The Bradgate Magazine, May 2013

THE BRADGATE MAGAZINE

Bradgate

The

May / June 2013

magazine BIO-BLITZ

Get involved and find out more about our local wildlife!

MAY / JUNE 2013 | ISSUE 2

CUPCAKE FESTIVAL Get your baker’s hat on and take part in Loughborough’s very own Cupcake Festival!

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CHARITY PAGES Find out... take part... change lives!

Your Local Community Magazine May / June 2013

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CONTENTS 10 CHARITY CUPCAKE FESTIVAL Bringing together bakers from across the region, professional and amateur, with a cupcake sale raising money for Rainbows Childrens Hospice.

17 LOCAL AIR CADETS SURVIVE ON EXERCISE

Read all about the cadet’s weekend camp that brought together the winter training with some hands on practice.

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Help with recording the many hundreds of species of plants and wildlife in this fun for all 24 hour comminity free event!

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LOOKING AFTER YOU...

What do your feet say about you? Find out how reflexology can help you with the rest of your body.

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TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT SYSTON Read about the history of this Charnwood Town and see what it’s businesses have to offer you !

ARE YOU READY FOR THE BIO-BLITZ?

LOCAL SPORTS...

Cricket, Karting and Football...

Read about the latest news and how you can get involved.

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FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome...

It’s been a hard and very long winter for most of us, but now, as we begin the month of May we hope the summer days will start to grace us.

Getting outdoors is much of what our British summers are all about, be it in our gardens just pottering around, joining together with friends for BBQs or getting involved with clubs and socials for a spot of sport or activity.

With this in mind one really quite different activity you might want to get involved in is the 24 hour BioBlitz in Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves on 14th and 15th June. The idea is for people taking part to record as many species of plants, animals, invertebrates etc. as they can in 24 hours, the principle behind the national project being for us to better understand the biodiversity that lives on our doorstep. If you’d like to lend a much-appreciated hand, take a look at page 26 for further details.

page 17 draws your attention to some terrible news of Badger baiting in our Charnwood district; it is sad to hear that these activities happen at all and particularly so close to home, so our article asks for your vigilance in trying to bring this barbarism to an end.

Our features this month focus on the small but pleasantly formed town of Syston, lying to the east of the Borough read a little about its history and what it has to offer across pages 36-38. Additionally, if you’re interested in photography we have two great articles for you to get your teeth in to, our first showcases the recent activities of the Ulverscroft Camera Club on page 22, whilst page 54 features some super tips and techniques for photographers of every standard to adopt.

So without further ado, we hope you enjoy this May/ June edition and please feel free to provide us with any feedback or ideas you’d like to see featured in your next edition of The Bradgate.

Happy reading,

Keeping to all things wildlife, but alas, less desirably so,

Ed & the team

CONTACT US: editor@thebradgatemagazine.co.uk | 01530 249589 | www.thebradgatemagazine.co.uk To submit editorial please email: editor@thebradgatemagazine.co.uk

ADVERTISING: For anyone wishing to advertise in The Bradgate Magazine please contact the editor for prices, deadlines and offers!

Our Disclaimer: Reasonable care is taken to ensure that The Bradgate Magazine and website are as accurate as possible, as of the time of publication, but no liability can be taken by The Bradgate Magazine for any errors, opinions or omissions contained herein.

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Charity Cupcake Festival The event is being held at Loughborough Town Hall on Saturday May 18th from 11.00am to 4.00pm and we hope to bring together bakers from the region to promote and sell their cupcakes to the public, to meet like minded bakers and raise funds for Rainbows Childrens Hospice.

Bakers are asked to donate a minimum of 12 cupcakes, which can be any style or flavour and hope to reach a target of 1,000 to sell on the day.

The Festival will combine a fun element of cupcake competitions; cake decorating demonstrations; childrens cupcake corner; facepainting and shopping stalls; there will also be a raffle and all the cupcakes you can eat under one roof, including some we have already been pledged from Fiona Cairns, the Royal Wedding cake maker.

They are also running cupcake competitions with the following six categories:

* Best Rainbows cupcake * Best Themed cupcake split into two categories - professionals & amateurs * Best Free From * Best Secret Ingredient * Best cupcake decorated by a child under 12 Entry for each category is £3 and the winners will receive not only a Cupcake Festival 2013 certificate but a fantastic prize too. Some of the prizes include a unique cake decorating class, worth £150, with one of the UK’s leading cake artists, as well as £100 worth of the latest set of Delia Smith’s cake tins. The entrants will also automatically be entered into our Best in Show. In order to stop the judges from over eating we have limited the number of entries for each category so please register early to secure your place in the competition.

One of our judges is Dawn Butler, the UK’s premier novelty cake baker and the Worlds leading airbrush artist, she will also be demonstrating her fantastic skills on the day.

Unfortunately, we won’t accept cupcakes or competition entries on the day which have not already been registered.

For details of how to donate cupcakes or enter the competitions or for more general information please email cupcakefestival2013@gmail.com. Or visit www.rainbows.co.uk/cupcakefestival.

Admission is £1 which secures entry into a Free Prize draw to win a Pandora Bracelet, kindly donated by Tylers of Loughborough. Admission is free for children under 12.

Bond Glamour comes to Town Under the careful guidance of organiser Mrs Linda Lambert, Our Lady’s Convent School Parents’ Association recently hosted a glittering ‘007’ themed fundraising fashion show. Retailers from Loughborough were generous in their support of this event; outfits and accessories were supplied by NEXT, Devine, Rumours, Pink, Guitars and Glad Rags, Lavender Room, All Things Cute, Hadley Green, The Little Boutique Co. and Amour. Whilst Lee’s Girls of Shelthorpe produced stunning hair styles and The Body Shop crafted exquisite make up.

Models were recruited from OLCS students and ranged in age from three to 18, and were joined by some older boys from local schools. Overall the event raised nearly £850 with £137 raised by the raffle specifically identified for Rainbows and Riding for the Disabled Centres in Somerby and Keyworth.

Speaking after the event, Mrs Jo Baker, Chair of the Parents’ Association said, “One of the many highlights was seeing the creativity and flair from the senior girls who took up the challenge to ‘upcycle’ old outfits into something fashionable and new.” She went on to say, “I would like to thank Mrs Lambert and everyone who supported us in producing this show.”

Photos taken by Holly Newing, Year 12 student at OLCS. Top photo: Trio of Year 12 modelling evening wear | Bottom photo: Students of all ages from OLCS took to the catwalk

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Charity Pages Hair-Raising Moment For Rothley Store Manager A store manager from Rothley went through a hair-raising time on Saturday 30th March to help raise money for charity.

Paul Simpson, from Midlands Co-operative food store in Rothley, lost his locks and had his head painted as an Easter egg to raise money for his store’s staff-elected charity Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children.

Before & After

Paul said: “I wanted to raise money for our staff-elected charity over the Easter period, so it was suggested that I transformed my head into an Easter egg. I must admit it’s a bit cold around the ears when I go outside at the moment, but as the money raised will be used to help a child in Leicestershire, it was well worth the effort. I would like to thank Dawn Newcombe Hairdressers for coming in with their clippers, our customers for their generous donations and my colleagues for all of their support.”

Fantastic Student Support gives Charity a real boost!

Registered charity, the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation is celebrating the refurbishment of its Community Support and Wellbeing Centre tea rooms. Redecoration and internal changes have been completed thanks to the wonderful skills, dedication and generosity of a team of talented young students and their tutors from Stephenson College in Coalville.

Car Boot, Craft Stalls & Tombola On Saturday 1st June 2013 from 9am to 1pm at Copt Oak Memorial Hall Field, LE67 9QB next to Copt Oak Pub. Stalls set up 8am - Public admission 9am.

Cars £5, all other vehicles £8. Entrance 50p - children free. Proceeds for St. Peters Church Copt Oak. Booking advisable on 0116 2674746.

Charity Whist Drive The next in the series of Charity Whist Drives organised

by Derek Farrr will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 9th May in the Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley.

Admission £2.00. All players welcome.

Support & Information Days The Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation are hosting information and support days from 11am to 3pm at their Community Support Centre, Ulverscroft Grange, Whitwick Road Ulverscroft.

The centre, based at Ulverscroft Grange near Markfield entertains up to 500 visitors a week, providing support, care and friendship to the elderly, adults with disabilities and the wider community. Long standing friends of the Foundation, Peter and Dorothy Woods reopened the tea rooms and along with Alan Norman, Chief Executive of the Foundation paid tribute to the hard work and skills of the students. Alan Norman said “the students showed real enthusiasm for the project and completed the work to a very high standard. Their attitude and commitment was superb; they are a real credit to the college and we are extremely grateful for their support’ Nigel Leigh added “We are fortunate at Stephenson College to have students who make contributions to our community such as the one at the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation. We are proud of them and their work in and around our area.”

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Tuesday 7th May 2013 the stroke association will be attending to give help and information about life after a stroke. Every five minutes someone in the UK has a stroke.

A stroke doesn’t discriminate it can happen to anyone at any time in their life. High blood pressure is the biggest risk factor so they will also be offering a free blood pressure test.

Tuesday 14th May 2013 Age UK will be available to give information and Advice to older people and their families on Welfare Benefits, Social Care, Health & Well Being, Leisure Activities and Residential Care.

Kathleen Wass, Support Co-ordinator for the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation said “ We are trying to reach the people in the community who can often feel isolated, are struggling to cope with their disability or just need a friendly ear to talk over their problems.”

For more information telephone Kathleen Wass on 01530 244914.

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Charity Pages Jamie’s Match Ball The family and friends of Jamie Marcus who died from a rare form of cancer have successfully raised over £52,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust and Macmillan.

Jamie Marcus was just 20 when he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in 2011. Despite an operation to remove a tumour from his leg and courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he died on April 30 last year – his sister Emma’s 19th birthday.

In his memory Jamie’s Match Ball was held on Saturday 16th March, with a black tie dinner at the Leicester Tigers stadium. The event was attended by over 840 people with money raised through ticket sales, an auction, raffle, photo booths and a casino. Celebrities kindly donated their time to help the event including Will Thorne as MC, Colin Young as auctioneer, as well as appearances from Muzzy Izzet, Steve Walsh, Paul Nixon and Chris Edwards from Kasabian.

Jamie’s father Paul said: “Jamie turned 21 on Christmas Day 2011, when the treatment ended, and we went to hospital a little while later for a scan expecting he would be all clear. They found instead that it had spread to his lungs. Jamie was remarkable, he had a fantastic sense of humour and fun which shone through.

I’d like to say a big thank you to all the people who kindly donated their time and efforts for these great charities including Chris and Maria Martin, Chris Sanders and Richard Plant who cycled 140 miles to raise money” The just giving page is still available and can be found at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Jamiesmatchball if people want to donate For further information please contact Hannah Marcus: hannahrmarcus@hotmail.com Photos below left to right - Jamie Marcus, Jamie’s Match Ball event, Emma Marcus & Chris Edwards of Kasabian.

Charity Partners Plan To Celebrate A Year To Remember!

In June 2012 Sainsbury’s Humberstone Gate store in Leicester chose Leicestershire charity the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation as their charity partner for the year. After nearly a year of magnificent, innovative support this wonderful partnership is coming to an end.

On Saturday 18th May the final fundraising event will be held at the Ulverscroft Manor, Priory Lane, Ulverscroft, LE67 9PH. Please come along and join us for Music in the Marquee and entertainment from local band ‘The Mixers’.

This fantastic, fun, family event will be held under cover in a fabulous Marquee - from 2.00pm – 6.00pm. With a licensed Bar – Refreshments - Raffle Prizes – tombola - dance floor and belly dancing with bellyliscious Tickets are available from Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation, Ulverscroft Grange, Whitwick Road, Ulverscroft, Leicester, LE67 9QB. For more information please contact the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation on 01530 244914 or email admin@ shuttlewood-clarke.org Alan Norman, Chief Executive of the charity said “we are immensely grateful for the wonderful support provided by the staff and customers of Sainsburys at Humberstone Gate. They have entered into the charity partnership with real enthusiasm and I sincerely hope that the marquee is filled to capacity on the 18th to make this a really successful end to a brilliant year” For information on the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation please visit www.shuttlewood-clarke.org , email: admin@ shuttlewood-clarke.org or call 01530 244914.

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Charity Pages Lottery Win Boosts LOROS Funds A LOROS lottery member was delighted recently when she received a message telling her that she had won the first prize of £2,000 in the weekly draw. Elaine knew exactly what her late husband Bill would want her to do with the money and immediately donated her win straight back to LOROS in memory of him.

Bill was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2012 and having promised that she would be with him throughout, Elaine and Bill stayed in LOROS twice, each time for one night, following surgical procedures undertaken in hospital to try to relieve his symptoms.

Elaine says ‘We were always happiest when on our own together and the single best thing about the hospice was that they accepted our desire to be left in a room on our own without hesitation. The nursing staff were amazing: they had time to respond and never kept us waiting or made us feel rushed. It made the most enormous difference to feel that we could just be ourselves at this time of utmost vulnerability. LOROS also helped by supporting us in our desire for Bill to die at home, visiting us and ensuring we had everything we needed to make this possible. I don’t know what we would have done if LOROS had not been there’.

Bill had followed in his mother’s footsteps as a supporter of LOROS and Elaine joined in the family tradition, especially after nursing her mother for two years before she too died from cancer. At that time Elaine realised what a difference it made to both her and her mother for them to be able to access respite care so that she could get some much needed sleep enabling her to nurse her mother at home until her death in 2006.

It was following this experience and whilst taking part in the LOROS Walk on the Wildside that Elaine decided to sign up to the LOROS Lottery. Elaine continues ‘I work at Loughborough University where friendly competition is always the order of the day. You can compete in a lottery and win, and still make sure that the people who need the results of your winning get something good out of it too. It also gives you the knowledge that you’re helping, just a bit, to provide a service that’s absolutely vital for the families of those who are terminally ill, as well as for the ill people themselves.’

Lottery Manager Liz Singleton said ‘I’d like to thank Elaine for her generosity in donating her win back to the hospice, it is very kind of her. We currently need to raise over £4million per year to continue offering the kind of care that Elaine and Bill received to people across Leicestershire and Rutland in the future. Our weekly lottery is a reliable source of income for LOROS and continues to cost just £1 per weekly entry. It contributes to the equivalent cost of 20 full time trained nurses on our ward and I hope that more people will come forward to join’.

For additional information on how you can take part and enjoy the fun of playing with an opportunity to win a cash prize whilst ensuring that hospice services can continue across Leicestershire and Rutland contact the lottery office on 0116 2318430, they are waiting for your call.

Watermead Challenge 2013

Chocolate Workshop

Don’t forget to enter this year’s Watermead Challenge charity run. It takes place at 7pm on Wednesday 3rd July.

This is the fourth year the run has been staged. The five mile and three mile routes around Watermead Country Park are flat, tarmac surfaced and are mostly off road.

Both are designed to appeal to runners of all abilities with the opportunity of achieving a personal best time.

Friends of Warning Zone are holding a chocolate making workshop during May half term at Frog Island.

This is a charity event with proceeds going to the Syston based Intercare charity. Entries are accepted on the night until 6.30pm. Please visit www.watermeadwebs.com or www.wreakevalleyrotary.org.uk for full entry details.

Warning Zone is an exciting, interactive centre in Leicester offering schools a quality, high impact ‘Learning for Life’ resource for year 6 pupils (10 & 11 year olds).

Under the guidance of one of Chocolate Alchemy’s chocolatiers, you can create your very own chocolate delights, learn about the history of chocolate as well as sampling chocolate from around the world.

Tickets can be purchased for adults and children (aged 5 & over) for either a morning or afternoon session. The evening session is reserved for adults only, and the ticket price includes Prosecco and canapés.

Ticket prices are adults £8 and children £4 and must be booked in advance. The evening session is £15 per person. For tickets please call 0116 2629739 or visit www.warningzone. org.uk. Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult.

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Local Interest Badger Baiting Discovered in the Charnwood Forest The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust have recently discovered evidence of badger baiting in the Charnwood Forest near Coalville. A badger sett was discovered which had been dug out and then refilled. The disturbed soil contained badger fur which indicated that one or more badgers may have been killed.

Badger baiting has been illegal for over 170 years due the horrendous suffering caused to badgers and the dogs used to bait them. Badgers are normally caught in their setts by blocking the exits and then sending a dog in to corner the badger. The baiters dig down to find the badger. This can often mean digging a hole over 6ft deep. Once found the badger is maimed in order to prevent it killing the dogs too quickly. This usually takes the form of breaking the badger’s jaw or legs with a shovel. The badger is then thrown back into the hole or taken to a prepared location and one or more dogs are set on it in a fight to the death.

A spokesman for the Trust said “This is a shocking discovery. This sort of sick blood sport should not have a place in modern life. Unfortunately the people that do this think that digging a wild animal out of the ground, maiming it and watching it fighting dogs is entertainment. To every sane person this would be deemed to be abhorrent. The types of individuals that do this are serious violent criminals. We would urge people to be vigilant when out in the countryside and to report any suspicious activity to the police.”

The RSPCA and Police have been contacted and photographic evidence was taken at the scene. The sett in question and those in the surrounding area have been put under regular surveillance and remote cameras will be deployed in the near future.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust are asking people to be vigilant and report suspicious activity including: • People carrying spades (sometimes fold away spade in bags or rucksacks) when out walking.

• People taking small terrier type dogs near badger setts. Look out for radio collars on the dogs as they use this to locate the dog in the sett.

• Any signs of recent digging activity on a badger sett.

2229 Air Cadets Survive A Great Weekend On Exercise!

April saw our first weekend away at John’s Lee Wood Scout Camp for 19 cadets from the squadron. The camp was designed to be the consolidation phase of the training the cadets have been doing over the winter season. Over the winter the cadets have been learning basic camp craft, camouflage and concealment, movement in the field, obstacle crossing, leadership, field cooking, judging distance, object indication, hand signals and first aid.

The 2 day camp was split between training and then further practice. Saturday was a very busy day for everyone.

After the staff had set up on the Friday night and had a chilly nights sleep under canvas the cadets arrived to start their training. The day started early with a round robin of lessons given by staff from not only our squadron but 1181 Syston squadron as well. The cadets split into 3 groups of 6 and were instructed on various topics they had previously covered in the classroom but this time out in the open where they could get some hands on practice. After the cadets had tucked into their 24 hour ration packs for dinner they went out on an exercise to test their skills. The cadets had to find 3 people in various locations around the area, and without being seen or heard, obtain vital information for the following days activities. Now this may seem trivial, however this was a great test. It gave the older cadets to test their leadership skills, they had to use a map to navigate to the various locations, they then had to plan their route in and out, they had to be mindful of their groups welfare and essentially they had to complete the task. The exercise was also an opportunity for the younger members to test the skills they had learnt throughout the day but for some it gave them the opportunity to emerge as leaders. After a successful evening of running about the cadets settled down to bed under the shelters, known as bashas, they had erected in an earlier lesson.

The second day the staff reviewed the performance of each group from the previous night and gave further instruction where needed to help further develop the cadets training. The staff also put on a very realistic and enjoyable first aid scenario with various casualties ranging from an unconscious patient to a very loud individual with glass stuck in his hand. The purpose of this was to give further training to the first aid skills they had practiced the day before.

Special thanks go to staff from 1181 Squadron for their help in running the weekend. And special commendation goes to Cadet Purvis, one of our newest cadets, for being awarded Best Cadet of the camp for not only excelling in the lessons but also showing some natural leadership skills.

The cadets parade at the Loughborough TA Centre from 7pm on Monday and Thursday nights. Feel free to browse our website at: www.2229.org.uk.

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Local Interest Whitwick & District U3A The May General Meeting of Whitwick and District U3A will give members and visitors alike the opportunity to hear an overview of the work of the Woodland Trust.

With the magnificent flagship Diamond Wood in the county, Leicestershire people are sure to benefit from the Diamond Jubilee legacy. Across the UK, the Woodland trust has organised the planting of six million trees in the Jubilee Woods project.

The Trust’s work also covers such issues as the protection of ancient woodlands and the response to ash dieback disease.

Come along on Friday, 17th May to hear more. Please arrive at 1.45 pm for a 2 pm start at St. David’s Church Hall, Broomleys, Coalville. More details can be found at www.whitwicku3a.org.uk

Thurcaston & Cropston Local History Society On Tuesday 19th March our members were regaled with a highly detailed, beautifully illustrated and mesmerising talk

by Roger Willson, entitled “Churches of Leicestershire and Beyond”, the “beyond” primarily including churches in the neighbouring counties of Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

Focusing on the pre-Reformation period, i.e. Saxon to 15th century, Roger began by showing a random slide selection of rural Leicestershire churches for us to observe the many differences in architectural features and styles. Building materials included ironstone, sandstone, limestone and Charnwood granite. Seemingly, more of the examples shown had spires compared to those with towers; some had been extended and many had been the victims (depending on your opinion) of Victorian restoration, although there were examples of that era where the restoration had faithfully followed the original style and craftsmanship. We also noted a number of churches where the roof had been raised and a feature of the 15th century was the introduction of battlements to some churches.

For evidence of Saxon influence, the parish churches of Sproxton and Rothley both have Saxon crosses. Breedon-on-theHill is a well-known historic site of an Anglo-Saxon monasterium and the church has some beautiful Anglo-Saxon wall friezes. At Brixworth in Northamptonshire, even though it has a Victorian rebuilt east end, the main body of the church is one of the finest surviving Saxon structures and has some superb, re-used Roman tiles. Repton Church in Derbyshire, which was an important place of pilgrimage, has magnificent, well-preserved 8th / 9th century Saxon stonework.

Noteworthy examples of Norman architecture are to be found in Leicester at the churches of St Nicholas and St Mary de Castro, the latter having particularly fine doorways, arches and fretwork. Two other special examples of the Norman period are the parish churches of Tickencote, Rutland, and Melbourne, Derbyshire, the latter having a soaring, cathedral-like nave.

The years 1250 to 1350 were the “golden” age of church building in Leicestershire, e.g. Stoke Golding parish church is unique as a surviving complete ensemble of one building period (1300 – 1340). Two other churches are worth special mention, firstly Gaddesby (1340 – 1350) which has superb architecture and is thought to be associated with the Knights Templar of Rothley and secondly, Eastwell, near Belvoir, which has a magnificent, full size stone screen. After 1350, there was a marked decline in church building until the 1470’s, when noticeably substantial work recommenced.

Medieval churches were not static, but were constantly being changed to provide for the needs of the time. Changes in Catholic liturgy often necessitated different use of available space or the addition of new side chapels – frequently, wealthy families would endow Chantry chapels. Increasingly, there was a need for space in which to conduct secular business, so porches were considered suitable to be enlarged or added on for this purpose.

The period of the Reformation must have been devastating and cataclysmic for the population as a whole, with the massive changes that occurred both in religious worship and the “internal reordering” of churches. Giving a brief overview of the post-Reformation period (1540 – 1860), the changes that had taken place were dramatic, with acts such as the smashing of stained glass windows, the scratching out of saints’ images, covering over medieval wall paintings and saints’ statues removed from wall niches. Turbulent times followed, influenced by the ecclesiastical dictates of the day and churches were forced to continue to change and adapt to suit whoever was in power. It was possibly not until the 19th century, with the Victorians’ urge for restoration, that the beauty, treasures and value of fine architecture of churches began to be fully appreciated once more.

Jennifer Kennington In May there will be a change to our usual meeting day from a Tuesday to a Monday, the date being 13th May, at the regular time of 7.30pm and the venue the Harrison Room, All Saints’ Church, Thurcaston. The speaker will be Keith Overton and his topic “Old Maps of Leicestershire”.

On Tuesday 18th June we begin our summer outings with a guided walk around Queniborough, led by Rosemary Smith.

Visitors, as well as members, are most welcome. For further details of meetings / outings please contact Peter Smith on 0116 2367365.

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Local Clubs Ulverscroft Camera Club What a busy time we have had of late. Recently we had a “full evening” workshop on Floral Photography which was very well received by all present. It demonstrated just how many differing ways there is to create a rather nice image of an every-day item. It also showed what an amazing range of colours, shapes and textures that there is in Floral Photography.

This was followed by an opportunity to photograph some red roses and white Lillium which was great practise under domestic lighting and a little “fill-in” flash.

At our latest meeting the basic group learnt a great deal about processing RAW images whilst the advanced group were having a bit of fun with “Trick Photography” all of which led to much mirth. There was then a demonstration of heated outer garments, which are ideal for photography in what has been a very cold spell of weather. It is amazing what a small rechargeable battery can do to improve ones comfort in a cold and damp bird-hide.

Almost makes winter bird photography a pleasure.

Shortly we will be having our next “Away-Day” when we will be basing ourselves in a Kazakhstan Yurt close to Ulverscroft Manor where we have employed caterers to supply a cold buffet lunch. This should be a really good day and hopefully the weather will have warmed enough to allow the local wild flowers to show their heads and supply us with some encouraging colour.

If any-one wants any information on the club then check out our website at www.ulverscroftcameraclub.com and they still need more information then just use the contact form on the website where they will get a speedy reply.

Woodhouse & Woodhouse Eaves Local History Group A most informative and interesting talk was given to Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves Local History Group on Monday, 8th April 2013. The speaker was Trevor Parr and his subject was “The Local Civil War” The Civil War lasted from 1642 until 1649 and the primary cause was over money. King Charles 1 had disbanded Parliament some years earlier and had then run out of money. He then had to recall Parliament to request further funds by means of Ship Money – this was meant to pay for the Navy but most went to the Exchequer (said to be just like the Road Fund Licence today).

Other reasons for the war were due to representation where MPs were the landed gentry and paid for their seats in Parliament as well as beliefs where England was a puritan based religion whereas Charles and many of his advisors leant towards Rome.

Which side a soldier fought on was often decided by his Lord or Master or Religious Leader. There were many minor skirmishes rather than set piece battles and these were often over supplies of food and arms, procession of which brought loyalty from your side. Living off the land was hazardous as it brought short term gain but long term problems.

Interestingly, there were more nobles and merchants fighting against King Charles than for him.

The first major battle was at Edgehill in 1642 when the two sides encountered each other by accident. There were approx. 30,000 soldiers involved with 1,000 being killed and 2,500 injured. The New Model Army was headed by the Earl of Essex and following the battle’s inconclusive outcome, changes were made to improve performance. These included drill, red uniforms, payment of 1 penny per month and formation of standard units such as foot soldiers, pike men, cavalry and dragoons (mounted foot soldiers that could be deployed quickly).

The original headquarters of Charles’s army was at Nottingham but later moved to Oxford. In 1645, the City of Leicester came under siege by the Royalist troops headed by Prince Rupert and still today, evidence can be found of cannon ball shots, bullet holes and earthworks particularly around Saint Mary de Castro church. On 27th May, Sir Marmaduke Langdale surrendered the Northern Horse Cavalry to the Royalist camp which was followed by their artillery barrage at Raw Dykes where 350 were killed and then storming the breach in the walls on 31 May to capture the City.

The deciding major battle of the civil war was at Naseby on 14 June 1645 with 18 – 20,000 troops on each side headed

by Prince Rupert on the Royalist side and Lord Fairfax for the New Model Army.

Prince Rupert surrendered on 11 September 1645 followed by the Royalist Army on 14 March 1646. Finally, King Charles surrendered in Newark on 5 May 1646 and following his trial, was executed on 30 January 1649. His supporters had lands confiscated, fines were imposed, worship and lives changed plus a standing army was created paid for by taxes and cavalry units formed to quickly stem any revolt.

Following the war, Oliver Cromwell ordered that parts of Ashby castle be blown up so that it could never again be used as a strongpoint.

Our last meeting of the season will be on Monday 13th May at the Methodist Church, Woodhouse Eaves when Helen Kessling will be giving her 4th and final talk about ‘Royal Wives’. All are welcome. Enquiries call 01509-890788.

Stuart Tyler

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Local Clubs Charwood Decorative & Fine Arts Society We have enjoyed three brilliant, but diverse speakers at our monthly meetings. Peter Medhurst kept us enthralled with his subject, Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. This multi-talented lecturer, who attended the Royal College of Music, accompanied himself on the piano, whilst unfolding the plot of Mozart’s famous opera. Probably the finest voice ever to be heard in “Quorn Church Rooms” The following month Simon Seligman told the story of “The Women of Chatsworth”. As Head of Communications at this great house for 19 years, he was well placed to tell the amazing history of the Duchesses of Devonshire, all very strong women. His lecture was delivered with great charisma and expertise, and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

In March our lecture was entitled “Fakes & Forgeries”. Malcolm Kenwood, began his career as a Police Constable, he then became a Specialist Detective, investigating art & antique crime. Malcolm gave us an outstanding, and often hillarious talk, telling us many incredible stories of the world of antique forgery.

During February we also held a study day at Swithland Village Hall. The subject was “The Arts & Crafts Movement” very appropriate for Charnwood. Thirty-Two people attended, and agreed it was a great success.

Anyone interested in coming along to one of Our meetings they are held at “Quorn Church Rooms” the second Thursday of the month at 7.30p.m. You will be sure to see some familiar faces in our enthusiastic membership.

Margaret Whelband.

Photo: of our Chairman Mrs.Diane Wright and the study day speaker Clare Bradley.

The Grand Central Chorus - An Invitation To Sing!

It is still busy, busy, busy for the Chorus. After the show at Loughborough on the 20th April, and the National Convention at Bournemouth on the 3rd – 5th May, there are two more events coming up before the International in Toronto in July.

On Wednesday the 22nd May, 2013, the chorus members invite prospective singers to join them at their rehearsal for an ‘Introduction to singing in Harmony’ evening. It will be at the usual venue Harrington School, Derby Road, Long Eaton, NG10 4BJ at 7.15pm. There is no charge. Expert coaching will be on hand. No singing solo. Come and sing with the best. Bring yourself and a bottle of water. To register call Martin on 07855270803, e-mail or just turn up on the night.

Saturday the 8th June, sees another show at the Long Eaton Silver Prize Band Hall, Salisbury Street, NG10 1BA. It will feature the Chorus and two quartets plus one other act to be announced. This is the last performance before the adventure in Toronto.

Sponsorship is still being sought from East Midland businesses. There are three levels, Gold (£1000) Silver (£500) and Bronze (250), Nelson on 07967091202 is the man to call if interested or e-mail as below.

If you would like the Chorus to entertain you then contact Peter on 01530 243822 or e-mail as below. Any number of singers can be provided from four to forty. Fees are negotiable. Quality is guaranteed.

See the website www.grandcentralchorus.com for up to date information. The e-mail address is publicity.gcc@gmail.com.

Rehearsals are at Harrington School, as above, every Wednesday. If you are a potential singer, sponsor, booker or just curious you will be welcome.

Rothley History Society Our speaker for March had to step in at the eleventh hour, as our original speaker had urgent family commitments, but we were not disappointed with the substitute. We learned a lot about the Jewish religion & way of life, and we also heard about poignant Jewish families in Leicester, and their contributions to Leicester’s history.

At our meeting to be held on Wednesday, 15th May , we are looking forward to getting an inside look at what it was like to travel through Rothley on the footplate of a steam engine, heading for London. Our speakers, Chris and Ken (The Railway Men) have written a book about Ken’s life on the footplate, and Chris will be showing us his original illustrations from the book.

The meetings are held in the Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane at 7.30pm. Admission is £3 for visitors and £2 for members. All will be made most welcome.

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Local Clubs Are You Ready for the BioBlitz?

Friday 14th - Saturday 15th June is the 24-hour Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves BioBlitz. Put the dates in your diary and plan to stay up late, get up early, or join in for some wild fun anytime during the day!

It’s getting closer, and promises to be the biggest wildlife event our villages have ever seen. A huge variety of wildlife lives alongside us, (some species more obvious than others!) and we aim to discover as much as possible in 24 hours.

There’ll be plenty of exciting things going on for all the family so come along, get involved and tell us what you’ve spotted - everyone is invited to add their sightings to the ‘Totalizer’ in the Village Hall.

The idea is to record as many species of plants, animals, invertebrates etc as we can. Don’t worry if you don’t know a hoverfly from a harlequin ladybird, a forget-me-not from a foxglove, a bat from a badger or a sycamore from a Scots pine , there will be plenty of experts around to help you identify what you’ve found and show you things you never even knew existed! Beacon Hill Country Park Rangers, Loughborough Naturalists, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, Leicestershire & Rutland Ornithology Society, Naturespot and the Botanical Society of the British Isles are some of the organisations who will be on hand to help, survey, record and inform us all about our wonderful wildlife.

We start the 24-hour countdown at 9 pm on Friday the 14th in the Village Hall Annex, with a nocturnal challenge to learn about and find as many species of bat as we can, using bat detectors – great fun if you’ve never listened to ‘bat chat’ before! There’ll also be a spine-tingling Night Walk at Beacon Hill, where you may discover some of the creatures that are usually busy while you’re asleep. We’ll be trapping moths and using night cameras in local gardens, hopefully recording badgers, hedgehogs, deer and other night time visitors.

Set your alarm for early Saturday morning and you could be out searching and listening for ‘early birds’, residents and migrants in our woodlands. Saturday’s events will cater for everyone, young and not so young, whether you want to join in one of the many activities on offer at Beacon Hill and other sites around the villages or find out more about the organisations and groups working with wildlife in our area. You could try pond dipping or plant identification, go on a guided bird, butterfly or bee walk, find out about heathland management, follow a Tree Trail, make a ‘pooter’ and search for minibeasts and much, much more. There will be a fascinating variety of demonstrations, talks and displays in the Village Hall throughout the day, where refreshments will be sold between 11am and 5pm. We’ll round everything off with a special guest speaker, local photographer Danny Green, whose love of Charnwood and its wildlife is reflected in his superb images. At around 8.30pm, we’ll reveal our ‘Totalizer’ results – we’re hoping this will be something really special and we’ll let everyone know what we found in our report later in the year.

This is a community event organised for you and free to all - a ‘must’ for anyone who is even vaguely interested in wildlife, so don’t miss out on the fun. Look out for more details of all the day’s events on noticeboards around the villages in the next few weeks. If you have a particular knowledge or interest in wildlife or organise a community group that would like to take part then get in touch with us at: heritage.warden@woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk.

More information about what a Bioblitz involves can be found at: http://www.bnhc.org.uk/home/bioblitz/.

To find out what species are being recorded in our area, or submit your own records and photographs, go to the NatureSpot website: http://www.naturespot.org.uk/parish/woodhouse where experts will help verify species identification.

Woodhouse & Woodhouse Eaves Heritage team, Kate Moore, Cathy Schou and Maggie Morland

The Monday Club For Anstey, Cropston, Thurcaston & Rothley On Monday 8th April, fortunately the weather turned for the better and although very cold, sported a great deal of sunshine which encouraged Members to come along to listen to a fascinating illustrated talk about “The History, Creation and Beauty of Glass”. Our Speaker was Mr. Derek Holloway, who had previously spoken to us about the life of Clarice Cliff, the famous pottery creator. Mr. Holloway chose four famous glass creators on which to base the subject i.e. Venetian, Whitefriars, Rene Jules Lalique and John Ditchfield.

The history of glass goes back to 3500 BC and has been produced in different forms through each century. The basic ingredients were displayed as a Delia Smith Recipe for easier understanding and were composed of Silicon Sand, Sodium Carbonate, and Calcium Oxide and when mixed, were “cooked” at 2300 or 4172 degrees Fahrenheit or much less with the addition of Sodium Oxide. Variations were mixed to achieve i.e Lead Chrystal to achieve weight and sparkle and further ingredients to achieve light and colour i.e. Iron Oxide for Green and Sulphur for Yellow.

Beautiful examples of the above Creators were displayed together with hints and wrinkles on how to recognise the genuine article from the fakes, which present difficulties for recognition for even the Experts!! Mr. Holloway also advised that the removal of labels or any other markings of authenticity, would prove disastrous in the valuation, with the possibility of a loss of a great deal of money to the owner on resale or auction as witnessed on TV programmes such as Antiques Road Show.

This was a fascinating talk and the Membership appreciated the depth of details appertaining to the creators, far too many to mention here. As Mr. Holloway has other subjects to share with us, we shall invite his return next year.

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Local Clubs Ashby-de-la-Zouch Wine Circle Ashby Wine Circle was founded in 1961 when William (Bill) Pratt handed out circulars in various places in the town encouraging people to join. The 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2011 with an evening meal for past and present members at the Lyric Rooms on 15 October Bill Pratt was Adult Tutor of the Community College and the group was formed with a dozen members during an inaugural meeting at Ivanhoe School on 19 October, 1961. Bill was appointed Chairman, and although no longer a member he attended the 40th and 50th anniversary celebrations.

When the group was in its infancy it turned to similar organisations at Nottingham and Birmingham for guidance as none of its members knew much about wine making. They soon grew in confidence, however, and within two years they had set up an annual show. Usually held in March, at ts height an average of 500 bottles of homemade wine were made by members for the show. They would be judged during the day for almost thirty different categories of wine, liquor and even beer. Untill the turn of the century this event took place in Blackfordby Village Hall. An evening dinner would be followed by the presentation of the trophies.

Prior to this annual event the first trophy to be won by a member of Ashby Wine Circle was the Solihull Salver. Mrs. Noreen Perry, now 92 and the oldest active member of the group was awarded the accolade in 1970 and went on to become a national wine judge. It was said that her leadership took Ashby Wine Circle to bigger and brighter events (the words of Holly Ward when writing a history of the wine circle in 1973).

Other outstanding wine makers include Les Beniston, Ron Wagstaff, Roland Hill, Alan Poyser, Derek Gutberlet and Graham Venables The Ashby Wine Circle meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm.

For the past eighteen years the meetings took place at St. Helen’s Cottage but from March this year the new venue is Brown Court, Atkinson Road, Ashby New members are always welcome, for further details contact 01530-224030

Mountsorrel W.I. Mountsorrel WI met on Thursday 12th April at the Parish Rooms. The speaker was Linda Lonsdale an Image Consultant. The members were fascinated by an insight of how the colours that we wear can affect not only how we look but also how we feel about ourselves.

We were also astonished that we generally only wear 15% of our clothes 85% of the time! Maybe a time to look at our wardrobes, Ladies!

Apparently we each fall into a category reflecting one of the seasons. One brave volunteer acted as a model and provided a visual example of how colours deemed to be in another season made her look lifeless and sallow whereas the colours within the ‘correct’ season enhanced her skin tones and made her look so vibrant.

An excellent evening all round.

The next meeting will be held on 9th May at 7.30pm in the parish rooms. This will be a Resolutions Meeting with no speaker.

On 13th June we will be entertained by Wendy Coley who will be telling us about Medical Detection Dogs.

All visitors will be very welcome. Please just turn up or for further details contact Alison Aldwinkle on 07517 232029.

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Belgrave Cemetery Forthcoming Events - 2013 Friday 3rd May, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm ‘Belgrave Cemetery Soldiers of the Great War’ presentation by Dr John Sutton at Greenacres, The Sidings, Red Hill Way, Leicester. Tickets bookable in advance £2.50p. £3.00 on the night. Tel: 0116 2672018

Sunday 19th May - 10.15 am - Noon Friends of Belgrave Cemetery. Annual General Meeting at Greenacres, The Sidings, Red Hill Way, Leicester. All members are welcomed to attend. There will be a re-election of the Committee, should anyone wish to put themselves forward

Saturday 25 May , 10.00 am “Morn Chorus” Walk - Belgrave Cemetery. Bring binoculars and wear suitable clothing. Free to the public (no need to pre-book). Greenacres will put tea and coffee on afterwards.

Saturday 8 June, 10.00 am - 3.00 pm Belgrave Cemetery Summer Open Day. There will be the FOBCG record information available together with cake, book, plant and bric-a-brac stalls, plus refreshments.

Sandra Moore will take two Cemetery Walks/Talks at 11.00 am and 2.00 pm dressed in Victorian costume. www.thebradgatemagazine.co.uk

Local Entertainment & Events Film Presentations From Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Council In April’s film, “The Lady”, we saw an Oxford housewife and mother of two teenage boys return to her motherland of Burma where she peacefully led a democracy movement, even tirelessly campaigning among the northern tribes. We were relieved to see her win the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Quartet” (left) will be shown on Friday May 10th and lasts 145 minutes.

Starring Dame Maggie Smith, this wickedly comic film is about redefining old age with aspirations. It demonstrates how music can illuminate life. Four retired opera singers celebrate Verdi’s birthday by endeavouring to perform an operetta at their retirement home.

“The Life of Pi” will be shown on Friday 14th June and lasts 120 minutes.

June’s film is a beautiful adventure drama based on Yann Martel’s popular novel. The young Pi is charming and funny as he struggles to stay alive in a fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean with the other survivor, a Bengal Tiger, with whom he makes an unexpected connection.. This film was nominated for several Bafta awards.

“Lincoln” will be shown on Friday September 13th.

Thurcaston and Cropston Parish Council will be showing these films at Thurcaston Memorial Hall. Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost £4-50 and concessions are £4. The price includes refreshments and a lucky prize draw. Advanced tickets can be purchased via the parish office - 0116 236 7626 or at the door.

All Local Royal British Legion Members & Friends Unite On Tuesday, May 21st the Rothley RBL will hold their third annual “Nosh & Nostalgia” event at the Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley. This event, which caters for all members of the Royal British Legion, comprises a tasty supper, cooked by our favorite chef on the premises. This is followed by nostalgic entertainment in the form of songs from the post 2nd World War era sung by “After Eight”, the popular local singing quartet.

This event has proved very popular with some 80 diners at our last years event so if you are interested please give John Leake a bell on 0116 238 3858 to book your place. Groups will be seated together if booked accordingly. The tickets are £10 per person to cover both supper and entertainment, and the bar will be open. There is plenty of free parking on site so come and join in the fun.

A Night In The West End with Newtown Linford Choral Society The Choral Society is busy rehearsing for its Summer Concert, in which it will be performing well known songs from West End Shows.

This means that there’s no need to travel all the way to London to hear music from hit musicals such as Les Miserables, Wicked, or The Sound of Music, as you can hear it in comfort in Newtown Linford Village Hall on 13th, 14th and 15th June. Supper will be served on the Friday and Saturday nights, on the Thursday night there will ‘nibbles’, and there will be a licensed bar on all three nights.

For further information and tickets contact Peter Sayer on 01530 243822.

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May On The GCR This month is full of variety yet again to satisfy all our visitors’ varied interests. Starting with a Steam Special Day, followed by a Diesel Gala, Steam Enthusiasts Event and to finish off an event for the young and old.

Steam Special Day On the May Bank Holiday Monday the 6th we have three steam engines working including the Webb Coal Tank making its first visit to the GCR and two resident engines operating a 45 minute service. And why not visit our refurbished museum at Loughborough.

Diesel Gala For all our diesel friends we have an intensive timetable to give our diesels a good run out during the weekend of the 18th and 19th and some special guests. An evening ‘beerex’ will run on Saturday, and the all day breakfast will be available all weekend.

Steam Enthusiasts Event For the three day Spring Bank Holiday weekend of the 25th, 26th and 27th every Main Line needs local stopping services, so the smaller engines will rule including the Webb Coal Tank before it leaves us. Brake van rides and local goods trains will be running during a very busy timetable.

Toy & Train Fair For the model railway enthusiasts we have the popular Toy and Train Fair at Loughborough Station on Sunday the 26th with many models and accessories to choose from for your model, to visit a platform ticket is required or why not buy a train ticket and when you have bought something you can take a steam train ride through the beautiful Leicestershire countryside to celebrate.

Midweek Running Half term trains will be running on the 28th, 29th and 30th.

Dining Trains There is the usual selection of Dining trains running every weekend, with a Murder Mystery running on Friday the 17th.

To round the month off there is a Pullman Dining Train with live Jazz on Friday the 31st.

‘Closing The Gap’ Gala Our friends up at Ruddington, Great Central Railway (Nottingham) are holding their biggest gala ever over the Bank Holiday weekend of the 4th to the 6th in association with ’6880 Betton Grange Society’ a group building a new GWR Grange Class locomotive. Artist David Shepherd’s Standard No 92203 Black Prince and Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group’s Ivatt No 46521 will be making an appearance alongside the home fleet. There will also be many other attractions including vintage buses, traction engines and miniature railways. For full details visit the website at www.gcrn.co.uk One day it will be possible to catch a train at Leicester North and get off at Ruddington. But I wonder when?

Preview Of Events For June A new children’s event Moshi Monsters will take place early in the month, the very popular Wartime Event, Swap Meet at Quorn and Midweek Running gets under way. And don’t forget its also Father’s Day so why not treat dad to Sunday lunch on a steam train.

For all the latest information visit the website at www.gcrailway.co.uk or phone Loughborough on 01509 632323.

Dave Allen, Duty Station Master, Rothley.

Top Photo - One of the diesels expected to run during the Diesel Gala is Class 20 D8098 seen during the Diesel Gala last September approaching Rothley with a local service from Loughborough.

Bottom Photo - Wildlife artist David Shepherd (standing right by the fence) watches his engine BR Standard No 92203 Black Prince as it is slowly placed on the turntable at Minehead in 2010 during a visit for a gala. David and his engine will be at the ‘Close the Gap’ Gala at Ruddington on the May Bank Holiday weekend.

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Local Education A New Opportunity To Access Funds For Courses & Training Whatever your age, whether you are retired and want to advance your knowledge, are working and want to boost your career prospects or want to study for a professional qualification, Leicester College can help you.

• They have a range of full and part-time courses at levels 3 and 4 to suit you, from hair and beauty to business, IT and care.

• Completing a course or training has also been found to have a positive impact on quality of life, increasing self-esteem and confidence.

For the first time from August 2013, due to changes in government funding, learners will have the option of accessing a loan to pay their course fees from the Student Loans Company (SLC). Learners will only need to start repaying the loan once they have completed the course and are earning over £21,000 per year.

This new funding means that many more people over the age of 24 will have the opportunity to study on level 3 and level 4 courses, allowing them to experience the related benefits such as increased wages and job satisfaction.

What options are available to cover course/training costs?

Self Funded: Pay for the course up front, or in instalments (up to10) for eligible courses Loan: Take out a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan to cover the course/training costs.

Who are the new loans for?

The 24+ Advanced Learning Loans are for anyone who is: • • • •

aged 24 and above at the start of their course Studying at Level 3 and Level 4 in Further Education and training Resident in the UK for at least the last 3 years Has not previously had a loan to do the same type and level of qualification.

The loans will not be means tested or subject to credit checks.

How do they work?

There is no upfront cost to the individual. The loan is taken out at the start of the course but repaid after the course has finished and earnings are at last £21,000.

When will they be available?

For courses starting from September 2013 onwards, loans will be available for courses including Advanced and Higher Apprenticeships, QCF Diplomas/Certificates at levels 3 and 4, Access to HE courses (full and part-time) and A levels.

How much will the loans be for?

For all eligible courses the loan will be up to the 100% of the cost of the training including course and material fees.

How do I apply?

You can apply online now via https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learning-loans.

To find out more visit leicestercollege.ac.uk or call us on 0116 224 2240.

Academic Success at Grace Dieu It has been a year of high academic achievement at Grace Dieu Manor School.

As well as achieving the best-ever Key Stage 2 Test results in Year 6 last summer, 48 % of Year 8 pupils have now been offered places for September 2013 at either Loughborough Grammar School or Loughborough High School.

Headmaster, Charles Foulds commented: “Our links with the Endowed Schools in Loughborough are very strong and it is a credit to the pupils and staff that half of our 13 year olds have been offered places there this year. We also have a very close relationship with Ratcliffe College, together with other outstanding schools locally, such as Repton, Trent College and Derby Grammar School, and these schools will also welcome some of our Year 8 pupils in 2013. The fact that we annually feed such a rich breadth of senior schools is a huge strength of Grace Dieu.”

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Site-Stone to Syston This Months Feature Focuses To The East Of Our Beautiful Charnwood Forest By Looking Into Both Historic And Present Day Syston...

Syston is a small town and civil parish located in the district of Charnwood lying partway between Leicester and Melton Mowbray.

With its earliest known settlement dating back over 1,000 years the Doomsday book - William the Conqueror’s great record of survey, conducted in 1086 - affirms the town was originally called “Site-Stone”, probably in relation to a stone where folk used to meet up to settle disputes.

The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Syston’s most ancient building, dates back in part to the 13th century, thanks to its sedilia (stone seats for use during mass) and is today a proud listed building and town focal point.

Syston is well-placed on the Midland Main Line and with good bus coverage bringing business through its main passageways Melton Road and the formerly Roman road, Fosse Way – the river Soar, running past the western edge of town, completes the town’s access links. Made navigable to boats in 1784, its major tributary, the River Wreake (running north west of the town) is graded ‘excellent’ by the Environment Agency and is home to dragonfly, crayfish, perch, chubb and pike, and wonderfully, Otters, who are steadily re-populating the quieter stretches of the river.

Syston is also home to its own plum, the Syston white plum, grown in the area for over 100 years, Syston’s plum crops in September and is oval in shape. Even better news is that it is excellent for pies, jams and desserts (when ripe). As a result of its favour the plum features across the town’s welcome signs.

Bringing Syston into the modern day is the well stocked high street which not only boasts many independent shops but also has bigger chains stores thrown in for good measure.

Some of the long established local businesses include Peggy’s of Syston and Jennings who are both celebrating huge anniversaries this summer.

Peggy’s of Syston is owned by Pam Brown and was established in 1973 by her mother, who sadly died in 1979 when Pam took over the business - much has changed over the years but they still pride themselves on giving a friendly and helpful service and good quality gift ware to suit all occasions.

Jennings is a family business that celebrates 80 years in fashion and lingerie.

Established on Melton Road Leicester in 1933 and since 1996 trading in Syston. A store selling established and new brands combining fashion and lingerie with fantastic bra measuring and fitting expertise.

Syston boasts interesting beginnings, great businesses and not to forget the exciting opportunities for the local community, everything from wildlife projects and charity events to the ever developing girls and women’s football teams at Syston Town Footbal Club (for further details see page 43).

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Looking After YOU...

What do your feet reveal about your health?

Each area of both feet can tell a health story about a particular organ, region, or system of the body. The layout and perspective is similar to that of the body. To give you an idea of what area relates to what, the toes represent everything to do with the head while the sides of the feet represent the spine, and arms and legs respectively.

The ‘shoulders’ are quite easy to find if you’d like to try (either on yourself if you’re flexible or on a willing volunteer) – they are under each little toe on the pad; the ‘corner’ of the foot. Press gently with your thumb and you may be able to feel ‘grittiness’ or it may be ‘gristly’. This is a likely indication of tight, stiff shoulder muscles. By gently working them with the pad of your thumb you may be able to release some of the grittiness and this in turn can have positive reflex effect on the actual shoulders.

Reflexology is the branch of complementary medicine that studies and makes therapeutic use of this foot / body correspondence. A trained Reflexologist will be able to gain an overview of your health and work to help you improve your well-being through your feet.

Do You Know About The Urgent Care Centre?

The Walk in Centre at Pinfold Gate, Loughborough has now closed and is replaced by The Urgent Care Centre has at Loughborough Hospital. This service is for people of all ages with health needs that are urgent but not life threatening. The centre is open 24 hours 7 days a week and you do not need an appointment.

Going to the right place? Follow your ‘Choose Better’ checklist: • Can this be treated at home? • Can I get help from my pharmacy? • Could my GP treat this during surgery time or via the out of hours service? • Am I registered with my local GP? • Should I call the NHS Direct Helpline?

If the answer to all the above is “no” then come to the Urgent Care Centre. Remember if the problem is a life threatening emergency you need to call 999 and ask for the ambulance service.

Loughborough Hospital, Urgent Care Centre, Hospital Way, Loughborough LE11 5JY Tel: 01509 611600

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Local Sport Anstey & Glenfield Cricket Club Find New Sponsor The new cricket season is upon us and new sponsor Leicestershire Lettings have provided the club with Tracksuit tops & sleeveless pullovers for the forthcoming season.

On Sunday 14th April - the Sunday friendly side Captained by Mark Stafford Traveled to Braybrook to kick off the new season with a slightly warmer day than when they travelled there last year.

The 1st team, Captained by Ian Marjoram, travel to Twycross on 4th May - starting life in the Leicestershire senior league Div 2 , having suffered relegation from Divisoon 1 last season.

The 2nd team, captained by Charlie Wilkes, start the season at home against Thurnby 4th’s.

They are Extremely fortunate to start the season with a wonderful, brand new - State- of - the - art pavilion located on Gynsill lane Glenfield. The pavilion was officially opened by former Leicester City legend Alan Birchinall on the 24th April.

For further information about joining the cricket club : Contact John Sutherington (club Chairman) on Tel 07939 07063

Line Begins Defence Of Championship George Line of Thurcaston begins his defence of last year’s hard won Trent Valley Karting Club Championship this April.

2012 was another trophy bonanza year for George, winning the Rotax Junior class and the Clubs overall Champion of Champions. George earned more championship points than any other driver throughout the season.

This year he was also awarded the Driver of the Meeting at the International Kart Masters Grand Prix.

This season George, now aged 17, will driving in the highly competitive Senior Rotax class. Speeds are faster and George’s competition will now be a lot more experienced. He will also be guesting in the European Karting Championship, but sadly unable to compete in the event as a whole due to his A Level commitments He is pictured here with step-dad Robin Langford, team boss and chief mechanic! Many will remember Robin as Director of Langrops Ltd, Cropston Road, Anstey, and motor-sport star in his own right back in the 1960s and 70s.

Girls Like Football Too...

Ladies and the Girls Football have really taken off at Syston Town Juniors F.C. The club now boast multipul teams:

Syston Town Ladies - The Ladies are always looking for new players

to join and if you are interested please contact Rich Gunn 07884 117116.

Syston Town Wasps U14’s - If you would be interested in joining the Wasps, contact Adey Hall 07813674972

Syston Town Bees U12’s - If you would be interested in joining the Bees, contact Hollie Gunn 07852 310861

Syston Town U10’s & Academy Girls - If you would be interested in joining contact Rich Gunn 07884117116.

The Ladies, girls and academy coaches are CRB checked, and are all FA qualified coaches and between them hold FA Level 1, Level 2, FA Youth Modules, and Level 1 Goalkeeping coaching awards. The Academy gives girls of all ages and ability the opportunity to try football for Free and those who wish a chance to join a team and play in the Leicester City and County Girls Sunday League. The FREE Girls Academy takes place every Saturday throughout the football season from 10:00 to 11:30 at: Memorial Playing Fields (Donkey Park), Syston, Leicester LE7 1HF. If you play already and would like to join Syston Town Juniors F.C. or come to our FREE girls’ academy, just come down on the day or if you would like further details please contact the Managers listed above. What have you got to lose?

Syston Town Juniors FC is committed to player development and eventually hopes to have girls’ teams in all age groups.

Rich Gunn, Girls Academy Coach & Senior Ladies Manager/Coach | 07884 117 116 | rg@systontownjuniorsfc.co.uk May / June 2013

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Local Gardening Thurcaston & Cropston Gardening Club Our March meeting was called ‘Pruning Made Simple’.

So; pruning - ‘hairdresser or butcher’? That was the question posed by our guest speaker, Geoff Hodge. Geoff is a very experienced gardener, has been a garden centre manager, and now writes books for the RHS and for gardening magazines.

Geoff started his talk by explaining about pruning equipment, and had with him a full range of kit to talk about and demonstrate. The most important thing about pruning equipment is that it must be sharp and clean.

Thurcaston & Cropston Open Gardens 2013 Once again Richard Hill School PTA are organising an Open Gardens event in the villages of Thurcaston and Cropston.

This will take place on the weekend of 29th and 30th June.

There will be a number of gardens open across the two villages of various types… a water garden, an oriental garden, family gardens, the school garden and many more we hope! We are still looking for gardens to open, as with the cold weather at the start of this year, gardens have been slow to get going! If you would like to get involved by opening your garden please contact us as soon as possible (see below for details)…you will be most welcome. Gardeners who have opened before will tell you it is a very enjoyable and positive experience.

Gardens will be open from 2pm – 6pm on both days; tickets will be £4 each (accompanied children and wheelchair users free) and will be valid for both days.

They can be purchased on the day from any of the Open Gardens or, from Monday 17th June, from the Richard Hill School Office, Anstey Lane, Thurcaston (Mon to Fri 9am3pm only please). .

Proceeds from this weekend will go to the School’s PTA funds which help pay for a number of things around the school. Currently we are trying to raise funds for outdoor facilities for the youngest children.

For more information about this event, or to volunteer your garden, please have a look at our website

When it comes to pruning you need a reason to prune and Geoff talked about the 4 Ds – dead, damaged, dying and diseased. Another reason to prune is where a variegated shrub is reverting to green. But perhaps the main reason is to maximise a plants ability to produce flowers. Indeed, deadheading to keep plants flowering is a form of pruning.

Geoff also talked about when to prune. This depends on the plant, for example, whether it flowers in spring, summer or autumn.

So, hairdresser or butcher? A ‘hairdresser’ prunes very lightly as opposed to a ‘butcher’ who prunes hard and deep. Geoff argued that gardeners get better results, with the exception of some plants, if they become ‘butchers’ when pruning.

This was an excellent, interactive ‘master class’ talk. Geoff had an extremely relaxed and chatty style to his talk and demonstration. The group of 40 members and visitors who braved the weather to attend, enjoyed his style and there was a lot of laughter throughout the evening.

The next club event is on Wednesday 8th May, 7.45 pm – Sempervivums and Hardy Sedums by Paul Street - An introduction to the beauty of these popular plants.

Cultivation, care and propagation.

The gardening club meets in the Thurcaston and Cropston Memorial Hall.

Whether an experienced gardener or an enthusiastic beginner we are sure you will something of interest in this year’s programme. So, if you are interested in gardening come and give the Club a try.

For more information of any of these events call Dave Haddon on: (0116) 235 9758

www.tcog.org.uk or contact Linda on 0116 lindabennett1301@gmail.com

2363872

or

email:

Why not put the date in your diary now, then come along, with your family and friends, and support this great community event?

We look forward to seeing you!

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Local Interest Greetings fellow Compufferers ( Computer Sufferers) Having exhausted all my basic computer tips, I have retired into sorting out peoples’ e-mail and internet problems. However, so incensed have I become recently with the cavalier behaviour of our internet service providers and web browsers that, at the real risk of confusing some people, I must offer a few words of comfort and assistance. I know I am not alone in feeling a frisson of dread every time I turn on my computer in fear of what new imperative will assail my screen. Must I update or upgrade such and such a programme? Is my performance so low it is dangerous and must be improved? Have viruses of which I was totally unaware contaminated my computer? All these scare tactics, with one or two exceptions, have only one objective.

To get your money.

Programmes employing these tactics are not altogether useless but they are unlikely to solve your specific problem even if you have one. This is how it works. If you have a problem and you google it, say you type “ My computer says I have an “error code XYZ” “ ; things called Meta-tags in the search engine read the words “error code” and link you to a web site entry that copies your complaint exactly. So you read the list of google entries and hey presto one of them says “ Acme Bug Killer Express fixes error code XYZ”.

To avoid having these flash warning in the first place here is some advice. When involved in any type of installation/ downloading/updating/upgrading, anything that involves information going into your computer never ever ever use the “Express Settings (recommended )” always go to the Custom Settings.

Say for example you want to install a web browser called, say, Giggle Chrime. You may think you are dealing only with Giggle Chrime but they may have already sold part of you on to another company who will bombard you with flash adverts or drag you into their web directory by imposing their search tool bar on you.

In each of the dialogue boxes that appear with the Custom Settings seek out and untick the boxes that allow these parasites into your computer. Sometimes there are Accept /Decline boxes that make it look as if a Decline will cancel all the installation. Not so; the installation will continue with just the basic programme.

If you are able remove programmes by going to Start / Control Panel then Add/Remove a program or Uninstall a program depending on your operating system, you may like to remove two of the most common interlopers, these are Babylon and Conduit. If you do this you will also need to take steps to stop them reinstalling themselves when next you go on the internet. From your browser screen look for Tools or the tool icon, usually a geared wheel. From the drop down menu choose Internet options and change the default web address to Google.co.uk, by typing it in, do not use the use blank box or use current box. Good luck.

Recently I have been the recipient of kindly donated surplus to requirements old computers. After cannibalising them and rebuilding using the best bits I have two complete systems that could satisfy basic computer needs, if slowly. I ask for no profit from these but would appreciate compensation for any of my components incorporated. So if your computer has failed you for whatever reason and you could use a replacement while you save up for (remember that phrase from the fourteenth century) a new system please contact me.

Cheers, Joe Costello.

Old Woodhouse Open Gardens Weekend - 18th & 19th May Having taken a 3 year break to re-charge the batteries the residents of Old Woodhouse are again opening their gardens to visitors. The previous event was very successful and raised a substantial sum for charity; money raised at this year’s event will similarly benefit local charities. As well as the opportunity to view some beautiful gardens there will be refreshments available and also plant stalls.

Nine private gardens will be open for viewing together with the St Mary’s Church and Beaumanor Hall Gardens. Teas will be served at the Community Hall and two of the private gardens. Entry passports can be purchased either at Woodhouse Eaves Newsagents, the Garden Planter shop at Woodhouse Eaves or on the day at the Community Hall and at selected gardens. The cost is £3 per person; children will be free but must be accompanied by a paying adult.

The gardens will be open from 2.0pm to 6.0pm.

Parking will be at the Beaumanor Hall main car park. The Community Hall car park will be reserved for disabled parking and as a drop off point for the disabled.

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Financial Planning In Your Fifties, Sixties & Seventies In Your Fifties Along with your forties, your fifties are almost certainly the age when your earnings are at their peak – and by now there’s a good chance that your children will no longer be dependant, giving you the chance to take two important financial planning steps.

Your fifties is also a good time to reduce debt. Conventional financial wisdom dictates that you should almost always pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first – which would normally mean paying off your credit cards before your mortgage. But for many people the allure of being mortgage free is a very powerful motivating factor.

In Your Sixties At some time in our sixties the vast majority of us will retire. The options around taking your pension can be many and varied, whether it is deciding how to take your income or deciding how to invest any tax-free lump sum you receive.

The decisions you take now could well affect your standard of living for the rest of your life.

In Your Seventies You may be able to look at giving away some of your income and/or wealth to reduce an eventual inheritance tax bill.

Essentially, your seventies are a decade in which to relax and reap the rewards of a lifetime of sensible financial planning.

But above all, the message for your seventies is simple:

“You’ve worked hard: you’ve planned your finances: now enjoy it!”

Matthew Walne, Santorini Financial Planning Ltd.

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Crossword Page This month’s crossword clues...

ACROSS 1. Barrel plug 6. Ball of yarn 10. A Titaness of ancient mythology 14. A wading bird 15. Fifty-three in Roman numerals 16. Trumpet 17. Regions 18. Paddles 19. Violent demonstration 20. Mutilated 22. Nature of being 23. Wander aimlessly for pleasure 24. Gives a speech 26. Leapt 30. Send payment for 32. Ancient Middle-Eastern kingdom 33. Perceives visually 35. Accomplishments 39. Pentateuch 41. Meadow 42. Move stealthily 43. Ancient upright stone slab 44. Skid 46. Singer Fitzgerald 47. Parties 49. A pawn or pledge (archaic) 51. African antelope 54. Indian hemp 55. Injure 56. Dishevel 63. Dwarf buffalo 64. Noisy 65. From tusk 66. An inflammation of the big toe 67. Anagram of “Neat” 68. A durable aromatic wood 69. Gaelic 70. Japanese rice wine 71. Sporting venue

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DOWN 1. Herring-like fish 2. A beautiful and graceful girl 3. Angers 4. Unit of bread 5. A commissioned naval officer 6. Overcast 7. Teller of untruths 8. Ireland 9. Sound thinking 10. Menaced 11. Lift 12. Jagged 13. Initial wagers 21. Jokes 25. Disposes 26. Collections 27. Scheme 28. Scarce 29. Consolidate 30. Bobbins

31. Jacob's brother 34. "Born Free" lioness 36. Snake-like fishes 37. Valley 38. A three-handed card game 40. Cure 45. Pitcher 48. Long handled spoon-shaped vessels 50. A large continent 51. Picture 52. Estate 53. Devout 54. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages 57. A very small amount 58. Submerged 59. Assert 60. A connecting point 61. Parental mother 62. A long-tailed tropical American Wildcat

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OUT AND ABOUT MUSIC Saturday 04 May | Songs We Have Loved St Bartholomew’s United Church, Quorn In association with Three Counties Musical Society Present Songs We Have Loved.

Tickets £8 | 7.30pm | Contact: Tony 07870123830

Friday 22 March | Charnwood Orchestra The Charnwood Orchestra will perform its annual summer concert on Saturday 29th June 2013 in the Church of St James the Greater, London Road, Leicester starting at 7.30pm.

The programme will consist of three works: Borodin: On the Steppes of Central Asia Prokoviev: Violin concerto No 2. soloist: Benedict Holland Symphony: No 2: Sibelius

St Bartholomew’s United Church, Quorn

Tickets will cost £10.00 (£8.00 concessions) and £3.00 for accompanied children under 16.

Wednesday 22 May | Invitation To Sing

They will be available from the Box Office: 07718 153117 or email judithrodgers155@gmail.com , from Leicester Tourist Information Centre on 0844 8885181, from members of the orchestra or on the door.

The Grand Central Chorus invite prospective singers to join them at their rehearsal for an ‘Introduction to singing in Harmony’ evening.

There is no charge. Expert coaching will be on hand. No singing solo. Come and sing with the best. Bring yourself and a bottle of water.

There will be an interval bar selling wine, Castle Rock Real Ale and fruit juice.

7.15pm | To register call Martin on 07855 270803 Email: publicity.gcc@gmail.com | Or just turn up on the night.

Harrington School, Derby Road, Long Eaton, NG10 4BJ

LOCAL GROUPS Saturday 04 & Sunday 05 May | Loughborough Canal & Boat Festival The Loughborough Canal and Boat Festival takes place over the May Day weekend each year and has been in existence since 1997.

Hundreds of boats and thousands of people throng Loughborough’s waterway to experience the unique atmosphere the festival generates.

FREE event | 10.30am - 5pm | Tel: 01509 635827 | joswift@loughboroughcanalfestival.co.uk | Loughborough Canal Princes Court, Royal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 5XR

Sunday 05 + Sunday 19 May | Woodhouses Junior Gardening Club - Ages 7-14 Welcomed Come and be part of the growing cycle from seed, to sprout, to harvest. With the cold outside we will be propagating, whether from seed or cutting. On Mothering Sunday we will be making a gift for now as well as later. £5 membership and £1 per meeting fee. Meetings will be fortnightly. Supported by Woodhouses Gardening Club. Interested?

Please contact Jill 01509 890 795 or Andrew 01509 890 839. As places are limited please get in touch to reserve yours. | 2pm 3:30pm | Woodhouse Village Annexe (behind the Village Hall).

Wednesday 08 May | Bradgate Flower Club Bradgate Flower Club members and guests are invited to join the Anstey garden visits. Gardens are open from 6.30pm. Details from Lilian Coleman on 0116 2363191.

Thursday 09 May | Walk In The Woods Join us for a fascinating spring walk led by Eric Porter of the Woodland Trust. Eric will introduce attendees to the history, wildlife and management of the wood at the very best time of year.

Contact the Stepping Stones Project for info and booking: Andy Jackson - 0116 305 7221 | Email: andy.jackson@leics.gov.uk | 6.00pm | Martinshaw Wood, Ratby | FREE event.

Thursday 09 May | Charity Whist Drives The next in the series of Charity Whist Drives organised by Derek Farr. All players welcome.

Admission £2 | 7.30pm | Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley.

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LOCAL GROUPS Friday 10 May | Loughborough RSPB Talk - Attenborough Nature Reserve by Nigel Slater Nigel is a keen enthusiastic naturalist, living next to the nature reserve. He has been a volunteer warden there for many years and is now on the reserve management committee. He has a special interest in birds, but also has a background knowledge in insects, plants, mammals... and the day to day running of the reserve, its history, conservation and its future.

7.45pm | £3 member, £3.50 non-members | E-mail: robertorton97@btinternet.com | Lecture Theatre U020, Brockington Building, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, Loughborough

Saturday 11 May | Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust (Charnwood Group) Open Day Open Day at The Brand, Woodhouse Eaves t’s many years since we enjoyed an Open Day at the Brand and we are fortunate to have been invited once again by Colonel and Mrs Martin. The gardens have been re-designed since our last visit and there will be plenty of activities going on in the grounds and woodlands for all the family. Refreshments will be on sale and admission is £2 per person (accompanied children free). Dogs must be kept on a lead.

Admission is £2, accompanied children free | 1pm to 5pm | The Brand, Woodhouse Eaves

Saturday 11 May | Spring Fair Charnwood Conservative Association Spring Fair. Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell MP will be attending. Raffle, Tombola, Plants, Books,Produce stalls, Cakes & Games.

Admission 50p | The Rothley Centre. Mountsorrel Lane Rothley | 10am - noon.

Saturday 14 May | Charity Cupcake Festival Bringing bakers together from across the region to sell their cupcakes and enter the exciting cupcake competitions all in aid of Rainbows Childrens Hospice.

Loughborough Town Hall | 11am - 4pm | Admission £1 (under 12’s free) | email cupcakefestival2013@gmail.com www.rainbows.co.uk/cupcakefestival

Friday 17 May | Whitwick & District U3A AGM The AGM will give members and visitors alike the opportunity to hear an overview of the work of the Woodland Trust - see the article on page 19. Further information about Whitwick and District U3A can be found on their website.

1.45pm for a 2pm start | www.whitwicku3a.org.uk | St. David’s Church Hall, Broomleys, Coalville

Saturday 18 May | The Friends of Charnwood Forest Join The Friends of Charnwood Forest for a Mystery Walk. They will be meeting at the Old John Car Park of Bradgate Park.

Please remember to wear suitable footwear and clothing. Dogs are welcome, but must be kept on leads. Go and join them and discover parts of Charnwood you’ve perhaps never seen before. Further details can be found at: www.friendsofcharnwoodforest.org.uk | Old John Car Park, Bradgate Park.

Saturday 18 & Sunday 19th May | Old Woodhouse Open Gardens Nine private gardens will be open for viewing together with the St Mary’s Church and Beaumanor Hall Gardens. Teas will be served at the Community Hall and two of the private gardens. Entry passports can be purchased either at Woodhouse Eaves Newsagents, the Garden Planter shop at Woodhouse Eaves or on the day at the Community Hall and at selected gardens. £3 per person; children will be free but must be accompanied by a paying adult | Gardens open 2pm - 6pm | Parking will be at the Beaumanor Hall main car park. The Community Hall car park will be reserved for disabled parking and as a drop off point for the disabled.

Saurday 25 May | Messy Church Rothley Methodist Church have started a ‘Messy Church’ to try and boost their congregation to encourage new people and those with children on the fourth Saturday of the month. It offers creativity, fun, friendship, sharing, worship and a meal together. It is suitable for children of all ages from tots to teens and parents, carers, grandparents, family and friends.

Contact Sue Wainwright for further information: 07740 282 195 | Rothley Methodist Church, Howe Lane, Rothley.

Saturday 01 June | Car Boot, Craft Stalls & Tombola Stalls set up 8am - Public admission 9am. Cars £5, all other vehicles £8. Entrance 50p - children free. Proceeds for St. Peters Church Copt Oak. Booking advisable on 0116 2674746.

9am - 1pm | Copt Oak Memorial Hall Field, LE67 9QB next to Copt Oak Pub. May / June 2013

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Local Interest Snappers! By Ian It is believe it or not it’s almost blossom time and I want to assist you in getting the best possible blossom images. The beauty of blossoms is that in reality they are just flowers though sadly flowers that don’t stay around for very long. Being flowers you get the wonderful array of different colours, different textures and different shapes.

Composition is probably the most important aspect because even if you have the light and exposure spot on what could be a super image very quickly degenerates to an average image. Consider turning the camera through 90 degrees and your subject will look totally different. Not everything needs to be shot as landscape or portrait.

Remember the first rule of photography is to break the rules from time to time. Move your body a couple of feet in any direction and you get a completely different perspective.

Bright light is generally speaking not the best for floral photography. Try and find your subject on an overcast day because the light is so much softer and indeed will emphasise the colours of your subject more strongly. If it is too dark then experiment with a little “fill in” flash. With flash you may need to compensate your exposure to avoid the flower being over exposed. You may also consider altering your White Balance to match your lighting conditions. This is fairly standard if you are using a dslr camera but not all compacts permit this luxury but there probably is a programme built in that will have the same effect.

Exposure is a combination of ISO. Shutter speed and “F” stop selected. On many compact camera’s you do not have the ability to alter the “F” stop or shutter speed directly and that is why most serious photographers use a SLR camera so that they have more control of the settings. Again most compacts have many built in programmes and I would suggest that the “macro” programme, often depicted with a flower, should be used. If you are using a DSLR camera and have used “fill in” flash you may have to use your exposure compensation in order not to over expose your subject.

Whatever happens take many shots and discard those that are not properly exposed or are out of focus and have fun.

Your camera makes a very faithful friend.

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THE BRADGATE DIRECTORY

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES Baby Gosling.................................. 37 Caroline James.............................. 25 Churchgate Jewellers..................... 58 Greens Jewellers............................ 39 Jennings.........................................37 Primo Jewellery.............................. 11

EDUCATION Castle Day Nursery........................ 34 Computer Angel.............................. 34 Grace Dieu Manor School.............. 35 Leicester College............................ 35 Rawlins - Adult Courses................. 35 Richard Hill School Charity............. 34

FLOWERS & GIFTS The Flower Shop............................ 58 Garden Planters............................. 58 Paper Moon.................................... 37 Peggy’s of Syston........................... 37

FOOD, DRINK & VENUES The Blue Bell.................................. 30 Field Head Hotel............................. 31 Farmers Market.............................. 58 John C. Jesson - Caterer.................. 30 Love Food, Hate Waste..................... 34 Newtown Linford Stores & Tearoom. 11 Quorn Grange Hotel....................... 31 Rothley Court Hotel........................ 30 Vintage Afternoon Teas.................. 58 The Wheatsheaf Inn....................... 31

GARDEN Bentley’s Garden Buildings............ 18 Brookside Nurseries....................... 44 Charnwood Tree Services.............. 44 East Mids Mowers & Machines........ 3 Garden Blueprints.......................... 58 Johnson Tree Care......................... 24 LB Landscaping.............................. 44 Neil Johnson Landscaping............. 45 Roecliffe Tree Surgery.................... 45 Sevenoaks...................................... 55

HAIR & BEAUTY Aqua Hair....................................... 51 Eite Hairstyles................................ 42 Glitz Hair......................................... 41 Zoe’s Mobile Hairdressing.............. 58

HEALTH A.A. Foot Recovery........................ 40 Charnwood Hearing Centre............ 57 Clare Satchell Reflexology............. 41 Gareth Hudson - Foot Health......... 40 Halls Optometrists.......................... 41 Natural Healthcare......................... 40 Quorndon Care............................... 42 Rosemary Conley Diet & Fitness... 42

HOME ABD Picture Framing...................... 57 Ablutions.........................................59 Absolute Window Solutions.............. 2 Alpha Gas......................................... 4 Ancient & Modern............................. 3 Anstey Homecrafts......................... 57 Ashby Decorators Centre................. 8 Ashby Stoves................................... 8 BLM Property Maintenance............ 57 Borrajo Electrical............................ 24 Byrite Electrics................................ 36 Carpet Cuts.................................... 60 Charnwood Conservatories.............. 5 Charnwood Kitchens........................ 6 Charnwood Oakwrights.................. 14 Clean & Clear................................. 24 Clock Doctor................................... 24 Corner House Interiors................... 14 CV Lane........................................... 6 DeVol......................................20 + 21 DG Plumbing.................................. 57 DP Soft Furnishings........................ 36 Glenfield Televisions....................... 38 Graham Botterill............................. 24 Holme Tree Kitchens...................... 15 The Housewives............................... 3 Ibstock Kitchens............................... 4 Iron Maidens................................... 24

HOME continued...

The Light House............................... 4 Loft Storage Solutions.................... 15 Logburners Ltd................................. 3 Low Woods Furnishings................... 6 Martin Allen Flooring......................... 4 My Spa UK....................................... 7 Parker Tiling................................... 24 Rutland Shutters............................. 24 Simon Shuttlewood Upholstry........ 24 Terry Allen Painter & Decorator...... 57 Woodcock Farm Shop.................... 45 Wreake Valley Flooring................... 38 Your Blinds..................................... 36

LEISURE Donington le Heath Manor House.... 27 English Ancestry............................. 58 Just Bikes....................................... 58 Longcliffe Golf Club........................ 27 Rawlins - Children’s Activities......... 27

MOTORS Bob Jones Garage......................... 42 Cropston Garage............................ 57 VeeDub Services............................ 38

PETS Anstey Cattery................................ 55 Pawtraits......................................... 55 Posh Paws..................................... 55 The Retreat Boarding Kennels....... 55 The Veterinary Surgery.................. 55

PROFFESIONAL SERVICES A&A Mortgages.............................. 36 Ask Accountancy............................ 55 Dodds Solicitors LLP...................... 49 Gray Gordon Photography............. 51 Lee Cooper Funeral Directors........ 54 MB Sign Design.............................. 49 Prusinski Solicitors......................... 49 Santorini Financial Planning........... 48

PLEASE REMEMBER TO TELL OUR ADVERTISERS THAT YOU SAW THEM IN THE BRADGATE MAGAZINE

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