Church Wardens Tricia, Eileen and Brenda say:

"Thank you all so much for your help with the Flower Festival. We were quite overwhelmed by the number of people who helped in so many different ways and we very much appreciate what you did. We are sure you will agree that the Festival was very enjoyable and it was additionally financially successful. Although we don't yet have the final figures, we know it raised over £5000.

We shall be holding other events nearer to Christmas and we hope that you will be able to join us in some of them. Our Christmas Fair will be on Saturday 6th December, a Christmas Miscellany on Saturday 13th December and our usual Carol Service on Christmas Eve. More »

This month, our event will be part of The Macmillan "World's Biggest Coffee Morning" in aid of cancer research and support. As usual, visitors will enjoy the chance to meet, chat and enjoy home baked cakes with their morning coffee. It will take place at 10.30 am in Swepstone Church Hall on Wednesday 15th October. Admission is £1.00 and there will also be a Bring and Buy table and local produce. We look forward to seeing you there!

Leicestershire County Council, Age Concern and other agencies in the LAA partnership are still concerned that people who are in possession of a blue disabled badge for their vehicle are still not claiming extra money they may be entitled to. Under most circumstances people over 65 probably should be claiming Attendance Allowance which is worth an extra £44.85 or £67 per week. No-one is interested in your income or your savings it is not means tested and will not affect any other benefit. More »

Police are trying to trace the owners of property recovered which they believe may have been stolen.

A black metal gate and railings with a distinctive arrow shaped top was seized by officers during a vehicle enforcement operation on Monday 22 September on Hastings Road in Leicester.

The Col Sir Andrew Martin Memorial Cricket Cup Final

The final of the Col Sir Andrew Martin Cricket Competition, run by the competitions volunteers at the Rural Community Council, was played at Newtown Linford between Newtown Linford and Sharnford Cricket Clubs on Sunday 28th September. Sharnford emerged winners over Newtown Linford.

Following the match, trophies were presented by the Chairman of the Rural Community Council (Leicestershire & Rutland) Mr Dale Mortimer.

Twelve village cricket teams entered the competition.

Police are trying to trace the owners of property recovered which they believe may have been stolen.

On September 18, 2008, local officers were called to a property in the Beaumont Leys area following a burglary. At this location officers recovered a silver or silver plated ten piece goblet set, four silver forks and a silver plate lamp.

We have recently had several phone calls from members who have been worried by leaflets arriving on their doorsteps which appear to be asking for money in return for membership of Neighbourhood Watch. Bob Scott, the Partnerships Coordinator for the Force, said; “Neighbourhood Watch is about communities in local areas working together to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. Leicestershire Constabulary provide a free messaging system to alert members of local incidents and to provide crime reduction advice. Neighbourhood Watch volunteers based in police stations, supported by police staff, provide this information. All their services are completely free. There are other charity organisations, operating independently, who provide similar services, however they do make an annual charge for these. It is a matter of personal choice, but there is no need for anyone to pay for these services”

Fancy chilling out this autumn watching a great movie or listening to your favourite sounds for FREE? Well just pop into your nearest County library and ask about the latest credit-crunching offer!

Just borrow 6 books on your ticket and save money with a free loan of any CD, DVD or talking book. This seasonal special offer is available in all Leicestershire libraries and mobiles that stock these items from 22 September until 5 October.

The library service has a great range of DVDs and CDs to keep everyone entertained, including new titles, available at the majority of Leicestershire libraries. The collections include children's films, blockbusters, Bollywood, television series, drama and classics, plus a huge range of music to choose from, including … More »

Voluntary Action Leicester and Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation (LLRCF) have been successful in submitting a partnership bid which has been approved by the Community Development Foundation (who are administering this on behalf of the Office of the Third Sector). This has resulted in VAL administering the grants programme and LLRCF leading on the ‘Endowment Match Challenge’.

A total of £1.24m will be available to community groups in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland between 2008 and 2011. To be eligible, groups must have an average annual income of £20,000 or less over the last 3 years. The programme objectives are flexible and groups will be able to apply to ‘meet locally identified needs’ and build their own capacity. The maximum award available to groups will be £5,000. More »

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is set to use her Labour Party conference speech to pledge to empower communities to fight crime.

She will announce a £5 million fund to train "community crime fighters" Ordinary members of the public will be instructed on how they can work with neighbourhood police teams to combat crime, she will say.

About 3,600 volunteers, including members of neighbourhood watch teams, will act as a link between police, local authorities and the public. More »

Not in My Neighbourhood Week provides an excellent opportunity for Neighbourhood Watch Schemes to take advantage of the week-long national focus placed on profiling those who work hard on a daily basis to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and make our communities safer. Weeks of action such as this also help to increase public confidence in local agencies.

We do hope that as many Neighbourhood Watch Schemes as possible are able to take part in the week which runs from 13th-17th October .

More and more people are making use of their Community Forum to try and improve local services and raise issues of local concern.
- Residents in Birstall were unhappy that the swimming pool in Longslade Community College was no longer going to be open to the public outside school hours. Discussion at the local Area Forum meeting resulted in the College working directly with local users to find ways the pool can remain open.
- Following the Government’s shortlisting of ‘Pennbury’ as a potential Eco-town, the ‘Have your Say’ meetings in Kibworth and Tugby were the first opportunity for residents in the surrounding area to find out how the District and County Council were planning to respond to this challenge.
- At the Blaby South Community Forum residents and Parish Councillors from Sapcote, Sharnford, Stoney Stanton and surrounding villages expressed their concerns about the volume and speed of Heavy Goods Vehicles travelling through their villages. In response officers promised to look into a range of measures to reduce the impact of traffic and improve road safety in the short term, while explaining how they were looking to provide longer-term solutions. More »

Leicestershire Constabulary joins forces with multi-agency colleagues to distribute the ‘Keep Safe' card designed specifically for use by people with learning disabilities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The fold out ‘Keep Safe' card can be kept in a wallet or purse and helps in difficult situations with easy to understand words and pictures i.e. if the card holder uses sign language or can lip read; what medication they take and who to contact in an emergency.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a robbery on the A563 in Leicester.

The incident happened at around 1.10pm on Friday, September 5 when the 24-year-old victim waiting at red lights near Sainsbury's waiting to turn right towards the motorway. He was approached by two men who opened the driver side door and dragged him from his van and then drove off in the vehicle. They did a U-turn and made off through a red light towards the Meridian.

Latest Consumer News

Glenfield library was the launch pad of the new Community Transport website link on Leicestershire Villages today. From this morning, the easy-to-use site provides details about community transport across Leicestershire with further links to providers and will help people to find information for themselves, family members or friends, no matter where they live.

Users will find a new link in the Information section of their village site called “Community Transport” that will give them full details of community transport services in their village. More »

Ashby Woulds Parish Plan Group has successfully completed its Parish Plan after hundreds of hours of hard work. The Plan will be launched at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 16th September at Moira Village Hall, Moira. Accompanying the Parish Plan, there is an Action Plan which is being taken forward by the Group, the Town Council, the County and District Council and many other Service Providers.
You are welcome to attend the Launch and collect your copy of the Parish Plan, meet the Town Council and the Service Providers and find out how things are being taken forward.

This is a message for all our Countryside Watch, Key Individuals and Neighbourhood Watch members for observations of a white Transit Van from Harborough & Lutterworth Police.

Don't forget the Newton Burgoland and Swepstone Vegetable Society Annual Show on Sunday 7th September 2008 at Newton Burgoland School and Wraggs Yard. Stage your exhibits (residents only) from 9.30 am until 12.00 noon. There will be a hog roast and licensed bar from 1.00 pm. The Fancy Dress will begin at 2.00 pm. Doors open at 2.15 pm. There will be tea, cakes, games, raffle etc. Vegetable Society Chairman Sean Baker 273 647. Fun for all the family - don't miss this community occasion.

This will take place at St Peter's Church, Swepstone, at 10.30 am on Sunday 14th September. It is a time to thank God for our food and for the farmers who produce it. It is also a celebration of the glories of the natural world and the environment. The church building will be decorated with artistic style and skill, adding to the pleasure of this joyful service. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to this delightful occasion.