birstall post (387) october 2015

OCTOBER 2015 No. 387

the Birstall postY O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R

www.birstallpost.co.uk

A BIRSTALL mum and herseven year old daughterhave been helping to collectblankets, clothes, toys andother items for the migrantcrisis in Europe.

Cheryl Mudge and her daughter Simiwere watching the story on the TV newsat their Harrowgate Drive home. “Simistood up and said I’m going to pack abag of things for the refugees” saysCheryl.

“The way the refugees have to live isinhumane. It is difficult to even imagineseeing your children freezing and starv-ing and then seeing their parents suffer-ing” she added.

Cheryl and Simi, a pupil at Highcliffeschool, joined forces with her friendAnna Howard from Shepshed to organisea collection.

Cheryl said: “We ran the Birstallcampaign through Highcliffe school. Theschool’s head and staff were fully sup-portive and the response from the par-ents and children was totallyoverwhelming.

“We receivedfantastic dona-tions includingmany quilts,blankets, winterclothing, toys,food and toilet-ries.

“I am very

proud to live in acommunity that canpull together in thisway to help peoplein a crisis. What anamazing show of

kindness and compassion.”The campaign stated to help migrants

arriving in Greece but the items are nowbound for destinations across Europeand the Middle East.

Adele Hickling, Deputy Head teacherat Highcliffe school, said: “We weremore than happy to support such aworthwhile cause. The school stored theclothing etc until collection. Hugeamounts were received which was afantastic achievement, a great effort fromHighcliffe parents and friends, we arevery proud to have helped.”

Simi said: “I want to help becausethe refugees from the Middle East are indanger and many had to leave withnothing.

“So I want them to have warmclothes, blankets, toys and anything elsethey need. We’re really lucky because wehave so much and they have nothing.”

Crowdfuding.justgiving.com/anna-howard

A BIRSTALL GP practice hasbeen placed in ‘specialmeasures’ after being foundinadequate by inspectors.

Birstall Medical Centre on WhilesLane was inspected by the Care QualityCommission in May.

Their report states: “We found thatsignificant events had not been record-ed. A patient had contacted the practiceand had been promised a call backfrom a GP. The conversation with thepatient did not take place and the pa-tient died within 24 hours. This had notbeen logged as a significant event norinvestigated as such …”

The Inspectors looked at incomingmail at the surgery. The report states:“One of the letters dated May 7, 2015had been date stamped May 28, 2015and was from a consultant oncologiststating that the patient had a shortnumber of months to live and should be

Continued on page 3

Birstall GPpractice‘inadequate’

Collection for migrant crisis

Pic: Cheryl Mudge and her daughter Simi with some of the donated items;(inset) Syrian refugees

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OCT 2015THE BIRSTALL POST 3

referred to palliative care in the commu-nity. We looked at this patient’s recordand the letter had not been scanned onthe practice computer system and norwas there any evidence of action havingbeing taken in accordance with the let-ter.”

The Inspector examined one of theGP’s bags and found medicines thatwere out of date, having expired in De-cember 2014. They also looked at thepersonal files of four nurses at the prac-tice. The report states: “Records welooked at did not contain evidence thatappropriate recruitment checks hadbeen undertaken prior to employment.For example, proof of identification,references, no inductions, no healthinformation, or confirmation of registra-tion with the appropriate professionalbody.”

The Inspectors were told that lowstaffing levels had impacted on the deliv-ery of some services, such as healthchecks for patients aged 40-74 years,but that the practice had recruited staffrecently.

The report states that patients werepositive about their interactions withstaff and said they were treated withcompassion and dignity.

The CQC has identified several areaswhere the practice must make improve-ments, and will inspect the practiceagain in six months to check its per-formance.

The CQC says the practice should:• reduce the wait that patients experi-

ence in securing a non-urgent appoint-ment

• take steps to reduce the reliance onlocum GP cover to help ensure continui-ty of care.

Serinda Shergill, Business Manager atBirstall Medical Centre said: “The qualityand standard of care that we provide toour patients is of vital importance and inresponse to the inspection we immedi-ately reorganised our systems and re-cruited new clinical and non-clinicalstaff to facilitate improvements to thecare we provide to our patients to main-tain a safe, effective, caring, responsiveand well led GP service.”

A statement released by the surgerysays: “New clinical staff have been re-cruited to increase availability of ap-pointments for patients and to carry outpatient reviews and proactively managethe care of patients facing long termmanagement of a chronic disease. Allstaff are experienced and appropriatelyqualified to maintain high standards ofpatient care in particular for peoplewhose circumstances may make themvulnerable.

“This new structure is expected toenable better patient intervention, man-age appropriate referrals and developjoint and shared care plans.

“Formal governance arrangementsand robust systems are now in placeaddressing all primary medical serviceprocesses. We ensure a full investigationof serious incidents is undertaken andtake the knowledge and learning toprevent re-occurrence and ensure thesafety of our services, making them thebest they can be for all our patients.

“Doctors’ bags are checked on amonthly basis for expired drugs and alog maintained by a member of the clin-ical team. A new policy for incomingmail is in place to ensure it is dealt withand actioned accordingly by the clinicalnursing team and where appropriate,

forwarded to the GP.“The practice adheres to a com-

plaints policy and ensures that apologiesare given where necessary. Complaintsand significant events are dealt with bythe practice manager who carries out aninternal review and reports back toGP/staff at both clinical and full practicewith lessons learned, and then reportsback to the patient in a timely and ap-propriate manner.”

Serinda said: “It is encouraging thatthe CQC key findings indicated patientswere cared for in a well maintained andspacious environment that was equippedto meet their needs. Our patients werepositive about their interactions withstaff and said they were treated withcompassion and dignity and indicatedurgent appointments are usually availa-ble on the day they were requested. Wewill build on this, particularly workingwith our Patient Participation Group(PPG) to ensure the experience of pa-

tients and the patient voice is key to ourplanning.”

Edmund Chambers, who is the PPGChair, welcomed the changes that thepractice has implemented. He said: “ThePPG was obviously concerned at theareas that were identified as in need ofimprovement. We have discussed thebackground and reasons with the prac-tice, together with the steps that werebeing taken to address them. The Groupgives its full support to these measures,and was glad to note that a number ofthem were already in place. It acceptedthat some others would take longer toachieve and will carefully monitorprogress at its subsequent meetings.”

Comments from people on the Spot-ted Birstall facebook page include:

“I’ve just read the report and it’sawful, lost/misplaced records for pallia-tive care patients, information not beingpassed on so they can receive end of lifecare and medication in the doctors’ bagsbeing a year out of date? Also com-plaints not being followed up. This doesnot look good!” Lisa Palmer

“I feel sorry for the staff as they arenot responsible for bad working practic-es. I’m disgusted that the care the pa-tients are receiving is “inadequate”. Thesurgery is now in ‘special measures’ andhas six months to rectify all the failingslisted in a 26 page report! I hold no

confidence that they’ll turn this situationaround” Kathy Waistell

I’ve been going to this surgery since Iwas a child and I’ve never had anyproblems!” Gemma Evans

“I’ve only recently started going toBirstall Medical Centre (about twoyears) and I’ve never had any problems,they have seen me through my pregnan-cy and any appointments I have neededfor myself and my son. It’s a lot betterthan my previous doctors sugary that’sfor sure!” Rebekah Kate

The full report of the CQC inspectioncan be viewed at www.cqc.org.uk orwww.birstallmedicalcentre.co.uk If pa-tients have any concerns they shouldcontact the Practice Manager, MichelleSalimi at the practice.

Any patient who is interested in join-ing the Patient Participation Group canget further information by [email protected] or by leaving theircontact details at reception.

• Birstall Medical Centre providesprimary medical services to approxi-mately 7800 patients from two sites,Birstall Medical Centre and Border DriveSurgery, Leicester. Border Drive is reg-istered as a surgery in its own right andwas not inspected. The two sites share acommon patient list.

Continued from page 1

Pic: Birstall Medical Centre

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Physical barriers, such as large earthbunds planted with wildflowers, are beingconsidered.

The island may also be redesignatedas a park, which would provide moreprotection for the island as it would give

the authorities greater powers to removetravellers.

The City Council also has similar plansfor nearby sites such as the verge onWatermead Way and Thurcaston Road.

City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby updatedBirstall councillors of the plans at ameeting in September.

Birstall County Councillor Iain Bentleysaid: “I’m very supportive of re-designat-ing the land as a park.”

Cllr Bentley said that two other issueswere discussed at the meeting: the provi-sion of a park and ride site, south of RedHill allotments, next to the planned rail-way museum; and the extension of theCity section of Watermead Country Parkthrough the purchase of land north ofWatermead Way.

A City Council spokesman said: “Al-though these suggestions were discussedat the meeting and have been made a fewtimes over recent year, no plans havebeen developed.”

A FULL meeting of Birstall ParishCouncil was held on September 14.

PC Dave Jaeckels reported that thecrime rate for August was relatively highand included a lot of drive offs from thepetrol station.

Reports of stone throwing at homesand cars had dropped off. Two boyswere arrested in August and this has hadthe effect of reducing incidents. PC Jae-ckels said a lot of Police effort had goneinto investigating this antisocial behav-iour and that further arrests were immi-nent.

Speed checks were conducted in thevillage at the end of July and the begin-ning of August and will be continued.

The Council agreed to transfer £8100earmarked for election costs to theChristmas lights budget.

The Council agreed a Reserves Policythat will formalise the amount of moneythe council holds in reserve. It wasagreed that a minimum level of sixmonths operating costs of net revenueexpenditure be held in general reserves.Chairman Ann Marshall said a reservespolice had been introduced followingadvice from the internal auditor and thatthe amount was in line with what the

council had already been keeping inreserve.

The council agreed to a five yearagreement with Ellis Whittam at a cost of£2375 per annum. They provide adviceand support for the council on employ-ment law and health and safety

It was agreed to purchase 100 stack-ing chairs for the Village Hall at a costof £1730. These will have a silver col-oured metal frame with navy blue pad-ded upholstery. They will replace theexisting plastic chairs. Chairman AnnMarshall said hirers of the hall expecteda better quality of chair than was cur-rently provided.

The council agreed to spend £16,166on outdoor gym equipment. Three itemswill be located on Harrowgate Driveplaying field and six on the School Laneplaying field, near to the sports pavilion.

A tree that fell down in high windscaused £1419 worth of damages to theSchool Lane playing field fence. TheParish Council have submitted a claim tothe County Council, on whose land thetree stood, for recovery of these costs.The County has indicated that it will notpay. The Parish Council agreed to obtainfurther legal advice, and to ask theCounty Council to check the condition ofthe nearby trees.

The Parish Council has received let-ters from sports clubs complimentingthem on the preparation and conditionof the bowling greens and the cricketpitches.

PLANS FOR a solution to the problem of travellers campingon Red Hill island should be in place by Christmas, says theCity Council.

Parish Council notes

A BIRSTALL beauty spot,which was the recent target ofa vandalism attack, is beingspruced up thanks to commu-nity fund-raising.

Local outcry over an attack at Water-mead Country Park in April promptedresidents and businesses to raise morethan £4,500 to help repair the damageto fences, benches and trees.

Five months on, Leicestershire CountyCouncil’s park rangers have repaired thedamage and they are now making surethe donations go even further by devel-oping a new wildlife area.

Blake Pain, cabinet member forcountry parks said: “Once again, Iwould like to thank the local communitywho rallied round behind our rangers.

“The fund-raising effort means we’venot only been able to restore the area toits former beauty, but we can now startwork on enhancing the park’s offer.

“These are some really exciting plansthat I hope the community will agree arevery fitting for the area.”

Donations of furniture and plantingalso reduced the bill so the remainingmoney will now be used to enhance thearea for visitors.

Plans for the new area include thecarving of animal sculptures reflectinglocal wildlife, a nature trail and picnicarea and the planting of maple trees.

The area is due to be completed inSpring 2016, when the council will for-mally thank the local community with alaunch event.

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Christian Smith (44), of WanlipAvenue, has started a business, theonly one of its type in the county, sup-plying UAVs. They have become popu-lar with remote controlled aircrafthobbyists as well as businesses lookingfor aerial footage for marketing pur-poses.

Chris started his new business,leicesterdrones.com, in May this year.He said: “I had been flying radio con-trolled aircraft and helicopters formany years and when drones camealong I was hooked. Attaching a cam-era to a flying quadcopter and beingable to see what the camera was seeingwas great fun. And then later on to beable to take photos and video was justawesome. Starting with a basic Fat-shark Quadcopter and flying over thecountryside in Leicestershire I alsobrought a DJI Inspire 1 which enabledme to get some really great film, andphotos.”

Chris found there wasn’t anywherein Leicester to support his hobby so hegot together with a few friends and

started The Leicester Drone Club.“This led on to setting up

leicesterdrones.com so others couldpurchase drones, quadcopters and firstperson view systems” he added.

Chris hopes to get his businessestablished by supplying to hobbyists atfirst, beforelooking forbusinesscustomers.These in-clude prop-ertydevelopers,hotels, wed-ding venuesand holidayhome own-ers.

“There are so manypotential uses for stun-ning high quality photosand video” said Chris.“I sold one to a devel-oper recently, he sawme demonstrate theaircraft and how easy itwas to fly and he wassold immediately.”

Chris can often be found flying hisUAVs over Watermead Country Park.“When people come over to see whatI’m doing they see the aircraft and say‘wow, that’s amazing’.”

Prices for drones on Christian’swebsite start at £619. He said: “All the

products on the site are chosen be-cause I have experience of them andcan recommend them to others. I onlystock items from the more establishedretailers who offer technical supportand help if needed.”

www.leicesterdrones.com

A BIRSTALL businessman is hoping to profit from theincreasing popularity of flying unmanned aerial vehicles,or drones, fitted with a camera.

Entrepreneur startsdrone business

Pics: photos taken by Christian of (top) Birstall Watermead Tennis Club and (below) theHallam Fields development; (left) one of the cameras carried by a UAV

Pic: Christian Smithholding a DJIquadcopter

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THE FLOUR dusting has set-tled on 2015's Great BirstallBake Off, and with nearly50 entries it was bigger and(the odd soggy bottomaside) more successful thanever.

All categories were well supported,with both genders and all ages compet-ing for the most prestigious prize inBirstall's bakery calendar. The judgingpanel were astounded by the selection;in particular the ‘Cake’ category whichwas of a higher standard than ever be-fore. And a special mention must goto the Under 16's category whomustered more prizes thanever before.

But the Bake off competi-tion was only the start, withall the entries being soldto raise money for theMacmillan CancerWorld’s largest coffeemorning. The cakeswere sold on the morningof Sunday September 20 in

the garden of the White Horse in Bir-stall: the coffee and cake flew out inrecord time to beat last year's total. Sofar £1061.05 has been raised.

If you missed the coffee morning butwould still like to give money to Macmil-lan you can use the White Horse’s textto donate code. To donate £5 to Mac-millan text CUP 6ED to 70550.

The carthorse themed raffle standwas also a grand success and buntinghelped to create a wonderfully rusticBritish village scene, with several peoplegoing home with a prize or two. Thisyear, activities for the children and someSunday morning jazz were added to theevent which added to the ambience and

fun of the day.The organisers would like to thank

the following for their kind contributionsand donations: Amy Harrison - GraphicDesigner, Kaines Castles, Hannahs, Glen-wood's, Café on the Corner, North'sDelicatessen, Stonehurst Farm, Little RedDeli, Birstall Garden Centre, AromaSpice, Platform Café, Dance Academy,Tesco, Co-Op, Greenacres, Wilkinson's,Brakes, Trust Inns, Matthew Clark andto Nick Loach for the £53 added for theSunday evening quiz held on the sameday.

Special thanks also to the judgingpanel: Allen’s Family Bakery, Sandra,Loney, Donna Berry, Mary Goodman,Margaret Hoskins from the WI, Pastwinners Philip Poole, Jacqueline Abela,and Ian Brummell, thanks to to LisaGant

“Lastly, a huge thank you to every-body who took part, those who gener-ously donated their baking and toeveryone who came on the day. Watchthis space for details of 2016's GreatBirstall Bake Off, but until then - keepbaking!” said Charlotte Foy from theWhite Horse.Full Winners List

Cupcake / Traybake – Alice Keeshan –Chocolate Chip BrowniesBiscuit - Jacqueline Abela Sea sceneof macaroons, gingerbread, short-bread, Lemon KissesBest Decorated – Megan Bowles –Posyof CupcakesBest Under 16 – Elliot Schonveld –Decorated Gingerbread menBest Bread – Joshua Smalley – Rye andSpelt and poppy seed plaitBest Savoury – John Tointon – Break-fast FlanSweet Pastry – Hannah Ludlam – Lem-on Swirl CheesecakeBest Baker – Gill Roach – Panchetta,Gruyère & Caramelised onion sodabreadBest Cake – Paul Fish – Chocolate Cake

Bake off creations sold for charity

Pics: (top) Organisers and judges prepare to taste; (bottom)Winners Megan Bowles, Hannah Ludlam , Gill Roach, Alice Kee-shan, Joshua Smalley, Elliot Schonveld, Jacqueline Abela

Pic: winner Paul Fish

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The County Council has announceda new 210 place primary school willbe built at a cost of £4-4.5million andis expected to open in September2017. It will be located within theHallam Fields development.

The development will generate extraschool places, reducing pressure in thearea, and see new sports pitches andchanging facilities created for the com-munity.

A spokesman for the County Councilsaid: “The project can now moveahead as local demand for placesshows the need for a new school, thefunding is in place and the two existingprimaries – which have done well tocope so far have very limited potentialfor future expansion.”

Ivan Ould, Leicestershire CountyCouncil cabinet member for childrenand families, said: “This is great newsand follows successful discussions withJelson, Charnwood Borough Counciland the Palmer-Tomkinson Trust tosecure the beat deal for parents, pupilsand the community.

“We’ve been working closely withpartners to carefully assess the needand best time for Birstall’s new prima-ry, and I hope this plan addresses theconcerns raised about places in thearea.

“We want children to have access tofirst class local schools and remaincommitted to creating more placeswhere there is growing demand.”

Birstall County Councillor Iain Bent-ley has been pressing for the new

school for several years. He said: “Theneed for additional schooling wasbrought to my attention in January2013 by a young mother on HallamFields. Her concerns were confirmedby others attending our monthly [coun-cillor] surgeries. I promised action andthis is the result of that promise. It justtook longer than I thought but I neverstopped trying.

“I am particularly pleased that theLionheart Trust have agreed to run thenew school as part of the Cedar Acade-my. Their track record in other partsof the county augurs well for the fu-ture. This can only be good for thepeople of Birstall.”

Birstall Parish Council ChairmanAnn Marshall said: “This is excellentnews. A school helps to make a com-munity and it is very good that it willbe built within the Hallam Fields devel-opment.”

The cost of the new school is to bemet from a Section 106 contributionfrom developer Jelson and from£54million ‘basic need’ funding award-ed to the County Council in 2014 bythe Department for Education for newschool places.

The provision of the school wasdelayed when the County Council de-cided in 2011 that a new school wasnot needed, and that Riverside schoolcould be extended to provide extraschool places. The original section 106agreement of 2003 stated that con-struction of the new school would startwithin six months from the occupationof the 10lst dwelling at Hallam Fields.

BIRSTALL’S LONG wait for a new primary school and rec-reation facilities at Hallam Fields is over.

A BIRSTALL woman’s quiz questions have raised£50,000 for a Leicestershire charity.

Jenny Burton (pictured above)started devising quizzes for LOROS 14years ago.

“It all started when I was stillworking. In the office we decided todo a fundraising quiz and I suggestedwe do one for LOROS. That one raised£1000 and when I handed over themoney, LOROS asked to speak to meabout it.”

Jenny began devising a series ofquiz questions on a specific theme thatare printed and sold for £1 at LOROSshops, fundraising events and meeting

of clubs and societies.Jenny marks all the returned quiz

sheets and there is a £50 first prizeand two runners up prizes of £25.

At first there was one quiz a yearbut now there are two, with each oneraising between £2,500 to £3000.

Jenny, a volunteer at the hospice,said: “I enjoy everything about it andLOROS need every penny they can get.I get such good feedback from peo-ple, they tell me how much they ap-preciate LOROS, and I think I getmuch more back than I give.

New Birstall schoolto open in 2017

LOROS quiz queenraises £50,000

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THE LATEST book by localhistorian Mike Smith is acelebration of our vil-lage’s unique history, andalso marks the 30th anni-versary of Birstall LocalHistory Society.

Dedicated to the Society’s founder,the late Shirley Scott, Birstall Recalledin Picture and Story, is a record ofpeople, places and events in Birstall.With more than 400 photographs andillustrations it ranges far and wideacross the history of our village fromthe Saxons to Hallam Fields.

Mike said: “I have attempted toconvey to the reader not only a senseof the enormous and relatively recentchanges in our village but also a tourof the landmarks in its historic past.

The pictures, mainly photographs,show how Birstall has changed overthe past century and a quarter, whilstthe articles take the story back afurther three centuries, with accountsof prominent families, places andevents.”

The first part of the book with its50 pairs of now and then photo-graphs, evokes feelings of nostalgiaand surprise. They show us how mostof the village, though much changedover the past 100 years, isstill recognizable, althoughsome parts, like the villagecentre and Whiles Lane,are altered quite beyondrecognition. And we canonly mourn the disappear-ance of so many early cot-tages, which today wouldhave been carefully re-stored.

The book, published byBirstall Local History Socie-

ty, costs £10 and isobtainable from BirstallGarden Centre, BirstallLibrary and BirstallParish Offices. By post£10 plus £3.50 p&pfrom Michael Smith, 25Holt Road, Birstall,Leicester LE4 4AQ

A BIRSTALL man digging inhis garden uncovered aWorld War II bomb.

Liam Curtis of Newton Drive andhis friend Mark Edwards made thefind while digging a trench in Liam’sfront garden, on Friday September 11.

After hitting metal with their spadethey cleared the earth around it andpulled it out. The object, pointingdownwards and looking like a bomb,measured 17 cm.

They called the Police and theArmy Bomb disposal unit arrived tocordon off the area. They removed thebomb to a nearby field and carriedout a controlled explosion.

Book reveals history of Birstall

Pics: (from top) thecover of the book;

blacksmith Bert Smith;author Mike Smith

Pics: (top) the petrol station next to Red Hillisland & (inset) the same location today

Pic: the last passenger train to pass through Birstall stationbefore it closed on March 4, 1963

Pics: (left) the village carpenter on WanlipLane & (above) the scene as it looks today

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A CONE shaped 24 ft tallartificial Christmas treewill be the centrepiece ofBirstall Parish Council’sChristmas event on FridayDecember 4.

The tree will be blue, decoratedwith a snowflake design and coveredin white LED lights. The council hadpreviously erected a real tree – thenew tree will be erected in the samelocation on the Sibson Road carpark.

Birstall Parish Council ChairmanAnn Marshall said: “We have hadjustifiable criticism of the tree overthe past few years, it has not lookedvery good at all.

“We have negotiated a good dealhiring this new tree on a three yearcontract and are keen to hear feed-back from the public. If the bluecolour isn’t popular we can switch toa green one next year.

“We hope that the new tree will behighly visible and will really make astatement.”

The Council will pay £7995 perannum for the tree over the nextthree years. The cost for the first yearwill be met by the £8100 that was setaside this year by the council forelection costs that was unspent. Thesupplier will install and test the tree,dismantle it after Christmas and storeit at its depot.

The Christmas lights switch onevent will feature a Christmas market,fairground rides, refreshments, a visitfrom Santa and a free mince pie andmulled wine for visitors.

LOROS AND Birstall Bags, thelocal cancer charity, are ap-pealing for volunteers to helpthem run a home visiting serv-ice.

A TARDIS made by Birstall’sIan Copp was one of the at-tractions at the Great CentralRailways Sci-Fi weekend inSeptember.

Ian’s replica of Doctor Who’s timetravelling spacecraft materialised on theplatform of the GCR’s Leicester NorthStation (Birstall), accompanied by several incarnations of the Time

Lord.Ian takes his Tardis to

local fundraising events, thelatest of which was at theGuildhall in Leicester.

He said: “Wherever it goesit gets a fantastic reception, itis such an iconic thing andwhen people actually see itand stand next to it, they loveit.”

The GCR event featuredattractions at stations along

the line including StarWars characters, a minifun fair and music.

Covering the Birstall area, the serviceaims to provide relatives and carers withsupport.

A spokeswoman said: “Do you havefour hours to spare during the weekand would you like to support patientsand their relatives in their own home,allowing relatives and carers to leavetheir home with peace of mind or havetime to themselves?

“Can you offer companionship; emo-tional support; a listening ear or supportwith hobbies and interests, help individ-uals stay connected to their community.Then this may be your opportunity to bepart of two local charities. We wouldlove to hear from you.”

For further information and an appli-cation form please contact Andrew Low-den Home visiting services manager orBrenda Wilford Home visiting servicesfacilitator.

Contact detailsTelephone number (0116) 231 [email protected]@loros.co.uk

Newtree thisChristmas

Pic: the cone shaped tree at Anstey

GCRsci-fiweekend

Volunteersneeded

Pics:(above) Doctors ScottGoodman and Ian Walker;

(left) the Tardis on thestation platform

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At Contact a Family – the nationalcharity that supports families with disa-bled children regardless of their condi-tion or disability – we’ve seen afour-fold increase in the number of callsto our free special educational needs(SEN) helpline since last Septemberwhen the government introduced radicalchanges to the way children and youngpeople in England with SEN are support-ed in school and college.

A year on since these changes theeducation experts on our free helpline –0808 808 3555 – regularly speak toparents who need support to navigatethe new SEN system, want to know howto get their concerns listened to or needhelp dealing with complicated paper-work.

One important aim of the SEN re-forms was to put children or youngpeople and their families at the centre ofany discussion about the support theyare offered and to help children withSEN achieve the best possible outcomes.

We’re worried that the dramatic increasein calls to our helpline about the SENchanges means that there is still a lot ofconfusion out there.

We don’t want any parent who caresfor a child with special educationalneeds to feel this way and want to helpas many as possible get the most out ofthe new system. If you care for a childwith special educational needs or adisability and you are worried or con-fused about changes to the way yourchild is supported at school can call ourfree helpline - 0808 808 3555 - forexpert advice, information and support.

Jill DaviesContact a Familywww.cafamily.org.uk

my good lady replied, “Rolling-downs,fine. Climbing-ups, that's a differentmatter. Anyway, you haven't mentionedour mutual friend.”

“Well,” I said, “if you are thinking ofwho I'm thinking of, I had no intentionof mentioning him.”

And what about the matches? I amsure you will not be interested in theresults as everyone knows the mainthing is taking part. Anyway we won oneand lost the rest. But then we never hadgreat expectations.

Before I sign off it is worth mention-ing that thanks to the subtle psychologi-cal fund raising efforts of my goodfriend Jim, the amount raised by theclub for the Peter Le Marchant canalboats charity passed the £1000 markwhilst on tour. Jim is very persuasiveand I can confirm that he always oper-ates within the law.

Roly Greenreporting from the St Margaret's

Bowls Club tour in August.www.smcbc.com

the effort they have put in to improvethe historic building now used to houseour Parish Council.

The railings have been painted, flow-er baskets hung and the installation ofthe Memorial Clock has added an inter-esting focal point to the front entranceof the old school building. Thanks alsoto Birstall and Wanlip History Society fortheir generous donation towards thecommemorative clock.

I often read in the Post of complaintsabout the village and, of course, it isright that shortcomings are pointed out,but our local councillors give freely oftheir time and effort for the good of thevillage. I for one am grateful and thankthem most sincerely.

Valerie Skeffington

YOUR SAY...

The Birstall Post welcomes your viewsand opinions on any subject. Letters, whichmust include your name and address,(though not necessarily for publication)can be posted to: The Birstall Post, Unit109, Greenacres, The Sidings, LeicesterLE4 3BR, or handed in at Birstall libraryor email: [email protected]

“A bowls tour to Eastbourne. A groupof friends touring around the southcoast. Lots of jolly japes, great refresh-ments and most of all, great company.Don't you agree, this is the modernequivalent of Mr Pickwick.”

My good lady looked at me askance.“My dear, I have no idea what the Dick-ens you are talking about.”

“You can just imagine all the charac-ters bowling. David Copperfield, he'dmake a great lead. Oliver Twist, hewould have a special spinning delivery.And what about Christmas Carol, she'dbe good addition to the side. My goodlady did not say anything and I couldsense she was going to give me hardtimes.

We were just striding past a bleakhouse high up near Beachy Head. “Ilove the rolling Downs.” I said, to which

On visiting Bradgate Park recently Iwas in the embarrassing position of nothaving enough change for the parkingmetre. The car parking charges seem torise faster than ever and I was left with alarge dog in one hand and £2.50 (50pshort) in the other.

A lovely lady from our area came tomy rescue and gave me the 50p differ-ence for which I was very grateful. Thereare still kind people about, should myhero be reading this, thank you onceagain.

Chris Love

The Clash 2012 Coffee Morningraised £334.56. What a great success!Thank you to Birstall businesses fordonating wonderful tombola and raffleprizes: Little Red Deli, RTs, Aroma Spice,Choicewise, Bargain Booze, Tesco, Coop,Boots the Chemist & Birstall Jewellers.

Tesco (Loughborough) CommunityChampion Jody, and Asda (Abbey Lane)Community Champion Ross kindly donat-ed Food Hampers for the raffle. Thanksalso go to Cores and Pips home deliveryservice, Morrisons, Fox's Glacier Mintsand Walkers Crisps who also donatedgifts.

Karen Martin

I, and I’m sure many others in thevillage, would like to thank the ParishCouncil, especially its Chairman Mrs AnnMarshall and her husband Eddie, for all

On Saturday, August 29, from justbefore 10.30am someone started firing ashotgun on the land adjacent to theGreat Central Railway and in the vicinityof the Greengate Lane bridge. Shots werebeing fired at intervals of sometimes avery few minutes and at times of inter-vals of several minutes. On occasionstwo shots were fired in quick succes-sion, just a second or two apart, whichindicated a double-barrel shotgun wasbeing used. The gunfire continued untilwell into the afternoon, for approximate-ly five hours. The person doing theshooting must have fired at every animal,every bird seen and must have fired atleast fifty cartridges. The cost of firing allthose cartridges must have been quitehigh but I suppose for someone shoot-ing wildlife as a so-called sport: killingfor enjoyment with perhaps some of thekills being used as a source of food, thecost involved is irrelevant.

As the afternoon progressed the firingseemed to get nearer to my house at thetop of Greengate Lane and I thought theshooting was probably taking placealong the railway track and perhapseven in the cemetery (the cemetery iseasily accessible from the top of theslope going up from the side of therailway track). Just after 3pm my fearsabout shooting taking place in the ceme-tery appeared to be confirmed. Twoshots were heard in very quick succes-sion and seemed to be very near to myhouse. From my front room I immedi-ately looked over to the cemetery and Isaw some white smoke drifting out fromthe side of a group of trees and followeda second or two later by another patchof smoke. It seemed indeed that theshooter had fired from behind the treesand therefore was hidden from my view.During the next twenty minutes or so afew more shots were fired further awaybut possibly still in the cemetery andthen the firing ceased. Next day I lookedaround the trees for any used cartridgecases lying on the ground but I couldnot find any – the shooter must haveretained them and taken them home.

I think that most people, like myself,will think it quite unacceptable, deplora-ble in fact that anyone could fire a gunin the cemetery and I don’t supposeBirstall parish council have given anyonepermission to do so.

J Woods

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The Nov issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

will be published on Oct 31.The copy deadline is Oct 16.


Birstall Quilterswelcome you to their

Annual CoffeeMorningon Saturday October 10from 10am to 12.30pmMeet your friends for coffee and achatDelicious cake stallA chance to purchase early Christ-mas presents, hand crafted by thequiltersRaffle – win a quiltRaffle drawn at 12noonAll proceeds to Motor NeuroneDisease Leicester Branch

Birstall Running ClubMeet Monday & Friday nights,6.20 for 6.30pm runBirstall School Lane playing fields– showers & toilets availableWednesday night beginners groupat Birstall Legion 7pmSpeed work sessions also availa-ble on Wednesdays for thosewanting to improveContact Deryk on [email protected] or Bob 07927346640

Councillor SurgeryLast Sat of every month10am to 12noon10 Sibson Road, Old Council OfficeTalk to your District & CountyCouncillorsto discuss any issue of local con-cern

Birstall & District ArtSocietyTuesday October 13 at 7pmYou are invited to join us at thePalmer Tomkinson Centre atLongslade College, LE4 4GH towatch renowned artist Sue Sareendazzle us by her ability to createfoliage, trees and bushes, usingwhat seem to be simple brushstrokes. Come along and marvel atthe results. Demonstration to endat 9pm. Members £1, Guests £3.Free raffle. Ample parking andwheelchair access.

This year’s

Fabulous X-FactoryShowwill take to the stage on ThursdayNovember 12Once again at Thurmaston Pro-gressive Working Men’s Club theshow will feature all the trappingsof the TV show with a substantialcash prize for the winning act.Auditions for the Fabulous X-Fac-tory Show will take place soon, soif you wish to enter and you areaged between 6 and 16 and loveto perform, give us a call on3192117 cut-off date is October17.The fabulous X-Factory Show is

always a sell-out and is great op-portunity to perform in front of alarge audience.Tickets priced at £5 will be availa-ble in October from Chris Love on319 2117 of from ThurmastonPrint Shop, all proceeds will go tothe BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Leicester Society of Artists

Annual Exhibition

Nov 6, 2015-January 9, 2016New Walk Museum, 53 New Walk,Leicester LE1 7EAPaintings, sculpture, ceramics,prints and multi-media dazzle inone of the largest group shows ofart in the city.Leicester Society of Artists cele-brates the arrival of 28 newlyelected members this year so jointhe many talented artists showingtheir latest work for the first time.Take the opportunity to strolldown historic New Walk this win-ter, have a coffee in the museumcafé and discover the huge rangeof art created by artists living,working and studying in Leicester-shire and Rutland.www.leicestersocietyofartists.co.uk

Autumn Art Fairby artists’ group ArtSpace, Lough-borough

New Building, Woodhouse EavesVillage HallSat/Sun Nov 7/8, 10am to 4pmAdm freePaintings, drawings, ceramics,textiles, photographsAll work for sale

Concertby Heart of England Barber’s ShopChorusat Birstall Methodist ChurchThursday October 15th at 7.30pm.Admission free, but donationswelcomed for Medical DetectionDogs

Birstall & District Art Society21st Annual

Art ExhibitionHelp judge the best painting inthe showRefreshments availableFree admissionFree ParkingWheelchair accessVillage Hall, BirstallSupporting LOROS and RAINBOWSSaturday 31st October 9.30am to5pmSunday 1st November 9.30am to5pmMonday 2nd November 9.30am to3pm

Birstall BAG’s

Inaugural CharityGolf Matchat Birstall Golf ClubSunday October 11th 2015, 1pmonward£40 per Team of 4 (£10 each) 18hole/4BBB/any gender and agePrice includes light buffetOpen to members and non-mem-bers

Excellent PrizesUsual Golf Club Rules, dress codeand etiquette will applyGolfers please come and enjoy ouramazing local golf facilities whilstsupporting Birstall BAG’sContact Birstall BAG’[email protected] or Bir-stall Golf Club on 0116 2674322

Table Top SaleBirstall Methodist ChurchSaturday 28th November 201510.00am - 2.00pm(Christmas Festival Weekend)Tables available @ £10 eachContact 0116 2671181

Birstall ChristmasLights Switch On &Christmas MarketFriday 4 December - 5:30pm onSibson Road Car ParkFestive performances by JamesPlimmer and Alyshia Dhakk from5:30pmSwitch On event will take at6:00pm on the Sibson Road CarParkFairground attractions on the Sib-son Road Car Park from 3:30pmHot Dogs, Burgers, Hot Potatoes,Roasted ChestnutsSanta has confirmed that he isable to drop by and be with usfrom 5:30pmChristmas Market in the VillageHall from 4:30pmTea, Coffee, Soup and cold drinksavailable from the Day Centrekitchen on Birstall RoadIf you or your organisation areinterested in having a stall at theChristmas Market, please contactthe office for further informationor download the forms on theCouncil’s website:

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www.birstallparishcouncil.org.oukAnd don’t forget your FREE MincePie and Mulled Wine also availablefor collection from the Day CentreKitchen on Birstall Road from6:30pm

Toddler PlacesAvailableAcorn Under Fives Toddler Groupat Highcliffe School, BirstallMonday mornings during termtime.There are still a few places left forthis term.Only £2.50 per session, an hourand half packed fullof fun, excitement and socializing.The group namedas one of Net MumsBest Toddler Group In The EastMidlandsis now able to offer places BUTbe quick they never hang aroundfor long.Fees include a drink for both adult& toddler, biscuit and fruit.Interested ContactKaren 0116 2672795 at AcornUnder Fives.

Escape the Ghosts and Ghouliescome to our

Holloween Quizon Friday 30th October , 7.30pmSt. Patricks Parish Centre, Beau-mont Leys Lane,Entry £4.00 adults, Children£1.00to include soup/ bread and a pud-ding.Bar open

Film Night at St. James Church,Church Hill, BirstallFriday 30th October 7pm

What We Did On OurHoliday(cert. 12)British Comedy featuring Ro-samund Pike, David Tennant andBilly ConnollyAdmission free. Interval refresh-mentsDonations to Church funds

The Bark Foundation

ConcertGiven ByHighcliffe Harmony(Conductor Carolyn Necklen)also featuringMoira Male Voice ChoirSaturday 31st October at 7.30pmat Birstall Methodist Church40 Wanlip Lane, LE4 4JSVaried programmeAdmission £6 (inc refreshments)For advance ticketsplease telephone 0116267757

Table Top SaleBirstall Methodist ChurchWanlip Lane, Birstall.Saturday 28th November 201510.00am - 2.00pm (Christmas Festival Weekend)Tables available @ £10 eachContact 0116 2671181

Quorn Badminton ClubRawlins Community CollegeSports Hall ( 4 Courts)Monday evenings 7.45 - 9.45Just come and experience havingfun playing matches with us.Further Information 07837646544

Recently Separated?Divorced some time?

At whatever stage following thebreakup of a long term relation-ship.This Workshop will help you tobetter understand what you aregoing through and provides sup-port from others in the same situ-ation.As a past participant I can thor-oughly recommend this course asa means to grow, rediscoveringyourself as an independent being,in a supportive and sociablegroup.The workshop will be on 6 consec-utive Monday evenings from 26thOctober. It is run by past partici-pants, at the Quaker meetinghouse on Queens’s road.To reserve a place, see our na-tional website www.drw.org.uk.Or book with; Val 0116 2101702 or Liz 0793274829

Birstall Royal BritishLegion3rd Chris Robin10th Rachael Ball17th Al Martins24th Expressive Harmony31st Shindig DiscoDancing every Saturday night withlive entertainmentBingo, Free beer raffle and notforgetting Open the BoxEvery Tuesday night Bingo start-ing at 9.15pmQuiz nights Sunday 11th and 25thOctober starting at 9pmAcoustic night Sunday 18th Octo-ber at 8pmFood available every Saturday 12-2pmWakes catered forFree Wi-Fi availableNew outside seating area

Birstall District & Local HistorySocietyThe next Society meeting takesplace on Thursday 8th October2015 at 7.30pm.The subject of the talk is "Days ofthe Week (Why We Have 7 Days &The Origins of Their Name) in theBirstall Village Hall, Birstall Road,Leics.Speaker: Gareth King.There is car parking available forthis talk on the Birstall PlayingFields through the School Laneentrance.All visitors are very welcome tojoin us.

Family & Baby FairOctober 10th , 10am-4pmSt Patricks Church Hall, BeaumontLeys Lane LE4 2BDA Large Range Of Stalls RangingFrom Family Health To Beauty,Photography, Live Music Play ForThe Children, Clothing & Toys,Competitions, Tiny Talk Demon-strationsSomething For Everyone.Free EntryRefreshments Including Fully Li-cenced Bar

The Friends ofCharnwood Forest“Greys and Hastings – Families atWar”Talk by Dave TaylorMonday 19th October 2015 at7.30 p.m.Woodhouse Eaves Village HallThroughout much of history therivalry between the Grey andHastings families has been a fea-ture of the story of the East Mid-lands. We will be tracing thisthrough the coming to prominenceof both families towards the endof the late Middle Ages throughTudor Times, the English CivilWar, the Restoration and beyond.Beginning with the link with theFerrers family which brought theGreys to prominence and the rela-tionship between the ill fatedLord Hastings and King Richard lllwe will chart the fluctuating for-tunes of the two families – theprominence of the Hastings “puri-tan” Earl of Huntingdon underElizabeth l, the resurgence of Greyfortunes under James l throughthe taking of opposite sides dur-ing the Civil War, to the later fad-ing into relative obscurity of bothfamilies.Members are free. Guests are wel-come, £3 at the door. Refresh-ments included.Further information: Peter Ber-tram 01162 100 572 orwww.focf.org.uk

Birstall FlowerClubOctober 28th 2015, 7.15pmBirstall Village HallDemonstration by Gill Mills - “Flo-ral Gems"Visitors welcome - £5

Roy MorrisPlumbing and Heating

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Queries to Sylvia: 0116 2674206or Mary Linnett: 0116 2672247

CLASH 2012Friday 9th October - CLASH Filmpremiere @ Phoenix Arts Centre,Leicester 'Burden' by Tom Young.6pm - 9pmMon 12th October - World Arthri-tis DayCLASH 2012 - Monthly Meeting -Wednesday 14th October 6pm -8pm, Speaker Shavez Jeffers -Community & Workplace Develop-ment Officer.

Birstall Tea DancesFriday October 2nd and 16th. 3.30to 5:30.Modern Ballroom, Latin and easySequence dances.At the Village Hall. £3. Tea/coffeeand cakes included.

Film PresentationsThurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil “The Imitation Game”

Oct 16th (114 mins)October’s film is set in BletchleyPark during the Second World Warwhen Alan Turing, played by Ben-edict Cumberbatch, amazinglybreaks the Enigma Code. This filmis a "must" for our cinema goers.

"Selma"

Nov 13th (128 mins)"Selma" is a chronicle of MartinLuther King's campaign to secureequal voting rights via an epicmarch from Selma to Montgomery,Alabama, in 1965. Played by Ox-ford-born David Oyelowu, LutherKing was mesmerising, but even atrip to the White House by LutherKing was unsuccessful. This film isvery powerful, with terrific per-formances by the actors."Far from the Madding Crowd"

will be shown on December 11th.Thurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil will be showing thesefilms at Thurcaston Memorial Hall.Starting at 7.30pm.There will berefreshments and a lucky prizedraw. Advance tickets may be pur-chased via the parish office –0116236 7626 or at the door.

Highcliffe Amateur Theatrical So-ciety Pantomime 2015 Come along and see HATS 2015Pantomime.

Alice in Wonderlandby Kate Parry and Karen Dolan-Smith, in association with JasperPublishing Ltd. Although this is a traditional sto-ry there are some very entertain-ing twists to make it moreinteresting.Why not come along with friends,family, colleagues, neighbours orby yourself. Find that child withinyou again. Get involved in the in-teraction with the cast: shout,hiss, clap, whoop and laugh.We are sure you will have a won-derful time, if only laughing atour mistakes. And we are sure youwill return again and again. Dates: Nov 26th, 27th and 28that 7.15pm and a matinee per-formance on the 28th at 2.30pmDoors will be open half an hourbefore each performance.Venue: Highcliffe Primary School,Greengate Lane, Birstall, Leices-tershire LE4 3DL.Tickets: £6.00 adults, £5.00 con-cession. £20 for family tickets (2adults and up to 3 children)Discount for group bookings of 10or more people (price available attime of booking)Contact details: 0116 2209594, or0116 2128757. [email protected]’t delay, book today.

Coach Rob Paternostro, who lives inBirstall, said: “In my eight seasons asRiders head coach having Thomas work-ing with us is one of the best moves theclub has made. Our season is a longone that can be tough on the players’bodies, but with help from Thomas andhis staff our players have consistentlybeen the fittest in the league.”

Thomas said: “I have been workingwith the Leicester riders since 2003.They usually come to the clinic for tuneups every 2-4 weeks. Athletes need theirfunction top tuned so they come morefrequently than others.

“Common injuries range from lowback and neck pain to sprains of ankles,sore knees or painful shoulders. Theyget treated using spinal manipulation,lots of soft tissue work, sometimes usingspecial steel instruments to promotehealing faster and kinesiology taping todecrease inflammation and improvefunction. We always make sure theyknow how to look after themselves withexercises and stretches and luckily theydo have great support from a strengthand conditioning coach and a sportstherapist to keep them on track.

“I particularly love to work with theLeicester Riders because of the chal-lenge of treating athletes, helping themto achieve what they want. Having tothink on the spot to get them back onthe court after injury. Having the playersleave with a spring in their step, a smileon their face, feeling ready for the next

big game and telling how their gameimproves after the session are amazingbenefits of working with the LeicesterRiders.”

Thomas has also worked with athletesat the London and Beijing Olympics andat the past three world games.

The Health on Hand ChiropracticClinic is at 193 Loughborough Road,Belgrave.Pic: Thomas Jeppesen treating a playerfrom Leicester Riders

THE COACH of the Leicester Riders basketball team is fullof praise for the treatment his players receive from Bel-grave chiropractor Thomas Jeppesen.

Riders reaching newhighs with treatment



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A UNIVERSITY student fromBirstall has discovered arare piece of rock crystalRoman jewellery during anaward-winning archaeologi-cal dig.

Daisy-Alys Vaughan, a second-year BAAncient History and Archaeology studentat Newcastle University, found the piecewhich is thought to be the centre piecefrom an expensivering dating fromthe second orthird century. Thehead of a beardedman is carved intothe back and filledwith white materi-al, possibly enam-el. The crystalwould have beenmounted onto asmall piece ofbronze, and whenoriginally worn thepolished bronzeback would have looked like goldthrough the stone.

The discovery was made during thefinal stages of the Maryport Templesproject in Cumbria, which is being car-ried out by a team from Newcastle Uni-versity, supported by local volunteers.The project won the title Current Ar-chaeology Research Project of the Year2015 in March and featured in BBC2’sCoast series in July.

Since the project started in 2011, theexcavation team has spent around eightweeks on site each summer. This year’sdig has yielded more information aboutthe layout of the temples area near theremains of the Roman fort and civiliansettlement in fields next to the SenhouseRoman Museum.

Daisy-Alys is 19 and a former pupil atHighcliffe school. She said: “This is thesecond dig which I have taken part inand I never expected to find somethingso rare. At first I had no idea of thesignificance of the find as the carvedhead wasn't immediately noticeable. Icouldn't believe it when I later found outhow rare the item was, it feels amazingto have been part of finding such anexciting artefact!

“I decided to do a course in archae-

ology as I've always loved visiting muse-ums and learning about the past throughmaterial culture so wanted the opportu-nity to learn more about the actual proc-ess of discovering these objects. Afteruniversity I want a career relating tomuseums and heritage so finding such arare item has encouraged me to pursuethis.”

Ian Haynes, Professor of Archaeologyand project director said: “This year wehave been able to demonstrate that thetemples formed part of a large monu-ment complex, unlike anything discov-ered on Britain's Roman frontier to date.The complex was a major undertakingand was dominated by a substantialprecinct where many of Maryport's fa-mous altars may once have stood.”

A BIRSTALL runner is celebrating after completing his hundredth 5 kilometrepark run.

Leon Hall (65) ran at Braunstone Park, completing the course in 25mins 58.Leon is pictured on the right with fellow runner Bill Coltman (74), who has

also completed more than 100 park runs. They are both members of Birstall Run-ning Club.

OUTDOOR GYM equipmentwill be installed on Birstallparks before Christmas.

Birstall Parish Council have decided

to install six items on the School Laneplaying field and three at HarrowgateDrive.

The council conducted a consultationexercise to consider ideas for improvingthe facilities on the playing fields andthe most popular suggestion was for thegym equipment.

The Meadow Lane playing field was

not included as the council plans toimprove that site by extending the BMXtrack.

Birstall Parish Council Chairman AnnMarshall said: “We want to encouragepeople to exercise – we have equipmentfor little children and for older kids, butnot much for teens. Adults can also useit of course, and we hope that sportsclubs that use the playing field can alsobenefit from the equipment.”

The total cost of the equipment is£16,166. Items to be installed at SchoolLane are: cross trainer, spinning bicy-cle, hand bicycle, chin up and dip sta-tion, pendulum and twister. HarrowgateDrive: ab bench, cross trainer, handbicycle.

Student unearths rare Roman jewellery

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Beatrice Mugri, the matron at theHotpec orphanage, says: “A technician iscoming to install the solar battery topump the water which has beenachieved by The Bark Foundation andgive light to Hotpec on Wednesday Sep-tember 16, 2015.”

“The water has to run out for twoweeks in order to flush out all the dirtbefore pumping in the tank for drinking.But as the water is running out, we will

be using it for bathing, laundry, flushingtoilets with buckets.

“When it starts coming out cleandrinkable water, it will be connectedinto the tanks and pipes so that we candrink and flush directly. It’s going to bea great relief to us and our neighbours.We cannot express our thanks to all youpeople in the UK for the help and reliefyou have given to us.

“I visited and lived for nine weeks inBirstall in 2012 with our benefactors ofThe Bark Foundation. I felt happy andsecure with everyone I met and I en-joyed my time in Birstall.

“What people have done is to try andgive our community at Hotpec andneighbours a secure water supply whichwe did not think we could achieve. Weare so very happy Thank you so much.”

David Bark from the Bark Foundationsaid: “The foundation is delighted withthe response to the appeal for the WaterProject as with all other appeals. Thisappeal is special as we have providedsomething that we in Britain take forgranted – a constant supply of water –an essential for life.”

The Bark Foundation’s next event ison Saturday October 31 at 7.30pm whenHighcliffe Harmony are giving a concertat Birstall Methodist Church. The con-cert will also feature Moira Male VoiceChoir. Admission is £6 (inc refresh-ments). Advance tickets can be bookedby telephone 0116 267 7576

John Hurst, Paul Young and Andy Wyewon the county two wood triples trophy,beating Tom Renshaw’s Blaby triple in thefinal. This makes it a double for the Bir-stall trio, having won the county threewood triples title earlier in the season.

Di Hurst, Jan Everitt and Pa Walker, theNational Triples runners up, won thecounty triples trophy with victory over aKingscroft triple in the final. The three,along with Jennie Groves beat a team fromShepshed to win the county fours final, theseventh time in nine years that a teamfrom Birstall has won the title.

The club won the county GreenwoodCup for the fourth time in the last sevenyears with a score of +50, two shotsahead of Coalville. Birstall scores: PaWalker, John Eaton, Jan Everitt & AndyWye +20 v Syston. Grahame White, JohnWalker, Paul Young & Dave Clarke +13 vMarket Bosworth. Di Hurst, John Jenkins,John Hodgetts & John Hurst +11 v Fleck-ney. Roger Savill, John Lee, Richard Smith& Geoff Richardson +6 v Wymeswold.

Birstall’s men’s Lighthouse team wonthe Loughborough Monday Triples LeagueTrophy for the first time. They beatLoughborough Greenfields 61-32 in thefinal. Birstall scores: John Walker, JohnJenkins & John Lee won 24-7. GrahameWhite, John Andreae & Dave Clarke won23-9. Roger Savill, John Eaton & StuartHartop lost 14-16. The Lighthouse teamfinished fourth in Division One, and theSands team earned promotion to DivisionThree after finishing runners up in Divi-sion Four.

Birstall won the annual St John Trophymatch, with victory over Soar Valley. Thisis the first year that Soar Valley have con-tested the trophy after they replaced Rush-ey Mead. £150 was raised, including a£50 donation from Soar Valley, for StJohn Ambulance. The same amount wasraised for Age UK Birstall & Wanlip follow-ing John Walker’s Presidents Day whichwas held at the club last month.Pic: The Lighthouse team that won theLoughborough Monday Triples League Tro-phy.

BOWLERS FROM Birstall Bowling Club have added four countytitles, the Loughborough Monday Triples League Trophy andthe St John Trophy to their already impressive trophy haulthis season.

THE AFRICAN orphanage supported by the Bark Foundationis about to be supplied with fresh water, thanks to thefoundation’s fundraising.

ORGANISERS OF aChristmas fundraisingcollection areappealing forhelpers.

“If you are from the local area you’veprobably seen us or heard us in the runup to Christmas with Santa on hisSleigh” says Chris Battye from WreakeValley Rotary. “This year we have aproblem. Our team helpers are strug-gling to meet the demand and we areasking for your help.

“You need to be free from 6-8pmand be able to walk and help us collectfrom houses in the local area. It’s goodfun, people love to see us and for manyit really starts the festive season off well.If you want to help we’d love to hearfrom you”

Email [email protected] call 07979 645605.

Supply of freshwater for children

Club’s trophy haul

Santa needsChristmas

helpers

Pic: Matron Beatrice Mugri

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Members of the British Association ofBarbershop Singers, it is comprised ofaround 26 men. “We are from all walksof life like carpenters, double glazinginstallers to pensioners, and come fromthroughout the county and beyond, whoare united in our love of music andsinging” said spokesman Jan Hunt.

“What we love doing most of all isperforming, and you'll find us out andabout in the community at eventsthroughout the year, entertaining audi-ences with our unique mix of intricateharmonies and off-beat humour, as wellas at the annual national competitioneach year.”

With roots in the traditional four-part

harmonies of the barber-shop style, their repertoireincludes songs from a varie-ty of musical genres andspans many decades of thetwentieth and twenty firstcentury.

“Of course performancedoesn't come without prac-tice and our rehearsal nightsare every Monday and wesupport our members withcoaching and continuallystrive to improve our stand-ard” said Jan.

The chorus is having anOpen Evening on Monday19th October at 7.30pm atthe Birstall Social Club,Wanlip Lane Birstall.

“So come along justbring yourself and yourvoice, we provide every-thing” said Jan.

Call Jan Hunt 0116 267

5339 or email [email protected]

BEFORE THE Birstall Post and theLeicester Mercury reported on peo-ple and events in our village, earli-er 19th century newspapers like theLeicester Journal and the LeicesterChronicle, both long defunct, car-ried news items about Birstall,then a much smaller place with apopulation below five hundred.

Local historian, Mike Smith, hasbeen researching these early papersand a monthly selection of the moreinteresting and amusing of these newsitems will be appearing in the BirstallPost.

A Reckless CyclistFrederick Warden, shoe hand of

Leicester was summoned for furiouslyriding a bicycle at Birstall on May 15.The defendant, according to PC Sand-ers was racing with another cyclistand the witness estimated the speed at15 or 16 miles an hour. A number ofpeople had to jump out of the way.The defendant was fined 10s. includ-ing costs or five days.

Leicester Chronicle 28/5/1898

Obstructing the HighwayGeorge Goodman and William

Shipley were charged with running afootrace to the annoyance of the pas-sengers on the turnpike main road atBirstall on Monday morning. Theyadmitted the offence. Police SergeantMoore stated that he found about athousand persons on the road and theroad was completely blocked up fornearly a mile. Both defendants wererunning and were stripped to all buttheir draws.

Leicestershire Mercury 21/6/1862

Magistrates CourtWilliam Bradshaw of Birstall was

ordered to pay the costs for assaultingRobert Hallam of Rothley whilst, onMonday October 10, playing in amatch of cricket between the Rothleyand Birstall players

Leicestershire Mercury 1/10/1842

LookingBack

A NEW Rotary club is beingstarted and is looking formembers.

“Are you looking to give a bit back,make new friends and help good causes?Then there’s a new way of doing things”said a spokesman. “If you want to makea difference and have a lot of fun in theprocess please come along to one of ourinformal information meetings in thecoming months.

“We are open to all and are forminga new rotary club in Syston to do this.You can find us on Facebook at SystonRotary Satellite Club or email us [email protected]”

The new club is sponsored byWreake Valley Rotary Club.

THE HEART of England Chorus is an a capella Barbershopmale chorus based in Birstall.

32 BIRSTALL and Wanlip WIladies met on September 7 atHighcliffe School.

It was the first meeting since our sum-mer break and there was a lot of catchingup to do. Luckily we had a very sociableevening planned so it was easy to fit in allthe chat.

Our Speaker Mr Allen of Birstall’s Al-len’s Bakery showed us how he made awheatsheaf loaf. He took this away to bakeand it was later presented to Birstall Meth-odist Church for their Harvest Festivalcelebrations.

While he worked Mr Allen told us ofhis career, illustrated by many amusinganecdotes whilst constantly fielding all ourquestions. We were amazed when he toldus that he started his working day at1.30am! It was quite therapeutic to watchthat loaf grow under his deft fingers.

This was followed by our own harvestsupper of a delicious ploughman’s withcottage rolls (of course supplied by Allen’sBakery) cheese, home grown tomatoes andhomemade pickle washed down with tea,coffee and yet more chat.

Christine Warren told some hilarious,slightly risque jokes, worthy of a stand upcomedian and of course had to win thenon-coveted competition cup. It was atotally jolly evening.

At our next meeting on October 5 wewill be exhibiting our best bloomers in ourmonthly competition and David Price willtalk to us about the Can Can.

From Birstall & Wanlip WI

NewRotary

WInews

Open evening: come and singPic: the Heart ofEngland Chorus

performing


Plan Your Own Burglary!As the nights draw in, the longer

hours of darkness are welcomed byburglars.

While not many of us have items inour homes valuable enough to interestprofessional criminals, an awful lot of usare burgled by passers-by. Casual thieveslook for opportunities and take advan-tage of them, simply because they arethere. The distress caused by a burglaryis often mixed with disbelief that it couldhave happened in such a simple waythat could have easily been prevented.

So, please, take a few minutes tothink like a thief and ‘case’ your ownproperty.

Ask yourself: if you were a burglar,how would you break in?

Use your imagination and keep onestep ahead of the burglar. Are yourwindows and doors easy to open fromthe outside? Do you have extra securitylocks fitted and do you use them all thetime? Do you always set your burglaralarm? Are your sheds and outbuildingssecure? Do you leave ladders and toolsabout that a burglar could use?

It is a sad fact of life that we have tothink like this. However, if we spotthings ourselves and put them right, theywill not be there for a thief to exploit.Just be alert and take simple precau-tions.

You can get friendly advice and arange of security devices, some of themfree to members, every third Saturday ofthe month at our Advice Shop on SibsonRoad Car Park (opposite the gardencentre) between 10 a.m. and 12 noon.

The next date is Saturday, October17, 2015. Do take care.

Birstall and WanlipNeighbourhood Watch

www.villagewatch.co.uk0116 267 6397

whilst walking down The Drive aroundmidday on the 1st August. As a result ofthe incident she was left with some quitenasty injuries as well as being very shak-en up & I would urge anyone with infor-mation about this to come forward sothat we can try to identify the personresponsible. Fortunately, such incidentsare very rare in Birstall or Wanlip, how-ever the fact that it occurred duringbroad daylight is obviously very concern-ing and we would like to see the attackercaught.

The spree of damage incidents that wewere having appears to have calmeddown, which is obviously good news.Dwelling burglary and non-dwelling bur-glary are also down compared to lastmonth however as the evenings start toget darker there is potential for these tostart to rise again, so please make surethat you are taking steps to secure yourproperty whenever you are out. For thoseof you who will also be out celebratingDiwali & Navratri, please remember thatthieves will target properties during thistime knowing that there is a possibilitythey will be empty, so take extra care toensure that windows and doors are se-cure, alarms are set and any valuablejewellery is locked away out of sight.

Since writing my last report we havealso carried out some more speed checksin the village, with 13 drivers being is-sued with verbal warnings and a furthersix being reported for exceeding thespeed limit. Again, many of the driversstopped have turned out to be local resi-dents so please ensure that you are stick-ing to the speed limits at all times toavoid this happening to you.

Thanks for reading and as alwaysplease remain vigilant and report anycrimes or suspicious activity to the Policeon 101. You can also contact your localNHW co-ordinator for advice on non-crime matters.

PC 1759 Dave Jaeckels, PCSO’s 6611Mark Butler and 6391 Fiona Lacey.

NL60 – Birstall Police Office.http://www.leics.police.uk

Tel: 0116 2677355 (Please note this is anadvice line only – Please use 101 or 999 toreport crime).

1st XI newsThe 2015 season was a very success-

ful one for the 1st XI finishing in 3rdspot with 401 points.

With the absence of Captain JonoGaydon in the last three games and los-ing several players to the new footballseason, it gave other players opportuni-ties to show their talents.

John Clayton had an impressive lastfew games taking important wickets andbowling very consistently. Opening batAndy Lord was solid as ever at the top ofthe order and fellow opening bat MaxLewin finished with a well deserved 68in the last game of the season againstEarl Shilton.

This impressive finish to the seasongives the club a platform to build uponand have a realistic shot at winning theleague next season.2nd XI news

The 2nd XI are also thrilled withtheir 2nd place finish to their season.With the 1st XI needing the services ofmany of their key players in the final fewgames of the year, Ashley Coulthardrallied the boys and got some big re-sults. The improvement in batting andconsistency with their bowling has mas-sively contributed to their 12 wins out ofthe 20 games. Regular scores from IanBartlett, Richard Olsen and Akshay Desaiand the acquisition of promising young-ster Dillon Edwards puts the 2nd XI ingood stead for next season.BVCC Social Events

Saturday 3rd October (from 7pm) -World Cup rugby evening. Down theclub house.

Saturday 17th October (from 7pm) –2015 Club presentation evening @B.U.F.C

From Joshua Saye, Birstall Village Crick-et Club

NHW news& crime report

Crime Report, Birstall & Wanlip, Aug2015

Assaults 5, burglary dwelling 5, bur-glary non-dwelling 3, damage 3, damageto motor vehicle 5, public order 1, rob-bery 2, theft 16, theft cycle 1, theft frommotor vehicle 3, theft of motor vehicle1, theft from store 11

UNFORTUNATELY RECORDED crimehas remained quite high in Augustwith 56 crimes being reportedduring the month.

This is mainly due to a rise in shoplift-ing offences (up from three in July to 11this month) and ‘other theft’ offences ofwhich we have had 16. The majority ofthese relate to drive-offs from the ShellPetrol Station (10 during August) with theremainder being thefts of garden orna-ments, plant pots and hanging basketsetc. If possible, please make efforts tosecure these as best you can as anythingthat makes them more difficult to stealwill act as a deterrent to a would-be thief.

Unfortunately we have also had tworobberies reported during the month.Many of you will probably know that inone of these, the victim was an elderlylady who had her bag snatched from her

CricketCorner

A MAN has been left witha £380 court bill after hisrubbish was dumped atWatermead Country Park.

Ilyas Rauf said he was emptying hisshed when two men in a white vanoffered to take away the items whichincluded bikes he thought they mightsell, a chest freezer and a cardboardTV box.

The rubbish was later found in acar park at Watermead Country Parkand traced back to Rauf, of Norman-ton Road, Leicester.

Charnwood Borough Council pros-ecuted Rauf, 41, for a duty of careoffence, which means he failed tocheck that individuals removing thewaste had an Environment Agencylicence to do the work.

Councillor David Hayes, DeputyCabinet Member with responsibility forRegulatory Services, said: “Charnwoodwill not become a dumping groundfor people’s rubbish.

“The message needs to get throughthat if someone offers to take awayyour rubbish, then it is up to you tomake sure they have a proper licence.Otherwise you could end up in courtand having to pay hundreds of poundsin court costs and fines. It’s yourwaste, it’s your responsibility.”

Leicester Magistrates’ Court wastold the rubbish was found at a carpark in Meadow Lane, Birstall on June22 this year.

Council officers traced it back toRauf and later interviewed him. Hetold officers that when the men of-fered to take away the rubbish hethought they might sell the bikes andasked them to take the cardboard TVbox as well as he thought they weregoing to the tip.

Officers informed Rauf that hecould have taken the waste to the tiphimself and if he wanted someoneelse to do it, he had a duty of care toensure they were authorised to carrythe waste and dispose of it.

Rauf, who admitted the charge,said he was unaware it was an of-fence.

Magistrates ordered him to pay£380 in fines, court charges andprosecution costs.

Rubbish:manfined

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Who is your neighbour?National and international events have

been at the forefront of even the localnews in the last few months. Politicalchanges may, or may not, have affectedus as individuals, but few people canhave failed to be moved by the constantpictures of refugees enduring incrediblehardship as they flee from war-torncountries to seek safety in Western Eu-rope. Like many churches, St James inBirstall and St Nicholas in Wanlip havebeen taking special collections to sendto Save the Children. One intrepid cou-ple from Birstall, on their way to a holi-day in France, filled their camper vanwith donated sleeping bags, tents andclothes and took them to Calais fordistribution there. In our landlockedpart of England, where we can only helpby giving, the Red Cross and the Cathe-dral’s work with asylum seekers arrivingin this city, is in constant need of gifts,but particularly of long-life food, toilet-ries and sanitary wear for women andbabies. If you can help, you can bringany contributions to St James on aWednesday morning after 10am or Sat-urday mornings 10am – 12pm or withany queries, contact Rose Parrot on07811 662235What’s to come?

Returning to more domestic issues:the usual programme of autumn eventsstarts with our Thanksgiving Sunday onOctober 18, when after the morningservice there will be a bring and sharehot lunch.. As usual everyone is invitedto come along to the Village Hall at12.30pm and bring their contribution offood, but please sign the lists in one orthe other church beforehand to indicatewhat you would like to bring (or ringthe Church Office on a Friday between11am and 2pm to add your name).

Also on Sunday 18th at 7.45pm at theBritish Legion the Men’s Group will bemeeting to hear a talk by Peter Astill,our well-known local solicitor.

On Friday October 30 we shall bepresenting the first of our winter filmnights. The film “What we did on ourholiday”, is described as a hilariousBritish comedy at its best, with a “12”certificate. There is no charge for thisshowing and there will be light refresh-ments at the interval, but we do invitedonations for church funds.

Bring a cushion!A success!

Those valiant souls who braved thewet weather to support the (indoor!)Garden Fete on Bank Holiday Mondaywill be pleased to know that the takingsfor the day amounted to £2,163 –withmore still to come – the best resultwe’ve ever had. The church was crowd-ed but there was a very happy atmos-phere, added to by some very strikingfancy dress – and that was just theadults! The final total will be shared bythe Alzheimers’ Society and the church.Thank you for your support.

From Birstall Parish Churches

beach) gave the Historical Lecture onthe life and ministry of Gideon Ouseley(1762-1839), the Methodist evangelist inIreland. The final two sessions weretaken by Pastor Spencer Cunnah (Lon-don) on “The Primacy and Centrality ofthe Cross of Jesus Christ” and “ThePower of Jesus Christ as Conqueror ofDeath.” Recordings were made (CD &MP3): please contact the chapel athttp://www.stantonleeschapel.org.uk/index.html if you would like copies.Sunday Services and Harvest Thanks-giving

Our Sunday services (except 25th –please ring for venue) are in the Com-munity Room at Highcliffe PrimarySchool, Greengate Lane (LE4 3DL),starting 10.45am Our visiting speakerfor the Harvest Thanksgiving Service onOctober 11 is John Todd (Loughbor-ough). You are warmly invited to joinwith us for these services.

For further information please ring0116 2214883.

From Anne Taylor, Birstall Inde-pendent Baptist Church

News from the churches

Enter the Methodist Church ‘In TheLight’

The upgraded entrance to the Meth-odist premises is now finished and inuse. With automatic doors and newflooring this bright new entrance hallhas transformed the main ‘gateway’ tothe buildings making a huge improve-ment. Inside the entrance hall a new

glazed entrance to the worship area hasbeen created. It really does mean as youenter the Methodist premises, you‘wWalk-In-The-Light’.

The entrance at the front of thechurch, (by the Oak tree) will still beused for weddings and funerals, whilstthe coffee shop can be accessed throughdoors directly into that part of the build-ing.

The ‘Talents’ fundraising scheme hasnow ended, and the £10 ‘Talent’ thatmany friends accepted in Februaryshould by now have been returned tothe treasurer, David Bark, plus any pro-ceeds that your £10 made.‘Marvellous’

On Sunday evening October 25 atSyston Methodist Church the tale of NeilBaldwin, a man who is still alive, will betold as we watch the BBC2 film ‘Marvel-lous’. It tells the story of this man’s life.He has been a clown, a kit man, andmascot for Stoke City FC, and part of theKeele University community (althoughbeing neither student nor employee). Aman whose simple view of the worldmight seem to reveal a kind of ‘HolyWisdom’.

The film is open to all and theevening will start at 5.30pm It is aBAFTA winning British drama televisionfilm, lasting 90 minutes. It was firstbroadcast in September 2014. It is de-scribed as a ‘film you could recommendto anybody’.Big Yard Community Video

Although ‘Marvellous’ lasts 90 min-utes, there is a 4 minute video on ‘YouTube’ featuring this year’s Big Yard Sale.Our minister Rev Rachel Parkinson putthe video together. It features 180 localpeople in Birstall all playing air guitar ordrums. The sound track is by SKAMusing, with permission, their song ‘Let’sget Rocked’. Search Birstall Big YardSale 2015 and find the ‘You Tube’ item.

Highcliffe Harmony And Moira MaleVoice Choir

On Saturday October 31 in aid of theproject to supply water to the HotpecOrphanage in Cameroon, a light-heartedconcert will be presented at the Method-ist Church at 7.30pm. Tickets are avail-able from Joy & David Bark (Tel2677576) at £6 each.

From Birstall Methodist Church

Stanton Lees ReportAs we gathered in Derbyshire for the

51st Annual August Bank Holiday BibleSchool, there was both sadness and joy.Sadness because about 200 of us hadmet there the previous Monday for thefuneral of Pastor Peter Hulland, who hadhis home call to be with the Lord onAugust 12. That service was led byPastor Roger Fay (Ripon) and the ser-mon was delivered by Pastor ChrisHands (Crich), who took as his textPsalm 23 and asked: “Who is YourShepherd?” The joy was because wewere meeting together to listen to God’sWord and enjoy fellowship. Pastor Dav-id Gayton (Dudley) gave four messagesabout “Walking in the old paths” (Jere-miah 6:16) of “Back to Scripture”; “Be-ing a Soldier for the Truth”; “Sunday asthe Lord’s Day” and “Salvation by GraceAlone.” Pastor David Fielding (Derby)spoke on vital elements of a Christian’slife in the context of the Church (Acts2:42) while Pastor Stephen Ford (Snail-

THE SUN shonebrilliantly for theMessy Church bar-beque on SaturdaySeptember 5.

The barbeque herald-ed the start of the MessyChurch which meets at4-6pm at Birstall Meth-

odist Church on the 1st

and 3rd Saturdays in themonth. “We welcomenewcomers to this enjoyableafternoon when we learnBible stories using craft ma-terials, stories and drama etcfollowed by a tasty meal”said spokeswoman EileenMolesdale. The notice boardoutside Birstall MethodistChurch has further detailsabout Messy Church.

Eileen added “Thanks toeveryone who came along to the barbeque – young people and helpers. We

are very grateful to St James’s Churchfor the use of their lovely field. Specialthanks to Birstall co-op for their gener-osity in providing the sausages, burgers,finger rolls and baps, also the softdrinks. We are very grateful for the sup-port we receive. Our barbeque man(Nick) helped us enormously, especiallyas he brought his wife and family along,so with six extra young people no foodwent to waste. Everyone had a good timeand we look forward to our new term atMessy Church.”

Messy barbecue fun


“I’m going to be teaching people howto make Christmas decorations fromjunk mail, tetra paks and drink

CHILDREN AT HalfPints on Loughbor-ough Road celebratedthe last week of thesummer holidays witha Minion event.

Our pic shows ReubenBramley (right) showing off theglasses his dad made for him intrue Minion Style.

Half Pints have some spacesfor ‘pick up’ from Riversideand Highcliffe schools available.Give them a call on 2671387 ifyou are interested.

P/15/1931/2: 28 Curzon Ave – erec-tion of detached dwelling with dou-ble garageP/15/1898/2: 3 Church Hill – erec-tion of single and 2 storey extensionto side of dwellingP/15/1897/2: 1 Knollgate Close –replacement of flat roof to pitchedroof to garage and side of dwellingP/15/1833/2: Unit 5, Geoff Monk Way– change of use from offices (ClassB1) to dental surgery (Class D1)P/15/1829/2: 24 Orchard Rd – erec-tion of single storey extension torear of dwellingP/15/1792/2: 483 Loughborough Rd– rebuilding of walls & steps and for-mation of driveway access to front ofdwellingP/15/1823/2: 17 Sycamore Rd –erection of dwellingP/15/1722/2: 101 Sibson Rd – dis-play of internally illuminated fasciasign and several posterholders withinshop windowP/15/1712/2: Cliffe House, 9 ChurchHill – erection of canopy to rear andside of dwelling

cans” said Tamar Morton Jones.“We are really hoping people from

across the city will come to it bringingthings they’d like to learn how tomend, or to get ideas and have a goat making things from reclaimedmaterials” he added.

Festival organiser Zina Zelter said:“You’ll especially enjoy this festival ifyou plan ahead, because if you bringthe things in your life which you’dlike to be able to repair – that cardi-gan which needs darning, the brokenCD player, the kitchen knife whichneeds sharpening – someone at thefestival can teach you how to have ago. Then next time it needs repairmaybe you’ll go for it.

“There will be the usualfestival things, food, chil-

dren’s activities andworkshops. Therewill also be swapstalls where you candonate unwantedmaterials and toolsand take away otherswhich you do want.”

The Festival willbe held at the FriendsMeeting House onQueens Road, Leices-ter on October 31from 11am to 5pm

For information onthe festival, pre-festivalevents, or to sign upto the email list go towww.leicesterfootpaths.org.uk or ring 01162899074.

A VOLUNTEER from Birstall will be taking part in the GreenFestival of Making and Mending later this month.

A SOCIAL Cycling group basedin Syston have welcomed newmembers from Birstall after astory about the group waspublished in the Birstall Post.

A spokesman said: “Syston Syclershave continued to meet during the sum-mer and have welcomed new membersto their respective groups.

“We continue to enjoy the scenicLeicestershire lanes on Saturdays andare being given warm welcomes by lotsof cafes, who are getting used to ourvisits.

“Wednesday mid-week ridersoccasionallyventurefurther bydriving to adesignatedstart, sothey canenjoy routesfurther fromhome.

THE AMOUNT raised for the Air Am-bulance by Birstall Allotment Soci-ety’s open morning in August was£326 and not £226, as reported inthe September issue.

THE PARISH of St Theresain Birstall has a new Par-ish Priest.

Fr Saji Dominic (37) has comefrom the parish of St Albans in Splott,Cardiff.

Fr Dominic said: “Birstall is abeautiful place with a real spirit ofcommunity. I hope to bring the wordsof Jesus from the gospel to everyone.”

Fr Dominic’s induction mass willtake place at St Theresa’s on TuesdayOctober 6 at 7pm.

“Members have also been taking partin sportive events around the countryand local Skyrides too. A full list of allour rides, including Thursday night ridesand time trials, can be found on ourwebsite. We do welcome riders of allabilities and have groups to accommo-date from beginners, who meet on Sun-days, up to competitive club riders. Whynot come along and give us a try.”

To find out more visitwww.systonsyclers.com or contact Phil0771 778 1501 [email protected]

Learn to make andmend at festival

BirstallMinionmania

PlanningapplicationsNew

priest

Amount raised

Social cycling group


Why being overweight increases yourrisk of cancer

Major studies confirm that beingoverweight or obese increases the riskof various cancers. The World HealthOrganisation (WHO) says that overweightand obesity are the most importantknown avoidable causes of cancer aftertobacco.

The latest statistics for England showthat the proportion of adults witha healthy BMI decreased, andaround a quarter ofadults are obese,and the figuresare similar inthe other UKnations. The waythat fat is dis-tributed aroundthe body canalso affect therisk of cancer.‘Apple-shaped’people who puton weight aroundtheir stomach may havehigher risks than ‘pear-shaped’ people who put onweight around their hips.

Here are some examples of howbeing overweight affect your statisticalrisk of cancer. Breast Cancer

Scientists have estimated that any-where between 7% and 15% of breast

cancer cases in developed countries arecaused by obesity. Over a hundred stud-ies show that women who are over-weight or obese and have been throughthe menopause have higher breast can-cer risks. However obesity does notincrease the risk of breast cancer inwomen before their menopause. Puttingon weight over time can also increasethe risk of breast cancer. Studies have

found that:• Putting on 2-10 kg (4.4-

22 lb) after the age of50 increases the

risk of breastcancer by30%.

• Putting on25 kg (55 lb)after the age of18 increasesthe risk ofbreast cancerby 45%.

Bowel CancerObesity is one

of the most importantcauses of bowel cancer. Some

groups have estimated that beingoverweight or obese causes about 11-14% of bowel cancer cases.

Many large studies have found thatbowel cancer is more common in over-weight or obese people. Two of thelargest studies so far, including the EPICstudy, have found that obese men have

about 50% higherrisks of bowelcancer than thosewith a healthyweight. OesophagealCancer

Being over-weight or obeseincreases the riskof a type ofoesophageal can-

cer (cancer of the foodpipe) called“oesophageal adenocarcinoma”. Over-weight people are over 80% more likelyto develop this cancer than people of ahealthy weight, and the risk in obesepeople is even more. Experts have esti-mated that in the UK it causes about 1 in5 cases of this type of cancer. In fact,the rates of oesophageal adenocarcino-ma in the UK are among the highest inthe world, especially in men. Some stud-ies have suggested that, in Westerncountries, this type of cancer may bebecoming more common because ofrising levels of obesity. Pancreatic Cancer

Higher BMI and fat around the bellyare both linked to a 10-14% increasedrisk of pancreatic cancer in men andwomen. We don’t have clear evidenceabout exactly why this is, but it may belinked to some of the changes in hor-mone levels that are caused by obesity.

There are many other cancers withsimilar statistics.

Studies have shown that overweightand obese people are more likely todevelop cancer than people with ahealthy body weight. It therefore makessense that losing weight can help toreduce the risk of cancer. It is difficultto design studies to confirm this, butsome large studies have found that los-ing weight can help reduce the risk.

One study found that women who lost20 pounds or more had 11% lowerrisks of cancer overall compared towomen who had never lost that muchweight. Another study found that womenwho lost 10kg since menopause, andkept the weight off, more than halvedtheir risk of breast cancer. Other studieshave found similar results for breast andother types of cancer.

A review of many studies found that,overall, that the risk of cancer is lowerfor people that intentionally lose weight,compared to those who don’t.

Keeping your self a healthy size andloosing weight to achieve this really doesmake sense.

For further information:www.cancerresearchuk.org and as al-ways

University Hospitals of Leicester Can-cer Information Centre on 0116 2586189

For more information on the fundswe have raised, projects we support andforthcoming events seewww.birstallbags.co.uk

Contact the BAG’s by [email protected]

Birstall BAG’s Registered CharityNumber 1160190

Please see our separate notice in thisBirstall Post about the collaborativeHome Visiting Service we are looking todevelop with LOROS. Initially we arelooking to recruit LOROS volunteersfrom the Birstall and surrounding areawilling to support families in their ownhome in our community.

TELEPHONE EXTENSION Socketsfitted by ex-BT engineer. Cable,BT and digital TV. Over 25 yrs ex-perience. John 2675132, mob:077 91788331

AMLI DESIGN Architectural Consul-tancy. Plans drawn and submitted.Extensions, conversions, newbuild. David Ives B.Sc.(Hons)FBEng MCIOB 0116 2674395 /07974807111www.amlidesign.co.uk

Birstall BAG’s cancer corner

THE BIRSTALL POSTYOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Unit 109, Greenacres,The Sidings, Leicester LE4 3BR

Editor: Mr Jerry Jackson

Editorial/Advertising

0116 4422067Correspondence, news etc

can be handed in at:Birstall Library or to our office:

Unit 109, Greenacres, The SidingsLeicester LE4 3BR,

[email protected]

Small ads are 25p for the first 16 words. 17-32words: 50p. Enclosing payment, post your ad to us orhand it in (inside an envelope) at Birstall library.

Trade/business rates for small ads are 25pa word. You are liable for the trade/businessrate if you are offering a service for which youare asking for payment, or if you are advertis-ing new goods for sale. All text will be printedbold. Box outline £1 extra. Max 50 words.Phone numbers count as one word.

Small Ads



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