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Birstall Post August 2006 (277) continued

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Making French fun

Pic: Teacher Mrs Chris Gray with pupils Megan Rose, Rosie Rushin, Callum Wilson, Hannah Wright, Joseph Cobb, Rian Payne, Amber Atkins, Anish Patel and Brintha Sivarajah

BIRSTALL'S PRIMARY schools are ahead of the game when it comes to teaching foreign languages.
Since September 2005, French has been taught at Riverside and Highcliffe schools in anticipation of the government's deadline of 2010 when all primary schools will have to offer a foreign language.
Mrs Chris Gary, a teacher at Stonehill for the last 10 years, is the newly appointed primary French Project Co-ordinator. She said: "It's all part of the National Language strategy, for every child aged 7-11. It's been a great success, the children have been very positive and their eagerness to learn and their ability to remember things has surprised me."
Chris uses songs, stories, puppets and craft activities to introduce French. "It's not about learning great chunks of vocabulary and repeating it, but using French throughout the day in a fun way."
Pupil Megan Rose (11) said: "We've been learning animals and different phrases. The lessons are fun, the songs are good and it's different. I think there are too many puppets though, way too many. Mrs Gray is a fun, cool teacher."
Rosie Rushin (11) said: "We've been learning how to pronounce the different countries, numbers and singing songs and it's really exciting and fun as each time we do a different thing."

Corbett’s cricket corner

TWO SENIOR Birstall cricketers, batsman Andy Galpin and bowler Andy Corbett, have played for the Leicestershire senior league team and were presented with their representative caps after the match.
Birstall's senior league side is doing very well at the moment and with only seven games to go they are top of the league. The second XI are finding life in Division 1 a bit of a struggle, because they are playing other clubs' first teams.

Pic: back row (l-r) Conner Smith, Chris Klein, Taylor Pearce, Craig Chapman, Ryan Stafford, Jonathan Gaydon, Pete Taylor
Front row (l-r) Michael Sexton, Rhys Chivers, Tamir Mann-Kler, Liam Kinch, Arron Headley, Jamie Drake, Pradip Sood

Pic: Andy Corbett & Andy Galpin with their Leicestershire caps

Longslade Upper School got to the final of the Leicestershire Schools County Cup Under 15s. Longslade batted first and made 159 for 7, Craig Chapman 40 and Liam Kinch 28. In reply John Cleveland college got 160 for 2 with an over to spare. Longslade played well but could not get the opposition out on a good batting wicket at Syston.
Riverside Primary School were also in action at the Queniborough Cricket Festival along with seven other local primary schools. The winners were Wymeswold who beat Syston St Peter's and St Paul's in the final, but everyone had a great day out.
Training on a Monday evening had been postponed until further notice as I am having trouble getting a coach to help training. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience which has been caused. Head Coach Rob Drake is looking at arranging some nets at Mountsorrel Leisure Centre.
From Andy Corbett

Fun with kids

A NEW online guide created by local mums lists everything happening locally for children and families this summer.
Netmums is a Charnwood website for parents, grandparents and childminders that aims to help you make the most of summer with your children.
Jacqui Booth from Netmums said: "As mums ourselves, we know how long the school summer holidays can seem and we really want to put the fun back in and help families make the most of this time together.
"Our guide is completely packed full of ideas of places to go and things to do, as well as a list of play schemes and events taking place in the local area. We've also included lots of ideas for playing at home and where to find available childcare."
Find the guide at www.netmums.com/summer.

Tea & cakes at party

Pic: serving tea and cakes (l-r) Margaret Pritchard, Isabel Hopwood (9) and Ros Marriott

A GARDEN party at the home of Ros Marriott at her Acorn Close home has raised £150 for LOROS.
"I'd like to thank all those who came and all the kind people who baked cakes for me" said Ros.

Your Say...

On the morning of Wednesday June 28 I went to the Alliance & Leicester Bank in Sibson Road.
There were myself and a lady who was pushing a pushchair but neither of us were able to use the pavement because of two cars parked on the path, a white van and a 4 by 4 were side by side.
Both of us struggled to get by, both cars were there for a long time.
Something should be done about illegal parking in Birstall. Not a policeman in sight.
Mrs Ann Abell

Why isn't the Access/Exit for Hallam Field finished? What are they waiting for? Is there a problem? A second similar Access/Exit would be a disaster. More development will bring more traffic through Birstall. How would a Park & Ride connect with the A6 road? The developers have transferred the South-East of the A6/A46 junction from Wanlip to Birstall. This is where the Park & Ride should be situated; otherwise the Park & Ride will take some of the school playing field. If more parts of Wanlip are transferred to Birstall, then Wanlip will become a small parish, west of the River Soar. Why can't the people decide the parish boundaries? If North-West Wanlip is developed then Central Wanlip will be developed. The Thurmaston councillor thinks that North-West Wanlip is the ideal place for development.
Mobile Phones
We have no problems using mobile phones from Scotland to Birstall for conversation. The only reason I believe is that the Mobile Phone people wish to include cameras, TV and downloading. Why erect powerful antennae next to a Medical Centre? Why risk interference to medical apparatus? The ideal place is the junction of the A6/A46, with less powerful antennae lower down the A6. This would cost more, but there would be less interference with medical and dental apparatus.
Bentley Road Manoeuvre
With increased traffic from the development more drivers will try the Bentley Road manoeuvre. When the queue from the north of the pedestrian crossing gets longer the driver will pull out before the pedestrian crossing, drive down the footpath and could collide with people who are crossing with the green man. I have seen this happen at school time. Luckily there was not a collision.
Les Briers

I would like to thank Birstall Council for the very nice hanging baskets that are placed around the village and the way they are looked after. Let's hope this tradition will be able to continue for many years.
Mrs M A Briers

I would like to say how much Alex Kome, Edward Sakwe and myself enjoyed the classic car show at this year's gala and a big thankyou to Andrew Burford who took us and my two sons on a short ride in his Cadiccal Skyliner down Loughborough Road.
Andy Corbett

Recently won items at local events the most recent being a bottle of white wine at the Birstall Fair July 2, 2006. It went out of date in 2001. Could people be made aware that even donations for raffles/tombola should be in date.
Mrs M Elwell

I would like to thank all my friends and family for the wonderful party that they organised for me for my birthday and for passing my degree I had a super night.Big thank you to my family for all the help and support that they gave me during my degree. I am sure I could not have done it without your help. Also a big thank you to my husband for my new car.
Delice Fowler

May I congratulate and thank the wonderful Hathern Town Band, it's very talented vocalist and versatile specialist instrumentalists for a lovely evening's entertainment on Sunday July 2.
I would also like to apologise to all of them for the conduct of many of the audience. It is three years since I last attended a similar concert and how it has changed. It is now more or less a huge picnic. It seems to have superseded the music and the number of chicken legs and wine bottles one can produce seems to be something of a status symbol.
I have no objection at all to people wining and dining alfresco but to continue with loud conversation, laughter and mobile phone calls whilst the band were playing and even when the soloist singer was performing was well out of order. Would they do this at a De Montfort Hall concert? I will not be going o another concert on the playing fields.
J B Hill

Krusty's and Paul would like to thank all their customers for their help in raising £805 on the 15 mile sponsored walk, in aid of the Leicester and Leicestershire combined children's charities which was held in April.
Krusty's, Sibson Road

I was walking to the shops after taking my children to school when I saw a rabbit/guinea pig run in someone's front garden with a sign saying FREE taped to it.
I would just like to say a big THANK YOU not only to the person who let me have the run for free but also to my friend Jo who tried to fit it into her car (going out of her way for me after a busy day) and the couple who helped Jo bring the run to my house in their van (it wouldn't fit in Jo's).
One of my guinea pigs had a litter of four that morning so it was perfect timing - mother and babies are doing fine in their new roomy house and run.
Claire Locke

I recently completed the Ribbon Walk in Oxford for Breast Cancer Care.
To raise funds, a friend Margaret Walden kindly opened her house on Friday June 23 to 50 or so women, to a ladies only cheese and wine party. The evening was a great success with raffles and games and much drinking of wine and eating of cheese!. The event was kindly supported by local businesses donating raffle prizes, so a very big thankyou to them. Also thankyou to Ruth Bates for making a fantastic cake. Lastly thankyou to all friends for supporting this very worthwhile cause. We raised a staggering £492 so THANK YOU EVERYONE.
Jeannie Lyon

I note from your letter column that one of your regular correspondents is still convinced that to deal with the traffic on Loughborough Road "Two roundabouts with traffic lights are needed now." (June 2006). He does not seem to have taken up my invitation to justify the waste of land involved in creating a roundabout. Further, he asks us to consider "Have the planners considered the dangerous Bentley Road?"
On the matter of Bentley Road, he may be interested to learn that there have been three accidents there in the past six years, and that in only one case was serious injury sustained. It seems that to avoid any repetition of these events, those of us who live near this junction must endure lines of stationary cars and lorries puffing out carcinogens. He can hardly expect our unqualified support.
I would make two points: North Sea oil is limited; we are now seeing the end of North Sea gas. No doubt had we not squandered the latter we may have lasted a few more years - and we are squandering the former. When the oil runs out we - a decaying industrial power - will have to compete with America, India and China, not to mention the rest of Europe. Guess who will lose out. Yet your correspondent considers that the only safe car is an immobile one, with the engine running. Does this make sense?
Secondly, consider the car: forgetting the stereos, the automatic screen washers, the in-car telephones and all the other add-ons - we are still driving model-T Fords, albeit somewhat souped up. The speed, braking, steering, and the look-out are all down to the driver all the time. The car can be started using a conventional key, which conveys no information about the legality of its use regarding whether the driver is licensed or insured to drive the vehicle . He must control everything, except the gears on certain models - there is no 'George' system he can switch on which could control his speed whilst he attends to other matters.
In these days of computers the size of mobile telephones, of swipe cards with personal ID built in, of radio signalling, and so on, why do we still use these primitive machines and have to go to the expense of speed cameras, CCTV, land wastage (as advocated by your correspondent) and so on? How soon will the oil be cut off, and cars become useless?
Dr D A C McNeil

Village Watch news

MOST OF you will have seen the report in the Leicester Mercury of the re-arrest of the person convicted a few years ago of running a brothel in Birstall. Hopefully that person will now serve the full prison sentence meted out in her absence after she 'did a runner'.
The reason I am mentioning this matter is that it was a first class example of how effective a small Neighbourhood Watch group can be. In Birstall and Wanlip we have approximately 150 small Watch groups with a co-ordinator contact. These groups develop into little communities of their own where neighbours and friends regularly 'pass the time of day' with each other. Any unusual activity in the area is soon remarked upon, and with the organisation we have with the Watch in Birstall, information can easily be passed on to the right people. This particular incident was a spectacular and high profile success for those involved at the time. There have been many other similar successes which for varying reasons have not been given the same level of publicity but have contributed even more the 'feel good factor' of living in Birstall and Wanlip.
We on the Watch committee work hard to improve life in the two villages, but the strength of the Village Watch is and always will be the many small groups that make up the whole.
Neighbourhood Watch really does work. If you or your friends and neighbours are not part of it, then whey not give us a call on 2676397.
Allan Kinton
Birstall and Wanlip Village Watch

Creativity on show

AROUND 60 adult students on Longslade's Creative Embroidery Course exhibited their work at the college in July.

Pic: Anne Crosby with the Archbishop of Canterbury who is wearing garments designed by Anne

Pic: tutor Cherrilyn Tyler and (below) some of the artwork on display

The students, whose ages range from 30-80, come from across the county to attend the course which has a national reputation for its quality.
It has been led by tutor Cherrilyn Tyler for the last 16 years. She said: "I teach them techniques but it's design that is really the most important element. Students need to be in a comfortable situation to take the uncomfortable step of being creative."
She added: "They've all worked very hard, been supportive of each other and the standard of the work is exceptionally high."
One of Cherrilyn's students Anne Crosby was commissioned to design and create a set of vestments for the 80th birthday celebration for the Diocese of Leicester, held in Abbey Park and attended by thousands of people.
Anne (48) designed and produced banners for the stage, an altar frontal and garments for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who attended the event.
Anne said: "I was very pleased to be asked and seeing my work there was absolutely fabulous, I was delighted."

Live the Mr Porter lifetsyle

THE GREAT Central Railway, Leicestershire's award winning family attraction, is looking for station staff to help out at its Leicester terminus.
"Volunteering at Leicester North station can be a lot of fun" commented stationmaster Bruce Smith, "so much happens through the year, from the World War Two weekend to our enthusiast steam galas and Santa Specials that there is never a dull moment. If you can give one day every couple of months, or fancy coming every weekend, we've got something for you!"
Leicester North is the GCR's southern terminus on the edge of Birstall, situated at the top of The Sidings just off Red Hill Way. Every year more than l00,000 people visit the railway, many of them coming directly to Leicester North to take a journey northwards to Loughborough. The station has a new building, and is close to the site of the original 1899 station Belgrave and Birstall.
"We need help with all sorts of tasks" continued Bruce, "from gardening and painting through the serving tea and coffee and selling tickets. With trains arriving and departing every hour our friendly team has plenty of things to keep up with!".
If you'd like to give some time and enjoy the unique heritage atmosphere at the Great Central then please contact Bruce on 07712 660700 or Lynn Hill, our volunteer liaison officer on 07789 178387.

Age Concern info

Heyday
Following on from the description of the new Heyday project in the July edition of the Birstall Post, it is herby announced that Heyday was launched in Birstall at the end of July.
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. There are five strands of benefits brought together within Heyday which will reflect and expand the growing economic and political power of the age group:
o Goods and Services - Specific products and services specially tailored to meet members' needs obtained through Heyday's collective strength.
o Offers and Promotions - special offers and discounts from third parties such as retailers, travel and leisure companies.
o Information - Reliable information on subjects relevant to members' lives will be a vital commodity to assist them to make the important decisions affecting their future and their present.
o Social - The opportunity to tap into a social network of people with shared interests for fun, recreation, activities, holidays etc.
o Influential Voice - Opportunities to create a collective voice and representation on any issues, government policies and legislation affecting the lives of people as they head towards and embark on their retirement.
Members will access these benefits through the members' handbooks, the monthly Heyday magazine, the Heyday website and through a dedicated national network of around 100 local membership organisers. Anybody over the age of 18 can join Heyday though most of the products and services offered by Heyday are designed to appeal to the over 50s. Married couples or partners living together can join as a household which gives one of them free membership for a year.
Although Heyday wishes to recruit members, initially it is concentrating on getting those born in the 1940s and 1950s to Have Your Say by completing the yellow and red questionnaire and posting it to the Heyday centre by FREEPOST. The Have Your Say questionnaire and the membership application form will be issued together, so people can submit both forms at the same time but PLEASE complete and post the questionnaire even if you do not wish to become a member of Heyday at the moment.
In Birstall, from August 1 the forms will be available for people to pick up from the following locations:
Graham's Greengrocer, Kingsgate Avenue; General Store & News, Went Road; Leicester Mercury & Wanlip Lane News, Wanlip Lane; Cooking Made Simple, Sibson Road; Kitchen Gallery, Sibson Road; Birstall Shoe Repairs, Sibson Road; St James Day Centre, Birstall Road; 105 Greengate Lane

Index to Factsheets
NB: A total of three factsheets may be obtained free by phoning 0800 00 9966 or by writing to Age Concern FREEPOST (SWB 30375) Ashburton , Devon, TQ13 7ZZ. For people with hearing loss who have access to a textphone, calls can be made by Typetalk which relays conversations between text & voice via an operator.
Community Care
6. Finding help at home (Jul 05)
10. Local authority charging procedures for care homes* (Apr 05)
20. Continuing NHS Health Care, NHS funded registered nursing care and intermediate care (May 05)
24. Direct Payments from social services* (Mar 06)
29. Finding care home accommodation (Oct 05)
32. Disability and ageing: your rights to social services* (Oct 05)
37. Hospital discharge arrangements* (Sep 05)
38. Treatment of the former home as capital for people in care homes* (Apr 05)
39. Paying for care in a care home if you have a partner (Apr 05)
40. Transfer of assets and paying for care in a care home (May 05)
41. Local authority assessment for community care services* (Jun 05)
46. Paying for care and support at home* (May 05)
Consumer
3. Television licence concessions (Sep 05)
7. Making your will* (Aug 05)
14. Dealing with someone's estate* (Aug 05)
22. Legal arrangements for managing your finances* (Aug 05)
27. Planning for a funeral* (Oct 05)
33. Crime prevention for older people (Oct 05)
43. Getting legal advice* (Jun 05)
Health
6. Dental care (Jun 05)
23. Help with continence (Feb 06)
44. NHS services* (Apr 05)
45. Staying healthy in later life (Nov 05)
Housing
1. Help with heating* (Sep 05)
2. Buying retirement housing* (May 05)
8. Looking for rented housing* (May 05)
9. Noise and neighbour nuisance - what you can do* (Aug 05)
12. Raising income or capital from your home (Jun 05)
13. Older home owners: financial help with repairs and adaptations* (Jul 05)
35. Tenants' rights* (see below for Scottish versions) (Mar 05)
42. Disability equipment and how to get it* (Jul 05)
50. Housing options (May 05)
Income and benefits
15. Income Tax (May 05)
17. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Apr 06)
18. A brief guide to money benefits (Apr 06)
19. The State Pension (Apr 06)
21. The Council Tax (Apr 06)
34. Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance (Apr 06)
48. Pension Credit (Apr 06)
49. Help from the Social Fund (Apr 06)
Leisure, Learning and work
4. Your rights at work (Feb 06) NEW
11. Help with looking for work or starting your own business (Feb 06) NEW
26. Travel and transport (Sep 05)
30. Leisure and learning (Jul 05)
*indicates a Scottish version also exists
NB Scottish versions of Tenants' rights are:
35. Rights for council and housing association tenants* (Jun 05)
36. Private tenants' rights* (Jun 05)
At Birstall all these Age Concern Factsheets are available in two folders at Birstall Library and may be read there.
Jex Woods