July 2020 Groby Spotlight Magazine

EkoJoe back in the village

Helping you reduce plastic waste JUST BEFORE the lockdown EkoJoe– a mobile refill business – started visiting Groby.

They continued to deliver their produce, with no plastic packaging, throughout the lockdown, and the good news is that – for the last month they have been back in the village every other Friday.

EkoJoe are a zero waste company. They have a wide range of products: herbs and spices; dried fruit and nuts; pasta and rice; flour and yeast; cleaning and laundry liquids; face soaps and shampoo bars.

Most products can be bought by refilling jars. We are encouraged to take our own containers with us, but when you don’t have any there are always some available or products can be put in paper bags. In addition EkoJoe stock a range of gifts and other plastic free products including: toothbrushes; cotton buds; bags; reusable cups.

It really is impossible to list all the products available so why not check them out one Friday morning?

You will find them in the car park of Groby Club from 9am until 1:30 every other Friday morning.

The dates for the month ahead are: 24th July and 7th August.

Ruth Mwenya

Groby Community Library News DESPITE being outside of the new Leicestershire lockdown area, we are on the border.

Therefore, we have decided to put the plans to re-open the Library on hold. Once the local restrictions are lifted again we are planning to offer a reduced Library Service, probably for 2 days per week. Regrettably, the re-opening of the Time Out Café will be much further away.

Look out for further details on the Library windows, Facebook - Groby Community Library, Website www. grobylibrary.co.uk and Twitter @GrobyCLibrary.

We are looking forward to seeing all our regulars again very soon. Stay safe and keep well.

Dr Janet Harrison

Trustee, Groby Community Library STAMFORD RE-OPENING PLAN - P2 • SHIRE GRANT SCHEME - P3 • RADIO GARDEN - P4 PROPERTY OF THE MONTH - P5 • HELP FOR CREATIVES - P6 • NATURE NOTES - P7 EXTENDING? - P8 • GROBY SINGS - P9 • GROBY WI - P10 • WRITING GROUPS - P11 OZZY OSHEA’S REPORT - P12 • MIKE PRATT’S VIDEOS - P14 • CHILDCARE FUNDING - P15 GARDENING SOCIETY - P16 • NT ARTICLE - P17 • CHINESE LANTERN BAN - P18 KLONDYKE PLANNING DECISION - P19 • MARTIN CARTWRIGHT’S REPORT - P22 SMALL ADS - P24 • FLASH FLOODS IN JUNE - P25 • TED HOLLICK’S REPORT - P27

Who Is Groby’s Phantom Fly Tipper?

OVER THE LAST few weeks small piles of soil and rubble have been appearing beneath the trees along the area of Ratby Road opposite Victoria Cottages, so much so that Notices have been put up on the trees to warn against Fly Tipping.

This has been happening over several days, not all in one go.

Not only that but in the last day or so, more rubbish has appeared along the side of the old mineral line footpath between Spinney Close and Oaktree Close.

If you are the fly tipper, please STOP! The rubble and soil around the trees along the Ratby Road will harm the trees. The appearances of plastic bags of rubbish along the footpath are an eyesore and also will be there for many years to come unless someone else has to clear up your mess as plastic does not disintegrate over time.

If you see a fly tipper or tippers, please report them immediately to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council. They will incur a £400 fine if caught.

As garden waste can be taken to the waste collection sites without charge this is a fairly large fine to have to pay for being too lazy to book a trip to the tip!

Let’s keep our village looking nice and stop it turning into a rubbish tip.

Groby Resident

NEXT ISSUE OUT ON 22ND AUGUST • ADVERT & ARTICLE DEADLINE IS 8TH AUGUST

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby & Field Head Spotlight

LETTER - Re-opening Action Plan

The Stamford gets a Pizza Deck Oven I JUST READ with interest the great piece about the Stamford Pizza Project, and thought I’d just drop you a line to say I also was asked by Brian at the Stamford to assist him with his re-opening action plan.

I also live in Groby and have provided, in conjunction with Brian and his team, a catering consultancy service and supplied and fitted a new additional Pizza Deck oven on site for his pop up kitchen / bar at the Stamford.

Shaun Sterland

PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT

Telephone

01530-244069 Email us at: info@ grobyspotlight.co.uk Visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk 3,500 copies distributed 11 times a year (no issue in July) to homes and businesses in Groby, Field Head and The Brantings.

Plus ... a group of 8 ‘wagon shelters’

Compiled and published in the Parish of Groby & Field Head.

Printed in Ellistown by Norwood Press.

The Spotlight is a monthly compilation of articles, press releases, events, general items of interest and news items submitted to us by local residents, groups, associations, sports clubs and local authorities.

The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Spotlight Production Team. The inclusion of any group or organisation in this publication does not necessarily imply a recommendation of its aims, methods or policies.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight cannot be held responsible for the information disclosed by advertisements, all of which are accepted in good faith.

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information in this magazine, but no liability can be accepted for loss or inconvenience caused as a result of error or omission.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight reserves the right to amend, shorten or refuse to publish articles and/ or advertisements submitted for publication.

All contents © Groby & Field Head Spotlight.

None of the articles contained in this magazine are to be reproduced in any way without first obtaining written consent from Groby & Field Head Spotlight.

NEXT ISSUE OUT ON: 22nd August 2020 DEADLINE: 8th August 2020

IF YOU’VE passed by The Stamford in the last few days, you may have spotted the 8 new outdoor shelters which have been erected on the car park.

These have been designed and produced especially for The Stamford and will provide a safe environment in which to enjoy a drink or meal with friends, when the pub re-opens on Tuesday 14th July 2020 at 12 noon.

If you plan to visit for a meal or a social drink, you will be required to make a table booking. The easiest way to book a table is with the pub’s table bookings partners Quandoo - here is the web address: https://stamfordarms.co.uk/book-a-table/

All those movies from the 80’s about the future aren’t accurate because nobody is taking a selfie in them.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

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Support for communities to develop ‘green’ projects

Shire Environment Grant scheme is open for applicants GRANTS OF UP to £3,000 are available for community groups and organisations to develop ‘green’ projects through support from the county council.

The Shire Environment Grant scheme invites applications from groups and organisations who are looking at new, innovative projects to minimise household waste, reduce carbon emissions and improve biodiversity.

The council’s remit is to fund projects which maintain or build on some of the positive environmental benefits which have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as increased involvement in the local community and a greater appreciation of nature.

Some examples provided by the council range from the supporting sustainable ‘green’ spaces, reducing the amount of household waste and greenhouse gas emissions within communities as well as, improving biodiversity.

Projects reducing carbon emissions could also help to promote a ‘green recovery’ from COVID-19 in the county, and support the council’s wider aim of Leicestershire becoming carbon neutral before of by 2050.

Projects must be located in Leicestershire (not including Leicester City or Rutland). An application process is also available for smaller grants of up to £300.

DEADLINE: The application deadline for the current round of funding is Friday, 31 July 2020.

For further information and how to apply, visit the website at: www.leicestershirecommunities.org.uk/grants/environment-grant or email: environmentgrant@leics.gov.uk

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Radio Garden – Explore live radio by rotating the globe

With radiogarden you can easily tune in to stations across the world THE INTERNET has made the virtual world a much smaller place, with easy access to information from almost any country you care to name, and with the radiogarden website you can easily tune in to stations across the world.

It wasn’t always so and many readers will remember the days of just a few radio and television channels. Anyone who wanted to listen to broadcasts from overseas in English on the medium and long wave frequencies was limited to stations like the American Forces Network (AFN), the Voice of America, and the very popular Radio Luxembourg.

Those who ventured on to short wave radio were rewarded with a whole host of foreign stations broadcasting in English, which gave rise to a new hobby - listeners would mail “reception reports” to radio broadcasting stations in hopes of getting a written acknowledgement (often called a ‘QSL card’) that served to officially verify they had heard a distant station. Collecting these cards became popular with radio listeners who looked forward to receiving mail from even remote countries, and reception reports were often used by broadcasters to gauge the effectiveness of their transmissions.

The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive (https://shortwavearchive.com) is a podcast that contains off-air recordings from the shortwaves. These amateur recordings don’t have the quality we now take for granted, but represent the wide variety of stations found on the shortwave, long wave and medium wave radio spectrums. The podcasts include historic events such as a broadcast from Vietnam, relayed by Radio Havana Cuba, announcing the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam war. There’s also Radio Moscow coverage of the end of the 1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt, an attempt made by members of the government of the Soviet Union to take control of the country from Soviet President and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.

Radio garden makes it easy Today we can use the internet instead of short wave radio and the arrival of the radiogarden has made it much easier. Radio Garden is a non-profit Dutch radio and digital research project which provides users with a simple graphical interface – a map of the globe. (Just type Radio Garden into Google to find it.)

The radio stations are shown on the map as green dots (the seeds). Zooming in displays the available stations for the area of your choice, so if you want Hermitage Radio in Coalville you click on Coalville and away you go. If you have friends or family in Sydney, just scroll the map to Australia, click on Sydney, and you can catch up with one of the 71 stations listed. And if you know someone stationed with our forces in the Falklands you can hear what they can hear on BFBS Falklands, though the next nearest station is in Argentina. If listening isn’t enough you can zoom in and take advantage of the satellite view to take a close look at the town of Stanley. It couldn’t be easier.

Norman Griffiths

New buzzwords we should know HAVE YOU noticed that a series of new words and phrases are increasingly being used in radio and tv interviews recently?

To make sure we understand what our politicians, medical experts, sports reporters and spokespersons are on about, we have helpfully listed a few of our favourites below, together with definitions: CONFLATE: to combine two or more separate things, especially pieces of text, to form a whole: She conflated the three plays to produce a fresh new work.

MITIGATE: to make something less harmful, unpleasant, or bad: It is unclear how to mitigate the effects of tourism on the island.

ALLUDE: to mention someone or something in a brief or indirect way: He alluded to problems with the new computers.

OUTLIER: a person, thing, or fact that is very different from other people, things, or facts, so that it cannot be used to draw general conclusions: People who live past 100 are genetic outliers, whose longevity is unreachable for most of us.

You may have noticed that many interviewees start their answers with the word ‘So ...’.

Why is this?

According to an interesting article in The Spectator, ‘so’ could be a tool for covering up that you’re deflecting the interviewer’s question. ‘The word is a marker of cause and result,’ says Dr Penelope Gardner-Chloros, of the department of applied linguistics and communication at Birkbeck College. ‘Someone who starts an answer with “so” is marking that what he’s saying is coherent with what came before — the question. He’s saying what he wants to say, like a politician — but trying to make it sound like it’s an answer to the question.’

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I’m well prepared for the cashless society. Having kids already has me there.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Property of the Month

COACH AND HORSES Leicester Road, Markfield, LE67 9RF

Markfield Road Groby

ALEXANDERS Estate Agents are offering for sale a remarkable stone cottage in a plot of around a quarter of an acre. The asking price is ÂŁ595,000.

The property - in Markfield Road, Groby - occupies a lovely plot set back from the road behind a stone wall, with lawned gardens and a driveway to the left hand side.

There is an attached workshop/garage with a useful hayloft over.

There is an impressive 2,812 sq.feet of gross internal floor area with beautiful living accommodation arranged over two floors, comprising, on the ground floor: entrance hall, drawing room, dining room, snug, study, conservatory, living kitchen (with Aga range cooker). Upstairs are four double bedrooms (two with en-suite facilities) and a family bathroom with Jack & Jill access to bedroom three.

There is also a pantry, utility room, plant room and wc downstairs.

There is side access to the rear and beautiful mature cottage gardens.

Viewing is strictly by appointment with sole selling agents Alexanders - call 01509 86122. Virtual viewing is available.

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You just realised that your age is the number of times you went around the sun.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Common Steroid Could Be Cheap and Effective Treatment for Severe COVID-19

IN MARCH 2020, the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) trial was established as a randomised clinical trial to test a range of potential treatments for COVID-19, including low-dose dexamethasone (a steroid treatment). Over 11,500 patients have been enrolled from over 175 NHS hospitals in the UK. On 8 June, recruitment to the dexamethasone arm was halted since, in the view of the trial Steering Committee, sufficient patients had been enrolled to establish whether or not the drug had a meaningful benefit.

A total of 2104 patients were randomised to receive dexamethasone 6 mg once per day (either by mouth or by intravenous injection) for ten days and were compared with 4321 patients randomised to usual care alone.

Among the patients who received usual care alone, 28-day mortality was highest in those who required ventilation (41%), intermediate in those patients who required oxygen only (25%), and lowest among those who did not require any respiratory intervention (13%).

Dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in ventilated patients (rate ratio 0.65 [95% confidence interval 0.48 to 0.88]; p=0.0003) and by one fifth in other patients receiving oxygen only (0.80 [0.67 to 0.96]; p=0.0021).

There was no benefit among those patients who did not require respiratory support (1.22 [0.86 to 1.75]; p=0.14). Based on these results, 1 death would be prevented by treatment of around 8 ventilated patients or around 25 patients requiring oxygen alone.

Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, and one of the Chief Investigators for the trial, said: ‘Dexamethasone is the first drug to be shown to improve survival in COVID-19. This is an extremely welcome result. The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients. Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.’

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CREATIVE BUSINESSES

Letter from Uncle Eustace

On the perils of leaving the pulpit The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren WHEN THE churches reopen for public worship (whenever that is!) I hope you will come and take Evensong one Sunday.

But, thinking of your visit last August, I would prefer you used the pulpit when preaching.

How could Colonel Brockle complete ‘The Times’ crossword and Miss Balmer her knitting with you constantly walking up and down in front of them? They found it most disconcerting, as out of politeness, they were obliged to listen to you. It was a unique experience they do not wish to repeat.

Those few who defy Anglican tradition and sit at the front of the church were also placed in the dilemma of trying to decide whether they should keep turning in their pews as you paraded down the nave and then rotating back to the front as you re-emerged up the side aisle. It did Lady Plumptree’s vertigo no good at all. It also allowed people to see that you were wearing suede shoes.

For many of our worshippers, the most appalling of heresies are as nothing when compared to brown shoes under a cassock.

I appreciate you made heroic efforts and got your sermon down to 30 minutes, but that is still 20 minutes longer than they anticipated and 29 minutes longer than their attention span.

No, use the pulpit in future; that is the reason why stonemasons 600 years ago put twenty tons of marble in our church in the first place and it would be a shame to disappoint them. It also means that from a distance of 100 yards and a height of 20 feet, no one can tell that the glass of water I use liberally while preaching is in fact a gin and tonic.

I concede that our pulpit has its dangers. I have known several bishops come to grief as their robes wrap themselves around the newel post as they ascend the steps. One, unable to untangle himself, was obliged to preach while halfway up the steps and with his back to the congregation, while our verger was dispatched to find a pair of scissors.

Perhaps, before your next visit, we may install a mechanical floor in the pulpit, so that after 10 minutes, it slowly lowers you into the crypt while the congregation can get on with singing the last hymn before getting home in decent time.

Your loving uncle,

Eustace

MORE THAN 100 businesses from across Leicestershire’s art and creative sector have applied for specialist support to develop and grow.

Creative Leicestershire, a Leicestershire County Council initiative which offers advice, support, and growth for creative enterprises across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, has come together with partners across the East Midlands for another year to offer WebinArt. Webinart is a one-year professional development programme which connects new and improving creative businesses with industry giants and mentors. It offers help and support in everything from financial and business growth advice, to confidence building and help with covid-19 related concerns.

Artist Lucy Stevens who joined WebinArt last year, encourages creative businesses to apply for this year’s funding : “It was great to hear first-hand from other artists that I admire about the realities of running a creative business and to know that I wasn’t alone in the challenges that I’d faced so far. The online resources gave me real motivation to try something new and put the advice into action.”

“I’d advise any artist starting out or those that feel a bit lost and lacking focus to take part in WebinArt. It’s a chance to develop your business skills and learn more about how to raise your profile, build a strong brand, grow a sustainable and profitable business and lots more! It’s also a great chance to meet other local artists.”

Applications this year already include independent creatives and businesses from a multitude of disciplines such painters, makers, and writers.

Though WebinArt would have usually been delivered face to face, in accordance with social distancing, all activity has been moved online. The programme offers bespoke business mentoring, live expert interviews, and engaging live webinars packed with valuable industry know-how.

It also facilitates networking opportunities, provides a supportive online community and helps promote the work of their members.

The WebinArt team understand the financial pressures that many businesses are facing at this current time so are offering three months of the programme free with the remaining nine months at a cost of £8 per month.

Visit www.creativeleics.co.uk/webinart for more information.

I never sign anything without pretending to read it first.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Nature Notes from Lindy Hardcastle THE PAIR of swans at Groby Pool must be the most photographed couple since Charles met Diana.

They obligingly built their nest very close to the bank on the road side of the Pool, next to a wide wall which provided seating for their many fans. I am attaching two of my own favourite snaps for the benefit of the few Groby residents who missed the show.

My own little garden pond has given me lots of pleasure too. It has been a good year for blackbirds and the first thing the fledglings need when they leave the nest is a bath. I love to watch them splashing about but I was less impressed when one flew off with a newt in her beak something I have never seen before.

It was far too big for her to eat on her own – perhaps she was breaking lockdown and planning a barbeque.

Inevitably our little young cat Sammy has caught a few young birds – at least one of which we managed to rescue. He is usually happy with just feathers – pigeon ones mostly – which he brings in proudly and stores in his special hiding place down the side of the sofa. I was expecting to find another feather when I saw him ferreting under the cushions. When I went to admire his latest acquisition what I actually found was a large dead mouse.

Sammy is still growing and like most teenage boys he is always hungry.

Apart from cat food, milk and chicken which David cooks for both cats’ breakfast, he steals anything left on our plates that he can get his greedy little paws on – mushrooms, chips, porridge, cheese, strawberry yoghurt – he is omnivorous and insatiable.

He and our older cat Olaf will never be friends but they do rather begrudgingly tolerate each other. They have agreed between themselves which bedroom they each prefer and ignore each other as much as possible. Whether this state of armed neutrality was be sustained when Sammy reaches his full size and strength remains to be seen.

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Do the Birds Still Sing in Hell?

By Horace Greasley

WHEN WAR was declared Horace Greasley was just twenty-years old.

After seven weeks’ training with the 2/5th Battalion, the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, Horace found himself facing the might of the German Army in a muddy field south of Cherbourg, in northern France, with just thirty rounds in his ammunition pouch.

Horace’s war didn’t last long. . . On 25 May 1940 he was taken prisoner and so began the harrowing journey to a prisonerof-war camp in Poland. Those who survived the gruelling tenweek march to the camp were left broken and exhausted, all chance of escape seemingly extinguished.

But when Horace met Rosa, the daughter of one of his captors, his story changed; fate, it seemed, had thrown him a lifeline. Horace risked everything in order to steal out of the camp to see his love, bringing back supplies for his fellow prisoners. In doing so he offered hope to his comrades, and defiance to one of the most brutal regimes in history.

My driver’s side window stopped working, so I’m probably gonna starve to death.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Planning to extend your home?

Check the impact on the street scene THERE’S A shortage of homes in the UK, and amongst those that are available there are not enough bungalows to meet demand. When they come on to the market they are usually snapped up quickly, often by the older generation who recognise the advantages of bungalows and may be looking to downsize.

A survey a couple of years ago found that while 54% of over 65’s would consider moving to a single storey house, not enough are being built to meet demand. There have only ever been two million bungalows built in the UK and, one estimate suggests that by 2035 there will be a shortfall of 400,000 ‘specialist’ homes. The National House Building Council estimated that in 1987 over 26,000 bungalows were built, but just 2,210 in 2017.

Another factor affecting the supply, albeit marginally, is the conversion, or demolition and replacement, of some existing bungalows into 2 storey homes.

When considering the purchase of a bungalow it’s important to consider whether at some time you may wish to add extra accommodation or an extra floor.

With the gradual relaxation of planning rules in recent years it’s easy to mistakenly believe that you can do what you wish with your home. The local planning authority will have a number of issues to consider when determining an application, but there is one which as occupiers it is easy to overlook.

We may sit inside our home considering alternatives such as extending at the back, the side, fitting dormers or a full first floor, but we may forget to stand outside and see how our home sits in the local street scene. And it’s this aspect that has proved important in a number of local planning applications in Groby in the last few years, with at least four cases showing the importance of this judgement.

Application 1 : Demolition of bungalow and the erection of two three bedroom houses.

The immediate area has a mix of properties with the majority being bungalows, although there are two storey dwellings adjacent to the site. The new dwellings are set in a similar position to the bungalow and the design principles were considered to be generally acceptable within the context of the surrounding area. The application was approved.

Application 2 was for a replacement dwelling. The plot is substantial in size and although

the proposed replacement dwelling is larger than average, it does not appear cramped within the site or overbearing in scale when viewed against the adjacent neighbouring dwellings. In addition the dwelling would not have a detrimental impact within its location by virtue of its design or materials. The application was approved.

Application 3 : Raising the roof to provide a two storey dwelling. The property is in a row of bungalows on the same side of the road, with two storey detached properties opposite. The planner thought that the significant increase in height would result in substantial alteration to the character of the surrounding area.

Given the two storey nature of the proposal, it was considered that it would neither complement nor enhance the character of the surrounding area and would result in a dominant and prominent feature that would be uncharacteristic to the established street scene. Planning permission was refused.

Application 4 : The development proposed was originally described as the partial demolition of the bungalow and erection of rear single storey extensions with an additional storey added to the existing dwelling to create a double storey house. The proposal seeked to convert and extend the existing double garage into a quadruple garage and associated annex in the roof space.

Planning permission was refused and the case was reconsidered on appeal by a Planning Inspector who upheld the decision. The Inspector considered that the remodelled dwelling would be seen as part of an enclosed and distinctive group of bungalows, within which it would appear starkly different and harmful in scale and form.

Planners have to take account of a whole range of issues which, taken together, lead them to a view about whether to grant planning permission. The system is designed to give home owners as much freedom as possible to alter and improve their properties, but what these comments ‘cherry picked’ from the four applications indicate is that importance is given to the environment in which a property sits.

Major alterations will be not necessarily be permitted if the result is considered to adversely affect the existing street scene, so perhaps anyone looking for a home that has the capacity to be extended should consider the context of the site before signing a contract.

Norman Griffiths

It Started with a Secret

By Jill Mansell JILL MANSELL’S irresistible new book is the perfect escape. A beautiful Cornish setting, a chaotic family, a woman who’s had enough of romance - or has she?

The trouble with secrets is that you can’t guess what the consequences will be . . .

Lainey has lost everything. Luckily one little fib (OK, quite a big fib) helps nail her dream job. Soon she’s living in a stunning house by the sea, fending off obsessed fans for a retired - if far-from-retiring - actor and organising his charming but chaotic family. It’s definitely worth the challenge of keeping her secret.

At least Lainey isn’t looking for love. It’s time for a break from all that.

And yet . . . Seth, the actor’s grandson, really is rather attractive. There’s growing chemistry and a definite connection between them. But how would he react if he knew she hadn’t been honest with him?

Lainey’s not the only one with a secret, though. Seth has one of his own.

And everything’s about to start unravelling . . .

I just saw a baby wearing a t-shirt that said ‘Just did 9 months in solitary confinement.’

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

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Carry on Groby Sings ... in Lockdown CARRY ON GROBY SINGS was the title of our lockdown concert last weekend and Groby Singers certainly ‘carried on’ performing - at home.

Since the suspension of our planned summer concert, we’ve tried to keep singers connected and the community informed of our activities so that we can have a racing start when we’re all allowed to resume singing together as a choir. It was decided that this theme really expressed how, as a community choir, it is possible to carry on in spite of these difficult times and it also reminded us that, as in the Carry On films, we can still have a lot of fun and laughter (minus the saucy behaviour!).

Many of the choir joined in with this novel performance as they sang along to a cd of favourite songs from the past 7 years since Groby Sings was formed. It was, of course, a bit different this summer as singing together is regarded as a risky activity during the current Covid19 crisis and choir members had to use their imagination as well as their voices as they sang in their living rooms, conservatories, kitchens or even in gardens between the showers. It helped that Paul, our musical arranger, included audience applause when he compiled the cd which made it more authentic. Some people got in the mood by putting up posters and bunting or arranging their audience of family, pets and soft toys on the sofa. Cake, tea and wine breaks at the ‘interval’ were reported and several people joined together through texts, Facebook or other technical means.

Lots of comments and photos were received and shared by Jane and Ruth, our message co-ordinators. It was lovely to hear that several of our young singers and their siblings joined in and there were a few two-generation families who were in the same household so were able to sing together. One young singer used face paints to go with their costume, others set out all their soft toys and danced or conducted whilst family members sang. Even Piglet, the mascot of the children’s choir, wore his Groby Sings waistcoat and marshalled his owner’s 33 guinea pig toys into place ready

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to listen to the singing! Our drummer Alex, who usually comes all the way from Nottingham to play with us, sang with his family at home instead.

Jane sang to her parents in Markfield and was rewarded with beautiful pink cupcakes at the interval. Chris, our sound engineer and deputy conductor, promised to do a good job of recording Carry On Groby Sings – a bit trickier than usual as the choir was spread out over a much wider area than Groby College’s sports hall! Singers Keith and Ann enjoyed joining together in their favourite song, ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ and Louise, who was singing along in her car, had to stop when ‘You Raise Me Up’ came on as it made her well up. It surely had the same effect on many of us.

Another choir member, Chris, excelled himself by learning all the words on the cd by heart and produced a video, which would have been fantastic to see if we’d been able to have our usual post-concert party at Groby Club, our muchmissed rehearsal venue. Jane and Paul were able to sing together for the first time as Paul is always leading the music from his keyboard in the regular concerts. Many people enjoyed dressing up, a nice change from their usual jeans and slippers, and Helen, our conductor in Derbyshire, sent several photos of herself in various costumes from her Groby Sings dressing-up box which brought back lots of happy memories of previous performances.

Although the choir members were physically separated, everyone who joined in with Carry On Groby Sings said how much they enjoyed it and, whilst not being quite the same as a normal performance weekend, it was the next best thing. It did seem to bring people together in Groby and beyond and a massive thank you must go to Jane and Paul Cox and the rest of the Groby Sings team who worked so hard, as always, to produce the cd, posters, song sheets and performance notes for this very special event.

Groby Sings will be having its usual summer break but singers will no doubt Carry On singing until, in the words of Her Majesty, ‘We will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will meet again’.

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10

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

GROBY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE NEWS

Hello to all Spotlight readers from Groby WI!

Obviously Groby WI hasn’t met for the last four months and I’m sure I speak for other members when I say we have missed our monthly meetings. Life has been extremely testing during lockdown and I’m sure very lonely and frightening for many people not to mention those dealing with bereavement in these unprecedented times. I’m not going to dwell on the negatives of the Covid 19 epidemic as I am sure we hear enough of that on the news and in the newspapers. The positive attitude of so many people who have helped to make life bearable for those in need has been truly amazing, whether it be doing shopping, dog walking, sewing for the NHS and so many other small things that have made such a big difference to so many lives.

Planning Apps LISTED BELOW are some recent planning applications local to our area: Single storey rear extension - at 20 Garendon Way, Groby, Leicester LE6 0YR Single storey rear extension - at 5 Queensmead Close, Groby, Leicester LE6 0YP Proposed residential development for 90 units, new access off Markfield Road, locally equipped children’s play area, cycleway and footpaths and SUDS measures - at land south of Markfield Road, Ratby, Leicestershire.

Lots of us have managed to keep in touch with family and friends by telephone, letters, Facetime, Zoom etc and although it could never replace a hug, it has helped us through the toughest of times. Lockdown is gradually being eased, some think too quickly, and we look at an uncertain future in terms of the economy, employment and health but I really do hope the kindness that has shone through all of this time continues and that we all try to stick to the rules wherever possible to ensure that we are able to get to a new ‘normality’ as soon as possible.

Massive thanks to our President, Angela Taylor, for her weekly newsletter emailed to us by our secretary, Ailsa. She has kept us amused by her tales of new found talents such as cycling, trying new recipes, Zoom exercise classes, knitting, crochet, tomato growing from seed to name but a few. She’s yet to tackle the jigsaws and ukele! Her letters have been so interesting and informative and I’m sure other members would like to thank her for her rays of sunshine each Monday!

Two storey front extension, single storey rear extension, garage conversion with alterations to roof and boundary wall alterations - at 3 Chambers Close, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9NB. Erection of 4 two storey dwellings with rooms in the roof including access and parking arrangements to be built on land associated with 12/01052/OUT - at land adjacent to Stanton-under-Bardon Primary School, Main Street, Stanton-under-Bardon, Leics.

Residential development of 110 dwellings with associated infrastructure, vehicular accesses and areas of open space - at Garden Farm, Bagworth Road, Barlestone, Nuneaton CV13 0EG. Agricultural storage building - at land rear of The Homestead, Thornton Lane, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9RP. First floor side extension - at 314 Leicester Road, Field Head, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9RG.

For my own part, gardening has been my salvation especially as the weather has been so kind to us until recently but I have also resorted to jigsaws and getting back to doing my family tree that has been sat in the wardrobe for months. I was never good at baking but have produced some half decent cakes during lockdown including my own birthday cake (above) and my grandchildren blew the candles out via WhatsApp. The waistline has suffered greatly but hey ho, dieting is not on the agenda at the moment!

Hopefully we will be able to meet again in the Village Hall in the not too distant future but in the meantime, stay safe and well.

Ruth Rolinson

Residential development of 49 dwellings with associated infrastructure, access and areas of open space - at land off Beech Drive, Thornton, Leics.

Erection of one dwelling - at Church Side, 3 Church Hill, Bagworth, Coalville, Leics.

LE67 1DE.

Why did Adele cross the road? To say hello from the other side.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Call for writing groups

SNIPPETS

Paper Nations launches new project to amplify the voices of marginalised writers •

Do you have a story to share?

•

Do you want to amplify the voices of people on the margins of the writing world?

•

If so, then join The Great Margin. Create and share your story with us.

•

Selected writers will have the chance to record their work for BBC Upload

THE GREAT MARGIN, which is supported by Paper Nations at Bath Spa University, has today called out to writing groups to join a new online platform that aims to champion isolated and marginalised writers.

The Great Margin (@ TheGreatMargin) is a fast-evolving project created by writers for writers. It is about working together to amplify the voices of people writing from the margins of society. The Great Margin wants to hear from any type of writing group that supports isolated writers, including hospital writing groups, community writing groups, nature writing groups, experimental writing groups, writing groups for elderly writers and writing groups for black writers.

Paper Nations has teamed up with BBC Upload to give selected writers the chance to record their work and get it aired on BBC Upload. BBC Upload has, in turn, teamed up with The British Library to record and save new writing for future generations.

The Great Margin will help writing groups that support isolated members to tap into more resources and reach bigger audiences. To achieve this, The Great Margin will showcase content from affiliated groups across its social media channels, championing diverse writers and all forms of writing; from flash fiction through to Spoken Word and writing for games.

Bambo Soyinka, Professor of Story at Bath Spa University and

founder of Paper Nations, said: “The UK has a strong culture of book clubs and a vibrant but less visible tradition of writing groups. The Great Margin aims to unite writing groups across the country and to draw attention to the importance of writing for creativity, well-being and for dialogue in times of crisis. It is hoped that, by working together, we can help more people to write and share their story.

“We are reaching out to writing groups and projects that approach the theme of ‘diversity’ from a different angle. For example, members from your group might have a longer-term, deeper understanding of what it means to write from a position of marginalisation or isolation. They may want to share their stories about life under lockdown, about their experiences of disability, about what it’s like to be black and British or about returning to work after lockdown.

“We especially welcome writing that is purely creative, perhaps providing solace, satire or a sideways look at our current shared experiences of marginalisation. We also want to champion different types of writing, such as Spoken Word, sign language poetry, podcasts or writing for games.”

Jasmine Richards is the founder of StoryMix, an inclusive fiction studio for children. Speaking of her affiliation with Paper Nations, she said: “Paper Nations has been incredibly supportive in the development of my work as both a writer and a producer. Its understanding of the ecosystem around writing has been very

11

Carers who are over 70 are ‘desperate’ MANY PEOPLE over 70 in this country are becoming desperate.

They have been the sole carers for their loved one since lockdown, and they are struggling. In order to cope, large numbers of them have turned to antidepressants.

The figures are eye-watering: during the pandemic this Spring, more than 1.4 million people aged over 70 were sole carers for someone who was sick, disabled and often also over 70.

A reduction in support from paid carers made the situation even worse.

In a poll commissioned by Carers UK, 70 per cent of these unpaid carers said that the negative impact of caring on their own physical and mental health was one of the biggest challenges they faced.

important in terms of matchmaking me with opportunities that provide paid work and helps develop my writing muscle in other fields, like digital storytelling. It has also been proactive in championing my work as a producer by providing access to space, networks and advice.”

There are several ways to get involved in the project, but the simplest way is to follow The Great Margin on Twitter (@TheGreatMargin) and start sharing your work.

To support the showcasing of longer form pieces, The Great Margin team has set up a blog to publish new writing. Individuals and writing group leaders can submit creative writing via their submission form.

The editorial team is happy to receive imaginative pieces of writing, reviews of books or writing projects and events people have experienced online.

Submissions to The Great Margin are now open and will close on Monday 3rd August 2020 at midday.

To find out more about The Great Margin, visit: https://daretowrite. org/atlas/the-great-margin/the-greatmargin/ Members of the public can submit their written work at: https://daretowrite.org/atlas/the-great-margin/ submissions/ Community writing groups and magazines that want to partner with The Great Margin or submit multiple entries should email writers@papernations.org.

Fewer young men die IRONICALLY, lockdown actually saved a number of lives.

Recent five-year averages have revealed that the death rates for young men aged 20 to 24 plummeted by more than 30 percent this spring.

Of course, mortality rates across the population rise steadily with age, but there is normally a significant spike for younger men.

But it seems that coronavirus has smoothed out the curve, because fewer young men have been dying in car accidents, or from alcohol-related or risk-taking incidents.

So something good came out of fewer drivers on the road, and all the bars, pubs and clubs being shut: far fewer admissions to accident and emergency units.

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Let me make this simple: I want to be invited, but I don’t want to go.

12

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

County Councillor’s Report from Ozzy O’shea County Councils Update on Covid-19 INFORMATION about the lockdown impact on County Council services is available at https://www.leicestershire. gov.uk/popular-now/affected-councilservices and highlighted in this Update.

The statutory instrument (the restrictions in the lockdown area) is due to be published (laid in Parliament) at the time this Update is circulated – in force from 30th June.

Covid-19 Cases and Testing A SUMMARY of the current position from the Director of Public Health: Pillar 2 data (all community testing) is now publicly available and has been added to the previously available data on pillar 1 (the clinically prioritised data).

Adding the total counts of pillar 1 to pillar 2 has doubled the number of cases that are known to have occurred. The pillar 1 and pillar 2 totals are shown below.

It remains the position that, although cases in Leicestershire are a lot lower than two months ago, the rate of cases has not decreased as quickly, or as far, as other areas. Overall, Leicestershire has had the 14th highest rate of new cases in the last seven days of all upper tier local authorities. In the context of the debate on the lockdown area, it is important to note that Leicestershire is far from out of the woods.

It is as important as ever to follow guidance on precautions and restrictions.

Shielding and Protecting Vulnerable People THIS FOLLOWING letter located at - https://www.leicestershire.gov. uk/coronavirus-covid-19/how-tofind-help - is being sent to people on the Shielding List who are in the lockdown area or what the letter calls ‘the wider urban area’.

In terms of its advice it is self-explanatory. The County Council estimates there are 4,634 County residents on the latest Shielding List who are in the lockdown area.

Further detail from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on changes in respect of the ongoing provision of food parcels to people in the lockdown area are awaited but helpful discussions with MHCLG

officials and relevant district councils are taking place. The County Council will continue to provide a first point of contact for people and will ensure any basic care needs are met.

Schools • There are 40 Leicestershire ‘schools’ in the lockdown area: 9 secondaries, 27 primaries, 1 special school, 1 specialist nursery, 1 FE college and one independent specialist provider. All schools are aware and have closed to all children other than children of key workers and children who are identified as vulnerable. There are around 215 early years providers in this area that will only remain open for children of key workers and for vulnerable children.

• The Department for Education (DfE) have issued guidance that sets out the following principles on travel in and out of the area for schools: 1. That as critical workers, education staff (including nursery staff, teachers, social workers) are permitted to travel into / out of Leicester to go to their jobs, in order to maintain provision for vulnerable children/children of critical workers.

2. That vulnerable children / children of critical workers are also permitted to travel into / out of Leicester for education/care or, in the case of vulnerable children, to attend a meeting with social workers/family courts. This would include parents taking children to school.

3. That no other children should travel in and out of the lockdown area to attend education / care – i.e. if you are a child (other than a vulnerable child or child of a key worker) who lives in the area but attends school outside, you must stay home. · There are 24,557 0-17 year olds living in the Leicestershire part of the lockdown area and 18,865 children on roll at the Leicestershire schools within the boundary. · On 2nd July DfE guidance for the full opening of schools in the Autumn term was published. The guidance sets out how schools can bring back all children, full time across all age groups from the beginning of the Autumn term. · DfE has also published guidance on protective measures for out-of-school settings during the Covid-19 outbreak to support the re-opening of provision over the summer holiday. Further guidance has been issued in respect of the lockdown area setting out that Ofsted registered provision can only remain open for priority children (key workers’ children and vulnerable children) over the summer period.

We are awaiting further clarification for other out of school providers.

School Transport THE GOVERNMENT’S guidance published on 2nd July is being reviewed.

In discussions with schools, information for parents is being developed on how home to school transport will operate for the September opening. This Guidance apples to mainstream education and the position with Special Educational Needs transport is less clear. Again we will liaise closely with schools. Further information is due to come from DfE which will also need to be taken into consideration once

received. Work is ongoing to establish a safe system of operation following the new Guidance and arrangements with the schools before the summer break, although that is close.

Adult Social Care THE SERVICE has been affected by the lockdown restrictions: · We are contacting, and specific support is being made available to care homes within the lockdown area, including testing of staff and residents, workforce support and visitor guidance. · Additional national testing is being made available for care homes both within the lockdown area and across the County which will allow repeat testing for both residents and staff. Webinars are being run for all care homes affected. · Additional infection prevention and control services are also being made available.

Libraries Services available elsewhere in the County, such as the opportunity to request a selection of books and audio books on a ‘click and collect’ basis, will not be available to libraries within the lockdown area.

Country Parks Watermead Country Park and all other country parks and car parks remain open.

Highways · Work is being undertaken over the next two weeks to open the remaining RHWS sites in the County. · The temporary, earlier switching-off of lights started when the Government introduced measures to tackle the spread of Covid-19 by closing hospitality and leisure facilities, as well as community-based events which greatly reduced night-time activity, has ended with lights now being switched off again at midnight. · The £10m A46/A5630 Anstey Lane Improvement Scheme is due to be completed in the next few days. · Details of the Highway, Parish and Communities Fund, along with the application process, the application form and funding allocations have been sent out to Parishes.

Flooding Groby Residents will be aware of the flash storms we had in mid-June, several houses off the A50 on Bradgate Hill, Groby were flooded. I visited two of the victims. The County Council’s flood team and Severn Trent will be working together on this issue with residents. Sadly the Stamford Arms flooded again, I am assured Severn Trent are continuing investigations. I have also had a site meeting with a local resident who lives on Leicester Road and our Highways drainage manager regarding the ongoing flooding on Leicester Road. Highways are currently looking at improving and adding more gullies along Markfield Road and Leicester Road Groby. This work will help drain away the surface Water. I have a planned follow up meeting with Senior Severn Trent officers together with our Flood response team and local residents scheduled in September

I find it very offensive when people get easily offended.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

13

Tel: 0116 239 4336 Mobile: 07808 585825 Email: ozzy.o’shea@leics.gov.uk Email: ozzyoshea@hotmail.com Cycling on Footpaths: a Polite Request WE HAVE all been encouraged to cycle and walk more during this pandemic.

To the community’s credit residents have taken both to heart.

However I have been contacted by several residents complaining of cycling on footpaths. Complaints include cyclists approaching from behind without warning. One of the roads highlighted is Sacheverell Way Groby, which does not have a cycle path. Obviously for safety children are allowed to ride on the footpath and parents tend to ride behind them to protect them which is normal. I would politely ask cyclists to take care and think of pedestrians. I must say the majority of cyclists ride on the road in my experience and this request is targeted at the few.

I have also received complaints relating to cyclists cycling down the Ivanhoe Trail between Ratby and Glenfield. Please can I request that when approaching pedestrians from behind that you please ring your bell or slow down and indicate you are there? I use this trail regularly myself whilst walking my dog and have experienced this problem first hand. Several people have reported near misses to me and it seems that some cyclists travel quite fast along the track.

Phone Fraud by Persons Purporting to be Police Officers THERE HAVE been reports within Leicestershire and across the country of elderly people being contacted over the phone by persons claiming to work for the police trying to get them to part with large sums of money.

Sadly on some occasions it does work and the elderly person is defrauded. Please note the police will never ring requesting money.

If you get such calls put the phone down immediately.

Covid-19 Scams CRIMINALS are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to try and get their hands on your money and personal information.

To date, Action Fraud has received reports from 2,378 victims

of Coronavirus-related scams, with the total losses reaching over £7 million.

How you can protect yourself from Coronavirus-related scams There are some simple steps you can take that will protect you from the most common Coronavirusrelated scams. Here’s what need to do: 1 - Watch out for scam messages Your bank, or other official organisations, won’t ask you to share personal information over email or text. If you receive an email you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@ phishing.gov.uk 2 - Shopping online If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, for example, by checking to see if others have used the site and what their experience was. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, other payment providers may not provide the same protection.

3 - Unsolicited calls and browser pop-ups offering tech support Never install any software, or grant remote access to your computer, as a result of a cold call. Remember, legitimate organisations would never contact you out of the blue to ask for financial details such as your PIN or full banking password.

reference number. We would advise people to type the web address https://contact-tracing. phe.gov.uk directly into their browser, followed by the unique reference number given to you, rather than clicking on any link provided in the message.

The NHS Test and Trace service will NEVER: • ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to them (for example, those starting 09 or 087) • ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product or any kind • ask for any details about your bank account • ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts • ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone • ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else • ask you to access any website that does not belong to the government or NHS If you think you have been a victim of fraud, please report it to

Action Fraud at https://www. actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

• FINALLY I want to thank you all for your continued support and remind you that should you need my help or advice, I always pride myself on making myself available to residents. Remember I am only a phone call or email away.

Ozzy O’shea Always Working for you Cllr Ozzy O’shea Tel 0116 239 4336 Mobile 07808 585825 Email ozzy.o’shea@leics.gov.uk Email ozzyoshea@hotmail.com

NHS Test and Trace scams THE NHS Test and Trace service plays an important role in the fight against coronavirus and it’s vital the public have confidence and trust in the service.

However, we understand the concerns people have about the opportunity for criminals to commit scams.

What you need to know: Contact tracers will only call you from the number 0300 013 5000.

Anyone who does not wish to talk over the phone can request the NHS Test and Trace service to send an email or text instead, inviting them to log into the web-based service.

All text or emails sent by NHS Test and Trace will ask people to sign into the contact tracing website and will provide you with a unique

Squirrels always act like it’s their first day of being a squirrel.

14

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Mike Pratt’s GREAT local You Tube videos about Groby, Leicester and more THE PANDEMIC lockdown passed some people by, for example those providing providing essential services. For them life became very much harder, made worse by the knowledge that those in the front line were at greater risk of picking up an infection.

Most people were asked to stay at home, but even this created its own problems, not least financial difficulties, school closures, the ending of social interaction and the problems of running a home without leaving it.

Those who had to fill their days with activity may have taken more exercise outside the home, caught up with the gardening, or tackling those long postponed jobs around the home. For Groby resident Mike Pratt and his wife Sue it provided the opportunity to create more videos to add to his collection. Premiered on facebook to a large audience Mike has then made them available on You Tube, where surprisingly few have seen them so far.

Although he trained as an accountant over the years he’s been involved with ceramics, website design, painting (mainly acrylics) and now photography combined with graphic design.

The creator of award winning website Groby.org.uk, and the “Worlds Apart” panoramic photo montages, he has enviable skills in the creation, management and manipulation of images and videos. Although it is may be unintentional the videos are generally short, so they are ideal for the internet browser who, we are often told, has a short ‘attention span’. Nevertheless they do grab

Bradgate Rotary

Family Fun Day cancelled BRADGATE ROTARY has reluctantly decided to cancel their Family Fun Day which was due to take place on Sunday 13th September this year at Ulverscroft Grange.

This is because of the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. The Club is planning to hold the event in September 2021, and hope to run a similar family-friendly event earlier next year at the same venue.

Watch this space for more details.

the attention as the content they contain is concise and presented using computer graphic techniques which make them eye catching, informative and entertaining.

Two of his most recent lockdown creations are longer – over 5 minutes each. In the first Mike followed the nesting of two swans at Groby Pool and the two cygnets that resulted from their springtime romance. The second follows the early days of the cygnets on the Pool.

He has also created a series of Magic Postcards, using words, images and special effects to tell

the story of local landmarks. These include the Stamford Arms and Chaplin’s butchers, in addition to the Corn Exchange, railway station and Clock Tower in Leicester. If history isn’t your thing a few tongue in cheek videos may relieve the gloom of the last few months – an interpretation of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and Groby’s One Hole Golf Course.

At a time when summer holidays abroad are off the agenda Mike and his wife Sue may enjoy looking back at their videos of their visits to France and Italy, and these are also very short and worth viewing.

Watch out for this PREDATOR IF YOU LIKE bees, then keep an eye out this summer for a dangerous invader from the Continent – the Asian Hornet. A single Asian Hornet can consume 50 honeybees in one day.

Mike’s facebook page is at https:// www.facebook.com/mikefromgroby.

Alternatively, Google You Tube or search for Grobylinx and click on the Groby Spotlight link.

Norman Griffiths

SNIPPETS Applications for primary school places now open PARENTS with children due to start at primary schools in Leicestershire in September 2021 can now apply for places at their preferred schools.

Aaaarrgh! It’s an Asian Hornet

In recent years the Asian Hornet has spread across Europe, devouring honeybees by the tens of thousands. They are most likely to be found in southern England after crossing the Channel from France, or in imported soil, plants and fruit.

An Asian Hornet is mostly black, with thin yellow stripes, an orange face and yellow legs. Measuring 1.2 inches, it is slightly smaller than the European Hornet, and is of about the same threat to humans. But they are deadly when it comes to honeybees.

Asian Hornets wait outside of honeybee hives and pounce on emerging workers, chopping them up alive and taking back the thorax to their own young.

If you think you have spotted an Asian Hornet, report it through the ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ app for iPhone or Android.

If you find a nest, don’t try to remove it yourself – it can be dangerous and should only be done by experts.

Parents then have until Friday, 15 January 2021 to submit their applications.

There is no automatic entry system for any school in the county, so parents should also ensure they exercise their right to apply for three school preferences and are aware of the closing date.

Late applications have the lowest priority being processed after those made on time.

More information about schools in Leicestershire and the application process can be found on the Leicestershire County Council school admissions page.

I woke up at the Police Station this morning with no memory of the previous night. I really need to stop drinking on duty.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

15

Changes to childcare funding eligibility during pandemic

Apply now for childcare funding for two and three year-olds WORKING PARENTS of three and four year-olds are encouraged to apply now for 30 hours funded childcare for the autumn term.

Parents and carers should also be aware that changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for tax-free childcare and 30 hours free childcare during the coronavirus pandemic.

You may still be able to claim if you are on furlough, not able to work or are working less, are self-employed or are a critical worker.

You can check your eligibility, and apply, here (http://www. childcarechoices.gov.uk/) Ivan Ould, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for children and families said: “It is important to check your eligibility as there have been recent changes which may affect those families that have been impacted by coronavirus.

“We would really like this additional funded childcare to benefit as many parents across Leicestershire as possible.

“If parents have not applied already, I would urge them to do so immediately and before the application deadline of 31st August.”

Parents must have an ‘individual’ government gateway account set up ready. Once the application is made, you can check progress in your account.

To access the 30 hours funded childcare, you will receive an eligibility code (DERN) which you can take to your childcare provider along with your national insurance number, child’s name and date of birth so the code can be validated.

Parents can use an online search tool to find a childcare provider. (https:// www.leicestershire.gov.uk/find-a-childcare-provider) Individual gateway accounts can be set up or accessed at http://www. gateway.gov.uk/ For further help with an individual application please contact HMRC on 0300 123 4097.

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I’m 52 but I prefer to think of myself as 11 centigrade.

16

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

More WASTE SITES in the county set to re-open LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY Council is finalising plans to re-open the remainder of its recycling and household waste sites which have been closed since mid-March.

Six more sites will begin to re-open from later this month, starting at Bottesford on Thursday, 30 July, with time-slots available to book online from Friday, 17 July.

Sites at Kibworth and Coalville will re-open on Monday, 3 August and Tuesday, 4 August respectively, with online bookings for both sites available from Friday, 24 July.

Lutterworth’s waste site will re-open from Friday, 14 August, the Loughborough site from Saturday, 15 August and Somerby from Sunday, 16 August. Online bookings for all three sites will be made available from Friday, 31 July.

All sites require residents to book an appointment in advance to ensure the safety of site users and staff as social distancing is maintained.

A booking system, which has been in operation for the sites already open, will help ensure queuing is kept to a minimum, and residents can safely use the sites without delay.

Locations at Barwell, Lount, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray, Mountsorrel, Oadby and Whetstone re-opened in mid-May. These sites will continue to be open for the extended period of seven days a week, with the Shepshed site continuing to open for five days a week, including weekends. These arrangements will be subject to change as more sites re-open.

People wishing to visit a waste site are reminded that all information about the types of waste accepted at each site, as well as links to the booking system, are available at www.leicestershire.gov.uk/waste

Groby Gardening Society BECAUSE OF the restrictions imposed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no meeting of the Gardening Society in June.

At the time of writing, most of the city of Leicester has been put back into lockdown; you should not for example, make a visit to Abbey Park but you can fly to Spain or Italy.

Groby is not in the “red zone”, but Glenfield is, Anstey isn’t but Birstall is.

Strange times indeed.

The society’s annual trip, scheduled to visit Chester and to visit gardens in the area, has been cancelled and pencilled in for the same venue next year. The hotel might have been able to open for us, but social distancing would have meant only about 14 passengers would have been allowed on the coach, and the gardens we were going to visit would probably not be open. Hopefully we can enjoy the area next year.

We would also have made a visit in June to Mountain Ash in Newtown Linford as an evening visit, part of the Open Gardens Scheme. Along with other venues in the scheme it was not possible to make this trip either; deposits for this will be refunded shortly.

The weather in June became much more unsettled after the dry, sunny

months of April and May, with spectacular storms in the middle of the month, and temperatures fluctuating from 30C to 14C towards the end of the month. The garden thermometer showed 42C at one point, admittedly it was in full sun at the time. The combination of rain and sun certainly made for fast growing conditions, especially the lawn. I’m certain the runner bean plants grew a couple of inches overnight at one point. Flaming June, indeed.

It seems unlikely that the society will be able to hold any meetings in the coming months. The URC remains closed, but were it to open, social distancing restrictions would severely limit the number of attendees. The situation regarding Covid-19 restrictions is changing almost daily, with details often hard to come by. By the time the Spotlight is next published the restrictions may have been eased to nearly normal, or we might have been put back into lockdown if there is a second (or third) spike.

In the meantime, enjoy the sunshine in your garden. Stay safe.

(If you have any queries about the society, please email Helen Box on helen_box@hotmail.com in the first instance.)

Keith Poole

Nottingham Building Society to close Groby branch RESIDENTS gave a sigh of relief when the Nottingham Building Society opened in the premises on Ratby Road previously occupied by Santander, even if they only used the ATM. But the future of the ‘hole in the wall’ is in doubt again with the announcement that the Groby branch will be closing along with 8 other branches. If the ATM is removed, the nearest facilities to withdraw cash will be at the Leicester Road Co-op village store and the Post Office. There is also an ATM at the Laundon Way Co-op.

The building society and estate agency group is slimming down its branch network, with the Groby office likely to close before the end of the year.

The nearest branches will then be in Leicester and Rothley.

Chief executive officer of The Nottingham, David Marlow said: “Like many other businesses, as a consequence of the pandemic we have seen consumer behaviour changing significantly with members increasingly looking to manage their finances through digital channels, which has become essential for some. Post-pandemic we don’t anticipate that every member will revert back to using branches as they did before. In addition to this, we know that younger customers favour a digital solution.”

Although there will not be roles for everyone impacted the Nottingham will offer job support packages where people leave the business.

Norman Griffiths I’m so fat, I was diagnosed with a flesh-eating disease and the doctor gave me 13 years to live.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

17

National Trust Leicester Association DUE TO THE coronavirus the National Trust has closed all of its 300 historic buildings usually open to the public. It has also closed all of the 500 cottages and flats that it rents out as holiday accommodation.

However some 5,300 National Trust properties have remained “open”. These are the 4,500 houses and cottages and 800 farms rented to long term tenants.

These tenanted dwellings are often on the Trust’s larger estates or sometimes part of villages that were built for estate workers. The villages having been donated in their entirety to the Trust at the same time as the estate.

Many of these individual houses are important in their own right particularly where they show the “vernacular” architecture specific to a local area. Having long term tenants helps to maintain the properties, as lived in houses do not deteriorate as quickly.

Of course they also provide an income for the Trust and by being occupied they help support the local economy. The nearest rented properties to Groby are on the

Calke Abbey estate where there are three rented farms and a small number of cottages. However most of the rented houses in Ticknall village are still owned by the Harper Crewe family.

On the Penrose Estate in Cornwall a derelict farmhouse was renovated in 2016/17 and then, with a modern interior, was rented out in 2018.

The property is next to woodland, is close to the South West Coastal Path and has views of the sea. The tenants found the property on “Rightmove”.

A totally different type of property is The Homewood on Esher Common. It is a large modernist house built in 1938 by architect Patrick Gwynne for his own

occupation and the whole of the front elevation at first floor level is fully glazed. There is also a six acre garden. Unusually, the tenant opens the house one day a week on behalf of the Trust and is also responsible for approximately 35 volunteers who lead conducted tours and tend to the garden.

East Bog Farm is a Trust rental farm just downhill from Hadrian’s Wall. The farmhouse is quite old and like many buildings in the area is almost certainly built using stone from Hadrian’s Wall.

Even though the farm is old the operation is very modern with electronic ear tags on all the sheep for radio frequency location.

Whilst National Trust historic buildings remain closed, many country estates, including Calke Abbey, are now open to visitors, but only by advanced booking.

The National Trust Leicester Association has now cancelled all of its activities to at least the end of September. Full details, including Stoneywell weekly updates, are on the Association web site at – www. leicesternt.btck.co.uk

Alan Tyler

Publicity Officer NT Leicester Association

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18

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Parish Council supports Borough ban on Chinese lanterns HINCKLEY AND BOSWORTH Borough Council has approved a ban on the use and release of sky lanterns and helium balloons on all borough council owned public open space. Parish councils, Leicestershire County Council and the government have been asked to follow their lead.

Organisations including the Countryside Alliance, Women’s Food & Farming Union (WFU), the Soil Association and the National Farmer’s Union (NFU) and many more are also in support of a ban.

Sky lanterns and helium balloons can travel miles, with the lanterns taking a naked flame into unknown areas which can lead to thatched roofs and other buildings facing the threat of fire damage. Many people are unaware of the dangers lanterns and balloons also pose to wildlife, livestock, pets and buildings, and the RSPCA says that when ingested, sharp parts like the wire frame can tear and puncture an animal’s throat or stomach causing internal bleeding. Animals can also become entangled in fallen lantern frames, where they can suffer from injury and stress trying to get free or starve to death from being trapped.

A number of cases of damage and injury have been widely reported including In January 2020 a zoo in Germany caught fire and 30 animals were lost in a blaze that saw the ape house destroyed with five orangutans, two gorillas and several monkeys dying an agonising death, thought to have been caused by debris from the lanterns which were found in the remains.

In Smethwick £6million worth of damage was caused by a sky lantern landing on a plastic recycling plant. Images of the sky lantern that caused the damage were caught on CCTV in what was described at the time as the “largest fire ever in the west midlands.”

The mother of a little boy whose face was badly burned by a Chinese lantern has called for stricter safety regulations on their use after hot wax poured over his face at a Bonfire Night party from a lantern set off into the night sky.

Other problems reported with the lanterns include false alarms at sea for both the Coastguard and RNLI, after lanterns were mistaken for flares. The RNLI said it saw a significant increase in the number of lifeboat callouts caused by lanterns. The Marine Conservation Society said that a survey of beaches found an increase in rubber, paper and pieces of metal. The charity called for the lanterns to be classed as litter so people releasing them could be fined as much as £2,500.

There is a danger of lanterns being sucked into engines while airborne, according to civil aviation authorities. On the ground, lantern debris has the potential to cause damage to aircraft engines, tyres and fuselage, they argue. The lanterns have been banned in the popular tourist destination of Sanya, China, after dozens of flights had to be delayed. The Civil Aviation Authority in Donegal warned against the use of the lanterns after one landed near a container packed with thousands of gallons of aviation fuel.

There are many different varieties of lantern, but even the biodegradable bamboo lanterns will take a decade to decompose and will continue to pose a threat to animals throughout that time. This is also true of helium balloons which are generally made of latex but can take months to degrade and pose a similar risk of entrapment.

Groby Parish Council supports the ban introduced by the Borough and will be looking at Parish bye laws to check whether any revision is needed.

Letter

Alzheimer’s Society Memory Walk

UNDER NORMAL circumstances, many thousands of people would have by now signed up to take part in an Alzheimer’s Society Memory Walk.

These hugely popular events bring people together in a variety of stunning locations to unite against dementia, whilst raising vital funds to support those affected by the condition.

It would have been my 10th year attending such an event in Nottinghamshire. While it saddens me that we can’t all get together this year, I’m determined with my family to walk my own way in memory of my nana.

People with dementia have been the worst hit by the current crisis and need us more than ever – across the UK a quarter of those who have died of coronavirus had dementia.

Wherever you are, we can all still help make a difference and I encourage you to sign up either with your household – pets included – friends, or another household in line with current government guidelines. Create your own route, from lapping your garden or local park to revisiting somewhere special.

This year’s Santander-sponsored Memory Walk is free to register. Walks can be organised anytime between now and October – or you might choose to do it on 20 September to mark World Alzheimer’s Day. Sign up now at memorywalk.org.uk and with every step, you’ll help change the lives of people affected by dementia.

Vicky McClure

Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador

Norman Griffiths

THANK YOU TO THE SPOTLIGHT ADVERTISERS!

Your support has made publication of this issue possible.

I just saw a guy using a payphone. I can only assume he’s being told where to deliver the ransom money.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Klondyke planning decision A PLANNING application to replace a dwelling on land known as the Klondyke on Newtown Linford Lane has been refused permission

by Hinckley and Bosworh Borough Council.

The structure is only 50 metres from Groby Quarry and if it had been granted the eventual resumption of quarrying would have been compromised. In addition approval would, in effect, amount to a grant of change of use of the structure subject to the application.

The Quarrying quandary Where there are important mineral resources district councils have an important role in safeguarding minerals by consulting the mineral planning authority and taking account of the local minerals plan before determining a planning application on any proposal for non-minerals development within it. When determining planning applications they must do so in accordance with development policy on minerals safeguarding, and take account of the views of the mineral planning authority on the risk of preventing minerals extraction. This means they must take account of the risk of preventing or impairing the removal of the minerals if they were to approve an application.

The igneous rock quarries in Leicestershire (which includes Groby Quarry) are of national, not just local, importance. Although no stone extraction is currently taking place in Groby Quarry it has planning permission for the extraction of hard rock and related development. Quarrying

is expected to release 90 million tonnes of stone. Permission is granted for a new access to the quarry that allows the quarry output to move from 100,000 tonnes per annum to 3,000,000 tonnes per annum The residential occupation of a dwelling, so close to these permitted reserves would be likely to result in adverse living conditions for any future occupants of the application site when the quarry becomes operational again. It is considered that the introduction of residents could seriously prejudice the permitted mineral (and related) operations at Groby.

The quarry operator is not aware of any mitigation measures which would enable the permitted Groby Quarry operation to take place in such close proximity to residential properties without causing an unacceptable environmental impact to the occupiers and a breach of the conditions imposed upon them.

The Leicestershire Minerals and Waste Plan (2019) seeks to ensure minerals resources are safeguarded from incompatible development that would result in the sterilisation of that resource and will be protected from permanent sterilisation by other development.

The planning officer had to take this into account when determining the application.

The change of use issue The application is for the replacement of an existing dwelling with a new dwelling. The ‘existing dwelling’ referred to is a building situated within the ‘Klondyke’ site which was granted a Certificate of Lawful Development on appeal on 2 June 2017. The

Certificate certified that operational development comprising the erection of a dwelling house was lawful.

However, the Appeal decision made the point that the Certificate did not address the lawfulness of any existing use of that building and if a lawful use of the dwelling for residential purposes was to be sought, a fresh application would be necessary. So the decision only decided that the construction of the structure was lawful, but it did not address the legality of the use. Case law has determined that permission to construct a new dwelling on non-residential land will carry with it permission to use the new building for residential purposes.

The planning officer considered a number of issues including the requirement to avoid the sterilisation of mineral resources of national importance at Groby Quarry, and the fact that it has not been demonstrated that the proposed new dwelling can mitigate against any adverse environmental impact resulting from the resumption of mineral extraction.

The construction of a new dwelling and the change of use was refused. The current permitted use of the land, which is within the ‘green wedge’, is for allotments.

The land was set aside by the quarry owners for their employees to grow food for their families.

This article has looked at two of the issues considered in deciding this application and represents an abridged summary. The full report can be read on the Borough Council website.

Norman Griffiths

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Your ‘corona bubble’ SO, YOU’VE been teaming up with others outside your immediate household. How it is going with them? As bubbles hopefully get bigger soon, here are some ‘types’ of people whom you might consider adding….

• The kind neighbours: They are the one whom you instinctively think of when you hit a domestic crisis, like running out of milk or needing a lift to the station. Such people are treasures, and well worth befriending.

• The cheerful friend: They are wonderful beacons of light just now. They face the coronavirus threat with calm and optimism, helping you deal with your fear that nothing will never be ‘right’ again.

• The VERY clean friend: She’s been making face masks for months now and is generous in offering them to one and all.

She has stockpiled sanitiser and can measure social distance to the centimetre at a glance. In these uncertain times, she is the one person you KNOW will never give you the virus.

• The long-time friend: You’ve been through so much together already, from college to pre-marriage days to that disastrous holiday in Spain. You can’t not go through coronavirus together now! Your old friends will help you keep the current crisis in perspective, as they can be relied on for a ‘remember the good old days’ session.

Just noticed a sign on a pub door saying ‘Guide Dogs Only’.Possibly the most exclusive pub ever.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Domestic abuse and sexual violence charities share £445k emergency Covid-19 funding

Tim Lenton looks back on the most awesome weapon ever used…

Atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki

CHARITIES SUPPORTING victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence across Leicestershire have been allocated £445,000 in emergency funding to expand their work throughout the coronavirus.

The PCC received funding from the Government in recognition of the soaring demand for support services during the pandemic from victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern slavery.

It is part of a £750m fund from the Government to help providers meet the challenges of an increased workload and changes to the way they operate.

Following a competitive application process, the PCC has now allocated 21 grants to charities and non-profit organisations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to help them meet the additional costs of expanding their services during Covid-19 and adapt to new social distancing rules.

Among the organisations that successfully applied for support is the Adhar Project, currently the only BAME mental health charity in the county, which has been earmarked £70,365 to fund IT/mobile phone equipment, increased counselling hours, mindfulness sessions, clinical supervisions and staff training.

Meanwhile, Catch 22 has been allocated £24,430 to support adults and young people impacted by domestic abuse through online counselling and also run a social media marketing campaign to raise awareness of the service. The charity will receive a further grant of £14,509 to deliver the same provision for victims of sexual violence.

Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach said: “This funding will help us meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people within our communities. The health crisis has placed many victims in a desperate position and it has been critical that the support services that exist for their safety continue.

“Across Leicestershire, charities and non-profit organisations have been working around the clock to protect victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse and ensure a listening ear and practical help is available whenever and wherever it is needed. Demand is expected to rocket which has placed an extra financial burden on organisations that rely on public funding to keep going.

“This funding is desperately needed to manage that demand and offer safe accommodation to all who need it. However, I’m well aware this is an issue that will not go away after October 31, when the funding period ends, and that further support will be necessary in the future.”

The funding must be used by October 31 and directly relate to services provided during the pandemic.

It can be used to address short-term income disruption, meet essential costs to sustain current activities, fund additional staff to cover employees self-isolating or unable to work during the pandemic and to expand services to cope with increased demand.

The full list of grant recipients is available at: https://www.leics.pcc.police.uk/Planning-and-Money/Commissioning/ Current-Funding-Available/Covid-19-Emergency-Funding.aspx#Recipients

ATOMIC BOMBS were dropped over two Japanese cities 75 years ago.

The first was at Hiroshima, on 6th August 1945, when the centre of the city was totally destroyed, and 80,000 people were killed immediately. A further 60,000 died by the end of the year. It was the first city in history to be hit by a nuclear weapon.

Three days later the US Army Air Forces dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing 40,000 people immediately and about 33,000 more by the end of the year. It was the second (and last) city to experience a nuclear attack.

Both cities had military significance, but most of the dead were civilians.

Japan surrendered to the Allies on 15th August. There is little doubt that a conventional invasion of Japan would have cost many more lives, but there is still much debate about the legal and ethical justification of atomic bombing.

The Vatican felt that the inventors of the weapon should have destroyed it for the benefit of humanity, and the Rev Cuthbert Thicknesse, Dean of St Albans, prohibited using St Albans Abbey for a thanksgiving service for the end of the war, calling the use of atomic weapons “an act of wholesale, indiscriminate massacre”.

Nagasaki was targeted in place of Kyoto – the original choice – because of Kyoto’s historical, religious and cultural significance. It was also where Henry Stimson, the US Secretary of War, had gone for his honeymoon.

Hiroshima was further devastated just over a month later, when it was struck

by Typhoon Ida. Both cities have been rebuilt, with peace memorials.

Four years later the Soviet Union detonated an atomic bomb, and the United States responded by developing a hydrogen bomb – a thousand times more powerful.

Who’s right for which job?

DOES YOUR company struggle with the problem of properly fitting people to jobs? Here is a handy way to decide….

Take the prospective employees you are trying to place and put them in a room with only a table and two chairs. Leave them alone for two hours, without any instruction. At the end of that time, go back and see what they are doing.

• If they have taken the table apart in that time, put them in Engineering.

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• If they are counting the cracks in the floor, assign them to Finance.

• If they are screaming and waving their arms, send them to Manufacturing.

• If they are talking to the chairs, Personnel is a good place for them.

• If they are sleeping, they are Management material.

• If they are writing up the experience, send them to Technical Publications.

• If they don’t even look up when you enter the room, assign them to Security.

• If they try to tell you it’s not as bad as it looks, send them to Marketing.

• And if they’ve left early, put them in Sales.

A unicorn and a cyclops. That’s an accident waiting to happen.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

SNIPPETS Support your local charity shops Are you feeling the financial squeeze just now, but still enjoy shopping?

Why not visit some of your local charity shops?

Never have charity shops needed you so much. Coronavirus has meant a huge drop in donations, and many charities face huge financial shortfalls.

The good news is that charity shops are well worth visiting this summer. Vast amounts of clothes and household items were donated following the lockdown this Spring. Grounded at home, people decided to declutter and clear-out!

The result is that, as a spokeswoman for Oxfam says: “People can expect to find some really great treasures to buy.”

It should be very safe to shop, for as Julie Byard of Cancer Research UK, explains, the charity shops put all donated items into isolation before putting them on the shelves.

She adds: “We’re grateful for all donations and to everyone who volunteers and shops with us.”

Keep your distance!

I never thought the comment, “I wouldn’t touch you with a sixfoot pole” would become national policy, but here we are!

What am I? A teacher gave her young class a lesson on Zoom on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a short test, she included this question: “My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I am strong and attractive.

I pick up lots of things. What am I?” When the answers were sent in, the teacher was astonished to find that more than half her students had answered the question with the word: “Mother.”

21

Find Them Dead

By Peter James Roy Grace, creation of the award-winning author Peter James, unearths a powerful criminal network in Find Them Dead.

Ending his secondment to London’s Met Police, Roy Grace gets a tip-off about a county lines drugs mastermind operating out of Brighton. On his first day back in his old job in Sussex, he is called to a seemingly senseless murder.

Separately, Meg Magellan finally has her life back together, five years after the car crash that killed her husband and their son. Her daughter, Laura, now 18, is on her gap year travelling in South America with a friend, and Meg misses her badly. Laura is all she has in the world.

In between jobs, Meg receives a summons for jury service. She’s excited – it might be interesting and will help distract her from constantly worrying about Laura. But when she is selected for the trial of a major Brighton drugs overlord, everything changes.

Gradually, Grace’s investigation draws him increasingly into the sinister sphere of influence of the drug dealer on trial. A man utterly ruthless and evil, prepared to order the death of anyone it takes to enable him to walk free.

Just a few days into jury service, Meg arrives home to find a photograph of Laura, in Ecuador, lying on her kitchen table. Then her phone rings.

A sinister, threatening stranger is on the line. He tells her that if she ever wants to see Laura alive again, it is very simple. At the end of the trial, all she has to do is make sure the jury says just two words . . . Not guilty.

The Sanest Guy in the Room

By Don Black DON BLACK is the songwriter’s songwriter, a composer’s dream collaborator, and the man behind some of the twentieth century’s greatest musical numbers.

Black made his first foray into the glittering world of showbiz as a stand-up, before realising his error and focusing on his lifelong passion instead - music. Shirley Bassey, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini and Barbra Streisand are just some of the artists Black has worked with over the years - not to mention his frequent collaborator, West End legend Andrew Lloyd Webber - in what can only be described as a remarkable musical career. Yet, never one to court fame, Black has always remained what Mark Steyn coined as ‘the sanest guy in the room’.

Interwoven with the stories behind songs such as ‘Diamonds are Forever’ and ‘Born Free’ are vignettes of Black’s life with his beloved wife Shirley, who died in March 2018, after almost sixty years of marriage. Black writes movingly about how the enormity of his grief changed his life, and how the dark days are slowly turning into dark moments.

The Sanest Guy in the Room is a rich and delightful paean to a life lived through song. It reveals the essence of Black’s craft, looks at those who have inspired him and allows us to understand what made those icons tick.

Told with wit, warmth and great humour, this is Don Black’s astonishing musical journey and an insight into a life behind the lyrics.

I called roadside assistance, but they didn’t want to hear about my problems unless it had to do with my car.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS

Councillor Martin Cartwright reports

I HOPE you are staying safe.

My article this month covers an update on the Coronavirus plus some other news. All the events featured took place prior to the lockdown.

As you read my article this month the first and possibly the only ever edition published in the Spotlight during July the Leicester Lockdown will be about to be reviewed. Let’s hope that the return to lockdown for the city and surrounding areas can be removed allowing Leicester and its surrounding suburbs to return to the same status as the rest of the country over the weekend of 18th July 2020.

In Groby we are tantalisingly close to being included in the Leicester lockdown zone being only a matter of fields and one dual carriageway away.

Coronavirus – COVID-19 THE PANDEMIC has had a devastating effect on each and every one of us.

Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones as behind each of the numbers in the statistics are families, mums, dads, brothers, sisters, work colleagues and friends.

So many people have been affected by the inability to meet family and friends over an extended period of time. Whilst some of those restrictions have now been lifted there are so many people upset at not having the ability to cuddle those they love. Personally, I have attended a funeral (not COVID-19 related) during this time it feels so unnatural not to be able to comfort those who have lost their loved ones.

I would like to thank everyone that has done their level best to comply with what was being requested of them in order to reduce the spread of the virus and therefore save lives.

This pandemic has also brought out the best in people too. We should stop to pause and celebrate all those people who have helped their family, friends and neighbours who are isolating and of course our key workers right across the spectrum from the NHS down to individual acts of kindness. Thank you.

In other news - All the events featured took place prior to the lockdown.

Climate Change

Council’s Rural Conference (March 22020) and is being considered by councillors and officers alongside the Borough’s residents, businesses and charities who have also been asked to give their views.

The Borough Council declared a climate emergency in July last year and has committed itself to taking action to help the Borough become carbon neutral by 2030.

The strategy sets out a vision for how the Borough Council, including its contractors and partners, along with the community, businesses and schools, intends to do all it can in order to address the global climate emergency.

Since declaring a climate emergency, the Council has been

working with a range of community groups to gather more information about the measures being taken to tackle climate change. It has also established a cross-party working group to investigate ways the local authority can take and promote action to cut its carbon footprint and to adopt more environmentally-friendly ways of working.

Now the Council is looking for people and groups who are passionate about tackling climate change in order to shape and develop the draft strategy to make sure it best reflects the ambitions of people living and working in Hinckley and Bosworth, and not just the Borough Council in

Cllr Martin Cartwright Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward. Executive member for: Licensing, Environmental, Climate Change, Rural Issues & Klondyke Community Hub

IT’S YOUR Call on Climate Emergency.

Call: 0116 287 4500 Mobile: 07850 707050

A Strategy for how Hinckley and Bosworth can tackle climate change has been launched at the

E-Mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk Write : Maverick House,10 Pine Tree Avenue, Groby, LE6 0EQ FaceBook: Cllr Martin Cartwright • Twitter: @CllrCartwright • Instagram: cllr.martincartwright

I hate it when you run out of food while you’re still eating.

isolation.

As Executive Member for Climate Change at the Borough Council I have stated that the global climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges we face and the reason why we have declared a climate emergency.

We all must play a part so that’s why we are inviting comments, views and suggestions on the draft strategy, including its proposed scope, purpose and the four delivery themes to tackle climate change across the Borough.

Furthermore I am interested in residents’ views as well as what they are doing in respect of reducing their climate impact.

The Borough Council and I are calling this consultation exercise Climate Change: Call for Information.

Given the issue of climate impact we would urge people to contact us online if they are able to do so.

Alternatively you can request a printed version by contacting the Council.

We have set ourselves an ambitious target and the success of this strategy depends on widespread action by local people so it’s essential that as many people as possible get involved to do everything we can to tackle climate change in the Borough both now and in the future.

We know there must be lots of other examples out there in the Borough that we could all learn from. We can’t do this alone; we want to hear from you.

We are reviewing the comments that came back from the consultation and will decide what work can take place over the coming months in a COVID safe way, with our communities, businesses and schools, capitalising on those people who said via the consultation that they wanted to become involved.

A number of Climate Change groups had been set up such as Groby, Desford and Hinckley for example. As executive member for Climate Change I had a number of visits booked with these groups all of which had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. I very much look forward to re booking those visits once I am able to do so.

COVID-19 has had an impact on the climate especially air quality because of the reduction pollution.

Hopefully some of the gains will remain into the future.

The consultation produced a good result but took place whilst people were focused on the pandemic purely by the timing of

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

it. Once things return to normal the Borough Council will repeat the Climate Change consultation exercise.

Sharon Stacey, Director of Community Services at the Borough Council who is leading the initiative said: “In the last few months we have already seen some fantastic work going on in the community. St Catherine’s Church in Burbage is one of the first eco churches in the country thanks to the innovative work of the vicar and congregation. Their passion for climate change led them to making a complete step change in the way they approached the maintenance and design of their ancient building to make it as sustainable as they possibly could.”

You can read the Council draft Climate Change Strategy online at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov. uk/climatesurvey If you would like to tell the council about your climate change initiatives then email your ideas to climate.change@hinckleybosworth.gov.uk or contact the council on 01455 238141 The draft strategy document will goto full Council on 14th July 2020 (while this issue of Groby Spotlight is at print).

I am here to help you TO KEEP residents updated I am posting as much relevant information as I can on my social media channels. Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Facebook: Cllr Martin Cartwright Twitter: Cllr Martin Cartwright @CllrCartwright Instagram: cllr.martincartwright Should you have any comments or problems you would like me to mention in my article please get in touch.

Please remember if I can ever be of help to you or your family please do not hesitate to contact me. My contact details are listed below:

Drivers are being urged to book an MOT test after a change to the extension date At the beginning of the UK coronavirus lockdown, MOT tests were given a temporary six month extension.

But this week, roads minister Baroness Vere announced that MOT tests will be mandatory in England, Wales and Scotlands from the beginning of August.

She said: “As people return to our roads, it is vital that motorists are able to keep their vehicles safe. That’s why as restrictions are eased, from 1 August MOT testing will again become mandatory.

“Garages across the country are open and I urge drivers who are due for their MOT to book a test as soon they can.”

The change means that cars, vans and motorcycles with an MOT due between March 30, 2020 and July 31, 2020 will be extended for six months.

Your rights if you decide to book a holiday abroad this summer Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has advised on the change, warning drivers they may need to act soon He said: “MOT tests to restart on August 1. If you have an MOT due on or after that you must get the test done.

“However if your MOT is due before hand, you get six months added to the deadline. E.g. due on July you 15 need to get it done by January 15.”

23

SNIPPETS Tantrums and mental health problems CHILDREN’S behaviour has become worse under lockdown, with a rise in temper tantrums and arguments.

So says a study by psychologists at Oxford University on the effects of the pandemic on young people’s mental health. Youngsters aged 4 to 10 suffered increasing emotional difficulties and some physical symptoms linked to worry.

Young women aged 16 to 24 are also struggling – with 35 per cent of them presenting with a mental health problem during lockdown, according to a study by The Institute of Fiscal Studies.

Get to know next door THIS TIME last year, how well did you know your neighbours?

Around one in five of us have since admitted that we had never even spoken to them.

What a difference a pandemic makes. Now twice as many of us have talked to our neighbours in the past week as compared with last year. A further one in three of us have also done something to help a neighbour. This works out to 33 million people having talked to a neighbour in the past week, and 15 million of them even helping one during lockdown.

Seven in 10 of us also said that people in our area are now more likely to stop for a chat, and three quarters of us want their newfound friendliness to continue.

Home Phone: 0116 2874500 Mobile Phone: 07850 707050 Email: hbbchelp@ appliancehome.co.uk Thank you and take care, Kind regards,

Cllr Martin Cartwright Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward Executive Member for: Licensing, Environmental, Climate Change, Rural Issues & Klondyke Community Hub

So there I was, minding my own business, when someone forced me to eavesdrop.

24

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

~ Pick Up a Bargain! ~

Spotlight Small Ads • ALUMINIUM / GLASS GREENHOUSE: 75 inches wide by 50 inches deep. Buyer to dismantle.

Price: £50.00 Tel: 07867 806474 (Markfield)

• Lady’s multiple gear CYCLE - needs new inner tubes. Price: £80.

• Nathan teak NEST OF TABLES - in excellent condition. Price: £20.

Tel: 01530 245701 (Markfield)

• ASSORTED 1000 PIECE JIGSAWS (complete).

WASGIJ’S (6 in total) Titles include -Barbers and Beehives Drama at the Opera. Other titles upon request. (£9 each).

GIBSONS “BOAT FLOAT” and House of Puzzles “ORCHARD FARM” (£6 each) Tel: 07599 270585. (Groby)

• TRAILER for sale.

For full details, call.

Tel: 01530 243469 (Groby)

• Brown Leather 3-seat and 2-seat SETTEES - both reclining and in good condition. Price: £110.

• Plain cream lined CURTAINS - 90” by 72”. Original price: £45. Still in shop packaging and including tiebacks. Price: £15.

• Gents M&S navy TROUSERS - 36” waist, 31” inside leg. Unworn. Price: £12.

Tel: 01530 230786 (Thornton).

• Samsung BLU RAY DISC PLAYER - will play 3D DVD’s. Price: £25.

• Brother COPY/FAX/SCAN MACHINE. Price: £25.

Tel: 0777 217 2165 (Groby)

• BED SETTEE - as new. Colour: beige, plus six large cushions.

Price: £200.

Tel: 07807 052567 (Markfield) • Memory foam MATTRESS TOPPER - double, 6 inches deep. As new - cost £170. Price:£60.

• TABLE TOP FRIDGE - 20 inches square. Free.

Tel: 0116 231 2227 (Groby) • BOYS BABY CLOTHES for sale.

All in one 12-18 months. Anorak 1824 months. Price: £5.00.

• BOYS TODDLER CLOTHES BUNDLE 2-3 years: Duggie anorak, Christmas jumper and shirt, (15) vests, 5 pr pants never used, 4 Sweatshirts, 8 Various patterned shorts.

Very good condition and clean.

Price: £20.00 • 4 x 1000 piece JIGSAW PUZZLES in one box. Christmas theme.

Price: £20.00.

• 3 Seperate 1000 piece JIGSAW PUZZLES. Price: £8.00 Each.

Can supply photo.

Tel 07790 734858.(Groby) • BLACK COMPOST BIN, free to good home. Very good condition.

Must collect.

Tel: 07815 940871 (Groby) • DOUBLE BED with good mattress.

White metal frame.

Price: £100.

• DINING TABLE - 3 feet square.

Can be extended. Lightwood 4 high back chairs. Very good condition.

Price: £100.

Tel: 0116 232 1922 (Groby).

• TABLE FOOTBALL for children – yours for nothing if you want it, as not used anymore. 3ft playing area, folds for vertical storage – collection only. Call Simon on 07941 594 057 (Groby)

• Portable ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE - JANOME model 1017.

New - never used, still in original box.

Bargain at £50. Can deliver locally if necessary.

• A4 METAL BOX FILE complete with keys and suspended files.

Excellent condition. Price: £5.

• Antique COBBLERS LAST and heavy FLAT IRONS , 3 different sizes painted black. Price: £12.

• Vintage bamboo WALKING CANE with curved handle with silver coloured tip. Price: £15.

• Quantity of used FOOLSCAP RING FILES - in good condition. Price: 6 for £3.

• COLLECTION OF BOOKS (some new) of Leicester and Leicestershire.

Price: for the lot £15.

• Vintage Lloyd Loom D-shaped STORAGE BOX/TABLE with glass topped lid, original gold colour in very good condition. Price: £20.

Tel: 01530 244388 (Markfield) • Five BR RAILWAY BOOKS - three hardback, 2 softback. Local, Tarka Trail & East Anglia. Good condition.

Price: £3.50 each o.n.o.

Tel: 07565 219995 • FREE to any disabled reader: LARGE ARMCHAIR, adjustable back, legs and lift to get up. Must collect.

Tel: 01530 242025 (Markfield)

Nationwide celebration of nature during lockdown begins

The RSPB asks Leicestershire residents to share how nature has supported them during lockdown THE RSPB is inviting Leicestershire residents to share how nature has lifted their spirits during lockdown, from nature aficionados to nature novice’s exploring their green spaces for the very first time.

During lockdown, more than ever, we’ve seen how important the natural world is to our wellbeing, with 77% of people in England finding that visiting nature has been important for their general health and happiness.

BETWEEN 1ST AND 31ST JULY, SHARE YOUR STORY AND PHOTOS USING #MYWORLDNOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Between 1st and 31st July, the RSPB is inviting people from Leicestershire and across the UK to share the new things they have noticed that’s different in their world, and what they have started to value more during these unsettling times as part of a nationwide celebration of nature and wildlife Since the UK first went into lockdown it’s been a unique time for most of us. This spring has been unlike any other and, more than ever, we’ve seen how important the natural world is to our health and wellbeing.

From enjoying the uplifting sound of birdsong through an open window, to getting a welcome dose of fresh air and exercise in a local park, many of us have found solace in nature and had time to notice what’s going on around us.

Adam Murray, Head of Community Empowerment at the RSPB, said: “Connecting with the natural world is more important than ever. Over the last few months, as we juggled work, family life and wellbeing, all from the confines of home, the natural world became a playground, a gym, a tonic, and much more besides. But while our lives have changed, the threats to nature have not gone away.

“We’d love you to share the new things you have noticed and started to appreciate more in your world – large and small. Whether it’s cleaner air, the wildlife in your local park or getting creative in your support of the natural world, we’d love to hear about it. We want to know what you’ve started to value during these strange times.”

To get involved, simply share your stories and photos using #MyWorldNow on social media. Share the campaign with friends and family and post about what you’ve been noticing and appreciating in your world to join the conversation this July.

A recent study found that 74% of people in England had noticed more nature in their neighbourhoods since the Coronavirus outbreak in the UK than they would normally at this time of year, and so the RSPB can’t wait to see and hear about what you’ve been spotting.

IF YOU HAVE any household items which you’d like to advertise FREE in the Spotlight, please SEND DETAILS by post or email - sorry, we can’t take them over the phone.

Maximum EIGHT items please.

Our postal address is: Spotlight Small Ads, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics.

LE67 9ZT or you can email details to: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk PLEASE ENSURE that you put ‘SMALL ADS’ in the subject line, and INCLUDE YOUR FULL POSTAL ADDRESS (not for publication, just to know where you are).

When I said I liked you ... I never meant every day.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby hit by flash flooding in June AN AFTERNOON thunderstorm on Tuesday 16 June produced so much rain that a heavy duty manhole cover was blown out of its frame on the A50 at Field Head, reports a local motorist.

Luckily the community came together, sorted out the problem and resolved a dangerous situation.

“I was driving past at the time and stopped in the service road to have a look,” he said. “It was highly dangerous with traffic having to swerve across the road to avoid it. I rang a local councillor and he came to see what could be done. A crowd gathered. Then a white van man pulled up in front of it, put his hazards on to prevent cars crashing into the cover - which was poking about 18” above the road. Between us we managed to lift it out and re-fit it into the frame. He then fetched a set of drain rods from his van and unblocked the road gulley in the service road, which was probably contributing to the problem.”

• ANOTHER MOTORIST crossing the village from the Woodlands Drive area says the road was more like a fast flowing river discharging onto Ratby Road into what can best be described as a torrent pouring down towards the college.

“I had turned left down towards the college entrance heading towards Sacheverell Way as I would normally do”, he said “but it quickly became apparent that I was not going to get to Sacheverell Way. A deep pond had formed across the mini roundabout at the college entrance formed by the heavy torrent coming from Ratby Road combined with the water from the college. There were already 2 cars (hazards flashing) trapped and I could see others trapped in the layby which had tried to come back round.

“Luckily, I just about managed a U turn across the “river” that was now forming by the bus stop and headed back towards Groby. Anticipating that the village centre would be flooded, I made my way across to Pymm Ley Lane via Crane Ley Road, only to find another mini lake had formed at the junction of Pymm Ley Lane and Rookery Lane and cars were stopping rather than trying to cross it but the car immediately before me, a small 4x4 managed to cross it and I decided that my sturdy 4x4 should be OK if I crossed slowly without generating a wave.

“Lots of warning “buzzers” were triggered but the car was ok and I made it home without further incident but what a remarkable experience. I can’t recall as much rain coming down in such a short time in the 38 years we have lived in Groby. I saw manholes lifting everywhere with water shooting out.”

Norman Griffiths

Local Naturalist and Campaigner dies GLENFIELD resident Paul Gamble passed away in April.

He was a keen nature lover and bird watcher and was responsible for organising a project, with the Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological Society, to construct and install sparrow nest boxes on the houses in The Avenue, Glenfield, to help reverse the decline in the local population of house sparrows. The naturalist Bill Oddie visited Paul’s garden, with a television crew, to film a nature programme for the BBC. For years Paul and his wife Grace dedicated many hours of voluntary work each week to litter picking along the railway footpath from Glenfield to Ratby.

They went out in all types of weather, rain or shine, helping to protect the environment and keep the path looking clean and pleasant for walkers and cyclists.

When the A46 by-pass was built there were no plans for a footbridge to be constructed over the dual carriage way. Paul campaigned locally for this and went to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to present his petition. He was successful in persuading the Government to authorise the construction of the footbridge which now links the footpaths between Glenfield and Groby.

Paul was also a poet and some of his poems were published in the book “Poets of Glenfield.”

Sue Allison

25

SNIPPETS Fussy eaters IF YOUR child is still a toddler, here is some good news: this is the best time of their lives for you to introduce a variety of foods, and thus expand their food preferences.

Recent research has found that picky eaters are unlikely to change if they do not have a varied diet by the age of four. After that, the more parents try to control their children’s diets, the pickier they can become.

The research was published in the American Paediatrics Journal.

One of the doctors involved said: “Picky eating is common during childhood, and parents often hear that their children will eventually grow out of it. But that’s not always the case.”

Dramatic rise in home exercise injuries during lockdown SOMETHING like 7.2 million Britons injured themselves while trying to stay fit during lockdown.

There has been a dramatic rise in exercise-related injuries, ranging from sprains and strains to pulled muscles and back injuries.

Of those of us injured during lockdown, 30 per cent of us were doing classes online or via apps, 28 per cent were weight training and 22 per cent were using home gym equipment.

A doctor at BUPA points out that although “exercise is enormously important for both our physical and mental health, new regimes and workouts should be taken on with caution.”

The British Chiropractic Association (who reported a 660 per cent increase in traffic to its website!) warned that if you do yourself a small injury, do NOT try and ‘run it off ’ or ‘push through the pain barrier’. “There’s no science to say that it works.

Instead you are risking more damage and a longer lay-off by not listening to your body.”

Please support our advertisers if you can.

Thanks!

For each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, plus a social media overreaction.

26

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JULY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Fat Cow, Fat Chance: The science and psychology of size

By Jenni Murray AT SIXTY-FOUR, Jenni Murray’s weight had become a disability.

She avoided the scales, she wore a uniform of baggy black clothes, refused to make connections between her weight and health issues and told herself that she was fat and happy. She was certainly fat. But the happy part was an Oscarworthy performance. In private she lived with a growing sense of fear and misery that her weight would probably kill her before she made it to seventy.

Interwoven with the science, social history and psychology of weight management, Fat Cow, Fat Chance is a refreshingly honest account of what it’s like to be fat when society dictates that skinny is the norm. It asks why we overeat and why, when the weight is finally lost through dieting, do we simply pile the pounds back on again? How do we help young people become comfortable with the way they look? What are the consequences of the obesity epidemic for an already overstretched NHS? And, whilst fat shaming is so often called out, why is it that shouting ‘fat cow’ at a woman in the street hasn’t been included in the list of hate crimes?

Fusing politics, science and personal pain, this is a powerful exploration of our battle with obesity.

Enjoy reading the Spotlight?

If so, please pass it on to a friend or relative when you’ve finished with it. It’s great to share!

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Both of the churches in Groby are closed for the foreseeable, with our usual services & activities suspended.

But, we are still there for your spiritual needs during this time of great challenge. The brick/stone church has been replaced by a church of people communicating and supporting via telephone, e-mail and social media. Please check out what we are doing – we are actually reaching more people via our Facebook pages than we could fit in our churches, but we would love to reach even more.

If you need any spiritual support or prayers please text/message your name and home telephone number to Rector – Rev Ed Bampton 01162396520 one of our elders on 07807036944 or 07368405207– you will get a call back.

Rev Noel Colley 07757 302271 www.facebook.com/grobyurc/ www.facebook.com/StPandStJ www.achurchnearyou.com/church/5501 Online live streamed regular services as follows: Every Tuesday at 9pm Compline Every Thursday at 10am Morning Prayer Every Sunday at 10am Morning Worship

Online live streamed services 10am Sundays – follow us on Facebook for more information and daily posts to support & encourage you.

Christian Booklets/Gospels/Magazines and DVDs - have been put outside the church on Chapel Hill for anyone who is interested and would find them helpful.

Fruit cocktail is the most disappointing of all the cocktails.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Eight stolen vehicles recovered in multi-force police operation A Bailey Unicorn ‘Seville’ caravan worth £15,000, was stolen by thieves but recovered on the same day, thanks to the teamwork of stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert Tracker, Warwickshire police and VIN CHIP. The stolen caravan, which was safeguarded by Tracker technology, was quickly located by police alongside five other stolen caravans and two valuable trailers. The value of all vehicles successfully recovered is estimated to be in excess of £150,000.

PC Craig Purcell, one of the officers in the Warwickshire Rural Crime team responsible for recovering the vehicles, commented: “Tracker alerted us to the stolen caravan, which had been stolen from a secure storage compound in Derbyshire, but was heading into the Warwickshire Police area. Using the information Tracker provided, our officers and Police Dog Unit were able to quickly locate the caravan in Hartshill, North Warwickshire. When I arrived on the scene with my colleagues, we were able to identify seven other stolen vehicles (five caravans and two trailers) by using the VIN CHIP identification system RFID tags within the units that link to the national database of caravan keepers.

One of the caravans was literally reported stolen at the time we were examining it. The vehicles had been stolen from across a wide area, including Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Leicestershire and the Thames Valley. A multi-force investigation is ongoing, and suspects have been identified.”

Caravans are a popular choice for organised crime groups who often steal to order, to meet demand in the UK and across Europe, selling the caravans for huge profits. Last year Tracker recovered over £1 million worth of stolen caravans and motorhomes. Storing a caravan at a secure site is not always enough to prevent theft, but having a Tracker and VIN CHIP Identification System installed will significantly increase the chance of owners being reunited with their invaluable second home.

Clive Wain, Police Liaison for Tracker, commented: “When the caravan was reported stolen, we quickly activated the Tracker unit, which enabled our control room to follow the vehicle remotely whilst keeping the relevant local police forces informed of its location. It is always hugely satisfying to reunite an owner with their stolen vehicle, but this operation was even more rewarding thanks to

the other vehicles recovered from the same site. Without this one caravan having a Tracker installed, the owners of the other caravans and trailers would have probably not seen their vehicles again.

“Caravans are extremely lucrative for criminals and can be relatively easy to steal if they are not properly protected. Caravans are more than just a vehicle they are a home away from home and as a result hold enormous sentimental value on top of their financial worth.

As such, owners must take extra precautions to protect their caravans from theft, and to increase the likelihood of their safe return if they are stolen. Physical deterrents such as secure storage facilities, hitch locks, wheel clamps, alarm systems and deadbolts will reduce the chance of theft, but only a tracking device and VIN CHIP Identification System will improve the chance of recovery if criminals get past these barriers,” concludes Wain.

Tracker’s Caravan Security Tips • Fit security posts or a substantial gate if parking the caravan on your drive.

• Be sure to security mark the caravan.

• Mark valuables and interior fitments inside the caravan with your postcode using an etching tool or engraver.

• Fit physical deterrents such as hitch locks, wheel clamps and deadlocks on doors to make it difficult for thieves.

• Remove all valuables from the caravan.

• Do not leave registration documents in the caravan as they can help thieves sell it on.

• Always close and lock doors and windows when you leave your caravan, even if it’s just for a short time.

• When planning for the next storage season, choose a site with good security rather than just a good price.

• Fit a Tracker device to increase the chance of recovery in the event of theft.

• Retro fit a unique Identification System to your caravan, if VIN CHIP did not come as standard on your caravan

27

HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS

Councillor Ted Hollick reports

Developers of Leicester Road site apply to vary their obligations AT THIS MONTH’S Borough Council planning Meeting, held via Zoom on July 7th, the housing association developer applied to the Council for a Deed of Variation to the obligations, which were agreed and signed for in good faith in 2018.

They proposed 100% affordable housing (all 30 properties) and to pay none of the agreed allocated sums. This was robustly challenged by Cllr Cartwright and myself.

This - if agreed - would have deprived Groby of a very valuable financial contribution towards mitigating the anticipated difficulties that would inevitably result from the additional 30 properties being built on the former highways land at Leicester Road. The contributions would go to providing much needed financial support to Education, Health, Highways, (bus passes, raised kerbs, electronic timetables etc.), the Library and Public Open Space. This means that the intended 40% affordable homes i e. 12 properties remains.

At the Planning meeting, the cross party planning committee resolved by a majority decision (proposed by Cllr Cartwright and seconded by myself) to overturn the officers’ recommendation to approve the requested variation. This is a substantial victory for Groby and the original agreement still stands.

Deadly serious STAFF AT the Groby Quarry on Newtown Linford lane are seriously concerned about young people some very young and with no adults present trespassing at the quarry in order to swim in the water, this is extremely dangerous and very often can prove fatal.

I am asked by the Quarry personnel to remind parents that the Quarry has two full time Security Officers one of which also has a guard dog and should the trespassers be seen again the Police would be immediately called.

I would like at this point to acknowledge the help of Cllr.

Ozzy Shea in supporting my request to the Police to step up the frequency of their patrols in this area at night due to the antisocial behaviour in the Quarry gateway involving the use of canisters and drugs. This has apparently abated as a result.

Councillor Ted Hollick Call: 0116 287 5955 Mobile: 07962 373983 E-mail: ted.hollick@outlook.com Write: 7 Shaw Wood Close, Groby, LE6 0FY

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