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Pic: Charles Hilton as Santa with a sleigh
full of presents
Santa festival
A SANTA festival filled Birstall Methodist
Church with a host of festive figures.
Santas, snowmen and other characters created by individuals,
schools, groups and businesses were enjoyed by huundreds of visitors.
The Church also organised an outdoor Christmas market with homemade
food, decorations and a Santa's grotto.
Pic: Marcus Cox, Peter Tinley, Vickey Tinley,
Mandy Smith and Julie Tinley
Pic: (r) Sandra Jenkins and Mary Suffolk
Pic: (l-r) Gerald Morling, John Towson, Sue
Cousins, Joan Rumball, Pat White and Shirley Harrison
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Phone mast approved
A MOBILE phone mast will be erected outside
Greengate Medical Centre and there are fears it will lead to
"a forest of masts" on the site.
T Mobile's application to site an 11.7 metre (35 foot) mast disguised
as a telephone pole, and an equipment cabinet, has been approved
by Charnwood Borough Council. Planning authorities have very
few powers to decline applications for masts when they are less
than 15 metres.
Duncan Mann, the Practice Manager at Greengate Medical Centre
said: "It's frustrating and very disappointing. The law
has not been framed to protect the interests of the public who
have made their views clear - a 1000 name petition was collected
for the previous planning application.
This rides roughshod over the wishes of the local community.
Mr Mann said the Centre's principal objection was the potential
for the mast to interfere with diagnostic equipment. "If
we can demonstrate it does interfere, they will be required to
move it elsewhere" he said.
He added: "I fear that what this approval for T mobile has
done is open the door to other mobile phone operators to put
up a mast, they are obliged to use existing sites, and that will
mean four or five - a forest of masts".
Vodaphone have already circulated a pre application consultation
letter - they want to erect a mast 20 metres away near the bus
shelter, opposite Dolphin.
The mobile phone operators are saying that there is no alternative
to putting the mast at the Greengate Lane A6 junction.
Santa project
Pic: Rebecca James, Bekki Edens, Tom Wassell,
Harriet Stone, Charlotte Clarke, Tom Godleman, James Atkins,
James Green, Paul Coleman, Paul Newstead, Tommy Taylor, Lewis
Stanford and Laura Wood (not in picture) are Longslade's Prince's
Trust XL Team.
A SANTA figure stuck in a chimney was entered
into Birstall's Santa Festival by young people from Longslade
College.
Thirteen Year 10 students aged 14 and 15 created the figure -
they are part of the Princes Trust XL team and they spent three
weeks building it.
Rebecca James (14) said: "I've really enjoyed it, it was
fun and something interesting to do."
Longslade's Karen Norris, an XL advisor, said: "The aim
of the XL team is to provide a practical and a personal approach
to learning. The young people split into groups each doing a
different part - the chimney, the legs, the sack of presents.
they've learnt team skills and improved their confidence. They
have been stars and really taken responsibility for the team,
deciding their own rules."
The Santa Festival was held at the Methodist Church in November.
Blue Peter visits
A FAMILY from Birstall were featured on
Blue Peter last month.
The BBC programme sent a camera crew and presenter Konnie Huq
to the home of the Kotetcha family to see how a traditional Hindu
family celebrate Diwali, the festival of light.
Eleven year old Vishali, a pupil at Stonehill School, showed
Konnie how families paint their doorsteps with Rangoli, patterns
made from powder or rice, and took her to Belgrave road for the
celebrations.
New door opens
Pic: Mark Gregson
RUNNING HIS own business is a new challenge
for Birstall's Mark Gregson after 25 years in the shoe trade
working for British United Shoe Machinery Ltd.
Mark (42) has started Doortronic Ltd, supplying and installing
remote controlled garage door systems.
"I've done extensive research and have sourced a high quality,
reliable product at a competitive price, that I hope to supply
both to the public and the trade" said Mark.
He added: "What I say is, why get cold and damp this winter
when you can open your garage door from the warmth of your car
and drive straight in?"
Mark, a fully trained mechanical engineer, has lived in Birstall
for 10 years. He said: "I feel excited by this new challenge,
it's exciting to be running my own business. I hope to start
off locally but long term I plan to expand nationwide and beyond."
Contact Mark on 0116 2124870 or 07979071951
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