October - Ashby & Measham Community Eye

ASHBY & MEASHAM

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OCTOBER 2016

LEICESTER BARBERSHOP HARMONY CLUB IN THE GARDEN WITH BEL Fruit Trees

ASHBY VENTURE

The Heart Of England Chorus

MEASHAM’S TOWER OF LIGHT Lights Illuminated On Thursday 1st December, 6pm

Latest News

ACTION MAN WEEKEND 50 Anniversary th

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LOCAL ADVERTISERS

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We are part of the British Association of Barbershop Singers which are (no straw boaters and stripy aprons) rehearsing at the Birstall Social Club, Wanlip Lane, Birstall, 7–30 every Monday, singing Acappella four part unaccompanied harmony.

kitc he

n be

We invite all youths, young men and men who can sing, even those who think they can’t, to come and join us It’s free, and with our new MD Ian Phillips and Assistant MD Christine Dickens we are looking to progress further with our singing. fore.. !

www.tlc4kitchens.co.uk

Call Tony for a FREE quote

07890 658750 Independent Local Business since 2003 0116 356 0234

Our next major “ sing out “ is at “ Vocal Explosion “ where we will join with some top Barbershop Choruses, Quartets and Choirs for a great evening’s singing promoting a superb and rewarding hobby Give me a call, P.J. Hunt on 0116 267 5339 or email me at jansbolt@btinternet.com

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Festive Gift Fair At The NEC 10 - 13 November 2016 You Would Be Crackers To Miss It! Join in the fun for our 21st year at the fabulous FESTIVE GIFT FAIR! The biggest and best Christmas shopping Fair returns to the NEC for four days from 10-13 November.

The run up to Christmas Day involves a lot of planning and the hardest and often most time consuming part is buying the presents, so get it all done in one day at the Festive Gift Fair and make it FUN! Christmas starts here with plenty of choice, unique gifts, and a fun and easy shopping day out. For our 21st year we have a whole NEW line-up of fantastic LIVE music to entertain you through the day.

Sarah Taylor or Dawn Harris

So easy to visit, all in one hall, all on one level and there’s even a courtesy shuttle service to and from Birmingham International station. When your bags are full, you can drop them off at the Present Creche and continue to shop, stop for a bite to eat and enjoy all the great entertainment.

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My Three Angels A Christmas Comedy

By Samuel and Bella Spewack Tickets Available from: The Hermitage FM Coffee Lounge, Memorial Square, Coalville, Tel: 01530 460992 The Ashby Tourist Information Office, North Street, Ashby . Tel. 01530 411767 Tickets@casdg.co.uk or Pay on the Door.

The Adult School Hall, Bridge Road, Coalville, LE67 3PW

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LOCAL NEWS

Venture Theatre News Is November too early to start thinking about Christmas? Here at the Venture Theatre we have been thinking of it for several weeks with our next production Comfort and Joy in rehearsal.

We have a lovely new range of four different Christmas cards now available for those who want something really special this year.

The designs feature historic Ashby landmarks, all in a seasonal snowy setting, painted by Di Lorriman and exclusive to the Museum. Do come and have a look.

Our next exhibition, Christmas Contrasts: Aspects of Ashby’s Christmas Past, will run from November 16th until the end of December. It will recall a range of activities and events in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries through contemporary newspaper reports and material from our archives from Society gatherings at the Assembly Rooms to the Workhouse Christmas Tea, Meat Fairs to Toy Fairs, churches, charities, laments for the demise of carol- singing as well as the largest mince-pie in the world! So please come along to reminisce and discover.

If anyone has a topic of Ashby history in which they are especially interested, or of which they have a particular knowledge, and feels that it could form the basis of an exhibition we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Carol Walton (Exhibitions Officer) at the museum.

To thank our volunteers, in whatever capacity, for the time and effort they put in to keeping our Museum running smoothly, we are holding a coffee morning for them on November 24th. The last one was very successful and we hope they will all be able to attend this time.

Christmas dinner is a disaster, relatives arrive who always get on your nerves and you receive presents that you can’t wait to get rid of! Sound familiar? This hilarious play, written by the singer and comic Mike Harding, is all about the sort of family Christmases that are all too familiar to many of us.

One of our sister organisations, the Friends of Grace Dieu Priory, is hosting ‘An Evening with Elizabeth 1’ at Thringstone Community Centre on Friday November 18th starting at 8pm. Tickets are £5 and can be obtained from Gillian Bates 01530 224491 or gillianbates1208@gmail.com This year the Museum will be closed for the Christmas period from 17th December to 2nd January.

At the Venture Theatre, we usually try to choose a play for the start of the Christmas season that has a festive theme and that will also send the audience away at the end aching with laughter. This one certainly fits the bill. It was put on at the Venture Theatre in 1999 and brought the house down then. 18

years later we feel sure it is well worth another showing.

Director Paul Smith says: “It was 19 years ago when I first read this play; then it was brand new. I grew up with the comedy of Mike Harding (The Rochdale Cowboy), and his contemporaries Jasper Carrot and Billy Connolley, so I found it difficult to read through the whole play without collapsing with laughter. History seems to be repeating itself at the rehearsals already. Another bonus is that some of the original cast are still available to take on roles and they are still laughing! I am enjoying producing this show again, so I hope you'll come along and enjoy the finished product with us.”

The play opens on Thursday 24th November and runs to Saturday 26th and from Wednesday 30th November to Saturday 3rd December. Tickets are available now from Ashby Tourist Information Centre (01530 411818) and online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/ ashbydramaticsociety

Friends of Ashby Museum The next Friends talk will be on the History of Gardens on Wednesday 16th November at 2pm. The talk will be at the museum. Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available after the talk. £3 to support the work of the museum. Please call in or phone to book a place on 01530 560090.

Ashby Library Book Sale!

Head over to Ashby Library and bag yourself a bargain! Our sale includes both adult and children’s stock and will be held from Saturday 15th October until Friday 11th November. Stock up your book shelves with popular authors and recent best sellers from our adult’s and children’s.

All items are very reasonably priced - don’t miss our bargain book sale!

For more information call the library on: 0116 305 5917

‘Little Witches And Wizards’ Children’s Event At Ashby Library!

Wondering what to do with the kids for Halloween? Then join us for our ‘Little Witches and Wizards’ event at Ashby Library. Come in your best costume and try our picture hunt, listen to stories and songs and create spooky crafts.

The event will be on Friday 28th October, 3.30-5.00pm. Places cost £2.50 per child and the event is suitable for ages 2-6 years. As with all of our children’s events, booking is essential and we would advise doing so early as events very often sell out fast. Children must be accompanied by an adult for the duration.

For more information and to book your place on the event at Ashby library call: 0116 3055917 or email: ashbylibrary@leics.gov.uk

Learning To Tell The Wood From The Trees Members of the public are invited to join local TCV conservationist Kay Thompson for a free Tree Identification course to be held at Moira Furnace on 14th October.

The course will cover native and non-native species, looking at the differences between them and some fascinating facts about the trees and how they live.

Do you know WHY leaves change colour? How a tree prepares itself to survive the rigours of winter? Want to know how trees communicate with each other? Then you need to be on this course!

The course is open to adults and accompanied children of ten or over.

This is a great opportunity for those within the Heart of the Forest and beyond to learn new skills. For further details or to book a place please contact Kay Thompson on 01283 22 33 27 or by text on 07740 899693 kay.thompson@tcv.org.uk The event is part of an ongoing programme funded by the National Forest Company for TCV to work with volunteers in managing the Forest and learning new skills.

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Group Managing Director Marcus McGee believes that Which? have endorsed Cloudy2Clear’s long standing company policy of delivering the highest standards possible at all times. ‘Our service is simple. If your double glazing has misted up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 25 year guarantee. But it’s not just about saving people money, although that

obviously helps. Whilst a number of tradespeople perhaps don’t focus on customer care as much as they should do, we make sure we turn up when we say we will, do the job the customer requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle.

Locally Cloudy2Clear service the Ashby & Measham areas and manager Martyn Kemp agrees that this approach is a major factor in his success. ‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I

get from doing a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated as both my customers and, obviously a body as nationally important as Which? now recognise.’

So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Martyn a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

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LOCAL NEWS

Ashby & Measham Clubs & Groups Do you run a local community club or group in Ashby & Measham? Please send us your details to: communityeye@openboxpromotions.co.uk

Ashby Big Band

David - 01530 458706 07886194993 ashbybigband@aol.com www.ashbybigband.com -------------------------------------------------

Measham Karate Club

07761131043 meashamkarateclub@gmail.com www.meashamkarateclub.co.uk -------------------------------------------------

Ashby Art Club

01530 412116 www.ashbyartclub.org We meet on Monday evenings at 7pm. Smisby Village Hall, Main Street, Smisby, Ashby, LE65 2TY -------------------------------------------------

Ashby Civic Society

Margaret Mabey 01530 412410 kenward.ashby@gmail.com We meet on the 2nd Tuesday in the Month at Legion House, 27a South Street, Ashby, LE65 1BQ -------------------------------------------------

Measham Bowls Club

Sue & Stuart Boothroyd 01530 274104 stuartboothroyd@btinternet.com High Street, Measham, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 7HR -------------------------------------------------

Ashby Bowls Club

info@ashbybowlsclub.co.uk www.ashbybowlsclub.co.uk The Green, Bath Grounds, Ashby, LE65 1BJ -------------------------------------------------

Venture Theatre

Ken Ward - 01530 589268 www.ashbyventuretheatre.org.uk North Street, Ashby, LE65 1HS For ticket sales please call Ashby Tourist Office on 01530 411767.

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Ashby U3A

Anne Donegan - 01283 760348 secretary@ashbyu3a.co.uk Congregational Church, Kilwardby Street, Ashby, LE65 2FQ -------------------------------------------------

Ashby African Drummers

Kaye Gillanders - 0777 2281699 ashbydrummers@googlemail.com Check us out on Facebook or visit our website: www. ashbydrummers.webeden.co.uk

We are a community based group and meet once a fortnight on a Wednesday (next session Wednesday, 28th September) from 7.30pm - 9.30pm, at Moira Furnace, Furnace Lane, Moira, Derbyshire. DE12 6AT. The first taster session is free and then usually £3.00 per session thereafter. We sometimes have guest teachers visit, so best to contact us prior to coming to secure a drum and check suitability. We welcome people of all ages and abilities although children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

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Ashby Bridge Club

Ann 01530 458110 www.bridgewebs/ashby Different bridge sessions offered for all levels of bridge player, Monday and Thursday evenings, Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings, at Hood Park Leisure Centre. Beginners lesson running from late September.

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Events At St Peter’s Church On 27th November, Advent Sunday, we are holding the Big Switch On of the Christmas Stars at Swepstone Church at 5pm. There will be a raffle to determine who will switch them on this year, which will be drawn on 6th November. Even if you may not want to switch them on yourself you may have a friend, child or family member who would enjoy being this year’s Switcher On. Tickets are now available from Brenda Sumner at £5 a ticket. All proceeds will go to Swepstone Church.

On the day hot mulled wine, hot chocolate and mince pies will be provided. We’ll sing a couple of Christmas carols; hopefully the bells will be rung and the stars

will light up. The doors will then be opened to reveal the church decorated with Christmas trees.

We’re hoping this will be a magical event. The Christmas Tree Festival will then be open the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday the 2nd, 3rd and 4th December from 10.30am until 4.30pm.

Refreshments will be available in church on these days.

If you would like to help in any way, by decorating a tree, helping serve refreshments, meeting and greeting in church, running a stall, making mince pies or cakes or giving prizes for the tombola then please contact Brenda 01530 270367 or email brenda.sumner@ gmail.com Even if you can't help, then please just come along and bring your family and friends.

The Ashby Probus Club

Frank Bedford - 01530 467183 For retired professional and businessmen meets monthly in Ashby. We enjoy a pub lunch, speakers, a programme of outings and functions and each others company. The club welcomes new members.

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Ashby Meditation

Irene - 01530414290 www.tarakmc.org Weekly classes on Thursdays 3rd Nov to 15th Dec at 7.30 in Legion House, South Street, Ashby.

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ASHBY & DISTRICT STROKE SUPPORT GROUP

Pat - 01530 413723 A friendly group for stroke survivors and their carers. We meet alternate Tuesdays at Brown Court Ashby from 2pm-4pm. Meetings involve speakers, meal sout,and general chat.

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Friday 2nd December Christmas Tree Festival Holy Trinity, Kilwardby Street Over 50 decorated and illuminated trees start off our celebrations.

'Switch on' at 10am, entry free.

Refreshments and other attractions.

Proceeds to roof repair fund.

The Even Bigger Big Knit Is Back Let’s Get Knitting!

We are really pleased to confirm that Age UK and innocent are teaming up again for the 13th year of our Big Knit partnership.

We’re excited to announce that innocent would like to promote our next campaign as the biggest Big Knit ever so that we can build on what has already been a very successful partnership.

The knitting phase is going to be a bit different – we’ve been tasked to put little woolly hats on 2 million smoothie bottles nationwide, which will be sold by retailers in November 2017.

So twice as many hats, but nearly twice as long to knit them!

What does it mean for Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland?

This is good news for us and our army of knitters!

Our hat target will be 47,000,

which we will need to submit by 31 January 2017.

We will then be able to continue knitting from 1 February until summer 2017 (exact date TBC) to knit the same number of hats again.

Then all hats will go on sale in November 2017.

It also means that our knitters can keep knitting all year round, as we’ve heard from lots of them that they would like to keep knitting hats throughout the year.

So………………. Get knitting!

Knitters can get the simple knitting patterns online at www. ageuk.org.uk/leics or by calling the Business Development Manager on 0116 2237344.

Hats can be dropped off at any of our shops or Resource Centres (or sent direct) in time to be at Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, Lansdowne House, 113 Princess Road East, Leicester, LE1 7LA by 31st January 2017 in the first instance, but now knitting can carry on all year round!

LOCAL ADVERTISERS

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Public car park to rear of shop - Free parking every Sunday

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LOCAL NEWS

Ashby’s Fabulous 2016 ‘This One’s For You Lorna’ A Great Success For Ashby Town!!

The magic of live windows returned to Ashby for the third year running last Saturday, 1st October, with Ashby’s FABulous 2016 ‘this one’s for you Lorna’.

This was a town wide event to celebrate what Ashby has to offer and the community work of Lorna Titley who was so passionate about Ashby Town and Ashby’s FABulous event.

The event was opened by the Mayor of Ashby and despite the weather in the afternoon, Ashby Town was full and very lively!!

The Ashby’s FABulous event was first held in the town in 2014 and was organised by Lorna Titley.

Lorna was tragically killed in a road traffic accident in January this year.

Lorna was so passionate about Ashby’s FABulous and its potential for promoting what Ashby has to offer, that we felt that we needed to make sure Ashby’s FABulous happened this year.

“The whole town was alive with balloons, movie magic and live models!!” said Clare Birch, one of the Ashby FABulous team.

This year’s event was bigger than ever with 43 live windows, 15 magic themes and 86 models were involved. This year’s event aimed to include as many different businesses in Ashby as possible including, butchers, fashion retailers, bridal shops, hairdressers, beauty salons, pet shops and parlours, florists, opticians, charity shops, cafes and food retailers, DIY shops, local Yoga classes, Travel Agents, home interiors, gift shops, furniture outlets, fabrics and sewing, a bed shop, card shops, a chemist, a toyshop and a sweetshop.

A number of models were provided by Ashby school and the rest were enthusiastic volunteers from near and far, some who were involved in previous years including Lorna’s daughter and grandson, Leonie and Arthur who were the live models in Shellbrook Toys window.

Annie Ingram, one of the Ashby FABulous team, said ‘’It was incredible to work alongside people and businesses who wanted to ensure, more than ever this year, that Lorna’s hard work was built upon and to be part of the incredible buzz in town on the day’’. ‘’Lorna was very passionate about the Ashby Film Nights that take place at The Lyric Rooms, so we thought we would run a movie theme fancy dress to tie in with this - enabling businesses unable to have a live window to also be involved and add a little more magic to the day!" said Julie Brownlow one of the Ashby's FABulous Team. Movie characters including, James Bond, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Wizard of Oz,

Grease, ‘Allo ‘Allo, Minions, Alice in wonderland and a Hundred and one Dalmatians.

Nick Gravestock, local guitarist entertained passers-by with music to add to the party atmosphere and a few Prosecco toasts to Lorna were had on the day!!

Once again, Ashby’s hair and beauty salons gave their time and expertise, free of charge, to promote models styling. These included; Classic Cuts of Ashby, Keith Hall, The Temple Hair Spa, Trendset and Vanilla Funk, The Beauty Rooms, Rose Beauty services and Uruku Beauty salon.

Fashion retailers and charity shops provided, outfits, florists supplied bouquets and vintage shops tea sets and accessories for the models who posed from 10:30 to 12:00 and 1:30 till 3:00pm.

The Ashby Fabulous team would like to thank Ashby Image and Print for all the printing running up to the event and Context Products who supplied the banners and large posters. A big thankyou also to Card Cottage who supplied the street balloons and worked on the day to a very tight deadline!!

The event was supported by Ashby Town Council. The Leader of Ashby de la Zouch Town Council, Councilor John Coxon, expressed his delight at the success of the Ashby FABulous event. Councillor Coxon said “I am very pleased at the fantastic success of this annual event organised by the Ashby FABulous team in conjunction with Ashby de la Zouch Town Council.

More shops than ever joined in with the event this year and some of the window displays were fantastic. Our thanks must go to all of the models who were very brave in putting themselves on show! It is very difficult to judge numbers on these occasions but thousands of people came along during the course of the day to enjoy the window displays with the live models and the atmosphere and to support the town centre.” ‘’A number of people have remarked to me what fantastic day it was and they are really looking forward to next year. The Fabulous event is now a fixture on the calendar for the town and it is a major attraction for shoppers and visitors.”

This year’s AShby FABulous Team would like to encourage that the Ashby’s FABulous event continues as an annual event.

‘Ashby FABulous is unique to Ashby and is incredibly powerful in uniting retailers and businesses in Ashby to promote our high street. We want Ashby to continue to be a fabulous place to visit for local people and visitors for many years to come !!’

Ashby Fabulous Team 2016

LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS

Ashby Civic Society Monthly Report

Measham’s Tower Of Light Christmas @ Measham this year is again promoting the Tower of Light.

The idea of this is to give anyone and everyone, no matter what Nationality or religion, the chance to remember a loved one at this special time, by sponsoring a light bulb on St Laurence Church tower at Measham.

The loved one may be deceased, someone who has moved away or emigrated, in hospital, in the Armed Forces, or someone who is working away from home.

The bulb can be sponsored by a donation (suggested £5), and that bulb, when lit, represents that person’s thoughts. There will be a display of the lights on the church tower, which will be visible from all around the village.

Who remembers buying original T.G.Green pottery? Perhaps a yellow and white mixing bowl or a famous blue and white Cornishware jar. Historian and collector Iain Hamblin talked Ashby Civic Society through the life cycle of this once flourishing local pottery company and displayed samples of magnificent and unusual designs. Though the Cornishware brand is now made in China you may well have some original pieces in your cupboards dating back to early last century.

We also heard at the meeting good news of where the town council will be spending money on mayor projects in Ashby and how they will enhance the town. Other information on local Ashby issues was also provided.

Come along next month to hear a completely different Speaker. For over 18’s only, a racy talk on the relationship between Edward and Mrs Simpson. Note it in your diary now. 8pm Tuesday 8th November at Legion House, 27a South Street, Ashby. Contact Susanne 01530 415654 for more details.

Names of the sponsors and their loved ones to be remembered would be placed in the Church porch. (Please put a note on the application form if you do not wish to have a name displayed).

The lights will be switched on as a separate part of the Christmas @ Measham ceremony which is taking place on Thursday, 1st December, 2016 starting at 6.00pm.

Several years ago, money raised by the Tower of Light was used towards purchasing a defibrillator for Measham’s First Responders, and sufficient was left over to be able to buy a training kit, which has allowed the First Responders to show how to use a

defibrillator at schools and other demonstrations.

It will never be known when a defibrillator will be close enough at hand in order to be used to save a life, and this life may be someone of any age, as tragic events on sports fields and school premises have shown in the past.

The monies raised by the Tower of Light this year is a Community Project aimed at raising sufficient money to purchase a defibrillator in an accessible box located on High Street, Measham. This will allow anyone who has an immediate use of this easily usable, and potentially life-saving equipment, to have access to it.

It will also be available to First Responders, to allow them use, if it is easier to collect it from the box than to go to collect their own equipment.

The First Responders organisation have also indicated that it will arrange demonstration courses to show how easy the defibrillator is to work.

Further sponsorship forms will be available from the Parish Office, which is located in the Measham Leisure Centre, off High Street, Measham. DE12 7HR or can be sent to you. Contact Dawn on 01530 589583 or email dawn@ meashamparish.co.uk.

Please make donation cheques out to West Leicestershire CFR Group, and return, with completed application forms to the Parish Office.

50th Anniversary Action Man Weekend 50th Anniversary Action Man Weekend to be held in the former offices of the Palitoy factory on 3rd and 4th December.

Palitoy was an important employer in Coalville from 1937 to 1986 marketing such toys as Tiny Tears, Tressy, Pippa, Girls World, Star Wars, Care Bears, Mainline Railways as well as Action Man and Action Force.

Action Man was launched on 29th January 1966 and was inspired by the American toy G I Joe which Palitoy took under licence from Hasbro and over the years transformed the toy into a British icon.

In collaboration with Hasbro, Art and Science are launching 6 versions of Action Man starting this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

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LOCAL NEWS

Win Tickets To The Christmas Festive Fair How many stalls are there at the festival?

125

350

825

ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOO-OO-OU!

Full Name

Combine your festive shopping with a fun day out Hooray!

The festive gift fair is back at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. Christmas again! Stuck for ideas?

E-mail Address

Thursday 10th - Sunday 13th November 2016 9.30 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. daily For show information, list of exhibitors and more please visit www.festivegiftfair.co.uk

Contact Number Address

SEND ENTRY TO: Festive Fair Competition, 42 Forest Rise, Kirby Muxloe, Leicester, LE9 2HQ - Closing date 4th November 2016.

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LOCAL NEWS

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Fruit Trees The nights are drawing in and the garden is returning to it’s winter slumber, but it doesn’t mean we should turn our attention away from the garden entirely. The autumn is the best time to plant trees in the garden so that they have a good chance to establish before the ground warms up again in the spring.

Apple Blossom

Homegrown Apples

Bare-root trees are often seen for sale in garden centres and supermarkets, available very cheaply. I have seen fruit trees on sale at our local supermarket for as little as £4.50 this year! Bareroot means that the trees have been grown in a field and then dug up when they are dormant in the autumn/winter and the soil knocked off from around their roots. Fruit trees are not only productive they can be decorative too with their lovely blossom.

If you fancy growing a few fruit trees in your garden then this could be the best and most cost effective way of doing so.

There are a few key things I’d recommend doing before you exchange with any money.

1. Find a suitable spot in the garden. Most fruit trees need an open site with good fertile soil which is neither sodden nor bone dry. Consider the amount of space you have. For small gardens and pots choose dwarf varieties which will grow to around 2m. For those with plenty of space you can afford to go for larger more prolific fruiting trees.

Bel Grierson

Tree Planting

Garden Designer & Plantswoman

2. Decide what you’d like to grow – what do you like Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries? Choose your favourite so you can be sure that the fruit won’t go to waste and if you spend a lot of time away during the summer months you may miss the fruit cropping time, so apples would be a better choice as they crop in late summer-autumn.

6. Planting – the roots need to be beneath the soil surface once you have finished so place the tree the hole with the base of the trunk level with the surrounding soil surface. Spread out the root system and then fill in making sure there are no air pockets. Check the levels then top up and level the ground, firming the soil in around the roots.

3. Choose the varieties carefully.

It’s best to select self-fertile varieties for small gardens as these will pollinate themselves and produce fruit without needing another tree close by. Non selffertile trees will need a partnering tree which flowers at the same time in order for it to bear fruit.

7. Care & attention – Water the tree immediately after planting and repeat occasionally if the weather is dry and we have no significant rainfall in the following couple of months. Stake the tree with a post tall enough to stabilise the lower third of the tree. Attach a soft rubber tree tie to both.

Over the next year check the tree tie is not too tight.

4. Select healthy plants. The trees are usually wrapped in plastic, If you can take a look at the roots to check they have not become really dry and brittle. Check there has been no damage from being badly handled or from the rubbing against each other.

5. Prepare the soil well. When the ground is not overly wet of frozen, dig over the ground removing all of the weeds. Add plenty of compost/manure to the soil and turn over to incorporate.

Add a fertiliser like Growmore or Bonemeal to encourage growth.

Dig out a hole larger than the spread of the roots.

belgriersondesign info@belgrierson.co.uk

My suggestions for Fruit trees varieties: Apples – Eating ‘James Grieve’, Cooking ‘Howgate Wonder’ Pears – ‘Conference’, Cherries – Stella, Plums – Victoria, Gage – ‘Oullin’s Golden Gage’.

I hope that you will be able to find space for a fruit tree in your garden this autumn. Next month I’ll be looking at how to add some festive cheer to your entrance way ready for Christmas.

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LOCAL NEWS

COUNTY COUNCILLOR

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

M: 07429055402 E: Sean.Sheahan@leics.gov.uk

M: 01530 417736 E: andrew.bridgen.mp@parliament.uk

SEAN SHEAHAN AB Produce

Following my brief update last month on AB Produce, a lot has been happening. District Council officers are now taking action in response to the odour problem, however for legal reasons they are not disclosing the nature of the action. I have received assurances that the Council will issue a statement once the action is concluded.

At the same time, there has been an upsurge in tractortanker movements to and from AB Produce’s lagoons.

This has heavily impacted on residents along Burton Road and Atherstone Road in particular, resulting in a number of complaints to the Environment Agency, District Council and the police.

In more welcome news, the Environment Agency have confirmed to me that they have received an application from AB Produce for a permit for their new anaerobic digester.

People from Campaign Against The Smell (CATS) are presenting me with a petition later this month, signed by 1,600+ residents, to impress on the District Council and Environment Agency the strength of local feeling. A number of those residents attended this month’s Measham Parish Council meeting, contributing to a lively question and answer session.

As I say, there’s a lot going on and hopefully I’ll be able to give a more comprehensive report next month.

Measham Heritage Trail

The County Council is going ahead with plans to give the Heritage trail a makeover this winter. The tree canopy is overgrown, leading to accumulations of leaf litter and rainwater, which over time have

ANDREW BRIDGEN made the path sludgy in patches.

This has proved to be a particular nuisance for wheelchair and electric carriage users. The County Council will be cutting the foliage back and making repairs to the path in three locations.

A more urgent piece of work on the trail was found to be necessary after I received a report of Japanese Knotweed growing at the side of the path.

Japanese Knotweed is one of the most aggressively invasive plants found in Britain. I took some photographs and sent them in to a County Council officer who made a positive identification of the plant and immediately notified the warden.

Minorca Surface Mine

It was my pleasure to attend a reception recently to mark the approaching completion of the opencast mine restoration.

A number of speakers paid tribute to the work of the liaison committee and celebrated the projects funded under the original planning agreement, including the Ashby Canal, winter storage lake and community fund grants.

Several representatives from groups that had benefitted from the community fund were in attendance.

Planners responded positively to my concerns about securing the Swepstone Road entrance to the Minorca site from unauthorised access until the Measham Fields farmhouse can be rebuilt. A report recommended a combination of woodland planting, an agricultural gate and large boulders.

Five Lanes End Junction

The latest move in the campaign to improve road safety at Five Lanes End junction followed a recent site meeting, which I attended. County Highways are now trying to see if the police will support a reduction in the speed limit around the junction to 50mph.

One of the big events of the last few weeks has been the publication of the first draft of the Boundary review. As many of you will know, we currently have 650 MP’s in the UK in constituencies that range between approximately 50,000 to 100,000 electors. This is a very unequal system and is in need of reform. The Conservative Party stood on a manifesto commitment of reducing the cost of politics by cutting the number of MP’s down to 600 and ensuring that constituencies have approximately the same number of electors, which has meant a significant change in many seats across the UK. It has been initially proposed by the Boundary Commission that the North West Leicestershire seat changes in that is loses Appleby Magna and surrounding villages, Ibstock, Heather and Ellistown which would go into the Bosworth seat. In return, the town of Shepshed would become part of the Parliamentary seat. The District Council boundaries would be unaffected.

I do intend to write to the Boundary Commission to argue that North West Leicestershire should remain as it is. Our population size is already within the permitted levels required after the 50 seat reduction and it makes no sense to bring Shepshed which is part of the Charnwood borough into North West Leicestershire whilst losing an area of roughly the same population in Ibstock and the surrounding villages. Whilst I like Shepshed, I feel I have a duty to my existing constituents to put forward a credible plan of keeping the seat intact. I am sure my Parliamentary colleagues in other seats in Leicestershire share the same loyalty to their electorates.

Anyone wishing to comment should go to the Boundary Commission website at www. bce2018.org.uk . The consultation will be held over 12 weeks.

There is also obviously a lot in the media about the NHS at the moment with the Government ambitions to make it a 7 day service and the Junior Doctors contract.

The reason the Government are focused on the 7 day service is to improve the consistency of urgent and emergency care at evenings and weekends to deal with the "weekend effect" on mortality.

This is being backed up with increased NHS investment of £10 billion per annum in real terms by 2020/21, with £6 billion delivered upfront by the end of 2016/17. The Government has already delivered an additional 10,000 doctors since 2010 and it has committed to increasing the

potential supply of NHS staff by 80,000 by 2020. This will ensure that frontline staff are properly supported in the delivery of a 7-day services. In my view this is essential as none of us can plan to be ill or involved in an accident only Monday to Friday.

There has obviously been the much publicised issue over the new Junior Doctor contracts but I believe this provides a fair deal for junior doctors ,as did their negotiators at the BMA a few months ago ,and therefore the strike action called has been completely irresponsible, putting patient lives at risk. The junior doctors' representatives , the BMA should be putting patient’s first not playing politics in a way that will be immensely damaging for vulnerable patients. What's more, the BMA must be the first union in history to call for strike action against a deal they themselves negotiated and said was a good one. The Government estimates that during the strike 125,000 operations will have to be cancelled, causing upset, misery and unnecessary suffering for many patients and their concerned families.

As far as I am aware, the Government is to proceed with the phased introduction of the exact contract that was negotiated, agreed and supported by the BMA leadership. So it will be phased in from October this year to October 2017.

Locally services have now been moved out of Ashby Hospital and the staff have been redeployed locally. Our local NHS have over the last few years been building up the Intensive Community Support service (ICS) which treats people in their homes. This is an approach I support as we would all rather be in our own homes than in a hospital and I do believe it helps older people recover more quickly and effectively.

I am still requesting the data regarding hospital use to see we have capacity in the area for those who need to be in a community hospital and I will continue to monitor the work of our local NHS services closely.

On a final note, as I write, Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected as Labour leader. Following this, NW Leics County Councillor Leon Spence has taken the courageous decision to resign from the Labour Party. Although we disagreed on several matters, I have always found Leon to be a moderate and effective Councillor and I believe it is sad for democracy that the Labour Party has moved so far to the extreme left that its moderate supporters feel they no longer have a place in the party.

LOCAL ADVERTISERS Since starting the business in January 2016, the family run Window & Door business’s moto has been “Use the best materials, do the best job, every time” and business owner Joe Betteridge says it’s been a busy, exciting few months so far.

Joe has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and says that although it’s been hard work at times, starting his own business has been the best decision he’s made. “More than anything, it means that I choose how the business operates and since quality, reliability and excellent value for money matter to me, I make sure that all of my customers receive exactly that”.

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