dividing the twentieth century into decades.
I have only mentioned a few of the topics in this delightful book which I am sure will be of immediate interest to Birstall residents, past and present, providing nostalgia for some and indeed a revelation to others. This attractively presented book must indeed be the bargain of the year. Priced at £4.
The book is being sold by: David Michael, Sibson Road; Dhillons, Rosetree Avenue; Graham’s, Kingsgate Avenue; The Post Office, Went Road; Birstall Parish Council Offices, Birstall Road; Birstall Library or by Inland Mail Order £5 Tel: 0116 2925824

Electoral boundary

PLANS TO combine Birstall and Thurmaston into a single division represented by two county councillors have been announced by the Boundary Committee for England.
The purpose of the proposals is to ensure that each county councillor in Leicestershire represents approximately the same number of electors. 9027 is the average number of electors per councillor at present, rising to 9340 in 2007.
Birstall is currently represented by two County Councillors: Roger Wilson (Birstall) and Peter Osborne (Rothley). Cllr Osborne’s Rothley division includes Birstall’s Greengate Lane Estate.
The Boundary Committee’s proposal is to combine Birstall and Thurmaston into a single division with two county councillors. A consequence of this is that Birstall may in the future be represented by two councillors who both live in Thurmaston.
At Birstall’s March Parish Council meeting, some Parish Councillors expressed concern at this situation, suggesting that it was important that county councillors represent the areas they know and live in. There was further comment that Birstall and Thurmaston were separate communities and have few links.
The Parish Council agreed that Birstall residents should have the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes which are currently undergoing consultation. Readers are invited to complete the section below and return it to Birstall Parish Council, The Village Hall, Birstall Road, Birstall before April 14.
I do/I do not agree with the proposal to combine Birstall and Thurmaston into a single division with two county councillors.
Reason:
Name & address

Act of bravery

BIRSTALL WAS home to Victoria Cross winner John Hannah, who was awarded the medal for his bravery during a night-time raid in a bomber over Antwerp in 1940.
Aged only 18, Hannah had joined the RAF in 1939 and on the night of September 15/16 was the wireless operator in a four man crew aboard a Hampden bomber. Their target was a concentration of German barges gathered in the port of Antwerp for a threatened invasion of Britain.

John Hannah VC

Shortly after dropping their bombs and flying through intensive flak, the aircraft was hit by a shell that pierced the wing petrol tanks and the rear fuselage exploded into flames. The slipstream effect fuelled the ferocity of the flames which quickly begun to melt the fuselage.

A Hampden bomber

Hannah’s first action was to inform the pilot, Connor, that the aircraft was on fire. The navigator, Hayhurst, crawled out of the aircraft’s nose to find Hannah and gunner, George James. There was no sign of James, he had baled out when the floor beneath him melted, but he saw Hannah who appeared to be literally alight from head to toe.
Hayhurst concluded that Hannah and James had ‘bought it’ and baled out of the aircraft quickly in order to give the pilot Connor time to get out too.
Despite having the opportunity to bale out, Hannah struggled to open a door to reach the fire extinguishers and used these to quell the fire. Surrounded by flames and fumes and with his uniform on fire, he emptied both extinguishers before using his log book and his hands to beat out the flames. Throughout, thousands of rounds of ammunition were exploding around him in all directions as spare ammunition pans detonated in the heat.
Ten minutes after the aircraft had first been hit, Connor heard Hannah’s voice through his earphones saying: “The fire is out sir”. The injured Hannah struggled to the pilot’s seat. His face was burned black, his eyes badly swollen, eyebrows singed off and both hands were severely burned. His flying suit was charred and tattered.
Hannah retrieved the navigator’s maps and helped the pilot navigate the bomber home, landing successfully at Scampton at 3am on September 16.
For his bravery, John Hannah was presented with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on October 10, 1940.
Hannah did not return to flying but took up instructional duties but in 1942 his health deteriorated, he contracted tuberculosis and was discharged from the RAF in December 1942 with a full disability pension.
Born in Scotland in 1921, John Hannah lived in Birstall after his discharge from the RAF with his wife Janet, who still lives in the village. They had three daughters. John Hannah died in 1947.
Hannah Parade is named after John and Birstall Parish Council are arranging for a plaque to be erected, to commemorate the bravery of John Hannah, the youngest airman ever to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Below is the official notice of the award, printed in the London Gazette.
The King has been graciously pleased to confer the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned airman in recognition of most conspicuous bravery: 652918 Sergeant John Hannah.
On the night of 15th September, 1940, Sergeant Hannah was the wireless operator/air gunner in an aircraft engaged in a successful attack on enemy barge concentrations at Antwerp. It was then subjected to intense anti-aircraft fire and received a direct hit from a projectile of an explosive and incendiary nature, which apparently burst inside the bomb compartment.
A fire started which quickly enveloped the wireless operator’s and rear gunner’s cockpits, and as both the port and starboard petrol tanks had been pierced, there was grave risk of the fire spreading. Sergeant Hannah forced his way through the fire to obtain two extinguishers and discovered that the rear gunner had had to leave the aircraft. He could have acted likewise, through the bottom escape hatch or forward through the navigator’s hatch, but remained and fought the fire for ten minutes with the extinguishers, beating the flames with his log book when these were empty.
During this time thousands of rounds of ammunition exploded in all directions and he was almost blinded by the intense heat and fumes, but had the presence of mind to obtain relief by turning on his oxygen supply. Air admitted through the large holes caused by the projectile made the bomb compartment an inferno and all the aluminium sheet metal on the floor of this airman’s cockpit melted away, leaving only the cross bearers.
Working under these conditions, which caused burns to his face and eyes, Sergeant Hannah succeeded in extinguishing the fire. He then crawled forward, ascertained that the navigator had left the aircraft, and passed the latter’s log and maps to the pilot.
This airman displayed courage, coolness and devotion to duty of the highest order and by his action in remaining and successfully extinguishing the fire under conditions of the greatest danger and difficulty, enabled the pilot to bring the aircraft to its base.