Groby Spotlight Februray 2010

Groby volunteers prepare for Mexican house-building project Joe Brewin Reports ELEVEN Groby volunteers are set to brighten up the lives of families in Mexico, as they prepare for a life-changing house-building mission.

The Christian youth group set off in April as part of one team of a global charity project which will bring together around 130 adults TEAM (in no particular order): The three leaders are Deb Goodhead, and young people Dave Smith and Pat Brayshaw. The eight young people are Katie Brewin, from the UK. Whilst Claire Bowen, Zac Jones,Charlotte Fine, Ben Briggs, Daniel Hiscocks, there they will build Catherine Sheldrake and Rachael Scott basic homes for several Mexican families in order to aid the ongoing housing crisis in parts of the nation.

Groby’s Urban Saints group is supporting the effort as part of an international scheme run by

Continued on page 2

Recycling and refuse service: Have Your Say RESIDENTS in Hinckley & Bosworth are being asked for their views on the future of the Borough Council’s recycling and refuse services.

The consultation forms part of a review of the services that is currently being carried out. Anyone who wants to have their say should either visit the council’s website (www.hinckley-bosworth. gov.uk) and follow the relevant links or contact the council on 01455 238141 for a paper copy of the questionnaire.

Councillor Crooks, Executive Member responsible for Refuse and Recycling, said: “It’s important that we find out residents’ views on our services so that we continue to improve”.

Groby’s Talented Sports Stars

Marcus Maynard represents GB again LOCAL Ice Hockey player Marcus Maynard was called up to represent the Great Britain University squad in Swindon this month thanks to his success last year.

Maynard, 22, who lives in Groby, Leicester, spends most of his weekends playing a vital role as defenseman in his local ENL league team, the Nottingham Lions. However it is a different duty that occupied his time on Wednesday 3rd February as he stepped up once again to represent his country.

As a game used for preparation and team building, the Great Britain university squad faced the Swindon Wildcats, a team in a league one higher than the athlete regularly opposes.

Continued on page 4

Seconds Out - Round One!

Boxing Club idea proposed for Groby See full story on page 6

Nex t issue out on 13th March• Article/Advert Deadline: 27th February

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Mid-Feb 2010 Issue - Delivered on 13th-14th February 2010

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NEXT ISSUE OUT ON Saturday 13th March Advert Deadline: Saturday 27th February ADVERT RATES: PAGE 8

Groby volunteers prepare to build homes Continued from page 1 American foundation Amor Ministries. The project is now in its 30th year, building over 12,000 homes in Mexico alone to reduce the 4.5 million people currently living in substandard housing.

A home typically consists of two-rooms with a concrete floor, stucco-finished exterior, weathersealed roof, two windows, and a door. The simple design means that a group without skilled labour or power tools can complete the job themselves.

David Smith, Urban Saints group leader, said: “It’s a great opportunity to take some young people out on a mission, giving them a real insight into the poor conditions some people have to live in. We’re hoping the young people will get a real sense of what teamwork is about, not only raising the funds to get out there in the first place but going out there and

having a task to complete. It is also an opportunity for them to put their faith into action.”

Mr. Smith believes the trip could be an eye-opener for the eight young people of the group travelling to South America: “It could be a life changing experience for some of them; they’re certainly going to experience poverty to some extent. Then when they come back it’s a reverse culture; they can sometimes feel embarrassed.”

The group must raise £10,835 to make the trip to the Tijuana region of Mexico, around £8,000 of which has already been achieved.

Mexican themed fun nights, work days at a special needs school, coffee mornings and an art gallery are just four of the types of events that have been organised by the group in a bid to reach their target, activities which have proved fruitful so far.

Deb Goodhead, youth worker

and leader for the Mexico mission trip said: “The support we have had from so many people has been phenomenal. The effort that everyone on the team and those around us have put into the fundraising has been a real blessing.

It has really shown us a lot about stepping out in faith and what can be achieved.”

Whilst building the homes the volunteers will spend time with the families, having the opportunity to experience traditional Mexican food and church, Mexico style.

And when the work is complete, the volunteers will hand the keys over to their newly homed family in what will be a tender moment for the group.

Katie Brewin, one of the young members of Urban Saints, has revealed her excitement ahead of the trip: “I can’t wait, but I’m nervous about what we’re going to find out there. I think it will make me value what I have at home a lot more. We’re lucky with what we have here in our own country, and it’ll be great to help out those who are less fortunate than us.”

The group leave for Mexico at the beginning of April, and will spend nine days in the country and two days travelling to complete their project.

Joe Brewin, Groby

“I can’t take it any more,” says a man to his friend. “It’s my wife. Every time we have an argument, she gets historical!”

“Don’t you mean ‘hysterical’?” Says his friend.

“No, I mean historical,” replies the man. “Every argument we have, she’ll say: ‘I still remember that time when you ...’”

It’s hard to make a comeback when you haven’t been anywhere.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Praise for Groby Club Party After all the snow, it was a wonderful escape to have an afternoon of food, fun and frolics at Groby ExServicemen’s Club.

The party for the pensioners would not have beem possible but for the very hard work of Eileen & John Marvin. Many Thanks you two!

G.E. Sensing (Druck), local shops and businesses were the main sponsors as well as individuals who gave the raffle prizes. To them and all the volunteers including ‘Bingo’ Steve we send a BIG THANK YOU.

The Senior Citizens

More praise ...

Many thanks to Eileen and John Marvin and everyone involved in making Groby Clubs Senior Citizens party such a success!

Mexico Trip Fun Night!

Saturday 27th February 7.30pm – Midnight At The Stamford Arms, Groby Grand Raffle Draw Buffet And Disco/Karaoke All Proceeds From The Night To ‘Rebuild Mexico 2010’ Tickets Available At £6.00 Each From Jane Hinds 0116 287 8595 Or Katie Brewin 07800 551512

We enjoyed a superb buffet, raffle, bingo and entertainment all afternoon. It was a lovely start to 2010. Well done!

Maureen and John Houghton

Footpath Decision: Rambler’s Association has lodged an appeal I have today (3rd Feb) received a letter from County Hall (dated 29th Jan) informing us that the Rambler’s Association have lodged an appeal to the Secretary of State against the decision of the County Council not to add to the Definitive Map the footpath from Forest View to Markfield Road Groby.

Please be reassured that the Groby Footpath Group will continue, on your behalf, to fight this decision.

We know how much this affects the residents of this area.

Groby Resident

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Marcus Maynard

Packed house for a visit from ‘Cliff’

Continued from page 1

Margaret Gamble’s report from Groby’s branch of the Women’s Institute I have a confession to make, I was never a Cliff Richard fan. This may be something of a shock to some of his ardent fan members who came along to our monthly meeting but we cannot please everyone all the time.

Our speaker was Will Chandler, a Cliff Richard impersonator. I must say he certainly entertained us and came over as an extremely warm and friendly chap. He looked like him, spoke like him and sounded like him. Of course, you may think that’s what he was supposed to do but he was so naturally Cliff he didn’t come across as false or theatrical. Of course he sang Cliff songs but in between he was very entertaining and related his life story.

Some parts of his life were amazingly the same as Cliff’s.

In the beginning he became a Baptist Minister and gave concerts for charity. Eventually demands on his act became so great he decided to do it full time. He has appeared alongside quite a few stars and even stands in for Cliff Richard at his Vineyard in Spain for one month every summer.

Tourists come to see the Vineyard and when they see him walking around they assume that he is the real thing, he really is the star’s double. From when he was young people would say, “Doesn’t he look like Cliff”. As he got older he was fed up with comments so he grew long hair, then the remarks were “If his hair was shorter he would just look like…”. He even over ate and got tubby, guess what, “If he lost weight you would think he was…” It was then he decided to give up the fight and become Cliff Richard as such. He is still involved in a lot of charity work, especially the Tear Fund and remains a

Minister. He is asked to officiate at funerals especially for the young, mourners are gob smacked to see Cliff Richard giving the Service.

He played to a packed house and had most members (and a load of visitors) singing along. I am now converted but …… Was it Will or….

Was it Cliff who did it for me?

We again had our Luncheon Club. This is always very well attended and enjoyed, it’s only afterwards that the moans come out, “I’m trying to lose weight”. Still that doesn’t stop the ladies having the most fattening puddings.

Our programme for the year is now out and something is going off every month. Events range from visits to Trentham Gardens, Liverpool and Portsmouth to Picnics in the Park and, hopefully, meeting the Lord Mayor when we tour the Town Hall to name just a few.

Phew. Next month our speaker is Deborah Brady who was a Photo Journalist. I expect she will have some tales to tell. This will be on the 18th February at the Village Hall. All welcome and in case in don’t know where that is (although our chatter can hardly be missed) it is opposite the Post Office along side the Library and begins at 7.30p.m.

Margaret Gamble

GROBY W I PROGRAMME FOR 2010 Groby WI Programme for 2010 21st January

Cliff Richard Impersonator

Will Chandler

Life as a Photo Journalist

Deborah Brady

18 March

“Chocolate”

Tom Philips

15th April

Toastmaster

Marion Channing

th

18 February th

th

Resolutions

th

My Parade of Hits as a Session Drummer

Dougie Wright

Fabulous Fuchsias

Geoff Smith

The Adventures of the Pea Green Board

Douglas Maas

Ireland Some Unusual Places

Roger Hailwood

Caroline Chisholme Victorian Lady

Carol Walker

20 May 17 June th

15 July th

19 August th

16 September st

21 October 18th November

AGM

16th December

Festive Cookery Demonstration

Anne Holden

No stranger to national team selection, Maynard found himself competing for his country last year, at the World University Games in Harbin, China. Although the team found the competition a tough experience, coming up against the Canadian and Russian squads, the local lad excelled individually scoring important and valuable goals against both Canada and, hosts, China.

Marcus commented, “It’s a great honour to represent your country at any level, whether it’s a friendly game against an English league team or another nation at an international competition.

“These friendly games are always a challenging match but a worthwhile experience for the whole team. I endeavour to prove my worth to the British squad’s management and my teammates and hopefully my national team selection will continue successfully.”

Marcus attends monthly training camps with the British university squad at the central ice hockey rink in Sheffield and has travelled to Finland for three consecutive years for a high intensity training weekend, joining teammates from as far as Glasgow and London.

He made his British Ice Hockey debut in Italy in the 2007 World University Games and has been a part of the squad ever since. It is thanks to his regular commitment to training and to his success in China last year that Marcus has remained a respected member of the British University Ice Hockey squad.

For more information about Great Britain University Ice Hockey visit its website at www.buiha.org.uk A couple are lying in bed. The man says: “I’m going to make you the happiest woman in the world.”

The woman replies: “I’ll miss you.”

BrainTeasers Exercise your grey matter with these fiendish brainteasers:

£100 in Prize Money for the Winning Team

Getting Younger? - In the year 1201, a woman was 35 years old. In the year 1206, the same woman was 30. How is this possible?

Complete the sequence - Each letter in the sequence below stands for something. What should the last three letters be?

MVEMJS???

What’s the time? - If it were two hours later, it would be half as long until midnight as it would be if it were an hour later. What time is it now?

Filling the Pool - A swimming pool has four taps. The first can fill the entire pool with water in two days, the second – in three days, the third – in four days, and the last one can fill the pool in 6 hours.

How long will it take to fill the pool using all 4 taps together?

Turn to page 12 for the answers.

Her cooking wasn’t exactly cordon bleu. It was more cordon noir.

NEW RANGES AVAILABLE

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Groby Amateur Boxing Club another exciting youth initiative Norman Griffiths talks to a man with a vision Effectiveness is the QCDA kite marked qualification outcome of the ASDAN Award programmes.

The qualifications offer imaginative ways of accrediting young people’s activities. They promote, and allow centres to record, a wide range of personal qualities, abilities and achievements of young people, as well as introducing them to new activities and challenges.

Groby Amateur Boxing Club would serve three age groupsMale & Female 5-10 years (Junior sessions), 11-16 years (intermediate sessions) and 17 years and above (Senior). It would be open five evenings a week and would support school holiday full day training camps.

Scott Cooper is a Groby resident with a wife, three children, two dogs, a career and a vision.

Now a head teacher he grew up in Yorkshire in an area like many others throughout the country where what you got out of life didn’t come to you on a plate but was directly related to your own efforts. In such an environment the future can be different and better if something happens which changes your life, as it did for Scott. He found boxing. And now he has a vision of bringing boxing coaching to Groby to help local youngsters to enjoy the direction, motivation and active lifestyle that changed his own life.

A Graduate in Physical Education Scott has 16 years teaching and coaching experience. He has an Amateur Boxing Coach Qualification, lots of sports coaching qualifications and experience,and a full First Aid qualification.

The advantages of a boxing club

“I coach boxing in my spare time to many children and young adults and believe an official Amateur Boxing Club in Groby would be a worthwhile venture,” said Scott.

“The advantages of a boxing club are endless and often supported by local police as a proven method of reducing crime and providing an alternative to hanging around parks and streets. It provides focus and confidence while implementing some discipline and structure into many people’s future. Boxing can be about fitness aspects and for the more serious element a future in amateur boxing. It can also serve the community in the form of adult classes and provide facilities for the services such as the police and fire brigade. The educational value can also be a huge advantage. For example there is a certified course that I could lead at a boxing club that allows the participants to study both practical and theory the skills and training principles of boxing in which to be awarded with the equivalent of a GCSE. Boxing awards and leadership courses can become a part of the club.”

“I believe young people respond well to these opportunities, which in turn assist the community in solving other problems. I really enjoy the task of changing people’s

Boxing is safe futures with training and motivation and an obvious caring.”

Indeed if you ask Scott about the benefits of boxing training the list he gives you is longer than a boxer’s arm. “It teaches self- discipline and instils selfconfidence,” he said. “It promotes physical fitness and athletic skills, provides both competitive and non-competitive programmes and is inexpensive, as all an individual needs to join a boxing club is a pair of running shoes, some shorts and a willingness to learn.

But more importantly it develops character and self motivation, and encourages good citizenship,” he added.

Premises a problem

The immediate problem he faces is finding premises to accommodate the club. Ideally between 3000 and 6000 square feet it will have room for changing areas with male, female and disabled toilets, a ring area, a multi gym area, a fitness and skipping area and a kitchen and snack bar area. If the draft plans for a new community facility at Quarry Park come to fruition the search could be over.

The case put forward by Scott to parish councillors at their February meeting was well received and he appreciates the enthusiasm and support they showed for the project. But redevelopment takes time and delay could mean lost opportunities for the young people of Groby.

Premises available immediately would be ideal even if they were

only temporary until a permanent facility could be found. In addition to the Parish council Scott has approached GESensing, as they are a major employer in the village and want to work with the local community. “I have offered to help GE Sensing by offering free fitness and boxing classes to its employees,” said Scott, and with that on the table his approach will no doubt get serious consideration.

Positive impacts

At the club’s core would be the aim of being a positive impact in youth redirection within the community. Such a facility would be an asset to the village and would complement the many similar local initiatives for young people. The boxing club would liaise with Groby schools, colleges, community groups and police.

It would offer opportunities for children and young adults to work towards awards and ASDAN qualifications up to GCSE or A Level equivalent. ASDAN is established as a registered charity for “The advancement of education, by providing opportunities for all learners to develop their personal and social attributes and levels of achievement through ASDAN awards and resources, and the relief of poverty, where poverty inhibits such opportunities for learners.”

Scott is able to lead an A Level course through ASDAN Certificate of Personal Effectiveness qualifications in boxing aspects.

The Certificate of Personal

Safety will no doubt be a concern in the minds of some readers but it seems that statistically amateur boxing is be one of the safest sports as the rules have been formulated with the safety of the boxers as the paramount concern.

In addition a doctor must be in attendance at all times and each athlete must be certified fit by the doctor on the day of competition.

But would there be a demand for boxing coaching in the Groby area? Scott has no doubts. And the experience of Birstall seems back up his confidence. Carl Gunns of Birstall was the youngest boxing manager in Britain when he got his licence at 29. In 2003 he opened his boxing gym in Birstall and membership soared to 1300, including over 200 girls. Last year he decided not to renew his manager’s licence so he could focus on his community gyms in Birstall. Although Carl’s reputation was probably a factor in such high membership numbers the success of the Birstall gym does indicate an underlying demand.

In the constant efforts made for community facilities for young people we might often talk of the gloves coming off, but for Groby Amateur Boxing Club it’s more a case of the gloves going on. If you feel that you can help in any way you can email Scott at grobyabc@yahoo.co.uk.

GROBY-ABC

I stayed in a really old-fashioned hotel last night. They sent me a wake-up letter.

North Leicestershire

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Japanese Beginners class starting at Groby Community College on Monday 22nd February 2010 – 7.00 – 9.00 pm £75 for 15 weeks

Discover the culture, the country and its people.

Japanese Beginners Class starting at Groby Community College on 22nd February 2010.

If you are interested in joining this class, where you will be introduced to a range of basic everyday language that can be used in a variety of settings, eg, holiday social and work, please contact the Adult Learning Department at Groby Community College on 0116 2874725 or the Freephone enrolment no 0800 988 0308 A man is in a bar talking to his friend. “Last night, while I was out drinking, a burglar broke into my house.”

“Did he get anything?” asks his friend. “Yes,” says the man.

“A broken jaw, six teeth knocked out, and a pair of broken ribs. My wife thought it was me coming home drunk.”

Why do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the counter?

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Groby Village Society Programme for 2010 Thursday February 25

Antarctic Odyssey

Thursday March 25

Annual General Meeting

Miss. Pat North

Thursday April 22

Food in Wartime

Thursday May 27

The History of the Cinema in Leicester

Thursday June 24

Understanding Boundary Features and the Landscape Mr. Trevor Parr

Thursday July 22

The Victorian Internet

Mr. Graham Fortey

Thursday August 26

An Armchair Tour of Old Nottingham

Mr. Robert Gregory

Mrs. Elizabeth Riding Mr. Brian Johnson

Thursday September 23 The Great Plague

Mrs. Sally Henshaw

Thursday October 28

Mrs. Virginia Wright

In the Steps of Susannah Watts

Thursday November 25

Canal Boat People

Mrs. Wendy Freer

Thursday December 23

The Christmas Truce 1914

Mr. Peter Cousins

Meetings are held at Groby Village Hall Starting at 7.30pm. unless stated otherwise.

For Further Details Contact Hon. Secretary Mr. P. Castell Tel. 0116 287 9842 e-mail:- groby.villagesociety@tiscali.co.uk Non Members are Welcome

Mad Idea of the Month ... From BORIS

Let’s plan for the Groby Village Olympics!

With the 2012 Olympics approaching fast, it’s time to start planning The Groby Village Olympics!

What better way to celebrate London’s hosting of the Olympic Games than to hold ‘Olympic Games’ in every village in the UK? The aim would be to include as many villagers as possible in the competition, and so a massive variety of events would be organised to take place in the six months running up to the actual Olympics. Age - and lack of ability - would not be a barrier to entry.

Anyone can suggest an event - and provided a minimum of three competitors enter - the event would be added to the official list.

Imagine the type of events that could be staged: wheelbarrow race, balancing on one leg for the longest time, welly whanging, tossing pancakes, playing UNO, knitting, smashing pianos, and so on. The world would be our oyster.

And the best bit would be that the winners would receive a medal (gold, silver or bronze) to mark the occasion when they were Groby’s Olympic Champion in ... embroidery, unicycling, cribbage ... or whichever category they managed to win!

Imagine showing your Village Olympic Medal to your grandchildren in years to come.

It would be a nightmare to organise, but it would cheer everyone up in these gloomy times. And there’s bound to be some grant aid available from one of those EU organisations to kick start the process.

What do you think? Is it mad?

£1000 bursary for a young musician available Can a young musician from Groby win a £1000 bursary to further their expertise in their chosen field of music?

Anyone who thinks they could be in with a chance has until Friday March 19th to apply.

The Borough Council and the Matthew Fulham Foundation are offering a £1,000 bursary for the 2010 Hinckley & Bosworth Young Musician of the Year. The bursary can be used for the purchase of instruments or accessories, tuition and courses and related travel expenses. Turn to page 24 for more details.

More drama in a Toyota than on the small screen

When Toyota signed a contract with ITV to sponsor its drama productions they probably never thought that there could be more heartwarming drama in their cars than on the screen. But this proved to be the case when a former Groby woman and her husband, now living in the south of England, set out for the maternity ward at the local hospital.

The baby wasn’t due for another week but she had to call her husband home from work as the contractions became more regular. Bags packed they set out for the hospital in their Toyota Avensis and turned down the hill towards the main road a few hundred yards from home. Seconds later mum-to-be shouted from the back seat that Baby Nerys had decided not to make the six mile trip to hospital and had begun her own journey into the world. Nerys was delivered by her husband on the back seat of the Toyota at the roadside before they continued their journey home to await medical support.

“They were amazing, “ said Maureen, a passing motorist who assisted and provided a Gap jumper for the baby to be wrapped up in. “They took it a minute at a time and stayed cool throughout it all,” she added, reserving special praise for how composed the father remained under pressure.

“It’s not something one would choose to do,” said Nerys’s mum, “but once the midwife and ambulance crew had gone it was nice to be in my own bed at home surrounded by my family rather than in hospital.”

Both baby and mum are doing fine and dad doesn’t seem to be suffering any post traumatic stress symptoms.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

ENJOY DRUM LESSONS • Full Ebony/Gold Plated Premier Signia Kit Provided • All Grades (Trinity Guildhall-Rock School)/All Ages/All Areas • • • •

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Coming Up At The Old Thatched Inn, Stanton T: 01530 242460

Sun 14 Feb: SINGLES ~ VALENTINE Night 7.30pm Wed 17 Feb: LADIES Night Anne Summers Party~7.30pm Sun 14 Mar: MOTHERING SUNDAY Meals~2 Sittings 2 Course~£12.95 (Bookings) Wed 17 Mar: FUN QUIZ (St. Patrick’s Day) 8pm

Burbage Open Gardens

Two gardens in Burbage will be open to the public on Sunday 28th February from 11am ~ 5pm to view their Snowdrops & Hellebores.

Refreshments will be sold in aid of the Mother’s Union. The addresses are No.7 Hall Road & No 6 Denis Road.

Letter from Uncle Eustace

On the nonsense of a lavatory at church The Rectory St. James the Least

My dear Nephew Darren This year, the rigours of Lent have taken second place to a far more pressing matter: the installation of a lavatory at St. James the Least. Personally, I entirely disapprove of this additional sign of decadence in our moral fibre; we have survived perfectly happily for the last 800 years without one, so why is there such an urgent need now? And being surrounded by acres of fields, there seems to be a completely acceptable alternative.

It also spoils the pleasure I used to take, informing ushers at weddings, having liberally refreshed themselves at our local pub before the Service, that we have no facilities and that they would just have to wait. Their look of pained resignation, developing to clear signs of repentance as the Service progressed, was most cheering. It also meant that wedding parties did not linger after the Service but disappeared with commendable speed to safe havens.

I anticipate that now we have the thing, a sub-committee will inevitably form to devise a commissioning Service for the person who will be in charge of its maintenance. I can already foresee Lady Bartlett proposing an appropriate set of robes for the office holder – although it will need some tact to select suitable insignia on the sleeves.

In fact, the project has not been entirely successful; we still need to have a lock fitted and so at present, occupants have been advised to sing hymns loudly, preferably something rousing; “Onward Christian soldiers” would be ideal. A hymn book has been installed as an aide memoire.

The greater difficulty arises from our antiquated plumbing system. A member of the congregation can leave a Service perfectly discreetly; they can enter the lavatory unseen by anyone, but on flushing, water is drawn through pipes running the length of the inside of the building with a thunderous roar that obliges me to stop preaching until the cataract has subsided. By the time the customer returns quietly into church, all noise has ceased and they remain oblivious of the chaos they caused and the stoic politeness of the congregation.

I am sure that in your worship centre you will have lavish cloakrooms furnished with colour co-ordinated walls and towels, baby changing facilities and video monitors relaying everything going on, so that users will not be denied a single second of your hour-long sermons. .

Our congregation should be grateful for what they now have. And to think that someone even suggested it should have heating!

Your loving uncle, Eustace

Life may not be worth living, but what else can you do with it?

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT There’s always lots happening at your local pubs and clubs: Groby Ex-Servicemen’s Club Leicester Road, Groby Tel: 0116 287-1809 www.grobyclub.co.uk NOTICE TO MEMBERS New Members Welcome Fri 12 Feb: VINNY DEANE Sat 13 Feb: A1 Sun 14 Feb: Super Sunday ‘50’ Fri 19 Feb: PHIL JAMES Sat 20 Feb: KELLIE LEIGH Sun 21 Feb: Super Sunday ‘50’ Fri 26 Feb: Mark ANTHONY Sat 27 Feb: DOUBLE VISION Sun 28 Feb: Super Sunday ‘50’ Fri 5 Mar: SAM TANNER Sat 6 Mar: MICHAEL JAY Sun 7 Mar: Super Sunday ‘50’ Fri 12 Mar: CARL STEVENS Sat 13 Mar: ALIVE&KICKING Sun 14 Mar: Super Sunday ‘50’ The Stamford Arms Leicester Road, Groby Tel: 0116 287 5616.

Sat 13 Feb: STONE PARK Sat 6 Mar: DERELICT KARAOKE ~ Every Wed OPEN MIC ~Every Thurs JAZZ ~ Every Sun 3-6pm QUIZ – General Knowledge + Find the Joker ~ EVERY Sun QUIZ – Music ~ EVERY Tues The Plough Inn Burroughs Road, RATBY. T: 0116 239 2103 EVERY Tues ~ QUIZ (General Knowledge, Music & History) £1 p.p. (Max 6 in team) Cash prize & ‘Open the Box’ www.ploughinnratby.co.uk Classics SPECIAL Events The Manor House Barn, Donington le Heath.

Sat 20 Feb: BARN DANCE Ticket: £7.50 (No food Incl.)

Sat 27 Feb: MURDER MYSTERY ~ Ticket £30 (Includes Dinner) Booking Essential T: 01520 817214 www.classics1485.co.uk

The Brant Inn Leicester Road, Groby LE6 0DU T: 0116 287 2703 Fri 26 Feb: KARAOKE (King of the Road) Fri 5 Mar: ALAN JONES & The MARTINS Fri 12 Mar: KARAOKE (Classic) Old Thatched Inn, Stanton.

T: 01530 242460 Sun 14 Feb: SINGLES ~ VALENTINE Night 7.30pm Wed 17 Feb: LADIES Night Anne Summers Party~7.30pm Wed 17 Mar: FUN QUIZ (St. Patrick’s Day) 8pm The Field Head Hotel Markfield Lane, Markfield Tel: 01530 245454 TRIBUTE Nights All £2 Entry after 7pm.

(Fri 12 Feb: Freddie MERCURY) Fri 26 Feb: Amy WINEHOUSE Every 2nd Tues: QUIZ Nite The Coach & Horses Leicester Road, Field Head Tel: 01530 242 312 KARAOKE Nights:Sats 20 Feb and 6 March (’King of the Road’) Sundays: QUIZ Night Skittle Alley/Room for Hire The Charnwood Arms Bardon.

T: 01530 813644 Every MON Night:POKER TOURNAMENT FREE ~ Starts 7pm.

Every 2nd THURS:COMEDY CLUB Thurs 11 Mar: £5 TRIBUTE NIGHTS Every LAST FRIDAY £10 a Ticket Includes Supper & Disco Fri 26 Feb: TAKE THAT Fri 26 Mar: BEATLES Send your local entertainment news and we’ll include it in our FREE Listing - you can’t say fairer than that!

For twenty years, my wife and I were very happy. Then we met.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

12

ANSTEY & DISTRICT FUNERAL SERVICES

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT

As part of our aftercare service, we now offer a monthly Bereavement Aftercare & Support Group, which has been set up to provide a FREE support service, not just to our clients, but to ANY bereaved person, irrespective of their age, creed, religion and length of bereavement.

The group meets on the 1st Saturday of every month (2nd Sat in April due to Easter)) in the catering suite at Anstey & District Funeral Services between 10am and 12noon.

Next dates: Sat 6th March 2010 and Sat 10th April 2010 ARRAN BRUDENELL, Tel: 0116 234 0548

Brainteasers Here are the answers to the brainteasers we posed on page 4: •

•

• •

Getting Younger: The dates are BC rather than AD. Complete the sequence: U for Uranus, N for Neptune, P for Pluto What’s the time: 9pm Filling the pool: Because there are 24 hours in one day, in one hour fills the first tap 1/48, the second tap 1/72, the third tap 1/96 and the fourth tap fills 1/6 of the reservoir. That is all together (6+4+3+48) / 288 = 61/288.

The reservoir will be full in 288/61 hours, which is 4 hours 43 minutes and about 17 seconds.

Is this why Governments like to scare us?

The aim of practical politics “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

H.L. Mencken (1880 – 1956)American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist.

Thought for the Month What you must do What you have to do today is not a burden. It is a blessing.

It is your opportunity to make a difference. It is your opportunity to create value.

Because of what you must do today, you will learn and you will grow. You’ll strengthen your skills and have the chance to improve your effectiveness.

True fulfillment does not come from having things easy. It will come when you positively and enthusiastically work through each challenge.

Be thankful for the work you must do, whatever it may be. Choose to make that work a positive expression of the best of who you are.

Stand up, step forward and get busy. Enjoy bringing to life the unique value that is yours to create.

Ralph Marston Copyright 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. Used by permission.

Originally published in “The Daily Motivator” at www.dailymotivator.com

A man is in a bar talking to his friend. “Last night, while I was out drinking, a burglar broke into my house.” “Did he get anything?” asks his friend. “Yes,” says the man. “A broken jaw, six teeth knocked out, and a pair of broken ribs. My wife thought it was me coming home drunk.”

We flew on a very old aeroplane. It had an outside toilet.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

LETTER Muntjac Deer

Just thought you’d like to know we have spotted a lovely Muntjac deer in Martinshaw Wood.

We back onto the woods and it walked by the back of our garden, first we thought it to be the usual fox who comes by every afternoon, then maybe a dog, but when it came out of the clearing we were very surprised to see this tiny deer.

Because it was so small I went on to the internet to find out what species it was, I’ve never seen this type before, hope we see it again.

Rosie Whawell

Stamp Fair in aid of LOROS The next fund raising Stamp Fair will be held on Sunday 7th March from 10am to 3pm.

It will be held at Newbold Verdon Primary School, Dragon Lane, Newbold Verdon. The usual raffle and refreshments will be available for sale.

Donations of stamps would always be welcome.

Roger Simmons has written to say that the team was able to hand over a cheque to LOROS for £5,000 in November which goes towards improving visitor facilities and patient benefits.

Enquiries to Roger on 01455 822645 or LOROS on 0116 231 3771,

lowe’s

plumbing & heating

Central Heating Breakdowns and Repairs Boiler Installations / Replacements Free Quotes 30 Years Exp. Landlords Gas Safety Certificates No Callout Fee 10% Off for OAP’s System Power Flushing 0116 2879760 / 07925 802265 Servicing info@lowesplumbingandheating.co.uk

Those who can’t laugh at themselves leave the job to others.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

February happenings from the past • 100 Years Ago: 21 Feb 1910 - Birth of Douglas Bader, British fighter pilot during WWII • 90 Years Ago: 1 Feb 1920 - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was founded • 90 Years Ago: 24 Feb 1920 Nancy Astor became the first woman to address the British Parliament • 80 Years Ago: 18 Feb 1930 - American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered the dwarf planet Pluto • 75 Years Ago: 2 Feb 1935 - The polygraph (lie detector) machine was tested for the first time, in an experiment conducted by Leonarde Keeler in Portage, Wisconsin, USA • 75 Years Ago: 26 Feb 1935 - Scottish physicist Robert Watson-Watt gave the first demonstration of radar at Daventry, England • 50 Years Ago: 8 Feb 1960 - Queen Elizabeth II issued an Order-in-Council stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants would use the surname ‘MountbattenWindsor’ • 50 Years Ago: 9 Feb 1960 - American actress Joanne Woodward received the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame • 50 Years Ago: 29 Feb 1960 - The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Groby Allotment Society News From John Thornton

Can any one remember in recent times a worse start to the allotment year as 2010?

No parsnips, carrots or other root crops could be lifted from the frozen ground. Brussels would snap off the stems if you could stand cold fingers. My cabbages had frozen right the way through, it was like cutting through an iced lollipop, I still have beetroot in the ground, cannot imagine what they are like. Well all right, we didn’t get the snow that some areas had but we had enough.

Some of us are old enough to remember 1947, now that was snow and they didn’t lay salt then, the snow was level from hedgerow to hedgerow but we still went to school wet socks and wellies hanging around the coke stove in the class room I can still recall that smelly coke stove especially when wet coke was shovelled in, what fun it all was though.

However, now it’s all gone and we can look forward to the spring, the seed potatoes are in stock at the Anstey nursery and it doesn’t seem twelve months since selecting the varieties last year, apart from being another year older.

Leek seeds can be planted in pots in the greenhouse during February. Leeks are in the same class as broad beans and parsnips, people either like them or they don’t but miss them out of your diet and you will be the loser.

Leeks are packed full of health benefits. When eaten regularly they can help you: ‘Maintain a healthy heart and circulation, protect against cancer, keep blood pressure low and boost the immune system. One leek contains 17 calories, 1g of protein, 0.6g of fat, 2.1g carbohydrate and 1.4g of fibre.’ Just think, all of this goodness comes out of our allotments along with a lot more healthy foods.

Not wishing to risk falling over on the ice, I was confined to barracks. Reading the Leicester Mercury my eyes drifted over the making friends column and look what drew my attention: “32 year old female, likes outings, nights in, allotments, seeks gent for fun and excitement!” Excitement, we thought the only excitement on the plots was watching for our parsnips to show through. This could throw an entirely new light on allotment gardening.

I was recently told in conversation “My son is helping me now as I am getting on a bit” Now this is a fine arrangement and it is great to see a family or friend giving a helping hand. However think a little further into the future, whose name is on the Tenancy Agreement. For whichever reason (e.g. death, desertion) the gardener whose name is signed to the Tenancy Agreement is no longer working the plot. The person who is, for want of a better term, the “other gardener” wishes to know whether he or she can continue to garden the plot, and if not, why not.

The right to garden an allotment derives from our English Law of Contract, and not the law of succession – inheritance. The person helping has no locus standi to continue working the plot. So if this applies to you see Jamie and get your name on the waiting list. It will save all of us a lot of embarrassment. Come to think of it, it is only my name on my agreement. It does pay sometime to read through your agreement. After that legal lesson the committee wish you all a successful coming season.

When there’s a will, there’s a way ... when there’s a won’t, there isn’t.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Groby Garden Bird Watching

Increase in Redpolls visiting gardens Well this has been a hard winter so far for our feathered friends with their normal food being covered with snow or frozen.

On 22nd December the first Siskins arrived and although their numbers have been low, they have continued to feed on the niger seed. They were joined on the 25th December by the Redpolls and this flock has increased with the maximum number at any one time being 16, and this is a first for me as usually the Siskins outnumber the Redpolls.

I rang the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) and they advise that they have heard from other garden bird watchers who were observing the same experience in the increase in Redpolls in their gardens.

They went onto explain that in the 70’s Goldfinches were rarely seen in gardens - or the Siskins - but slowly these birds have increased their visits and it appears the Redpolls are following this trend.

Other factors could be that the competition for their natural food or the fact that there are less seeds available, so contributing to them visiting gardens.

Siskins and Redpolls both gather where there are Alder, Birch and Conifers. I have been contacted by another bird watcher in Groby who also had identified a lot of Redpolls in her garden.

When the snow was around, the number of Blackbirds increased dramatically and they really enjoyed the sultanas that were put out 3 /4 times a day. This number decreased once the snow melted.

Other visitors to the garden include the House Sparrows, Dunnocks, Robin, Nuthatch, members of the Tit family, Starlings, Read Bunting, Green Finch and Gold Finch.

Although it was easy to replenish the bird’s food when there was snow and ice, it was harder to ensure there was a supply of water, which is so important for both drinking and bathing, as it kept freezing over. Some days I did not succeed, but when I did it was delightful to see the birds using the bird bath.

Bird watching is so rewarding and I must just share two people’s enthusiasm. The first was a sighting of what they believed to be a Wryneck - possibly blown off its migration route - and the second was Brenda’s thrill of seeing for the first time a flock of Long Tailed Tits in the garden.

May bird watching continue to uplift you.

Margaret Purves

ZOMBIELAND

Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

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It’s the Jester from Leicester!

Following his success at the recent Masters Snooker Tournament, LOROS is pleased to announce that Mark Selby, LOROS Patron, will be opening its new City Centre Store located at 63 Market Place, Leicester on Friday 19th February 2010.

Small Ads For Sale: Substantial 3 DRAWER DESK with modesty panel 59”wide 30”deep29”high. Beech & black.

Price: £40 T: 0796 237 3983.

For Sale: Child’s Britax CAR SEAT (Approx 3-10yrs old~15-36kg) Exc. cond.

Price: £15.

T: 0116 231 3016.

For Sale: MICROWAVE with Grill, stainless steel combination ~ Price: £80, BREADMAKER digital aluminium ~ Price: £50, TOASTER chrome 4 slice ~ Price £20.

All new~still boxed.

T: 0116 223 5720.

For Sale: Sims 3 GAME for PC (DVDROM). Opened but still new.

Price £25.

T: 01530 243673.

For Sale: Neff Integral DISHWASHER 600mmwide. g.w.order. Price: £125.

T: 0116 224 9177.

For Sale: CAR BATTERY 12v36amp~70mmx75mmx90mm high.

(6mths old with bill). Price: £35.

T: 01530 243 574.

For Sale: SOFA BED as new large 3 seater, spring loaded, blue&white striped, 200cm longx90cmwide. Price: £200 ono.

T: 0796 758 7199.

Mark said “I am delighted to be opening the latest LOROS Shop as my Father spent the last weeks of his life at the Hospice and the special care and expertise of the staff in caring for him was second to none. I am so pleased to be able to support this worthy cause.”

Mark is happy to sign autographs for anyone who would like to come along to the official opening of the shop at 1pm. Following the opening Mark will have a tour of the LOROS Hospice to see first hand its wonderful new facilities and to meet patients and staff.

LOROS is thrilled to have such a prime location for the new store which will feature a range of clothes, books, bric a brac and accessories.

Simon Proffitt, LOROS Chief Executive said “We are very much indebted to Shoe Zone for granting us the use of this shop for the next 2 years, rent free. This provides us with a marvellous trading opportunity. We would also like to thank the contractors who have worked on refitting the shop and have supplied materials for free or at a discounted rate, namely John Worth Shopfitters, AES, Bradbury Flooring, Sygnet Signs, Burmatex, Woodteam, MKoss, Melton Air Conditioning and Abis Cleaning.”

LOROS is hoping shoppers will come along to see the new store and take the opportunity of meeting Mark, the ‘Jester from Leicester’.

The new store will take the total number of LOROS Shops to 20 across Leicestershire and Rutland. These shops do rely on the local community donating unwanted items such as clothes, books, bric a brac and furniture so LOROS is always very grateful to receive such items and it can collect large items from people’s homes.

The shops are an integral part of generating income for LOROS, which needs to raise a minimum of £4 million every year to continue to provide its care services free of charge to 2,500 patients and their families.

A man walks into a bar and sees a cow serving behind the counter.

“What are you staring at?” says the cow. “Never seen a cow serving drinks before?”.

“It’s not that,” replies the man, “I just never thought the moose would sell this place.”

Take my advice, I don’t need it.

Advertise your items for sale FREE. Send us the details, cost of item and your contact phone number for the display box, together with your home address for our purposes only (not for publication).

Our address is: Groby & Field Head Spotlight, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT or email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

An old man is out driving on the M1 when his mobile rings. It’s his wife calling. She says she’s just heard a news report about a car that’s driving the wrong way up the motorway.

“I know,” says the old man. “But it’s not just one car, it’s hundreds of them!”

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Are you artistic?

Your design ideas invited for the new Groby village sign Groby Parish Council is inviting the schools in the village, and members of the community, to contribute to the design of a village sign for Groby.

The Parish Council is working with Groby Heritage Group and the Groby Village Society to decide upon a suitable design. Most other villages in the area already have a village sign and we would like Groby to have something distinctive which reflects the history and character of the village.

The Parish Council has allocated a budget for the manufacture and installation of the sign which it is hoped will be in place later in the year. In the meantime ideas and draft designs would be most welcome.

Any contributions should be forwarded to the Clerk at the Parish Council office by Friday 26th March 2010.

Any queries should be directed to the Clerk:

Jack Fargher

Clerk to the Council Telephone: 0116 2876 985 E-mail: parishclerk@groby.com Website: www.groby.com Postal address: Groby Parish Council, PO Box 1, Village Hall, Leicester Road, Groby, Leicester LE6 0ZF

H

17

ow did the marketing experts trick us all into thinking we need a mobile phone?

Think back to those happy times, not so long ago, when we could survive quite nicely with land lines and the odd unvandalised phone box. I didn’t feel deprived.

I never yearned to make a pointless phone call whilst standing in the checkout queue at ASDA. Life was so simple then. No top-up cards to worry about. No batteries to continually recharge. No problems searching for a good signal.

And there was a lot less anger about.

We weren’t bothered by irritating ring tones. Social gatherings - and trips to the cinema - weren’t disrupted by text messages bleeping their arrival. And we weren’t forced to endure the tedious telephone conversations of strangers on the bus home from work.

Mobile phone masts were not needed, so there was no necessity to campaign against their erection on health grounds. Life was calmer, more serene.

Then somehow, when we weren’t looking, somebody decided that everyone needed a mobile phone.

It was a good trick - and amazingly profitable for the companies concerned. And we all fell for it.

Once hooked on mobile phones, we discover that they are not just communication tools, but fashion items. And we must keep upgrading to the latest version, with cameras, touch screens and ‘APPS’ - whatever they are!

I sometimes fantasise that people like me, who can’t stand mobile phones, will one day be proven right, and mobile phone users will be abducted - in Pied Piper style - by aliens, or afflicted by a previously undiscovered itchy-ear disease, leaving us sane people to rule the world.

Life couldn’t be that sweet, or could it?

IS FRED RIGHT? Have mobile phones destroyed the quality of our lives? Tell Us What You Think by writing/emailing (but NOT texting) to CALL ME ON MY MOBILE, Groby & Field Head Spotlight, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Amazing thing about obituaries: people seem to die in alphabetical order.

FRED

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Drop the ‘scamsters’ in it!

This February Leicestershire Trading Standards is joining the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) nationwide ‘Scamnesty’ campaign to help end the scourge of mass marketed scam mailings in the UK.

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Nearly half of the UK adult population has been targeted by a scam. Every year, 3.2 million adults – one in 15 people – across the country fall victim to a scam involving deceptive unsolicited mailings, phone calls, or emails, which are designed to con victims out of their cash. UK consumers lose around a staggering £3.5 billion to scams every year. However, less than 5 per cent of scam victims report their experience.

‘Scamnesty 2010’ ask Leicestershire people to help the fight back against the fraudsters by dropping any scam mailings they receive into designated ‘Scamnesty’ bins that are to be found in the County’s Libraries.

Last year Leicestershire people handed in about 10% of the total collected nationally. As a result of this scams a number of investigations into alleged scam mailers have been carried out.

Consumers should follow these tips to avoid being conned: • Consider why you should have to pay to receive a ‘prize’ • Be aware that if you do respond your details will be passed around as someone who is likely to pay up for a non existent prize, so you will receive more scam prize letters • Remember that though it probably has your name on it thousands of other people are very likely to have received the exactly the same offer.

• If you read the offer carefully, you may well find that the wording makes it seem that you have won - when this is not the case.

• If you are unsure, speak to family or friends or seek advice.

David Bull, Head of Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards Service said, ‘Remember that if a prize offer comes totally out of the blue and you have to pay to receive the prize it will be a con and you will lose money. By taking the scams to your local library you can do your bit to beat the scamsters.’

If you think you have been the victim of a scam, or you suspect a scam, telephone Consumer Direct for clear, practical advice on 08454 04 05 06 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/scamnesty Consumers can report all types of scam at https://secure.consumerdirect.gov.uk/reportascam.aspx on the Consumer Direct website. During Scamnesty month (February 2010), they can also report online scams to the ‘virtual bin’ on the Consumer Direct website.

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Churches Together in Groby We must not, in thinking about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make, which over time add up to big differences we often cannot foresee. Marian Wright Edelman Fair Cuppa: an opportunity to meet with friends at the village hall. All tea/coffee is fairtrade Every Thursday, 10.00—11.30am.

Urban Saints During term time, held at the URC chapel: games, friends, crafts and a Christian basis to discussions.

- for 5’s to 14’s on Mon evenings at 3.45pm, 6.30pm or 7.45pm - for 15-18’s on Wed evenings at 7.30pm - for 15-18’s o Fri at 7.30pm More details on the church websites Sunday services: please see websites and church magazines St. Philip and St. James www.bradgateteam.org.uk Revd. Louise Corke 231 3090 United Reformed Church www.grobyurc.org.uk Mrs Norma Whittaker 287 6606 Children/Youth Worker Deb Goodhead 07730 596309

Diets are for people who are thick and tired of it.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Groby Gardening Society

Anstey & District Funeral Service

Lots to look forward to!

Our January meeting was devoted to the Annual General Meeting. Despite another grim day regarding the weather, it was pleasing to see a good turn out for the event.

The business part of the evening resulted in the officers and committee being re-elected unopposed. It was a time to reflect upon the last year’s programme and events. A full programme of speakers had been arranged and these were deemed to have been a success. In most minds the overnight stay in Chester, after visiting the Tatton Park Show, and our trip to Highgrove were notable highlights.

Notwithstanding, our trips to Belgrave Hall and Simon Morgan’s allotments were also popular.

Our treasurer reported positively on the Society’s finances and was also able to update members on the contributions that our successful Grassroots bid has had. We have bought an amplification system, a new projection screen and contributed new tables to the village hall. In addition, the partial cost of administration and guest speakers has been subsidised.

The chairman was able to give a taster of what the 2010 programme will look like, although printed copies will not be available until the February meeting. Once again we have a full and varied selection of speakers for our regular monthly meetings and plans are already well advanced for our trip to The Hampton Court Flower Show on Friday 9th July. This will be coupled with an overnight stay at a Crown Plaza hotel followed by another visit to (as yet undecided) a place of gardening interest on Saturday 10th July . Following members’ expressed interest, we are also going to visit The Malvern Spring Show on Friday 7th May. Booking forms will be available from the February meeting onwards. Many members will be pleased that we hope to repeat our Fish and Chip supper during the year. As usual for the society, our June meeting is devoted to an evening visit to a local garden of note.

When the year’s programme is viewed dispassionately, the value for money is surely undeniable. We have, once again, managed to maintain our annual subscription at £6 per person and it would be very helpful if members could let our treasurer have this membership fee as soon as possible. Finally, we have the May plant sale and the Village Show to look forward to as well as all the other attractions.

• On March 11th - “Water gardening in small places” If you feel like becoming involved and sharing in our activities, we always welcome new members and casual guests at our monthly meetings that are held at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of the month, usually in the United Reformed Church rooms on Chapel Hill. Details about membership and the events programme can be obtained from Alvar Johnson. (Tel. No. 01162877870) or E mail alvar3@talktalk.net

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www.ansteyfunerals.com

Alvar Johnson

Fools rush in -- and get the best seats in the house.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Ladies: How about Gaelic Football?

National Trust Leicester Assn.

Calke Abbey celebration Calke Abbey, just north of Ashby de la Zouch, will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of its acquisition by the National Trust this year.

We train at The Emerald Centre, Gipsy Lane, Leicester every Wednesday 6.45 -7.45pm. It is great to keep fit and have fun. Even if you have never played before just come along. Contact Mary at The Emerald Centre: 0116 2769186. You need to be over 17 Years old.

If you would like any more information or to ask a question please contact us. Our website is: www.naomhpadraig.leicester.gaa.ie Facebook Page: Naomh Padraig ladies football team

There will be a number of special events in addition to the usual events, such as, The Easter Trail (2nd – 4th April), The Fine Food Fair (25th April) and a Craft Show (1st – 3rd May).

During January and February the restaurant at Calke Abbey had a complete makeover to the kitchen and the service counter which has lead to better customer service. Hot food is now ordered at the counter and then served direct to your table and together with an additional till point service overall has been speeded up.

At Lyveden New Bield, near Oundle, new audio guides have been introduced this month. The audio guides tell the story of both the house, now a substantial ruin, and the Elizabethan garden from the time they were built, in the early 1600’s, up to the present day. The audio guides were partly paid for by a donation from the NT Leicester Association.

The Association has two meetings in March. On Tuesday 9th at the Premier Inn, Braunstone Lane East, at 7.30 Simon Wright, Countryside Manager, will present an illustrated talk on the NT High Peak Estate.

There will also be an afternoon meeting on Wednesday 24th March when David Penny will talk about The Magistrate Justice System. The meeting will be held at the St John the Baptist Parish Centre, Clarendon Park Road at 2.30. Admission to both meetings is members £2 and visitors £4. New members are always welcome.

For more information on the NT Leicester Association and its Talks Service for other organisations please call, 0116 2229133.

Mary McElwaine Leicester & Leicestershire Irish Forum

Alan Tyler, Chairman, NT Leicester Association

Ladies Gaelic Football team - Noamh Padraig Colleens - are looking for new players.

I would like to help you out. Which way did you come in?

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

21

“Our hopes have been raised and dashed so many times that it has often felt too painful to go on” Norman Griffiths reports on the Groby couple who’s only wish is to have a baby After spending £20,000 on fertility treatment and suffering three miscarriages a couple from Groby, desperate to have children together, have launched a public appeal for a woman between the ages of 19 and 35 to come forward as an egg donor.

Emma and Mark met in 1988 and were married in 1993, setting about the task of renovating the house they had bought and turning it into the home for the family they had planned. “We haven’t been in Groby for very long,” said Emma. “We chose the village because we thought it would be a lovely place to bring up a family. Two years went by without a pregnancy and we started to think there might be something wrong. We had some basic tests performed by our GP but they didn’t show anything. We were added to the waiting list at the Leicester Royal Infirmary for more detailed investigations. Since that time we’ve undergone all sorts of tests and countless attempts at fertility treatment.”

Three miscarriages “Our hopes have been raised and dashed so many times that it has often felt too painful to go on. The most heartbreaking part has been the miscarriages. We’ve had three pregnancies but each one lost within 9 weeks.

I can’t find the words to express the agony of trying for so long, feeling incredible joy when treatment succeeds only to have our baby cruelly snatched away. What we now know is that I have no viable eggs but with the help of a donor we have every chance of a successful pregnancy.”

“There really is nothing we want more in the world than to have a child together and to experience all of it, the birth, the sleepless nights, the house cluttered up with high chairs and toys. Having waited for ten years, the thought that we are still years away from our dream fills us with an incredible sadness and with a deep seated fear that it may never happen at all,” added Emma.

1 in 6 couples affected

Please can you help us to have a baby?

Emma and Mark Sadly are not alone on this painful journey as fertility problems affect one in six UK couples. When the only answer turns out to be egg donation the wait can stretch into many years and for some it ends in disappointment. “It is hard to describe the agony of childlessness when the one thing you want most in the world is to be a family,” said Emma. “Although having a donor from Groby would feel too close to home for us we hope that our It’s been ten years, countless attempts at campaign might encourage local fertility treatment and three heartbreaking women to consider becoming egg miscarriages. donors for others on the waiting list.”

Our last hope is to find an egg donor, one Earlier this month they heard wonderful woman aged 19-35 willing to give from a local couple who have been us the gift of life. waiting for four and a half years. She went through We are Emma (39) and Mark (44), a Leicestershire couple cancer as a teenager; her ovaries desperate to have children together. If you think you can were irreversibly damaged by help us or you would just like to find out more about egg donation, please contact the Leicester Fertility Centre on chemotherapy drugs and so an 0116 258 5944 and quote reference 393 egg donor is their last hope. “It is a rare and wonderful woman who Or you can visit our website: agrees to go through IVF to help a childless couple,” said Emma.

“When we first arrived in Groby we were still hoping that conventional IVF would bring us our dream but we now know that an egg donor is our final hope.” some of the countless others also going through this agony.”

Thanks for the support The couple have had 2000 posters printed “We would like to thank our friends and and are posting them to 500 locations, hoping neighbours in Groby for their words of support that places such as Libraries, GP surgeries, and also the dozens of people who have charity shops and Universities will agree to been in touch from all over Leicestershire display them. You can find out more about egg and beyond,” she added. “We’ve heard from donation on the couple’s website 1in6.org.uk many others who like us are going through or by calling the Leicester Fertility Centre on this painful journey, some right here in Groby.

0116 2585944.

It really would be a dream come true if our campaign found us a donor and also helped

1in6.org.uk

Keep stress out of your life. Give it to others instead.

22

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

New Releases on DVD 2012 (12)

Saw VI 18)

With Special Agent Stahm (Scott Patterson) dead, the sinister Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) has emerged to carry on Jigsaw’s murderous work. With the FBI drawing ever closer to maniacal Hoffman, the detective is cornered into setting yet another gruesome game in motion: a blood-drenched pursuit that will finally shed light on the really reasons behind Jigsaw’s grand scheme.

Scarce (18)

Snowbound thrills and cannibalistic chills highlight co-writer/directors John Geddes and Jesse Cook’s frostbitten shocker about three snowboarders fighting for their lives in an isolated mountain cabin. They were returning from a weekend of snowboarding when a sudden winter storm left them stranded in the wilderness. But while the cosy cabin in the woods seemed to offer salvation, these three friends had no idea of the horrors that lurk therein. The cabin’s owners are famished, and it’s going to take more than venison to satisfy their ravenous appetites. Now, as the bloodied snowboarders realize they’re about to become the special of the day, the vicious flesh-eaters find that their next meal isn’t going to come easy.

A Christmas Carol (PG)

Writer/director Robert Zemeckis adapts Charles Dickens’ classic festive tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL as a star vehicle for Jim Carrey in this performance capture/Disney Digital 3-D animated film for all ages.

Carrey not only takes on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, but all of the three ghosts who come to haunt him as well. The fantastical morality play takes audiences on a thrill ride through Dickensian London, as it tells the story of grouchy Scrooge and his refusal to embrace the Christmas spirit.

New Moon (12)

This next instalment of The Twilight Saga sees Bella Swan devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of werewolves, the ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.

The Fourth Kind (15)

A fact-based thriller set in the fall of 2000, THE FOURTH KIND stars Milla Jovoivch as Dr. Abigail Tyler, a Nome, Alaska-based psychotherapist whose videotaped sessions with her patients offer the most compelling evidence of alien abduction ever documented.

Elias Koteas and Will Patton co-star.

Now this is how you destroy the world. Roland Emmerich’s 2012 pounces on a Nostradamus-style loophole in the Mayan calendar and rams the apocalypse through it, gleefully conjuring up an enormous amount of Saturday-matinee fun in the process. A scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) detects shifting continental plates and sun flares and realizes that this foretells the imminent destruction of the planet. Just as the molten lava is about to hit the fan, a novelist (John Cusack) takes his kids on a trip to Yellowstone; later he’ll hook up with his ex (Amanda Peet) and her new boyfriend (Tom McCarthy) in a global journey toward safety.

If there is any safety. The suitably hair-raising plot lines are punctuated by visions of mayhem around the globe: the Vatican falls over, the White House is clobbered (Emmerich’s Independence Day was not enough on that score), and the California coastline dives into the Pacific Ocean.

Harry Brown (18)

Michael Caine returns to the vengeance-fuelled chills of GET CARTER for this contemporary thriller in which he seeks to avenge the death of an elderly friend. Marking his feature film directorial debut, Daniel Barber presents a London that’s a million miles away from the picturesque beauty of holiday brochures but instead a hellish city where menace lurks in the shadows of its streets. When his friend is brutally murdered by a group of disaffected youths, ex-serviceman Harry Brown (Caine) takes the law into his hands, vowing to hunt each of the culprits down...

Zombieland (15)

If there’s been a zombie apocalypse and you’re roadtripping alone though the wasteland, you could do worse than run into Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a bourbon-swilling bad-boy butt-kicker with a really cool car. This is where the careful hero of Zombieland, a kid nicknamed Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), finds himself early in the film, and you can hardly blame him for hitching a ride with this swaggering Alpha Male.

Still, they have their hands full not only with gibbering zombies but also with two sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) who will stop at nothing to reach a Disneyland-like amusement park in L.A.

An Education (12)

A suburban London teen finds her traditional education replaced by something slightly more sinister when an older, more worldly suitor sweeps her off of her feet while placing her future in jeopardy. London, 1961: 16year-old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is smart, attractive, and eager to start her adult life. She’s grown tired of the familiar adolescent routine, so when urbane newcomer David (Peter Sarsgaard) appears in town, Jenny senses a rare opportunity to shake things up a bit. Quickly falling under David’s spell, the impressionable Jenny begins accompanying her new found beau to classical concerts, art auctions, crowded pubs, and dinners that stretch into the small hours of the night.

But Jenny is brighter than most kids her age, and her parents always dreamt of getting their exceptional daughter into Oxford. These days it seems like she’s headed in a different direction -- will David ultimately be her undoing, or the person who helps her finally realize her true potential?

Grand Loughborough book sale

Loughborough Library is holding a grand book sale on Saturday, 20th and Sunday, 21st of February.

There will be many bargains on offer, including books for adults and children, as well as cds.

The library is situated on Granby Street and is open from 9.30am - 5.00pm on Saturday and 11.00am – 4.00pm on Sunday.

Contact the library on 01509 212985 for further information. www.leics.gov.uk/loughborough_library

Play tickets now on sale Tickets for Groby Players production, ‘Murdered to Death’ by Peter Gordon, are now on sale in Groby Village Hall, every Saturday morning from 10am-12noon.

The production takes place on March 11th/ 12th and 13th at 7.30pm, in Groby Village Hall.

Ticket prices are £6.00 ( £5.00 concessions on Thursday night only) and can also be obtained by e mail dot@dhollins.freeserve.co.uk or Tel/Text to 07790 861033, or 0116 287 7373.

On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

January 2010 crime figures for Groby and Field Head

“ Everything From A Blown Fuse To A Complete Re-wire! ”

The following incidents were reported to the Police in the local area during January 2010.

Description

Groby

Field Head

House Burglaries Actual: Bradgate Hill, Spinney Close Attempted: None

2 Actual 0 Attempted

0

Garage, Shed, Outbuilding Burglaries Actual: Newtown Linford Lane, Fern Crescent Attempted: None.

2 Actual 0 Attempted

0

Theft of Motor Vehicle: None

0

0

Theft from Motor Vehicle: Stamford Drive

1

1

Damage to Motor Vehicle: A50 at Groby

1

0

Non-Domestic Assaults

8

0

Robbery: None

0

0

Crimes That Don’t Affect Residents Homes or Cars

12

0

TOTAL (Actual)

26

1

TOTAL (Attempted)

0

0

Theft: 4 / Damage: 3 / Other:5

Local crime news in more detail is available at www.groby.org.uk NEXT Groby Neighbourhood Watch Meeting: Thursday 4th March 2010 at 7.30pm Information supplied by Martin Cartwright - Secretary - Groby Branch Neighbourhood Watch - Tel: 0116 2874500 • Mobile: 07850 707050 Email: neighbourhoodwatch@appliancehome.co.uk In An Emergency dial 999. Contact the local police on 0116 222-2222.

CRIMESTOPPERS: 0800 555111

New Venue Groby Village Hall, New room to the rear of the main hall

Calendar of Events Thursday 4th March 2010 at 7.30pm Thursday 10th June 2010 at 7.30pm Thursday 9th September 2010 at 7.30pm Thursday 2nd December 2010 at 7.30pm

When the new patient was settled comfortably on the couch, the psychiatrist said: “Since this is your first session, perhaps you should start at the very beginning.” “Of course,” replied the patient. “In the beginning, I created the heavens and the earth ...”

23

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Field Head mum’s concern over the proposed cut to school bus service Julie Eason of Field Head is concerned about the proposed cutting of the school bus service to South Charnwood School. She has asked the Spotlight to publish a copy of an email she has sent to Leicestershire County Council, to raise awareness of this issue: Dear Sirs Are you aware that the school bus service to the remote South Charnwood High School, between Thornton and Markfield is to be cut.

I appreciate cuts need to made and that it is a difficult situation but the School route has a poor footpath, which in some places is virtually nonexistent.

It is not lit and if anyone was to be in any distress (for example, a young girl approached by stranger) there are very few houses for them to run to for help.

How can this proposal sit comfortably with the Government’s “Every Child Matters” programme? How can the County Council allow this to happen?

I am not aware of any public consultation, should there be?

My daughter will only be 10 when she is expected to walk to South Charnwood from Field Head, Markfield.

At the time children make this walk they will be constantly passed by the coaches that bring the rest of the children to school from other areas, as well as farming vehicles. Would the people pushing this decision be comfortable with their child making this journey?

Julie Eason P.S. Coming from a Nursing NHS background, I’m certain that only one incident needing health care would eliminate any savings generated by this ‘cost-cutting’ exercise.

The Rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage.

24

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

Hinckley & Bosworth Young Musician of the Year The search is on for this year’s Hinckley & Bosworth Young Musician of the Year.

Half-Term Activities at Charnwood Museum Charnwood Museum in Loughborough is offering a range of exciting activities for children this February half term holiday. Visit the museum this half term and enjoy a great range of workshops and activities from 13 to 21 February.

Landscape Collages – Tuesday 16 February Make a paper model landscape of mountains, valleys, rivers, and seas – a mini world of your very own. £2.50 per child, pre-booking essential.

Fun with illusions – Wednesday 17 February Seeing really is believing. Fool your brain with a range of optical illusions and make some of your own to take home. £2.50 per person, pre booking essential

Pattern Puzzles – Thursday 18 February Make a pattern picture using weird and wonderful shapes. Turn your picture into a simple Jigsaw £2.50 per person, pre-booking essential.

Fun with Pharaoh’s Gallery Trail 13 to 21 February Those pesky Ancient Egyptians are hiding around the museum. Try and track them down! Free activity Charnwood Museum is in Queens Park in the centre of Loughborough and is open from 10.00am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 1pm – 4pm on winter Sundays (November to March). http://www.leics.gov.uk/charnwoodmuseum

The Borough Council and the Matthew Fulham Foundation are offering a £1,000 bursary for talented musicians wishing to further their expertise in their chosen field of music.

The bursary can be used for Purchase of instruments or • accessories • Music and/or singing lessons and master classes • Weekend music courses Travel expenses related to • the pursuit of their expertise or a combination of the above Shortlisted candidates will be asked to perform at a public showcase on 15 May and the winner will perform at Proms in the Park, held in Hollycroft Park on Saturday 12 June 2010.

Peter Fulham said “This will be our 3rd year partnering Hinckley and Bosworth’s Young Musician of the year and Proms in the Park. We feel it is a fitting tribute to our son Matthew who died in the Sharm El Sheik bombings. For our family it has been a way to bring something positive out of our loss of Matthew (a talented musician who played in the JCC Orchestra at the Proms in the Park just three weeks before that fateful holiday).

It also helps us to say thank you to the people of the borough who supported us during that trying time and to help other young musicians showcase their talents and obtain a bursary to move their career forward”.

Last year all the short listed participants won a share in £1000 and the winner got the £1000 bursary as well. The organisers intend to repeat it again this year thanks to the generosity of the people at the Proms buying flags, drinks and giving generously to the donation bucket. Alice Gildea who won the bursary in the first year is now studying at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Wendy Moore, Executive Member for Open Spaces and Cultural Services said “This is one of our premier events and I’m delighted that it takes place in such a fantastic venue as Hollycroft Park. We are very happy to be involved with something positive for our talented young people who are a credit to their school and the town” Application forms are available to download from the council website at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk and the Foundation website at www. matthewfuham.org or by contacting Lindsay Orton at the Borough Council on 01455 255833.

The deadline for the receipt of applications is Friday 19 March 2010.

If at first you do succeed, try to hide your astonishment.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

25

Expensive Christmas

Christmas is an expensive time and the theft of the Christmas tree from outside the library added to the bill for the residents of Groby. The Parish Council has been charged £150 to have it reinstated. The Council will be reviewing the success of the 2009 Christmas lights in the near future and deciding what to do this year.

The dead battery mountain

Shoppers at Aldi may have been pleasantly surprised recently to see facilities to leave dead batteries in the store, as what to do with them has been a dilemma for householders. At the start of the month all became clear - there is a new requirement for stores that sell more than one pack of batteries to provide battery collection facilities.

Apparently the regulations are a response to a European Directive that states that 25% of all batteries placed on the market must be recycled by 2012, rising to 45% by 2016. Currently, the UK recycles less than 3% of portable batteries, with more than 30,000 tonnes of batteries being discarded every year.

This information has been provided by www.batteryback.org which was was created in the summer of 2008 in preparation for the Regulations. It intends to operate the UK’s first free national recovery scheme for all types of batteries and has now has now established over 2000 battery collection points. They aim to have 30,000 sites by the end of 2010 and over 60,000 by the end of 2012 providing battery retailers with a free of charge battery collection service.

The site has a search facility which allows you to look for local collection points. Although there is one listed for Groby (Appliance Home) this is a mistake so don’t take your batteries there. The two supermarkets in the village have made arrangements to comply with the regulations and dead batteries can be left at the checkouts.

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The Hockey Stick Illusion;Climategate and the Corruption of Science

by A W Montford Part scientific history and part detective story, The Hockey Stick Illusion tells the extraordinary tale of the iconic global warming graph (created by the US climatologist Michael Mann), the global panic about climate change that it has helped to feed, and the tireless efforts of a lone amateur researcher, Steve McIntyre, that have comprehensively discredited it. From the earliest attempts to reproduce the Hockey Stick graph, to the explosive publication of McIntyre’s work and the launch of a congressional inquiry, The Hockey Stick Illusion is a remarkable tale of scientific misconduct and amateur sleuthing. It explains the complex science of this most controversial of scientific findings in layperson’s language and lays bare the remarkable extent to which climatologists have been willing to break their own rules in order to defend climate science’s most famous finding. Already acclaimed by experts in the field, The Hockey Stick Illusion is an indispensable guide for anyone wanting to assess the credibility of global warming science.

Groby Parish Council heard at its February meeting that there had been some problems with the delivery of the new weighted yellow bags designed for cardboard collection. However it seems that the problems locally were not as bad as elsewhere, as members were told that disciplinary action had been taken against operatives who had failed to comply with the delivery guidelines. In Desford, they were told, the bags were thrown from the windows of the delivery vehicles and not left on the doorstep as instructed.

Residents seem to either love or hate the recycling service. If you don’t like it take comfort from the fact that it raises money for the Save the Children charity. Every tonne of glass, paper, cans and textiles collected through the “Bag It & Box It” kerbside recycling service raises£1 for the charity, and this has amounted to £10,000 over the past 18 months.

Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them... well, I have others.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

26

WORDSEARCH COMPETITION 1st Prize: Win A SUNDAY LUNCH FOR Wordplus Search Puzzle TWO WINE at The Plough Inn, Ratby!

2nd Prize: Win A £10 DVD Hire Voucher to Spend at Glenfield Moviezone!

K I Q G X F J F L O D K Z A H D

E A O Y T C E C Y B S H Z E A F

S P E S L E A A R M J D A W Z K

S R P R R F N I A P O T H C T R

U O G P T R M L H O H N L L R Q

G R K J M S L T W F E H I O V A

R E E Y T C R D R M G Z A U E C

A P D O O O E I I I P U T D P L

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W E P Z K I C I A H G G O D W P

O E S C L K U X L M K N L Y S J

R L E L Y X Y P C A U C L E I U

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Y U F B W Z N T E X S J S O B F

U P Q Z X U A I P N P N Z W I R

Name: .................................................................................................

BLACKHAIRSTREAK BRIMSTONE Address: ................................................................................................

BROWNARGUS CLOUDEDYELLOW .................................................................Postcode: .............................

HEATHFRITILLARY LULWORTHSKIPPER If PURPLEEMPEROR you can spot the names of 12 Types of Butterfly in the Wordsearch grid above, you could win a SUNDAY LUNCH FOR REDADMIRAL TWO plus a BOTTLE OF HOUSE WINE at the Plough Inn, RINGLET Burroughs Road, Ratby (see ad on page 24) - or a £10 DVD Hire SMALLCOPPER Voucher to spend at Glenfield Moviezone (see ad on page 15).

SPECKLEDWOOD AllSWALLOWTAIL you have to do to go into the draw is find - and mark a line through

- the names of 12 BUTTERFLIES. These can run vertically, horizontally or diagonally (and backwards!).

Send your marked entry forms to: FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, Groby & Field Head Spotlight, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT to arrive

by Tuesday 2nd March 2010. Please remember to fill in your name and address. The sender of the first correct entry drawn out of the hat will win the Meal at The Plough Inn and the sender of the second will win the Moviezone DVD hire voucher. Good luck!

Page

Bosworth Battlefield announces Half Term Knight School Children can travel back in time this half term at The Bosworth Heritage Centre’s very first Knight School with real hands-on training in the arts of knightly combat.

They will learn the skills and endurance that were needed to become a real Medieval knight and work through a program of interactive historical learning.

Activities will include marching to the top of Ambion Hill, weapons training, treasure hunt to find missing armoury, learning the art of falconry and even trying their hands at flying a bird.

There will also be educational talks on food, clothing, medicine and the tactics of medieval battle.

The one day program will begin at 10am and finish at 4pm. It will be held on Tuesday 16th February and Thursday, 18th February for girls and boys aged eight and over.

Young knights will be welcomed into the Les Routiers Army by Captain Mortimer who will teach them the skills needed to become one of King Richard III’s knights.

They will be put to the test to see if they have met their grade and will be presented with a certificate to commend their achievements.

Children will be able to eat their packed lunches in the Heritage Room and refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

Parents are more than welcome to stay on site and enjoy the picturesque historic battlefield country park, or can leave their children with the battlefield’s well experienced and trained staff for the day.

Tickets are on sale now for the Knight School and can be purchased from Bosworth Battlefield on 01455 290 429. They cost £20 including refreshments and parking. Children must bring their own packed lunch and wear protective footwear and waterproof coat.

Knight School will also be run over the Easter holidays on Wednesday, 31st March, Wednesday, 7th April and Thursday, 15th April.

For more information on Knight School or other events please visit www. bosworthbattlefield.com.

Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com, sponsorship by Scotch.

Here are 12 Butterflies you have to find:

BLACK HAIRSTREAK • BRIMSTONE • BROWN ARGUS CLOUDED YELLOW • HEATH FRITILLARY • LULWORTH SKIPPER PURPLE EMPEROR • RED ADMIRAL • http://www.scotchsciencefair.com/ RINGLET SMALL COPPER • SPECKLED WOOD • SWALLOWTAIL

Last Issue’s TWO Winners Last issue’s first prize winner was MRS JULIE KOTECHA of Bedford Drive, Groby. You win a a £25 Meal Voucher to spend at Frankie & Benny’s.

The winner of the second prize - a £10 DVD Hire Voucher to spend at Glenfield MovieZone - was Mrs.SUSAN PICkERING of Ratby Lane, Field Head, Markfield.

Congratulations! Your vouchers will be with you within 21 days.

I won’t stand for gossip! No, I sit down and make myself comfortable for gossip.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • Mid-FEBRUARY 2010 • Tel: 01530 244069

FRIENDS OF CHARNWOOD FOREST Reintroduction of Raptors to Britain Talk by Tim Mackrill: 7.30pm Mon 15th March 2010 Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall After centuries of persecution, Britain’s birds of prey have enjoyed something of a recovery in recent years. This is in no small part thanks to ground-breaking reintroduction work involving Ospreys, Red Kites and White-tailed Eagles.

With a special emphasis on Ospreys, Tim Mackrill will explain how this work has enabled the three species to make a welcome return to the skies of the UK. He will also consider the future and how it may soon be possible to see all three species together in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Tim Mackrill has been involved in raptor conservation for more than ten years. Having graduated with a degree in Ecology from the University of East Anglia, Tim has managed the Rutland Osprey Project since 2005.He has also carried out important fieldwork for the Highland Foundation for Wildlife in Scotland. Tim is an advocate of pro-active hands-on conservation. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject will make for an informative and interesting talk.

The meeting will be preceded by a short AGM. Members are welcome to bring guests. A £3 charge is payable at the door.

Clifford Jones

Events Coordinator Tel: 01530 244046

Novel with an online component

CSI Creator Presents World’s First ‘Digi-Novel’

Anthony Zuiker is the creator of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – the biggest television property in the world.

The international master of twisted suspense presents a revolutionary storytelling experience; the world’s first DigiNovel, and the most chilling serial killer thriller since Silence of the Lambs.

Zuiker introduces the ‘Digi-Novel’ to the world of book publishing.

Dark Origins is the first book in a trilogy, and is complemented by a comprehensive online and digital component featuring exclusive cinematic content on a dedicated and fully interactive website www.level26.com.

The site is an interactive extension of the book series, and the books and the site combine to form a ‘Digi-Novel’, a multi-platform experience that moves the reader from passages in the books to supporting videos and other content. As you read the book you’ll see calls-to-action that direct you to the website to enter codes that unlock cyber-bridges.

These cinematic cyber-bridges take the experience to the next level, immersing you in the action and putting you inside the minds of a twisted torture-murderer and the man sent to take him down. The cyber-bridges have been developed by Zuiker and his CSI production team, and are designed to enrich the reader’s experience, but are not essential to read and enjoy the story as you would a traditional thriller.

Read. Watch. Unlock a new level of fear.

Dark Origins - Level 26: Book One by Anthony E. Zuiker £12.99 www.level26.com

When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.

27

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