10
THE BIRSTALL POST AUG 2011
Continued from page 9 was when it was removed. I realise that a simple shelter is not a high cost, 'high-vis' prestigious project like the Park and Ride, offering photo opportunities and perhaps the odd meeting and lunch at County Hall, but just 4 new sturdy poles and a roof would make life so much more comfortable for everybody who uses the seat. It surely would not cost more than a few hundred pounds, if that, which pales into insignificance against the Pavilion extension at £64,000; Skate park at £65,500; Games area at £27,500 and the Park and Ride at £5.5 million. Just as an aside, what, pray, is a 'games area' that has to cost £27,500? I am not really interested in which council has ‘responsibility’ for shelters, just as long as there is one provided, and hopefully before autumn/winter (this year). Just four poles and a roof - nothing fancy! To quote Anthony Aloysius Hancock: “I pays me rates and I knows me rights!” K. Leigh Reid
he ever won Volunteer of the Year in this village, he wins every other award all over the country. Douglas Walsh
Drab?
I have to say that I agree with what A Godby is saying about Birstall looking drab (July issue). Indeed it does. I liken Birstall to South Wigston, which I consider is the poor relation to Wigston Magna and Oadby. If we look at our neighbours Syston, Rothley and Mountsorrel, then we too look like the poor relation. Our neighbouring villages all look as if someone cares about them. What does Birstall have? A few drab hanging baskets in the summer and at Christmas a few trees, and only half of them are lit. Maybe our parish council should find out how we would like the village to look. Incidentally, I have always wondered what happened to the lights that used to adorn the two tees outside the Greengate Medical Centre at Christmas. Just a few lines to say how disappointC A Withers ed I am regards Carl Gunns the Gym owner here in Birstall. Every year this man runs a gym for D Jones in his letter (The Birstall children six times a week, yet when it Post, July issue) indicates he is either comes to recognising his efforts here in unaware of all the facilities in Birstall or the village he gets ignored. Why hasn’t
Disappointed
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BIRSTALL PARISH COUNCIL
VACANCY FOR HOLIDAY RELIEF CARETAKER/GATE LOCKER We are looking for a responsible person to provide holiday cover for our caretaker for 28 days throughout the year including weekends, plus sickness cover. Hours: The hours are mainly in the evenings and at weekends, and work around bookings for the Village Hall out of office hours. Duties: • Village Hall - Unlock and lock for bookings after 4:30pm during the week and for all daytime and evenings bookings at the weekends. • Clean the hall and toilets after each booking. • Unlock / Lock the Gates at: Greengate Lane Cemetery Harrowgate Drive Playing Fields School Lane Playing Fields Car Park Public toilets on School Lane Playing Fields car park (weekends only) • Stonehill Avenue Toilets Unlock, clean and lock. (Mon to Sat). Rate of Pay: The rate of pay will be the appropriate national minimum wage. For further details and an application form, please contact the Clerk, Mr Steve Blackburn on Tel: 267 6191. Applications should be received by Friday 12 August.
that he is choosing to ignore them : whichever is the case, it is very surprising and sad. In fact it is an appalling, outrageous letter and an outsider who does not know anything about Birstall, on reading that letter would naturally gain the impression that it is a poor, neglected, depressing place with few facilities. He states that the former bowling green (on which the new car park at the end of Sibson Road has been established) was the last bit of grass surrounding the village. He chooses to ignore the large bit of grass which is the School Lane playing field, all the football pitches on Meadow Lane and the playground off Harrowgate Drive and of course the large bits of grass which constitute the playing fields at Stonehill and Longslade schools. Also of course there is the wonderful Watermead Country Park on the edge of Birstall. I think the parish council deserves to be commended for creating the new car park. With all the trees, other plants and the seating which have been placed there it is environmentally friendly and it is the nicest car park I have seen. With the continuing ownership it is bound to be used more and more. Similarly with the new Park and Ride facility off the A6, there’s no doubt it will be used by a lot of drivers and it will gradually look more green and pleasant as all the trees and other plants to be placed around it grow to maturity. It is encouraging to see that the three new shop units built to replace the former video store on Sibson Road are all occupied now. It is noteworthy that all the shops etc along Sibson Road are on one side which means that shoppers, users of banks etc do not have to keep crossing that busy road in order to visit shops and other places on the other side. I know of no other village/small town of similar size where, on the main shopping street, all the shops etc are just on one side. It could be said to be an advantageous and outstanding feature of Birstall. The Parish Council also deserves to be commended for establishing the pavilion on School Lane playing field and thus providing a meeting place for young people on two evenings each week. It is good news that it is to be extended. I am always impressed by all the societies and clubs there are in Birstall catering for different age groups. I was amazed recently to read of the many junior teams at the Football Club. All the adults who organise and run these teams must spend a lot of time and effort in doing so and they deserve praise for taking on a tremendous, worthwhile task and similarly praise is merited for these who run teams at the Cricket Club (I
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used to be the secretary of a cricket club in Suffolk so I know what that entails). Birstall has lots of different facilities (and there are decent ones Mr Jones!) eg a good variety of shops, banks etc, dentists, opticians, solicitors, estate agents, a very good garden centre, an excellent library, good schools, three lovely church buildings, a few good pubs which provide meals and other eating places, a good day nursery, the special needs day nursery, the very successful boxing gym run by the dynamic Carl Gunns, the Social Club and The Royal British Legion Club. On the edge of Birstall the Golf Club and the Great Central Railway with its station. There is the Neighbourhood Watch scheme (for which in its early days I worked hard to help get it established) which is said to be the best organised and run scheme in the county and possibly in the country. Also I feel I must mention particularly one facility with which I have been associated over several years, namely: St James Day Care Centre – the idea for which came from a former vicar Rev Charles Bradshaw and for which he worked long and hard in order to get it up and running. The two efficient managers and all the caring volunteers make it a lovely friendly little gem of a place where from Monday to Thursday several elderly people, many of them frail and vulnerable and living alone, enjoy a day out each week and thus enabling some carers to have a respite day. The wonderful cook, Roswitha, produces superb lunches on Thursdays and provides these on Fridays for up to 40 residents. Last but not least St James Day Care Centre has a bathroom (with a heightadjustable bath to make life easier for the specially employed lovely lady working as the bath nurse) where several people each week, who find it difficult or impossible to bath themselves at home, appreciate being able to have a supervised bath in safety and comfort for a modest charge. It is with a sense of pride to point out that this is the only day care centre in city and county to provide a bathing facility which seems incredible but there it is and it could be said to be another outstanding feature of Birstall. Also we are fortunate to have The Birstall Post, a first class publication giving lots of news and information. So let us all be positive and acknowledge and appreciate all the good facilities which are available for various age groups in Birstall – no wonder it seems to be a popular location for people to move to as residents. Mr J Woods
Taxi rank? I think it is time something was done about allotted parking space outside Michaels butchers shop opposite Birstall cabs as it has become a taxi rank, so anyone who just wants to nip into any of these shops cannot park there. With a large free car park nearby there is no reason for them to be there. Mr B C Burrows
Reprints of photos in
THE BIRSTALL POST are available: A5 £2 & A4 £5