Help lend a hand on the river A RAPIDLY growing charity needs new volunteers to help visitors enjoy a day on the river. Following the launch of a nationwide fund raising campaign during November 2017, The Baldwin Trust, a local waterways based community charity, now has a different problem to solve! The Trust was set up in 1983 to help patients of the Baldwin Ward at the former Leicester Frith Hospital by giving them therapeutic trips on the tranquil waters of the local river and canal system. The Trust is a Charity crewed entirely by volunteers to provide enjoyable days out for people of all ages and physical abilities. The boats are fitted with ramps
Pics: A Baldwin Trust river trip and (left) volunteer crew aboard a boat
great day on the water. Set the task of securing funds to replace both of its 30+ year old narrow boats; the funding team and volunteers have been successful in raising adequate funds to order the first of the new 68 foot long narrow boats. Construction started in February and completion is expected during July 2019. Spokesman Alisdair Macintyre said: “Having transported nearly 2,000 members of our community on the canals and rivers of Leicestershire during 2018, we have been surprised and delighted by the level of support to acquire the first and lifts for easy access for wheelchairs new boat but now find that we need and other mobility issues. They are also more volunteers and experienced skipvery happy to arrange trips for family pers to man the increased fleet of three and community groups wishing to have a boats by August this year! We never expected this to happen so quickly!”
They have recruited 15 new volunteers during the last six months but need at least 15 more to meet the growing demand from disadvantaged people of all ages to enjoy a day on the river. Alisdair said: “Can you help? Are you interested in using your spare time to help those less able than you? If you enjoy the outdoors and time by the waterside or may have some sailing experience, working with this Trust could be just right for you!” You can visit the web site for the Trust at www.baldwintrust.co.uk and fill out the volunteer application form and return it to the Trust or you can write to: The Secretary, 52, Johnson Road, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 3AS with your details.
Touch screen display A LARGE 55 inch touch display screen has been installed at the Mountsorrel and Rothley Heritage Centre. Provided thanks to fundraising by Rothley primary school, the new display has been installed in the downstairs heritage room. A spokesman said: “At present there are over 200 photos, videos, and narrations for you to watch on the display, these will be added to over the coming months as we scan and index the wealth of historical information that has been loaned to us. This should give visitors a taste of what is planned for our Discovery Centre and allow you to see historical content with much more detail than would be possible in a book or on a display board. “A massive thank you to Rothley Primary School for raising the funds to allow us to buy this.”
Dog warden report Borough council tax
Dogaholics Pet Walking Service Other pets also catered for House sitting available Trained & Insured
Contact me for rates: 07511 808299 meganwilliams252252@gmail.com
10
The proposed increase would see the annual charge for an average Band D property rise £5 (4.27 per cent) to £122.09 from April 1, 2019. It is also being proposed to keep the Loughborough Special Rate, paid by residents of Loughborough and the equivalent of a parish precept in villages, at the same rate, £74.97. Councillor Tom Barkley, Lead Member Green and then walk away the gentleman for Finance and Property Services, said: said he believed it wasn’t against the law “We are proposing to increase our local to let a dog foul on a public grassed element of council tax for the next finanarea that wasn’t a lawn. cial year. I never pick it up in a morning, it’s “Local government funding remains dark and I haven’t got time because I challenging and in order to protect our have to go to work I’m going to be late frontline services, we have put forward now. (7am, Rothley Rd near the Co-op) what we believe is a reasonable proposal. It’s Christmas day we’re new dog “It would mean we will still have one owners and thought it was okay to let of the lowest council tax rates in the him do it on a field (This again was on country. We are also proposing to freeze The Green) the Loughborough Special Rate once I never bother picking it up in winter again. it’s not worth it. “Even with this increase, it will still How the f*** do you expect me to mean we will have to use some of our pick up s*** when I’ve got an umbrella reserves in order to balance the books as well as a dog (A charming young lady for 2019/2020.However, because of careon a very wet day on Halstead Road) ful planning in the past, our financial Needless to say they were all given position will remain strong which will dog bags and advised accordingly, and allow us to continue to offer excellent all did eventually pick up their mess. services for residents.” None of the seventeen offenders were Charnwood Borough Council currently owners that I’d had to speak to before or has the 23rd lowest council tax charge since. In fact two of them actually waved out of 201 district councils in the country. dog bags at me on another occasion to Council tax pays for a range of servicprove they had them! es provided Charnwood Borough Council,
Leicestershire County Council, Leicestershire Police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue and the parish council where you live. The Charnwood element accounts for less than 10 per cent of the total bill.
Film shot locally THE GCR railway featured in the recently released film ‘Stan and Ollie’ starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly Parts of the film were shot aboard carriages along the line and shots of the train station were filmed at Loughborough. The film is a comedy drama about the famous comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in their later years as they travel around the UK and Ireland in 1953 on a music hall tour. The GCR has been used as a film location for the films ‘Enigma’ and ‘The Hours’ as well as for Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ and the TV show, Top Gear
MAR 2019
Since the clocks changed in October and winter arrived the amount of excrement on the pavements has really increased. This is the same all over the village. These are some excuses I’ve had from some of the seventeen dog owners that I’ve observed not picking up recently and spoken to. It’s dark, I didn’t think anyone would see me. It’s fiddly to pick up when you’re wearing gloves. It’s too muddy to go on the field so that’s why I’m on the pavement, I don’t need bags on the field so I don’t carry them. When I approached a couple who stood and watched their dog foul on The
CHARNWOOD BOROUGH Council is proposing to raise its share of council tax by 9p a week for a Band D property.
MOUNTSORREL POST
MOINTSORREL PARISH Council employs a dog warden and her January report to the council provides an insight into her job: