Wonderful Charnwood Forest

By Roy Denney

I AM WORKING on an update of a map first published in 1904 primarily on the Charnwood Forest Area. This covers Bradgate, Beacon etc and the new guide should be published shortly with some help from the Lottery.

I am including tea rooms and permissive paths none of which are on O.S. maps and we are not showing a lot of items they include on their maps which are not relevant to walkers. Ther aim is to produce a much clearer map. Working on it though, Glenfield is shown even though outside the regional park and readers might be interested to see the changes. Almost 120 years on and it barely shows any resemblance. Glenfield Frith Parish was merged with Glenfield to form the present parish officially called Glenfields.

AS THIS WAS and is to be a walkers’ guide the old version is a bit confusing by modern standards as the footpaths are the red routes. The only roads are the dark brown ones. The only road from Glenfield to Leicester was what is now the A50. There was a path to the A50 from the eastern end of what was a very small Glenfield which still remains from Loxley Road past the old tunnel entrance; makes brief appearances at the end of Sports Road, Underwood Court and eventually Somerset Drive and across the old golf course.

The Balk was a path and drovers’ trail that went to Leicester via Baulk Fields and Glenfield Frith. New Parks were parks, Kirby Frith was where the golf course is now and just south of that was Leicester Airport. All that’s left of Glenfield Frith Park is the lake, now hidden between houses. Older readers may remember the Airman’s Rest pub by where the airport was.

The Charnwood Regional Park is internationally renowned for its geology and fossils and has changed its name to a Geopark with ambitions of being accepted as a UNESCO Global Geopark which should avoid it being spoiled by inappropriate development.

Nearly 600 million years ago it was in the seas of the southern hemisphere, and it is home to some of the oldest animal fossils ever described. The landscape is defined by craggy hills, wooded valleys, heathlands, grasslands and tumbling streams. Reservoirs make up the picture.

These ancient rocks contain a number of fossils now known to be some of the first animals that ever evolved on the planet. First discovered in the 1950’s, the fossils fundamentally changed our understanding of evolution, having been found in rocks that were previously thought to be too old to contain fossils. It was these finds that enthused a local lad, David Attenborough and the rest is history of a different sort. In recent years, scientists have continued to make further discoveries, including the fossilised remains of the oldest known animal predator. They have named it for him as Auroralumina attenboroughii, Most of those living nearby do not understand what is on their doorstep. Sir David has said, to paraphrase him, nobody will protect what they don’t understand and they won’t understand what they have never really seen.

I had a friend who lived within five miles of Bradgate all his life but had never been there, but I have been to the other side of the world and mentioned where I live and been asked is that near Bradgate. Whatever your interests don’t forget what the opportunities are on your doorstep. Cannot get to the

Andes? There are alpacas at Beacon Hill; Admire Stonehenge and the Pyramids?

Older constructions by man have been evidenced here. Recent archaeological investigations at Bradgate Park have identified evidence of probably the oldest domestic structure in the UK, dating back to Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers 15,000 years ago.

Charnwood’s very geology has led to its ecology and value to nature and if even that is not your thing and you will excuse the pun, it is all set in tablets of stone. For those with imagination and with artistic leanings rather than prehistorical ones go and find the spot where you can see the Old Man of Beacon Hill.

Charnwood Forest is a truly wonderful place.

Your home is likely your biggest asset, especially once you’ve paid off any mortgage. Equity release products are a way to unlock the cash tied up in your home while still living in it. Most equity release programs fall into two categories.

Lifetime Mortgage

The first is a lifetime mortgage where you borrow money and then it’s repaid from the sale of your house when you die or move into residential care. The most common model for lifetime mortgages is that you borrow a fixed sum and don’t make any repayments while you are still in your home. However, the amount you owe will increase through compound interest, meaning a bigger increase every year. The interest rates will usually be fixed but will be notably higher than ordinary mortgage rates when you take the deal. In theory, if you live long enough the amount you owe could mean the lender takes all the money when your house is eventually sold. Fortunately, many providers offer a ‘no negative equity’ guarantee that means you will never owe more than the value of your home when it’s sold. One variant is called drawdown. Rather than borrow a fixed amount, you take money as and when you choose. The interest only starts racking up when you take money, so this can cut costs.

Home Reversion

The second form of equity release, home reversion, means selling a portion of ownership in your house. The provider then becomes a coowner and takes a guaranteed share of the money when your house is sold. These deals aren’t usually on favourable terms.

For example, Which magazine cites a lender paying just 20 percent of the home’s value in return for a 70 percent ownership share.

Terms

With both forms of equity release, you must normally be at least 55. The terms you get may vary with your age. For example, home reversion providers may require a smaller share of ownership if you’re older, simply because they’ll likely get their money back quicker. Some lenders even offer better terms if you are in illhealth for logical, if grim, reasons.

Consequences

Using equity release could affect your eligibility for benefits and local authority care home places. The provider could restrict your choices if you want to move to a different house. And with either lifetime mortgages or home reversion, you may not be able to borrow against your property later on.

Advice

If you are considering equity release, you should take independent advice before speaking to providers. Look for advisors with specialist qualifications such as the ER or CeRER certificates. Make sure to find out how they are paid and whether they can offer advice about the entire market or only specific providers and products. If and when you start talking to providers, look for membership of the Equity Release Council, which has a set of minimum standards for providers and required features for products.

Friendly Badminton Club Requires Players At Brookvale Groby Learning Campus, Ratby Road, Groby. Wednesdays 7pm-9pm Tel: 0116 267 5800

Local man found guilty of racial offences

A GLENFIELD MAN has been found guilty and sentenced for the offences below:

• Racially / religiously aggravated intentional harassment / alarm / distress - words / writing

• Use threatening / abusive / insulting words / behaviour to cause harassment / alarm / distress

The man committed these crimes against a Sikh family in Glenfield. With the work of the Leicestershire Police and the Sikh Community a charge was made possible and a successful prosecution was achieved at Loughborough Magistrates Court in July 2023.

The man has been provided a Community Order for 12 months, 120 hours of unpaid work, a restraining order and was ordered to pay the Crown Prosecution costs.