County HQ at Birstall
THE NEW fire station planned for the Hallam
Fields site and reported in the December Post will be the new
headquarters for Leicestershire's Fire and Rescue Service.
Pic: the planned HQ of Leicestershire’s
Fire & Rescue Service
The facility will include:
o A Fire and Rescue Station designed to accommodate three emergency
appliances
o A community safety centre that will provide up to 40,000 children
with safety education every year
o A service headquarters building with 120 employees. It will
bring together a number of teams currently working out of different
buildings.
Free bus travel
THE CHARNWOOD Gold Card will be launched
in the Spring and will enable all those over 60 to travel free
on buses countywide.
Some disabled people will also qualify for the card, which is
being provided by Charnwood Borough Council.
As well as offering free bus travel county wide and to Nottingham
and Derby, it will also offer half fares before 9.30am and on
trains between Leicester, Nottingham and Derby.
The Gold Card is part funded by a Government subsidy. The Government
will meet the full cost of off-peak free travel by bus in April
2008.
Charnwood says more information about the scheme will be published
in the local media over the coming weeks and that pass holders
will be contacted directly by post.
Parish Council notes
A FULL meeting of Birstall Parish Council
was held on December 11.
PC Chris Falle reported that the number of burglaries had fallen
last month and that the Police were getting valuable information
from Birstall people that was helping them to detect crimes.
A police pursuit of a suspect vehicle resulted in an arrest for
burglaries committed in the area. PC Falle commented that burglars
from outside the county are targeting Birstall.
Local schools are suffering persistent vandalism and graffiti,
said PC Falle, but one arrest for graffiti has been made and
another will follow. Those arrested will be charged with criminal
damage. Police are photographing graffiti tags and working with
local schools to identify suspects but PC Falle said he was aware
that one person was travelling from Melton to write graffiti
in Birstall.
PC Falle reported that plain clothes officers were on the streets
this evening in Birstall in an operation to combat antisocial
behaviour.
He reported that arrests had been made following an affray involving
students on Wanlip Lane at lunchtime.
PC Falle said that in the last month, there were no recorded
drug offences in Birstall.
In reply to a question from a member of the public, Clerk Hugh
Knight reported that the County Council has been notified of
the problem of surface water collecting on School Lane and on
the Triangle roundabout after heavy rain and had agreed to do
something about it.
The Council received a report on bird life at Hallam Fields prepared
by Birstall's Heritage Warden and agreed to ask him to update
it next year.
The Clerk reported that Police Inspector Chris Alcott will be
moving from Syston Local Policing Unit and will be replaced by
Inspector Cathy Yallop, currently at Quorn LPU. The change will
be effective from January 1, 2007.
Thieves have stolen lead flashing from the Velux windows on the
School Lane toilet block. The Council have installed a new piece
of play equipment, a spider's web, on the School Lane playing
field.
Two fixed penalty fines have been issued to dog owners in Birstall
in the period September 29 to November 27.
The Council agreed its precept, or budget, for the year 2007/08
at £306,250, an increase of 2.98 per cent on the previous
year's figure of £297,400.
Students’ nativity scene
LONGSLADE STUDENTS created a nativity scene
for the Birstall Methodist Church Santa Festival in November.
11 students in the Princes Trust Year 10 XL Programme designed
and produced the model, working in small teams on different sections.
One of the students, Zoe Armstrong, took her family to see the
exhibition. "I've really enjoyed this project" she
said. Zoe was part of the team that designed the angel.
Karen Norris from Longslade said: "The students proved themselves
to be creative, enthusiastic and not easily defeated in achieving
their task, overcoming various problems along the way."
The characters from the nativity scene were on display in the
church over the Christmas period.
The project was one of three that the XL programme students are
working on for their bronze award. Students involved were: Zoë
Armstrong, Charlie Robinson, Donna Taberner, Genna Turner, Jade
Sharman, Ethan Ricketts, Jack Swift, Christian Wood, Damien Booth,
Ben Pickering, Paul Gilmore
Warning zone’s safety message
WARNING ZONE is the new children's safety
education centre, in Syston, serving schools in Leicestershire,
Leicester city and Rutland.
Unique in the East Midlands, it is operated by the High Sheriff's
Crimebeat and involves Year 6 pupils (aged 10 and 11) fin a
number of interactive scenarios that tackle issues such as railway
trespass, building sites, electricity, arson, alcohol misuse
and fire safety in the home.
Children from Mountsorrel School recently visited the centre
to learn safety lessons. Teacher Emily Kettle said: "It
has been very stimulating and very effective. This age 10 to11,
is the right age to catch children for them to learn this kind
of safety message."
The centre has been developed as a permanent venue to replace
the annual two week long Safety Squad and Junior Citizen events.
It has been set up with assistance from Leicestershire County
Council, Leicester City Council, Rutland County Council, Leicestershire
Constabulary and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, as well
as a variety of charitable trusts, organisations and businesses.
Pic: (top) Peter Cotgreave explains to children
from Mountsorrel School the dangers of a burnt out car and a
building site
Project manager of the Warning Zone, Sharon Binfield-Hill, said:
"Opening to schools for the first time is a major milestone
in what will be a continual development of the facilities at
Warning Zone.
"Schools can now book in their Year 6 classes to learn about
how to stay safe and what personal responsibility means, but
we are also looking to make the facilities available for other
groups who would benefit from visiting us."
Work to design and build the set-piece activities at the Centre
has been going on for the past 11 months. Another area of work
has been the recruitment and training of volunteers who act as
guides for the visiting children.
Alan Godber, Centre Co-ordinator said: "We have been fortunate
in attracting some great people as volunteers. They have a wide
range of backgrounds and experience but all want to help keep
young people from coming to harm or being drawn into activities
that may affect their own futures and cause upset and misery
for other people."
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George reaches century
THE OLDEST man in Birstall celebrated his
100th birthday dancing at Birstall Social club with his friends
and family.
Pic: George Higgs
George Higgs of Saltersgate Drive was seven years old when the
First World War started, 32 at the outbreak of World War II.
"I'm very surprised to have lived so long" he said.
"When you get to the century, you can't expect too much,
it sometimes feels like you're just hanging on, but I enjoy life
very much. I still enjoy a fancy lady and have an appreciation
of the opposite sex - not that it does me any good!"
George was born in Hampshire on January 1, 1907 at an army garisson
camp where his father, a career solder, had the rank of warrant
officer that entitled him to occupy married quarters.
"For some time I had the great advantage of attending army
school and all the many benefits there were" he said. "Sadly,
this was ended and the course of my life changed with the outbreak
of the Great War." Women and children were evacuated from
the camp to make room for the incoming reservists and volunteers
who responded to Lord Kitchener's appeal: Your King and Country
needs you.
"They came in their thousands to perish in the senseless
and bloody war that followed" said George. "It seems
an awful long time ago. It is a long time to remember everything
about those bloody years. In many ways there were great benefits,
ordinary people had grown more wise, more capable and were thinking
for themselves".
"People talk about the good old days, but there weren't
any good old days, only for certain people. When I was young,
everyone I knew was poor, and the class system kept everyone
at a certain level. People today are more fortunate than they've
ever been and they don't realise it."
George moved to Coventry after the war where he spent his teenage
years, then trained to become a mechanical engineer.
"I remember with great pleasure that almost every church,
chapel and club held tea dances costing a few pence and we danced
at almost every one. The excellent, very cheap, transport system
of tramcars took me everywhere I needed to go, that is until
motorbikes with pillion seats, or Flapper Brackets, became a
must. Yes, for some time it was motorbikes, plus fours and knee
boots and a Flanders Poppy scented Vaseline hairdo with a centre
parting!"
It was in Coventry that George met and married his wife Millie,
who died 13 years ago. During world War II, as an engineer George
was in a reserved occupation, making aeroplane propellers. The
newlywed couple lived in a town that was targeted by German bombing
raids that were trying to destroy the many factories supporting
the British war effort. "There was incessant, indiscriminate
bombing. We became battle hardened to the ominous sounds of the
messengers of death. It was terrifying and unforgettable"
said George. But we had plenty of fight left, there was no thought
of submitting, we meant to fight to the end if need be."
At the end of the war George's Son Bryan was born, now a Professor
of Computer Science living in New Hampshire, USA, and George
was living on the Green, Mountsorrel.
Fifty years ago he moved to Saltersgate Drive, Birstall. He said:
"When I came Birstall was great, it really was. Now it's
less desirable than it used to be. But I have everything I need
within walking distance, I do all my own cooking and shopping
and now have a little help around the home and a gardener."
George has enjoyed dancing all his life and can be found on the
dance floor twice a week, on Saturdays at Birstall Social Club
and on Wednesdays in Syston. He likes to read, is interested
in politics and likes to write essays, articles and poetry.
He takes no medication and has only been in hospital once, for
cataracts.
"Everyone seems to want to know how I've achieved this longevity.
The most important thing is to stay young, don't let anything
stress you, because stress will kill you. Value your friends
and they will value you. A wife and children are the point of
life, it's important you have somebody belonging to you."
He added: "What of the future? Fate will dictate how my
still interesting life will be and I intend that it remains full
of joy."
Christmas in Birstall
A PACKED audience enjoyed Highcliffe School's
Christmas concert.
Pic: The school choir singing Sheik,
Rattle and Roll
Pic: Year 5 children as Christmas
cards
Pic: Charlotte Platts as Beth,
the Star of Bethlehem and Winner of the Most Outstanding Contribution
to Christmas
240 children took part in the production 'The Stars come Out
for Christmas', a mock award ceremony where the Golden Cracker
was presented to the nominee who has made the most outstanding
contribution to Christmas. The performance began with the nativity
story told by the three wise men and the school choir.
Pic: Santa's elves
Pic: Headteacher Iain Munro with the cast
The show's musical director was Carolyn Necklen and the producer
was Jane Corcoran. Carolyn said: "Complete with red carpet
and cheering fans, and some fine acting from Year 6 children,
the whole show was a great success. The choir is particularly
strong this year and the children sang very well."
Pic: Hosts of the show Noel Knowles (Josh
Smalley), Carol Singer (Hannah West), (and top) Ollie Berry (Daniel
Middleton) and Chrissie Pressie (Upasana Topiwala)
Pic: Nativity angels
Headteacher Iain Munro said: "It was a fabulous show
that allowed the children to show all their talents. I am really
proud of them."
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