May 2018 - Ashby & Measham Community Eye

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ASHBY & MEASHAM

MAY 2018

BUSINESS OWNER FINED £1,400

For Cutting Down Protected Trees And Will Have To Replace Them

OPEN GARDENS AND HERITAGE DAY Saturday 7th July - 11am-5pm

KRISTIANA GROZA Wins Young Person Of The Year 2018 Award

FREE WI-FI TO BE INSTALLED In Ashby And Coalville

Using Pure Water, We Clean: Gutters and Fascias, Barge Boards, Windows & Conservatories, Garage Doors Our Chimney Sweeping Services: Power & Traditional Brush Sweeping, Stove Cleaning & Servicing, Door Seal & Rope Replacement, Smoke Testing, Cowl Fitment

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Latest News From...

Be Litter Free And Live A More Animal Friendly Lifestyle There has been a lot in the media in recent months regarding litter and, more particularly, the large quantities of plastics in our seas.

Litter of any sort is unsightly but it has now been acknowledged that it is dangerous, not only to us humans but to the wildlife and animals who share our world.

Although this is an issue that should be solved with world governments working together, locally individuals can bring about greater and more immediate changes to their environment. If we all refrained from discarding unwanted items wherever we happen to be, then there would be a marked difference in our local environment. Now I’m not for one minute saying that anyone reading this article is a litterer - but this litter comes from somewhere. I have never really wanted to get into the mind of people who treat our world with such indifference – that’s a dangerous place to go – but how can people simply thrown their litter where they are instead of taking it home to discard properly? This unsightly mess left in our beauty spots is a potential hazard for wildlife. I was speaking to someone the other day who told me about a sparrow pulling at a piece of plastic, as it gathered nesting materials.

Watching BBC Blue Planet 2 series

we can see this on the cliffsides where young seabirds in their nests are surrounded by our waste materials, some clearly entangled.

If we all took a greater pride in our environment, animals wouldn’t suffer: The shy, unassuming hedgehogs that become entangled in the plastic can holders often aren’t found early so have suffered before they can be helped. The ducks and swans along our waterways with discarded fishing line and hooks embedded in wounds, struggling to survive, are equally hard to catch in time. The broken glass left indiscriminately causes untold damage to paws and, when there is a hot spell, starts fires which harm and kill greater numbers of wildlife. All of this is avoidable if we all disposed of our waste with more care. The propensity to litter takes on an altogether more concerning situation when fly-tippers choose to dump their accumulated rubbish indiscriminately in beauty spots, grass verges and in farm gateways. Is it laziness? If not, what is it?

Recycle whatever you can.

Many years ago, spurred on by a fabulous article in Gardeners’ World magazine, I built 4 “Buggingham Palaces” with various groups of youngsters using materials we gathered from family and friends. These items included odd bricks (whole or otherwise), tiles, stones and broken terracotta pots, 3 pallets and then twigs and branches after a bout of pruning. These “Palaces” have

become much visited and used environments for frogs, toads, newts and all manner of minibeasts to shelter and nest in. It is not just a means of tidying and recycling but a way of ensuring there are habitats for a myriad of animals and creatures to thrive in. Visitors to our garden are amazed at the way we have made this feature and the signs of life in evidence around it. There are 2 opportunities for members of the public to visit (see the flyer) as we open our garden twice each year in aid of the Woodside. The bird box in our garden with a camera in it, is currently the focus of frenetic nest building with the blue tit parents gathering the cat fur that we have placed into old bird feeders for the birds to use. Have you put your cat fur collection out yet to help the birds?

On another recycling note, with spring, comes spring cleaning and what better way than to have a tidy at home and then take any items to a charity shop to sell to raise much-needed funds? Recycling on another level! We have RSPCA Charity shops in Coalville, Wigston, Birstall and Melton and we are always looking out for quality castoffs. All the money raised through the charity shops, including the Giftaid kindly signed up for by our supporters, comes to Woodside to help us to provide for the needs of the animals in our care. Below, I’ve listed a few other ways that you can help the environment and animals.

• Unwanted gifts are always appreciated by us at Woodside as prizes for the tombolas we hold to raise funds.

• Any coins, even foreign money, can be cashed in by Woodside adding extra funds to help the animals.

• Make sure that no one in your family ever drops litter. Help us to spread the word.

• Talk to your family about recycling.

Can your family recycle more of your rubbish/unwanted items? Can you start a compost bin for your vegetable waste?

• Recycle your old towels and blankets - bring them to Woodside so that we can use it as bedding for the animals in our care.

• Check that your cosmetics, shower and bath care items and household cleaning items are animal friendly – and that the bottles are recyclable!

• Visit one of our charity shops to increase our sales, and ultimately our funds.

• Look after the wildlife in your garden – make sure that your garden is litter-free and as animal friendly as possible. (Please don’t forget about the minibeasts) Ruth Lane Chairman of RSPCA Leicestershire based at Woodside Animal Centre

Open Garden in aid of

Woodside Animal Centre

44 Triumph Road, Glenfield, Leicester.

LE3 8FS £1 admission (accompanied children under 12 free)

Fundraising stall, plant stall Garden hunt for children, Tombola, Refreshments, Sandwich Lunches

Sunday 13th May and Sunday 15th July 11 am – 4pm For further details contact via kennels 2336677 Please do not bring dogs to this event -resident pets!

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Open Gardens And Heritage Day The historic village of Griffydam welcomes you to an Open Gardens and Heritage day on Saturday July 7th, from 11.00am to 5.00pm Explore our glorious gardens and follow the heritage trail on a fascinating journey through Griffydam’s past and present. Visit our exhibitions of village artefacts, and of work by local artists. Refreshments and plant sales.

Garden passports £2.00 per adult, children free; heritage trail leaflets free. Both available in advance from Ashby tourist office (01530 4111767), or Griffydam school (01530 222281), or on the day.

For further details contact secretary@gcg.gmail.com

Castle Medical Group News Are You A Carer?

Come Along To Our Event During National Carer’s Week (11th – 15th June 2018)

Deadline Date: 14th June Delivery Date: 25th June Deadline and delivery dates are subject to change without prior notice. _________________________________________

Following last year’s success Jayne Buxton, our Carer’s Champion together with our PPG have expanded our Carer’s Event to three mornings with the following companies coming along to offer help and advice:

LEAFLET DELIVERY & PRINTING

Tuesday, 12 June from 10:30-12:30 • VASL • iCare Meals on Wheels – offering free samples • Fire fighters • Age UK • Hospice Hope • Ashby Museum – introducing memory boxes

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Wednesday, 13 June from 10:30-12:30 • Grace Dieu Meals – offering free samples • Age UK • Carer’s Mindful Writing • Leicestershire Adult Social Care with their Carer’s Officer • Hospice Hope • Ashby Museum – introducing memory boxes • Christians Against Poverty Thursday, 14 June from 10:30-12:30 • Age UK • Jessica from Ashby Physiotherapy introducing physioled keep fit and balance exercise classes for over • 60’s held here at the Castle Medical Group on a Monday afternoon.

• LOROS • Leicestershire Adult Social Care with their Carer’s Officer • Hospice Hope • Maxine Silk Lic.Ac a fully qualified traditional acupuncturist who holds clinics here at Castle Medical • Group on a Wednesday and Friday.

• Christians Against Poverty

Ashby Royal British Legion News Ashby Branch of the Royal British Legion recently elected its first female Chairman! Valerie GaleCox has been a Legion member for over thirty years and delivered poppies to schools for twenty years. She also used to give talks about poppies and their relevance to Remembrance Day whilst running poetry competitions in many of the district’s schools. Valerie has changed Branch meetings to a bi-monthly rota and the time to 1930 to enable people to have their evening meal before attending. Meetings are now on the first Tuesday of the following months – Dec. Feb. April June Sept. Oct. and Dec. with the A.G.M. taking place after the Oct. meeting.

Meetings are held at the Ivanhoe Social Club and new members would be warmly welcome. On June 30th we shall commemorate Armed Forces day at Willesley Wood and we would be delighted if you could join us. Should you require further details please contact me on 01530 417087.

Crafts and Hobbies Fair Saturday 9th June 10.00am - 2.00pm Come and be inspired!

Painting, pyrography, lacemaking, embroidery, gardening, motorcycling, quilting, baking, birdwatching, collections (including of old Ashby), jigsaws, music making …… and much more!

Try out our ‘Have a go’ tables Teas, coffees, cakes Ashby Baptist Church, Brook Street, LE65 1HA

CARERS WANTED Start your career in care You can make a difference…

Grandad‛s carers work FLEXIBLE hours are KIND and CARING and Have EXCELLENT training

FREE tea, coffee and biscuits will be served sponsored

by Tesco’s.

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. Autism Jane Addison, our Autism Champion organised an Autism Coffee Morning in April. This was a great success and we hope to hold further events.

Visit our website at www.castlemedicalgroup.co.uk and remember to like us on Facebook for more information.

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Grandad’s Carers work for a reputable Company with 25 years experience of delivering care Get in touch…

Call us on: 01455292648 Email:

managementteam@givecare.co.uk www.bosworthhomecare.co.uk

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The Venture Jazz Club The Aces of Rhythm Jazz Band

Measham Community Library

At the Venture Theatre, North Street, Ashby

Opening Hours: Tuesday 10-7pm

Tickets £10 from Ashby TIC Tel 01530 411767

Thursday 10-1pm Friday 10-5pm

or Ken Ward Tel 01530 589268

Saturday 10-1pm

The band features Matt Palmer on reed and Jon Penn on Piano playing music from the 1920's another great night!

Amenities:

• Tea, coffee, biscuits & cold drinks.

• Use of computers • Rooms to hire at reasonable rates.

Ashby Museum News Update

We are always looking for

volunteers, so come to the library or contact us via details below.

Measham Museum & History Group Stanfield’s General Drapers Stores 1840 Stanfield’s Shop next to the Chapel in Bosworth Road were originally cottages built around c1790. Later these were owned and converted to shops by the Stanfield family, the property and business stayed with the Family until 1982. The shop on the far right was run by Luke and Lottie Liggins.

Like everyone else, the Museum volunteers were very sorry to hear of the death of Gillian Petzan.

She was a good friend to the Museum and she left us some items, including the famous Santa Claus post box, which we will put on display this Christmas. We have also taken some photographs of the inside of the toy shop (Bobby White’s), which will be on our website before too long.

There have been really positive reviews of Julie Barnett’s art work in the Loudoun Gallery. The exhibition comes to an end at the beginning of June, to be followed by a two month display on local archaeology. This is part of the National Archaeology Fortnight held in July.

Places on our two town history walks are steadily being filled.

There is still room for a few more so if you would like to spend an enjoyable evening finding out about Ashby’s rich history do get in touch, either by calling in to the Museum or calling on 01530 560090 to book a place. On Wednesday July 4th, Ken Hillier leads a Spa Town walk focussing on the development of the Ivanhoe Baths and the Hastings Hotel – later to be renamed the Royal Hotel. Then, on Wednesday August 8th, Robert Jones will lead a general town history walk.

Both walks start at the Museum at 7.00pm and cost £4.

The Museum needs visitors to keep us going, have you heard of the RECHABITES ? we have a small display about them, also volunteers are needed to help man the Museum during opening times, if you think this is of interest to you call in for a chat see what it’s all about or phone the number below. www.Meashammuseum.btck.co.uk Stuart Perkins Measham Museum Tel 01530 271724

Mondays: Tai Chi 7pm-8.30pm Tuesdays: Knit-n-Stitch 10.30am Yoga 7.30pm-9pm Wednesdays: Stroke and Disability group 1pm-3pm

Thursdays: Walking group meet outside at 10.30am

Protecting Your Family’s Inheritance

Fridays:

Most people hope that their estate will pass on to their children and grandchildren eventually. But this will not happen for many, unless careful arrangements have been made to protect their assets from being taken towards the end of their life to pay for care home fees.

11.30am for 0-4yrs

The solution to help protect your estate is a Will incorporating a Property Protection Trust (PPT). A testamentary PPT can only be executed whilst both partners remain alive. Upon death of the first partner, their Will specifies that their share of the property is placed into trust and names the ultimate beneficiary of this share, normally the children and grandchildren of the deceased. The surviving partner, under the terms of the Trust, has the unequivocal right to remain living in the property for the rest of their life. On the death of the second partner the Trust comes to an end and the property passes to the beneficiaries.

As the surviving partner does not own the deceased's share of the property it is fully protected for the beneficiaries, so if the surviving partner requires care, or even remarries, this share of the children's inheritance is protected. This last point can be of particular interest to couples who have come together and have children from different partners. A PPT can help each person in a relationship ensure that their children inherit their share of the property, while giving their surviving partner the ability to live in the property for the rest of their life.

If the surviving partner wants to move to another property they can still sell the property and the proceeds be used to purchase a new property; the terms of the Trust remain over the new property.

Westminster Law will assess your current circumstances and arrange the trust that will provide the best protection for you, your family and your assets.

Rhymetime and Tales 10.30-

Monthly meeting of the Book Club - contact the library for details.

Summer Reading Challenge: “Mischief Makers”

Starts: 7th July – 8th Sept.

We are happy to accept book donations.

Rooms available for hire at reasonable rates.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter www.MeashamLibrary.org.uk Contact Email:

meashamcomlibrary@gmail.com Tel: 01163053709 Registered Charity no 1167493

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Our normal low price for a standard single Will is £125, £195 for two.

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• Silver & Silver Plate • All interesting antiques, collectables & furniture.

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Variable opening hours please call to enquire

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Introducing Ashby African Drummers Ashby African Drummers is a community drumming group whose main aim is to teach mostly African rhythms to people of all ages and abilities on drums called djembes.

New Arrivals At Redgate!

Appeal For Willow Branches And Deciduous / Fruit Tree Cuttings On 3rd May two new “foraging friends” arrived at Regdate Farm Animal Sanctuary near Coalville; rescued goats Mum Ivy aged 3 years (with the red collar), and her little daughter Bramble aged 1 year. Ivy and Bramble are white British Saanen cross-breeds, both are very friendly and sociable. They are currently in 4 weeks’ quarantine in the winter pen, and in early June will be combined with our well-known herd of older goats.

Mum Ivy was brought in with a deformity and foot rot and had been in some pain for quite a while. Both goats are very thin and need to put weight on, so we are giving them high protein food and lots of fruit and vegetables and certain tree cuttings to chew on. So here comes the appeal: please, if you can, would you donate some fruit and vegetables; or if you have any clippings from the following trees (no other species please), we could use them too: Willow (all types) – Elder – Hazel – Hawthorne – Ash - Blackthorn – Apple – Lime - Eucalyptus. Goats especially love Willow; if you have clippings or branches please bring them to the Sanctuary.

We are lucky to be able to hold our fortnightly session at Moira Furnace (usually 7.30pm – 9.30pm), in a room that is wheelchair friendly and which has toilet facilities. In winter, the sessions are held inside one of the units and in the warmer months, we may sometimes drum outside.

No musical ability is required and our sessions are relaxing and fun. It is advisable to have some ear protection as obviously the drums can be quite loud. Ear plugs, ear defenders, nice hat, etc. can be used.

We have group drums that can be used but it is advisable to let us know you are coming by either emailing us on ashbydrummers@googlemail. com or by contacting Kaye Gillanders on 0777 2281699 or Annie Scotney on 07847 833668.

Normal sessions are £3.00 for everyone and we offer the first session FREE as a taster session. We occasionally have a guest teacher visiting, in which case the price may vary slightly. Under 14’s should be accompanied by an adult. Free tea/coffee.

With grateful thanks from all at Redgate. Telephone 01530 243 925 or Email: redgate@mail.org. Visit us any day between 12 noon and 3.30pm.

(N.B. Please do not bring conifers, evergreens, rhododendron or hydrangea, as these are poisonous and we cannot use them for animals).

Ashby Library Mega Book & DVD Sale!

Head over to Ashby library on North Street and bag yourself a bargain!

Our sale includes both adult and children stock and will be held from Saturday 5th of May until Saturday 2nd of June. Stock up your book shelves with popular authors and recent best sellers and check out our ex-rental DVDs and talking books too.

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

For more information call the library on: 0116 3055917.

Or email: ashbydelazouchlibrary@leics.gov.uk

Business Owner Fined £1,400 For Cutting Down Protected Trees And Will Have To Replant Them Fourteen mature trees illegally hacked down by a Measham business owner must be replanted, a court has ordered.

Stuart Andrews, the owner of Andrews Haulage in Swepstone Road, Measham, will also pay a £100 fine per tree after ignoring a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) that was in place to protect them.

Andrews pled guilty at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 16 May, but his defence claimed he was unaware that the trees were protected and that he had attempted to establish if this was the case but was unable to do so.

North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) was able to show that the information about the TPO was readily available and that it was passed to the planning agent who was acting on behalf of Mr Andrews as the developer.

The preservation order was originally in place from 1986 to protect a mixture of horse chestnut, sycamore and silver birch trees were at the time of being cut down approximately 40 years old and contributed to the visual screening of the industrial looking haulage yard in the countryside.

The court fined Andrews a total of £1,400 and ordered him to pay costs of £622.87 and a victim surcharge of £140. Fourteen new mature trees must also be replanted in place of those that were cut down.

Fifty Fantastic Females Update 20 soldiers out of the 50 soldiers have now been taken. The photo's above show the fantastic 'Alice Hawkins ' and Agnes Baden Powell from Castle Rock High School and Coalville Guides. For more information on how to get involved please email Deana at 07974260453 or go onto the Hero Project website at www.theheroproject.org.uk

Councillor Alison Smith MBE, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community Services at NWLDC, said: “There must be a balance between preserving the natural beauty of our district and helping businesses to grow and thrive. In this case information was clearly available to show that these 14 trees were protected and provided an important green screen between the business and the road. This case shows that people won’t get away with ignoring planning rules and chopping down trees as and when they please. Planning regulations are there for a reason and the council will take action against anyone who ignores them.”

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The most authentic Italian and American pizzas are prepared here in Ashby de la Zouch for you to order for collection or delivery.

Established since 1988, years of experience and numerous quality cuisine commendations have confirmed our long term excellence!

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Ashby Civic Society Report

Ashby Inside Out

Ashby Civic Society is not just about campaigning and new housing plans.

We learn about unusual topics from our monthly Speakers and enjoy an evening with friends, often with wine or cakes included. We also produce a regular newsletter with details of Planning and monthly Speaker’s details which we can email if you are not able to attend the meetings.

Saturday 1st September 2018 10.00am – 4.00pm - Coxons Mews Organisers – Ashby Toolbox, Coxons Mews 01530 560128

At this month’s AGM we had stars in our eyes when Dr Onions gave a fascinating talk on Galaxies – not the chocolate ones. We were advised not to worry about the galaxy collision between Andromeda and our own Milky Way as it is 25 million years away and that no one was in danger yet of falling down a black hole. Modern,million pound telescopes are discovering previously unknown galaxies with clearer definition than ever before. We have come a very long way from the original solar tuning fork classifications which determined whether galaxies were spiral, elliptical, irregular or just misty and with little knowledge of their trajectory. Dr Onions kept us fascinated with his world of outer space and was inundated with questions from members.

The evening ended with cheese and wine and a summary of Planning, other news about Ashby and a copy of our newsletter. For more information please just Google ‘Ashby Civic Society’ or call Margaret on 01530 412410 on how to join us for a very reasonable £10 a year.

We’re proud to be launching an ongoing campaign the aim of which is to let everyone know all the great things that are on your doorstep in our unique Market Town. Whilst our town is increasing in size at a rapid rate with huge growth in residential areas, we believe this is the perfect time to remind those who may have forgotten, and educate those who never knew that Ashby is thriving!

We’re lucky to have a fantastic main street with instantly recognisable businesses, but these are the tip of the iceberg. Ashby’s distinctive layout features so many Courtyards, Mews, Passes and in these, many specialist businesses that you may not have discovered.

We’re on a mission, to let you know what you might be missing. Our independent retailers and businesses cover every sector you can think of and are really keen to share their expertise and show you what they offer.

We’re planning an exciting event at the end of the Summer but in the meantime we’ve got some great activities to introduce you to and local people for you to meet. Help us spread the word and open the lid on Secret Ashby.

Reasons to celebrate Ashby:

• There is a lot of specialist knowledge on your doorstep that you may be unaware of

• As well as the out of town developments by National retailers, Ashby de la Zouch is still a thriving market town

• Make your life easier by saving yourself the effort of a trip to the city by finding everything you need in town

• Supporting small businesses ensures the unique town we live in will thrive

• Each businesses owner is a specialist in their area – they love finding solutions for customers – use them!

• Shopping in town is very often much cheaper than shopping in high street chains, and you get the benefit of specialist knowledge when you need it

• Let’s not become an empty high street where people pass through without stopping

Follow the Ashby Inside Out event on Facebook.

Ivanhoe Student Council Needs Your Support Our student council, earlier in the year, put together a proposal to fundraise and develop a new outdoor seating and learning area.

They said, “Buying and landscaping better seating areas on the playground will allow us as students more time with friends at lunchtime.

This would benefit us in the long term as we will be able to improve and develop our social skills which will help us in our future jobs and careers.

Having accessible seating areas outside would also encourage students to spend more time outside- to make Ivanhoe an even healthier and happier place to be. Finally, the seating area could also be used as an outdoor learning area ‘outdoor classroom’ to enhance our education and love of learning.”

They have worked hard on their fundraising efforts and have so far raised over £1800 with non-uniform days, raffles, cake sales, and bids to local businesses. Their efforts have managed to also secure the promise of a sizeable grant from the Thomas Harley’s Charities Educational Grant However, this is a match funded offer and so they still need to raise another £1600 to receive this amount.

We are asking the businesses and community of Ashby to consider donating (even a small amount) to help our students achieve their goal. We have a just giving page(www.gofundme.com/ivanhoecollegestudentcouncil), or any donations can also be dropped at reception or handed to students or staff.

Thank you in advance for your kind support.

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Free Wi-Fi To Be Installed In Ashby And Coalville Shoppers and visitors to the market towns of Coalville and Ashby-de-laZouch will soon be able to access free Wi-Fi from their mobile devices.

North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) is investing approximately £90,000 in the Wi-Fi, which is proven to bring benefits to businesses and improve the shopping, recreational and tourist experience of those that visit towns, increasing footfall in the process.

The contract to install and provide the free Wi-Fi for the next five years was last week awarded to InTechnology Wi-Fi. It is hoped the new service will be up and running by the end of the year.

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The benefits of free public Wi-Fi include:

• Users save on their mobile data and associated charges, which encourages people to stay longer in town centres

• Businesses can more effectively use the web as a marketing tool to attract customers

• It becomes easier for people to navigate through the towns and find the shops, restaurants and venues they are looking for

• The landing page of the free Wi-Fi can be used to promote town centres, events, attractions or business offers.

• NWLDC can use data to monitor footfall trends in the town.

The decision to introduce the free Wi-Fi comes after significant research that shows its value to town centres.

Some of the key facts that arose from the research include:

• The 2016 Leicestershire Market Towns research report identified Wi-Fi as being a ‘must have’ for market towns to meet the expectations of consumers

• The Great British High Street's Digital High Street 2020 report,

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• The Office for National Statistics has reported that 73 per cent of

adults in Great Britain in 2017 access the internet 'on the go' using a mobile phone or smartphone - compared to 36 per cent in 2011.

The approximate value of the five-year contract, including installation, is £90,000. NWLDC will meet much of this cost but has secured funding of £15,000 from Leicestershire County Council and £5,000 from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

Councillor Tony Gillard, Portfolio Holder for Business at North West Leicestershire District Council, said: “We’re always looking for ways to improve the experience for visitors to our market towns and extensive research showed offering free Wi-Fi can have benefits for businesses, shoppers and tourists. We want our businesses to be able to trade and compete in the 21st century and to use their online footprint to attract customers. Once up-and-running shoppers wanting to find the nearest cafe, clothes shop, book store or restaurant can log into the free Wi-Fi to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. This is very much a longterm investment for us, boosted by funding from Leicestershire County Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), which we believe will increase footfall, trade and the visitor experience in both Coalville and Ashby into the future.”

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Ashby & Measham Community Clubs & Groups Age UK Measham - Hall in High St open 10.00am-12.00pm MondayFriday. Drop in for tea, coffee,toast or just come for a chat. Come with a friend or on your own and meet others. Very friendly. Monthly lunch also available. We would love to see you.

Ashby & Coalville Lions Club - Lynda 07735407637 - We are group of men and women who meet at The White Hart, Market Street, Ashby on the 2nd Monday of the month at 7.30pm. There is also a social meeting towards the end of every month, when we meet together as friends. We raise funds through various events, and support a variety of charitable causes. Our biggest annual event takes place on a Monday morning in September, when we invite about 600 children from Special Schools to the Ashby Statutes Fair. If you are interested in helping your community, why not get in touch or come along to find out what we get up to?

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 2.00pm-4.00pm. Meetings involve speakers, meal sout,and general chat.

Ashby African Drummers - Kaye Gillanders 07772281699 ashbydrummers@googlemail.com - Check us out on Facebook. We are a community based group and meet once a fortnight on a Wednesday from 7.30pm-9.30pm, at Moira Furnace, Furnace Lane, Moira, 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.

Ashby Allotments Association - www.ashbyallotments.org.uk - Visit our website for more details.

Ashby Art Club - 01530 412116 - www.ashbyartclub.org - We meet on Monday evenings at 7.00pm. Smisby Village Hall, Main Street, Smisby, LE65 2TY. Ashby Big Band - David 01530 458706 - 07886194993 ashbybigband@aol.com - www.ashbybigband.com Ashby Bowls Club - info@ashbybowlsclub.co.uk - www. ashbybowlsclub.co.uk - The Green, Bath Grounds, Ashby, LE65 1BJ. Ashby Bridge Club - Ann 01530 458110 - www.bridgewebs.com/ ashby - Held at Hood Park Leisure centre every week Monday and Thursday evenings, Wednesday afternoons (all duplicate), Friday mornings social bridge. Aimed at all levels of bridge player. Friendly and welcoming.

Ashby Chess Club - Neil Roberts 01530 455957 - 07804743471 - njhammer@ntlworld.com - Chess club open to adults and juniors.

Juniors start at 6.15pm and Adults start at 7.15pm. Meets every Thursday at Ivanhoe Social Club, Wilfrid Place, off Bath Street, Ashby, LE65 2GW. Ashby Civic Society - Margaret Mabey 01530 412410 - kenward. ashby@gmail.com - We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the Month at 7:30pm at Heritage Centre, St. Helens Church, South Street, Ashby, LE65 1AA. Ashby Croquet Club - Rupert 01530 272833 - www. ashbycroquetclub.org.uk - The New Season starts on Sunday 26th March on our 3 lawns situated at Moira Miners Welfare DE12 6BP (opposite Conkers Waterside). We play on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Please phone or visit the website if you want more details. New players always welcome.

Ashby De La Zouch Hastings Rotary Club - Paul Bertenshaw 01530 560807 - 07905848981 - bertp900@yahoo.co.uk - We are a Rotary Club whose members meet every Thursday evening to enjoy friendship and banter, whilst also helping those less fortunate than ourselves in our local, national and international communities.

Ashby Meditation - Irene 01530414290 - www.tarakmc.org - Come and join us at our weekly Buddhist meditations and talks offering practical advice to help with our daily lives, every Thursday from 7th

June to 19th July at 7.30pm in Legion House, South Street, Ashby, LE65 1BQ. No need to book. Seating on chairs £6 per class.

Ashby Tennis Club - Chris Hawkins - 07801312389 - www.acltc.co.uk Ashby Tennis Club in South Street, Ashby, LE65 1BQ. Our members play all year round. Turn up and play, groups and coaching for all ages and abilities. New members always welcome.

Ashby U3A - Anne Donegan 01283 760348 - secretary@ashbyu3a. co.uk - Congregational Church, Kilwardby Street, Ashby, LE65 2FQ. Ashby Writers’ Club - David Bell 01530 413371 - Ashby Writers’ Club meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, 7.30pm9.30pm at Congregational Church, Kilwardby St, Ashby, LE65 2FQ. Membership: £10 per annum. Visitors are welcome at a nominal fee of £4 per speaker meeting, £3 per comp/manuscript meeting (includes coffee or tea).

First Rate Music Theatre Company - Ruth Hamm - 07981548634 firstratemusictheatre@gmail.com - We are an established, independent Music Theatre Company, meeting every Wednesday evening at an award winning venue in Measham. £7.50 per week. Anyone aged between 7 and 30 years old is welcome to join us. Enthusiasm and love of music theatre is required.

Measham Bowls Club - Denise Davidson 07742777461 - denise_ davidson1@sky.com - High Street, Measham, Swadlincote, DE12 7HR Measham Karate Club - 07761131043 - meashamkarateclub@gmail. com - www.meashamkarateclub.co.uk Measham Museum & History Group - Stuart Perkins - 01530 271724 - Admission £1. Opening hours, Tuesdays 10am-12pm, 2pm-4pm, Thursday 2pm-4pm, Saturdays 10am-12pm. Children admitted FREE when accompanied by adult and by special request in advance for parties. Off Mannings Terrace, High Street, Measham, DE12 7HU. Measham Townswomen’s Guild - Measham Townswomen’s Guild usually meet every second Monday in the month at Age Concern, High Street, Measham at 7:00pm. On Monday 11th June Berryfields Florists will be coming along to talk about and demonstrate floral arrangements. Guests are welcome to come along to join in the friendship and fun.

Measham Welfare Football Club - Paul - 07584045318 - enquires@ meashamwelfarefc.com - www.meashamwelfarefc.com - Or follow us on Facebook. We are a FA Charter Club located at Measham Leisure Centre. Our aim is to offer boys and Girls of all ages and abilities, Long-term Football player development, in a safe and secure learning environment, with fun being at the forefront to everything we do. The club also runs to adult teams that play in the Leicestershire league. Our open training sessions are: Girls Only Tuesday 5.00pm-7.00pm. Mixed Tuesday 6.00pm-7.00pm (9 to 12 years). Mixed Friday 5pm to 6pm (5 to 8 years).

National Forest Taekwon-do - 07795 276302 - www. nationalforesttaekwondo.co.uk - Clubs in Netherseal and Measham Table Tennis - Sue 01530 587919 - Local club invites new members, 50 years plus, for Monday session 2.00pm-4.00pm at Swannington Village Hall commencing May. Cost £2.00 per session.

The Ashby Probus Club - Clive Caulfield 01530 416197. 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.

The Trinity Badminton Club - 07801700664 - The club is a small friendly club of average ability (non league) meeting Monday evenings at Holy Trinity Church Hall, off Kilwardby Street, Ashby from 7.30pm9.00pm. We play from January to May then September to December.

New members always welcome.

Venture Theatre - Ken Ward 01530 589268 - www. ashbyventuretheatre.org.uk - The Theatre is open on Monday evenings from 8.00pm for anyone interested in joining or having a look round, everyone welcome. North Street, Ashby, LE65 1HS. For ticket sales please call Ashby Tourist Office on 01530 411767.

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Young Person Of The Year 2018 Award - Kristiana Groza At the age of 8 I moved to England from Latvia to live with a father I had never met. I didn’t speak any English, as a result of this I did not attend school for a year. When I did start, I still was completely unable to speak any English – this was a terrifying prospect. It took me two years to finally feel comfortable and confident enough to take part in a conversation.

All children and young adults want to feel accepted and included, especially at such a young age and for me, I was the ultimate outsider, locked in a bubble of incomprehension.

When I moved up to High School, I began to misbehave. I stopped caring about doing the chores or studying for education, I had no care in myself or anyone around me. My studies suffered tremendously! As a result of this, I left school with no qualifications, no motivation and no desire to do anything. I met Deana at the age of 14, and at this point I was at complete rock bottom. Deana encouraged me to do some volunteering with her. Initially I was really resistant to the idea, I could think of much better things to do with my time but, luckily for me, Deana persisted. She finally was able to convince me to take part and I can honestly say that in doing so, she saved my life.

I began small, with little community events like family fun days and the occasional regular club at The Sir John Moore Foundation. I was responsible for keeping small children entertained, for making teas and coffees for elderly coffee mornings and helped to ensure things ran smoothly. This escalated into volunteering at a festival which over 10,000 people attended. I helped to run a conference who Richard Gerver attended. I have also overcome my silence and started to do public speaking, most recently at Stephenson College for The Co-Op Membership meeting, encouraging young people to get involved in volunteering.

Currently I am working with ‘The Hero Project’ training to become a ‘Think Engineer,’ which will help me and others in our future and future careers. I would like to be able to go into schools and help to develop the mind set of young people to help them achieve their dreams. Many young people struggle to even dare to set goals, the fear of failure often feels too great – I should know as I was one of them. However, since achieving this award has helped me to realise that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. I want to help generations of future leaders to realise that they too can achieve anything they want to be or do.

Deana was responsible of the nomination for all the volunteering I have produced. Finding out that someone had recognised the change that I had made in myself and how hard I work for the community filled me with an incredible sense of pride, something I never thought I would get to when I began my journey here in the UK. I would just like to say a BIG thank you to Deana Wildgoose for nominating me for the Young Person Of The Year 2018 award.

Would you believe me if I told you I won? I can hardly believe it either, but I did! I was utterly speechless, and so surprised, there were so many other worthy candidates nominated for this award. I couldn’t believe I had been chosen. I was afraid to hold the trophy initially – what if I dropped it? What if they told me there had been a mistake? But no, I had won! I was overwhelmed with pride, at how hard I had worked to overcome my earlier difficulties and so pleased of my accomplishments, and now I can’t wait to help others to realise that if they believe in themselves, they too, can achieve anything they set their mind to!

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Taxi Standards Under Scrutiny In East Midlands Airport Spot Checks An unlicensed taxi driver had his vehicle seized while another had his licence suspended during spot checks near East Midlands Airport.

North West Leicestershire District Council’s (NWLDC) licensing team, Leicestershire Police, the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), and HM Revenues and Customs joined forces to check 74 taxis near to East Midlands Airport on Thursday 26 April.

They were also supported by licensing officers from eight other councils in the surrounding areas, as the airport attracts vehicles from across the Midlands. Seven of the 74 taxis were found to have serious defects.

Officers found that one driver was not licensed to drive the taxi he was in, which resulted in police officers seizing the vehicle.

One North West Leicestershire driver had his licence suspended on the spot for a host of issues which included:

• No spare tyre or inflation kit • Evidence of smoking in the vehicle

• A defective headlight • An out of date first aid kit • A spent fire extinguisher that hadn’t been replaced.

Four prohibitions were also issued for failing to have tyres that meet safety requirements, meaning the drivers will need to have the offending tyres replaced within seven days and provide evidence of this. A further vehicle was found to have serious accident damage.

Vehicles were tested in a number of ways to ensure they complied

with safety and licensing laws.

These included everything from tyre and light checks to fuel samples, which were tested by the HM Revenues and Customs team.

Councillor Alison Smith MBE, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community Services at NWLDC, said: “Taxi drivers have a responsibility to ensure passengers get to their destinations safely and the vast majority take this seriously and look after their vehicles. There are always exceptions though and it’s was good to see so many authorities working together to ensure that the high safety expectations are being met. A taxi driver is a profession where safety has to be the priority, and as we saw today we have no hesitation in suspended the licences of those that don’t comply. I hope this serves as a warning to other taxi drivers – make sure your vehicle and licence is up to scratch or risk losing your livelihood.”

Inspector Ivan Odell, from Leicestershire Police, said: “Officers from the East Midlands Airport Police Team - working alongside colleagues from NWLDC’s licensing team, the DVSA and HM Revenues and Customs - undertook a very successful operation aimed at ensuring that taxis operating in the area of East Midlands Airport are acting within the law and most importantly that they are safe for the travelling public to use. Whereas the vast majority of operators were safe and legal those who chose to operate otherwise will continue to be targeted and may face substantial penalties.”

Enforcement expert at DVSA Dell Evans said: “DVSA’s priority is to protect you from unsafe drivers and vehicles. “We work closely with local authorities, the police and other organisations to take unroadworthy or illegal taxis off the road. By working together with organisations such as NWLDC, we can better tackle rogue vehicles, helping make Britain’s roads even safer.”

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Member Of Parliament

County Councillor

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

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

Andrew Bridgen

The situation in Syria have been making the headlines in recent days with British, French and American armed forces conducting co-ordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian Regime’s chemical weapons capability and deter their use. I have in the past been sceptical about taking military action in Syria, however in this case, I believe the Syrian Regime’s use chemical weapons dictated that we had to act quickly to destroy their capability and deter their use.

What the debate about these military strikes has done is expose the dangerous foreign policy of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party, who wish to hand-over our foreign and defence policy to the United Nations, which effectively gives Russia and veto over it.

This is something I raised in Parliament last week asking the Prime Minister to ‘agree that it is unfortunately clear that some who claim to support the introduction of a War Powers Bill actually wish to see the introduction of a “No War Powers Bill”, the main beneficiary of which would be countries and groups around the world whose interests and values are diametrically opposed to ours? Ultimately, that would make the world a far more dangerous place.’

The issue of the Windrush generation has also been making headlines recently. This isn’t an issue that came up in my casework, so I was surprised to hear of the action being taken by the Home Office. The fact is Commonwealth citizens who settled here before 1973 have a right to live in the UK. The overwhelming majority have the documents they need, but there are some who, through no fault of their own, unfortunately do not.

Those are the people the Government are working hard to help now. A new dedicated team is being set up to help these people evidence their right to be here and access services, and it will aim to resolve cases within two weeks, once the evidence has been put together. The Home Office needs to act swiftly to resolve this matter and I am pleased that urgent action is being taken. For Jeremy Corbyn to try to make political capital from this situation is cynical, when as the PM has stated, it was the last Labour Government who ordered the shredding of their entry documents.

This month also saw the keys handed over to tenants of the first new Council houses built in this District in nearly 3 decades with two houses and four bungalows

being built on North West Leicestershire District Councilowned sites at Linford Crescent and Verdon Crescent in Coalville.

A further 11 new homes will be handed over to the council in June at Linford Crescent with more to follow in both Ashby and on the site of the old Police Station in Coalville off Ashby Road.

Our District Council has the ability to do this because it has effectively managed budgets and wisely used the new home bonus, received from Central Government. It is also freezing the District Council element of the Council Tax for the ninth year running. This goes to show what can be achieved by balancing budgets as opposed to the reckless tax and spend policies pursued by Jeremy Corbyn and his comrades.

I was very pleased last month to hand over 2 cheques from national newspapers to local branches British Legion as compensation for a libellous story they ran against me some months ago after they admitted the story they ran was completely untrue. Having been a victim of the epidemic which is “fake news”, I do welcome the fact that the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is conducting an inquiry into the increased prevalence of news sourced from the internet and social media which is inaccurate.

As part the new digital charter, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is also considering the prevalence of 'fake news' and the role that social media platforms play in the news environment. The Government is creating a new 'fake news' response team, which will enhance ongoing efforts to ensure that false or inaccurate news reporting is responded to rapidly and that public debate is as far as possible based on facts.

The team will act as an extension of the Government's existing media monitoring and press office arrangements, to deal quickly with disinformation and reclaim a fact-based public debate and that can only be a good thing.

Unfortunately with the prevalence of Social Media “ a lie can be half way round the world before the truth has even got it’s boots on”.

Sean Sheahan

Preventing Potholes Some of us on Leicestershire County Council have repeatedly warned that year after year of austerity will create false economies, with cuts leading to more expensive problems down the line. This month, we might start to believe we’re being taken notice of, after the Council announced that it is earmarking an extra £5 million for repairing Leicestershire’s roads. The money will be used to prevent more potholes and ramp-up the long-lasting resurfacing programme to stop defects occurring in the first place.

Last winter was particularly harsh on the roads and according to the latest figures, across Leicestershire there are around 1,760 outstanding patching jobs needed to address potholes and other defects. The telling fact is that this figure is growing by around 20 each week, suggesting that County Highways are struggling to stay on top of the work.

Certainly, this last winter bought things to a head, with the County Council receiving three times as many calls about potholes in January compared to January 2017. The current line from County Highways is that each piece of preventive work can stop up to 25 potholes forming.

The extra £5 million has been made available from returns on investments, including properties purchased by the County Council over the last year, yet with national funding reductions expected to reduce the money available for spending on road maintenance by £7 million by 2020, problems still lie ahead.

Given the underlying funding pressures and the possibility that the use of investment returns to cover day-to-day expenditure may not be sustainable, it is not clear whether the new preventive maintenance programme is a part of a longer-term strategy or a stopgap measure to give some relief to the hard-pressed pothole fillers.

Whatever the reasoning, this move towards preventive work in highway maintenance does

indicate a small outbreak of common sense at County Hall.

If only it would spread to other service areas, like Children’s Centres, which do vital preventive work, and yet so many are under threat of closure...

Planning Call-In Rights Something I’ve been pressing North West Leicestershire District Council to do for over two years looks set to be agreed as part of the council’s Planning Peer Review.

It involves a change to call-in rights on planning applications, allowing neighbouring ward members to request that a contentious application is put before the planning committee for a decision.

Consider the huge wind turbine just to the south of Measham.

Previously an application for a development such as this could only be called in to planning committee by the councillor for Appleby, as it’s in his ward. Even though the visual impact mainly affects Measham, the Measham councillor would not have been allowed to bring it to committee for a full debate.

Now this is set to change for the better, and although it may only seem like a minor change, it’s a major victory for local democracy.

HS2 And Housing In Measham Things have gone a bit quiet on HS2 – no announcement yet on how far the A42 will be moved towards Oakthorpe and news is still awaited on the engineering assessment of the Burton Road housing developer’s suggested diversion of the rail line to the rear of Plastic Omnium.

However, there has been movement on the reserve site for housing between Leicester Road and Ashby Road with a planning application having been submitted. I have previously received satisfactory assurances from planning officers that the local plan can be relied upon to prevent both this site and Burton Road being developed, which would overburden Measham with new housing. Nevertheless, the timing of the new application is interesting, and I shall be keeping a close watch on the situation.

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Send Your Entry To: The Barn Courtyard Competition, 42 Forest Rise, Kirby Muxloe, LE9 2HQ Terms & Conditions: Winner will be decided by The Barn Courtyard Management and will be final. Prize will be either a Premium King size room or Standard Double size room & dates subject to availability during May - July 2018. Closing date for entries is 25/6/18. Winner will be notified by 2/7/18.

Only the winner or close family relative may claim the prize & the room will need to be pre-booked quoting the code that will be on the prize voucher.

The Winner will be encouraged to post a review after their stay. Prize value up to £145 pending room available at time of booking. All entrants details will be added to the marketing database for post/email contact.