JUL/AUG 2013 No. 101www.birstallpost.co.uk

THE ROTHLEY POSTY O U R F R E E C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R

Pupils back city’s bidCHILDREN AT Rothley school have created artwork to helppromote Leicester’s bid to become the next UK City ofCulture.

With the help of their teachers, eachyear group at Rothley Church of EnglandPrimary School has created a piece ofart that reflects Leicester and Leicester-shire’s culture andheritage.

Roman Leicester,music and theatre,cultural diversity andLeicester City FootballClub are some of thethemes that have in-spired the young artiststo create 11 pieces ofartwork, each measur-ing 1m x 1m.

“We’re all extremelyexcited about Leicester’sbid to become the nextUK City of Culture” said IanMorton who teaches Year Six at RothleyPrimary. Everyone’s got involved, fromthe four and five year olds in receptionto the 10 and 11 year olds in Year Six –and everyone’s enjoyed finding out aboutLeicester’s history and culture.

“I think what the children havelearned is that within the city and countythere is a rich and diverse culture, bothin terms of ethnicity and the opportuni-ties to take part in culture and the arts.”

City Mayor Peter Soulsby visited theschool in May as the guest of Leicester-

shire County Council, to meet the chil-dren and look at their artwork.

“Our plans for Leicester’s culture biddon’t stop at thecity boundaries,so I’m delightedthat we’re beingsupported by ourneighbours inthe county” saidthe City Mayor.

“We’re ex-tremely gratefulto Leicester-shire CountyCouncil for thesupport they’vegiven to our

bid and I’m alsograteful to the staff and children at Roth-ley Primary for the enthusiastic waythey’ve responded to Leicester’s bid tobecome the next UK City of Culture. Ihope that other schools in the city andthe county will now follow their leadand think of ways to show their supportfor Leicester’s bid too.”

In June, Leicester successfully made

the shortlist of four, with Dundee, Hulland Swansea Bay. The contenders werechosen from a shortlist of 11, and theannouncement of the UK City of Culture2017 will be made in November.Pic: Peter Soulsby talks to (l-r) Ben Woodhall,Jaskia Sidhu, Amy Power, Matthew Maynard-Smith & Olivia Taylor-Blakey

PLANS TO build up to 150new homes in Thurcastonhave received a hostile re-action from residents.

The proposals were unveiled at apublic exhibition on June 7, held at theMemorial Hall in Thurcaston, presentedby surveyors Mather Jamie.

Three options were presented on theland west of the GCR line and east ofLeicester Road:

• development at the north of thevillage, served from Mill Road

• development at the south of thevillage, served from Leicester Road

• both options combined into onedevelopment

Also proposed are a new communitycentre, sports pavilion, children’s adven-

Continued on page 2

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST2

ture play area, sports ground, conven-ience shop, care home and medicalpractice.

The remainder of the land up to therailway line would remain in agriculturaluse.

Thirty per cent of the houses wouldbe social housing.

A Thurcaston Action Group (TAG)has been set up and is inviting residentsto contact them. A spokesman said:“This proposal would have a huge im-pact on our small scale community withproposed growth at 40%. It will in-crease traffic substantially – Thurcastonis limited with one major through road,Leicester Road, and is not well support-ed by bus routes especially on eveningsand weekends. Local reaction has beenone of shock – first by a developmentproposal and secondly that it is so verylarge. The effect this development wouldhave on the Thurcaston & Cropstonparish would be to change the shape ofa rural community forever and degrade

the landscape character.”Contact TAG at

Keepthurcastonrural@hotmail.co.uk orvia facebook – Keep Thurcaston Rural.

Mather Jamie want residents’ views

on the proposals : contactadministrator@thurcastonproposals.comor write to Thurcaston Village, MatherJamie, 3 Bank Court, Weldon Road,Loughborough LE11 5RF

A FULL meeting of RothleyParish Council was held onMay 20.

A local resident has written with theirconcerns about the parking on TownGreen Street, with residents being unableto park their cars.

The question of a commercial con-cern using Parish Council recreationalland was raised. It was agreed to writeto the organisation concerned askingthem not to use any of the Parish Coun-cil’s facilities.

The Council agreed to spend £5,400on a programme of works to tidy upBunny’s Field and the Mountsorrel Laneplaying field, which will involve cuttingback some hedges.

It was agreed to spend £500 to re-new the planters outside the ParishCouncil office.

A full meeting of Rothley ParishCouncil was held on June 17.

County Councillor Peter Osbornereported that the County Council had tomake savings of £100million over thenext four years and cuts were inevitable.

A parishioner asked why the gate tothe Fowke Street playing field car parkwas only unlocked when the junior foot-ball club were using the field and wastold it was a condition of planning con-sent.

A parishioner objected to the removalof hedges on the Mountsorrel Lane play-ing field at a time when birds were nest-ing.

The Council agreed on a documentobjecting to Charnwood’s Local Plan andon publication of a leaflet to parishion-ers asking them to object via a collec-tion box in the Rothley Centre.

It was reported that the cost of a newheating system in the Village Hall islikely to be met by Section 106 develop-

Options fordevelopment

GCR railway

A FULL meeting of Thurcaston & Crop-ston Parish Council was held on March21.

Following a written request by a pa-rishioner for an additional dog litter binon Leicester Road it was agreed to makeenquiries as to the cost and ongoingmaintenance costs.

The annual Parish meeting was heldon April 18.

A member of the public commentedon the increasing amount of dog foulingin the villages and said he had contactedCharnwood to request that the dog war-den visit the parish. A lot of used dogwaste bags are being left in hedges andbushes.

It was reported that there are fivevolunteer litter pickers in the Parish.

The annual meeting was following bythe April meeting of Thurcaston & Crop-ston Parish Council.

Representatives from Mather Jamiegave a presentation about new homes andcommunity facilities within the parish, onland east of Leicester Road.

It was agreed to recommend a publicconsultation event take place.

The council agreed to insure the par-ish’s volunteer litter pickers.

The Annual Parish Council meeting ofThurcaston & Cropston Parish Councilwas held on May 16.

Cllr Richard Younie was elected chair-man for the ensuing year and Cllr WilliamGreen vice-chairman.

A member of the public thanked CllrSnartt for his efforts and the efficiency ofthe street cleaning department followingreports of dog fouling. An additional vol-unteer litter picker had joined the team.

It was reported that horses were beingridden along a footpath off Mill Road,causing potholes. It was agreed to contactthe County Council about the possibility ofinstalling a kissing gate to prevent this.

The clerk reported that a formal re-quest for two additional dog waste binshad been declined by Charnwood.

er contributions. Further 106 monies,totalling £40,000 are available and itwas agreed to discuss with Charnwoodhow this could be spent in the village.

ParishCouncilnotes

FOR THE first time Charnwood Bor-ough Council is asking people tochoose their three biggest environ-mental gripes so officers can takeaction during its award-winningDon’t Muck Around campaign laterthis year.

The campaign, which was originallylaunched in 2011, uses a combinationof enforcement and education to sig-nificantly reduce dog fouling, fly-tip-ping and litter across the borough.

Cllr Jane Hunt, the Council’s Cabi-net member for Regulatory Services,said: “The council is always keen tohear the views of residents so we canmake sure we are tackling the issueswhich are most important to them

“We are essentially inviting resi-dents to take control of the counciland steer it in the direction they wantit to go – it really is Big Society inaction.

“Don’t Muck Around has been sosuccessful in the past and I believe byinvolving residents in the planningstage, it will be bigger and better thanever.”

The campaign was crowned thebest environmental campaign in theUK at the 2012 Keep Britain Tidy Net-work Awards. It has also won anumber of awards for the way inwhich it has been communicated.

To find out how you can have asay, visitwww.charnwood.gov.uk/dontmuckaround

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST 3

They have employed a planning con-sultant to help them prepare their objec-tions to Charnwood Borough Council’sLocal Plan, currently in a consultationperiod that ends onJuly 22.

The Parish Coun-cil’s formal objectionto the plan says thatthe Development at‘North Birstall’ willresult in :

• an imbalance inthe distribution offuture development,with a concentrationaround the outskirtsof Loughboroughand Leicester

• the coales-cence of settle-ments and aharmful impact onthe local landscape, closing the gapbetween Rothley and Birstall.

• the unnecessary loss of high gradeagricultural land

• no benefit to the existing and mostdeprived communities in Charnwood

• a significant and harmful impact onthe natural environment

• costly highway improvements thatwill undermine the viability of the devel-opment

The Parish Council have circulated aleaflet in the village urging residents toobject to the plans. It contains a letteryou can send to Charnwood registeringyour objection. To comment online goto www.localplan.charnwood.gov.uk

The Local Plan sets out developmentproposals for Charnwood as a whole,identifying sites for new homes andemployment land.

For the area near to Rothley, de-scribed as ‘North Birstall’ and currentlyin the parish of Wanlip, it proposes:

• at least 1500 dwellings• 15 hectares of employment land• development to create a new Gar-

den Suburb, containing shops and com-munity facilities

• 30% affordable homes• health facilities and a place of wor-

ship• a new primary school• a contribution to the expansion of

local secondary schools

• a supermarket (up to 100 sq.m)• Four pitches for travelling show

people• a new roundabout on the A6, north

of the A46 inter-change

• a new link roadfrom the new round-about to Wanlip anda Wanlip bypass toRectory Road

Following the pub-lic consultation periodthe Core Strategy willbe submitted to theSecretary of State, thenit will be examined byan independent plan-ning inspector. If theydecide it is sound itwill be adopted in Oc-tober 2014.

Rothley Imps under 10s have beenpicked to represent Rotary District 1070in a national soccer tournament onAugust 4 at the English Football Associa-tion’s new National Football Centre, StGeorge’s Park in Burton upon Trent.

Rothley Imps Manager Marc Jaggersaid: “This is an amazing opportunity forthe squad which will live long in their,and their parents, memories. Playing atthe England HQ where many of ourheroes perform will be truly inspiration-al for the children. There is such a buzzof excitement at training and we are sograteful to Soar Valley Rotary Club formaking our players’ dreams come true.”

The Imps have been nominated bythe local Rotary Club of the Soar Valley,as part of the Club’s Youth Service pro-gramme. Other recent initiatives haveranged from helping youngsportsmen/women, sports clubs andyouth centres like the Soar Valley Café,to Youth Exchanges and Rotary StarAwards.

Announcing the nomination, Soar

Valley Rotary President Graham Martinsaid: “We are delighted that the RothleyImps are to participate in this prestig-ious tournament. They will meet teamsof boys and girls from around the coun-try in a unique opportunity to playwhere England teams prepare for theirgames. The Rothley club have a greatname in local football circles and weare confident that they will representSoar Valley and Rotary District 1070 verywell in the competition. We wish themevery success.”

The clubs will compete for a trophywhich will be presented at the end ofthe competition by the President of Rota-ry in Britain and Ireland Nan MacCread-ie.Pic: Rothley Imps Under 10s

A JUNIOR football squad from Rothley will play at the Na-tional Football Centre this summer.

PLANS TO build 1500 homes on the outskirts of Rothleywill close the open gap between Rothley and Birstall andharm the landscape, say Rothley Parish Council.

BIRSTALL

New primaryschool

WANLIP

New Wanliplink road& bypass

ë

ë

SEVERN TRENT WANLIPWATER TREATMENT WORKS

Council fights tosave open space

Imps’ special summer

The next issue ofTHE ROTHLEY POSTwill be published on Aug 24.

The copy deadline is Aug 9.

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST4

THREE ECO heroes are being celebrated by the Council af-ter dedicating decades of their lives to Charnwood’s greenspaces.

Parents cheered on their childrenas they performed on a real stage with

professional lights andsound provided by MrPilton, father of one ofthe cast.

“Puss really stole the show with atremendous performance backed

colourfully by the rest of the year 4children. The whole production wasbrought to life by the wonderful andmelodic singing of the year 3 chil-dren” said teacher Colin Shaw.

Crime Report : Rothley, April & May2013

Assaults & harassment 4, burglary7, burglary non-dwelling 7, damage 3,damage to motor vehicle 3, publicorder 1, theft 11, theft of cycle 1, theftfrom motor vehicle 3.

In the year ending April 1, 2013there were 35 burglaries in Rothleycompared to 16 in 2012. Burglarynon-dwelling was 14, and 24 in 2012.

The main issues are clearly burgla-ry, theft and theft from motor vehicles.To date we have been combating theburglary threat with various opera-tions. Op Opel / Op Baton and OpDynamo are specifically placed togather intelligence, deter by high visi-bility patrols, and to catch and convict.

Officers areworkingundercoveron cycles ,on foot, andin plainvehicles. Ihave had anANPR (Auto-maticNumber Plate

Recognition) operation recently. It ismy intention to have more of theseevents in order to catch suspect vehi-cles in the area. Waymarkers are inplace across Charnwood where officersare required to be several times a dayas a proactive and reactive strategy.The police are working closely withour partner agencies : NeighbourhoodWatch, and Charnwood Borough Coun-cil to advise the community on crimeprevention.

Planning is in place to preventthefts from cars across Rothley. Beautyspot car parks are a real target. Highvisibility and covert patrols form a partof the strategy. It is pivotal that thecommunity are made aware of prevent-ative measures that they can take. Alltoo often cars are broken into becausethe owner left goods on show.

PCSO Laura Grimbley has left tobecome a Police Constable. PCSO 6646Steven Quinn is Rothley’s new PCSO.

From PC 2139 Richard Carru-thers

richard.carruthers@leicestershirepnn.police.uk

ROTHLEY SCHOOL’SYear 3 and 4 produc-tion of Puss inBoots at ThePalmer-Tomkin-son Theatre atLongsladeCommuni-ty Collegewas aroaringsuccess.

Crimereport

Barry Curtis, from Thurcaston, LynneAtkinson from Rothley and Morry VanMents from Shepshed have been pre-sented with trophies to recognise theinvaluable support they have given toCharnwood Borough Council’s Greenspaces team as Conservation volunteers.

Before receiving the award, retiredtrainer Morry, 81, from Shepshed hadn’trealised he had been working as a vol-unteer for that length of time.

“It doesn’t seem that long. When theopportunity came up to work outdoors itwas a great opportunity, I have certainlylearnt an awful lot about wildlife” hesaid. “I like the idea of helping to con-serve natural things, but largely the thingthat keeps me coming back is the groupof people, they are good to talk to, verysocially conscious people, quite a few ofthem have become my friends. I would

definitely encourage people to comealong you don’t have to have any experi-ence or know anything about plants orthe tools we use, you learn it on the job.We are always pleased so see newcom-ers.”

The trio have been presented withhand-carved trophies made by the Coun-cil’s Woodland Ranger, Stuart Freeman,using recycled oak from The Outwoods.

Charnwood Conservation Volunteerswork throughout the year on a range ofprojects across the borough, from drystone walling to flower seeding andwood clearing, with the Council’s GreenSpaces team.

LEICESTER’S INDOOR mar-ket is to be demolished.

The 1970’s building which housedthe fish and meat traders will be re-placed with a new glass, steel andtimber pavilion on the edge of theCorn Exchange.

The new building is part of a£7million re-development of the area.Construction is expected to start soonon the pavilion which should be openby Christmas 2013. Once the fish andmeat traders have moved in, demoli-tion of the old building will start,making space for a public square onthe site.

IF YOUR boiler is not working andyour annual income is less that£15,860 or you receive state pen-sion credit, you may be eligiblefor a free boiler replacement, in-cluding the cost of all materialsand fitting.

The service is provided by B&Q.To find out if you are eligible call0800 068 4948

PussinBoots

Trio receive awardsfor dedication

The next issue ofTHE ROTHLEY POSTwill be published on Aug 24.

The copy deadline is Aug 9.

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST 5

OUR PICTURES show Mrs CaroleJordan, President of the LadiesCircle, Rothley presenting a bou-quet of flowers to Mrs Joan Lovetton her retirement as president,and a cheque for £500 to Mr PeterCoopey of Menphys. The LadiesCircle would like to thank every-one who supported their coffeemornings.

THE COUNTY Council haslinked up with Leicester-shire Food Links for a seriesof farmers’ markets to beset up at both Watermeadand Beacon Hill countryparks over the coming sum-mer months.

Produce on offer will include organicmeats, cakes, dog treats, locally-brewedbeer, olives and savoury pies.

Nick Fell, the County Council’s Coun-tryside Manager, said: “It’s an innovativemove to welcome local suppliers andwe’re delighted to be collaborating withLeicestershire Food Links.”

The dates for the farmers’ marketsare: Watermead North July 21 and Sep-tember 8 and Beacon Hill, August 11and September 29. Open 10am-5pm.

www.leics.gov.uk/countryparkswww.leicestershirefoodlinks.org.uk

Meg Holland (15) was training withJoe on the night he died from suddenarrhythmic disorder (SADs) last Octo-ber. They had planned to do the Rothley10k together.

Along with other friends and familyMeg took part in the race in honour ofJoe and to raise funds for the trust setup in his name. Also running in thejunior race was Josh Gilbert-Weavers,Joe’s friend and fellow student at DeLisle College in Loughborough.

Meg took first prize in the juniorfemale category with a time of48.52mins and Josh (15) came first inthe junior male category, and third over-all with a time of 35.08 mins.

Meg and Josh were among 30 run-ners representing the Joe HumphriesMemorial Trust. They included Joe’sfriends, family and teachers from DeLisle College.

Joe’s dad Steve Humphries, who alsotook part in the race, said: “What anincredible achievement by Meg and Josh.They are an enormous inspiration toother young people and Joe would havebeen very proud of them and of allthose who ran to raise awareness of thetrust and the important work it is do-ing.”

The trust was set up by Joe’s familyand friends to raise awareness of suddenarrhythmic death syndrome – the adultversion of cot death – which causes theheart of a young and healthy person tosuddenly go into an abnormal rhythm orstop. Its aim is to promote awareness of

the condition and to create a new gener-ation of young life-savers in communitiesby providing training on CPR and install-ing defibrillators in key locations. Thetrust also aims to inspire young peopleto fulfil their potential and develop theirtalents.

For more information about the workof the Trust, go to www.JHMT.org.uk orfacebook/JHMTorg.uk or tweet@JHMTorg.uk

The Mattioli Woods Rothley 10k tookplace on Tuesday June 11. Now in its

28th year it attracts more than 600 run-ners in support of charitable causes. Thewinners this year were Stuart Spencer(33:08) and Sarah Fraser (45:25)

FRIENDS OF a 14 year old Rothley boy, Joe Humphries, whocollapsed and died while out running last year, have tri-umphed in the Rothley 10k charity run.

ROTHLEY PARK Golf Club was the venue for the LOROS an-nual golf day in May.

Twenty one teams participated in theevent, sponsored by LCM Wealth Man-agement, which this year raised£10,500.

Diane Morris, Fundraising managerfor LOROS said: “I am so grateful to allthe players for participating in what was

a very enjoyable day. Companiesthroughout Leicestershire & Rutland andfrom further afield attended what hasbecome a recognised date on the charitygolfing calendar.”Pic: The winning team, Newline, receiving theirprizes (l-r) Leo De Rienzo, Lucy De Rienzo,Helen Lynch, John Lynch

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST6

In response to the writer “Name andaddress supplied”, the anonymous writercan be assured by attending that alldecisions by the Thurcaston and CropstonParish Council are taken democraticallyby all councillors at the Parish Councilmeeting with consideration of the needsof all parishioners. Parish Council meet-ings are open to the public and the writ-er is invited to come to meetings to hearhow decisions are taken.

The column also included variousfactors over which the Parish Council hasno influence.

The precept (the funding received bya Parish Council from Council Tax), is avery small part of the Council Tax we allpay. The Thurcaston and Cropston pre-cept had not been increased in 8 yearsor more, therefore it has been progres-sively reducing Council tax. In contrastsome surrounding parishes have beencausing increases by increasing theirprecept even by as much as 20%.

Richard Younie

Open Churchfor Tea, Cakes and Books at StLeonard’s Church, Swithlandfrom 2-4.30pm on:Saturday & Sunday, July 13 and14, Saturday & Sunday, August 10and 11, Saturday & Sunday, Sep-tember 7 and 8Donations in aid of Church funds

Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland

Birstall SponsoredWalk 2013Sunday September 8Watermead Country ParkMeet 10.30am at St James Centreor 11am at Meadow Lane car parkThe walk is only a few miles longso that everyone can hopefullytake part, but if you can’t you areinvited to sponsor Peter Ralphs,one of Age UK’s staff who enjoysmatching £ for £ sponsorship fromhis previous employer, BarclaysBank. With Gift Aid each £1pledged to him will be worth£2.25 to the charity! See Contactsbelow.Please join in the walk and bringyour family and friends with you.You can obtain a sponsorship formfrom any Age UK Resource Centreor by calling or emailing the Ad-min Team on 0116 2992233 orlhreception@ageukleics.org.uk

Leicester Host Lions Club

Summer FairSunday August 4From 11am to 3pmat 34 The Ridgeway, Rothley,

LeicesterVariety of stalls, refreshmentsMusic by Hiss & Boo BandAdmission £2, children £1

Redhill AllotmentsOpen DaySaturday August 312noon – 4pmA fun event for all the family, withhome made produce and allot-ment-grown fruit and vegetablesfor saleRefreshments, competitions, craftstalls and much more!If you are interested in taking onan allotment, we have organic andnon-organic plots available torent, talk to us on the day, orphone Rita on 0116 2993056 formore informationPlease wear sturdy footwearEntrance off A6 LoughboroughRoad, just north of Red Hill CircleSorry, no parking on site exceptBlue Badge holders

Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston Par-ish Council ‘Lincoln’Friday September 13 (150mins)Daniel Day-Lewis won a BAFTA for‘Best Actor’ in this magnificentfilm which follows our summerbreak. In 1865 President Lincolnstruggled to bring to an end theAmerican Civil War. At the sametime he was endeavouring toachieve the constitutional amend-ment which would ban slavery inthe United States for ever. Howdid he achieve these nearly im-possible tasks?‘Les Miserables’Friday October 11 (158 mins)This epic musical drama film hasgreat power. Anne Hathaway de-served her Oscar as Best Support-ing Actress. Hugh Jackman won anOscar nomination for his fearlessportrayal of the convict JeanValjean who only just survivesstarvation. We have to laugh atHelena Bonham Carter and BaronCohen has Innkeeper and wife.Even if you have already seen thisfilm, you’ll still be entranced.‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ will beshown on Friday November 8.Thurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil will be showing thesefilms at Thurcaston Memorial Hall.

Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost£4.50 and concessions are £4.The price includes refreshmentsand a lucky prize draw.Advance tickets can be purchasedvia the parish office, 01162367626 or at the door.

The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust

Charity ShieldFootball MatchKasabian Kick Off for JoeSunday July 28 at 2pmQuorn Football Club, Farley WayStadium, Quorn, Leics LE12 8RBLeicestershire rock legends Kasa-bian will be kicking off in supportof the Joe Humphries MemorialTrust in the first JHMT CharityShield all-stars game. An all-starKasabian line-up led by bass play-er Chris Edwards will be upagainst a Leicester City Foxes Leg-ends team including Muzzy Izzetand JHMT patron and former Eng-land and Tigers captain MartinJohnson.Admission to the match is by do-nation (suggested minimum £3for adults and children) with un-der 5s free.All proceeds towards the JoeHumphries Memorial Trust CPRtraining and defibrillator cam-paign.For more information about theJoe Humphries Memorial Trustvisit: http//www.jhmt.org.uk/

Housing MeetingAre you interested in ‘self build’housingfor family life or for retirement?or in Cohousing, or in creating aCommunity Land Trust?A public meeting is being held todiscuss how such housing couldbe promoted in the South Charn-wood areaWednesday July 10 at 7.30pm inthe Village Hall at the Old SchoolRooms, corner of SchoolLane/Birstall Road, BirstallContact 07724 812 359 for moredetails

CLASH 2012Drop in sessions for people witharthritis and other musculoskele-tal condition to gather informa-tion and to have a general chatabout these conditions – sessionsheld every Monday 10am to

The Rothley Post welcomes your views andopinions on any subject. Letters, which mustinclude your name and address, (though notnecessarily for publication) can be posted to:The Birstall Post, Longslade College, WanlipLane, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GH, or handedin at Rothley library, Rothley Post Office,Woodgate or email:editor@birstallpost.co.uk

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST 712noon, room 7 Peepul Centre,Orchardson Avenue, Leic LE4 6DP.Sessions are freeAre you retired and have commut-er skills that you can use in thecommunity to support local peo-ple to ‘get online’?CLASH (www.clashgroup.org.uk)would like to hear from youPlease contact Chris on07751072612 to discuss this fur-therGeneral Fitness sessions Tuesdays1-2pm and chair-based exercisessessions Wednesdays 1-2pm forpeople with arthritis and othermusculoskeletal conditions at thePeepul Centre, Orchardson Ave-nue, Leic. Sessions 50p each.A variety of massage and aroma-therapy treatments are now beingoffered to members and non-members of CLASH2012 at thePeepul Centre, by a fully qualifiedindividual at a very discountedprice (prices range from £9 to£17 dependent on treatment).Please contact Michelle Ridgewayon 07847435770 for further in-formation or to book an appoint-ment.

CurveLeicester TheatreVolunteer opportunitiesFront-of-house, outreach, commu-nications & eventswww.curveonline.co.uk/careers

Music for EveryoneAre you (or do you know someonewho is) wondering what to dopost 16 after GCSEs? Do you lovemusic? Would you like to train fora career in the music industry?Soar Valley Music Centre is a mu-sic charity based in Belgravewhich runs full time BTEC musiccourses. Courses available includeLevel 1 and Level 2 BTEC certifi-cates (equivalent to 3 or 5 GCSEs)and Level 3 BTEC diplomas in Per-formance and Technology (equiv-alent to 3 ‘A’ Levels)Students can learn or improvetheir guitar playing, DJing, vocalsor any other instrument andrecord and produce their own mu-sic. Bursaries may be available.For more info contact SVMC on0116 266 4153 or emailoffice@musicentre.co.uk or findus on Facebook or Twitter.Soar Valley Music Centre also runsAfter School Music Lessonsin a wide range of instruments forall ages and abilities, junior andsenior orchestras, ensembles, aMusical Theatre group and a BigBand.We are now taking bookings forSeptember so if you have alwayswanted to learn to play an instru-ment or want to take up an instru-ment again that you played as achild, please contact us. Placesmay also still be available on oneof our summer Music Weeks whichrun from Monday July 15 to FridayJuly 19 (Music Week) and MondayAugust 5 – Friday August 9 (Music

Technology Week), 10am to 3pm,£32 per child per week. Pleasering 0116 266 4153 to book aplace.

Coffee ShopRothley Methodist, Howe LaneEvery Tuesday morning, 10-11.30amCome rain or shineNow open : Book exchangeEveryone welcomeTea, coffee, biscuits, toasted teacakeProceeds for the Methodist Church

1st Rothley Scouts

Vintage Duck RaceBunny’s Field, RothleySaturday September 7Gates open 2pmLast race 4.30pmVarious stalls including tea,cakes, old traditional games, tom-bola etc

The next in the series of

Charity WhistDrivesOrganised by Derek Farr will beheld at 7.30pmon Thursdays July 4, August 1,and September 5in the Rothley Centre, MountsorrelLane, RothleyAdmission £2All players welcomeLarge free car park

wood Forest cycle rideon April 28.

The annual 20 mile circularride saw 72 cyclists taking part,with the event raising £5843 forAlex’s wish, a local charity dedicat-ed to finding better treatments forall children living with DuchenneMuscular Dystrophy.

Emma Hallam from the charitysaid: “A huge thank you goes outto Rachel Porritt who helped or-ganise the event, all the schoolmums who marshalled on the dayand baked cakes, Rothley C of ESchool for providing the premisesfree of charge and everyone whotook part in the ride. Thanks alsoto our event sponsors the BradleysStore and The Woodman’s Strokewho helped us to cover the costsinvolved.”

Email emma@alexswish.co.uk ifyou would like to receive details ofnext year’s event.

In May, the charity also benefit-ed

from a 21 mile sponsoredswim at the Soar Valley LeisureCentre and a 170 mile coast tocoast bike ride. A total of £23,034was raised.

ROTHLEY SCHOOL was the start and end point of the Charn-

PLANS TO build 250 homesoff Mountsorrel Lane in Roth-ley will be decided by EricPickles, Secretary of State forCommunities and Local Gov-ernment.

Developers William Davis had appealedto the Planning Inspectorate to make thedecision, after Charnwood Borough Coun-cil had failed to make a determination onthe plans within the statutory time limit.

But instead of a Planning Inspectormaking a decision, Mr Pickles will decideon the plans. In May he ratified a decisionto build 300 homes in Barrow, despitesignificant local protest.

In June, Charnwood Borough Councilrecommended that the application berefused on the grounds that it reduces thearea of separation between Rothley andMountsorrel.

The planning application can be viewedon Charnwood’s website. ref: P/12/2005/2

The next issue of

THE ROTHLEY POSTwill be published on Aug 24.The copy deadline is Aug 9.

Pickles ruleson plans

Forest cycle ride

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST8

ARE YOU looking for some-thing for your child to doover the summer whichdoesn’t break the bank?

Last year, 52 children joined in thefun at Summer Stars Holiday Bible Clubin Mountsorrel, run by LoughboroughSDA Church.

Summer Stars is back and will beheld from 9.30-11.30am, Monday toFriday, August 12-16 at MountsorrelMethodist Church Hall. The club is forchildren aged 4-11 yrs and costs £2 permorning. “We hope to welcome backold friends and perhaps see some new

faces!” said a spokes-man.

Children will be aleto take part in a varietyof activities each morn-ing including : teamgames, craft, modelmaking, action songs,drama, cookery, Biblestories and parachutegames. The morningalso includes snacktime and out door playif the weather is dry.

A spokesman said:“At the end of the week, on the morningof Sat August 17, the children will havethe opportunity to take part in a shortconcert to show family and friends whatthey have been doing at the club. Lastyear we enjoyed sharing lunch together

after the concert and plan to do thisagain this year.”

Places are limited and are alreadystarting to fill up, book early to avoiddisappointment by calling 07748 590594or emailing vivbp@talktalk.net

A ROTHLEY couple openedtheir garden for a fundrais-ing tea party in June.

Sue and Peter Joyce hosted the eventin their home on the Ridgeway for theCharnwood Branch of Cancer ResearchUK.

Jan Gaskell, Chair of the Branch,said: “During the week leading up to theevent a careful eye was given to eachand every weather forecast. The predict-ed weather for Sunday June 9 was for awarm, dry day with some sunshine. Andthat was just how the afternoon turnedout to be.

Teaparty

“The crowds arrived and took greatpleasure in the beauty of Sue and Peter’sglorious garden. One of the joys of agarden is sharing it with friends. Therewas a lot of discussion with regard tothe names of the plants and when andhow to take cuttings. I wonder if somecuttings found new homes! Many re-marked on the amount of love and at-tention which had obviously been givenin bringing the garden up to its pristinecondition and was still being given tomaintain it to that level.

“Then came tea and cakes. Therewas a great selection of homemadecakes and copious quantities of tea andcoffee to wash them down. There was ofcourse the added bonus of being able tosit in such prestigious surroundings andenjoy the garden, the sunshine and thefare.

“The Charnwood Branch of CancerResearch has certainly got its owngroupies and as usual they turned out tosupport the event together with manynew faces who came to support this veryworthy charity. So, as well as thankingSue and Peter, we would also like tothank everyone who attended. Theirgenerosity enabled us to raise £610which will be used for vital research intothis dreadful disease.”

LEICESTER CITY Council has bid for £6.6million of Govern-ment cash to create 6km of new traffic-free cycle tracksalongside main roads into the city centre.

The City Council says this would takecyclists off busy roads and help encour-age more people to use their bikes ondirect routes in and out of the city cen-tre, where they can feel confident andsafe.

The proposals include major projectson three key routes into the city centre.

New cycle lanes would be created toprovide a direct cycle link from the citycentre to

The Golden Mile, Abbey Park and theSpace Centre. This would includearound 1.8km of combined footway andcycle path, as well as 500m of two waycycle track along a stretch of BelgraveRoad’s central reservation. There willalso be 25 new, or upgraded, crossingsalong the route.

A second project would link JubileeSquare to Narborough Road and resi-dential areas in the west of the city, aswell as the National Cycle Network Route6. The direct cycle link would follow theA47 with new cycle tracks into sur-rounding neighbourhoods.

The third project would extend plansfor Newarke Street and Southgates alongthe Inner Ring Road to Freeman’s Com-mon, via Leicester College and The Ti-gers Ground. By reallocating some of theroad space along the one-way route, thiswould provide an additional 1.2km ofoff-road cycle lane with 16 upgraded

crossings.It would also pay for 500 new bike

parking racks in neighbourhood shop-ping areas and new cycle route signage.A programme of path and cycle landimprovements would also be carried outto help address missing links in thecity’s existing cycle network.

An announcement on whether Leices-ter’s bid has been successful is expectedin late June.

Last month the city council wasawarded £550,000 from the Departmentfor Transport for planned improvementsfor cyclists and pedestrians in NewarkeStreet, Southgates and Jubilee Square.

Kids’summerclub

The next issue ofTHE ROTHLEY POSTwill be published on Aug 24.The copy deadline is Aug 9.

City bids for bike cash

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST 9

AMBITIOUS PLANS for a£3million heritage centre,museum and tea room havebeen announced by theMountsorrel Railway Project(MRP)

The Nunkley Hill Community HeritageProject would be located next to therestored Mountsorrel railway, just offSwithland Lane near the junction withHalstead Road.

MRP organiser Steve Cramp said:“With the Mountsorrel Railway restora-tion fast approaching completion, thecommunity volunteers who have giventheir time to restore the railway areseeking to further develop the potentialthat the restored railway offers.

“For the past two years much workhas taken place behind the scenes todevelop an idea to create a heritagecentre to help tell the historical storiesof both Mountsorrel and Rothley. Bothvillages have a wealth of history and wehope to be able to present that historyon a permanent basis for local people toexperience and learn from.”

The MRP hope to re-site two historicgranite buildings to Nunckley Hill. Thefirst of these is the old barn that standsjust off Kinchley Lane. This will disappear

under a Lafarge over burden mound ifLafarge’s planned expansion of the quar-ry gets the go ahead later this year. Thebuilding would be rebuilt stone by stoneand would be divided into two floorswith one floor forming a Rothley heritagecentre and the other floor a Mountsorrelheritage centre.

“Although near to the restoredMountsorrel Railway, the aim is for theheritage centre to cover all aspects ofRothley and Mountsorrel’s history, notjust the railway and quarry.” said Steve.

Also on the site would be a museumbuilding to house the last surviving steamlocomotive from the Mountsorrel Railway‘Elizabeth’ and the three restored Mount-sorrel Granite Company wagons.

The railway would provide a linkbetween the proposed heritage centreand museum to both the Great CentralRailway and Stonehurst Family Farm.

The second building to be relocatedto Nunckley Hill will be the old quarrytime office. This is the only survivingbuilding from the original quarry yard,and is now derelict. The building wouldbe restored at Nunckley Hill retaining itsexternal appearance. Together with anexisting granite building already on site,the time office would be fitted out as atea room.

Steve said: “Our aim is for the site tobe open to the public seven days a weekand for access to the museum, heritage

centre, Nunckley Trail and other attrac-tions to be available free to use with thetea room run on a ‘not for profit’ basisto provide the income needed to supportthe running and upkeep of the site. Thesite will be entirely disability accessibleand we also aim to create sensory areasand through the use of Braille on infor-mation boards, create a visitor experi-ence that can be enjoyed by everyone.”

The County Council’s CharnwoodForest Regional Park Steering Group hasapproved the preparation of a £3milliongrant application to the Heritage LotteryFund through its Landscape Partnershipprogramme. If successful the grant aidwill assist a number of projects includingNunckley Hill. The First Round grantapplication was in May 2013 and theoutcome will be announced in late Octo-ber.

Steve said: “Although the railway res-toration work has been undertaken inconjunction with the Great Central Rail-way, the GCR are not involved with theNunckley Hill project although they sup-port it fully. The scheme is run andoperated entirely by community volun-teers. With the County Council, BoroughCouncillors, Mountsorrel and RothleyParish Councils and Lafarge Tarmac allsupporting the scheme, I’m hopeful thatwe can realise the vision and create whatwill be a much valued community re-source.”

Once the outcome of the first stagelottery application is known, a planningapplication for the scheme will be final-ised and submitted after further consul-tation with the project’s neighbours, thewider community and other interestedparties.

For more information please contactthe volunteer Project Leader Steve Crampby email:steve@mountsorrelrailway.org.uk

The April meeting was all about dahl-ias. Tom Upton, a local prize winningdahlia grower, explained and demon-strated how he grows championshipwinning plants from start to finish.

The process for Tom starts late No-vember when he lifts all his dahlias. InJanuary, he kicks the tubers back intolife with the use of a heatedmat, which soonproduce greenshoots from whichTom takes cuttings.He showed us howhe pots on the cut-tings, pinching out(or ‘stopping’) theplant to producemore flowers, thecompost he uses, thefertilizer he uses, howhe supports the plants,and planting out.

Tom grows dahlias forshowing, and he explained about how heprepares for shows and stages theplants. He also explained and demon-strated how to divide tubers if you arenot taking cuttings.

Tom grows hundreds of dahlias andmany different varieties. He is an expertdahlia grower and over 40 members andvisitors to the club meeting enjoyedTom’s down to earth and relaxed style ofpresentation. He was an entertainingspeaker and there was a lot of laughterthroughout the evening with a lot ofbanter from the audience.

This year’s trip was to the HarrogateSpring Show. This was a popular visitwith 50 members and guests making thejourney. The Harrogate Spring Show isone of the first shows in the ‘show cal-endar’, so many of the exhibits and stallsfeatured spring flowers and plants.There was also an amazing display ofplants from all seasons, we were amazedto see an excellent display of sweet peasas shown in the photo.

There is so much to enjoy at theshow including the show gardens, thefloral marquee, plant stalls, garden fur-niture and equipment, and much more –not forgetting the numerous stalls sellinglovely refreshments. It’s a good job thecoach had a big boot for all the plantsbought at the show! This was anothervery well organised trip and membersand guests had a lovely day out.

In May our visiting speaker was Paul

Street talking about Sempervivums andHardy Sedums. Paul, a retired police-man, has been collecting and growingsedums and sempervivums for manyyears, and brought an impressive arrayof his plants for everyone to admire and,of course, buy. These very undemand-ing plants that

grow in minimalamounts of soil and need almost no careor attention, are a common sight tuckedaway in most peoples gardens. Usingplants and slides, Paul showed us howto make the most of these attractive littleplants to brighten up those forgottendark corners of the garden- the perfectanswer for that broken pot you just can’tbear to throw away.

Gardening club members are nowlooking forward to a number of summerevents. These are:

Wed August 14, 7.45 pm – Aspects ofGarden Design – Stephen Lovell

A look at how plants can be used tofull effect. What goes were, what are thecomponents of good design. A look atall aspects with the emphasis on practi-cal solutions.

Sat Sept 7 – 30th Annual Garden,Craft & Produce Show (Open to All)

To be held at The Richard Hill Pri-mary School, Anstey Lane, Thurmaston

Although we are almost half waythrough the year, it is still possible tojoin the Gardening Club. The member-ship fee is based on a pro rota basis, or£3.00 per meeting. And, if you wouldlike to come as a visitor and then youdecide to join, your visitor fee will berefunded!! So, if you are interested ingardening - come and give the Club atry.

For more information of any of theseevents and a summer events leaflet, callDave Haddon on (0116) 235 9758From Thurcaston and Cropston GardeningClub

Location ofHeritage Centre

APRIL AND the beginning of May was a busy time for theThurcaston and Cropston Gardening Club with an annualtrip and a two visiting speakers.

Railway projectplans new centre

Gardening club news

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST10

OUR MAY meeting was verywell-attended to hear KeithOvenden, from the Leicester-shire Record Office at Wigston,give a most interesting, illus-trated talk entitled “LocalMaps in the Record Office”,covering Leicester, Leicester-shire and Rutland.

Keith began by giving us an overviewof the extent of just how much is storedin the Record Office strong room, in-forming us that there is shelving ex-tending for six miles and the heaviestdocument they have in storage weighsover 25 kilos. They are currently look-ing to find new, larger premises, giventhe huge range of materials that havebeen accumulated over the years, all ofwhich is of significant historic value.

The earliest maps were quite primi-tive and stylized, plus they were notusually very accurate – the earliest onein the Record Office dates from 1576.By 1602, William Smith’s map was nota great improvement and, for example,does not show many roads – roads, asa means of travel, were still underdevel-oped and not considered important tobe included. A map of Leicester from1600, while still quite stylized, doesshow the town walls, then in 1610 JohnSpeed produced one of the earliesttown plans of Leicester.

It took until the 1700’s for maps tobecome more detailed, with maps byJohn Prior in 1777 and John Harrisonin 1787, the latter one still containingsome inaccuracies in the location ofplaces, but roads were included.

Over the centuries maps have beendesigned for many reasons, some ex-amples of which include routes of turn-pike roads often showing toll charges;tithe maps of the mid-19th centuryshow numbered plots and apportion-ment of payments, with the names ofthe property occupant and its owner;there are maps concerning transportwith proposed routes for canals andrailways; the Office has first editioncopies of Ordnance Survey maps of thisarea, the earliest one having been pro-duced in Kent during the 1790’s andthen O.S. surveys of the rest of thecountry were completed gradually in asouth to north direction. Inland Reve-nue maps, e.g. in 1910, were intendedas a means of assessing properties fortaxation. Other maps include those forgeological purposes (started about the1960’s); maps for insurance, mainly forcity centres to assess buildings for riskparticularly in the case of fire; andplans of freehold properties.

From military archive there aremaps of World War 1 trenches and,from World War 2, maps showing posi-tions of air raid shelters. Other diversevarieties are maps on disease outbreakssuch as diphtheria and scarlet fever;hunting maps showing the boundariesof each hunt; areas of production ofStilton cheese; the gold regions of Cali-fornia, USA, for those seeking theirfortunes at the height of the gold rush;on a less savoury note, maps givinginformation relating to the slave trade;and finally, following WW2, maps ob-

tained from Russian sources concern-ing the so-called Cold War. All in all, afascinating subject.

Between June and August, there willsummer events including on Tuesday16th July 16 at 7pm, a guided walk ofCastle Hill Park; and on Saturday Au-gust 17 a guided tour of four signifi-cantly historic churches (at Brooke,Stoke Dry, Lyddington & Ashley) – finaldetails regarding this last tour are stillto be confirmed. For further informa-tion regarding any of these events,please contact Peter Smith on 01162367365.

From Jennifer Kennington, Thurcastonand Cropston Local History Society

P/13/1124/2: 133 Cropston Road, Anstey– proposed side extension to create of-fice, hallway and new bedroomP/13/1064/2: land between Cropston &Anstey – erection of a storage barn andshedP/13/0897/2: land adj to 2 Cropston Ave,Loughborough – erection of a detacheddwellingP/13/1139/2: 84 Leicester Road, Thurcas-ton – 2 storey extension to rear of prop-ertyP/13/1132/2: land off Leicester road,Thurcaston – erection of an agriculturalshed and creation of an access trackP/13/1125/2: 133 The Ridings, Rothley –alteration & extensions to the front & rearof the existing propertyP/13/1167/2: 1 The Crescent, Rothley –the erection of a single storey rear exten-sion extending beyond the rear wall of theoriginal house by 4.3m with a maximumheight of 3.74m and height to the eavesof 2.27mP/13/0994/2: 158 Swithland Lane, Roth-ley – erection of single and two storeyextensions to side and rear of dwellingP/13/0886/2: Six Acres, 17 The Ridge-way, Rothley – change of use of land fromagricultural to residential curtilage andformation of tennis courtP/13/0853/2: Blue Bell Inn 59, TownGreen Street, Rothley – alterations andextensions to Public HouseP/13/0821/2: 35 Westfield Lane, Rothley– erection of boundary wall and fencingwith automatic sliding gateP/13/0825/2: 40 Woodfield Road, Rothley– rendering of external walls insulation todwellingP/13/0769/2: 24-26 Woodgate, Rothley –display of illuminated fascia sign, 4 non-illuminated window signs and 2 non-illu-minated poster signs

FOR OUR May meeting, insteadof the annual coach outing, itwas decided to hold a gardentea party; Mrs. Jennifer Ken-nington kindly hosted thisevent.

Unfortunately the weather did not“play ball” prohibiting sitting in thegarden, but did show glimpses of sun-shine from time to time to make thehouse bright and very pleasant. 24members attended to enjoy their teaparty of tea and a superb selection ofcakes provided generously by bothmembers and the committee.

A main raffle consisting of five spe-cific raffle prizes, was happily won byMesdames Pat French (a wicker bas-ket containing three bottles of mixedWine); Gill Jefferson (a £25 Co-Opera-tive gift voucher); Gill Smart (a framedfloral hand painting by Sue Wakerley,our Deputy Leader); Sue Hopcroft (ameal voucher donated by The Timeand Plaice Restaurant in Rothley); andElizabeth Meadows (a floral plantgiven by Brookside Nurseries, Anstey).

On arrival each member was givena free raffle ticket so in addition to theabove raffle, there was a free prizedraw which consisted of a pretty littlewatch won by Ann Farndon and a giftselection of tea bags together with anattractive teabag saucer won by Eliza-beth Chittenden.

This rather different meeting for themembers, proved to be a very happyand successful occasion with a total of£111 was raised towards funds.

The members attending our meet-ing on the June 10, enjoyed a veryinteresting talk given by Mrs SheilaWiggins who had spent her life notonly packing and unpacking her homecontents but restructuring both hersand her children’s lives and education,during the course of 18 new homes asan itinerant RAF wife.

Our next meeting for the club willbe on Monday August 12 featuring MrBrian Johnson with a talk entitled“And who lived in a house like this.. !”Thought provoking!! Enquriesplease ring 0116 236346

From Ann FarndonThe Monday Club, Anstey, Cropston,

Thurcaston & Rothley.

MEMBERS OF the Rotary Club of the Soar Valley tested theblood pressure of 150 people at Rowena Nurseries, as partof a nationwide event.

1 in 20 showed raised blood pres-sure and were advised to consult theirown GP.

The main aim of these events is toraise awareness about the risks of highblood pressure, which is the highest riskfactor for stroke. There are 152,000strokes in the UK every year – thatworks out at one every five minutes. 16million people in the UK have high blood

pressure, yet many of them don’t knowit. If left untreated, high blood pressurecan increase your risk of having astroke.Pic: Rotarian Hilary Holmes carries out a checkwhilst helpers standing (l-r) are Rtns JohnCalow and Peter Balmbra

History society news

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JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST 11

USER NUMBERS at Birstall’spark and ride site have in-creased.

The £5.5million site opened in 2011and between September and November2011, 188 people used it each day.From December 2012 to February 2013,300 people used it each day.

The County Council and Leicester CityCouncil spend £500,000 a year subsidis-ing the park and ride service, which alsooperates from sites at Enderby and Mey-nell’s Gorse.

The numbers of users of theBirstall/Enderby sites will have to doublebefore the facility breaks even.

The service operates Monday to Sat-urday from 7am – 7pm. A day ticket is£3. Passengers with an older person’spass travel free after 9.30am Monday –Friday and all day Saturday.

www.quicksilverbus.co.uk

carry Great Central Railway trains overthe four tracks of the Midland Main Linewhich handles high speed passengerservices to London.

“We are delighted to announce thisincredible step forward” said Bill Ford,Managing Director of the Great CentralRailway PLC. “Building this bridge un-locks the rest of the re-unificationproject which will create an attractionwith truly international appeal. Wecouldn’t have better partners than Net-work Rail to deliver this element of theproject. The completed railway willbring benefits to the local service sectorand create new opportunities in railtesting, training and apprenticeships.”

The estimated cost for the completescheme is £8m. It is anticipated theinstallation of the rail bridge will accel-erate progress towards the ‘goldenspike’ moment when the two sections ofthe GCR are reunited. Trains could berunning over the full 18 mile railwaywithin five years.

The GCR has launched an immediateappeal, called ‘Bridge to the Future’ withthe aim of raising the £1,000,000 re-quired to pay for the work. While Net-work Rail are partners who will designand manage the construction, they won’tbe investing public money.

“There is huge interest and excite-ment amongst both railway enthusiastsand the general public in seeing thisproject succeed” said Mark Fowler of

Great Central Railway Nottingham Ltd. “Itis vitally important to us that the localcommunities join us in this vision too. Itwill drive economic benefit during con-struction and in the longer term too. Itwill drive economic benefit during con-struction and in the longer term too. Sowe look forward to support for the ap-peal locally, to make that positive differ-ence a reality in our part of the EastMidlands.”

Nigel Harris, Chairman of Great Cen-tral Railway Development concluded:“This agreement is the start of the GreatCentral’s most exciting adventure yet; thedelivery of a vision of an intercity herit-age railway. It’s been a very long haul to

get to this point, especially over the last20 years, but what has unlocked theproblem had been Network Rail’s will-ingness to work in partnership withGCR, Charnwood Borough Council,Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan andother stakeholders. The whole commu-nity is invited to participate. If you’veever wanted to see this happen, now isthe time to act!”

To support the appeal, or for moreinformation about building the bridgeand the rest of the reunification projecthead to the GCR website(www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify) and clickon the ‘Bridge to the Future’ link. Dona-tions can be made securely using a

THE GREAT Central Railway’s long held ambition to reunitetwo sections of the line has taken a leap forward.

The GCR is entering a partnershipwith Network Rail to build a bridge overthe Midland Main Line at Loughborough.Design work is underway and the newstructure is expected to be in place bymid 2015.

The reunification scheme will see a500 metre, long demolished link rebuiltbetween the Great Central Railway PLCwhich operates trains between Lough-borough and Leicester and the GCRNottingham Ltd which runs betweenLoughborough and South Nottingham.This will create an 18 mile railway link-ing communities and attractions with a‘heritage rail highway’. The initial phasewill see the most high profile element ofthe project built; a new rail bridge to

THE DESIGN of a new KingRichard III visitor centre inthe heart of Leicester’sOld Town has been re-vealed.

The former Leicester GrammarSchool building at St Martin’s Placewill be transformed to house a newexhibition, entitled ‘Richard III : Dy-nasty, Death and Discovery’ which willguide visitors through the dramaticstory of theking’s life,brutaldeath atBosworthField in1485, andthe story ofrediscovery,in a nearbycar park.

The centre, which is due to openin March 2014, is likely to attract100,000 visitors and bring in over£4.5million to the city’s economy inits first year alone.

The £4million project will trans-form both the inside and outside ofthe Victorian Gothic building to createtwo floors of exhibition space and anew covered area allowing visitorsaccess to the grave in which Richard’sremains were discovered last summer.

There will also be a new courtyardgarden, glass entrance hall, viewingbalcony, café and visitor entry fromPeacock Lane.

Last year, Leicester City Councilbought the 150-year-old former Alder-man Newton School building, which isright next to the Greyfriars grave site.

New bridge willclose gap onGCR’s 18 mile line

Pic: (top) Network Rail’s visualisation of the new bridge & (below) the original bridge

Park &ridenumbers

New centreplanned

JUL 2013THE ROTHLEY POST12

THOUSANDSOF visitorsfrom the UKand abroaddescended onthe Great Cen-tral Railwaysfor its War-time Weekendin June.

Rothley andBirstall stationswere in Nazi occu-pied territory butno-one seems tohave told theAmericans – theyhad set up a basecamp at the Green-acres café, com-plete with jeeps,half tracks andmachine guns.

As well as re-enactors in theuniforms of Alliedand Axis forces,there were dozensin civilian clothesof the 1940s in-cluding many chil-dren, somedressed as refu-gees.Pic: (below)crowds on Rothleystation platform

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