Items stolen
DONATED ITEMS left outside the LOROS shop
on Sibson Road are being stolen.
Store manager Emma Lowe said: "For a while we have had our
suspicions about the goods left in our porch being rifled through
before we could get them into the shop. This was proved when
a gentleman came in to say he had witnessed this happening."
She added: "I would like readers to be aware this is happening
so they can make an informed choice about how they donate their
goods. Ideally, they should bring them to the shop while we are
open.
"We are very grateful for all donations and sad that the
best items are sometimes taken away for someone other than LOROS
to benefit from."
WI's 88th birthday party
JUNE 5th was a celebratory evening for
Birstall & Wanlip WI.
It was their 88th birthday party and members were treated to
a buffet and entertainment following a short business meeting.
Mrs Doris Green was our delegate to the AGM at Cardiff and thanks
and good wishes were extended to her. The Resolutions had been
discussed at the May meeting with Mrs Jane Harris, County Chairman,
as the speaker and Mrs Green was given voting wishes for the
Institute. A group event at Groby on June 22 was mentioned and
names taken of members wanting to don their 'glad rags' and attend
an 'Ascot Evening' there.
The entertainment for the birthday party was provided by Laura
Gregory singing songs from the shows, accompanied by Cynthia
Coltman on the piano. Humorous verses and readings were given
by Gerald Morling in contrast to the music. All this was much
appreciated by their audience and it made more fun and enjoyment
as all three entertainers were local people!
The next meeting will be on July 3 which will take the form of
a coffee evening and chat at the home of Mary Marvin, hopefully
in the garden.
There will not be a meeting in August so the next meeting at
Highcliffe School will be on September 14 when Mrs Brenda Woodings
will be the guest speaker with a talk entitled 'To Be A Farmer's
Wife'.
Simone presents TV news
NINETEEN YEAR old Simone Swift of Firfield
Avenue reads the TV news every night to an audience of 250,000.
Simone saw off 280 others who auditioned for the job and presents
a 30 minute news and weather slot at 6pm Monday to Friday on
MATV Channel 6, a free-to-air terrestrial channel based in Leicester.
Pic: Simone Swift
Simone said: "It has been going really well, it can be hard
to read off autocue and it's horrible reading bad news but I'm
really enjoying it."
Simone, who has been singing and dancing since the age of two,
hopes the presenting experience will help her develop a career
in TV. She will be singing at Birstall Gala on Saturday July
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Methodist Church news
Service at the Birstall Summer Gala
As part of Churches Together in Birstall, there will be an open
air service at 10am on Sunday July 2 to which everyone is welcome.
There will be a small orchestra providing the music. There will
be no services at the Methodist church on July 2.
Boiler in Summer
On these warm summer days the last thing we think about is our
central heating boiler. However this summer the central heating
boiler at the Methodist Church is to be replaced. The Church
council finally agreed that we could not face another winter
with the existing 43 year old boiler!
Wine & Cheese in the Summer
Jon & Pat Towson invite friends and neighbours to their home
for a cheese and wine evening on Saturday July 22. You must book
in advance as there are limited numbers. Tickets price £5
phone 2675128.
Summer Treasure Trail
Sylvia Taylor is organising a Treasure Hunt (by car) on Saturday
August 5. The cost is £10 per car. Sylvia tells me there
are "staggering prizes". Meet at the Methodist church
at 2pm and 'eventually' return there for a cold buffet! Please
book by Thursday August 3 with Sylvia on 2671420. Both the wine
& cheese evening and the Treasure Trail are in aid of church
funds.
Mums, Babies & Toddlers
Our Friday afternoon mums and babies group has been running for
almost 40 years. Sadly it looks as though it may be closing dimply
due to the lack of a leader. The church is grateful to Claire
Alderson who has been running the group in recent times. They
have plenty of equipment for the children to play with. If you
can help then do contact Claire on 2671150. There is a Monday
group for toddlers which is still very active.
Beat Officer’s column
As hoped by most the summer to date has
been hot and sunny. Good news for the majority but unfortunately
it has brought a rise in recorded burglaries in the area.
There has been a marked increase over the past 30 days at premises
stretching throughout the village. Several arrests have been
made and charges have been brought against four people in direct
relation with the burglaries within the village.
Two persons have been charged who have visited the village and
are alleged to have used distraction techniques to enter a property.
As stated in previous articles these offences are both cowardly
and despicable. The offenders will act in pairs and specifically
target the elderly or vulnerable. One will distract the occupant
whilst the other enters the property and steals items. Whilst
the arrests are excellent news, there have been numerous others
stop checked by the police in the area. Please keep the police
up to date with suspicious activity and phone in anything that
appears to fit this modus operandi as a matter or urgency. One
such vehicle possibly involved in distractions was seen by the
neighbourhood watch secretary and thanks to their information
relayed direct to the police. The vehicle was stopped and the
occupiers thoroughly checked and advised. An excellent example
of how quick and accurate information can lead to positive results.
Unfortunately with the hot and humid weather it is all too tempting
to leave windows and doors open to freshen the house whilst residents
relax in the garden. Although I would like nothing more than
to say your houses will be fine left insecure whilst you are
in your garden, sadly, this is not the case.
Opportunists have already profited out of exactly this kind of
scenario on a couple of occasions and have waked into insecure
houses and made off with cash or property whilst the residents
were out the back.
Please keep all property secure at all times and make life a
lot harder for those who have no respect for you or your belongings.
There have also been a rise in theft from motor vehicles in the
past 30 days. The item of choice is currently Satellite Navigation
Systems. Enquiries are continuing in relation to several thefts
and I would particularly like to speak to a family who were on
Church Hill in Birstall at 1600 hrs on June 18, 2006. This family
reportedly witnessed a theft from a vehicle and can provide a
description of the suspect. Having ensured the owner was OK they
left the scene without leaving their details. If this you, please
get in touch with the police and provide us with potentially
very valuable information.
When you leave your vehicle please take that extra two seconds
to remove any property from view, it could end up saving you
money to replace stolen property or fixing smashed windows.
Finally PCSO 6611 Butler and myself would like to extend our
thanks to all the hard work of recent months by our partner agencies
and the community itself which has lead to positive outcomes.
Belgrave cemetery
VISITORS ENJOYED a guided walk of Belgrave
cemetery in June.
Led by Brenda Watts of Roman Road and a member of the Friends
of Belgrave Cemetery group, visitors learned about the history
of some of the people buried there.
Pic: Brenda Watts leading a guided tour of Belgrave cemetery.
Crafty kids
TWO LOCAL mums have started a unique new
Parent & Toddler Group on Monday mornings at the Birstall
Village Hall.
Craft Kids will open on July 17 and has been set up by Kerry
Cross, a qualified Nursery Nurse and Faye North, a childminder.
Kerry said: "The Group aims to provide a place where children
between one and four years old can go and have fun, be creative
and not leave their parents to clear up the mess afterwards!"
All activities will be based around the Early Learning Goals
and will include painting, playdough, model making and seasonal
topics. The Group Leaders plan to use their experience of childcare
to bring something new and affordable to the community.
Kerry added: "Mums and dads will enjoy the chance to meet
and chat with other local parents and may even discover their
own creative side!"
For more information, please call 2672162 or 2677636.
Newsagent jailed
A NEWSAGENT from Birstall who blew up his
shop in a bid to claim the insurance has been jailed.
Nasser Razzaq (27) of Barngate Close and his brother Tariq (30)
were sentenced to three years and 11 months in jail after admitting
arson and being reckless as to whether lives were in danger.
The pair doused his newsagents, in Station Road, Glenfield, with
petrol then shoved some lit material through the front door.
The shop was completely flattened by the explosion and the barbers
shop and the flat next door were gutted.
The court was told that Razzaq devised the plan after getting
into debt. He increased his insurance to £250,000 before
carrying out the arson attack.
The only person to be hurt in the attack was Tariq who sustained
serious foot and leg injuries when a metal shutter flew across
the road and hit him. He was arrested three months after the
incident on a plane about to leave for Pakistan.
Time for tennis
There is a real feelgood factor around
Birstall Watermead Tennis Club this summer.
A strong emphasis on social activities has increased enjoyment
both on and off the courts.
A strawberry lunch tournament on the eve of the Wimbledon Championships
got members in a suitably light-hearted, summery mood.
It was just the latest in a series of fun events which have included
a Beer and Skittles evening and a Fish and Chip Supper tournament
- the latter giving members a chance to 'batter' the opposition!
A group of real ale enthusiasts from the club let their hair
down at spring beer festivals held in Leicester and Syston and
the social atmosphere has gathered momentum.
In May, a rain-hit Open Day still managed to attract more than
a dozen new members, attracted by the impressive facilities the
club has to offer - the third court has recently been resurfaced
to a high standard.
Meanwhile on the playing side, things have also been looking
up, with most teams acquiring the winning habit during the early
stages of the summer leagues.
The annual club championship is being played over two weeks this
year, starting on Saturday, August 26 and culminating in Finals
Day on September 9. The tournament is open to every club member,
and will include men's and ladies' singles and doubles, mixed
doubles and a men's plate competition for all first-round match
losers.
The club is located on Birstall Road at the Co-op Sports and
Social Club
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Your Say...
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported
our coffee morning on Saturday June 17 at the Methodist Coffee
shop.
We made a grand total of £234.40 for Marie Curie Cancer
Care.
Gillian & Joan Bowler
The access/exit road is nearly finished. I am not impressed.
Later this summer, a second access/exit road is planned. If the
second road is the same, that would be disastrous.
The planners/developers have designs on a site which they name
'north of Birstall'. If there are any alternatives to North West
Wanlip then I would like to be given all the details. Some councillors
(not Birstall) think North West Wanlip is the ideal place. If
North West Wanlip is developed then the next area will be Central
Wanlip. Each time the developers will move the parish boundary.
Eventually Wanlip will be a small area west of the river Soar
and the boundary will be Wanlip Lane. Central Wanlip would either
be Wanlip or Birstall; it would not be part Birstall and part
Wanlip. This would create a bizarre situation if Central Wanlip
became part of Birstall, because it would make houses west of
Wanlip Lane, Birstall and the houses on the other side of the
road Wanlip.
All this development will bring more traffic through Birstall.
A Park & Ride site next to the A6/A46 junction is needed
now. How would it fit in with the access/exit road connections
and how much of the playing fields will be taken? A team of councillors/planners
did a one day dash to Dorchester (over 400 miles). If there were
two drivers per car that would be possible, but could they have
had a clear assessment of Poundbury in that short time. We do
not hear much about Poundbury at the moment. The same councillors
should take a bus to Birstall (Kinch or Arriva) and give their
assessment of the access/exit for Hallam Fields. Are the Highway
people of Leicestershire satisfied with the cross over design
of the access/exit plan?
Greater Leicestershire has gone. The original 4 Park & Ride
with Birstall at the centre is discarded. David Parsons tried
to tell me that this was not so, but there is not any cash coming
from Central Government. The equation has a vital part missing.
Why do the mobile phone people, who concede that mobile apparatus
interferes with sensitive equipment, insist on placing the powerful
40ft antennae outside the surgery? It should be placed on the
embankment at the A6/A46 junction. After all with all this development
it is the ideal place.
Les Briers
I would like to take this opportunity to thank local beat
bobby Jamie Hughes on successfully finding the culprit who covered
the cricket pavilion with graffiti only days after the working
party gave up their weekend to get the pavilion ready for the
new season. Jamie also organised for Leicestershire County council
graffiti cleaning department to come and clean the graffiti off.
Once again many thanks for all your support.
Andy Corbett
Birstall Village C.C.
I have been following, or trying to follow, recent correspondence,
but despite living here for over 28 years I haven't a clue about
balancing ponds or the Bentley Road Manoeuvre. Bayes Theorem
has completely defeated me. Should I know? Do I need to know?
Does anybody know? If so, can somebody please enlighten me?
Pat Dobson
It was pleasing to read in last month's Post that contributions
from Birstall people, collected at Somerfield by the Glenfield
ATC Squadron, had gone to a good cause, but could we take this
opportunity to remind Birstall people that it has its own squadron
based at Riverside Primary School.
The 1947 Birstall Squadron has been running for many years but
has struggled over the last few years with dwindling cadet numbers
and lack of a permanent Commanding Officer until recent months.
The Squadron has been kept running by a small group of Senior
Cadets and civilian leaders who have done a hard but good job.
The Birstall squadron, albeit small, continues to support our
community, collecting for the Royal British Legion Poppy appeal,
conservation at Beacon Hill and can be seen yearly at the Battle
of Britain remembrance parade. The cadets are a great group of
young people who through the ATC and RAF have the opportunity
to be involved in activities such as Duke of Edinburgh Awards
Scheme, shooting, flying lessons, regular camps, scholarships
and can even gain qualifications such as NVQs, besides learning
life skills, discipline, responsibility and comradeship.
As parents of a senior cadet who has worked through the ranks
over the last six years, we had the opportunity to attend their
annual presentation evening where various awards were presented.
The evening showed that Birstall has some fantastic, enthusiastic,
hardworking, considerate and great young people who Birstall
should be very proud of!
The squadron needs your support to stay 'alive and kicking'.
They would welcome any young person between the ages of 13 and
17 to go down and see them in action - you may just love it as
our son did! (Tuesday & Thursday evenings 7-9pm, 1947 Squadron
is based in the hut at the back of Riverside Primary School)
Lesley & John Meachem
In response to your request for information about wartime
Birstall, please find enclosed a photo of the Birstall Home Guard,
taken behind the building opposite the Social Club on Wanlip
Lane. The headquarters were in the large house called 'The Grange'
on Birstall Road, outside of which, we used to parade. We were
called the 'Mobile Reserve' and the reason for this was that
our 'mobility' consisted of our bikes, with two clips on the
cross-bar for our rifles. In the grounds of the Grange, we had
straw dummies set up for bayonet practice every Sunday morning
and we did fire-watching in the evenings, and this after, in
my case, doing a 12 hour shift in an engineering factory, making
parts for Wellington bombers.
On odd occasions, we went along the road almost into Wanlip,
across the fields for exercises, often in the river, and sometimes
at night. The comradeship and togetherness was unbelievable throughout
the platoon.
Some of the names escape me after all these years, but the ones
I remember are, on the front row of the photo and reading from
right to left are Bill Chater, with whom I also worked, Horace
Franks, Sgt Wright, Lt Bert Moore, Paddy Fells, unknown, and
Tom Smith, who was a butcher and lived on Johnson Road.
On the middle row (r-l) young Fells, unknown, Bill Simons, myself
and that's about all I can recall.
On occasions, we had a social evening in the club, and I remember
Lillian Dunckley gave us a concert.
Norman Sims
I read the request for nominations for Birstall Citizen of
the Year with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I feel that local volunteers are greatly undervalued.
I always believe that these are the people who should be honoured
nationally, with OBEs and MBEs, instead of the usual motley collection
of second-rate entertainers, overpaid sports stars and time-serving
civil servants.
However, I do feel that the selection of particular people can
be divisive and unfair. Who is to say that, for example, the
secretary of a local football club is more deserving that the
coach of the cricket club, or that the local scoutmaster is more
worthy than the Girls' Brigade captain?
I would also take issue with my friend, Stuart Jones, when he
says 'not professionals, doctors, teachers or councillors'.
I agree that, although they give excellent service, doctors and
teachers are paid for their work. But parish councillors are
not and should be included in these awards.
In particular, I would recall that, if we had had a Birstall
Citizen of the Year five years ago, one name would have stood
out - my predecessor as chairman of Birstall Parish Council,
Nigel Coleman, who gave up huge amounts of time for the village.
Another person who comes to mind would be the late Shirley Scott,
who was a parish councillor for many years, as well as giving
sterling service to several other village organisations.
Perhaps what I am saying is that there are very many people in
Birstall who deserve recognition - in our sports clubs, youth
organisations, church groups, social clubs and, yes, our parish
council.
They all deserve our thanks for their efforts.
Peter West.
Bowls club
FOUR LADIES from Birstall Bowling Club
progressed well in this year's County Fours competition.
Sue Wilson, Pam Ratcliffe, Margaret Freeman and Jan Everitt reached
the quarter final before losing to a rink from New Lount. Meanwhile
the men got to the area quarter final in the Nation Top Club
competition before being beaten by a strong Blaby team.
An entertaining evening was held in the middle of June when the
Birstall Badminton Club were the visitors to the bowling green.
Thankfully (for the bowlers) there wasn't any badminton played
but a game of bowls took place with teams of bowlers and badminton
players mixed together. A great time was had by all, and maybe
a return fixture will be on the cards in the not too distant
future. I can feel my knees hurting already!
There was sad news recently when two long serving members passed
away. Barbara Harrington was former trustee of the club and was
President of the Ladies in 1990. Walter Kidger was the Men's
President in 1988 and Parks President in 1992. He was a life
member and is the only man to win the men's club singles championship
three years in succession. Both will be sadly missed.
Although the season is now halfway through there is still an
opportunity to join Birstall Bowling Club. For information about
the club, men can call Grahame on 2677994 or Andy on 2677100,
while ladies can contact Jan on 2122578 or Diane on 2675457.
You can also visit the Birstall Bowling Club website, the address
is: http://beehive.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/birstallbowlingclub
or go to Google and search for 'Birstall Bowling Club'.
From Andy Wye
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Age Concern info
Heyday
At the end of May this year Age Concern launched the biggest
operation every undertaken by a UK charity: an individual membership
scheme called Heyday. This new development will help Age Concern
in fulfilling its mission to improve the lives of all older people
living in the UK by becoming the membership body for people over
the age of 50 years. For the first time in history there are
now 20 million people in the UK over 50 and more people aged
over 60 than there are under 16. This population trend means
that in ten years' time almost half the adult population will
be over 50. Therefore this generation is a growing economic and
political force with its members living longer, healthier lives.
To cope with this growing longevity, individuals need to plan
for changes in their financial, social and recreational lives,
making key decisions that will impart on their quality of life
in later years. The State will not be able to fully support the
growing ageing population in the same ways as it has since the
Second World War. No government will be able to ignore this key
generation as it is the age group most likely to turn out at
elections to vote.
Age Concern is starting the Heyday project with a major national
listening survey - called 'Have Your Say' - of people aged 50
and over to see how they view modern retirement. Over 10 million
questionnaires are due to be distributed to the target audience
and Age Concern will publish the findings which will inform the
development and growth of Heyday. It will also ensure that members
will have an influential voice that can be heard by Government
and other key decision-makers.
The name Heyday was chosen because it's a name that reflects
being in one's prime and enjoying the best of times and recognising
that Heyday members can anticipate that some of the best moments
in their lives are yet to come. Age Concern has tested and consulted
across the UK with quantitative research and focus groups and
have had an extremely positive response to both the name and
the proposals. For £20 annual membership, Heyday aims to
provide - under one roof - guiding information and services necessary
for the over 50s to prepare for or to improve their retirement.
Heyday members will be offered deals and discounts, a wide range
of products and services and the opportunity to take part in
social events.
More details of Heyday and how to join will be given in The Birstall
Post in the following months.
Independent Living Fund : Review
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced a review of
the Independent Living Funds (ILFs). A consultant will be engaged
to conduct a strategic review and carry out an informal public
consultation in order to make recommendations about the future
of the funds. The review will be carried out in the context of
'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People' and the Government's
White Paper 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say'. In a letter to voluntary
organisations and other stakeholders, the terms of reference
for the review are :
o Should the ILFs continue to exist?
o If they should, any required changes to the groups funded,
policies, processes, funding levels and relationships of the
ILFs should be identified, as well as ways in which their services
can be improved.
o If they should not continue to exist, what might best replace
them?
It is expected that the results of the review will be announced
in December 2006.
(Dept for work and Pensions Press Release DRCO22, May 3, 2006)
Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
The Department of Health has announced that the National Bowel
Cancer Screening Programme will be rolled out nationally over
the next three years and be completed by December 2009. There
will be 90 to 100 local screening centres : the first one is
in Wolverhampton.
More information about the screening programme can be found on
the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening website at www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/bowel/index/html
(Dept of Health Statement, April 19, 2006)
Healthy Lifestyles Initiative: Small Change, Big Difference
The government has launched a new initiative - called Small Change,
Big Difference - which aims to encourage people to make small,
easily achievable changes to their lifestyles to improve their
future health and well-being. It suggests that small changes
such as getting off the bus a stop earlier, walking up the stairs
instead of taking the lift, or eating an extra portion of fruit
or vegetables a day could add years to a person's life.
This initiative is supported by new research by Professor Kay-Tee
Khaw of Cambridge University who has investigated the lifespans
of various people to find out why some of us live longer, healthier
lives. Her studies so far have looked at over 22,000 people aged
from 45-79. Her work shows that no matter where in life a person
decides to start making small lifestyle changes, they can improve
their chances of living a longer, healthier life. While eating
the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day could
give you the life expectancy of someone three to four years younger,
even one additional serving could increase your chances of staying
alive longer. Even very moderate amounts of physical activity
at work and during leisure time can add up to three years. These
changes not only increase lifespan but are also related to better
well-being. For example, one of the keys to living a longer,
healthier life is having a good pair of lungs. Both eating fruit
and vegetables, and modest physical activity such as regular
stair climbing, are associated with better lung function.
Information about the initiative, its background, and practical
information about what type of small changes count can be found
on the internet at www.dh.gov/uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/Modernisation/Choosing
Health/SmallChangeBigDifference/fs/en
St James Day Centre, Birstall - Organiser Required on Thursdays
An Organiser is required to run the St James Day Centre for older
people on Thursdays (8 hours per week). The person appointed
will be responsible for providing care and support, organising
a programme of activities and supporting staff and voluntary
helpers.
For further details contact Personnel (tel:0116 2992271) at the
Age Concern Leicestershire and Rutland, quoting Ref.No.573. Closing
date for applications is July 12, 2006
Jex Woods
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