MARCH 2024 GROBY SPOTLIGHT online

GROBY & FIELD HEAD 

Spotlight 

Road Closure in March 

The Temporary Traffic Regulation Order: 

Marston Drive, Groby 

A TEMPORARY TRAFFIC regulation order will be 

implemented for public safety for STW and their 

contractors to undertake the installation of new 

sewer apparatus to alleviate flooding issues. 

A temporary road closure is 

required on Marston Drive, 

Groby between Leicester 

Road and the junction with 

Dalby Drive, Groby on 18th 

March 2024 to 29th April 

2024. 

The proposed alternative 

diversion route will be signed 

on site. 

During the closures, 

alternative routes 

available to all traffic can 

be viewed at https://one. 

network/?tm=GB137856401. 

The diversion is as follows: 

Marston Drive >> Castell 

Drive >> Marina Drive and 

reverse route. 

Information 

supplied by Cllr 

Ozzy O’shea 

MID-MARCH 2024 

Groby could get a new 

deli/coffee shop 

IT’S NEARLY 20 years 

since the publication 

of Groby Parish Plan, 

which looked at all 

aspects of village life. 

When it came to facilities, 

indoor sports activities 

and another pub, but with 

families in mind and eating 

facilities at night, came 

second and third on the 

wish list of adults who 

participated. But top came 

a cafe. 

In common with most 

pubs the Stamford Arms 

has developed the food 

side of the business, 

and now has plans for 

a further redevelopment 

which will create a 40 seat 

deli and coffee shop. The The existing storage outbuilding 

redevelopment will take place 

at the rear of the property near the childrens play area, so the Leicester 

Road street scene will remain the same. 

The planning application is available on the Hinckley and Bosworth 

website, along with plans of the existing and proposed layouts. More 

information will be available in due course. 

Norman Griffiths 

Age UK Launches DISCOUNTED WILLS Promotion 

MORE THAN HALF of adults (56%) in the UK do not 

have a will, and this means that their estate (their 

property, financial and other assets) will be left to 

someone they haven’t chosen when they die. 

To encourage residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland 

to take action now to make or update a will, local charity Age UK 

Leicester Shire & Rutland is launching its much-awaited annual will 

writing promotion. 

The successful scheme, which runs from the 1st March – 30th April 2024 is supported by many local solicitors who 

have generously agreed to reduce their Will Writing charges for older people (55+) to only £35 + VAT for an updated 

or a single uncomplicated Will for the duration of the promotion. 

It’s important that a will is in place as it gives not only you, but your family peace of mind for the future and can 

prevent the risk of significant problems when dealing with your estate. It’s also advised that you regularly review your 

will to ensure it is up to date. 

Don’t miss Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland’s straightforward, simple and affordable way to write or update your 

will. And whilst we understand that loved ones will come first, please consider leaving Age UK Leicester Shire & 

Rutland a gift in your will. 

Gifts in wills are a vital source of income for the charity and if you’re able to leave just 1% of an estate it can make 

such a big difference and help to secure the longer-term future of a vital local independent charity which has been 

supporting older people for over 70 years. 

To request a will writing promotion pack, please email enquiries@ageukleics.org.uk or call 0116 299 2233. 

NEXT ISSUE OUT ON 13TH APRIL - DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES & ADVERTS IS 30TH MARCH

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Email: lettings@oaktreelettings.co.uk 

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MARCH 2024 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk 

3 

THE SONGS for our Spring/Summer season of 2024 were 

unveiled at our first session of the year at The Groby Club, 

Leicester Road, Groby. 

All three of the rehearsals that day were very well attended in spite of the 

chilly, damp weather outside and cake time was busy with lively chatter as 

we met with old friends and welcomed lots of new faces. 

Songs originated from various places in Europe, notably Sweden, 

Germany, France and Italy as well as all four countries of the British Isles. 

Some links were rather tenuous and the choir were a bit bemused by the 

song attributed to ... Birmingham, but come along to the next rehearsal if 

you’re intrigued by that one! 

Our trip round Europe promises to be yet another success for Groby 

Sings in our 11th year so do join us every Wednesday during term time 

to see what a good time we have with lots of laughs, socialising, singing 

and cake. We especially welcome singers with disabilities or memory 

problems together with their friends and carers. 

Adult singers: 1.30-3.00pm or 7.30-9.00pm, Youth & Children’s Choir 

(7 years and over): 3.40-4.40pm. Pre-school children are welcome in the 

afternoon in the care of their adult with a crèche area available. Please 

note that we don’t meet in school holidays. 

Concerts will be held on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 

23rd June – dates for your diary. 

Enquiries via our website www.grobysings.org and check out our 

Facebook page too. Groby Sings is a Registered Charity no. 1180490 

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Never put a child wearing Superman pyjamas in the top bunk.

4 


The pipes that will 

prevent sewer flooding 

WORK 

CONTINUES 

on the £1.8 

million 

Groby flood 

alleviation 

scheme. One 

element of 

the scheme 

is to provide 

storage to 

hold peak 

flows during 

heavy rain, 

with the water being held in the giant pipes shown in the 

photograph. 

These all fit together and will be installed side-by-side as the contractors 

can’t get deep enough for a single bigger pipe due to the other pipes and 

cables in the area. 

“In large storms our sewer network can get overloaded with rainwater, 

which can cause our foul sewers to flood out onto roads and properties,” 

explained a spokesperson for Severn Trent. “These storage pipes on 

Leicester Road will retain the extra rainwater volumes in storms, holding it 

back from flooding out nearby and stopping it passing the problem forward 

to any sewers downstream. Then, once the storm has passed and the 

downstream sewers have capacity again the storage pipes release their 

stored volume back into the sewer network.” 


World Autism Acceptance Week, 

2nd – 8th April 2024 

AUTISM IS on the rise. Or at least, the recognition of it is. 

According to the website psychcentral.com, there was a 

787% exponential increase in the number of people who 

were diagnosed with autism between 1998 and 2018 in 

the UK. 

The National Autistic Society says that in the UK, more than one in 

every 100 people are now on the autism spectrum. It reckons that around 

700,000 adults and children in the UK suffer with the condition to some 

degree. 

All of which means that you probably know of someone who has autism, 

to some degree. And you may know that, as it says on the NHS website: 

Autistic people may act in a different way to other people, … and find it 

hard to understand how other people think or feel. They may find things like 

bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful, or uncomfortable. They 

may get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events and 

take longer to understand information. 

To help people with autism, you may wish to support this ‘acceptance 

week’, by going to the National Autistic Society’s website, https://www. 

autism.org.uk and taking part in some way in their fundraising campaign. 

Do YOU run a club, team or 

community group in Groby? 

If so, why not drop us a line and tell us a bit 

about it, and we’ll include a free brief mention in 

the Spotlight. 

Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk 

Letter from Uncle Eustace 

The Rectory 

St James the Least 

My dear Nephew Darren 

I 

AM NOT the least surprised you have got yourself 

into trouble; innovation is never to be encouraged. 

New ideas tend to cause revolutions. The move from 

incandescent lightbulbs to energy saving ones may 

ultimately change the Church of England. 

Change is something everyone claims to be in favour of – provided it has 

no measurable effect on their own lives. I remember as a young curate 

once suggesting that at the Harvest Supper, tables might be enlarged 

so that eight people could sit together rather than the traditional six, thus 

helping more people get to know one another. The response would have 

been similar if I had suggested we travel to London to murder the Prime 

Minister. I was firmly told that tables for six had been perfectly adequate 

for parishioners in Queen Victoria’s day. For the rest of my curacy, I was 

regarded as a revolutionary, to be watched carefully. 

So, at your last visit to our church, to suggest that our 11am Mattins 

might be moved to 10.30am, in order to encourage those who wanted to 

have more of the day free to themselves, certainly lobbed a hand grenade 

among the post-Service coffee cups. The only person who was mildly in 

favour was Colonel Wainwright, who quickly realised that it would give him 

an extra half-hour at the gin and tonics before lunch. 

Should you ever feel that people lack imagination, you should watch them 

in action when they find reasons for resisting an unwelcome suggestion. 

One said that the time couldn’t be moved, since it would then be too early 

for the local bus – omitting to mention that none of our congregation travel 

to church by bus and that the service doesn’t run on Sundays anyway. 

Another pointed out that it would confuse those who didn’t attend church – 

not explaining why if they never attended, it mattered what time the Service 

was. A third, rather touchingly mentioned that it wouldn’t give the rector time 

to enjoy his breakfast after the rigours of the 8am Service. 

Your suggestion did, however, serve one useful purpose; it brought our 

congregation together in united opposition. They may not necessarily 

always know what they are for, but they certainly know what they are 

against. For that, I thank you. 

Your loving uncle 

Eustace 

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Which antelope was the most feared in the African savannah? Vlad the Impala. 

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6 


0116 234 0548 

We can take care of every detail, advise and help you 

on each and every step of the way. 

All the latest news from ... 

Groby COMMUNITY Library 

• Qualified Funeral Directors 

• Floral Tributes arranged 

• Hearse, Limousines and 

alternatives available 

• Monumental Service 

• Car parking available 

• Online tribute and 

donation profile 

• Catering suite 

• Chapels of rest 

• Funeral plans available 

• 24 hour service 

BACK IN 2016 Leicestershire County Council were obliged 

to find a new way to operate many of its smaller libraries, 

including ours at Groby. 

They asked for community groups who would be willing to undertake the 

running of the libraries, and fortunately in Groby we had such a group of 

proactive people, most of whom have now moved on to other activities. 

Alongside them they sought a number of volunteers who were this happy 

to make sure that the library stayed open to the public, and people came 

forward to do their bit. 

I’ve mentioned this because having been open for some years it’s good 

to remind folk that although we’re a public library and our new books are 

bought by Leicestershire Libraries, we do rely on the twenty-five volunteers 

who staff the counter for no financial remuneration. Some of our current 

volunteers have been with us since the library reopened, and definitely 

deserve some kind of medal! The volunteers usually work up to three 

hours a week and are regular and dependable, but three hours isn’t enough 

to experience every eventuality that comes up, so we’re grateful when 

you’re patient with us (especially when dealing with our high tech printer!). 

We love to meet and serve our neighbours, keeping this valuable service 

open for you. 

Just across from the library counter is the library cafe, which has become 

very popular. Again, the cafe is run by volunteers, and the quality of drinks, 

cakes and snacks ensures a steady stream of hungry customers, many 

of whom come every week and in some cases, every day! The cafe was 

started because we needed a good source of finance for the daily running 

of the library and building, as the County Council’s initial grant has been 

exhausted.Thanks to our solid support in the community, we are able to 

stay open without too much stress. 

This is a very basic introduction to how we bring a library service to you. 

I can’t remember having written one before so I thought it was about time! 

It wasn’t written to ask for donations or new volunteers, although these are 

always welcome, and the cafe is actually looking for a new volunteer to 

work on Saturday mornings (Just ask at the cafe counter for a form). We 

are very glad and proud to provide this service to people in Groby! 

As well as our regular events, we have two one-offs coming up in the near 

future. There is an Easter glass fusion afternoon on March 23rd, with two 

sessions, one from 2-3pm and one from 3-15-4pm. Tickets are £10 per 

person and this event is for adults only. There will be an Easter event for 

the children though, with our usual crafts and games with Mel. Watch the 

library windows for the date, to be announced, but close to Easter! 

Finally, our popular top ten books from the Sunday Times Bestsellers and 

in our stock: 

• Val McDermid 

• Harlan Coben 

• Richard Osman 

• Elly Griffiths 

• Gabrielle Zevin 

• Jo Nesbo 

• Lynda La Plante 

• Mark Billingham 

Past Lying 

I Will Find You 

The Last Devil to Die 

The Last Word 

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow 

Killing Moon 

Taste of Blood 

The Last Dance 

• Frieda McFadden The Housemaid’s Secret 

• Bonnie Garmus 

Dave Robinson 

Lessons in Chemistry 

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7 

Registered 

Chiropodist 

Jason Peake 

MSSCh, Dip POD MED, MBChA 

For all your 

footcare needs: 

Corns, Callous, Nail 

Problems, Medical 

Pedicures, etc. 

Call Mobile: 

07760 453858 

Or Email: 

peakeyjas@gmail.com 

Join me on an 

Italian walk 

I AM WALKING the 

Cammino Materano in 

Southern Italy in the 

region of Puglia from 

June 10th - 19th. 2024 

This is 170 km (108 miles) , seven 

days walking at an average of just 

under 15 miles per day. 

Self Guided Walk. Mostly Flat 

easy walking from Bari (coast) to 

Matera (inland). 

I am walking SOLO so would 

anyone like to join me in this 

adventure. 

Contact me via e-mail 

(cosmic784@hotmail.com) for 

details. 

Click on this web site for more 

details. It is in Italian, so you need 

to click on the Translate button 

(‘Traduzione’) to get it in English. 

The Matera Way 

(https://camminomaterano.it/) 

Ash Kotecha, Groby 

Dowding Solicitors Limited 

We offer a personal friendly 

service locally for all your legal 

requirements. 

• Wills 

• Lasting Power of Attorney 

• Administration of Estate 

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• Residential Sales and Purchase 

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Finally, my winter fat has gone. Now I have spring rolls.

8 


Whether you have an Apple HomePod, an 

Amazon Echo or a Google Home device, your 

voice-powered digital assistant can do all kinds 

of things without lifting a fi nger. 

Turn it up 

Your digital assistant can understand more 

specifi c controls, in addition to “turn it up” or 

“volume up. “ For example, you can say to Alexa, 

“Volume 7. “ Smart speakers can recognise 

percentages, too, so you can tell them to turn the 

music to 50% or 100% if you want to annoy the 

neighbours. 

Specify song services 

Each digital assistant has its preferred music 

service, such as Apple Music for Apple’s Siri and 

Amazon Music from Alexa. To change that on 

Alexa devices, you’ll need to install the Alexa 

Skill for that service; once you’ve done that, you 

can say, “Play Madonna on Spotify. “ 

Ask for specific music 

You can do more than just ask for an artist: you 

can say “Play new music by Taylor Swift” to get 

the most recent stuff, and on Alexa you can say 

“play the album this is from” or “play more songs 

from this album”. 

You can also use commands such as play or 

shuffl e by album or artist, play track number 5, or 

play a specifi c genre of music, such as country 

or dance. We particularly like the command “play 

something I haven’t heard in a while” on Echo 

devices. You can skip the “play” command for 

many services, so for example, “Alexa, Radio 2” 

works just as well as “Alexa, play Radio 2. “ 

Play on multiple speakers 

Many smart speakers, such as HomePods and 

Echo devices, can be paired or used for multiroom, 

which means they’ll play the same music. To 

set that up, you’ll need to go into the appropriate 

app: Google Home, Apple Home or Alexa. The 

process differs by app, but the principles are the 

same: for example, with Alexa, go to Devices, 

press the Plus icon and choose Combine 

Speakers. You can name your speaker groups, so 

in future, you can say things like “play Madonna 

in the living room”, “play Anthrax everywhere”, or 

“Hey Siri, move this music to the bedroom.” 

Organise your life 

Smart speakers also integrate tightly with your 

calendar and reminder apps. To set a reminder, 

simply tell your speaker to set a reminder for a 

particular date or time and then say what it is. If 

you use Apple’s Reminders app on your phone, 

you can set up reminder lists in the app and then 

use them from your smart speaker: “Siri, add 

carrots to my shopping list. “ You can then check 

your shopping list in your phone’s Reminders app. 

Your speaker can also enter calendar events: say 

“Siri, schedule football practice every Monday at 

5pm” or “Alexa, add an event to my calendar”. To 

find out what’s on, ask, “What’s on my calendar?” 

or “What’s on my schedule for today?” 

Siri Icon 

Ever thought 

about the sport 

of Archery? 

IT’S A SPORT for all ages 

and abilities. 

Apollo are a locally based Archery 

Club and we will be holding Havea-Go 

sessions in April & May. Come 

and give it a try. 

We are based at the Kirby Muxloe 

Sports & Village Club in Ratby Lane, 

Kirby Muxloe, Leicester LE9 2AQ. 

Membership is open to all ages 

and abilities – you do not need to 

be super fit or competitive to enjoy 

Archery. 

Currently our members range in 

age from 10 to 85 

Juniors are only permitted to 

shoot if a parent, guardian or other 

appropriate adult, authorised by 

the parent/guardian, is present. 

Members’ interests range from 

those who shoot purely for personal 

pleasure to those who shoot widely 

in competitions beyond the Club 

and the County, and from those 

who shoot occasionally when the 

fancy takes them through to those 

who don’t want to miss a single 

practice night. 

We hold Taster Sessions and Have 

a Go’s as an introduction to Archery 

– and Beginners Courses for those 

who wish to go further. 

Call Ken Charlesworth on 07789 

526540 for more information. 

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2B Main Street, Kirby Muxloe LE9 2AL 

Tel: 0116 2392024 

Email: kirbymuxloepodiatry2023@gmail.com 

Did you know , if you get pregnant in the Amazon, it’s next-day delivery?

GREAT ENTERTAINMENT COMING UP AT 

GROBY CLUB 

MARCH 

Saturday 16th March 

VINNIE CHRISTIAN 

Local Lad 

Saturday 23rd March 

SAM LYONS 

Vocalist and Comedian 

Saturday 30th March 

MOJO 

Male/Female Duo 

APRIL 

Friday 5th April 

An Evening With 

STEVE WALSH 

Saturday 6th April 

TANN-I-BROWNE 

Bob Marley Tribute 


KELLIE JENS 

Very Lively Female Vocalist 


LAURA ELSON 

Local Girl 

Friday 29th March 

WEST END JERSEYS 

four seasons tribute 

SOLD OUT 

Friday 5th April 

AN EVENING WITH 

STEVE WALSH 

(Ex Leicester City Legend) 

Price for this is £15.00 

WHICH INCLUDES A BASKET MEAL. 

8.00pm start - doors open at 7.30pm 

Tickets 

£30.00 


LEE WILKINSON 

Very Good Entertainer 

16-18 Leicester Rd, Groby, Leicester LE6 0DJ Phone: 0116 287 1809

10 


Groby & Field 

Head Spotlight 

PO Box 8, Markfield, 

Leics. LE67 9ZT 

Telephone 

01530-244069 

Email us at: info@ 

grobyspotlight.co.uk 

Visit the website at 

www.grobyspotlight.co.uk 

3,500 copies distributed 11 times 

a year (no issue in July) to homes 

and businesses in Groby, Field 

Head and The Brantings. 

Printed in Ellistown by Norwood Press. 

The Spotlight is a monthly 

compilation of articles, press releases, 

events, general items of interest and 

news items submitted to us by local 

residents, groups, associations, sports 

clubs and local authorities. 

The opinions expressed by 

contributors are not necessarily those 

of the Spotlight Production Team. The 

inclusion of any group or organisation 

in this publication does not 

necessarily imply a recommendation 

of its aims, methods or policies. 

Groby & Field Head Spotlight 

cannot be held responsible for 

the information disclosed by 

advertisements, all of which are 

accepted in good faith. 

Every effort is made to ensure the 

accuracy of information in this 

magazine, but no liability can be 

accepted for loss or inconvenience 

caused as a result of error or 

omission. 

Groby & Field Head Spotlight 

reserves the right to amend, shorten 

or refuse to publish articles and/ 

or advertisements submitted for 

publication. 

All contents © Groby & Field Head 

Spotlight. 

None of the articles contained in this 

magazine are to be reproduced in any way 

without first obtaining written consent from 

Groby & Field Head Spotlight. 

News from Groby WI 

MANY THANKS to our 

secretary, Ailsa, for stepping 

in this month to write about 

our speaker, Angela Dewes, 

sharing with us ‘One Crafter’s 

Journey’ whilst I was in India 

enjoying the delights of The 

Golden Triangle! 

I have included a few pictures from 

our Indian adventure: The Palace 

of Winds in Jaipur, The Red Fort in 

Agra, me on the ‘Princess Diana Seat’ 

at the Taj Mahal, a random snake 

charmer and one of the many sacred 

cows that roam free! 

Angela’s crafting journey began 

fourteen years ago when her husband 

asked her what she would like for 

Christmas. Angela, a keen knitter, 

asked for a spinning wheel and, being a farmer, her husband also bought fifteen sheep! She then embarked on 

a long journey learning about the processing of fleeces from shearing to the finished garments. Angela described 

the cleaning process, washing the fleeces three times 

in hand hot water with cheap detergent to clean and 

remove most of the lanolin whilst avoiding agitating the 

fibres causing them to ‘felt up’. The fleeces are then 

hung out to dry. 

She demonstrated carding and combing, used for 

differing lengths and coarseness of wool followed by 

spindle spinning which she learned first, progressing to 

a spinning wheel. She has experimented with dyeing 

the wool, initially with food dyes but now grows plants 

to produce her own natural dyes. 

Angela and her husband share the tasks, he does 

the animal husbandry and she deals with the fleeces 

after shearing. She says she has never quite dared 

to deliver a lamb! They breed various types of sheep 

with fleeces for different uses. Wool varies in suitability 

from making softer garments to carpets. There is now 

a growing 

demand 

for wool to 

be used 

in building 

insulation. 

Historically, 

fleeces 

were highly 

valued 

and areas 

of Britain 

became 

very 

wealthy on 

the back 

of the wool 

trade. 

Angela 

has now set up her own business acquiring business 

acumen along the way! As she is too busy to knit 

nowadays, a friend knits up her yarns and the finished 

products are sold at craft fairs. She sometimes 

combines wool with sari silk for an interesting texture 

and beautiful colour mixtures. Her background is in 

teaching enabling her to use those skills to train other 

spinners. 

It was a fascinating talk, very well received by the 

members. 

• THE NEXT MEETING IS ON THURSDAY 21ST MARCH at 7.30 pm when the speaker will be 

Rachel Greaves talking about ‘The Tails of Ruffles The Rail Dog’. 

Ruth Rolinson 

Do I want to be buried or cremated? Oh, I don’t know. Surprise me.


11 

Planning 

applications 

Extension and alteration to 

existing public house (Sui 

generis) and change of use 

to deli/coffee shop (class E) - 

Stamford Arms, 2 Leicester 

Road, Groby, Leicester LE6 

0DJ 

Two storey front and rear 

extension, single storey rear 

extension, new canopy roof to 

the side, additional rendering 

and dropped kerb - at 17 

Woodlands Drive, Groby, 

Leicester LE6 0BR 

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A lot of people cry when they cut onions. The trick is not to form an emotional bond.

12 


NOT ZERO: How an 

Irrational Target Will 

Impoverish You, Help 

China (and Won’t Even 

Save the Planet) 

by Ross Clark 

THE BRITISH 

government has 

embarked on an 

ambitious and legallybinding 

climate change target: reduce the 

country’s greenhouse gas emissions to Net 

Zero by 2050. 

The Net Zero policy was subject to almost no parliamentary 

or public scrutiny, and is universally approved by our political 

class. But what will its consequences be? 

Ross Clark argues that it is a terrible mistake, an impractical 

hostage to fortune which will have massive downsides. 

Achieving the target is predicated on the rapid development 

of technologies that are either non-existent, highly speculative 

or untested. Clark shows that efforts to achieve the target will 

inevitably result in a huge hit to living standards, which will 

clobber the poorest hardest, and gift a massive geopolitical 

advantage to hostile superpowers such as China and Russia. 

The unrealistic and rigid timetable it imposes could also 

result in our committing to technologies which turn out to be 

ineffective, all while distracting ourselves from the far more 

important objective of adaptation. 

This hard-hitting polemic provides a timely critique of a 

potentially devastating political consensus which could hobble 

Britain’s economy, cost billions and not even be effective. 

WHO’S YOUR LOCAL HERO? 

Nominate them for a LOROS award 

LOROS Hospice is inviting people 

to nominate their local heroes 

and see them honoured with an 

engraved leaf on a beautiful new 

tree sculpture. 

The initiative comes thanks to a 

generous donation to the hospice in 

memory of Kate Newman, who lived 

on the Wykin Estate in Hinckley. When 

she died in 2022, her local community 

fundraised in her memory, raising 

£15,000. They were also supported 

by Morrisons in Hinckley, where Kate 

worked for many years, and its staff and 

customers. 

The funds raised are being used to 

fund some extra special leaves on a new 

bespoke tree sculpture, the LOROS Tree 

of Life, to reward local heroes like her. 

Nominations open on Monday 12th 

February in four categories: 

• Inspirational young person 

• Outstanding group 

• Good neighbour 

• Dedicated carer 

To enter, visit loros.co.uk/KatesWish 

and tell us in no more than 250 words 

why your nomination 

is a local hero. 

Nominations are open 

until Friday 22nd 

March 2024. 

The winners will be invited to a special 

event in the spring to see their leaves 

unveiled. 

Local Art Group’s Exhibition in Markfield 

CARRIDD Art are a small supportive group of amateur artists led by the experienced Art 

teacher, Carol Riddington. The class caters for all ages and abilities and provides the 

opportunity to explore a variety of different mediums in a friendly and mutually informative 

environment. New students are invited to join the weekly sessions at Markfield 

Community Centre, Thursday 1:30 – 3:30 (a small charge is required to cover material 

costs). They will receive a warm welcome. 

The group will be exhibiting a selection of their work at the Community Centre in Markfield 

on Saturday 23rd March, 10:30 - 4:00 and Sunday 24th March, 10:30 – 12:30. 

The exhibition will showcase the best of their work over the last 12 months and also 

include the winning entries from the Mercenfeld Primary School’s Art Competition. 

Refreshments will be available from the ME sports cafe. 

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I was eating outside at a restaurant when it started raining. It took me an hour and a half to finish my soup.


The olive spreads that are 90% 

something else 

CONSUMERS ARE BECOMING used to shrinkflation, where the price of goods stays the 

same or rises but there’s a reduction in the weight or size of the pack. 

In January press reports said that Which? had found that many products had been affected including 

• Andrex Flushable Washlets Toilet Wipes decreasing from 40 to 36 in a pack, 

• Bisto Best Chicken Gravy Granules from 250g to 230g, 

• Cadbury’s Brunch Chocolate Chip Bars from six to five in a pack, 

• Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste 100ml to 75ml and 

• Kettle Chips Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns Crisps from 150g to 130g. 

Other popular brands hit by the practice included Lurpak, McVitie’s, Yeo Valley, and Coffee Mate. Your cup of 

tea hasn’t escaped the price hike, with PG Tips The Tasty Decaf Pyramid tea bags shrinking from 180 just 140 at 

several supermarkets. Some retailers dropped the price, but Ocado increased the cost per tea bag by 64% . 

And then there’s scrimpflation where the weight stays the same but the quality reduces. Which? found that Tesco 

Finest sausages were reduced from 97% pork to 90%. Whilst Yeo Valley Spreadable Butter went from containing 

54% butter to 50% butter. Recipe changes meant that Tex Mex Chicken Enchiladas (480g) reduced from 27% 

chicken to 20% and Morrisons The Best Lasagne Al Forno (400g) from 30% beef to 26%. 

The Ukranian war and inflation resulted in the price of oils used in foodstuffs jumping up, but the impact on 

spreads seems to have gone largely unnoticed. Own label buyers may be familiar with Aldi’s Olive Spread. 

Although described as Olive Spread only 21% of the product was derived from olives. Over time the price has 

increased by around 50% to £1.19 and the olive oil content has dropped by 50% to 10%. Other own labels have 

seen similar changes. 

Consumers must be left wondering how something with just 10% olive oil can legitimately be described as olive 

spread. Those who pay more than twice the price for the same weight of Bertolli Original Spread because they 

prefer the taste fare little better, as since last summer it is also nearly 90% rapeseed oil, palm oil, water and 

buttermilk. 

When approached by Which? the majority of manufacturers said that the changes often reflected their own costs 

or helped to keep products more affordable for consumers - in some cases manufacturers claimed the changes 

had improved the flavour or healthiness of a product. Consumers may disagree. 


13 

Do you 

remember 

your own PIN 

number? 

NEARLY ONE in five of 

us can’t. We are so used 

to paying by contactless 

that when we have to 

withdraw cash or type our 

PIN into a card reader, 

our minds go blank. 

‘Contactless’ payments hit 

a record high last year. A 

staggering 93.4 per cent of 

all in-store card transactions 

up to £100 was made using 

contactless, rather than cash or 

PIN and card reader. 

According to Barclays, we now 

depend on contactless payments 

and smartphone technology so 

much that more than a fifth of 

young people now leave their 

wallets at home when they go 

shopping. 

Contactless technology was first 

introduced by Barclaycard 17 

years ago. It had a spending limit 

of £10. The limit was increased 

during the pandemic, to reduce 

physical contact in shops, rising 

to its current £100 limit. 

Happy 

Easter! 

Listening to and working for you! 

Cllr Ozzy’s contact info: 07808 585825 

Ozzy.O'shea@leics.gov.uk 

07983513215 

peter@peterbedford.uk 

www.peterbedford.uk 

Promoted by Peter A Bedford of Mid Leicestershire Conservatives, 18 Pinfold Gate, Loughborough LE11 1BE 

I used to be addicted to the Hokey Cokey, but then I turned myself around.

14 


Have you noticed that you fi nd text blurry when 

trying to read a book or a message on your 

phone? Or perhaps you have started to struggle 

to read a restaurant menu? It could be a natural 

change known as presbyopia, which is very 

common as you reach your 40s and 50s. 

Presbyopia is a natural part of the ageing 

process, caused by a loss of flexibility in the 

lens that impacts your ability to focus on things 

close to you. On top of this, as you age, you’ll 

also experience lens discolouration and reduced 

strength in the muscle that controls pupil size and 

its reaction to light. This may mean it takes you 

longer to distinguish shades of colour or to adjust 

as you move between dimly and brightly lit rooms. 

There are also several less common age-related 

eye conditions that can lead to vision loss if left 

untreated. These include cataracts, glaucoma 

and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), to 

name a few. Many eye diseases can be treated 

successfully if detected early, which is why 

regular eye examinations are so important. 

Unfortunately, we can’t stop our eyesight from 

deteriorating as we age. However, there are 

several options to help you maintain clearer 

vision for longer. 

Glasses 

Reading glasses are available online or over the 

counter without a prescription. However, many 

people prefer bifocals or varifocals, for which 

they’ll need to visit an optician. 

While bifocals are divided into two sections for 

near and distance vision, varifocals allow you to 

see three ‘portions’ of vision within a single lens 

– close, mid and distance – making them the 

more popular option. They can take some time 

to get used to, but most people fully adjust after 

a few weeks. 

Contact lenses 

Contact lenses are a convenient alternative to 

glasses, giving you a wider fi eld of vision and 

freedom from frames. Multifocal contact lenses 

can correct presbyopia, as they let you see 

clearly at various distances without needing 

reading glasses. However, wearing contact 

lenses requires more care and maintenance 

than glasses, especially as tear production tends 

to decrease with age. 

If you already wear contact lenses for myopia 

(short-sightedness), your optician may suggest 

just reducing the strength in one lens. You then 

effectively have one eye for distance and one 

for close-up reading. It sounds odd, but your 

eyes do adjust. 

Refractive surgery 

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) and laserassisted 

in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) are 

eye surgeries that promise a glasses-free 

life and short recovery time. LASIK is a 

laser-based procedure, and RLE involves 

implanting a lens to replace the eye’s natural 

lens. RLE involves going inside the eye, 

whereas LASIK does not, meaning the former 

has a longer recovery time. 

Refractive surgery can be highly effective, 

but it’s not suitable for everyone, and it 

is expensive. Obviously, it’s essential to 

consider the potential risks and side effects 

before progressing with treatment. 

The PET crisis 

MORE THAN half of us in 

the UK own a pet. That is 

17 million households. 

But we are abandoning them at an 

alarming rate. The RSPCA warns 

we are offloading our animals 

at “unmanageable levels,” and 

stretching their welfare services to 

the limit. 

The turning point was the 

pandemic. Stuck at home during 

lockdown, we went animal-mad, 

and our pet dogs soared from nine 

million in 2019 to 13 million in 2022. 

But four million puppies purchased 

during the pandemic was not a 

good idea. Since then, a fifth of all 

those puppies have been reported 

as having behavioural problems 

such as clinginess, aggression, or 

being very hard to train. 

On top of that, the cost-ofliving 

crisis has left many people 

struggling to even feed their pet. 

According to the Office for National 

Statistics, the cost of owning a 

dog is estimated to have jumped 

by 12.8 per cent – around £256 – 

over the past year to total around 

£2,500. 

All in all, it is the ‘perfect storm’. 

The RSPCA received 20,999 

reports of abandoned animals last 

year. That is 5,000 more than in 

2020. 

Smile Time 

I bought my wife a world map 

and gave her a dart. I told her 

to throw it and wherever it 

lands, we will go on holiday. 

So this year, we’re spending 

two weeks behind the fridge. 

Did you hear about the woman 

who decided to sleep on her 

husband’s side of the bed for 

a change, because apparently 

from that side you don’t hear 

the children wake up at night? 

Teacher: “For the last six 

months you’ve brought me a 

bag of raisins every week. Why 

have you stopped?” 

Pupil: “My rabbit’s dead, Miss.” 

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My housekeeping style is best described as: “There appears to have been a struggle.”


15 

Groby Spotlight review 

The Only Suspect 

By Louise Candlish 

This cracking thriller has only 

been issued 3 times in 6 months! 

When some books are added to the 

shelves at Groby Community Library 

demand can be so high that readers may 

have to wait for them to be returned before 

they can enjoy them. Then there are books 

that are added, but seem to languish, 

comparatively unloved. 

The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish 

is an example of the latter. Added in 

September 2023 the paperback sat there 

for a month before being borrowed towards 

the end of October. It has only been 

borrowed 3 times in 6 months. Louise 

Candlish might not be a familiar name, despite having written 16 novels, 

including Our House, serialised by ITV last year for the prime 9pm spot. 

Readers may recall the TV drama : Fi returns home from a weekend away 

to discover that the marital home she owns with estranged husband Bram 

(Line of Duty’s Martin Compston) has been emptied of their belongings – 

and sold to a couple they’ve never met. 

The Only Suspect will grab your attention as the plot unfolds. The lead 

character, Alex, lives in a leafy suburb. But the announcement of the 

creation of a new nature trail near his home brings back memories of 

something that happened there in 1995 – the murder of a young woman. 

He has a reason for not wanting the land disturbed. 

Louise skilfully weaves current events causing Alex alarm, and events 25 

years earlier, into a gripping thriller. The Crime Monthly review said “Just 

when you think you’ve got this twisty thriller sussed, the rug gets pulled yet 

again.” If you enjoy thrillers this is one to add to your list. 


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HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS 

Councillor Ted Hollick reports 

I AM INCLUDING for this issue two planning applications 

that will be considered by the Borough Council very soon. 

The Barwell one I can anticipate you may well say why should I be 

interested in that as it is not even close to Groby. 

That is true but it may well have a benefit for the village in that the 

proposed 2500 houses will be extremely helpful to rectify the Borough’s 

housing land supply deficit and take some pressure off Groby. 

I should mention that our neighbour Ratby has now been handed 

another 200 plus houses by a government inspector going against 

the Council’s Planning Committee who refused the application earlier 

this year. The main reason for the inspector allowing the appeal was 

again the lack of a five year housing land supply. The Barwell SUE 

(Sustainable Urban Extension) is what Groby had in the 70/80s but 

without the ‘sheds’. 

The second Planning application - definitely closer to home - is from 

local brewery company Everards who have submitted plans for a 40 

seat Deli/Coffee shop in the Stamford Arms Public House. 

I am assured that there will be no increase in the footprint of the pub 

but will utilise the existing space within the building along with adjusting 

floor levels and moving the kitchen. Planning ref: 24/00121/FUL 

Councillor Ted Hollick 

Call: 0116 287 5955 

Mobile: 07962 373983 

E-mail: ted.hollick@outlook.com 

Write: 7 Shaw Wood Close, Groby, LE6 0FY 

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All COVID Guidelines Adhered To. 

They call it “surfing” the net. It’s not surfing; it’s typing in your bedroom.

The executor of a Will is responsible for managing 4. Notify organisations of the death, to allow 

and carrying out the wishes of a deceased 

them to freeze accounts and cancel direct 

person. It’s an important and time-consuming role debits thereby preventing any further 

at an emotional and stressful time. Here’s a guide payments from being taken from the estate. 

to what’s involved. 

These include: employer; mortgage provider, 

landlord, house association or council housing 

For most people, being an executor is something 

office; insurance providers (home and life 

you’ll only do once or twice in your lifetime. You 

insurance are most common); gas, electricity 

have an essential role in ensuring the wishes 

and water provider; TV and internet provider; 

of the person who has died are followed. You 

Bereavement Register (this is to stop junk 

are responsible for sorting out the deceased’s 

mail being sent); banks and/or building 

finances and possessions and passing these on 

societies; pension providers; dentist, GP, and 

to beneficiaries in their Will. 

optician; social services or carers; magazine 

One of the most significant duties of an executor subscriptions/club memberships; and for 

is to protect the value of the estate. The first 

government departments like the Passport 

part of this is visiting any property owned by the Office, DVLA and HMRC, you can use the 

person who died, to ensure windows are closed, government’s Tell Us Once service. 

doors locked and the property is generally secure. 

5. Value the estate and determine if you need 

Executor’s at-a-glance checklist 

probate. Probate is usually required if the 

1. Before a death can be formally registered, you estate of the person who died is worth more 

will need to get a medical certificate giving the than £10,000. However, if most of the assets in 

cause of death, usually issued by a doctor. The the estate were jointly owned, probate may not 

death must be registered at your local register be needed at all. 

office, within five days in England, Wales 6. Apply for probate. Depending on your specific 

and Northern Ireland, or within eight days in situation, you’ll either need a grant of probate 

Scotland. If there’s a coroner’s inquest into the or a grant of letters of administration. 

death, you may be given an extension, but in 

7. Sort out the estate and pay beneficiaries. 

most cases, it’s best to register the death as 

Once you have received your grant of probate, 

soon as possible. 

you have the legal authority to administer the 

2. Once you have registered the death, you will deceased’s estate. This includes claiming life 

need to find the deceased’s Will. 

insurance policies, paying debts and taxes, 

3. After obtaining a death certificate and checking and selling or transferring property. You’ll then 

the Will for specific wishes, you can start 

be able to distribute assets to beneficiaries in 

arranging a funeral. 

accordance with the Will. 

16 


County Councillor’s Report from Ozzy O’shea 

Email: ozzy.o’shea@leics.gov.uk or ozzyoshea@hotmail.com 

Tel 0116 239 4336 Mobile 07808 585825 

Budget Meeting Council Tax 

Increases April 24/25 

MAJOR PLANS setting out multimillion-pound 

investment in services, 

wide-ranging savings and a Council 

Tax rise Has been in the spotlight 

as councillors met to finalise 

Leicestershire County Council’s 

budget. 

The four-year proposals were at the heart 

of full council meeting on Wednesday 21st 

February which included investing £129m more 

to meet growing demand, mainly in social care, 

and an extra £113m to cover inflation and the 

National Living Wage increase. 

We propose balancing the books next year 

using £6m of reserves – the first time this has 

been required - and forecast a budget gap of 

£83m by 2028 after planned savings. 

A three per cent Council Tax increase for core 

services - and a two per cent increase in the 

adult social care precept – generating in total 

£18m more for front line services – was passed 

this will take effect from April and equates to a 

£1.46 a week for a Band D home. 

Councils across the country face eye-watering 

challenges. Thanks to taking tough decisions, 

and saving £262m since 2010, we’re not at 

crisis point. We’re proud about being open and 

highly efficient and we’ll continue to work with 

Government ministers on the reform needed to 

help us do more for our residents. 

This is our toughest ever budget but we’re 

doing the best we can with the money we 

have, and I’m pleased that most people 

who responded to our consultation support 

the approach. And its good news that extra 

Government funding means we can scale 

back waste site closures and invest in tackling 

flooding. 

Major service redesigns are already underway, 

but our focus is on challenging how we deliver 

in each and every area, so we can pinpoint 

options for bridging the longer term £83m 

budget gap. 

The four-year budget proposals include: 

A £6m budget shortfall next year – rising to 

£33m in 2026, £60m in 2027 and £83m in 2028 

£127m more mainly to support vulnerable 

people – to pay for more home and residential 

care, and support people with physical 

disabilities, learning disabilities and mental 

health needs 

An extra £113m - to cover inflation and the 

National Living Wage increase 

Major redesigns of services to manage future 

demand, including: 

• Special educational needs and disabilities - a 

new approach balancing growing demand for 

support with getting children the right help 

• Working with Barnardo’s to run children’s 

homes locally 

• Boosting ‘supported living’ - over 100 new 

placements created since 2020, enabling 

people with learning and physical disabilities 

and mental health needs to learn life skills and 

live independently 

• Rolling out ‘care technology’ - over 2,600 

pieces of equipment, including falls detectors 

and GPS location trackers, installed over last 

year, benefiting over 1,000 people 

£39m of savings – including redesigning 

services, reducing the cost of back-office 

support services by maximising digital 

technology and smarter procurement 

An extra £400k to help the council do more 

to tackle flooding - after 500 homes flooded 

across the county in the wake of Storm Henk in 

the New Year 

£2.7m to maintain roads and fix potholes - 

including £2.2m of Government ‘Network North’ 

money 

A £445m four-year capital pot – including £18m 

to improve bridges, roll out flood alleviation 

projects and improve road surfaces 

I cannot emphasise how hard our officers work 

on behalf of the residents of Leicestershire. 

Balancing the budget is a major task when 

you are the lowest funded County Council 

in the Country. We have been fighting for 

fair funding since I became your Councillor, 

and I will continue to fight for fair funding for 

Leicestershire with whatever government is in 

power. 

Groby Flood Alleviation 

Project Update 

THE TEAM have been struggling with 

unexpected gas pipes, high voltage 

cables etc which is slowing them 

down. 

These things are normally mapped but they are 

finding ones that aren’t, so the team are having 

to be extra cautious when digging. 

Unfortunately, that’s put the work back a bit and 

they now expect to finish mid-May. 

D Day Events and Road 

Closure Requests 

THERE WILL be celebrations marking 

the 80th D-Day anniversary with 

events in the UK and in Normandy 

on 6th June 2024, as well as with 

community events around the UK. 

Thinking of holding an event to commemorate 

D-Day? 

Detailed below is some information and key 

dates that you may find useful to get you 

started. 

Planning on having a street party to celebrate 

the event? 

You will need to apply to Leicestershire County 

Council to close your street/road to traffic by 

completing sections 3 and 4 of the D-Day 80th 

Anniversary application pack, attached to this 

email. 

All fees associated with the legal application 

have been waived for D-Day 80th Anniversary 

and the application time reduced to 7 weeks, 

please note this is ONLY for D-Day 80th 

Anniversary and does not apply to other events. 

If you wish to apply for a road closure or any 

other restrictions the last date for submission is 

Friday 12th April 2024. Applications after this 

date may not be able to be fulfilled. 

Given the occasion and following Government 

guidance we will not be asking for the usual 

required documentation for a road closure 

such as an in-depth risk assessment, however 

consideration still needs to be given to ensure 

the safety of all attendees and an enjoyable 

event. Within the registration form you will find 

some additional information for you to consider. 

Further Government advice on road closures 

for street parties can be found here; https:// 

www.gov.uk/government/publications/yourguide-to-organising-a-street-party 

The information you supply to us regarding 

your event will be shared with the emergency 

services so they can put their own plans 

and resources in place. Please submit your 

application form in good time, it is better to 

submit draft plans than nothing at all. It is 

essential that the emergency services are kept 

well informed of the events and we would rather 

know something is happening well in advance 

than finding out the day before. 

Signs and Cones 

Leicestershire County Council Highways is 

offering the loan of signs and cones, should 

you require these please complete section 

5 of the D-Day 80th Anniversary application 

pack attached. Please be aware signs and 

cones must be collected from and returned 

to the LCC Mountsorrel Highways Depot. 

Appropriate arrangements will need to be made 

for collection. The deadline for your cones and 

signs applications is Friday 12th April 2024, 

after this date we cannot guarantee availability. 

Please note that the fees for the loan of signs 

will be waived for all D-Day 80th Anniversary 

events but equipment must be returned or it will 

be invoiced for. 

Council owned land and licences 

If you would like to organise an event on 

Council land or a greenspace or to find out 

about licensable activities such as selling 

food and drink or having music on a stage 

please use this link where you will find details 

for each Borough or Districts page; https:// 

www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-andcommunity/parks-and-outdoor-activities/ 

Before the invention of crowbars, crows had to drink at home.


plan-an-event/licensableactivities 

Leicestershire County 

Council pre driver days 

LEICESTERSHIRE County 

Council pre driver days are 

aimed at 16/17-year-olds 

who are thinking about 

getting behind the wheel 

for the first time. 

Places are filling fast for these that 

take place on Mallory Park Circuit. 

The dates for 2024: 25th Mar 2nd 

Apr 30th May 5th Aug 6th Aug 

and the 21st Oct Further details 

including booking: https://www. 

tjunction.org.uk/pre-driver-days/ 

Extreme Weather 

Rogue Traders 

Leicestershire Trading Standards is 

warning the public to be on guard 

against rogue traders looking to 

cash in on residents affected by 

floods and storm damage. 

Cold callers may prey on the 

most vulnerable members of our 

community that are faced with 

damaged properties. We advise 

the public to: • Never engage 

with cold callers knocking on your 

door or who call out of the blue. 

• Get 3 quotes from different and 

independently sourced traders, and 

make sure everything agreed is in 

writing. • Pay securely rather than 

by cash, including using a credit 

card. • Don’t feel pressured into 

agreeing work or paying all money 

up front before work starts – these 

are red flags. Get more advice at: 

www.Citizensadvice.org.uk/gettinghome-improvements 

Finally, I would like to wish all 

residents and fellow councillors 

a very Happy, Healthy, and 

prosperous New Year. I would 

also like to thank you all for your 

continued support and remind 

you that should you need my help 

or advice, I always pride myself 

on making myself available to 

residents. Remember I am only a 

phone call or email away. 

Ozzy O’shea 

Always Working for you Locally 

Cllr Ozzy O’shea 

Tel 0116 2394336 

Mobile 07808585825 

E m a i l O z z y. O ’s h e a @ l e i c s . g o v. u k 

Email ozzyoshea@hotmail.com 

Rotary Club News 

Bradgate Rotary’s first Bra Walk proves a huge success 

TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY walkers took part in the “Freeze Your Bits Off” walk 

through Bradgate Park to raise funds for the Glenfield Breast Care Centre in January. 

The sums have 

been done 

after the hugely 

enjoyable and very 

colourful Bra Walk 

Bradgate Rotary 

are so pleased to 

announce that an 

amazing £15,900 

has been raised. 

It is an astonishing 

result as during 

the planning it was 

thought £2,000 

would be a great 

achievement. 

Thank you to 

everyone who 

supported the event 

raising money for 

such a wonderful cause, to our sponsors for their generosity, and of course, Bradgate Park Trust for allowing the 

use of the park. 

Plans are being put into place for next year’s walk which will be on January 12th 2025. 

BARK IN THE PARK - Sunday 12th May at Bradgate Park 

A DATE FOR YOUR diaries everyone! We’re 

delighted to announce another major event 

at Bradgate Park Trust for all dog lovers. 

Enjoy the dog show, displays and 

canine stalls, refreshments and more! 

We’re looking for stalls - which can be canine 

or non-canine related. 

Anyone interested in having a stall please 

contact us - Bradgate Rotary - via email at: 

Barkinthepark2024@gmail.com For further details 

about the events or information about Rotary please email your contact details to Adrian Walker at 

walk77a@yahoo.com and we’ll be in touch. 

News from Hinckley & District Parkinson’s Group 

During the past six months this column 

has reported on various money 

raising ideas from members of the 

local Parkinson’s Group building up 

funds to ensure that members could 

attend their varied exercise classes 

at no charge to themselves despite 

professional help and room hire 

costs. 

This fund raising was a great success 

and the local group even had 

surplus funds to donate to on-going 

research work into the disease. 

There are actually well over 30 different 

projects being funded by the 

national Parkinson’s UK organisation 

and our members have chosen 

to send a donation of £5,000 to a 

research project based locally at the 

University of Leicester. 

‘Improving Balance through physical 

activity and brain training’ was started 

in September 2023 under lead 

researcher Dr Qadeer Arshad. As 

our members well appreciate physical 

activity can be beneficial for people 

with Parkinson’s in a number of 

different ways. The team at Leicester 

are interested in how a specific 

exercise regime may be able to help 

improve balance and reduce falls. 

They will do this by measuring brain 

activity using a non-invasive device 

while people actually take part in a 

game specifically designed to help 

improve balance. 

It is hoped that during the coming 

year a member of the team will be 

able to speak to our members at a 

Sunday meeting and perhaps members 

may even get involved in some 

of the measured activities? 

Our speaker at 

the March meeting 

was local 

author Rachel 

Greaves (right) 

who delighted 

her audience 

with the wonderful 

Ruffle, an 

Airedale Terrier who has had various 

adventures on a steam railway. 

With puppets and props Rachel 

described the believable antics 

of her glove-puppet pet, stories 

I fainted in the curry house when I heard that R.E.M. had split up. That’s me in the korma. 

17 

which have already delighted many 

schoolchildren in our area. Ruffle 

(and Rachel) were great fun for 

adults too! 

It is World Parkinson’s Day on April 

11th so do wear something blue to 

support us! You could visit Dobbies 

at Stapleton where we will have an 

‘Awareness Display’ and members 

will be present to answer your questions. 

Then on Friday April 12th any 

readers of this column are welcome 

to come along and have a tea or coffee, 

between 2.30 and 4.00, at Elmesthorpe 

Village Hall (LE9 7SP), the 

regular Friday afternoon venue for 

‘Movement to Music’ and ‘Singing 

for Fun’. Then on Sunday April 14th 

the regular monthly gathering at the 

Mary Forryan Centre, Hinckley will 

welcome anyone who may wish to 

‘check us out’!; Perhaps see you 

there? 

For further information about all our 

activities please contact Janet Kavanagh 

on 07932615233. 

Robert A. Leake

18 


Small Ads 

• JIGSAW PUZZLES - 1,000 

pieces. Price: £1.50 each. 

• GREENHOUSE GLASS - 16 

panes at 61cm by 61cm and 2 

panes at 61cm by 31cm. FREE. 

Tel: 01530 242446 (Markfield) 

• COMPUTER TABLE - laminate 

grey. Table suitable for laptop, 

paperwork and printer. On castors, 

with slide out shelf. Size: Height 

75cms x Width 81cms x Depth 

50cms. Price: £20.00. 

Tel: 01530 245944 (Markfield) 

• JIGSAW PUZZLES - 1,000 

pieces - all complete. Selling 13 as 

a lot for £25. 

Tel 01530 243182 (Markfield) 

• Spear & Jackson Razor Sharp 

TREE PRUNER. Price: £10.00. 

Tel. 07999 768521 or 

0116 287 8983 (Groby) 

• BOOKS FOR SALE, all brand 

new - by Danielle Steel, Dilly 

Court, Amanda Prowse, Sarah 

Morgan to name a few. Price: 10 

books for £10.00. 

Tel: 07788 886531 (Groby) 

SEND DETAILS by post or email 

- sorry, we can’t take them over 

the phone. Maximum EIGHT items 

please. No business ads. Our postal 

address is: Spotlight Small Ads, 

PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. 

LE67 9ZT or you can email details 

to: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk 

PLEASE ENSURE that you put 

‘SMALL ADS’ in the subject 

line, and INCLUDE YOUR FULL 

POSTAL ADDRESS (not for 

publication, just to let people know 

where you are). 

Events at Little 

Markfield Farm 

QUIZ AND SUPPER 

22nd March 7pm 

DRIVE IT DAY (VINTAGE AND 

CLASSIC VEHICLES) 

21st April - 10 am meet up 

VINTAGE CAR MEET 

5pm -17th May 

Date to be confirmed in May - 

QUIZ AND SUPPER 


5pm - 21st June 

LITTLE MARKFIELD 

STEAM RALLY 

29th & 30th June 


5pm - 19th July 


5pm - 16th August 


5pm - 20th September 

To book for the quiz night or 

the drive it day call Brenda 

on 07774 047571 

Fraud is the most 

common crime in 

the UK 

A SINGLE WEB site has 

been launched by the 

government with advice 

and help regarding online 

scams. 

It also contains all the reporting 

methods so is a single web page 

for fraud and scam advice 

Backed by leading counter fraud 

experts who are uniting under 

one voice to provide consistent, 

clear and robust anti-fraud advice 

to the public as well as reporting 

fraud tools. Helpful advice is also 

available in what to do if you are a 

victim of fraud. 

Partners involved in this one stop 

shop for scam and fraud advice 

include National Cyber Security 

Centre, National Crime Agency, 

City of London Police, Banks, BT, 

Telecom Providers, Google, Meta, 

Match Group, TikTok, X and many 

more as well as victim support. 

Leicester Police also support the 

initiative. 

The overriding benefit factor of 

this is that all the information is in 

one place from completely trusted 

sources. Please take a look. 

https://www.gov.uk/stop/think/fraud 

or https://stopthinkfraud.campaign. 

gov.uk 

Defibrillators 

I HAVE BEEN contacted 

by residents as a result of 

my January 2024 Groby 

Spotlight Article regarding 

Defibrillators. 

The question asked was how does 

one get into them as there is a 

coded lock, I’ve thought I would 

want to be forearmed with the 

procedure to get instant access to 

save time was the question? 

A coded lock is provided for 

security reasons. 

The answer to this which I have 

been asked to share by those 

asking the question is to: 

Cllr Martin Cartwright 

Borough Council News 

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward. 

Executive member for: Licensing, Environmental, 

Climate Change & Rural Issues 

Call: 0116 287 4500 • Mobile: 07850 707050 

E-Mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk 

Write : Maverick House,10 Pine Tree Avenue, Groby, LE6 0EQ 

Telephone 999 the operator will 

issue the code and dispatch an 

ambulance whilst staying on the 

line to assist you. 

Some with coded locks do have the 

code on the door although this is 

not always the case making them 

less secure as a result. Either way 

as soon as a defibrillator is needed 

phone 999 

Take 15 Minutes to learn 

CPR & a Defibrillator 

Many people will witness a cardiac 

arrest in their lifetime. Be ready for 

that day with RevivR a fast, free 

and easy to use online training 

course. 

Take 15 minutes to learn CPR & 

how to use a Defibrillator from the 

comfort of your home 

All you need is a cushion to 

practice on & internet access 

Search: RevivR 

www.bhf.org.uk 

Stamford 

Arms Planning 

Application 

A PLANNING APPLICATION 

has been submitted to 

Hinckley & Bosworth 

Borough Council for an 

alteration to the Stamford 

Arms existing public house 

(Sui generis) and change 

of use to deli/coffee shop 

(Class E). 

You may wish to look at the 

application and or submit 

comments for or against the 

proposals. 

To do so visit the planning page 

at Hinckley & Bosworth Borough 

Council web site. 

The planning application number is: 

24/00122/LBC or add 2 Leicester 

Road, Groby to the search criteria 

box. Deadline for online comments 

is very close to the Spotlight 

publication date and may well have 

closed. You will have to act very 

quickly. 

E-mail planning@hinckleybosworth.gov.uk 

Cllr Martin Cartwright @CllrCartwright cllr.martincartwright 

Street Lights 

Being Dimmed 

Earlier 

THE PROPOSALS 

come as the authority, 

Leicestershire County 

Council aims to fill a 

funding gap in its budget. 

Street lights in Leicestershire will 

be dimmed earlier in the evening as 

LCC Council plans to cut costs. 

Leicestershire County Council has 

proposed dimming the majority of 

lights to 30% brightness two hours 

earlier. 

Street lights would be dimmed from 

8.00pm - rather than 10.00pm - 

during an 18-month trial. 

The plans come as the Council 

faces its “toughest” budget, with an 

£85m shortfall expected by 2028. 

Council officers have advised and 

the cabinet has supported the trial, 

which began in February 2024. 

A public consultation showed 53% 

of residents disagree with the 

plans, with 43% agreeing with the 

proposals, the Local Democracy 

Reporting Service at LCC said. 

Currently, many residential areas 

are lit at 50% brightness between 

8.00pm and 10.00pm, at which 

point it drops to 30%. 

Council officers have said the 

authority needs to make £500,000 

worth of savings in the street 

light department by the 2024-25 

financial years. However, the 

authority is suggesting some 

exemptions to the earlier dimming 

of the lights, which means this 

scheme, would only cut about 

£380,000 from its spending. 

Leicestershire County Council 

currently maintains approximately 

69,600 street lights. 

Lead member for transport and 

highways Cllr O’Shea previously 

said: “I have been on streets where 

the 30% is actually in at the present 

time and I must be honest with you, 

I don’t see a lot of difference at all, 

I keep residents updated by my monthly Spotlight article, Fac 

Social Media accounts. 

if any. We’re doing the right thing 

here.” 

No matter which method you choose to seek my help I will d 

• HBBC Private E-Mail 

Last week I went on a trip to a postcard factory. It was okay, nothing to write home about. 

QR Code 

• Mobile Telephone 

• Home Telephone 

• HBBC Council Provided E-mail 

• SMS Messaging 

• Whatsapp


19 

From Councillor 

Martin Cartwright 

The Cabinet at LCC noted the 

outcome of the public consultation 

was not to go ahead with the 

proposals yet still approved the 

proposal to trial the scheme in any 

event. 

During the Groby Parish Council 

meeting held on 15th January 

Hinckley & Bosworth LPU officers 

were present at the Parish Council 

meeting. A Parish Council member 

asked the question, “Are the Police 

concerned about the Leicestershire 

County Council Street Light 

Dimming proposals?” The answer 

from the Police officers that night 

was “Yes”. 

Despite the outcome of the 

consultation, the proposals 

themselves are still going ahead 

anyway. It is easy to understand the 

lack of confidence and willingness 

to participate in consultations if the 

end result is ignored in any event! 

A recent article in the Leicester 

Mercury blamed the dimming of 

the lights on Hinckley & Bosworth 

Borough Council which is simply 

not true. 

Kind regards 

Cllr Martin 

Cartwright 

Don’t hesitate 

to use 

HEARING AIDS 

HERE IS something you 

didn’t expect: using hearing 

aids if you are a bit deaf 

can be of great benefit to 

your overall health. 

Crystal Rolfe, director of health at 

the Royal National Institute for Deaf 

People (RNID) said: “Hearing aids 

bring enormous benefits for people 

with hearing loss. Research shows 

that wearing hearing aids may 

reduce the risk of cognitive decline, 

and it is well known that they have 

positive effects on physical, social, 

emotional, and mental wellbeing. 

According to hearing loss charity 

RNID, 12 million adults in the UK 

are deaf, have hearing loss or 

tinnitus and an estimated seven 

million people could benefit from 

hearing aids, but only about two 

million use them. 

The researchers hope the 

findings, published in The Lancet 

Healthy Longevity journal, will 

encourage more people to wear 

hearing aids. As one doctor said: 

“If you have hearing loss, get 

hearing aids. The benefits could be 

limitless.” 

One Church meets 

in many sites 

around Leicester 

You are always 

welcome. 

ONECHURCH.ORG.UK 

For all aspects 

of painting & 

decorating 

m: 07738 531356 

e: rclemson@mail.com 

w: www.royclemson.co.uk 

 

Did you know that Glenfield has a weekly 

Country Market? 

A wide range of homemade cakes and preserves, quality 

crafts, plants and home-grown produce are on sale. 

Refreshments are served 

Free admission. 

Card payments now available 

Come along to see us and to support this local event. 

Where? St Peter’s Church Centre, LE3 8DP with parking! 

When? Each Friday morning 9am-11am 

For more details contact: glenfieldmarket@gmail.com 

Follow us on Facebook: The Glenfield Country Market 

I took my car for a service last week. It was a real struggle getting it into the church.

20 


Gardening on 

the Millennium 

Green 2024 

THE MILLENNIUM 

Green Trust run monthly 

gardening sessions 

on Saturday mornings 

starting at 10am. 

We are heavily reliant on 

volunteers to keep the green 

looking great. Anyone is welcome 

to join in and no experience 

required. 

2024 DATES: April 6th, May 4th, 

June 1st, July 6th, Aug 3rd, Sep 

7th, Oct 5th. 

If you would like to find out 

more, please get in touch via our 

Facebook Group or the website: 

• glenfieldmillenniumgreen. 

weebly.com 

• FACEBOOK: Glenfield 

Millennium Green 

Strict bedtimes 

could make 

children’s 

brains ‘bigger 

and healthier’ 

A FAMILY ROUTINE and 

a strict bedtime could 

help your child develop a 

healthier, bigger brain. 

On the other hand, a disruptive 

family life with poor sleep patterns 

could mean your child has slower 

brain development, poorer 

cognitive function, and below 

average academic achievement. 

Those are the findings of a 

new study from Colorado State 

University. 

It found that children thrive when 

the family has a weekly ‘family time’ 

together, when homework is done 

at the same time every day, the 

family eats dinner together every 

night, the child is expected to carry 

out regular household chores, and 

when bedtime is at a consistent 

time, accompanied by a bedtime 

story or similar calming ritual. 

The underlying need is for the 

child to get enough regular and 

deep sleep. Children with disrupted 

families get disrupted sleep, and 

therefore are more likely to have 

thinner regions of the brain in the 

amygdala as well as parts of the 

left and right frontal cortex. 

These areas control skills 

related to language, behaviour, 

sensory perception, and emotional 

processing. 

News from the Allotments 

A New Allotment Year 

WELL, HERE WE are at last in meteorological Spring! 

The weather over the last month has however not been 

conducive to usual preparations in sowing seeds. 

The ground is fairly waterlogged, so any seeds are likely to rot in the 

ground. I continue to sow seeds at home on the windowsills and in the 

greenhouse, hoping for some better weather very soon. 

We had our Society AGM at the end of last month and we were very 

pleased to see a good number of members attending. One or two members 

even said that they enjoyed it and/or found it interesting! Praise indeed for 

AGMs in general!! We were able to publicise the fact that we have been 

very fortunate in obtaining a National Lottery grant to help us afford to 

replace the entire length of fencing along the footpath between Chapel Hill 

and Ratby Road, which, as an internal fence, is our responsibility. In days 

gone by, there was no fence bordering that footpath and so no security for 

plot holders, and so we are pleased that we can now replace it with a more 

robust structure. 

Vandalism on Ratby Road 

IT WAS NEVER more apparent that we need that security 

for our plot holders by the vandalism experienced during 

the half-term school holidays last month. 

A small group of children, probably about twelve to thirteen years of age, 

were seen causing some anti-social behaviour close by. When challenged, 

they ran towards the allotments and the next morning we discovered that 

two large 1000L water containers had their taps removed and so all the 

water drained away, with one tap being broken in the process; a 200L water 

butt was pushed over as well as several other water butts on individual 

plots; a shed was broken into and worryingly a lump hammer taken; a gate 

broken down; a section of fence broken down, to escape presumably; and 

two council notices ripped down and thrown on the ground. When one of 

our members encountered the group of five young boys acting suspiciously, 

they threw down a pot frog ornament that they had picked up and threw it to 

the ground, smashing it in the car park, quite defiantly. 

It is very sad that we have to spend time and money trying to protect our 

members from this sort of behaviour. It is a pity that these young people 

cannot find more positive things to do to occupy them during their school 

holidays. 

A Century Of Allotments On 

Ratby Road 

ON A MORE positive note, we also mentioned at our AGM 

that next year will mark the centenary of the Ratby Road 

Allotments coming into being. 

The land was bought from the Grey Estate sale in 1925 by the Parish 

Council who designated it as allotment land. I have the very first rent book 

for the summer quarter of 1925 which shows that there were 41 plots and 

that the plot sizes varied from 200sq yds to 700sq yds in area! 

For that year, the total rent obtained from those plots was £16 1s 0d!! 

Today the average plot size is about 61 sq yds by comparison – a much 

more workable area! We just have one or two plots left today that remain 

as large as those early ones. 

It just goes to show that back in the early days of the allotments, people 

must have had their whole families helping them work their plots and that 

it probably represented their means of providing all the fresh fruit and 

vegetables that they needed to feed them all. 

Today, I am sure that our allotmenteers use their allotments, in the 

main, as a way of getting some gentle exercise out in the open air, in 

pleasant natural surroundings and providing extra fruit and vegetables for 

themselves and their family and also enjoying a rewarding hobby. Homegrown 

food always tasted better than shop-bought ones! 

So, as we have just started our new allotment year, we have one or two 

vacant plots, and so if you wish to join in this rewarding hobby, do get in 

touch! Thankfully you won’t need an army of relatives to help you use it! 

Finally, if any of you have any family members that used to have plots on 

the Ratby Road site, and have some stories of being a plot holder, it would 

be really interesting to hear those recollections and anecdotes, especially 

from all those years ago. We would like to celebrate our history. 

Carol Lincoln 

CHURCH 

INFORMATION 

St Philip & St 

James, Groby 

Rector - Rev Ed Bampton 

0116 2396520 

Curate - Rev Riffat Zamurad 

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES 

Tues 9pm: 

Compline (Facebook) 

Weds 9.30am: Communion 

Thurs 9am: Prayers via zoom 

Sunday worship: 

8am Communion, 

9.30am Morning 

worship, 

6pm Evensong. 

Telephone 

church service: 

0333 0164 757 

Room no. 10336316 Pin no. 1920 

facebook.com/StPandStJ 

achurchnearyou.com/church/5501 

United Reformed 

Church, Groby 

Minister – Rev Paul Ellis 

Tel: 0116 2926218 

Church Enquiries - Sue Lawrence 

Brooks Tel: 0116 231 2866 

susanbeverley46@yahoo.co.uk 

Sunday morning worship: 10am. 

Our worship includes monthly Holy 

Communion. 

The church 

building has a 

loop hearing 

system, 

wheelchair 

access & baby 

changing 

facilities. 

A catch up recording via our 

YouTube channel. 

If you have any spiritual support or 

prayer requests please text your 

name to 07807 036944 and we 

will call back. 

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES 

Mon 9.30-11.30: 

Noah’s Ark, parent & toddler 

group, term time 

Churches Together 

in Groby 

JOINT WEEKLY 

ACTIVITIES 

St Philip & St 

James, Groby 

Thurs 10.30am- 

12 noon: 

Fair Cuppa @ Groby village Hall 

Fri 9.30 - 11 am: 

CatCH parent & toddler group @ 

URC, term time 

Alternate Fridays 7.30pm: 

Urban Saints, Children in Years 

5 - 11 @ URC 

Sat 10.00am-12 noon: 

Tasters, Coffee, hot cobs and 

children’s activities @ URC 

Al Pacino is to star in a new film about a man who wins the World Knitting Championships. It’s called Scarf Ace.


Children using 

DANGEROUS 

Plumbing 

& Heating 

drugs for 

weight Little or Large loss 

GW 

All Work Undertaken 

From a Tap Washer 

to a Boiler Swap 

NEARLY FIVE per cent 

of young boys and girls 

took diet pills or laxatives 

Tel: in the 07970 past year. 264050 When 

or 0116 431 2366 

considering just girls alone, 

the figure leaps to ten per 

cent. 

NO CALL OUT CHARGE 

Researchers found that young 

girls were also more likely than 

boys to use over-the-counter drugs, 

which “do not work, are dangerous, 

associated with unhealthful weight 

gain in adulthood, and increase 

the risk of being diagnosed with an 

eating disorder within several years 

of onset of use”. 

Researchers found that the girls 

who took the drugs were suffering 

from “low self-esteem, parental 

influence to lose weight or parental 

dissatisfaction with weight, selfbody 

dissatisfaction, peer groups 

who value thinness, and media or 

social media influences promoting 

unrealistic beauty standards”. 

The findings are from a global 

study carried out at Deakin and 

Monash universities in Australia. 

GW 

Plumbing 

& Heating 

All Work Undertaken 

Little or Large 

Tap Washer to Boiler Swap 

Tel: 07970 264050 

or 0116 431 2366 


Fully qualified & registered 

• Fully insured • Full DBS 

Jane Harwood-Scott 

DipFHP, MCFHP, MAFHP 

NOW TAKING ON NEW PATIENTS 

For appointments - Markfield 

Clinic or Home Visits ring: 

01530 242277 or 

07949 212128 

or email: 

footandtherapyclinic@gmail.com 

GW 

All Work 

Undertaken 

Small Jobs 

or Large 

Plumbing 

& Heating 

Tel: 07970 264050 

or 0116 431 2366 


• New Guttering • Wood Staining • Repointing 

• Ridge Tiles • Chimney Stacks • Roof Valley 

• Dry Verge • Flat Roofing • Dry Ridge • Lead Flashing 

• Moss Removal • Slate/Tile Roofing 

• UPVC Fascia, Soffits & Gutters 

FREE QUOTATION AND FREE EMERGENCY CALL OUT 

Proprietor: Elias Bell 

21 

1 Maynard Close, Bagworth, LE67 1BU 

Mobile: 07494820600 - Freephone: 0800 292 7391 

LOOKING FOR NEW PLAYERS 

Bagworth Bowls Club 

Members of the public of any experience are welcome to come 

and give Lawn Bowls a go throughout the upcoming season 

starting from Monday 8th April 2024. 

Your initial three bowls sessions are completely free so come 

and try your hand and see just how much enjoyment can be 

had. 

Feel free to bring friends & family with you, all you need with 

you is a pair of flat soled shoes/trainers - we will provide 

everything else. 

There’s no need 

to replace the 

window - we 

will replace the 

glass unit for you 

If you decide after your first 3 free sessions that this is the 

sport for you, then membership for new members costs £35 for 

the 2024 season and entitles you to be able to access the 

bowls clubs facilities in your own free time throughout the open 

season April to September. 

For more information please contact our 

club secretary Josh Brooks 

Tel: 07718499408 

Email: bagworthbc@hotmail.co.uk 

Bagworth Bowls Club 

Station Road 

Bagworth 

LE67 1BH 

Free to come 

and have a go! 

Website 

www.hugofox.com/community/bagworth-bowls-club-9138/home 

Just cal our small, friendly firm - whether it’s one 

window or a full house - with approximate sizes, 

and we’ll give you a price OVER THE PHONE 

or a free call out if you prefer. 

0116 431 8176 

Our local cinema owner died last night. His funeral is on Wednesday at 2.00, 4.45 and 7.30.

22 


Cuckooland: 

Where the Rich 

Own the Truth 

By Tom Burgis 

EVERYWHERE, the 

powerful are making a 

renewed claim to the 

greatest prize of all: to 

own the truth. The power 

to choose what you want 

reality to be and impose 

that reality on the world. 

For three years, Tom Burgis 

followed a lead that took 

him deeper and deeper into 

Cuckooland – the place where 

the rich own the truth. The trail 

snaked from the Kremlin to 

Kathmandu, Stockholm to the 

Steppe, from a blood-soaked 

town square in Uzbekistan to a 

royal retreat in Scotland. Burgis 

hunted down oligarchs, developed 

secret sources and traced vast 

sums of money flowing between 

multinational corporations, ex- 

Soviet dictators and the west’s 

ruling elites. And he found one man 

who wanted the power to bend 

reality to his will. 

This book tells an astonishing 

story: a tale of secrets and lies that 

reveals how fragile that truth can 

be. Whether it’s in Kazakh torture 

chambers or the UK’s High Court, 

the lords of Cuckooland are seizing 

control of the truth. They decree 

what stories may be told about war 

and money and power, what we 

are permitted to know – and more 

importantly, what we are not. 

From the bestselling author of 

Kleptopia, Cuckooland is a deeply 

reported work of non-fiction that 

reads like a thriller. It is a story of 

how globalisation and technological 

revolution have combined to imperil 

the foundation of free societies: 

that the truth belongs to the many, 

not the few. 

The one mouse click to reduce identity fraud 

In the USA it’s free, but in the 

UK it’s £311 a year 

THERE CAN BE very few 

people who haven’t 

received an email, phone 

call or text message from 

someone who wants to 

persuade them to part with 

their money. 

They are one side of the fraud 

coin. The other side of the coin 

is identity fraud. This is where 

someone pretends to be you when 

applying for credit cards, accounts, 

loans, driving licences or passports. 

The first you might know about 

it is when you receive a bank 

statement, arrears notice, or a visit 

by a debt recovery service that you 

are not expecting. 

According to an analyst’s report 

1 in 25 British consumers said 

that their identity was stolen 

and misused to open financial 

accounts in 2023. Victims do not 

just pay financially, they must 

deal with the complications and 

the embarrassment, shame, 

anger, stress and anxiety that 

accompanies it. 

The advice is to protect your 

passwords and personal 

information, but many may feel 

that this horse has already bolted 

because of the major data hacking 

breaches that have already 

occurred. In January it was 

revealed that a further 20 million 

email addresses had been added to 

over a billion user details previously 

known to have been stolen. 

Once fraudsters have your personal 

details they can make applications 

for accounts and loans in your 

name. The finance companies 

are naturally cautious and want to 

minimise bad debts, so they like 

to know if the applicant is credit 

worthy or has, for example, county 

court judgements against them for 

defaulting on payments. This is 

where Credit Agencies come into 

the picture. 

If you have a bank account or credit 

cards, or have a mortgage or loans, 

Credit Agencies will know about 

it. They know so much about you 

that they can even give you a credit 

score which will reflect any risk 

a financial institution might have 

to consider. A lender will want to 

check with one or more of the three 

main UK Credit Agencies before 

advancing you money or extending 

credit. Lenders who cannot search 

your credit file would be reckless 

if they advanced cash or credit in 

such circumstances. 

Not me, guv 

There is a simple way to manage 

your credit details and reduce 

identity fraud - but whilst free in 

the USA it is hugely expensive in 

the UK. This needs to change but 

might require legislation. 

Despite all the fuss about Data 

Protection whenever you want to 

know something, it seems that the 

data you do not have control over is 

your credit history. Your credit file is 

regularly updated by the agencies 

and is available to legitimate 

enquirers. The Information 

Commissioner was asked why we 

have no control over this data. The 

response was that it did not fall 

within the Commissioner’s area 

of responsibility and the question 

should be put to the Financial 

Conduct Authority. A reply is 

awaited. 

Click and lock 

Everyone can request their own 

credit file reports but freezing or 

locking access to the file seems to 

be the best way to alert lenders to 

a potential problem. It is especially 

appropriate for older and vulnerable 

readers for whom it will be no 

inconvenience, as they may never 

need to make a credit application 

again. 

Although in the USA consumers 

have a legal right to do this free 

of charge, in the UK we have no 

similar right. When asked why, one 

of the agencies said that customer 

compensation isn’t as great in 

the USA, and that’s why they 

have a legal right to a free locking 

facility. But even our generous UK 

compensation doesn’t deal with the 

repercussions of identity fraud. 

What is available in the 

UK? 

Trans Union do not offer the locking 

service. It will cost £131.88 a year 

per person with Experian, and 

£179.40 with Equifax. 

£311.28 a year per person (£622.56 

for a couple) is an enormous 

annual bill for a pensioner or 

vulnerable adult to have to pay to 

control their own data and protect 

themselves. It begs the question 

- why does someone have to pay 

to stop their data being given to a 

third party without consent? 

Password protection 

As an alternative all three agencies 

offer free password schemes to 

help reduce the risks. The credit 

file will contain a notice (NOC) to 

lenders that they cannot access 

your file without you providing 

the password. If everything works 

well the fraudster will (hopefully) 

not know your password, the 

application will be rejected, and the 

attempted fraud will fail. 

But cyber experience suggests 

that passwords are not an ideal 

solution, and it seems more 

secure to reduce fraud with just a 

click of the mouse. Locking might 

not be widely used by those still 

economically active and requiring 

new credit, but the elderly and 

vulnerable who are often the 

victims are probably the least likely 

to need new credit opportunities, 

and might be happy for their files to 

be safely locked. 


Fact worth knowing ... 

If, as is often claimed, hippos 

can run and swim faster than 

humans, then cycling is your 

only chance of beating a hippo 

in a triathlon. 

I used to be a builder for 158 years, but that’s just an esimate.


Remembering Lord Byron, 

the ‘gloomy egoist’ 

IT WAS 200 years ago, 

on 19th April 1824, that 

Lord Byron died. One of 

the greatest British poets 

and a leading figure in the 

Romantic movement, he died 

of sepsis/fever while fighting 

for Greek independence from 

the Ottoman Empire. He was 

36. 

Byron was born in London but 

brought up in Aberdeen and relished 

the Scottish connection. His childhood 

was impoverished, and to a certain 

degree abusive, but at the age of ten 

he inherited his great uncle’s title and 

went on to Harrow and Cambridge. 

After early rejections, his poetry was widely admired in England 

and in Europe, initially through Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, which was 

autobiographical and presented him as a “gloomy egoist”. His character 

fluctuated between kind and gentle on the one hand and selfish and cynical 

on the other. Early exposure to Calvinism combined with the extremes of 

his later life – multiple affairs – made him antagonistic to Christianity but 

tormented by it. He once described man as “half dust, half deity, alike unfit 

to sink or soar.” 

Partly because of criticism of his scandalous 

lifestyle, he left England and eventually lived in 

Switzerland and then Italy with his fellow poet 

Shelley – having an affair with Shelley’s wife’s 

half-sister. Earlier he had married Anne Isabella 

Milbanke, by whom he had a daughter who 

achieved fame as Ada Lovelace, a mathematical 

prodigy regarded by some as the first computer 

programmer. 

His wife eventually left him, possibly because 

of his incest with his own half-sister, Augusta 

Leigh. 

Lord Byron moved to Greece to support the 

Greeks – whose attitude to life he found refreshing – in their struggle for 

independence from Turkey. He is widely admired in Greece as a result. 

Enjoy this issue? 

Please pass it on to a friend or 

relative when you’ve finished 

with it. Thanks! 

International street art festival 

returns to Leicester in May 

23 

LEICESTER is getting set to welcome thousands of visitors 

for the return of the award-winning Bring The Paint street 

art festival. 

Now in its fourth year, the festival will once again transform the streets 

with large-scale pieces of public art between Monday 20th and Sunday 

26th May. 

Over the seven days, visitors will be able to enjoy one of the most 

ambitious festival programmes yet, as they witness the progress of a huge 

selection of international, national, and local artists as they create more 

than 30 murals across the city. 

Bring The Paint will also offer a wide range of exhibitions, workshops, live 

music events, street art tours and many other family friendly activities. 

This year, world 

renowned artists 

from Canada, 

Australia, Germany, 

Italy, Portugal, 

The Netherlands, 

Brazil, Switzerland, 

France, and the UK 

will be taking part, 

with headline artists 

including SOFLES, 

SMASH, TAPS & 

MOSES, SUPER A, 

NUNO VIEGAS and 

FLYING FORTRESS, 

as well as KINOS, KID 

ACNE, WARRIORS, 

ERWTJE, JO-BER and 

SMUG. 

The festival is sponsored by Arts Council England, BID Leicester, 

Leicester City Council, De Montfort University, PPL PRS Ltd, Platform 

Housing, Jake & Nayns and Mills Nutrients. 

More information about the festival including the full line up, map and list 

of mural locations, can be found on the Bring The Paint website: www. 

bringthepaint.co.uk 

It’s quite difficult to get a job at Citroen. I had to send them 2CVs.

What is Live-in Care? 

Live-in Care services is when a Care Professional resides in your home to provide care and assistance. 

One of the significant advantages of a live-in Care Professional is that it is a safe alternative to other 

types of care and offers peace of mind that someone is readily available should the need arise.Live-In 

Care works on a 10 hour average daily agreement with a 2 hour break - this can be covered by another 

Home Instead Care Professional if needed. 

Live-in Care is a safe and affordable alternative to a residential care home that gives you control over 

your care, bringing you consistent, one-to-one support in the comfort of your home. 

What is Home Care? 

Home care or domiciliary care is where a Care 

Professional will visit your home for a minimum of an 

hour a day, as little or as often as required. 

Home care is great option should your loved one need 

companionship (a chat over a coffee or a trip to go 

shopping), help with household chores or even 

personal Care. 

Is Live-inCare Safe? 

Live-in care is one of the safest options available. 

One to one Care from our Care Professional means 

that your Care is personalised to your needs and to 

suit your daily routine which would allow to live safe 

and well, enjoying a higher quality of life whilst being 

in the comfort of your own home. 

Live-in Care Vs. Home Care 

Living at home means staying in familiar 

surroundings and maintaining those daily 

routines that might not be possible in 

residential care. 

The best way to get a complete 

understanding is by speaking with a member 

of our team who will happily go through all 

of your concerns and requirements to help 

you decide on the best solution for your 

loved one. 

Please call us on 0116 319 2474 to discuss 

the options. 

Personal Care Home Help Companionship Dementia Care 

Live in Care 

Home Instead West Leicestershire 

& Market Bosworth 

0116 319 2474 

www.homeinstead.co.uk/west-leicestershire 

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MARCH 2024 GROBY SPOTLIGHT online

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