Christian Aid 2023

WE ARE delighted to inform everyone that the Christian Aid House-to-House collection in Markfield Village and Markfield Retirement Village in May this year, together with the Collection at the local Co-op and the Christian Aid United Service raised in total £1,328.47

• The Collection at the Co-op raised £105.13

• Christian Aid United Service raised £80.00

• House-to-House collection raised £1143.34

This all comes to a Grand Total of £1,328.47

The amount gift aided was £774.50 which should generate a further £193 for the charity.

Christian Aid and Churches

Together in Markfield (CTIM) are very grateful for all the donations, and for all the hard work and effort of those involved. A special Thank You to the wonderful volunteers with the Good Neighbour Scheme, and also the managers of Markfield Retirement Village and our local Co-op.

Many thanks again to all. Markfield Churches –working together for our community Methodist-www. markfieldmethodistchurch.org or FB Parish Church – j22churches. org.uk or FB Congregational Church FB Catholic Church - www. stwilfscoalville.blogspot.co.uk

IF YOU’VE EVER moved house, you’ll know how you discover how much stuff you’ve got- and have to decide what to take, what to send to the charity shop, what to recycle/throw out.

My husband and I have been going through this, as my time in Markfield is up, and I start a new post in Weston-Super-Mare in September.

There may be emotional “packing” too. I will be taking many special memories of people in this village, special events in the churches and community- and I would like to say a big thank-you to you all. But we also need, now and again, to do an emotional and spiritual “clearout”. This might be letting go of grudges, forgiving ourselves (because God has forgiven us) for our mistakes, loosening our hold on anything that makes it harder to make space for God. Times of change can be a good opportunity to do this.

The other side of moving is the unpacking - and finding a welcome in our new home. In September the new Methodist minister, Rev Jimi Kaci, and his wife Miri, start- and I’m sure they’ll find as warm a welcome in Markfield as I did. Please do also look out for Jimi’s article in the September Herald introducing himself.

Judith Lincoln

Minister, Trinity Methodist Church, Markfield www.markfieldmethodistchurch.org

FB Markfield Methodist Church

I RECENTLY had the privilege of visiting No.10 Downing Street and meeting the Prime Minister.

I was able to raise some important issues including the financial pressures faced by local authorities. Leicestershire remains one of the lowest funded local authorities in the country, yet the demand on our services; particularly in the sphere of Special Educational Needs, and Adult Social Care is growing exponentially. A system where a person living in a £1m Westminster property pays just £1,000 in Council Tax, compared to someone paying £2,500 in a £375,000 property in Markfield, Leicestershire, cannot be fair. As part of my role in Cabinet I am facilitating a meeting with Local Government Minister, Lee Rowley MP, in September to put our case for ‘fair funding’ direct to the Government.

IN JULY it was also nice to welcome retiring Stanton-under-Bardon Parish Councillors Ian and Mary Briggs to County Hall - see pic on right.

Serving on a Parish Council can be an extremely satisfying experience, but it can also, at times, seem a little thankless – not least when complaints come in on a regular basis for a plethora of reasons! I’d like to publicly thank the Ian and Mary for their hard work over almost two decades and wish them well as they step back from their parish duties!

Recently I also chaired a meeting of the Bardon Hill Quarry Community Fund and was pleased to be able to support thousands of pounds being awarded to local voluntary and community groups such as a scout group in Markfield, and support for meals for the homeless in Coalville. Over the summer I have attended several meetings in my capacity as Cabinet Member for Transformation and Recovery; in particular those focusing on jobs and skills.

I’d like to draw residents’ attention to some initiatives currently being run by the County Council (funded by Central Government): Multiply: A project which aims to level up opportunities for more people by increasing their confidence with numbers. Multiply can help build your numeracy skills to improve your job prospects, help children with schoolwork and help you feel more confident managing household budgets. Thanks to Government funding of £3m the County Council will deliver this national programme in Leicestershire to provide free courses and support over the next 3 years.

If you are interested, you can apply via telephone on 0800 988 0308 or via a webform: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/jobs-andvolunteering/skills-for-jobs/multiply-numeracy-skillsfor-adults/enquire-about-multiply

I continue to work with residents on a range of local issues and if I can be of assistance please do not hesitate to get in touch. Peter