I’M A BEAVER, Get Me Out of Here!

ON 17TH AND 18TH June our Beavers joined the other colonies in Ashby & Coalville district for a one night camp at Willesley CampSite.

This took the form of our traditional 1-1 camp where each Beaver sleeps in their own tent with a family member. Thus 12 Beavers, 9 dads, 1 grandma and 4 leaders camped overnight, although the weather had been good all day that evening saw a horrendous thunderstorm. However modern scout tents are very waterproof and we all stayed dry except Matthew our young leader who brought his own tent and was washed out. Luckily a dad kindly came to his rescue.

The theme for this year’s camp was “I’M A BEAVER, GET ME OUT OF HERE”. Beavers had to complete a series of activities and challenges for which they were awarded stars as in the TV show. We came a creditable 2nd for the number of stars we collected. In the evening a camp fire was organised and on Sunday a variety of sports events including both a beavers and adults tug of war. Sadly we were not successful in either of these. Everyone voted it a very successful and enjoyable weekend.

On July 6th the Group held their annual AGM, this was well attended by parents and members. Duncan Watts , the district Commissioner presented the Chief Scout Bronze award to beaver Ernie Copley and the Medal of merit to leader Sue Wainwright. This was followed by a BBQ.

This also marked my retirement from Beavers. I have been involved for 33 years and felt it was time to finally move on. I received some lovely presents from the group to mark my leaving. Ben is joining Sue and Lily next term and I hope he gets as much satisfaction and enjoyment as I have over the years.

Margaret Beck

Beavers is for boys and girls aged 6 and 7. They meet at Markfield Scout Hut on Thursday from 5.45 to 7.00pm. If your child wishes to join please contact s.wainwright1@gmail.com

For cubs and scouts contact liam@1stmarkfieldscoutgroup.org.uk

We are excited to be opening our new optical practice in the heart of our community.

Come and join us to celebrate our opening weekend. Have a look around, chat about our services and treat yourself to cake and a glass of bubbly.

Saturday August 19th - 12 till 4pm & Sunday August 20th -11till 3pm

Markfield Opticians, 7 Ratby

LE67 9RJ Visit markfieldopticians.co.uk

Dawn French is a name synonymous with warmth and wit. From her role as one half of the comedy duo ‘French and Saunders’ to Geraldine in ‘The Vicar of Dibley’, she’s captivated audiences with her infectious charm since she first graced our television screens in the early 1980s. Her successful career as actor, comedian and author spans four decades, helping her not only establish herself as a household name, but also a national treasure.

In many ways, Dawn’s good humour has always been the secret to her success, laying the foundation for her career from an early age. Growing up in the small town of Holyhead in Wales, she claims to have always been something of a performer – something she learnt from her father. “He would tease me to discipline me,” she told The Telegraph. “Bit of sarcasm, lots of teasing. Things were dealt with at a quite sophisticated level of fun.”

Now, enjoying a peaceful life in Cornwall with her husband, she describes herself as ‘homey’ and ‘quiet’, which might come as a surprise to anyone who’s familiar with her bubbly screen persona. “I can do gregarious, big, showing off stuff, and there’s a certain joy in it, but I’m 98% hermit, and happy with that,” she told Hello Magazine. As one of the most successful women in comedy, many would argue that her career has paved the way for future female comedians. However, she recognises there’s still a long way to go. “I’d like to see an equal number of women [in comedy] to men,” she told The Telegraph. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with lots of really great, funny women so I don’t have any doubt that there are loads more being born as we speak.”

Aside from her ability to make us laugh, one of Dawn’s most admirable qualities is her determination to accept – and embrace – imperfection. She’s always been a fierce champion for self-acceptance. In her memoir, ‘Dear Fatty’ she shared that, “I know for a fact that if you genuinely like your body, so can others. Even if that means having a good laugh at the bits of it that wobble independently, occasionally, that’s all right.”

Thornton Teas with a Twist - 3Ts

Wednesday 23rd August and 13th and 27th September - 2 to 4 pm

JOIN US at Thornton Community Centre for a cuppa, cake, and time to chat. Everyone is welcome, including well behaved dogs on leads.

Drop in to 3Ts at any time, even if it’s only for a short while for a good chat, laughter and warmth. You will be very welcome.

Jigsaws, and board games, books, and the jigsaw ‘library’, and a small play area for young families will be available most Wednesdays.

If you feel even a tiny bit energetic, join in with a game of table tennis – we are all amateurs!!

Thornton Tea with a Twist takes place on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month.

This message forms the basis of her new book, ‘The Twat Files’, available to buy from 12th October. The witty autobiography is an accompaniment to her ongoing comedy tour, where she shares hilarious tales of her own selfmortification. The purpose? To encourage us all to be more at ease with our social awkwardness and self-consciousness, and worry less about chasing social media’s unattainable mirage of ‘perfection’. “The more I think about it, the more I understand that the moments where I’ve made mistakes, misunderstood stuff and messed up are key, ” she writes in the blurb of her new book. “That’s where all my learning happens and where I laugh the most.”

You can pre-order Dawn French’s new book, ‘The Twat Files’ now, ready for its release on 12th October 2023.

How FISH may help you HEAR

SEAFOOD, and oily fish in particular, may be able to help you hear better. A new study has found evidence that consuming oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel may help slow down the onset of deafness.

Scientists at the University of Guelph, in Canada, found that people with particularly high blood levels of DHA, found in seafood which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, were 16 per cent less likely to have difficulty hearing, compared with those who had low levels.

Scientists believe that the DHA may play an important role in signal transmissions between nerve cells, including the auditory nerves of the ear Some scientists suggest that we consider eating fatty fish at least three times a week, in order to increase our blood levels of DHA. This need not be expensive: according to the Cleveland Clinic, in the US, sardines – a tin of which cost just 47p at Tesco – contain some of the highest levels of omega-3 of any fish.

A big thank you to LRCF who have given us a grant to help us through the following years.

If you would like to help with these Wednesdays, even for just the odd one, please do let me know.

Organised by the village for the villagers. For more information contact me, Shirley, on 01530 230 422 or email shirley.

garlick19@btinternet.com

Look forward to seeing you.

Don’t forget to send us your news.

Beaumont Market set to close

LEICESTER City Council has announced that Beaumont Market, located in Beaumont Leys, will close from September this year in the light of current and predicted trading losses.

The 15 traders currently operating there are being offered stalls at Leicester Market until planned redevelopment work begins in October The council is looking at the options for selling the land on which the market operates, next to Beaumont Leys Shopping Centre. Work is set to begin on the redevelopment of Leicester’s historic city centre market in the autumn.

During the refurbishment, traders at Leicester Market will be temporarily relocated to Green Dragon Square, behind the Corn Exchange. Improvements to Leicester Market will include more than 80 new stalls, new lighting, green roofs and solar panels, new paving around the market and more outdoor seating.

I was in a restaurant earlier this week and a chap asked for 27 fluid ounces of wine.- I thought “he’s having a carafe”....