Christmas scene
DARTH VADAR from Star Wars made a special
appearance at Rothley's Christmas lights switch on event.
The glow from his light sabre added to the festive scene as the
hundreds of lights in Cross Green and Woodgate were switched
on by Percy Hartshorn, Chairman of Rothley Parish Council.
Light rain did not deter a large crowd who enjoyed drinks and
nibbles in the shops on Woodgate, stalls by several local groups
and the songs performed by the children of Rothley School, and
the Reverend Mark Chandler.
Pic (l-r): double gold Paralympic medallist
Tom Styles,
Mark Chandler and Percy Hartshorn
The event was organised by Rothley shopkeepers in conjunction
with Rothley Parish Council. Anne Harmer said: "It went
brilliantly, I think there were more people than ever and I'd
like to thank Rothley school for joining us. Events like this
help the local shops and bring the village together."
Kart racer in second
KART RACER George Line from Thurcaston
consolidated his position in the WTP British Cadet Championship
finishing 2nd in the sixth round at PF International Kart Circuit.
In a close race, George was only 0.04 seconds behind the winner,
Ben Barnicoat. This leaves George 2nd place in the British Championship,
eleven points behind Ben with two rounds to go.
Thirteen year old George is a pupil at The Martin High School,
Anstey and drives a Tony Kart sponsored by UK Gas Services of
Groby.
Icy road danger
AN ICY stretch of road between Cropston
and Swithland is an accident blackspot.
Residents say there were 20 accidents last winter on Leicester
Lane and on Friday December 12 there were four accidents within
an hour.
The County Council do not grit the road, described as being "like
an ice rink", as the road does not meet their criteria for
winter salting. There were no injury accidents recorded between
October 2007 and March 2008.
The County say a review of gritting routes will be carried out
at the end of winter.
Trouble outside pub
A DRUNKEN mob confronted Police outside
the Old Crown pub on North Street, Rothley.
The trouble started when the windscreen of a Police car parked
in North Street was smashed, and the vehicle was kicked. The
officer, who was investigating a burglary nearby, called for
back up. The two officers who attended were verbally abused and
threatened by a group of drinkers from the pub.
Further back up was called for and around 15 police officers
with dogs arrived to control the situation. The crowd was dispersed
and one person was arrested.
Local residents are concerned about the number of incidents at
the pub.
Police have been called to the Old Crown 17 times between the
start of 2008 and the date of this incident, November 7. One
resident said: "It's very intimidating, I don't feel safe
to walk along North Street on Friday and Saturday nights, we
frequently get glasses smashed and our doors banged, but we've
never had anything as bad as this before."
He added: "If they tidied it up and kept the idiot element
out I think the village would start to use the pub again."
A new landlady has taken over the pub since the incident: the
fourth in 18 months.
Malcolm Burton, the Licensing Manager at Charnwood Borough Council
confirmed that he had received a number of complaints about the
pub. He told the Rothley Post: "We expected the Police to
ask us to do something after this incident but after meeting
with them, they told us there was insufficient evidence to justify
a review of the licence. We have asked residents to keep a diary
of incidents and one of our enforcement officers has visited
the new landlady to remind her of the conditions of the licence
and to offer advice about how to comply with them."
Mr Burton said there had been a review of the licence in May
2008: one of the conditions imposed had been the fitting of a
noise limiting device. Also in May 19 local residents along with
local Beat Officer Steve Rhodes, Sgt Marcus Lee and the landlord
had met in the pub to discuss problems residents were having.
NHW news
THERE HAVE been several burglaries in recent
weeks mainly in Rothley but also in Cropston and Thurcaston.
Please try and secure your property the best you can. If you
are out try and make it look occupied with timer switches and
security lights. If you have an alarm and can set it downstairs
while you are in bed, use it as there have been a few burglaries
while people slept upstairs.
We constantly want to know what you believe policing priorities
in your area should be and every six months we set the next two
or three priorities.
Please contact me or PCSO Alex Foster and let us know your thoughts.
Contact me by voicemail by ringing 0116 222 2222 follow the instructions
and leave a message for 0544 or 6678. You can email stephenrhodes@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk
or write via the parish council office at the Rothley Centre.
From PC Steve Rhodes
Traffic calming schemes
TWO ROAD safety schemes are being planned
for Rothley by the County Council.
They want to erect three vehicle activated speed signs on Swithland
Lane, and reduce the existing 40mph limit to 30mph. The speed
limit reduction will also apply to Halstead Road, Mountsorrel.
The speed signs will be of the same type as those in Anstey.
The County say this scheme will cost around £20,000 and
work is expected to start in May or June 2009.
The second scheme involves constructing four speed cushions along
Hallfields Lane together with pavement widening and adjustments
to the road markings in the area around the junction of Hallfields
Lane with Anthony Street and Town Green Street, to improve visibility.
The estimated cost is £31,000 and work is expected to start
in Feb/Mar 2009.
Parish Council notes
A FULL meeting of Rothley Parish Council
was held on November 17.
PC Steve Rhodes reported that extra patrols had been arranged
to deal with antisocial behaviour on the Fowke Street playing
field. He said he had arranged a meeting with the landlord of
the Crown public house and Charnwood's licensing department following
an incident outside the pub on November 7.
A full meeting of Rothley Parish Council was held on December
15.
Borough Councillor Diane Wise reported that discussions between
Everards and Charnwood Borough Council about the Royal Oak car
park were still ongoing.
A sign directing motorists to parking spaces at the Rothley Centre
is being produced.
The County Council is to reconsider its plans for Howe Lane and
intends to consult residents again.
The Council decided to erect three cast iron bollards near the
entrance to the Fowke Street playing fields to prevent vehicles
driving onto the grass.
It was reported that a new youth shelter will be erected on the
Fowke Street playing field in the next two weeks. The existing
youth shelter will be moved to Town Green Street playing field.
It was agreed to increase the hire charges of the Rothley Centre
by 10 per cent from April 1, 2009 due to increased running costs.
Cllr Doug Sutherland was appointed as the Council's representative
on Rothley Museum Group.
A FULL meeting of Thurcaston & Cropston
Parish Council was held on October 20.
PC Steve Rhodes reported that in Cropston in August a house had
been broken into and two vehicles stolen. Tyres were slashed
on a van and four sheds and one garage were broken into. In September,
antiques were stolen, a rowing boat damaged, a carer assaulted
and tools taken from an outbuilding. In October, tyres on a van
had been slashed. In Thurcaston in August a fence had been broken
and in October a saw had been stolen and vegetables stolen from
the allotments.
PC Rhodes said he had visited the Richard Hill School to talk
to children and that a new area co-ordinator had been found for
Cropston's Neighbourhood Watch.
PC Rhodes commented on the complaints he has received about vehicles
failing to stop at the STOP sign at the junction of Causeway
Lane and Cropston Road. County Councillor David Snartt suggested
a petition be submitted to the County's Highway Forum.
Cllr Snartt reported that he will be presenting a petition requesting
a new footway along Anstey Lane between Thurcaston and Anstey
to the County Council.
New youth shelter
A HIGH-tech youth shelter has been erected
on the Fowke Street playing field.
The solid steel shelter has a roof and panels on three sides.
A solar panel powers lighting and a built in radio. The radio
is volume restricted, time restricted and tuned to a fixed number
of stations.
The £9700 was chosen by young people following a consultation.
They then submitted a bid for the money to the Government's Youth
Capital fund, supported by Leicestershire County Council's Youth
Service, the Rothley Youth Project and Rothley Parish Council.
Youth Development Worker Louise Himan said: "Young people
have worked really hard to make this happen, they've gained lots
of experience and skills along the way and I hope the shelter
will be of real benefit for the whole community."
Budgens' free bus
BUDGENS SUPERMARKET in Mountsorrel are
offering a new free bus service for shoppers.
The door to door service will initially run on Tuesdays only
but may be extended subject to demand.
Customers ring the store to arrange to be collected by the bus,
they then do their shopping before being returned to their home
with their shopping.
Store Manager Guy Coombs said: "Some people struggle to
get to the shops and we hope this service will help. We're a
small independent supermarket with a full range of goods where
customers can do their weekly shop. And while they're waiting
for the bus home they can have tea and cake in our new café!"
The 11 seater minibus can accommodate wheelchair users. The service
is available in Mountsorrel, Barrow, Rothley, Quorn and Birstall.
Contact Budgens on 01509 416694
Horticultural
THURCASTON & Cropston Horticultural
Society's November speaker was Ann Bird whose subject was Roses
in Japan.
Ann has been a member of the National Rose Society since 1974
and in July 2005 became the first lady president of the society.
The first time Ann visited Japan was to attend the Rose Convention,
held every three years. Members from all over the world attended.
The second time was in her capacity as a judge, a post she has
held since 1981. She visited rose gardens in Japan travelling
by trains, buses and taxis. In Osaka her base, there was no sign
of the dreaded 'black spot' which she attributed to the air pollution,
although the cities were extremely clean. We were shown slides
of the places Ann had visited including a picture of a six foot
'Iceberg' rose.
December 10 was the Christmas Social evening. David was in charge
of the quizzes, when friendly rivalry caused a lot of amusement.
Technology improves efficiency
A SENIOR policeman has described how new
technology has improved the efficiency of the area's police.
Chief Superintendent Daimon Tilley, Leicestershire's North Area
Commander, was speaking at a Police Consultative Meeting in November.
He said: "There have been a number of substantial technology
changes in policing on the North Area over the last 12 months
which have achieved a significant improvement in the way we do
our business and the service we provide to the public. These
include the full implementation of a vehicle satellite-tracking
based system which enables us to see at a glance where any of
our 70 police vehicles are at any one time. The system also ensures
that we make best use of our fleet to ensure that officers are
visiting key hotspots for crime and antisocial behaviour, and
also assist our control room with dispatching the nearest available
resource to any emerging incidents as they happen. The technology
has already proved useful in ensuring that we maximise our visibility
at key hotspot locations, as well as contributing to our environmental
work by significantly reducing the number of miles that we travel
when not attending incidents.
"Also on the technology front we have recently rolled-out
Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) in marked police vehicles and Balckberry
personal computing devices to our Beat Officers and PCSOs. The
MDT fitted to the marked police vehicles is effectively a desktop
computer configured to work in a mobile way. This gives officers
access to the full range of systems available within the police
station but allows them access to these systems whilst out on
patrol and in people's homes. Given that more and more administrative
work is computer based, this is significantly improving our visibility
in communities by ensuring that officers can complete computer
based tasks away from the station. Similarly the introduction
of Blackberry Bold personal computer terminals to our Beat Officers
and PCSOs has had a similar effect.
"As a result of the recent 'Flanagan Review into Policing'
the force became one of five forces piloting informal resolutions
to low level crime and disorder problems. This new freedom has
allowed us to re-inject some discretion back into policing and
to ensure that wherever possible restorative approaches are taken
to combating crime and disorder problems in our local communities.
This has proved particularly effective where we are able to accommodate
victims' wishes around receiving either an apology or reparation
rather than criminalising an offender for their first offence.
It is not a soft option and criminal behaviour can and is still
dealt with by means of formal prosecution proceedings however
this is not always appropriate in every case and the new Flanagan
type disposals are proving to be a valued tool in our armoury.
"Also this month we have begun to partake in a national
pilot where the bureaucracy around stopping people in the street
and asking them to account for their conduct or behaviour has
been significantly streamlined. Once again officers are making
full use of technology to capture and submit key essential information
in a much more streamlined way.
"Finally we are striving to improve our customer service
through the recent introduction of a scheduled response service.
Whereas in the past our response to incidents which were not
emergencies was very unpredictable, with officers being sent
when they were available, we are now able to diary a response
to a caller to ensure that a Police Officer can attend at the
caller's own convenience. It is early days in the implementation
of this scheme, however we are confident that this will significantly
improve the quality of service that we provide to members of
our local communities, by ensuring that they receive a response
at a time that is convenient to them, rather than having to wait
around for an officer to arrive."
At the meeting the crime figures for the Charnwood LPU were reported.
The Charnwood LPU covers 35 villages from south of Loughborough
to the city boundary and from Wymeswold across to Anstey.
April 07 to October 08: burglary dwelling increase of 4% compared
to the previous year, burglary other increase 75%, theft of motor
vehicles decrease 18%, theft from motor vehicles increase 19%m,
violent crime decrease 11%, criminal damage decrease 17%
Total crime increased by 1.26%. The overall detection figure
is 19%.
Christmas cabaret
OUR PICTURES show scenes from the Latimer Players Christmas
Celebration cabaret, staged at Thurcaston's Memoriall Hall in
November.
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Song and dance
A SUCCESSFUL year for the Pilbeam Academy
of Dance climaxed with a colourful performance of the singing
and dancing show 'Opening Night' at the Humphrey Perkins Community
Centre in November.
Two performances were to 'Sold Out' audiences and contained numbers
set to music from the shows covering all disciplines of dance,
ballet, tap, jazz, modern and national syllabus. Taking part
were pupils from 3 yr old beginners up to the adult ladies, who
performed two very lively tap numbers, one set to All That Jazz
and an Irish/Riverdance concluding with an exciting can-can.
At the Sunday performance, Miss Monica Bannister (FDDA &
Examiner) judged the pupils for stage performance awarded the
Performance shield to Miss Natalie Green of Syston.
Mrs Antonia Pilbeam (FDDA & Examiner), Principal of the Academy,
awarded the Progress Cup, based on a pupil's work over the year,
to Miss Chloe Wilson of Quorn. She then went on to thank her
assistant teacher, Mrs Christine Carrington and two student teachers,
Miss Charlotte Lewis and Miss Rebecca Moody, together with a
guest choreographer Mrs Angela Heathcote for their hard work
over the year, and also to all volunteers for work 'behind the
scenes' with the show.
The new term will start on Monday January 5, 2009: when a few
vacancies still exist.
Growing veg
GROWING YOUR own fruit and vegetables has
sometimes been classed as being too much trouble and of taking
too much time to be worth all the effort.
But now there is a way to have fresh home grown produce from
your own back garden without even picking up a spade.
The Vegetable Gardener is a company specialising in growing herbs,
fruit and vegetables on your property so you can pick them fresh
from the ground when you need them. Mark Medhurst said: "By
making repeat sowings over the seed growing period, we are able
to ensure that there is always something fresh to take to the
kitchen throughout every month of the year.
"We take care of all the weeding and will ensure that watering,
feeding and pest control are also something that you do not need
to worry about."
He added: "Whether you have an existing plot to grow on,
would like to have some raised beds to give lots of produce in
a small space or just have a patio for container planting, The
Vegetable Gardener is able to take care of all your needs."
The firm also provides general garden maintenance on lawns and
borders, pruning hedges and leaf clearing. For more information
contact Mark on 01509 813 401.
Festive fundraiser
THERE HAVE been many outstanding achievements
in the long history of the British Isles: Boadicea's stand against
the Roman Army; Claxton and his printing press; Nelson's success
at Trafalgar; Whittle with his jet engine.
Pic: Jan Gaskell, Ted Pepper and
Debbie Fitzgerald
But do many of these match the achievement of knowing just how
many raisins there are in a chocolate Christmas cake!
The puzzle was just one of the many games and quizzes the Charnwood
Branch of Cancer Research arranged as part of their Christmas
event which was held at the Cropston Visitors Centre on Saturday
December 6. For the first part of the evening members from the
Salvation Army entertained with Christmas carols and songs. They
provided a wonderful start to our evening reminding us that amidst
the hustle and bustle and commercialisation that surrounds us
at this time there is a true meaning to Christmas.
We were delighted that so many of our friends from Birstall,
Rothley, Woodhouse Eaves and other parts of the county came out
on an extremely cold night to support us. We had a lot of competition
on that Saturday - apart from the many other charity events which
were also taking place around the county, the Tigers kicked off
at 5.30pm and Strictly Come Dancing was on the telly.
The evening raised £900 which means we have reached our
target of £6000 raised for Cancer Research in 2008.
And just how many raisins were there in the cake! The answer
was 637 and Ted Pepper from Markfield was the closest as he guessed
638. Well done Ted and we hope you and your family enjoy the
cake.
From Jan Gaskell, Chair of Charnwood Branch of Cancer Research
UK
Connect2
IMPROVEMENTS to footpaths and cycle links
in Watermead Country Park moved a step closer today as work was
given the go ahead for January.
Sustainable transport charity Sustrans and Leicestershire County
Council have signed the papers that launch the £1.4 million
Connect2 project which won a share of £50 million Big Lottery
grant last December in a public vote.
Over the next five years work will be done on paths in and around
the park, improving links into the park including crossings at
busy roads and bridges will be transformed to make them accessible
to all park users.
The first work to be completed will be a new hard surfaced path,
which is currently a grass route, between Johnson's Bridge and
Thurmaston Lock Bridge and a crossing over a ditch north of King
Lear's Lake.
For updates on the project go to www.leics.gov.uk/connect2.
Drug arrests
FOUR PEOPLE have been arrested in Mountsorrel
for drug offences between September 12 and December 22, say Police.
On October 16 a 28 year old woman from John Wesley Close was
reported for summons for possession of Class C drugs and another
warrant was carried out on November 6 at an address on Churchill
Road. A 27 year old man was later charged with theft relating
to stolen property found at the address. He was due to appear
at Loughborough Magistrates Court on Friday January 2, 2009.
On October 30, a 39 year old man was arrested on suspicion of
possessing class A drugs and being concerned in the offer to
supply Class A drugs at two separate addresses on Boundary Road
and Churchill Road. He has been released on police bail pending
further enquiries.
Two men, aged 33 and 58 were also arrested at an address on Churchill
Road on Monday December 22 on suspicion of possessing Class A
drugs and the 58 year old was also arrested on suspicion of theft,.
They have both been released on bail pending further enquiries.
Sergeant Andy Moscrop from Charnwood Local Policing Unit said:
"This is part of our ongoing drug enforcement programme
being carried out by Police Officers from the Charnwood area.
Our campaign is designed to disrupt local drug dealing and bring
dealers to justice. We cannot do this alone and are asking for
support from the local community to tell us where the problems
are.
"Don't suffer in silence, if you are being affected by drug
dealers operating in your area and the related activity which
can cause disruption or upset to you and your family then let
us know so we can tackle these issues."
Anyone with any information is asked to call Leicester 0116 222
2222 or Crimestoppers which is free and anonymous on 0800 555
111
WI's 60th birthday
ROTHLEY WI celebrated its 60th birthday
with a party at the Rothley Centre.
Members enjoyed a lunch, entertainment and were joined by Rosemary
Hayes, Chairman of Leicestershire and Rutland Federation of WIs
Christmas fair
HUNDREDS OF people enjoyed a Christmas Fair at the Richard
Hill school, Thurcaston, in November. Our picture (top) shows
(l-r) Amelia Young (13), Martin Burke, Shonnagh Young and Megan
Boyall (11).
Forty years celebration
THE FORTIETH anniversary of the ordination
of Rothley's Catholic priest was celebrated with a special service
at St Theresa's Church, Birstall.
Pic: (l-r) Fr Keith Tomlinson and
Bishop
John Arnold
Father Keith Tomlinson has been the priest at Birstall and Rothley
for the last seven years, but was ordained at the Basilica of
St John, Lateran in Rome in 1968.
After his ordination, Fr Keith went back to Ratcliffe College,
where he had been a teacher, as deputy head.
His time as a priest has been spent at churches across the county
including Wisbech, Bexhill, Sudbury and three years as a chaplain
at Whitemoor High Security prison.
"Those 40 years have gone by so quickly" said Fr Keith.
"Birstall is a nice place and I have a good congregation
here."
Peter Stephenson said: "Father Keith is a very caring man,
a very spiritual man who looks after the parish very well. He
is very good with children - they all think the world of him
- with a good sense of humour and we are lucky to have him."
The service at St Theresa's was taken by the Auxiliary Bishop
of Westminster, John Arnold who presented Father Keith with a
papal blessing.
Junior tennis champions
ROTHLEY IVANHOE Tennis Club has a new ladies
club champion.
Pic: Sophie Matthews
Sophie Matthews has won her first club title at the
age of just 13.
The final was a tense affair with Sophie winning the first set
6-0, but a strong comeback by her opponent Alison Thompson in
the second set, saw the score tied at 3-3. Sophie then used some
aggressive baseline play to push ahead and win the second set
6-3. Just a few minutes later she was back in action in the ladies
doubles final with Jodie Parker but tough opponents edged them
out. A club spokesman said: "This was a great performance
and a glimpse of what is to come from this talented junior."
Pic: Louis Green
Pic: Daniel Maud
Club juniors Daniel Maud and Louis Green were group winners at
the GSM Leisure Mini Red Tournament. Both players overcame strong
opposition before winning their groups: Louis won the A draw
and Daniel won the B draw. Both players overcame
Forum meeting
FLOODING AND regional development were
two of the issues discussed at a meeting of the Bradgate, Rothley,
Mountsorrel and Birstall Area Forum.
The meeting was held on October 29 in Rothley.
Emergency Planning Officers from Charnwood and the County Council
reported on flooding risks in the Charnwood area.
There are 13 flood wardens who monitor potential flood locations.
o the increased risk of flooding was caused by surface run off
in an increasingly built up environment putting pressure on a
Victorian sewer network, and climate change
o A flood plan targeted 50 at risk communities
o The County Council was responsible for surface drainage and
Severn Trent for underground drainage/sewers
o The public points of contact for flooding problems were Charnwood
Contact Centre 01509 632 599 and Ian Smith, County Emergency
Management 0116 305 6733.
Cllr Richard Shepherd, Leader of Charnwood Borough Council gave
a presentation about the Charnwood 2026 Core Strategy.
There is a requirement for 19,300 homes in Charnwood between
2001 and 2026 : land for 10,000 of these remains to be found.
8500 are planned in the sustainable urban extensions proposed
and 1500 on identified brownfield sites.
Local Police beat officers updated the forum on their beat priorities.
There was a report on the measures taken to keep Birstall Pool
open : a friends of Birstall swimming pool group had started
which has secured grant money and raised £2,000 by fundraising.
The County Council has paid for a new boiler and provided brown
tourist signs directing users to the pool.
The next meeting will be on March 5, 2009 in Anstey. Area Forums
welcome attendance by the public who can ask questions and discuss
local issues with officers and councillors. For more details
visit www.leicestershireforums.org
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WI news
THURCASTON & Cropston WI's well attended
AGM was held on Thursday November 6.
Mrs Daphne Grieff was again elected as president and the committee
members were all re-elected to serve for a further year. In addition
we are pleased to welcome Mrs Pauline Palin on to the committee.
After business refreshments were served. This was followed with
a quiz which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.
December is a dark and dreary month so we were delighted that
so many members attended our Christmas meeting.
As usual the committee provided an excellent buffet which everyone
thoroughly enjoyed. This was followed by our intrepid band of
entertainers performing a very funny sketch based on the activities
going on in Santa's house whilst he was out delivering presents.
There was much shouting, cheering and laughter from the audience
as they encouraged the players along. They finished the sketch
to a huge round of applause.
The hard work put in by the drama group and the committee was
much appreciated, an excellent evening was had by all.
From Thurcaston & Cropston WI
Monday Club
AT THE November meeting of the Monday Club,
Anstey, Cropston and Thurcaston the visitors covered representatives
of other clubs including Rothley W.I., Thurcaston W.I. and members
from the Phoenix Club in Loughborough.
It was also good to see some old members returning bringing along
several friends. The point of the meeting was not just to kick-start
the festive season, but to conclude our fund-raising for the
Renal Units of both the General and Loughborough Hospitals.
Final totals will be announced in a further report.
Our sincere gratitude is extended for the support of the meeting
and hope that everyone enjoyed the afternoon, together with the
refreshments which were provided by Mrs. Diana Whatton and Mrs.
Diane Rouse.
Our speaker Mr. Kenneth Hillier from the Ashby de la Zouch Museum
entitled his talk "The Naughty Nuns of Grace Dieu Priory"
but although this was the main subject, Mr. Hillier amusingly
referred to by-gone films about nuns i.e the "Nun's Story"
starring Audrey Hepburn, which most of us remembered, and "The
Bells of St. Mary's" with Ingrid Bergman and Bing Crosby.
He then went on to remind us of several celebrated nuns in history,
including Mother Theresa, together with nuns who had strayed
'from the paths of righteousness' with illicit affairs.
The life of a nun was far from easy and the claustrophobic conditions
and ritualistic disciplines broke the spirits of many women,
including the fascinating author Karen Armstrong who wrote "Through
the Narrow Gate" and who left her Order after seven years,
almost destroyed by the experience. A further three books recommended
by Mr. Hillier were "The Corner that held Them" by
Sylvia Townsend Warner, "Tudor Pilgrimage" by Josephine
Bell and "Holy Fools" by Joanne Harris, which he said
made good reading on the subject.
The question of 'Ghosts' was mentioned and Mr. Hillier said Ghost
Walks were conducted at Grace Dieu which always proved popular.
Grace Dieu was recognized as being one of the most haunted sites
in Leicestershire and one famous Nun, the founder, Roseia de
Verdon had been originally buried in Grace Dieu Priory Chapter
House. Subsequently her bones were taken to Belton Parish Church.
However, when a member of the Roman Catholic de Lisle family
tried to have her remains reinterred at Grace Dieu, the Vicar
secretly buried her again, either in the Church or the grounds.
Her ghost is said to hover mid-way between the two religious
buildings and she has been sighted several times, often standing
by a bus stop. On one occasion a bus load of people witnessed
a spectre standing at the stop, but when the doors of the bus
were opened. there was nothing to be seen, except on looking
back, the spectre was sighted still standing at the bus stop!
Grace Dieu was built in the 1238 - 41 period and suffered closure,
like so many others, at the hands if Henry VIII. However, with
the aid of recent funding, much of its standing ruins have been
renovated.
We were indebted to Mr. Hillier for the excellent photography
shown to illustrate his talk, which served to stimulate thoughts
of visiting Grace Dieu Priory in the near future.
Our final meeting for the year, to which the Loughborough Phoenix
Club was invited to join with us, was our Christmas Luncheon
at the Birstall Golf Club, where we enjoyed an excellent meal
together with first class musical entertainment provided by Ginney
Beresford playing her multi-disciplined keyboard. Ginney treated
us to a varied programme, which included two pieces she had composed
in honour of the birth of her two children and classical pieces
to demonstrate the prowess of her piano. Her programme concluded
with Christmas carols, which the membership enjoyed as they were
able to join in and sing from the word sheets kindly provided
by Ginney.
Another year was successfully concluded for the Monday Club and
on behalf of the Membership, I wish to send greetings and very
good wishes for a happy New Year 2009.
From Ann Farndon
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History Society news
ROTHLEY HISTORY Society's November meeting
was our A.G.M., when we were delighted to see a very good percentage
of members.
Chairman Ann Harmer reported that with regard to the proposed
museum in the Cemetery Chapel, things were moving along satisfactorily
and further information would be relayed during the coming months.
After the business part of the evening, it was pleasant that
many of our members stayed to chat and to take part in making
their own heraldic shields (for the men) and lozenges (for the
ladies) which was inspired by our September speaker, Drusillia
Armitage's talk on Heraldry.
In December we welcomed Brian Lord of the Leicester Magic Circle.
Brian has been amazing his audiences with his card and magic
tricks for many years. We had a very good turn-out for this special
"Magic of Christmas" evening, when Brian not only showed
us what he could do but also told us a little about the origins
and history of the Leicester Magic Circle. We were delighted
that some children also accompanied their parents or grand-parents,
and I know that a couple of the children went home with bits
of papers and minuscule playing cards which Brian had squeezed
from large to very small!
We all thoroughly enjoyed our evening of magic and participation,
and after the demonstration and talk the very good refreshments
arranged by Ann, to whom we offer our thanks.
I have heard that one of our members has been busy practicing
with a 50p coin and an elastic band to perfect the trick in time
for her Christmas Day family luncheon. I am waiting to hear more
of that.
Rothley History Society is very keen to welcome children to our
talks as the future of any society does rest with the future
generations. It is wonderful if we are able to spark an interest
in history and perhaps there are young people who will carry
on and expand their horizons with a deep knowledge and interest
in what has gone before.
We hope that you have all had a very Happy Christmas and wish
you all the best for the New Year.
We start the New Year, in January when we have Terry Sheppard,
one of our members, who will be coming along wearing a different
hat and telling us all about the Babington Family of Rothley.
From Noreen Wilson
For our meeting on October 21 our speaker was Colin Crosby,
who is a Leicester Blue Badge Guide, although, as his county
of origin is Essex, he informed us that his repertoire of talks/walks/guided
tours encompasses the south-east counties and London, as well
as the Midlands.
With the approach of Hallowe'en, his talk focused on ghosts and
ghostly experiences, stating that 'ghost walks' can be more fun
than perhaps historically factual.
Ghosts, supposedly, can come from any era and Colin asked whether
anyone in the audience had had any ghostly experiences. Only
one person admitted sighting a ghostly apparition - while out
walking her dog, she briefly 'saw' a figure dressed in armour,
and her dog certainly sensed something untoward, with its hackles
raised and being 'on edge'.
One possible theory for ghostly phenomena is that peoples' spirits
return briefly to ensure all is well with their families and
friends. In some cultures it is tradition to light fires to guide
spirits back to their area, e.g. in parts of rural Scotland.
Most parts of the U.K. have their ghost stories, passed down
in folk-lore, and some places are more notorious for ghosts than
others, e.g. Pluckley in Kent is reputedly the most haunted village
and the Tower of London is the most haunted set of buildings,
the latter particularly by Anne Boleyn.
Leicester has a number of ghostly stories - one well known story
in Leicestershire folklore is that of the so-called witch, "Black
Annis", who lived outside the town, in a cave in Dane Hills
(near Western Park). There are many tales of her evil doings
and there are still members of the older generation who recall,
as children, being told "Black Annis" would get them
if they misbehaved!
Clearly, while ever myths and yarns such as these persist, there
will always be an interest in ghost stories.
In November our A.G.M. was chaired, most efficiently, by Jo Elks.
As this has been her final year as Chairperson, Jo thanked the
committee members and acknowledged their work over the year.
Special thanks were extended to retiring Treasurer, Glenis Jeffcott,
after 8 years in the role. Also, Glenis was standing down from
the committee, but Jo would remain a committee member. Colin
Revell was voted in as the new Chairperson and Jane Smith as
Treasurer.
The A.G.M. concluded with a brief report from Margaret Greiff
and Brenda Hooper - the Society's Archivists. They have continued
to collect and collate a phenomenal amount of information about
our villages' history which makes fascinating reading. Margaret's
new booklet about Dr. Elias Travers, former Rector of All Saints'
Church, is available to purchase at £2.00 per copy, with
£1.50 going to Society funds.
This led neatly to the talk for the evening, by Margaret and
Brenda, entitled "Parish Affairs", showing how each
generation has been subject to taxation in one form or another.
Starting with the Saxons, they paid a tax called "fumage"
which was levied according to the number of chimneys their dwellings
had. Taxation continued with the Vikings, and, after Canute became
King, indiscriminate increase in taxation led to the first recorded
mass protest, of which Lady Godiva's famous ride through Coventry
was a part, and of course, passed into folklore.
After 1066, William the Conqueror ordered an assessment of the
whole country for tax purposes, leading to the completion of
the Domesday Book in 1086. King John, of course, is held responsible
for overtaxing the peasants, giving rise to the legend of Robin
Hood. In recent years, we remember the much-maligned Poll Tax
of the late 1980's / early 1990's, but a Poll Tax was first introduced
in 1377! The word "poll" meant "head", so
it was per head of the population. In 1377 the population was
decimated by the "Black Death", meaning less people
to pay, so the rate was trebled and riots ensued (the Peasants'
Revolt led by Wat Tyler).
Over the centuries, many taxes were devised, such as hearth tax,
window tax, house tax, silk tax, ship tax and land tax - this
last one remaining on the statute books from 1693 to 1963. Its
importance lay in the fact that, if you paid it, you were granted
voting rights. The defeat and execution of King Charles 1st could
be attributed to his intensely unpopular tax demands as well
as his over-inflated ego. Income tax was first imposed in 1799
at 2/- (10p) in the pound - it was supposedly temporary, to help
fund the war against France at that time. The tax list goes on,
from wig powder and horses to dogs and soap, to name but a few.
In general, the vast majority of our parishioners would be exempt
from the aforementioned taxes, which were the concern of the
landed gentry, but, there were other required forms of payment.
From 1600 to around 1800, in Thurcaston, Cropston and Anstey
(and all rural communities), strip farming was practised for
growing crops, with common land used for grazing livestock. "Parish
Affairs" were dealt with locally, by people you knew, e.g.
your house rent was paid via an agent to the landlord / owner,
or to the Rector if you lived on Glebe land (owned by the Church).
Households were assessed for the parish rate which paid the Parish
Clerk, the Constable and provided money to be distributed by
the Overseers of the Poor. Then there were the tithes to be paid
annually to the Rector, a kind of Capital Gains Tax on your livestock
and produce. During this period, the Church owned swathes of
land, so the value of tithes was considerable.
Parishioners were duty bound to attend church on Sundays, where
other financial obligations were encountered, e.g. support for
the poor of the parish and national appeals for things such as
tragedies at sea or disastrous fires.
The management hierarchy consisted of the Government, Justices
of the Peace, Lords of the Manor (plus Lords` Stewards) and the
Constables, and disputes were settled at the Court Leet. The
church also had a major role to play via The Rector, Churchwardens
and the Parish Clerk, collectively known as the Parish Vestry.
Other services organised locally included maintenance of highways,
provision for the poor of the community, firefighting and waste
management. Non payment of dues was dealt with by a call from
the dreaded Bailiff. Clearly, parishioners had greater control
over their lives than we do today, but this all changed around
1800 when the centre of management shifted from local to national
control by the Enclosure Acts. In essence, this dramatically
changed the landscape and centuries-old way of life and rural
economy for ever. In future, hard cash, not goods in kind would
be required to pay your dues.
Throughout the 1800`s, administration of parish affairs was gradually
modernized, with legislation such as the 1835 Municipal Corporation
Act and the 1894 Local Government Act - the latter was intended
to lessen the power of the church by setting up Parish Councils
of a more secular nature.
Interestingly, on 4th December 1894, the villagers of Cropston
voted in favour of being administered by a Parish Council, but
on the same day, at a separate meeting, attempts to adopt a Parish
Council in Thurcaston were defeated. Thurcaston continued to
be administered by their Churchwardens until 1932 when eventually
a Parish Council was established. The two councils amalgamated
in 1935, becoming Thurcaston Parish Council, but in 1989, after
pressure from Cropston villagers, was renamed Thurcaston and
Cropston Parish Council.
On Tuesday 20th January 2009 our speaker will be Bob Trubshaw
and his subject will be Medieval Carvings of Leicestershire.
Venue - Harrison Room, All Saints` Church, Thurcaston - time
7.30pm. Annual subscriptions of £10 will be due.
From Jennifer Kennington
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Your Say...
I would like to thank all those who attended the Coffee Morning
in aid of Cancer Research UK held at the Rothley Centre on Saturday
October 25. The fantastic amount of £1016 was raised which
will go to the Breast Cancer Research fund.
Glenise Bowyer
Walking to school
CHILDREN AT Rothley School have been learning
the value of walking to school and how to do so safely - thanks
to a live theatre performance.
Car Story has been performed in nine county schools. The play
aims to encourage seven to 11-year-olds to walk to school, and
demonstrate the benefits that go with it, while also pointing
out potential traffic hazards. It tells the story of 10 year
old Polly and her dad, who show the audience how they can walk
or cycle to school safely and have fun along the way. Dad loves
his car while Polly is more sensible and enthusiastic about walking
and cycling. Helped by volunteers from the audience, Polly manages
to teach her dad the importance of road safety.
Nicholas Rushton, Deputy Leader of the County Council, said:
"Car Story is a fun performance but reinforces some serious
road safety messages as well as encouraging children to consider
walking to school. Seeing such an exciting live performance can
really help to get the message across,."
The play backs up the work schools do on their Travel Plans,
which is a series of practical steps to reduce the number of
cars arriving at the school gate and to encourage walking and
cycling.
For further information on road safety and walking to school,
visit: www.leics.gov.uk/school_travel_plans
Rothley craft group
THE ROTHLEY Craft Group continues to meet
on the second Monday of each month from 9-12noon at the Rothley
Centre, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley.
New members or occasional visitors are very welcome. We have
a shared interest in making greetings cards, scrap books and
jewellery and from time to time we will have a demonstrator.
Tea/coffee and biscuits are included in the meeting fee of £2
for the morning. Our next meetings will be on January 12, February
9 and March 9. Any further information contact me on 0116 230
3604/07504976415. We look forward to meeting you.
From Maureen Bulmer
New pipe
A NEW pipeline carrying water from Derbyshire
to Cropston reservoir is planned.
Severn Trent Water say the new 20 mile pipeline is needed to
meet the extra demand created by the new houses planned for the
region by 2026.
Ladybower reservoir in Derbyshire is already connected to Cropston
but Severn Trent say that without a new pipeline, they would
be 29 million litres of water a day short of what was needed
by 2015.
The planned pipeline would take 10 years to plan, build and commission.
A Severn Trent spokesman said the project would remove any need
for another reservoir.
He said: There is a north-south divide in the availability of
raw water in the East Midlands. Without the development of resources
to meet projected growth in the East Midlands, we forecast an
average supply-demand shortfall of about 29 million litres a
day by 2015.
"This deficit stands, whether or not the Pennbury eco-town
is built, during the intervening period. The Upper Derwent Valley
system stores more than enough water for the region's needs -
the problems are more about distribution, not the need for a
new reservoir."
Water bills are due to rise by one per cent over five years from
2010 to cover the cost of the project.
Water regulator Ofwat would have to agree the price rise was
justified before Severn Trent could start building it, with a
decision due next year.
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