The Bradgate Magazine - July 2016

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From Ed & the team...

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Welcome to the July edition of the Vine Magazine, this month we’ve oodles of interesting articles, many with a green-fingered hue, for example, if you’ve been following our monthly gardening tips this year and hopefully putting them into good practice, then we’ve no doubt you’ve marvellous gardens in full bloom to the front and rear – the immediate message: keep up the good work – however, if you’re not quite there yet, never fear as we’ve some great gardening advice, hints and tips, courtesy of our resident gardener, Joanne Kennedy to pass on to you all (see page 25 for more information).

Alternatively, if looking at other people’s lovingly tended gardens is more your thing, then ‘Loughborough in Bloom’ might take your fancy. This year the town is taking part in a worldwide horticultural competition for the first time and their open-to-the-public displays are not to be missed (turn to page 19 to find out more); let us all wish them the best of British, and we look forward to hearing how they performed on the world stage in a future issue.

Keeping on the outdoor theme – how do you fancy the challenge of the ‘Leicestershire 3 Peaks Power Walk’? Scaling the Old John peak, Beacon Hill and the highest of them all, Bardon Hill? For every £10 raised for Charity Link they are able to raise a further, fantastic, £50 from charitable trusts. Are you up for the challenge? If so, ‘hike’ your way to page 26 to read all about it.

Our Feature this month is on the small but ever so delightful Charnwood village trio of Rothley, Mountsorrel and Quorn. With some interesting articles on the villages’ history and their attractions to boot, check out the great support our local businesses also provide to these areas – making a visit to one, or all three of these areas, very much worth your time.

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Finally, no Editor’s note is complete without mentioning the all-important anniversaries, from Swithland Flower and Vegetable Show, celebrating its 40th year to Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust’s 60th Diamond Anniversary. Both organisations do fantastic work in the community and as such we’re delighted to bring you news of their charity- and environmental-work alongside their commemorative events on pages 44 and 51 respectively.

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CONTENTS 10 THE CHARITY PAGES Have a browse through our charity pages and read about the latest local events and updates!

22 ALL THINGS GARDEN! Stunning Open Gardens, tips on growing fabulous fuchsias, expert gardening advice and Rothley’s Big Dig! 28 THE CHARNWOOD TRIO Read about this wonderful trio of villages that are steeped in history, have beautiful surroundings delicious food & fabulous shops 48 LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT Concerts, Festivals & Shows, Lunches, Trains, Comedy, Music Open Gardens, Kids Events, Walks & Talks!

Other than all of the above, there’s a great deal more to read and enjoy, please take your time and we’ll see you again in September.

CONTACT US: editor@thebradgatemagazine.co.uk | 01530 249589 | www.thebradgatemagazine.co.uk ADVERTISING: For anyone wishing to advertise in The Bradgate contact the editor for prices, deadlines & offers!

Our Disclaimer:

Reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all content, The Bradgate Magazine takes no responsibility for the accuracy of statements or content and can accept no liability for errors, omissions or any inconvenience arising therefrom. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the publisher. All text, images and design in this publication and on the website are subject to copyright. Any unauthorised duplication is strictly prohibited. Artwork and articles are accepted in good faith and on the condition that permission has been granted for use on our website. Copyright © The Bradgate Magazine Ltd.

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The Bradgate is printed by: Spectrum Printing Services Ltd, Waterside Road, Hamilton Business Park, Leicester LE5 1TL | Tel: 0116 2461717

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‘One Must Hold A Right Royal Tea Party’

THIS SUMMER, help her majesty celebrate a milestone year, the best way you know how, with your very own Right Royal Tea Party in aid of Meningitis Now. Put on a spread fit for a queen, make your own crowns, and enjoy the finest in regal entertainment – raising much needed funds, for those affected by meningitis at the same time.

Why not give your next children’s party a regal twist? Or compete with your friends to bake the finest tea-time fayre?

Loyal subjects receive a party pack including fundraising tips, donation boxes, balloons, invitations and coasters, to make sure it’s a really royal theme. There are also regal recipes and glorious game ideas such as Pin the Tail on the Corgi, Hunt the Crown and Royal Relay!

By hosting a Right Royal Tea Party, you’ll be helping families like Gareth Thomas and his daughter Georgia who contracted meningitis at just six months old.

“Apart from a few after-effects, Georgia has made a full recovery. We are so glad. As long as she is still with us, we are able to accept and deal with anything thrown in our way.

“By raising funds with a Right Royal Tea Party, you will help many other families affected by this terrible disease.”

By recognising the symptoms, Gareth was able to get lifesaving treatment for Georgia. Help us to fight this disease by raising awareness and funding research, so that other families do not have to go through the same ordeal.

To request your Right Royal Tea Party pack, visit the website here: www.time-4-tea.org. If you have any questions or would like more information, please give us a call on 0345 120 4530, or email time4tea@meningitisnow.org Meningitis Now, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is the UK’s leading charity working to save lives and rebuild the futures of people affected by meningitis through research, support and awareness.

It is working towards a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives. For more information or to donate visit the website at:

www.MeningitisNow.org

NOMINATE YOUR LOCAL HERO Local residents are being encouraged to recognise people who go the extra mile to help their community.

Charnwood Borough Council is asking people to nominate a Community Hero who they feel makes a real difference to the lives of local people.

Everyone nominated will be presented with a certificate and will be welcome to attend Community Heroes Day as recognition of their hard work.

Community Heroes Day takes place on July 31, in Market Street, Loughborough. The event is a chance for local groups to showcase the work they do for the community and network with other organisations.

Councillor Jonathan Morgan, Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion, said: “As well as supporting local organisations, we are also looking for our own heroes.

“They could do anything from mowing the lawn for a neighbour to running a youth club.

If you know someone who goes out of their way to help others then please nominate them.

“We want to recognise people who are making a difference and improving our community as a result.”

Keith Reynolds is a support worker at The Carpenters Arms in Loughborough which is a residential rehabilitation centre for men with drug and alcohol addictions.

Last year he was nominated as a Community Hero for the work he does with the group.

Keith, 69, said: “I was very surprised when I got the call to say I’d been nominated, but also very proud.

“Going along to Community Heroes Day to receive my certificate was a great experience, as well as being a lovely day out with my family and friends. We’ll definitely be attending again this year.”

Nominations can be made via the Council website and the deadline for entries is July 15. Anyone who lives or works in Charnwood can nominate a Community Hero or be nominated themselves.

People who receive nominations will be invited to receive their certificate of appreciation at a ceremony at Community Heroes Day on July 31.

For more information and to nominate a Community Hero, visit the website below or follow ‘Charnwood Community Heroes’ on Facebook.

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The Blooming Great Tea Party Charnwood Group, a group of local volunteers, recently joined up with Whatton House to put on teas and cakes to raise money for Marie Curie and awareness of the latest campaign, the Blooming Great Tea Party. Joined by local representatives of the National Garden Scheme and Community Fundraiser Sophie, volunteers baked cakes and manned the tea rooms at Whatton House.

Marie Curie Fundraiser for Leicestershire and Rutland, Sophie Wallace said “We all had a great time, sharing cakes, chatting to visitors and getting to visit the beautiful gardens at Whatton House. Our volunteers did a brilliant job in the tea rooms, and it was fantastic to be able to launch our Blooming Great Tea Party in such a lovely location!”

The Blooming Great Tea Party runs from 20th – 29th June, and whether it’s a big garden party for family and friends or a small bake sale at work, every donation will be helping Marie Curie Nurses care for more people living with a terminal illness across the UK. To register or for tea party inspiration visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty or call 0800 716 146.

Follow updates on social media and share photos using #BloomingGreat.

Music for Superheroes! - Ashby Concert Band Saturday 2nd July 2016

Ashby Concert Band presents Music For Superheroes. In support of the Air Ambulance Charity. At Holy Trinity Church, Kilwardby Street, Ashby. 7.30pm start. Tickets are £10 each and are available from band members or Ashby Tourist Information Centre. (01530 411767). Admission includes tea/coffee/juice and biscuits.

For further information call 01530 222 934.

Leicester Lions Summer Fair Sunday 7th August 2016 Leicester Lions will again be holding their annual Summer Fair in the grounds of 34 The Ridgeway, Rothley, LE7 7LE. This event, which has already raised over £10,000 for local charities, is a great place to meet old friends or bring your family, to enjoy tea and cakes or something from the barbecue. Stroll around and browse through the art exhibition, the bric-a-brac sale and the craft stalls, or buy a plant. Try your luck at tombola, or purchase a raffle ticket to win a prize (most donated by local businesses).

Gate will open at 11.00 am and close at 3pm. All proceeds raised will go to charity. Please do come along and join in.

Watermead Challenge 2016 Charity Run

Tuesday 12th July 2016, 7pm - 5 mile and 3 mile routes!

Don’t forget to enter this year’s Watermead Challenge charity run. It takes place at 7pm on Tuesday 12th July. This is the sixth year the run has been staged and the first year with chip timing. 300 runners in 2015 can’t be wrong!

The five mile and three mile routes around Watermead Country Park are flat and mostly off road. They appeal to runners of all abilities with the opportunity of achieving a personal best time.

The event is presented by The Rotary Club of the Wreake Valley and the new Syston Rotary Club. This is a fundraising event with proceeds going to the local Alex’s Wish charity (www.alexwish.co.uk) which is aiming to “conquer” Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is supported by Whitegates estate agency.

Entries are accepted on the night until 6.30pm. Please visit www.wreakevalleyrotary. org.uk for full entry details. You can pay online to secure your place in the starting line up.

Watermead Country Park, Syston Leicester LE7 1PD (north entrance).

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ALEX’S WISH: Charnwood Forest Cycle Ride 2016

CHARITY NEWS

The MME Charnwood Forest Cycle Ride, organised by local charity Alex’s Wish, reported its busiest year ever with over 250 cyclists recently taking to the 10, 20 or 50 mile routes.

“The weather was just gorgeous,” says Emma Hallam, founder of Alex’s Wish a local Rothley based charity who raise money to fund clinical trials into finding treatments and, ultimately, a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; a life limiting condition which affects boys across the UK including Emma’s son Alex, after whom the charity is named. “That certainly helped draw a few more cyclists out on the day. We are still receiving sponsorship money but to date over £10,000 has been raised making this our most successful Charnwood Forest Cycle Ride to date - both in terms of number of riders and the amount raised.”

Riders were equally happy with the event. Elizabeth Raouf said, “We love this event. Yet again it was beautifully organised and a fabulous ride. All of my colleagues enjoyed it and my daughter, who has just turned 14, joined us too.

I hope to make the team bigger every year. Great news about the amount raised.... well done!”

Dave Haywood cycled the 50 mile route which was new for 2016 and said, “Thank you for today. Really, really enjoyed the 50 mile bike ride round beautiful Charnwood. Can’t tell you how brilliantly the course was laid out. I didn’t know the area at all but found the arrows and directions were brilliant. I would definitely like to do it again next year. Thank you again.”

Jerry Parker also did the 50 mile route but suggested a new challenge – which the organisers are considering for 2017’s event. Jerry said, “I’d just like to say a huge thank you for putting on such a great cycling event. Great route and quite challenging in places, excellent marshalling throughout and a very good turnout. Maybe it’s time to ramp up the distance from 50 to 75 miles? Everyone I spoke to said what a great ride they’d had and the weather couldn’t have been better. Well done to everyone involved.”

Lisa Bacon of SHB Solicitors who adopted Alex’s Wish as their Charity of the Year said, “This is our first time as a company supporting this event and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We also hope to field a larger team next year but we had cyclists in both the 10 and 50 mile routes. Alex’s Wish is a fabulous charity to support and I’m really looking forward to working closely with them throughout this year. Watch this space!”

Emma added, “It’s great to have good feedback on the event and to see everyone enjoying the new 10 and 50 mile routes as well as the established 20 mile route. I really want to thank all the volunteers, marshalls and sponsors too.

MME were our headline sponsor and we also received support from Cuppas of Rothley and Mattioli Woods. We also had three returning sponsors from last year too - Nisa (Bradleys store) in Rothley were the events first-aid sponsors, The Woodmans Stroke Pub in Rothley were the communications sponsor and Pedal Power were the on-site bike specialists.

Without their support this event would be almost impossible to put on. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Photos of the event can be found at: www.facebook.com/alexswishcharity1

Rothley Ladies Circle The Ladies Circle presented a cheque to the Laura Centre for a whopping £450.00. The group would like to thank everyone that supported their coffee morning.

The group starts again in September at The Methodist Church, Howe Lane, Rothley at 2:30pm and will meet on the following Tuesdays: September 6th - Speaker: Rev. Dave Warnock on his trip, while on sabbatical September 20th - Speaker: Harry from Allens Bakery ,Birstall , Making of a Sheaf of Wheat Bread October 4th - Audrey Baker: Harvest Service | October 18th - Speaker: Ken Goddard Classical Music & Last Night of the Proms November 1st - Speaker: Ruth Coward, Literature Live and Fall into winter November 15th - Speaker: Heather Pariss, Flower Arrangements for Christmas November 29th - Christmas Lunch (members only) | December 13th - Carol Service.

We are a friendly group and everyone is welcome. £5 to Join and £2 each Tuesday you come, £3 for Visitors.

Photo: Gail Moore founder of the Laura Centre and Carole Jordon president of the Ladies Circle.

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NT Leicester Association

The Friends of Charnwood Forest

Guided walk by Neil Pilcher of Herbert’s Meadow and Ulverscroft Woods There was a good turnout on Wednesday June 8 for a guided tour led by Neil Pilcher of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT). 30 members of Friends of Charnwood Forest (FOCF) had a fascinating walk through lands cared for by the Trust with much information from Neil Pilcher.

Herbert’s Meadow is a site of about 8 acres, managed by the Trust. The Trust also manages several nearby sites, owned by itself and the National Trust. The meadow is managed on a five year cycle, with grazing and this year a hay crop.

The new Warner Bros film “The Legend of Tarzan” will be released on 8th July. Kedleston Hall, the NT property near Derby, was used during the filming as Greystoke Manor, the ancestral home of John Clayton who became known as Tarzan.

Filming took place in the grand Marble Hall and in many other rooms throughout the property. There are also many dramatic shots of the exterior of the Hall, some of which have been enhanced by visual effects. In addition a number of NT volunteers were also involved in the production.

Kedleston Hall was built in 1765, during the reign of George III, by Sir Nathaniel Curzon who later became the 1st Lord Scarsdale. Sir Nathaniel had inherited the estate in 1758 at the age of 32 and almost immediately tore down his grandfather’s house and moved the nearby village to make way for a palatial new mansion set in idyllic parkland.

Curzon finally chose Robert Adam as the architect for his grand house and also to design the furniture and landscape the parkland. The central section of the house contains the Marble Hall, the Saloon, the Music Room, the Library, the Drawing Room and the State Bedroom.

This central section was never designed to be “lived in” by the family but was only used for entertaining and displaying the family collections of paintings, furniture, silverware etc. The family lived in two large wings either side if the central block. Today the Hall is considered to be the best surviving example of Robert Adam’s work as the building contains most of the original furniture.

After the 1st Lord Scarsdale the family reverted to the quiet life of country landowners. There was however one exception, George Nathaniel, Marquess Curzon. He had a glittering political career and served as Viceroy of India (1899 – 1905) and as Foreign Secretary (1919 – 1924). He established The Indian Museum at Kedleston which is still open as part of the house today.

Kedleston Hall is open each week from Saturday to Thursday, 12.00 noon to 5.00pm until 30th October.

For details of the NT Leicester Association and its Talks Service for other organisations please call 0116 2229133.

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The meadow is ablaze with wild flowers. There are many varieties of orchid; Common Orchid, Bee Orchid, Fragrant Orchid and many other plants. Neil showed us various grasses and other plants and explained the cattle’s choice of their favourite foods, which necessitates careful control.

The Trust has the management of old oak woods and work on Sites Of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Members are free to visit but otherwise advance permission is necessary.

Councillor Paul Day, Chairman of FOCF, thanked Neil Pilcher and presented him with a cheque for the Trust’s funds.

Advance notice(1). There will be a talk on Calke Abbey on Monday September 19th. Details later.

Further information from Peter Bertram 0116 210 0572 or www.focf.org.uk and from Neil Pilcher 0116 262 9968 or www.lrwt.org.uk Advance notice: There will be a talk on Calke Abbey on Monday 19th September.

Further details later.

THURCASTON & CROPSTON WI We meet on the first Thursday evening of the month at 7.30 pm (except January) in Thurcaston Memorial Hall.

Why not come along to a meeting and find out more about us. Be assured of a warm welcome. Visitors £4 per meeting.

Our upcoming meetings: 7th July - Cathedrals, Rooftops and more ... Dr Jonathan

Castleman of Norman & Underwood talks about working on famous buildings including Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court Palace and the British Embassy in Moscow.

4 August - Hey Diddle Diddle – the history and meaning of nursery rhymes. Sandy Leong reveals some dramatic and hidden meanings in those once familiar innocent rhymes. www.thebradgatemagazine.co.uk

Volunteering is good for your Mental Health

Local charity highlights roll of volunteering in helping local people’s mental wellbeing.

Local charity Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) is raising awareness of how volunteering is helping local people’s mental health.

VAL supports local people into volunteering. Last year the charity handled over 10,400 applications from people wanting to volunteer. Volunteering Team Manager Abdul Asghar has seen the impact that volunteering can have on the volunteers’ mental health: “Many people think that volunteering is all about helping someone else – but being a volunteer can really help you too.

Lots of the volunteers we work with say that the social side of volunteering really helps them make new friends and stay connected. If you struggle with mental health, this can make a huge difference.”

VAL is also asking local non-profit groups and volunteers to share their experiences of how volunteering impacts on local people’s mental health.

Young People’s charity FOCUS shared their story of how volunteering can be life-changing for young people with mental health issues. Matt, FOCUS CEO explains: “We have regularly found that some of the young people who approach us to volunteer do so at a time when they are in need of emotional support themselves. Consciously or sub-consciously we know that doing something for others is good for us. We all enjoy highs and lows in our mental health and I am in no doubt that volunteering helps us maintain the highs and deal with the lows.”

Matt’s experiences are backed up by research. For example, a 2014 Citizen’s Advice survey revealed that three-quarters of respondents with mental health issues said, “volunteering helped them feel more able to manage their condition.”

VAL offers a service called Volunteer Plus which focuses exclusively on helping people with extra support needs into volunteering roles that are right for them.

This includes those who need a bit of extra support because of mental illness.

To learn more or start volunteering you can ring VAL’s Helpline on 0116 257 505 or visit www.valonline.org.uk/volunteers.

VAL would like to thank FOCUS for participating in their My Community, My Story campaign. To learn more about the campaign or get involved, visit:

www.valonline.org.uk/mycommunitymystory

THE PLEASURES OF VOLUNTEER DRIVING

Life as a Volunteer Driver is highly rewarding, read below about Janet’s involvement and enjoyment from the experience...

Following a career in local government, Janet Tipton became a volunteer driver for the Syston and District Volunteer Centre (SADVC) in 2005. On average, she spends six hours each week helping the Centre to fulfil contract requirements for carrying young people and adults with special needs to Day Centres or to placements in enterprises such as Hawleyfield Farm in Seagrave or the Oakdale Project in Rearsby.

She also helps with the Centre’s Social Car Service taking the elderly, infirm and rurally isolated to hospital, to visit family and friends, to doctors’ surgeries and hairdressers or simply for shopping. Only in exceptional circumstances does the Centre arrange weekend trips.

Janet says: “Driving my 4-door Citroën 3, I can choose to do as much or as little driving for the Centre as I choose, to fit in with my other commitments. The Centre always gives me plenty of notice of their requirements. While the experience gives me great satisfaction, I know from my “regulars”, many of whom I now count as friends, just how valuable a service the Volunteer Centre provides for each of them.

As a driver, you have to be a good listener, without losing concentration. Sad to report that, in some cases, I am the only person that some of my passengers have had the opportunity to speak to since the last time we travelled together. It’s just like having a friend in the car. The mileage and subsistence rates paid by the Centre adequately cover my expenses. I can strongly recommend anyone with a car and a few hours per week to spare to get involved in this vital community service.”

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer driver at the SADVC should contact Centre Manager, Mark Smith Tel: 0116 2607 888 email: info@syston-vc.org for further details.

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Loughborough in Bloom takes on the world Loughborough in Bloom is celebrating after being invited to join a worldwide horticultural competition for the first time.

The international challenge gives communities the chance to demonstrate their pride and environmental responsibility for their local area.

Andy Rush, chairman of Loughborough in Bloom and editor of Loughborough Echo, said: “Who would have thought when Loughborough in Bloom was launched just eight short years ago we would be invited to take part on the international stage.

“It’s tremendously exciting, a real tribute to the town and all those, past and present, who have made Loughborough in Bloom what it is today.

“What an honour - brilliant.”

Hilary Fryer, Charnwood Borough Council Cabinet Member for Leisure and Open Spaces said: “It’s fantastic to be able to take part in such a large scale competition.

“This will put Loughborough on the world stage and that’s an achievement we can be very proud of.”

Loughborough will be competing against countries from all over the world including the USA and Croatia.

Communities who are successful will receive a Bronze, Silver or Gold Bloom award.

Judges will visit Loughborough on July 4 and the results will be announced in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, in October.

This year Loughborough is also competing in Britain in Bloom and East Midlands in Bloom.

For more information about Communities in Bloom visit: www.communitiesinbloom.ca

North Leicester MG Club

There was a record turnout for this year’s Charnwood Caper Classic and Sports Car Run, organised by the North Leicester MG Club. With over ninety cars in attendance, the previous best entry of around eighty was comfortably improved upon. Vehicles representing every decade since the 1930s were present, with over a half of them dating back to the 1970s and earlier. There were models from thirteen marques present, with the majority unsurprisingly bearing the MG badge.

Participants travelled from eleven different counties to take part, with Leicestershire being home territory for just over half of them. Lincolnshire provided the second largest contingent, with nine classics travelling from the east coast county.

The run’s 80-mile route took in over twenty villages in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Starting at Quorn and Woodhouse station on the Great Central heritage railway line, and travelling mainly on country lanes, the cavalcade of cars made its way to Barton Turns Marina, near Burton-on-Trent, for a half-way break and refreshments. The second half of the tour made its way to the final destination at Staunton Harold Estate in Derbyshire.

Once at the finish, each participating classic was photographed under the estate’s impressive gateway before being marshalled onto the lawn in front of the hall. From here the crews could enjoy views over the parkland and lake, take a stroll around the estate grounds, visit the cafés and shops in the Ferrers Centre, or visit the National Trust-owned Staunton Harold church.

The run has been organised by the club since 2004 and the North Leicester MG Club chairman, Colin Readwin, said, “This year’s Charnwood Caper has been our most successful to date and the club is now looking forward to what is to be our largest ever display of MGs at the Beaumanor Classic Car and Transport Show in July.”

For information about the club and the venues along the run’s route, visit

www.northleicester-mg.org.uk www.gcrailway.co.uk | www.bartonmarina.co.uk | www.stauntonharoldestate.co.uk Photo left: The oldest car on the run, a 1938 MG VA Tickford, from Cropston, arrives at the run destination, Staunton Harold Estate.

Photo top right: Some of the participating cars parked on the lawn in front of Staunton Harold Hall, with Staunton Harold Church as a back drop.

Photo bottom right: North Leicester MG Club Events Co-ordinator, Ian Cox, prepares his Union Flag for waving off the entrants to the run.

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Beautiful Newtown Gardens Wow, what a fantastic day!!! In spite of the forecast the weather stayed fine and dry on 30th May and the visitors arrived in their hundreds. A big thank you to the 970 who enjoyed a sometimes hilly stroll through the eight participating gardens along upper Main Street.

There were some amazing displays of rhododendrons, azaleas and clematis all in full bloom, and all the cottage gardens lived up to their promise. Most of us didn’t know the names of all our plants, but we improved as the day wore on.

The teas and homemade cakes did a roaring trade throughout the day, and the variety of cakes more than satisfied the visitors.

At the end of the day we were all exhausted but delighted that our hard work and planning enabled us to make £6050 for the National Garden Scheme charities.

A big thank you to everyone who helped, to all of you who made some 50 cakes, to Malcolm and The Linford for providing free car parking, and to all of the garden owners. Without your enthusiasm we would never have achieved so much.

Dick Howard We thank you Lord, for Gardens great, Those early men who did create For Gardens large and Gardens small, Patio, Terrace, Lawn and Wall The plants to grace the overall scheme, Rambling, climbing, that rustic scene Small is beautiful, home is best, All have ideas their skills to test For pleasant views our senses thrill, We thank you Lord for all that skill. Amen

Help Us Dig Rothley with Charnwood Roots Over the weekend of 23rd and 24th July, Dr Julie Attard and her team of archaeologists from Leicester University, will be trying to make sense of Rothley’s past, from the Stone Age to Saxon times.

The team are hoping to find 40 suitable test pit sites at different locations around the village where a hole can be carefully excavated. This will not be more than one metre by one metre, and up to a metre deep. A member of the team will be in charge at every pit, but 3 to 4 volunteers will be needed to help with digging, sieving, sorting washing and transporting.

In her recent talk to the Rothley History Society, Dr Attard commented that Rothley had been chosen because ‘there are strong research questions to be answered’. For example, was there any prehistoric activity in what is now the centre of the village? Was there a Roman building there?

Anyone can volunteer to help find out more about Rothley’s past. Training and equipment are provided. For the project to be successful, 120 volunteers are needed and also 40 test pit sites, mostly in people’s gardens.

Dr Attard assured her audience that great care would be taken to replace the soil and turf of the pit and nothing would be visible after 6 months. The test pit owners will be presented with a souvenir report at the end of the project, as well as their finds, if the museum does not want them.

There were 2,000 finds when a similar dig took place in Anstey two years ago, so hopefully the Rothley event will prove equally successful. There is no upper or lower age limit for volunteers, and having a test pit dug in your garden can be an exciting family event.

If you, your family or someone you know would like to be involved in Rothley’s Big dig, please contact: charnwoodroots@le.ac.uk or phone 0116 252 5946.

The Rothley dig is part of the Charnwood Roots Project which continues research that was commissioned originally in the reign of Queen Victoria.

One of the lesser known facts about the Queen, was that she wanted to have a published historical record of all the towns and villages in England. The Victoria County Historical Trust was formed and continued the publications for many years after Victoria’s death, and now, recently, this project has been restarted with new funding.

Press release from Ursula Greaves, Rothley History Society

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Thurcaston & Cropston Gardening Club

Growing Fuchsias for Pleasure

The Club welcomed Jayne Daykin, Vice President of the Nottinghamshire Fuchsia Society to our May meeting. Jayne has been a fuchsia enthusiast from an early age and a member of Nott’s Society for over 20 years, she covered subjects such as growing fuchsias in the garden, propagation and fuchsias in hanging baskets and for showing, giving us a practical demonstration of each section along the way.

Hardy varieties, plants that are permanently planted in the garden, will survive outdoors for many years, particularly if they are planted deep and given a mulch for root protection in the autumn, cut them down by half in November and down to ground level in March or April, by midsummer they will back to their best and full of flowers.

Fuchsias in hanging baskets and troughs perform best when only fuchsias are used in the display, they require damp rather than wet conditions to realise their full potential and this cannot easily be achieved in a mixed display.

Cuttings are best taken in March after the plants winter recess. Repot established plants, lightly trim and water, then as the branches break take the young shoots for cuttings.

TIP to encourage more breaks along the old stems mist spray with water every 2 or 3 days, this will soften the bark allowing the young shoots to break out easier.

Cuttings can also be taken when ‘stopping’ the branches later in the season, that’s pinching out the leading shots and laterals to encourage a bushier habit. When taking cuttings if you are leaving the first pair of true leaves on, cut them back by half this will conserve energy and restrict moisture loss by reducing plant area. It’s also best to use only the very tip - ¾” / 1” - this is where all the energy is located and the cuttings immediate reaction is to send out roots to keep alive. To allow the young roots to develop quickly make sure the compost is well aerated by adding plenty of perlite or vermiculite. Water in with a few drops but after that be very sparing until you can see obvious signs of growth, remember: damp not wet. If growing a single cutting per pot or cell don’t go straight to your final pot size when potting on, build up to it by using slightly larger pots 2 or 3 times as this encourages a stronger root formation.

Growing for showing is a more ‘hands-on’ art and your show plant needs to be a good shape, glowing with healthy leaves and with an abundance of flowers, achieved by regular pinching out. This is where the skill comes in as you need to be aware of how long it will take to produce new flowers on each new branch. To be really accurate a detailed log from previous years is necessary but as a general rule the suggestion is wisely made to allow 60 days for singles, 70 for semi-doubles and 80 for doubles. That’s why you need to start early in the season to create a real show-stopper. Top variety on the show bench in 2015 was F. ‘Shelford’, other popular varieties were ‘Southgate’, ‘Cecile’, ‘Hawkshead’ with its mass of small white flowers and one of the oldest and still one of the best ‘Lye’s Unique’.

We’d love you to join us at one of our upcoming meetings....

This year our day out is on Saturday July 9th when we will be visiting Renishaw Hall (left) in North Derbyshire, last year’s Garden of the Year. Back to the village hall in August for a spot of “Greenhouse Gardening” with Geoff Hodge.

In August we will be meeting on the 10th to hear a talk titled ‘Greenhouse Gardening’ by Geoff Hodge Our 33rd Annual Garden, Craft & Produce Show at the Richard Hill Primary School on Saturday September 3rd completes our summer line up for 2016.

Meetings are held at the Thurcaston and Cropston Memorial Hall and start at 7.45 pm on the second Wednesday of each month (unless otherwise stated).

For more information, please call Dave Haddon on (0116) 235 9758

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In The Garden...

With Joanne Kennedy The warmer summer evenings mean we can sit in our gardens later into the evening, so I thought I would chat about how lighting can enhance your garden.

Avoid strong, bright lights which can be harsh and choose lights that are softer. By maintaining areas of shadow you give a theatrical effect to your garden and make the night-time garden more enchanting.

Up-lighting is one way to highlight a focal point in your garden. This can be a sculpture, a tree or a plant.

Down-lighting gives a lovely glow to a sitting area.

Lighting brings another dimension to your water feature Paths, steps and decking can also be lit to help guide you in areas that you wouldn’t normally go when dark. These lights are gentle and without glare. Tiny LED lights thread through pergolas create a romantic ambience. Use long-life low energy bulbs in areas that are lit for extended periods, elsewhere use LED bulbs wherever possible.

Unless you have solar lighting there are practical considerations as you will need an external power supply. This really should be fitted by a qualified electrician and any mains cabling in the garden must be armoured to prevent accidents. Most garden lighting runs on low voltage which requires a transformer in a waterproof casing. When plugged into your mains power supply it reduces the voltage which makes them safe to use. Have a look at www.lightingforgardens.com or www.lightideas.co.uk or www.lumenalights.com for more ideas.

If you need any help give me a call!

Things to do this month: • Regular summer jobs include, hoeing the borders to keep down weeds, cutting lawns (weekly) and watering your containers and hanging baskets • Keep your greenhouse well ventilated, open the doors and windows – you can get an automatic vent for your windows as this saves time and effort • Give your plants a boost with a weekly liquid feed • Tie your climbers onto their frames as they grow • Dead-head roses, perennial flowers and cut back early flowering perennials such as delphiniums, lupins and geraniums – they may give you a second flush of flowers • Cover your fruit and vegetables with netting to stop birds from stealing the fruits • Top-up ponds as necessary - they can evaporate quickly in sunny weather

Plants that are looking their best this month are Achilleas, Campanulas, Eryngiums, Lavender, Hydrangeas, Cistus and Hypericum.

If you need any help with planting or designing your garden please contact me on 07739 153516 or

www.gardenblueprints.net

Joanne Kennedy established Garden Blueprints in 2006 having qualified via Pershore College. Since then she has helped hundreds of clients with their design, redesign and planting requirements.

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Great Britain Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team to take on the world at the Leicester Sports Arena As the world counts down to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, the GB Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team will take on the sport’s leading nations at the Leicester Sports Arena (2nd-5th July) – less than 10 weeks before they take centre stage in Brazil.

Descending upon Leicester for the Continental Clash 2016, is an unmissable international line-up that will see the GB Men’s Team (the 2015 European Champions) – do battle against London 2012 Gold Medallists, Canada; the 2014 World Champions, Australia; Japan, and the Netherlands.

With preparations for the Games now entering their final stage, this stunning event will see the Great Britain team compete on home soil for the last time ahead of an intense schedule of training and international competitions.

The Continental Clash 2016 will feature 15 spectacular showcase games of fast-paced, action-packed world-class sport and entertainment for the whole family with tickets ranging from £2 - £12.

The action, however, will go far beyond the show court and into the local community: to ensure a sporting and economic legacy that lasts long after the final buzzer, British Wheelchair Basketball – the National Governing Body for the sport in the UK – has teamed up with Leicester County Council, Leicester College, and Leicestershire and Rutland CSP. The Engagement Programme will work alongside the Continental Clash to turn inspiration into participation: building upon the activities and accomplishments of local wheelchair basketball club the Leicester Cobras and the BBL’s Leicester Riders to provide more opportunities to get involved with wheelchair basketball – supporting schools, colleges, and community groups.

As part of the community engagement programme, British Wheelchair Basketball and its partners will be offering schools the opportunity to participate in and spectate at the Continental Clash. For more details about how to get your school or college involved please contact j.popat@britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk for further information.

BWB CEO Charlie Bethel said: “This is an amazing opportunity to see the world’s best teams and relive the magic of London 2012 with unmissable entertainment for the whole family.” GB Men’s Head Coach Haj Bhania said: “The road to Rio began at the end of the London 2012 Games and winning European Championships in September 2015 in Worcester secured our qualification.

Over the last four years, the team – players, coaches, support staff and the programme – has and continues to work hard to prepare compete against the world’s top teams.”

For further details visit the website:

www.britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk

Photo & cover photo: © SA Images

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Make Strides To Help Local People In Poverty Charity Link, which, in 2016, is marking 140 years of helping local people in poverty, is looking for challengers to take on its first ever ‘Leicestershire 3 Peaks Power Walk’ which will take place on Sunday 25th September 2016.

The challenge will see individuals and teams taking on a 15 mile course starting and finishing at Bradgate Park. The route includes the peaks of Old John Tower, Beacon Hill and Leicestershire’s highest peak, Bardon Hill, which, at 912ft, is just 88ft short of a mountain. Walking through some of the county’s most beautiful (and physically challenging!) scenery, the goal is to finish the route within six hours.

Charity Link supports people of all ages and backgrounds who find themselves in poverty, hardship or crisis including people affected by chronic illness, disabled people and the victims of domestic violence. Charity Link makes a tangible difference by providing essential items such as beds, clothing and even food to help make people’s lives better.

Susan McEniff, Director of Charity Link, says: “It would be brilliant to have the support of the local community in this, the charity’s 140th year. The need for our services remains great. Last year we supported 8,209 people, 33% of whom were deprived children and young people, but we can only continue our vital work if people get behind events such as this. We hope our Leicestershire 3 Peaks Power Walk will inspire people to get out and undertake a challenge in some amazing local countryside whilst really making a difference.”

There is a £15 registration fee to enter with a £100 fundraising target which, due to the unique way in which Charity Link works (for every £10 donated to the charity it can raise £50 from charitable trusts that are available to help those in need), means that every walker raising their fundraising target could help the charity to provide a fridge and cooker for a local family in desperate need or beds for three children currently sleeping on the floor. Funds can be raised through sponsorship or other activity such as raffle or cake sales.

For more details visit www.charity-link.org/events/challenges or email rachel.markham@charty-link.org for an information pack.

FREE OPEN DAY: 10 YEARS OF THE WARNING ZONE! After reaching the milestone of 10 years in helping young people stay safe, Warning Zone is holding an Open Day on Saturday 13th August from 11am until 4pm.

Warning Zone is a children’s educational charity, based at Frog Island in Leicester. By the end of this school year they will have had over 9,000 year 6 pupils (aged 10 & 11) visit them from Primary, Independent and Special Schools from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Interactive learning is the key to their success, they educate the young people on how to stay safe both online and offline, whilst at the same time realising the age of criminal responsibility (which is 10) and discouraging anti-social behaviour.

The ultimate aim is to save lives, reduce injury and stop children and others from entering the criminal justice system.

It also helps them in their transition into early adolescence by equipping them with important and relevant life skills.

The original eight interactive zones cover fire risk in the home, the dangers of electricity and building sites, alcohol, personal safety, water safety, arson and finally risks around the railways.

In September 2015 recognising the issues surrounding young people in an ever increasing online world they created their new E-Safety Zone which is designed as an old fashioned fairground. Within this zone each of the interactive stalls deals with issues such as grooming, phishing, cyber bullying, privacy settings and understanding all about your digital footprint and the dangers of sharing inappropriate images.

This new zone has now enabled Warning Zone to offer a full day experience rather than the half day as in previous years.

Take your family and friends along to the open day and see the demonstrations, stalls and guided tours around their unique safety zones. Refreshments will be available to purchase on the day, all ages welcome, wheelchair friendly.

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The Charnwood Trio This month’s feature shines a light on three delightful villages that make up the Charnwood Trio, equally known in their own right as Quorn, Mountsorrel and Rothley.

Connected by the useful A6 - but many other tributary roads too – 4 miles covers the ground from Quorn down to Rothley, so if of a mind, you could visit all three in a day, but with so much to see and do at each locale there’s many reasons not to rush.

Quorn, previously known as Quorndon (but shortened to avoid confusion with neighbouring Derbyshire’s Quorndon) is a delight. Look out for Quorn Hall, Quorn Church and some visually beautiful homes. A plethora of fantastic eateries will keep the simplest or cultured of palettes happy either way, whilst nestled away shops and services are exciting to explore and unearth. Look out for the Quorn Church Rooms’ Summer Serenade (1st July) and plenty of open gardens, which will also see the village being judged for the East Midlands in Bloom competition. Good luck Quorn!

Heading South, and Mountsorrel, located on the River Soar, plays home to over 8,000 people, a multitude of useful provision as well as some interesting historical connections – from it’s famous “pink granite” quarry – the largest in Europe, to its 1793 Butter Market in the village centre. The Leicester arm of the Grand Union canal also runs through Mountsorrel and the village plays host to a steep hill which was once crowned by a castle, built in 1080.

Continuing onwards, or should we say downwards, and you reach Rothley. A long-time desirable village it is one of Leicestershire’s most affluent, with good links and equally good schools in attendance. Centring around two greens (Town and Cross Green) Rothley is steeped in history – the Templar Chapel (see page 30) and Grand Central Railway’s very pretty Edwardian rail station (which has featured amply in both film and TV) all very worth a visit. Rothley has excellent facilities and shops, most of them in the Woodgate area, with an excellent independent array to compliment, which centres rather nicely around traditional goods and offerings.

Why not take a time-out and a trip to one of the Trio, we’re quite sure you won’t be disappointed, but in the meantime, read on, and see what else these lovely villages have to offer along with some of the local businesses that are just waiting to offer you excellent service with a smile.

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The Order of the Knights Templar Located next to, and forming part of the picturesque 16th Century Rothley Court Hotel, off Westfield Lane, lies the historic chapel, or more accurately, a historic Preceptory (a religious establishment operated by certain orders of monastic knights), of the Knights Templar, but who are the Templars and what’s their relationship to Rothley?

Known originally as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, these origin French Knights were an order of Christian Knights that were formed in 1119AD with a remit to protect Christian pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem whilst acting as the garrison army of the four newly established post-Crusade Christian Kingdoms.

Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Templars soon became famous for their success and in turn landowners across Europe endowed the order with great riches, oft in the form of land, and as such they grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar Knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were skilled fighters whilst non-combatant members managed a large economic portfolio, that constituted an early form of banking.

The Templars were thought to have arrived on British soil sometime in 1140 when French nobleman Hughes de Payens, the founder and Grand Master of the order of the Knights Templar, visited the country. In 1231 King Henry III, anxious about what would happen to his body upon his death, passed the matter to the London Templar Knights to handle (…the order already held some of the King’s Treasury so were trusted, and quite permitted to contribute to such discussions). In payment King Henry gifted his own Manor and the Soke of Rothley to the Templars – as the order had done in other places, the Templars established a Preceptory at Rothley to control their interests, now as Lords of the Manor. The buildings comprised a Hall, as the living quarters (now the Hotel Dining Room and Templar Suite), and an adjoining Chapel to manage their devotions.

The Templars’ existence was tied closely to the Holy Land, so when this was lost in 1291, support for the order faded. Furthermore, rumours pertaining to the Templars’ wealth and secret initiation ceremonies had created distrust, which King Philip IV of France - deeply indebted to said order - took full advantage of, pressuring Pope Clement V in to action by abolishing the order, which he duly did in 1307. Many of the Templar Knights were arrested, tortured and burned at the stake as heretics, some escaped persecution and went into hiding.

The subsequent, relatively, abrupt disappearance of one of Europe’s most distinct and infrastructurally-established orders gave rise to speculation and legend, which still keeps the “Templar” name alive today. Books like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code include the Knights in their conspiracy theories, whilst smash-hit video game, Assassins Creed has re-introduced the name of the Knights to a new, younger generation, pitching a centuries-old struggles between the anti-hero “Assassins”, who fight for peace with free will, against the Templars, who desire peace through control.

Visitors are welcome to visit the Chapel of the Knights Templar adjoining the Rothley Court Hotel, contact the Hotel’s Reception (0116 237 4141) for more details.

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Rothley Community Library Events July events at Rothley Community Library Thursday 7th July at 7pm. Britons, Saxons, Vikings - Who are the English?

A lighthearted, not to say irreverent, look at how England became a nation. With Marianne Whiting.

Marianne was born and bred in Sweden. She has lived and worked in England since 1973. She is now happily retired and spends her time giving talks and writing, mostly about Vikings. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies and her novel Shieldmaiden was longlisted for the Rubery International Book Award in 2013. Pay as you like. Proceeds will be shared between Marianne and the library.

Tuesday 5th & Friday 29th July, 9.30 -10.15am - Under 5s story time Everyone is welcome, pay as you like.

Wednesday 20th July 7.15 - 8.15pm - Community Book Group We’ll be talking about Villette, by Charlotte Bronte. Everyone is welcome.

Find out m

ore at

www. rothleycom munitylibra ry .co.uk or on the Fa

ceboo

k page 7th and 21st July 10am - 12 noon - Computer support group T: 0116 305 3671 Together with Age UK. Bring along your laptop, tablet or smartphone, or try out our computers.

All ages welcome, friendly 121 help.

Saturday 2 July - 10:30 – 12:30 - Police Beat surgery Come along with any concerns about crime or security.

All events are held at Rothley Community Library, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley LE7 7PS. There is a small car park, and buses 126 and 127 stop outside. The library is available to hire for small groups.

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Pageants and Perceptions!

Shola Harriman talks about changing people perceptions on the world of beauty pageants.

“I am an eighteen year old old student who has been competing for nearly 4 years and I’m trying to help change the preconceived ideas about beauty pageants!

“The media is often shining a negative light on the world of beauty pageants and I believe that it is time to help open people’s eyes to the good side of the events.”

After being subjected to bullies taunts at high school Shola knows only too well how it feels to have no self confidence. Shortly after moving schools and beginning to rebuild her confidence she was scouted, at 15, to enter Miss Teen UK. “I decided to enter as I was feeling better about myself and I felt flattered by the offer. I got into the finals and finished in the top 15, which really boosted my self confidence.

“Beauty pageants allowed me to explore myself, build my confidence, meet some amazing friends and see how beautiful I truly am. Without beauty pageants I would not be the person I am today.”

Shola entered ‘Face of the Globe’ in 2014, where she excelled claiming the honour of first runner up. She has since entered the Miss Leicestershire competition in March of this year and was crowned ‘Miss Leicestershire 2016’ in May. One of the best thing about padgents for Shola is their inclusivness.

“Beauty pageants accept all ages, ethnicities, genders and sizes, they do not define what the term beautiful means instead they help women see there inner beauty by allowing them to become more confidant through competing.

“Many people do not realise how much hard work is put into pageants; raising money for charities and helping the community. After four years of hard work, dedication and determination I have been recognised, I have achieved what I wanted to do. It’s now my time to be a role model for the younger generation. I want to show them that everything in life is not negative and positive situations do come around with hard work.

“The media today tends to focus on negative stories, this can de-motivate young people and allow them to believe that there isn’t any happiness anymore. For this specific reason I want the youth of today to read my story and become motivated and inspired to accomplish the things that they want to achieve in life.

“Now that I’m ‘Miss Leicestershire 2016’ I want to help other people who are going through what I went through.”

Shola will now compete with 80 other beauty queens for the title of ‘Miss Great Britain 2016’ in the prestigious competition that will be held at Leicester Athena on September 23. We wish her the best of luck!

The Monday Club Anstey, Cropston, Thurcaston & Rothley On Monday 9th May, the Club travelled over to Alrewas in Staffordshire, to visit the National Memorial Arboretum, which is the UK’s year-round centre of Remembrance and home to the iconic Armed Forces Memorial.

We were blessed with extraordinary, warm, sunny weather facilitating easy exploration and discovery of the many Memorial dedications. Many of the Members took advantage of the fifty minute Land Train with pre-recorded Commentary, which was a very pleasant and informative way of seeing the over 300 thought provoking memorials situated amongst lush and maturing woodland. Military and Civilian Associations are represented alongside tributes for individuals, rich in design and symbolism and sympathetic to the landscape.

Alongside the richly displayed Memorials, we discovered the sad recognition of a Memorial entitled “Shot at Dawn”; reminding one of the gross miscarriages of justice of the many men branded as cowards for deserting the fields of war, who were later pardoned as being found to be suffering from Shellshock, and not responsible for their actions.

This Memorial one hopes goes someway to comforting the families deprived of their loved one in such dreadful circumstances.

After having rewarded ourselves with lunchtime refreshment, we boarded the Coach and proceeded down to Dobbies Garden Centre, near Hinckley. This is a vast centre stocking just about everything in the way of garden equipment, furniture and plants plus franchises belonging to Edinburgh Woollen Co., etc. After more exercise, we made our way to the Restaurant which was advertising enticing large scones filled with jams various, together with double cream and, of course, the very welcome cups of tea. Thus fortified, after an extremely successful day, we then embarked for our journey home to Rothley, Thurcaston, and Cropston .

If you would be interested in coming along to one of our meetings please ring me on 0116 236 3467 - Ann Farndon

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The Wildlife Event Of The Year 19th - 21st August 2016 Rutland Water Nature Reserve The Birdwatching Glastonbury - The British Birdwatching Fair is jointly organised by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. Birdfair encompasses the whole spectrum of the birdwatching industry whilst at the same time supporting global bird conservation. This is the event of the year if you’re into birds and wildlife. A wide range of fantastic conservation projects have been supported by Birdfair.

There are hundreds of stands selling the latest products for wildlife enthusiasts. You’ll find everything, from scopes to sculptures, binoculars to bird food, eGuides to eco-holidays!

Planning is well under way to bring you a long list of events and lectures for you to enjoy at Birdfair 2016, hosted by Birdfair regulars Chris Packham, Simon King, Mike Dilger, Nick Baker and many more. With 6 Event locations, all running full programmes throughout the fair’s duration, there is something for everyone to get excited about.

There will be some exciting Special Evening Events In the Events Marquee to look forward to. Visit the website for your complete guide to who is exhibiting and appearing at Birdfair.

During Birdfair, tickets will be available on the gate - Single day: £15 or Three days: £35 Or buy your tickets in advance on the website - Single day: £13.50 or Three days: £31.50 Birdfair does not allow dogs onto Birdfair property. Parking is Free at Birdfair which includes parking for cars, some disabled parking and parking for coaches. Bicycle parking is also available.

www.birdfair.org.uk

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Community Pet Support Scheme Pets provide wonderful companionship, love, and a listening ear and have been shown in scientific studies to have a positive impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of their owners.

Local dog and cat rescue and rehoming charity, Leicester Animal Aid, is launching the Community Pet Support Scheme (CPSS) which aims to sustain the relationship between companion animal and human (for as long as it is mutually beneficial) through offering support in two main areas: • Provide elderly, physically disabled, vulnerable and housebound people with assistance to care for their companion animal(s) in their own homes.

• Create a foster support network (for the temporary care of owned companion animals or companion animals at Leicester Animal Aid seeking an alternative environment).

Social isolation and loneliness is a big problem in the UK, 17% of older people are in contact with family, friends and neighbours less than once a week and 11% are in contact less than once a month (Victor et al, 2003) and over half of all people aged 75 and over live alone (ONS, 2010). Loneliness can be more than just an emotional experience and has been shown to have links to poor health.

The 24/7 companionship of an animal is an unusual but effective antidote to these challenges. Anyone that lives with a pet knows the affection and friendship they can give, and studies have shown a positive relationship between animal companionship and better health and wellbeing. It has been shown that animals help to support emotional needs and having a companion animal can also help to create new human relationships.

The CPSS service is funded by Leicester Animal Aid, in conjunction with an £11,000 grant from The Pedigree and Whiskas Feeding Brighter Futures Fund (Mars Petcare) and will be piloted for six months with the aim of becoming an on-going outreach scheme. The scheme will be independently evaluated by the University of Nottingham (School of Veterinary Medicine and Science).

The scheme will be free for clients of the CPSS scheme and will be delivered by trained and DBS checked volunteers with the support of a dedicated Co-ordnator in three districts; Oadby & Wigston, Blaby District and Hinckley & Bosworth Borough. The scheme also provides funded veterinary care for any pet(s) whose owner(s) have limited income.

The scheme will work in conjunction with professional referral partners including local social services, GPs, health services, veterinary practices and voluntary organisations.

If you would like any further information about the CPSS scheme please contact Sarah Moakes, Scheme Coordinator at cpss@leicesteranimalaid.org.uk

Young Dinosaur Enthusiasts Club The What’s so Special Club, is a brand new, FREE online club for young dinosaur fans and budding palaeontologists everywhere.

Membership of the Club gives children access to fun dinosaur games and factoids, each designed to help children and parents expand their dinosaur knowledge. With colouring sheets to download, dinosaur brain teasers and quizzes – there’s loads of fun to be had.

A personalised email is sent to each new member and fresh colouring sheets, quizzes and facts are added every week and sent to you to download. You will also be kept up to date with the latest dinosaur news as it happens.

The What’s so Special Club has been created by dinosaur expert Nicky Dee and supports the ‘What’s so Special About?’ series of dinosaur books for children. The site is designed to complement the information in the books, but can also be used as a stand-alone resource to help children (and adults) learn while having fun.

Membership of the Club is free. To join, simply go on to www.specialdinosaurs.com and click on the link. You’ll receive a welcome email and your child could be colouring-in one of the dinosaurs from the ‘What’s so Special About?’ books today.

You can also meet the ‘What’s so Special About?’ team and go behind the scenes for a look at the making of the 3D models and how the illustrations in the books were created.

With regularly updated information, games and competitions - even the most enthusiastic young palaeontologist will be kept entertained and occupied.

Every dinosaur fact has been verified by multiple award-winning palaeontologist Dean R. Lomax.

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WIN With The Horse Shepshed

The Horse Shepshed is a thriving traditionally built Restaurant – Bar – Pizzeria – Cocktail venue offering its’ clientele a relaxing dining, drinking & socialising experience from its’ restaurant and bar through to its’ recently launched new alfresco Pizzeria & Cocktails area.

WIN

This Freehouse venue offers a good range of beers, wines, spirits and cocktails with a varied menu to suit all tastes, prices and ages, with friendly staff keen to meet all of your needs in ensuring you have a fine & enjoyable experience.

All food is freshly prepared on the premises using produce where ever possible sourced locally and within a 5 mile radius of Shepshed.

To celebrate their fabulous new alfresco dining experience The Horse Shepshed is offering readers of The Bradgate Magazine the chance to win some fabulous food!

YOU’VE GOT TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT.... the PRIZE of Pizza for 2 people

with side dish to the value of £25 is up for grabs by simply answering the following questions and then emailing your answers, along with your name, address and telephone number, by 22nd August 2016 to editor@ thebradgatemagazine.co.uk

COMPETITION

QUESTION: In the advert on page 3 for the new arrival at The Horse Shepshed what is...

1) the name of the new alfresco area? is it a) The Fables, b) The Stables or c) The Tables 2) the main feature? Is it... a) Bakers Oak Oven, b) Oak Wood Burning Pizzeria or c) Kitchen Beech Oven A PRIZE of Pizza for 2 people with side dish to the value of £25. The competitions closing date is 22/8/2016 and the judges decision is final. The winner will be notified by 27/8/2016.

www.thehorseshepshed.co.uk SYSTON & DISTRICT U3A BIRDWATCHING GROUP ENJOY DAY OUT Picture (left) shows members of the SADU3A Birdwatching Group on the first of their planned monthly outings, on this occasion to Swithland Woods in May. Group Leader Elizabeth Chew reports: “It was rather cold, grey and overcast above, and a quagmire in parts below, but we all managed to stay on our feet and glide relatively silently through the forest with great expectations of seeing everything on our list. We were incredibly fortunate to be led by Robin Perry, who has volunteered to share his knowledge and expertise with us on our monthly visits. Robin, who admits that he is rather aptly named, has selected a number of venues for maximum interest throughout the year, and had already prepared book lists, advice on clothes and equipment, and sheets for us to keep records of our sightings. To help us gain the most from our visits, he has invited two colleagues with other wildlife expertise to join us to help with keeping an eye out for anything interesting other than birds such as badger and fox trails, and woodland flowers.

While Robin managed to identify 25 different species of bird, either by sight or sound, the highlights for us were the woodpeckers, (green,lesser and great spotted) which we either saw, or heard drumming on tree trunks, or calling; three treecreepers scuttling up and down the tree trunks like mice, and a nuthatch flying from branch to branch. He also identified another 7 species at nearby Cropston Reservoir, including a sandpiper and 3 great crested grebes.

The forest was also home to bluebells, wood anemone, stitchwort, honeysuckle, violets and red and white campion and, when the sun came out, it shone like emeralds through the newly emerging leaves on the huge, ancient oak trees.

Quite magical!”

Anyone interested in joining this Group - or any other of the 30+ Groups now being organised by the SADU3A – should contact Group Co-ordinator Janet Downes – Tel: 01664 434552 or email: jandow70@aol.co.uk from whom full details of all Groups can be obtained. Alternatively, come along to one of our monthly meetings held in the Malthouse Suite of the Syston Conservative Club on the second Wednesday of every month starting at 10.30am.

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Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society In May the Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society heard an illustrated talk by Peter Tyldesley, Director, Bradgate Park Trust:

“Colourful characters of Bradgate Park: 600 million years of history in one evening” Peter Tyldesley pointed out that most of us know Bradgate Park for, among other things, Lady Jane Grey, Old John Tower, deer and ice cream, but fossil evidence shows its history began some 560 million years ago in a warm sea in the southern hemisphere. The oldest rocks in the park contain traces of pre-Cambrian fossils of the creatures which lived in that sea.

The earliest peoples arrived across a land bridge from Europe about 12,500 BC as the ice retreated. They were huntergatherers following herds of deer and wild horses. In 2001 the first scatterings of flints they used were found in the Park. In 2014 archaeologists from the University of Leicester surveyed the site and more than 400 flint tools and spears were recovered.

The Grey family’s association with the Park lasted from 1445 until 1920, and from early times was connected with royalty. Elizabeth Woodville, who became the wife of Edward IV, was first married to Sir John Grey, Baron Grey of Groby (killed in the Wars of the Roses). Elizabeth was mother of Edward V, and her daughter Elizabeth of York was wife of Henry VII. Elizabeth was, therefore, grandmother of Henry VIII, and great-grandmother of Edward VI, and Queens Mary and Elizabeth I. Elizabeth Woodville’s eldest son Thomas Grey survived the Wars of the Roses and was created Marquess of Dorset. He reclaimed the Grey family fortunes, and started building a new great house in his deer park at Bradgate shortly before his death in 1501. His son (also Thomas) continued the construction, building in the newly fashionable material brick, the clay for which was dug from pits on the estate.

Lady Jane Grey was born in 1537, daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Dorset, Henry Grey. The Greys had early hopes of marrying Jane to the king Edward VI. They were a protestant family, with some claims to the throne, through Jane’s mother Frances. When Edward VI realized he was dying, he named Jane as his successor, to prevent his Catholic halfsister Mary ascending the throne. Mary, however, gathered supporters and marched on London bringing Jane’s nine day reign to an end. Jane was executed in 1554.

During the 16th and 17th centuries the family’s fortunes ebbed and flowed with various colourful characters. Bradgate House was abandoned in 1739 after advantageous marriages and acquisition of new lands and titles meant that the family moved to Enville and Dunham Massey.

In 1928 Charles Bennion (left), a footwear manufacturer, bought the Park and gave it, to be managed as a trust, for the people of Leicestershire. The Bradgate Park Trust established to do this still manages the Park today. Swithland Wood has since been added to the Trust, and both are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The Park has never been deep ploughed which means many archaeological signs remain undisturbed. The University of Leicester School of Archaeology is currently undertaking a five-year programme of summer fieldschools from 2015-19. They will be holding a public Open Day on Saturday 3rd July.

More Information on the dig: www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/research/projects/ bradgate-park-fieldschool or from Bradgate Park www.bradgatepark.org Indoor meetings of the Local History Society recommence on 20th September with a talk about Leicester’s Roman Mosaics, by Susan Tebby.

LADIES’ DAY AT LOUGHBOROUGH TOWN HALL Tuesday 28th June - Saturday 2nd July 2016, 7:30pm (Saturday Matinee 2.30pm) Ladies’ Day is an exuberant comedy about four likely lasses from the Hull fish docks on a day trip to the races.

Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. But their fortunes are set to change when Linda finds tickets to Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot the year it relocated to York.

Out go the hairnets, overalls and wellies as the four ditch work, do themselves up to the nines and head off to the races for a drink, a flirt and a flutter. If their luck holds, they could hit the jackpot - and more besides...

The Festival Players are delighted to be back in the Studio following the success of Educating Rita last year.

Tickets: £13.50, Concessions £12, Under 22s £9, under 12s FREE www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk | 01509 231 914 | Market Place, Loughborough LE11 3EB

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£100k for 40 Swithland Flower and Vegetable Show is now in its 40th year of raising funds for local charities including LOROS and Rainbows Children’s Hospice. Over the last 39 years the show has raised over £92,000, all of which has been donated to local charities, and with your help we’d like to take the grand total to £100,000 or more.

Our first event this year was held at Swithland Memorial Hall on Saturday 16th April where a packed hall of 78 people helped us to raise over £1,600.00 by attending our Grand Race Night. The evening was a great success and lots of fun for all who attended which has got our fund raising off to a great start!

The Swithland Flower and Vegetable show will be held later this year on Saturday 10th September across two venues; Swithland School and across the road at The Griffin Inn. This popular, traditional village show will be opened by BBC TV news presenter Anne Davies and is great fun for the whole family packed with exhibits of flowers, vegetables, fruit, cakes, baking and other produce entered by enthusiastic entrants from all over the county. There are also our photography, arts, crafts and children’s categories showcasing some great talent.

The show is open to entries from all so please contact us for more details of how you can enter this fun show or simply turn up on the 10th of September to marvel at the quality and range of entries and join in with the fun. After judging has finished prizes are given to all the winners including cash prizes, silver cups and trophies which is then followed by the very popular auction in the afternoon.

If you’d like more information about the Swithland Show, including how to enter exhibits, please email Duncan Keates at duncan.keates@sky.com

Whitwick & District U3A

The next General Meeting of Whitwick and District U3A will be held on Friday 15th July when the speaker will be Kath Reynolds. Her talk has the title “Goose Grease and Brown Paper” and promises to be a light-hearted trip down memory lane to pre-NHS days when many folk had to rely on traditional remedies to combat illness. Kath will describe many oldfashioned treatments which depended upon an assortment of familiar items such as honey, salt, onions and mustard, along with others which seem bizarre now.

The U3A is a self-help organisation for retired people where learning and social activities can be enjoyed in a convivial environment. Being non-political and non-religious, everyone is welcome. Whitwick and District U3A is a lively and friendly group with a wide variety of Interest Groups. The General Meeting provides an ideal opportunity to meet existing members.

To find out more and enjoy Kath’s presentation, come along to St. David’s Church Hall, Broom Leys, Coalville LE67 4RL at 1.45 for a 2.00pm start.

Full details of our friendly and thriving U3A can be found on our up-to-date website:

www.whitwicku3a.org.uk

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July On The GCR

There is a varied selection of events this month with Midweek Running starting to warm up including Teddy Bears’ Express at the end of the month, hope the weather does the same, Classic Commercial Vehicle Weekend in the yard at Quorn, a good selection of Dining Trains are available to choose from.

MIDWEEK RUNNING

PREVIEW OF EVENTS IN AUGUST

Wednesday 6th & 13th Tuesday -Thursday 19th - 21st

Two weeks of midweek Teddy Bears’ Holiday Express then return to normal midweek service, Miniature Traction Engines Weekend on the 6th and 7th, Cadeby Memorial Weekend on the 13th and 14th, Morris Minor Owners Club Leicester Branch Annual Rally Sunday 21st, Bank Holiday Weekend Peppa and George, Saturday - Monday 27th 29th. Then for the Dining Trains there is a very varied selection to get the taste buds going.

The Midweek Timetable will operate on the above dates.

CLASSIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLE WEEKEND Saturday & Sunday 16th - 17th A varied selection of vintage commercials from vans to heavy haulage tractors in the yard at Quorn Station, with a café and real ale bar, £5 entrance exchangeable for an all day travel ticket.

TEDDY BEARS’ HOLIDAY EXPRESS Tuesday - Thursday 26th - 28th This popular midweek event returns for the summer again running the last week in July and the first two weeks in August. With plenty of entertainment for the children at all the stations including a fun fair in the car park at Rothley.

DINING TRAINS All the regular Dining Trains will be running with an additional Charnwood Forester on Friday the 15th, two Murder Mystery’s on the 8th and 22nd, and Wine and Dine on Wednesday 22nd.

70013 OLIVER CROMWELL Mainline BR Standard Class No 70013 Oliver Cromwell part of the National Collection and based at the Great Central Railway, Loughborough, is now nearing the end of its latest maintenance and should see some running at the GCR before returning to the main line duties.

PHOTO: During the Railways at Work Gala Weekend, visiting from the West Somerset Railway, Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway 2-8-0 No 53808 arriving at Quorn and Woodhouse with a minerals train from Loughborough to Rothley. These engines only ran on the Somerset and Dorset Railway between Bath and Bournemouth West, built for freight, but during the summer they were often used on passenger trains. The line closed in 1966.

For all the latest information visit the website at: www.gcrailway.co.uk or phone Loughborough on 01509 632323 July / August 2016

Dave Allen, Duty Station Master, Rothley.

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WHAT’S ON ‘Flashman’ Sprint Triathlon Sunday 31st July 2016 The Leicester Triathlon Club bring you the ‘Flashman’ Sprint Triathlon A bit about the Race...

The Flashman Sprint Triathlon will be starting and finishing at Welbeck Defence College in the heart of the Charnwood forest. After your 400m pool swim you will depart on the hilly bike leg which will see you tackling some of Leicestershire’s signature climbs. During the bike leg there is a King of the Mountain stage on the Polly Botts lane climb, before returning to Welbeck Defence College to complete a 5km run which is on a bridle path.

Post event, you will be able to relax in the bar area.

As in previous years the event will be a great race for complete beginners and experienced racers alike. You don’t need any fancy equipment, and there are lots of friendly club members on hand to answer questions, help you get your race kit set up and cheer you all the way round the course.

SUMMER SERENADE

Classical Favourites For All Ages!

Friday 1st July 2016 Summer Serenade with Capriccio - Violin, Piano & Cello The trio will be delighting up with some of our favourite music including: - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head - Theme from ‘The Apprentice’ (Montagues & Capulets) - Pirates Of The Caribbean - Apocalypse Now (Ride of the Valkyries) - Jonathan Creek (Danse Macabre) - Summertime, and many more!

Soft drinks will be available; you are welcome to bring your own refreshments.

Doors open at 7pm, the concert starts at 7.30pm in Quorn Church Rooms.

Advance tickets £8 (text name to: 07791 401 431) On the door £10 (£8 Concession). Family ticket (up to four) £24 Email: johnbeancello@gmail.com www.capriccio-ensemble.com

For more information on aspects of the course visit the Race Facebook site: ‘Flashman Sprint Triathlon’.

Charnwood Music For All - Organ & Keyboard Evenings The last two concerts at The Charnwood Arms, Bardon, provided a really enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

In March, Dirkjan Ranzijn (left) from Holland entertained us with a lively selection of music from the Shows; a choice of Andre Rieu’s most popular pieces; and some lovely romantic ballads. His renderings of ‘The Circle of Life’, from The Lion King, and the theme from ‘Exodus’ were superb.

Dirkjan is always great fun and plays with much skill and a real zest for organ and keyboard music. He is full of energy and even the stage starts swaying during some of his more up-beat numbers!

April’s visiting organist was Ian House (right), a talented young man, who, in 2003, at the age of thirteen, won the ‘Young Theatre Organist of The Year Competition’. Ian’s selection of music included: Dolly Parton’s, ‘Nine‘til Five’; the wonderful ‘Conquest of Paradise’; Carl Jenkin’s Benedictus from ‘The Armed Man’; Count Basie’s ‘Shiny Stockings’; ‘Annie’s Song’; and, as an encore, a rousing jazz, brass, piano and rag-time selection entitled ‘Canadian Capers’.

These people are amongst the top organists/keyboard players in the world and they are performing in Leicestershire. Their music is fantastic.

Next concert: Wednesday 20th July - Steve Hubble Concerts start at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £6.30. There is a bar, tea and coffee and a raffle.

Reasonably priced meals are available next door before the show.

If you need directions or further information, contact Chris or Marie Powell on 01530 274270.

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Barefoot Festival 2016

THE ASHBY SHOW

29th July - 31st July 2016

The Best Agricultural Show In The Midlands!

Barefoot Festival™ is all about getting back to basics, getting grass in between your toes and taking time out from the pressures of modern life! Try something you’ve never done before, spend quality time with the family, meet like minded new friends. You won’t find big fancy sponsors at Barefoot Festival™, we’re a grassroots community gathering and all profits are ploughed right back into improving the facilities at our events. Relax, unwind and refresh yourself with a weekend in the beautiful great British countryside!

Sunday 10th July 2016

2016 is set to be such an amazing weekend, you’ll find so much to do for all the family!

Barefoot Babies can be entertained, for the creative one’s there’s oodles of arts and crafts. Come and find peace and your inner self in a vast variety of chilled out workshops, cleanse your soul in gong therapy or just sit on the grass and sway to some live music.

When the stars come out so do the burlesque feathers to tantalise your taste buds, the fire show will amaze you and the bands and Dj’s will have you dancing away at one of the most beautiful locations in Leicestershire.

Standard weekend tickets with free camping £90.10 (inc. booking fee), Child weekend ticket (5-16 years) £37.80 (inc. booking fee) Infants (0-5 years) FREE. Day passes: from £27.50 adult, from £16.50 child.

Parking: Weekend £16.50, Day £5.50

www.barefootfestival.com

This year will be the 102nd Ashby Show and hopefully the sun will shine again for us as we have a brilliant day planned with something to suit the whole family.

Featuring the best of farming combined with great entertainment and a wide range of trade, craft, British Farm Produce and shopping stands.

Big Pete & His Monster Trucks will be putting on 2 thrilling shows in the main ring at 12.50pm and 4.30pm. Also the brilliantly entertaining Meirion Owen’s Quack Pack team of border collies and comical Indian Runner Ducks will have 2 shows at 1.20pm and 4pm.

There will also be a Children’s Area, Dog Show, Show Jumping, Cattle & Sheep Classes, a Village Green Area, Archery, Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting, To further entertain the crowds there will be fun galore in the ‘Main Ring’... here you will find Vintage and Modern Tractors and a Classic Car Display, 1211 (Swadlincote) Squadron Marching Band, The Quack Pack, Young Farmers Floats, Machinery Display and the Shire Horse & Cattle Parade.

There will of course be plenty of different food outlets including lots of things to ‘try before you buy’ in the very popular British Farm Produce Marquee.

The Young Farmers and the WI will also have set up camp and will be putting on entertainment, displays and competitions!

Have a look at the website to find out more: www. ashbyshow.com For further details contact the Show Office on 01283 229225 or email at info@ashbyshow.com

Cattows Farm, Normanton Lane, Heather, Leicestershire LE67 2TD.

Lunching Ladies!

Last autumn we enjoyed a wonderful variety of talks by a poet, a plantsman, a social historian and a funeral director.

Then at Christmas Roxanne Dinsdale came to talk about and demonstrate Belly Dancing! In February David Tideswell delighted us with his humorous talk on garden birds which he illustrated with superb slides. Artist Pollyanna Pickering and her daughter Anna-Louise returned in March to tell us about their adventures tracking wolves. Anna-Louise’s photographs were a delight.

We have talks coming up by: Caroline Roberts (a Blue Badge guide) on Leicester; Eliza McCelland, a many talented actress and embroiderer, with a talk entitled ‘A Woman for all Seasons’ then Colin Bower who will tell us about working on a cruise ship. And that’s not all. Do come along and see what else is on our programme.

We meet at the Forest Hill Golf Club Botcheston once a month on a Wednesday for a three course meal after which we are entertained by a speaker.

There is a friendly atmosphere, the venue is pleasant. Why not give us a try? The three course meal with coffee is £16.

If you decide you would like to join our club membership is £20 per year; this pays for the speakers. For more details or to book a meal phone 0116 230 4420.

Our club is called The Newtown Linford Lunch Club but you don’t have to live there to join.

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DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY APPEAL Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is this year celebrating its 60th Anniversary, and with it, launching its Diamond Anniversary Appeal.

Acquiring land to protect sanctuaries for flora and fauna, some rare and endangered, is costly, so the Trust is raising monies to establish a Nature Reserves Fighting Fund, to create new refuges and reserves for wildlife, by ring-fencing said raised funds so the Trust may act quickly when opportunities arise to buy important habituated land.

In support of a worthy cause the Trust has scheduled a number of 60th Anniversary Walks to help raise funds and in continuation of its access, education and awareness programmes. Close to Charnwood we have: The Dragonfly Walk @ Mountsorrel Marshes and Meadows. Friday 8th July 2016, 1pm. Cost £3/person.

• This walk is led by Senior Conservation Officer Claire Install, former Conservation Officer for the British Dragonfly Society. Whether you are a complete beginner or wanting some tips to hone your identification skills, everyone is welcome to discover the summer species on the wing at these neighbouring reserves.

The Wildflowers of Floodplain Meadows, Aylestone Meadows. Saturday 2nd July 2016, 1.30pm. Cost £3/person.

• Here’s another chance to visit Aylestone Meadows species-rich floodplain to discover the plants that characterise this rare habitat and make it so special. Join Conservation Officer Uta Hamzaoui for this event in conjunction with National Meadows Day to search for different species of wildflower.

Booking is essential for both events as places are limited. Book online (https://bookwhen.com/lrwtevents) or contact the Trust office on 0116 262 9968. Please note it is advised that you dress appropriately for the weather conditions and remember to bring your binoculars and cameras.

Grand Central Railway’s Diesel Running Day The Grand Central Railway, as is customary, has a full summer diary of events at its stations but one for us to pay a little further attention to is the Diesel Running Day, which will star D5830.

Now, there’s an afternoon/evening of diesel running to be had, where Class 31 D5830 will feature alongside Class 37 37714 starting from 12.30 on Friday 15th July 2016, running from Loughborough Central and Leicester North.

Class 31 D5830, was a locomotive built in 1962 but after being converted to an ETH (Electric Train Heating) type train in the 70s (where the boiler was removed to make way for electric generators to heat and cool the coaches respectively), D5830 was withdrawn from service in 1996, citing weak springs, with a view that it would be used for parts and spares.

Normal runabout fares apply: £16 adult, £14 senior concessions, £9 children, with discounts available on presentation of Heritage Railway Association passes and to ‘Friends of Great Central Main Line’ members.

After detailed examination D5830 was deemed to be in better condition than its intended predecessor and so was sold on, and later found its way to the GCR in 1999.

Hot food and a variety of real ales will be available and served throughout the 6 round-trips scheduled. For timetables and further details please visit GCR’s website www.gcrailway.co.uk<http://www.gcrailway.co.uk> and select ‘Special Events’ or contact the team on 01509 632323 / sales@gcrailway.co.uk

©Dave Cross July / August 2016

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Roald Dahl’s ‘BFG’ comes to Wistow To mark the centenary of Roald Dahl’s birth, Leicestershire’s famous Wistow Maze has been designed in the shape of the ‘Big Friendly Giant’.

“Roald Dahl had such an impact on children’s imagination with his extraordinary stories and characters, so to celebrate we are highlighting both his work and that of other famous children’s authors” explains Diana Brooks, owner of Wistow Maze.

The maze features 3 miles of intricate pathways carved through 8 acres of living corn, with high level bridges and towers giving fabulous panoramic views.

The challenge is to find 12 quiz boards hidden in the giant maze. Each quiz board has a multiple choice question on a classic children’s book, which will help to unravel the answer to the quiz trail, whilst also providing interesting facts about the authors and their stories.

It includes an Activity Funyard with mini mazes and games for all ages, including hoopla, a space hopper track and football shooting game.

Opposite is the Wistow Rural Centre with its cafe, garden centre, art gallery, model village and numerous shops, making it a great family day out.

The Wistow Maze is a winner of Leicestershire’s “Best Visitor Attraction” and attracts over 20,000 visitors each year.

At the end of each season, the maze is harvested for cattle fodder and then redesigned the following Spring using GPS satellite technology.

Opens: Saturday 16th July - Sunday 4th September (daily), then weekends only until Sunday 18th September.

10am – 6pm Free Parking.

Admission charges: Child £5.50, Adult £6.50, Family Ticket (2+2) £22 More information on: www.wistow.com or ring 07884 403889

WIN! WIN! WIN!

COMPETITION: WIN A Family Ticket To Wistow Maze

To enter the competition to win a family ticket for 4 (2 adults and 2 children) to the amazing Wistow Maze simply email the answer to the question below to: editor@thebradgatemagazine.co.uk. Title your email ‘Wistow Maze Competition’ and please make sure you also supply your name, address and telephone number.

QUESTION: What shape is Wistow Maze this year?

Good Luck everyone!! Closing date for the competition is Sunday 31st July 2016 and the ticket must be used by Sunday 18th September 2016 as this is when the maze closes for the year.

JULY JAZZ:

Broom Leys Choral Society

Broom Leys Choral Society and The Brian Humpherson Jazz Group are performing July Jazz in a cafe style setting.

On Saturday 2nd July, 2016 at Ibstock Community College, Central Avenue. Ibstock.

Show starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 each and include refreshments.

For further information and tickets telephone 01455 290840 or visit the website:

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This month's Quick Puzzles...

ACROSS 1. Oily or greasy (9) 5. Bet (5) 7. Young eel (5) 9. Land measure (4) 10. Sultry (6) 12. Dairy product (6) 13. Hex (4) 15. Crowd scene actor (5) 16. Hidden drawback (5) 18. Accumulated (9)

DOWN 1. Cutting tool (3) 2. Remedy (4) 3. Wildcat (6) 4. Contradiction in terms (7) 6. Article of clothing (7) 8. Findings of a jury (7) 9. Of times long past (7) 11. Attack (6) 14. Dull pain (4) 17. Concealed (3)

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May / June Crossword Solution

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Charnwood Orchestra’s Spectacular Concert Saturday 2nd July 2016, 7.30pm Charnwood Orchestra’s season ends in spectacular style with an exciting concert of twentieth century English music including The Planets. The concert will be in the Church of St James the Greater, London Road, Leicester on Saturday 2nd July starting at 7.30. There will be an interval bar.

The programme consists of three pieces by Vaughan Williams: The Wasps Overture; Fantasia on ‘Greensleeves’ and his Tuba concerto followed by Holst’s monumental orchestral suite The Planets.

Tickets cost £12, £10 (concessions) and £3 for accompanied children under 16.

To purchase your tickets there are several options, they can be bought by Paypal from www.charnwoodorchestra. org.uk , from the Box Office: 07718 153117 , email judithrodgers155@gmail.com , from Visit Leicester, 51, Gallowtree Gate, Leicester (0116 299 4444) or from members of the orchestra.

Overture “The Wasps” Vaughan Williams In 1909, Vaughan Williams was asked to write the incidental music for a production of Aristophanes’ play The Wasps.

VW obliged with an overture and 17 other items. The music was a huge hit. Although the play is strongly satirical, the music is consistently jolly and good-natured, reflecting the sound and spirit of English folk songs (even though there are no actual folk songs, nor Greek music, nor Greek scales; only a very waspish buzzing.) The overture quickly entered the concert repertoire as a stand-alone piece.

Fantasia on Greensleeves by Vaughan Williams is an exquisite four-minute orchestral miniature that has far eclipsed the song it was inspired by, Greensleeves, a traditional melody that was doing the rounds in the days of the Tudors. Originally it was used in the third act of the composer’s Shakespeare-inspired opera Sir John in Love but has become a popular piece on its own. VW manages to capture the very essence of England, the serene, pastoral sounds evoking images of bucolic bliss.

While some view the Tuba Concerto by Vaughan Williams as the eccentric idea of an aging composer, it soon became one of his most popular works, and an essential part of the tuba repertoire. VW wanted to give the tuba a rare chance to take centre stage and went to considerable efforts to study its capabilities. True, its elephantine humour is exploited in the first movement, but its unsuspected agility is given rein too; the slow movement has a main theme of lyrical beauty and in the Finale, the tuba romps amid the dancing strings, like Falstaff among the fairies in Windsor Forest.

Our soloist, Stephen Calow is a young Leicestershire musician. He is no stranger to the orchestra but this is his first time performing with us a soloist.

The Planets Suite by Holst must be one of the most famous and popular pieces of English music in the world (excluding pop music!) It was also Holst’s largest orchestral work, consisting of “seven influences of destiny and constituents of our spirit”. It originated from his study of astrology which had helped him come to terms with a period of musical disappointments. Holst began to write Mars just before the outbreak of war in 1914 followed by Venus and Jupiter, then Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and finally Mercury in 1916. He then arranged them in the playing order Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, not the astronomical order. He explained the astrological pattern as symbolising the unfolding experiences of life from youth to old age (although others dispute this meaning).

Surprisingly, Holst was most dismayed by the international popularity of the suite.

QUORN OPEN GARDENS - 2nd & 3rd July A range of gardens are open to the public over the weekend. Most are open on both days, some for one or the other. Opening on just one day allows the garden owners to do a little espionage around the village.

The gardens are scattered around the village, some in clusters and some out on their own. Quorn is a large village, so getting between gardens at opposite ends of the village can take time. It’s quite walkable, but a bike is handy and you can even drive - there are very few parking restrictions in the village and you can often park very close to each garden. Although not confirmed, we are considering getting a couple of mini-buses which would

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travel round the village.

Some garden owners will provide refreshments and cakes.

Holloway House (Abbeyfield) will be open from 11.00am for viewing on Saturday only and will be doing lunches until 2.00pm. Crafts sales at the Church Rooms, Church Lane.

Proceeds of Quorn Open Gardens will go to Loros. £3.50 adults, under 16s free. Ticket allows free access to the craft fair.

Further information: tel: 01509 414 105, email: clarric60@ gmail.com www.thebradgatemagazine.co.uk

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OUT AND ABOUT BRADGATE PARK EVENTS 02 Saturday - HISTORY OF BRADGATE PARK WALK. Dogs on leads are allowed. 2:30pm - 4:30pm. Meet at the main Park Entrance at Newtown Linford Car Park. Adults £3, Children £1.50, under 5s FREE 14 Thursday - GHOST WALK - with Haunted Heritage. Places are limited - For more details telephone: 0116 234 1850. £13 per person. 7pm - 10pm 16 Saturday - BRADGATE PROMS CONCERT with the Bardi Wind Orchestra. 8pm - 10pm. In the Ruins of Bradgate House.

For tickets telephone: 0116 234 1850 23 Saturday - RAMBLE WITH A RANGER. The walk will include visits inside Old John tower and the ruins of Bradgate House.

Places on the walk should be booked in advance by calling the Estate Office on 0116 234 1850. Cost is £15 per adult, which includes parking.

For more details on events please see: www.bradgatepark.org

Market Bosworth Country Show Sunday 03 July 2016 The 127th Market Bosworth Country Show will take place on Sunday 3rd July 2016 at Cow Pastures Farm, The Park, Market Bosworth, Nr Nuneaton, Warks, CV13 0DP. The Market Bosworth Country Show is a popular, one day, agricultural event, still being one of the biggest in the county.

It provides a fun day out for all the family and raises money for Charity. With Heavy Horse Competitions and classes for all ages and abilities. There are Trade Stands, a Craft Tent and Flower Marquee, Vintage Tractors and Machinery and a Food Area.

Dogs on leads are welcome at the Show. Tickets: Adults £8, Children £5.

For any enquiries please email heearp@gmail.com or telephone 01455 290489.

Thursdays | Mighty Movers Physical activity sessions for 3-4 year olds in readiness for starting school, teaching them fundamental skills such as throwing, catching, balancing, team work, movement and co-ordination skills, through fun activities. Please note that there is a small charge of £1.00 per child for all of these sessions. If you bring two children along then we will charge you £1.50 and £2.00 for three or more children. sport@charnwood.gov.uk | Tel: 01509 634673 | Rosebery St Peters Community Centre, Loughborough LE11 5EQ | 1:30 - 2:30pm

Monday 04 July | Leicestershire Orienteering Club Leicestershire Orienteering Club. Monday 4 July 2016 Monday Club Night at Beacon Hill. Beginners are welcome. Please arrive early and preferably let the organiser know in advance so that you can be sure to get advice from an experienced orienteer. Birthe Richter-Wilson Contact: Email: b.richter-wilson@lboro.ac.uk | Tel: 0116 2322718. Families £5, Seniors £3 and Juniors £1.50.

6.30pm - 8.00pm. Car Park Postcode: LE12 8SP

Monday 04 July | Chair Based Exercise for people with Parkinson’s, Dementia & Stroke Patients Chair Based Exercise - A fun social class which can help improve balance, coordination and mobility, Suitable for people with Parkinson’s, Dementia and Stroke patients.

Gorse Covert Community Centre, Maxwell Drive, Loughborough LE11 4RZ | Every Monday (until December 14th) | 1 - 2pm £2.00 | Tel: 01509 632535 | Email: active.together@charnwood.gov.uk

Thursday 07 July | Charity Whist Drive The next in the series of Charity Whist Drives organised by Derek Farr. The Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley. Admission £2.00. All players welcome. 7:30pm.

Thursday 07 July | Cathedrals, Rooftops & more with Thurcaston & Cropston WI Dr Jonathan Castleman of Norman & Underwood talks about working on famous buildings including Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court Palace and the British Embassy in Moscow. Why not come along to a meeting and find out more about us. Be assured of a warm welcome. Phone Mary on 0116 2365179 for more information.

The first Thursday evening of the month at 7.30 pm (except January) | Thurcaston Memorial Hall | Visitors £4 per meeting

Friday 08 July | Just The Tonic Comedy Club Presents Tom Binns As Ian D Montfort Catch this Ted Talk spoof as Ian demonstrates how he communicates with the spirits with mind blowing metaphysical magic and award-winning character comedy in this exclusive Edinburgh Festival preview.

8pm | Loughborough Town Hall, Market Place, Loughborough, LE11 3EB | Box Office: 01509 231914 | Tickets £10 / £8 conc.

Saturday 09 & Sunday 10 July | The Great Rempstone Steam & Country Show A Steam and Country Show would not be complete without the magic and nostalgia of a bygone age, The Great Rempstone Steam and Country Show will certainly take you back in time to experience those sights, sounds and smells of yesteryear. Steam engines, vintage & classic cars, the White Helmets spectacular motor cycle display, the Union and Confederate armies of the American Civil War Society re-enacting historic battles, an amazing aerobatic display and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight on both days and much more! Families can enjoy a ride on the old-time fairground, visit the Wildlife and Conservation area or take part in the Companion Dog Show on Sunday, enjoy a little retail therapy amongst the numerous market and craft stalls, relax at the real ale Bar, or simply sit at the side of the main arena and watch the full programme of events. Turn Post Farm, East Road, Wymeswold LE12 6ST www.rempstonesteam.org | 10am - 5pm | Adults £8, Children £4, (Under 5’s Free) | Free Parking | On site camping

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LOCAL EVENTS Sunday 10 July | Leicestershire Archaeology & History Day Launching the Leicestershire and Rutland Festival is a day that brings the past to life with a chance to meet people from many periods of the past, archaeological displays and hands on material, crafts, games and activities for all the family. The event is free.

Jewry Wall Museum, 156-160 St Nicholas Cir, Leicester LE1 4LB

Sunday 17 July & Sunday 21 August | Swithland Open Church Third Sunday of the month May to September Swithland Open Church. St Leonard’s Church Swithland will be open for tea,coffee and cakes between 2pm and 4pm on the third Sunday of the month from May to September. Do come and have a look around this medieval building and learn some of it’s history. St. Leonard’s Church, Main Street, Swithland, Leicestershire, LE12 8TJ.

Sunday 17 July | Moira Furnace Music & Beer Festival Alongside the Furnace Museum there is a courtyard which houses a café and craft outlets along with the public toilets with disabled and baby changing facilities. 12 noon - 11pm Moira Furnace Museum, Furnace Lane, Moira DE12 6AT. Tel: 07976 637858 or 01283 224667 or email moirafurnace@hotmail.co.uk

Tuesday 19 July | Leicester Railway Society Annual Quiz Night Hosted by our members Stephen Hewitt and Paul Smith. Come along and test your railway knowledge. You may win the prize money. To find out more about the society contact Michael Chapman 0116 2603336 or Brian Holland 0116 236 8328.

All meetings commence promptly at 7:30pm | Admission £3.00 | Tel: 0116 260 5748 | ‘Cricketers’, Grace Road, Leicester LE2 8AD

Wednesday 20 July | Friends of Charnwood Forest: Historical Tour of Bradgate House ruins Meet at Bradgate House entrance in Bradgate Park, 10:30am. Members only: booking essential. Contact Dick Howard events@focf. org.uk or 01530 245373.

Saturday 23 July | The Hairy Maclary & Friends Show Out of the gate and off for a walk, went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy. Anyone with young children will recognise these immortal words instantly as the opening lines of the book ‘Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy’ by Lynley Dodd. Following overseas tours to Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia (including two residencies at Sydney Opera House), Hairy Maclary and his friends are back in the UK springing off the page this Summer.

Loughborough Town Hall, Market Place, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3EB | 2pm & 4pm | Tickets: £11 / £9 www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk | Duration: 55 minutes | Suitable for all ages

Monday 25 - Friday 29 July | Meet Rex The T-Rex At Twinlakes Park Meet Rex, and Walk With A Real Dinosaur! You’ve seen JURASSIC WORLD... Now meet ‘REX’ the T Rex Dinosaur! With life like sounds and animatronic faces, our dinosaur blinks, moves, runs, his tail even sways viciously from side to side. for a fun packed day come and visit us at Twinlakes Park! Eeven better, you can use all of our indoor and outdoor areas, rides, slides, and Animal Farm Activities.

Twinlakes Park, Melton Spinney Road, Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | Tel: 01664 567 777 | www.twinlakespark.co.uk

Wednesday 27 July | Roundhill Flower & Garden Club A Flower arranging demonstration by Elizabeth Bishop from Sheffield - Tittle “ Bird from Paradise “. A relaxing evening with a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit watching a professional at work, all arrangements are Raffled at the end of the demonstration so who knows you could be taking an arrangement home.

Roundhill Flower & Garden Club meet at the Divine Infant of Prague Catholic Church Hall, Broad Street, Syston ,LE7 1GH. Visitors welcome admission £5, Doors open at 6.45pm for 7.30pm.

Friday 29 - Sunday 31 July | An Indian Summer An Indian Summer will transform Leicester City into a mecca for South Asian arts and culture with an outstanding line-up of live experiences to delight and thrill your senses. Come with friends, bring your children, invite your gran - there is truly something for everyone! Experience an enthralling mixture of film, food, theatre, music, dance, talks, workshops and exciting art... Find out more at www.indiansummer.org.uk | info@indiansummer.org.uk

Friday 29 - Sunday 31 July | Barefoot Festival Barefoot Festival™ is all about getting back to basics, getting grass in between your toes and taking time out from the pressures of modern life! Barefoot Babies can be entertained, for the creative one’s there’s oodles of arts and crafts. Come and find peace and your inner self in a vast variety of chilled out workshops, cleanse your soul in gong therapy or just sit on the grass and sway to some live music. www.barefootfestival.com | enquiries@prestwold-hall.com | 01509 880236 | Prestwold, Loughborough, LE12 5SQ

Saturday 30 July | Motown At Conkers Join the party as this scintillating show celebrates its 10th birthday. The unstoppable Magic of Motown thrills its millionth music fan this year, embarking on a super-sensational nationwide tour that also honours the 50th anniversary of chart-topping single Reach Out I’ll Be There. The show is performed in our covered amphitheatre at The Arena at Waterside. www.visitconkers.com | 7:30pm | Millennium Avenue, Rawdon Road, Moira, Leics DE12 6GA | 01283 216633 | £22 July / August 2016

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THE BRADGATE DIRECTORY

CLOTHING, SHOES & JEWELLERY Caroline James............................... 21 Cathy Stephens Jewellery................. 7 Smartley Stitched Tailors................ 55 EDUCATION & CHILDCARE Dixie Grammar School............ 24 + 25 Go Learn - Adult Education............. 34 Magical Maths Club........................ 55 Woodhouse Day Nursery................ 58 FLORISTS & GIFTS

HAIR & BEAUTY Aqua Hair........................................ 31 Hair & Beauty Gallery..................... 30 Zoe’s Mobile Hairdressing.............. 55 HEALTH Charnwood Hearing Centre............ 61 Charnwood Physiotherapy............. 61 Hypnotherapy................................. 61 Pilbeam Opticians........................... 29 HOME

The Flower Shop............................. 28 FOOD, DRINK & VENUES Beaumanor Hall.............................. 27 The Bradgate.................................. 11 Farmers Market.............................. 55 Flying Horse.................................... 46 The George Inn............................... 18 Horse at Shepshed............................ 3 M E Roberts Butchers..................... 33 Mountsorrel Fish Bar...................... 32 Od’thorpes Cafe............................. 30 Quorn Grange Hotel....................... 33 Seawave - Finest Fresh Fish............ 31 Vintage Tea Parties......................... 55 Woodcock Farm Shop..................... 32 The Woodies................................... 32 GARDEN Birstall Garden Centre...................... 5 Bradgate Estate Management........ 34 Delegate Services............................. 6 Garden Blueprints............................ 6 Harrison Landscaping..................... 46 LB Grounds Maintenance............... 62 LB Landscaping............................... 50 Outdoor Solutions............................ 6 Roecliffe Tree Surgery..................... 37 Total Tree Services.......................... 20

Ablutions........................................ 63 Absolute Window Solutions............. 2 Ancient & Modern............................ 6 Ashby Decorators Centre.................. 2 Broughtons....................................... 4 Central Construction........................ 3 Charn. Oaks Roofing & Building...... 58 Chris’ Oven Cleaning...................... 55 Clock Doctor..................................... 6 Coopers Glass................................. 20 Cream Interiors............................... 28 CV Lane............................................. 4 DeVol...................................... 14 + 15 DP Furnishings.................................. 6 Elizabeth Jane Interiors.................... 8 The Flooring & Bed Company......... 11 FW Stevens Electrical..................... 18 Glenfield Electrical............................ 6 Graham Botterill............................... 6 Hassall & Son Ltd.............................. 8 Holme Tree Kitchens....................... 37 Ideas Interiors................................. 43 I H Properties.................................. 47 Jacqueline Reynolds - Curtains....... 55 Light House..................................... 20 Listers Interiors................................. 6 Martin Allen Flooring..................... 20

HOME continued...

MDW Fireplaces............................. 58 RJ Rowley........................................ 27 RSJ Roofing....................................... 4 Simon Shuttlewood Upholstery...... 44 Splashout........................................ 59 UK Gas Services................................ 8 JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES Bosworth Homecare....................... 55 LEISURE The Countryside Show.......................27 Donington le Heath Manor House.... 36 Gloworm Festival............................ 40 Great Food & Drink Festival............ 41 Proms Concert................................ 18 Villair Travel.................................... 58 MOTORS 150 Cars.com.................................. 34 Cropston Garage............................. 44 Top Gear Services........................... 30 PETS Anstey Cattery................................ 55 The Veterinary Surgery................... 55 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CP Accountants............................... 31 Dodds Solicitors LLP........................ 37 Henstocks Accountants.................. 61 Lee Cooper Funeral Directors......... 62 Prusinski Solicitors.......................... 50 Roy Green Estate Agents................ 64

To place your advert in The Bradgate Magazine please contact Ed: editor@thebradgatemagazine.co.uk / call: 01530 249589 60

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