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Pic: In their new play area are Megan Lowe
(4) and Michael Rhodes (4) with playgroup leader Julie Parker
and Rod Findley, Chairman of the Leicester Co-op Leicester Area
Ctee.
Co-op’s gift to playgroup
TODDLERS ATTENDING the Rainbow Co-operative
Pre-school Playgroup on Birstall Road are set to get a brand
new outdoor play area thanks to a donation from Midlands Co-op.
The playgroup, which is located at the Co-op Sports and Social
Club on Birstall Road, applied to Midlands Co-op for a Making
a Difference Community grant and was awarded £3,000 towards
the development of the new play area.
Rainbow Playgroup has been providing a facility for local toddlers
since 1986 and is a registered charity run by a committee of
parents. The need for the play area follows a recent Ofsted inspection,
which identified that the playgroup lacked a suitable outdoor
environment for physical development.
Playgroup Leader, Julie Parker, said: "We are delighted
with the award and are looking forward to developing our new
play area. We have 20 children at each session and they are going
to have so much fun playing on the new equipment and working
off their boundless energy."
The Making a Difference Community Dividend forms part of Midlands
Co-op's ongoing commitment to return a percentage of its trading
profit to the community it serves. A specially selected committee
made up of board directors and Society employees decides which
groups or causes will benefit from the dividend and the results
are announced on a quarterly basis.
Cynthia Macrae, Head of Community & Co-operative Affairs
at Midland Co-op, added: "I'm sure that the play area is
going to bring hours of fun for the children and will enable
them to exercise in the fresh air. It's great to be able to support
a fellow co-operative and reward the effort put into the scheme
by the playgroup's committee."
Juniors picked
Pic: Junior cricketers, back row (l-r) George
Ager, Ben Drake, George Corbett, Yash Thakrar. Front row: Tom
Corbett, Andy Corbett, Noel Thakrar
TALENTED JUNIOR players at Birstall Village
Cricket club have been picked for the county.
Four boys have been picked to play for Leicestershire Under 9s
and Under 10s, and two have represented the District at Under
12 level.
Andy Corbett, Birstall Under 10 manager and North East District
Manager has been invited to attend the Outstanding Service to
Cricket Awards at Lords in October. The day will include a tour
of the ground, the media centre and museum.
Library tour
A GROUP of women from Birstall's Mothers'
Union were given a tour of Birstall library last month.
"They had a tour of the library, with a chance to join,
choose books, talking books, DVDs, videos and also obtain relevant
information on various courses and were given a cup of tea and
biscuits to end the session" said Library Development Worker
Darshna Naker.
Darshna and her colleague Bharti Acharya, both based at Birstall
library, are both committed to informing people about the various
services available within the library.
Darshna said: "It is important to build relationships with
organisations and hard to reach groups within the community and
inform them of what libraries have to offer."
Linda Poole and Christine Walters from the Mothers' Union thanked
the staff for an enjoyable visit. Darshna said: "It was
a most satisfying experience for us as staff and our guests who
felt they had entered a new world of books and other resources."
Any other groups in the area are welcome to arrange a visit to
the library by contacting Darshna Naker on 2673494.
Gender bending Burgers
Pic: Laura and Mike Burger as Nigel and Nor
IN HATS next production 'The Sleeping Beauty'
by Eric Fowler, the part of the traditional pantomime dame will
be played by Mike Burger, who many will know from his time as
manager of the Birstall branch of a certain well known bank.
Mike plays the part of Nurse Nora, the fussy and frivolous local
midwife and schoolteacher. Nora's son Nigel, a strapping lad,
will be played by Mike's lovely daughter Laura.
Both have appeared in several of HATS previous productions but
never quite in this way! It is an example of the many cases of
two or more members of the same family being active members of
HATS.
The production of The Sleeping Beauty will be performed on November
24, 25 & 26. Evening performances are at 7.15pm and there
will be an additional matinee on Saturday (26th) at 2.30pm. Doors
are open half an hour before curtain up. Tickets for the panto
are available now and you can reserve yours by phoning the box
office on 0116 2128757. Prices are £5 (£4 for concessions).
As usual there will be a reduction for group bookings.
Once again, we would love to see more people from Birstall and
the surrounding area coming to see our shows or actually joining
our happy band of thespians. We are particularly keen to find
more people with dressmaking skills. Pantomimes wouldn't be the
same without loads of lavish costumes, so if there are any of
you reading this who can sew a bit, we'd love you to get in touch
with us.
So, if you have a couple of hours or more to spare each week,
why not phone HATS Secretary on the above number or just turn
up at Greengate Hall on any Wednesday after 7pm.
Remember - remember November 24, 25 & 26!
From Rod Atkins
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New floor for gym
A LOCAL businessman was so impressed when
he visited Gunns' Gym on Birstall Road, he decided to donate
a new vinyl floor for the changing area.
John Attenborough of the Classic Carpet Company on Front Street
was invited to measure up the room and give a quote for the job
and dropped in on a girls' night at the gym.
Pic: Carl Gunns (right) presents a boxing
print to John Attenborough to thank him for the donation of a
new vinyl floor for the gym
He said: "Everyone was enjoying themselves, the atmosphere
was very good and I was very impressed. Carl is a volunteer,
he's giving his time, and I thought to help him out I wouldn't
charge for the job."
Carl Gunns said: "I think it's great what he's done, the
new floor is tremendous and had made a lot of difference to the
gym.
"Village shops and businesses have been very supportive
and I'd like to thank all those have who have helped me."
Fund raising concert
DID YOU know about the Tsunami Concert
at St James' Church on Saturday August 20? If you did, but didn't
go, read on!
As a fundraiser it was a success to the tune of £632 on
the night and many pledges for future donations.
The dictionary defines 'multicultural' as '...a society that
includes several different cultures'. The concert more than demonstrated
the definition.
This local fundraiser succeeded in introducing East to West and
points North to South. Many representatives from local churches,
Anglican and Methodist, showed that they were indeed together.
soloists abounded in plenty - violin, trumpet, guitar, piano,
and church organ presented music in varied forms, all pleasing
to the ear. Combinations of hand bells and 5-piece jazz were
well produced and received - popular music rubbing shoulders
with classical composers. Original folk songs and worship songs
were performed and received enthusiastically.
This particular project, part of the Tsunami recovery project
in South India is organised by the Rev Anand and needs to be
effective for a minimum of two years, raising £4,000 annually.
Many thanks must go to Chris White who initiated and organised
the event with inspiration and help from the Rev Anand. Thanks
also to all friends and colleagues taking part. A success it
most certainly was - getting cash directly to where it's needed.
Perhaps another in 2006? Who knows?
From Ken Leech
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Methodist church news
Cameroonian Visitors
One of the interesting developments that has occurred since the
arrival of Rev Edward Sakwe, who joined us from Cameroon a year
ago, is the number of Cameroonians who worship with us Sunday
by Sunday. Several from Leicester are now familiar faces in our
congregation, but when we had our world church Sunday (Cameroon
Style) there were about 30 Cameroonian friends who joined us.
Some had come from as far as Birmingham, Stafford and London.
The morning worship was followed by a Cameroonian meal.
Santa Special Plans
Plans are well in hand for the Santa Special Event on November
25 & 26. It is to be a major fundraising event, and we do
need everyone's support.
It is to be an adaptation of two very successful past events,
the Scarecrow Festival and the Christmas Tree Festival. This
time the Scarecrows will have a Santa theme (and that can include
Snowmen, Penguins, Reindeers and other related items). At the
same time there will be a Christmas market outside.
There is still time to enter your Santa Scarecrow into this festival.
Your scarecrow can be entered into the festival as an individual,
a group, or a local business. Contact Charles Hilton (0116 2207045)
for more details.
Fashion Show
Out ladies Thursday Group is presenting a Fashion Show on Thursday
October 13 at 8pm. Tickets are £5 and can be obtained from
Mrs Pat Hilton Tel: 2671364. The Fashion Show is presented by
Jennings of Syston.
Jailbreak at De Montfort Hall
This is being presented on October 28 and is a new musical by
Roger Jones. If you wish to join the party from Birstall then
contact Anna Lacey (2362692) by October 14. Tickets are £9
(£7 concessions).
Cemetery group
IMPROVEMENTS HAVE been made and more are
planned at Belgrave cemetery, thanks to the efforts of the Friends
of Belgrave Cemetery Group.
Working with Leicester City Council, new planters, litter bins
and three new seats have been provided at the cemetery next to
Red Hill island.
the group now has 35 members - the two latest are from Gloucester
and Monmouth who read about the group on the Birstall Post's
website.
A recent award of £150 from the Leicester Mercury Action
Trust has enabled the group to buy a strimmer, safety goggles,
ear defenders and books.
Chairperson Dorothy Marshall of Sandgate Avenue has heard a story
that the trunks of Canadian Redwoods in the cemetery were used
as punch bags by bare knuckle fighters early last century - can
any reader verify this?
NHW news
'TRICK'O'TREATING' can be traced back to
the early celebrations of All Souls Day in Britain about 2,000
years ago.
The poor would go begging and the housewives would give them
special treats called 'soulcakes'. This was called 'going a-souling'
and the 'soulers' would promise to say a prayer for the dead.
Over time the custom changed and the town's children became the
beggars. As they went from house to house they would be given
apples, buns and money. Failure to supply the treats would usually
result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house,
which their elders 'blamed' on the spirits being abroad that
night.
During the Pioneer days of the American West, the housewives
would give the children sweets to keep them from being tricked.
The children would shout "Trick of treat!"
Unfortunately, it is all to easy to skip from harmless 'decoration'
of neighbours' houses with shaving cream and toilet paper to
serious vandalism and assaults.
Halloween can be a fun time of the year, but it can also cause
anguish to many in our community. 'Trick or treat' has in some
cases become nothing more than an excuse for mindless vandalism
and criminal damage.
Perhaps it's time to follow the example of America, where a parent
or responsible adult usually accompanies the children. This not
only ensures their safety, but also the safety of their neighbours.
From Birstall & Wanlip Village Watch
Your Say...
May I express my sincere thanks through your columns, to all
the people of Birstall and surrounding district who contributed
to making my retirement such a joyous and happy time.
I was quite overwhelmed by the great generosity and kindness
shown to me by so any people.
The many gifts, cards, letters and messages of goodwill I received
meant a great deal to me and will be treasured as memories of
40 happy years at the shop.
Once again, many thanks to you all.
Robert Boulton
6.50pm, Sunday August 28 - whilst out walking my dog with
a friend on the footpath of the Meadow Lane sportsfield, adjacent
to Worcester Avenue, Birstall.
A very rude lady in a four-by-four type people carrier, came
along the pedestrian entrance to Worcester Avenue, nearly knocking
us over, the dogs also.
When we told her the entrance was through the gate further along
not the footpath, her language was foul, we are both in our sixties
and will not tolerate such bad language!
She told us "there had been a football tournament"
(which we already knew) and she was collecting stuff. Then out
came a mouthful of foul, abusive language, then over the sportsfield
she drove, to an awaiting crowd!
No disrespect to the footballers, but could something please
be done about the pedestrian entrance, maybe a bollard so vehicles
cannot get through.
Mrs Anita J Gamble
PS We walked later so as not to disturb the footballers!
Readers of the Birstall Post will be aware that Carl Gunns
and Peter West have been having a bit of a 'punch-up' in the
letters page recently.
But, like all good sportsmen, once it was over, they shook hands
and had a drink together.
Carl Gunns is more than happy to acknowledge the help and encouragement
he has received from the Parish Council and, as he made clear
in his letter last month, Peter West thinks Carl's work at his
gym is a credit to the village.
Peter West has also offered his services to make sure the gym
has an acceptable set of accounts for any future grant requests.
As Shakespeare said "All's well that ends well."
Carl Gunns, Peter West
Last January I wrote to the Birstall Post imploring the local
planning authority to refuse planning permission for 3G to erect
Mobile Masts outside Greengate Medical Centre.
Since then a considerable amount of controversy has been reported
in the Leicester Mercury regarding these masts, sited mainly
in Leicester suburbs.
I am somewhat confused, as in the September edition of the Post
it was reported that permission had been refused at the Medical
Centre site. Furthermore, in the same edition, an application
has been submitted for similar masts to be erected at the A46/A6
roundabout on Wanlip Hill.
Are these to be the same masts, antenna, transmission dishes?
Are these the same companies, Vodafone-3G UK Ltd? Where will
it stop? Who will stop it? Leicester City Council appears powerless,
is Charnwood Borough Council, therefore, more powerful?
The findings of Sir William Stewart, suggest the risk of brain
damage to young children is considerable, so, are the mobile
phone users in Birstall, apparently oblivious to their children's
health, more concerned about their mobile phones and the masts
that supply the technology!
Bill Hill
A big "THANK YOU" to all those who took part and
bought raffle tickets on Saturday 20th August, outside Barclays
Bank. £206 was raised to go towards the St James Garden
Fete on Bank Holiday Monday August 29.
Processing through the village led by the 1947 Squadron Air Cadets
who gave their time so freely, was just the backing and support
we needed to attract attention to our fundraising effort.
Many thanks also to the Parish Council and the workmen who made
such a good job of the cart we pulled through the village.
From Betty Howard (alias Naf Naf the clown)
NW News - September 2005 edition
Burglary is a very serious issue and having been the victim of
the crime on several occasions, I do not wish to make light of
the subject. But having read the first sentence, ('Lies, damn
lies and statistics') of the article one had to bring this to
your attention as a point of whimsy.
Indeed, may I suggest another quotation to take the lead in the
article - 'caveat actor', (let the doer beware).
We have two sentences that do not agree with each other, firstly
'In three out of 10 burglaries, thieves do not have to use force.'
and then 'Half the burglaries in 2001-02 involved some form of
property damage.'
The first indicates that force was used in 70% of the burglaries
and force, one assumes, would lead to damage. In the second only
50% of the burglaries incurred some form of property damage.
The question is what happens in the remaining 20% of the cases?
Do we have an influx of Gentlemanly Rafflesian type burglars
who would not dream of doing any damage? Or has the government
incentive to train everyone to at least a level two standard
finally begun to pay off and the thieves are more professional,
ergo less likely to cause damage.
Once again, please excuse my pedantic streak.
Terence R Johnson
I would like to thank through the Birstall Post, the kind
and generous companies who sponsored this year's Gala, namely
Midland Window Installations Ltd, John C Barber Shop and Friends
in Soggy Homes. The Gala would not survive without the support
of the sponsors and we would like to say a very big 'thank you'
to them.
Stuart Jones & Gala Committee
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Age Concern info
Abseil Nottingham University - Raise Money for Age Concern
on Sunday October 30, 2005
Due to the excellent support of the University of Nottingham,
Age Concern is able to give you this exceptional opportunity
to take part in an unusual fundraising event as well as having
the thrill of a lifetime. The Tower building at the University
will be the venue for an exciting sponsored abseil to raise much-needed
funds for Age Concern. The Tower stands an imposing 200 feet
high and provides fantastic views of the surrounding countryside
and the campus. You will be in the safe hands of our expert abseil
team 'Adventure Unlimited' who have many years of experience
in running these events.
Raise over £100 in sponsor money and send it in within
one month of the event and you will receive an Age Concern T
Shirt. Everyone taking part will receive a special Age Concern
medal.
Make a Difference
2.2 million pensioners live in poverty
30 older people commit suicide every week
3000 women and 2000 men aged 75 and over have neither central
heating or sole use of a bathroom
Each winter over the last five years, between 2l,000 and 50,000
people aged 65 and over have suffered avoidable winter deaths.
Age Concern is the UK's largest organisation working for and
with older people. Age Concern's work ranges from providing vital
local services to influencing public opinion and government.
Every day Age Concern is in touch with thousands of older people
- enabling them to make more of life. Age Concern has an information
line that is open 365 days a year providing advice and help to
older people and their relatives and friends. The information
is also available in the form of factsheets.
The entry fee for the abseiling event is £10 and forms
are available by contacting the Fundraising Events Team - tel
020 8765 7447 fax 020 8765 7293 or email - events@acc.org.uk;
www.ageconcern.org.uk or by phoning me at 0116 2674819
Carer's Allowance (CA) - (July 2005)
Carer's Allowance (CA) is a taxable benefit paid to people who
spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a severely disabled
person. It doesn't matter whether you live with the person you
care for or live somewhere else. To qualify for CA you must be
caring for someone who
o gets Attendance Allowance (AA) or
o Disability Living Allowance (DLA) care component paid at the
middle or highest rate, or
o Contact Attendance Allowance (of £49.60 or more) paid
with War Pensions or industrial disablement benefits.
You must also:
o normally live in Great Britain
o not be in full time education
o earn no more than £82 per week after deducting Income
Tax and National Insurance contributions, certain work related
expenses and half of any occupational pr private pension contributions.
If you need to pay for someone to look after the person you care
for or your children you may also get a deduction to help with
the cost.
The rates are:
o £45.70 per week for you
o £27.30 for a dependent adult
o plus extra amounts for dependent children
If your partner has certain benefits or earnings of more than
£27.30 (a partner's occupational and personal pension also
counts as earnings) this will not affect your CA but the adult
dependent addition will not be paid.
Before you make a claim for CA it is very important to check
whether the person you care for is getting an income-related
benefit such as Pension Credit or Income Support both of which
include an element of Severe Disability. Their benefit may be
reduced if you start to be paid CA. You may still be able to
get some help from Pension Credit or Income Support though, so
take advice before claiming.
For further information on related benefits see Age Concern Factsheet
18 : A brief Guide to Money Benefits, No.48 Pension Credit, No.17
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, No.34 Attendance Allowance
and Disability Living Allowance.
Factsheets are available from Age Concern's Information Line
on freephone 0800 00 99 66 or they can be read in Birstall Library.
How Ageist is Britain?
Age Concern England has published a 'taster' of the evidence
emerging from the first national survey of ageism, carried out
in partnership with the University of Kent in autumn 2004. This
overview will be followed later in the year by a more detailed
study describing the psychological processes causing ageism.
The report shows that age discrimination is reported by 29% of
people (more than any other type of discrimination). Around a
third of people believe age discrimination has worsened and will
continue to do so. A similar number associate people over 70
with being incompetent and incapable, indicating unfounded prejudice.
Older People and Human Rights
Help the Aged has published a review of how the Human Rights
Act is working with regard to older people. The review is described
as 'revealing how deep seated age discrimination casually deprives
the older generation of rights that the rest of us take for granted'.
The report focuses in particular on care services. It argues
that:
o services for older people are so tightly rationed that older
people may experience degrading treatment or have their life
put at risk because they do not qualify for help or because help
is delayed
o services for older people are frequently restricted to practical
help and do not attempt to meet emotional and psychological needs
in order to maintain the dignity and integrity of the individual.
o older people are denied access to some of the forms of financial
help that many younger disabled people get
o the right to respect for private and family life is frequently
overridden when older people are required to leave their homes
because residential care is the cheapest option.
o the closure of care homes denies older people the right to
private and family life and if mishandled, can result in premature
death, and
o most care for which local authorities are responsible is contracted
out to the independent sector and is not subject to the Human
Rights Act.
Two measures to safeguard the human rights of older people are
suggested:
o the forthcoming commission for Equality and Human Rights should
play a key role in ensuring that public authorities understand
and implement their obligations under the Human Rights Act, and
o independent local advice and advocacy should be available to
individuals seeking redress and the Commission should be able
to provide legal assistance to individuals and take action on
their behalf.
Rights at Risk : Older People and Human Rights by Tessa Harding
25pp. Price £5, ISBN: 1904528953. Available from Publications
Dept, Help the Aged.207-221 Pentonville Road, London N1 9UZ.
Tel: 020 7278 1946. Fax. 020 7278 1116. Email: publications@helptheaged.org.uk
From the Newspapers
Doctors Abandon Their Opposition to Euthanasia: doctors at the
annual British Medical Association meeting voted to abandon their
opposition to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. They
agreed that the legality of helping people to die was primarily
a matter for society and for Parliament. The Royal College of
Physicians recently made a similar decision. (Independent, July
1)
Grantastic : Six grandmothers aged between 65 and 70 share their
favourite beauty products and their top tips for ageing well.
Tips include going organic, playing games with children, drinking
plenty of water, learning to apply make-up well and not getting
obsessed with wrinkles! (Daily Mirror, July 28)
Jex Woods
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