t r e l A y r e l l a G
Alert Readers at Golden Years
Pancake Day at TalkTime
Taragh Twirlers Dance Group
University of Leicester Psychology Students Social Action Day
TalkTime
Braunstone Residents’ Network Easter Egg Hunt Front cover provided by Catherine, B-inspired’s Communications and Project Support Worker Send your photographs to:communications@b-inspired.org.uk. We will print our favourites and who knows, yours might end up on the front cover.
NMB Update
RESNET NEWS
The latest Neighbourhood Management Board (NMB) meeting discussed the following items:
The residents’ network volunteers have been super busy with the garage sales, online sales, The Easter Egg Hunt and now with planning the trips this year. The Easter egg hunt on Braunstone Park saw nearly 500 local people attend! It was a great event and something we will be doing again next year!
Residents’ Network Committee – An Easter egg hunt is going to be held on the 13th April, giving away 200 free chocolate eggs to children in Braunstone. The Garage Sale volunteers recently went on a trip to Emmaus in Hinckley to gain inspiration for their processes. Since implementing a standardised pricing, sales have increased by around £40 each week. This is excellent news alongside the online sales which has raised an additional £700 over a 4 month period which increases the amount trips/activities we can offer. Power to Change – Community Business Weekend is the 16th – 19th of May. The Garage Sale is celebrating by holding a ‘Summer £1 Sale’ on the 15th of May from 1pm to 4pm. There is also going to be a free ‘Spring in to Action’ Community Business Information Fair on May 16th from 4.30pm to 7.30pm at The Brite Centre. A trip to Centre 4 in Grimsby is set to glean information on how they have set up community businesses and a shop. The Grove lease is nearly ready to be signed with refurbishment starting in the summer.
The first trip we have organised will be in July and is to Stratford-upon-Avon and will take in a visit to Stratford butterfly farm too. To book yourself on this trip please drop in to the Neighbourhood Support Base, 45 Wellinger Way, Braunstone. The cost will be £6.00 and it is open to Braunstone residents over the age of 55. People who have been on trips with us previously will be put on a waiting list, to allow new people to come along!
Foodshare – Great news! There will be a new foodshare coordinator starting soon. Interviews are taking place now. The post holder will manage the scheme strategically with additional support from the Neighbourhood Support Team. Also grant funding has been secured for new fridges and freezers. They should arrive next month.
We are still planning on extending our services and are visiting other charity shops to look at their operations. If you would be interested in helping turn our space into a successful business please let us know. Find us on Facebook.
Police – The police are still encountering issues with stolen and recklessly driven motorbikes around the area. They are looking at working smarter to deter and catch individuals by using CCTV. They are running an anti-knife campaign in March with the backing of the Leicester City Council.
Support is always welcome either in donations of kind, goods or financial. We accept all clothing in wearable condition, shoes, kitchen wear, DVD’s small furniture and toys. Call:0116 223 2256 for details.
Clockwise – Clockwise are encouraging members to save and are offering a really good savings rate of 1.75%. Explanations of a number of services were given and clockwise are hoping to promote these more in the community in the upcoming months. Events and Activities – St Peters is holding a Big Breakfast on March 16th, to raise money for Comic Relief. They are hoping to hold another in May for Christian Aid and future ones to raise funds for the Church. Along, with holding a Mothering Sunday service with a chance for children to make flower arrangements.
Did you know… British people eat over 11.5 billion sandwiches every year!!!
Police News The beat team have been working hard conducting consultations and being visible on the park.The issues around motorcycles and speeding on the park have been identified as still being a major concern. The team have recovered a number of motorcycles from the park with most of them being reported stolen. We have made arrests and I am confident that more will follow. We need your help though in identifying the locations and riders of the motorbikes so Please! Please! Call 101 or Crime Stoppers on:
0800 555 111
100% anonymous, Always Its also the time of year for taking well deserved breaks away, so take time to think about securing your properties.
Most burglaries occur when there is no-one home, so whether you are leaving the house for a few minutes, the day or a fortnight, remember to shut and lock all your windows and doors ensuring your high value items like jewelry locked in a secure place. For more crime prevention advice visit: www.Leics.police.uk
We’re still running our #CountyLines campaigns. Make sure you know how to spot the signs of a child who is being exploited as a drug mule? #KnowTheSigns by visiting our website. On a final note PCSO 6650 Jo TAYLOR is moving on to pastures new, she will be sadly missed but we wish her all the best in her new role working for a housing association. Take care out there and enjoy life. PS 1272 Wayne Chapman and the Braunstone and Rowley Fields beat team.
In the Spotlight Isabel has recently joined B-inspired as a Business Admin Apprentice at Business Box. If you’re at our head office for any reason, remember to say hello.... Here’s what she had to say in her spotlight: A good night out? A nice meal out with my boyfriend. A good night in? Ordering take out and binge-watching Netflix with my friends. What animal would you be? A tiger. What is your pet hate? Slow WIFI. What was the last film you watched? Voice in the Stone Describe Braunstone? A friendly, quiet community. What words would you use to describe you? Easy going, confident and warm-hearted. What would you do if you won the lottery? I’d share it with my family/friends and put a large sum in my bank account for when I am older. What one thing could you not live without? My family and friends. Have you a claim to fame? No. Who would you love to play in a movie? Bella Swan from Twilight, so I could have Jacob and Edward fight over me. Who would you like to invite for tea? All my favorite music artists.
TaeKwonDo4Women
New Group Alert Check the ‘What’s On’ page for more information
More Community News Online
www.b-inspired.org.uk @BInspiredleicester
Friends of Highway Spinney News We have now established a good working relationship with LEV (Leicester Environmental Volunteers), Leicester City Council. We all enjoyed working under the leadership of Alan Jelfs in February. At the start of the sessions we were shown the different tools we would be using and how to use them safely. We learnt the skill of coppicing Hazel. The straighter branches Alan took away to use as stakes. He also showed us which Hazels would need to be coppiced in two to three years. We also cleared quite a large area of Ash and Sycamore saplings and under growth which will allow wild flowers to grow. We even had tea, coffee and biscuits in a clearing provided by Alan! We look forward to our next session in May when we will be clearing paths and drilling holes in dead wood for bee hotels. Come and join us on Thursday 16th May at 10 am at the Wyatt Close entrance. The sessions are from 10 – 1pm but just stay as long as you can. This year’s AGM is being held on Tuesday 7th May at 7 pm in the Rear Room, Braunstone West Social Centre, St Mary’s Avenue, LE3 3FT. Our Guest Speaker this year is Alan Cann who will be talking about ‘Nature Spot and Wildlife’ a website for recording wild life in Leicestershire and Rutland – Naturespot.org.uk. All are welcome to attend and join in with our group. Janice Lock, Events Secretary, FOHS
Braunstone History Group Braunstone History Group have already had quite a busy year. We held an Exhibition at the Brite Centre and Age UK in Wigston. The event at Wigston was packed with visitors and lots of interest was shown in our exhibits. Dave Andrews from BBC Radio Leicester gave a very interesting talk about Richard III and we have since let him know about the connection between the Winstanley Family and Richard III. Our new project, collecting memories of people that live or have lived in Braunstone, is going well and we have heard lots of very interesting stories about the estate. We do get people that used to live on the estate that come from far and wide to have a trip down memory lane and sometimes bump into old school friends. If you would like to join our group, pop into the Brite Centre Library on a Tuesday morning between 10am - 12pm. Citizens Advice (CAB) Open every day at Leicester Customer Service Centre, York Street, 91 Granby Street, Leicester, LE1 6FB. There to help you with a range of problems.
Project Hive Update The Western Ward Community Enterprise (or WWCE for short) is a group of local volunteers that want to bring the former Eco House back in to public use as a space for the community. If you have visited the site, you might think that nothing is happening. Nature is slowly reclaiming the land and frequent acts of vandalism are taking their toll on the structure itself. In the almost three years we have waited for the formal exchange of contracts on the land but things are finally moving forward. Our plans for the site include a facility that will reach beyond the boundaries of the park and bring together people from all backgrounds, of all ages and abilities from the wider community in a space that promotes lifelong learning. We are keen to build awareness and gain local support for Project Hive as we need to fund raise to for the redevelopment to take place. You may have already enjoyed one of our community events or seen our stand at the Western Park Festival. Later in the year, we will be launching the first phase of crowd funding and have even more exciting events. We really hope that we can count on your support for this crucial stage in getting the space back into use. If you want to keep updated, volunteer or help fund our community project please get in contact with us via our website: www.projecthive.org.uk
Prince’s Trust Digs Deep Last month 10 fantastic young people (aged 16-25) from the Prince’s Trust chose to do their community project at B-inspired - improving our growing project and school grounds at Braunstone Community Primary School. They spent three sunny days doing lots of jobs including clearing and weeding the raised beds, tidying and cataloguing the storage shed, planting broad beans and onions, pruning trees, litter picking and planting spring flowers and bulbs at the entrance to the school – making it much brighter and far more welcoming to all visitors. The community project was part of a wider 12 week placement – if you are aged 16-25 and looking to develop your skills and move forward with your life, please contact Natasha. Tel: 0116 255 0400 or have a look at: https://www.princes-trust.org.uk. If you’d like to learn more about B-inspired’s gardening projects, please contact Anna on Tel: 0116 223 2256.
Gardening Projects Last month B-inspired showcased our gardening project at a “Spring into Action” event at the New Market Place, Leicester. The event was aimed at encouraging people to take up gardening or join an existing gardening project across the city. We offered a seed sowing activity including making eco pots from newspaper and a seed swop activity; plenty of people visited our stand. Perfectly Edible were there offering samples of home-made vegetable soup, The City Council’s composting team were giving advice, Leicester University’s ‘Hungry for Change’ shared info on their fantastic garden and Craig Ward showed off his impressive water collection storage used on the city’s allotments. Thanks to our Occupational Therapist students for supporting us on what turned into a cold windy day.
It Looks sooo EASY… For this edition, I visited local community group ‘The Taragh Twirlers’ to find out what they have been up to. Twirling is a mixture of Dance, Gymnastics and Baton twirling. Sessions are held at the Oak Centre on Mondays from 4pm to 6pm and Wednesday from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. The classes are suitable for all children age 5 to 17. The community group is run by enthusiastic volunteer Caroline Melvin, with the help of her daughters and parents of the members of the club. It costs £5 for 1 session, or £8 for 2 sessions a week, but this only covers hall hire and the group does various fundraising activities to help cover other associated costs like costumes, equipment and trips to competitions. The Taragh Twirlers has been running for 6 years and each year it grows in strength. So far this year the group have participated in regional championships. Every member of the club were placed and the group walked away very proud with an outstanding 12 trophies and 15 medals. The judges were very complimentary, saying competitors had ‘lovely basic content with excellent pose’. Over the past year they have won at nationals, the British Opens and even had one of their students travel the world representing Britain. The group offers a friendly and supportive community. It helps develop children’s confiedence, discipline, coordination and has incentives such as ‘Star of the Week’ which really helps encourage the children to strive for something more. It wouldn’t be a proper visit without getting involved in a bit of twirling myself (it’s a lot harder than it looks). One 6-year-old so eloquently put it ‘I think you need a lot more practice’ with a smile on her face. Overall, I felt extremely welcomed by the group and I could see how much passion and patience the group has, along with just how much it meant to everyone there. If you are interested in joining please contact Caroline on: 07513 59583 Written by Catherine Derwent
Power to Change & Community Business
Braunstone Foodshare Updates We have noticed a large increase in the number of people accessing foodshare. Recently, we have been giving out between 5 and 10 emergency bags each week as well as supporting our 45 regular members. We are looking at more opportunities to access greater amounts of food and this is now possible as we have been given two more industrial fridges and freezers, thanks to a grant through Action Homeless. Our new Foodshare coordinator Anna Broszkiewicz will be building new links and attending strategic meetings, bringing Food banks together. The good news is that we have been rated 5 star food hygiene rating by environmental health which is testament to the hard work put in by the 20 volunteers behind the scenes. Our wish list for the next couple of months is: Nappies (size 4/5/6) tinned spaghetti, tinned veg, instant noodles, gravy granules and cooking oil.
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Please drop-in from 11am to 4pm on your appointment day only. Coming outside of these times, could mean that we are not able to offer you this service.
Eton Mess Ingredients • 500g/1lb 2oz strawberries, hulls removed • 400ml/14fl oz double cream • 3 x 7.5cm/3in ready-made meringue nests, crushed • 1 tbsp ginger cordial (optional) • sprigs of fresh mint, to garnish Method 1. Purée half the strawberries in a blender. Chop the remaining strawberries, reserving four for decoration. 2. Whip the double cream until stiff peaks form, then fold in the strawberry purée and crushed meringue. Fold in the chopped strawberries, if you’re feeling more adventurous you can add some ginger cordial for a more refined taste. 3. Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into four cold wine glasses. Serve garnished with the remaining strawberries and a sprig of mint.
Add Some Summer Sparkle A local small business has taken a leap of faith to add some sparkle to your life, well actually your crafts to be more precise. Sparkle Crafts Ltd was born 3 years ago as, bubbly Kerry Padley embarked on maternity leave and started selling wool on Ebay, to make a little extra money. Upon her return to work, she continued her little side line but dreamed that one day, she could set up her own business and have more time to spend with her daughter. This idea was supported by her family and, back in 2017 just two weeks before Christmas, she left her job to embark on this new venture. Kerry told us ‘It was a big decision to move from a secure role as a software analyst and grow a hobby in to a business but it’s one I’ve never regretted.’ Kerry is an avid reader and has always loved crafts; from learning to knit and cross stitch as child. The business has grown steadily; diversifying its product offering and opening a shop in November 2018 on Imperial Avenue in Braunstone. The shop sells a range of: yarns, hooks, needles, cases, bags, patterns, buttons and glitters, along with adult and children’s craft kits. Kerry is very knowledgeable and helpful, she will go out of her way to purchase specific products on request and has recently started selling a small range of quality handmade knitted blankets to order. The shop is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm and Saturdays 8.30am to 4pm. Pop in to find out what wonderful items they can provide to support your craft projects and inspirational gift ideas.
Sparklecraftslimited@gmail.com
Children’s Crafts
0116 298 2343
Facebook: @sparklecraftslimited
What’s on in Braunstone... Monday
10am to 11.30am 11am to 12.30pm 1.30pm to 3pm 4pm to 6pm 5pm to 7pm 6pm to 7pm
Tuesday
9.15am to 10am 10am to 12pm 10am to 12pm 12pm to 1.30pm 12pm to 2.45pm 1.30pm to 3.30pm 7.15pm to 8pm 6pm to 7pm 7pm to 8pm
Wednesday
10.15am to 11.15am 11am to 2pm 1.30pm to 3.30pm 3.30pm to 4.30pm 4.30pm to 6.30pm 6pm to 7pm
Thursday
11am to 1pm 12pm to 1.30pm 12pm to 3pm 1pm to 3pm 5pm to 6.30pm 6pm to 7pm 6.30pm to 7.30pm 8pm to 9pm
Friday
10am to 11am 10am to 11.30am 10am to 1pm 6pm to 7pm
Saturday
9am - onwards 11am to 2pm
Sunday
10am to 12pm
50+ Aqua Fit at The Leisure Centre Let’s Walk Braunstone at The Stable Block, Braunstone Park BINGO Golden Years Group at Blessed, Sacrament Church, Gooding Avenue Taragh Twirlers Dance Group at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise 13+ Street Dance (beginners) at The Brite Centre - Call 07850 4747 999 Golden Gloves Boxing Club at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Walk / Run Westcotes Park Braunstone History Group, The Brite Centre, Braunstone Avenue TalkTime at Sandyhurst, Hockley Farm Road Call B-inspired:0116 223 2256 Manor House Lunch Club – Call: 0116 222 5476 Knit Wits @ The Brite Centre, Braunstone Avenue Memory Café 4thTuesday of the month, The Brite Centre, Braunstone Avenue Cardio Combat at West End WMC, 16+ only - Call 07850 747 999 Golden Gloves Boxing Club at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Women Only: Golden Gloves Boxing Club, The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Coffee and a Chat at St Peter’s Church St Peter’s Art Group at St Peter’s Church - Call: 0759 662 2149 The Garage Sale at 45 Wellinger Way, Braunstone Family Multi-Sport at Braunstone Leisure Centre - Call: 07850 4747 999 Taragh Twirlers Dance Group at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Golden Gloves Boxing Club at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise TalkTime at St Peter’s Church - Call B-inspired on: 0116 223 2256 Lunch Club at Trinity Church - Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month Women of Wisdom Co-operative at Cort Cresent Community Centre Knit and Natter at The Brite Centre, Braunstone Avenue The Hub at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Golden Gloves Boxing Club at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Satori Freestyle Martial Arts at The Brite Centre Tae Kwon Do 4 Women at St Anne’s Church Hall, Letchworth Rd - £4 per class Tae Kwon Do 4 Women at The Brite Cente, Braunstone Avenue - £3 per class Friday Pop-in at Blessed Sacrament Church, Gooding Avenue Sew ‘n’ So’s Needlecraft at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Golden Gloves Boxing Club at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise Braunstone Park Run - Braunstone Park Street Dance (Advanced) at West End WMC - Call 07850 747 999 Mixed Group: Golden Gloves Boxing Club at The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise
Golden Years Golden Years is a small group that has been going for over 20 years. The community group meet every Monday from 1.30pm for a few hours to play Bingo. They offer tea, coffee and biscuits, whilst offering a £5 tote. So, if you’re looking to make friends, enjoy a game of bingo why not go and see what it is all about? Call Chris Norman on: 0116 2856138 to find out more.
Community Events...
Walk Leicester Festival
28th April - 31st May Explore a range of walks in Leicester with choosehowyoumove.co.uk
Leicester Links Puzzle
Did you know that you can search all Support Services in Leicester Online: https://mychoice. leicester.gov.uk/
POPUP CIRCUS Lauren & Riley’s World Challenge Fundraiser Braunstone District Working Mens Club Sunday 1st September Shows at: 1pm & 2.30pm
Call Melissa: 07967608112 to book tickets
Useful Contacts LCC Neighbourhood Housing Team
0116 454 1007
STAR
0116 454 6420
LCC Bulky Item Collection
0116 454 1002
Brite Centre
0116 299 5476
Hockley Farm Chemist
0116 285 6008
NHS
111
Police
101
B-inspired Neighbourhood 0116 223 2256 Support Team
Leicester Jobs Fair
14th June 2019 Curve Theatre
Community Letters Sadly, we have come to the end of our Occupational Therapy training journey with you all. We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers at B-inspired for helping us along the way and the local community for welcoming us with open arms. We have enjoyed getting involved in a range of activities from Foodshare, TalkTime, Befriending, Gardening and Training. We have been inspired by the work that everyone undertakes to create a supportive and dynamic experience for all. This has been an exciting part of our education enabling us to learn as much as we possibly could while were in Braunstone. We appreciate that a lot of hard work goes into the running of these services and how invaluable they are to the local community. We wish you all the best for the future and hope to hear of more exciting developments, maybe when The Grove is up and runing. So it’s goodbye for now but we hope we meet again soon, Jemma & Yvette We’re looking for a local community volunteer to join the school’s Advisory Board. Similar to a governing body but without the legal responsibilities, the Board works to help support, develop and improve; teaching, learning, safeguarding, governance and be involved in key decision making about the school. If you’re over 18 and have a few hours a term to attend Advisory Board meetings, please get in contact for further details: clerk@discoveryschoolstrust.org.uk or call 0116
Great News Thanks to the Big Lottery Community Fund B-inspired will be able to offer more Befriending opportunities starting in June 2019. Watch this space to find out more, about what will be happening very soon.
Puzzle Answers 1. Gok Wan 2. Sam Bailey 3. David Attenborough 4. Gary Lineker 5. Kasabian 6. Richard III 7. Sue Townsend 8. Mark Selby 9. Engelbert Humperdinck
Pets Corner Coming....
MEOW...
Please sir... Can i have some more... Send us your pics to: communications@b-inspired.org.uk
Trader’s Corner The key to success is to start before you’re ready! Call: 0116 223 2256 to advertise today
07954857850
Deadlines for Content July / August 2019 Edition 1st June 2019 September / October Edition 2019 1st August 2019 November / December 2019 1st October 2019
Busy Braunstone Notable Dates 6th May Early Spring Bank Holiday 7th May Friends of Highway Spinney AGM 8th May Community Roadshow Aylmer Rd - 10am to 12pm 15th May The Garage Sale £1 Sale 13th May Community Roadshow Wellinger Way 10am to 12pm 16th May Community Business Information Fair Brite Centre 18th May St Peter’s Church Big Breakfast 27th May Late Spring Bank Holiday 1st June Volunteers’ Week 16th June Father’s Day
Stay in touch with local news and events. Collect your Alert from: • • • • • • • • • •
Hockley Farm Doctors • Aylmer Road Post Office • Braunstone Skills Centre • Braunstone Primary School • United Reformed Church • West End WMC • Children’s Centres • Leisure Centre • Braunstone Vic WMC • Braunstone Police Station •
St. Peter’s Church Apple-a-Day Cafe Fullhurst School Folville School Local shops The Brite Centre The Oak Centre 45 Wellinger Way Gallards Hill The Braunstone Alert Queensmead is brought to you by: Primary School
Produced by B-inspired’s Neighbourhood Support Team. Write or send pictures to Braunstone Alert - 45 Wellinger Way, Braunstone, LE3 1RG. Call on: 0116 223 2256 or email: communications@b-inspired.org.uk. We make every effort to ensure that information is accurate and up-to-date at the time of publication.