SNIBSTON'S DOORS OPEN to an exciting year ahead. In 2009 why not get a day of excitement INSIDE and OUT.
There's something for everyone... a DISCOVERY MUSEUM, COUNTRY PARK and CINEMA & THEATRE.
Why not take a trip to Snibston now that it's open and ready to embrace the NEW YEAR.
You can look forward to:
A Sense of Achievement - Art Exhibition Thu 5 Feb - Sun 15 March.

National Science & Engineering Week 7-15 March

Shepherds Crooks Sat 14 & Sun 15 March More »

Do you want to find out what is happening in Leicestershire to reduce the harms associated with alcohol use?

Click on the link for the second edition of "Sensible Measures" - The Leicestershire Alcohol Strategy Newsletter

Inside this issue...
Alcohol Training Funding
Sexual Health and Alcohol Campaign
Turning Point Alcohol Pilot
Hinckley and Bosworth Beacon Award Short Listing
Operation Christmas Presence
Point of view-British Beer and Pub Association
Loughborough Drink Drive Campaign
Spotlight on – The Liver
Community Safety Week 2009 More »

It is estimated that householders in Leicestershire waste over £13 million by leaving appliances on standby. The average household in the UK spends around £1,300 per year on energy, which is set to increase even more with sharply rising energy prices.
An ‘OWL’ monitor can be attached to the main electricity supply cable to show how much energy is being used at any time. By switching off electrical devices and leaving just one running, the OWL shows how much energy is required to power that particular device either when on or on standby. More »

If you want to improve sales, learn new marketing skills, build staff morale and sense of pride, gain new contacts, or simply just want to improve your neighbours and friends understanding of why farming matters...then get involved with Open Farm Sunday on 7th June 2009.

Organisers LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) want to build on the fantastic success of the last event when 400 farmers all over the country organised farm tours for local families, friends and
neighbours. More »

Love Food Hate Waste Recipe Competition

The competition is part of Leicestershire County Council’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which is encouraging people not to waste food.

Have you got a great original recipe idea which uses leftover food?

The entrants who submit the best three recipes will receive shopping vouchers worth a tasty £150, £80 and £50. A panel of judges from Leicester College catering department will decide the winners.

In Britain, households throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food, on average, a year. That’s equal to buying three bags of shopping and throwing one away! More »

The Welland Community Grant Pot is available to communities in the districts of Harborough, Melton and Rutland and has provided a small grants to groups in the area since 2003. The grant comes to an end in March this year but there is still £40,000 available to support new community initiatives such as:

• Setting up a community internet café
• Development of innovative recreational facilities
• Setting up of a community IT facility
• Development of a community shop
• Starting a parent and toddler group or community crèche
• Community recycling project
• New services / facilities within community centres More »

If you are over 50, you are invited to attend a Consultation Event on the National Ageing Strategy being developed by the Department of Work and Pensions, and attended by Phil Hope, Minister of State for Care Services.

See attached document for full information, and get in touch ASAP if you would like to attend

Residents across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland now have access to the latest local crime information through a new interactive crime mapping website.

Accessible using this link or via the front page of Leicestershire Constabulary's website the map provides an opportunity for you to see where crime has happened; make comparisons with other areas and learn how crime is being tackled by your neighbourhood policing team.

Using interactive mapping technology and Leicestershire Constabulary's crime data, the maps show crime levels for wards, local policing units and basic command unit. More »

This is a message from Leicestershire & Rutland County NHW Association to all Neighbourhood Watch members...

Please find attached a list of telephone numbers which you may find useful when dealing with doorstep callers.

As it is not practical to send these out as a telephone message, could we ask Co-ordinators to print off a few copies and place them on notice boards for everyone to see.

Thank you.

Call the Leicestershire Police switchboard on 0116 222 2222or dial 999 in an emergency.

Are you seeking funding for a community based project that will improve your environment?
Does your village need a new sign or the play area need new equipment?
Most improvements to an area of public open space are eligible for a SHIRE Environmental Improvement Grant.
Parish & Town Councils, Charities, Constituted Community Groups and Schools are able to apply for up to £10,000 or 50% of the project cost.
For further information contact Andy Hayes, Community Projects Officer on: 0116 305 7269 or ahayes@leics.gov.uk

The LRP recently signed up the Leicestershire Together Declaration on Climate Change. The Declaration is designed specifically for Leicestershire organisations, including charities, partnerships and businesses, to sign up to publicly declare their commitment to tackling climate change. LRP Chairman Councillor Lesley Pendleton is pictured here signing the Declaration.

By signing up the LRP will be required to produce a Climate Change Action Plan within the next year.

The Declaration was developed by ENABLE (Environmental Action for a Better Leicestershire) the countywide forum for the protection and enhancement of the environment. Follow this link for further details http://www.leics.gov.uk/enable

The Draft East Midlands Regional Plan recognises the need for measures to protect and enhance the particular character of Charnwood Forest through a Regional Park initiative. The County Council in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council, Natural England, GOEM, EMRA and the National Forest has produced a vision for how such a scheme could work and a map showing the park’s proposed boundaries.
Having regional park status would enable the County Council and its partners to :
*Work together to attract investment
*Protect the features that give the
forest its unique character, such
as drystone walls and rocky outcrops
*Promote public access within the
area
*Encourage walking and cycling and
use of public transport More »

Growing your own fruit and vegetables has sometimes been classed as being too much trouble and of taking too much time to be worth all the effort, but now there is a way to have fresh home grown produce from your own back garden without even picking up a spade.

The Vegetable Gardener is a company specialising in growing Herbs, Fruit and Vegetables on your property so you can pick them fresh from the ground when you need them. By making repeat sowing over the seed growing period, they are able to ensure that there is always something fresh to take to the kitchen throughout every month of the year. More »

This is a general warning message for all our watch members regarding alarm companies and their sales tactics.

It has come to our attention that several companies have been using high pressure sales tactics to convince people to sign up to their products and contracts. These companies will often begin their sales pitch with a telephone call and their sales staff will try to identify elderly and vulnerable clients wherever possible.

Are you a storyteller? Or do you know someone who is? I don't mean grandma telling stories to the grandchildren, but do you know anyone who tells stories in your local school, library or village hall? Have you been to a storytelling event in your village? If so, I'd like to know. Why? Well I'm the local organiser for the Society for Storytelling and we'd like to find out if the ancient skill of storytelling is alive and well in Leicestershire and Rutland. I can be contacted as follows:
Nick Fathers - Leicester (0116)2363739 or nickfathers@btinternet.com.
I hope you can help.

Tilton Green a group formed by the residents of Tilton On The Hill to tackle climate change issues, have been successful in gaining £6,907 of a £10,000 grant fund. The one off CO2 fund was offered across the East Midlands by GOEM (Government Office East Midlands) to help communities to tackle climate change issues and make their communities Greener. Tilton Green applied following a need identified in their Parish Plan.

The fund was launched at 2 Climate Friendly Communities seminars held in Leicestershire in October and run by The Rural Community Council (Leicestershire & Rutland) working with ENABLE (Environmental Action for a Better Leicestershire). More »

Officers from Leicestershire Constabulary have re-launched their ‘Turn it on' campaign this winter to urge people to leave a light on when they go out to help improve their home security.

Light bulb shaped leaflets will be given out across the county to encourage residents to flick on their lights to deter would be burglars. The campaign hopes to raise awareness to the fact that homes left in darkness can be an open invitation to an opportunist burglar.

Community spaces including village halls, rooms within places of worship, public houses and schools can apply for new grants of between £750 and £10,000 through the Vibrant Villages programme which has been set up to support and enhance vital community facilities.
Vibrant Villages supports existing facilities such as community halls to become multi-purpose venues incorporating, for instance, a meeting space, youth facility, crèche, training venue or drop in service offering health or citizens' advice.
Enquiries have included a village hall that needs to upgrade its catering facilities to provide a much needed venue for local wedding receptions, a heritage centre wishing to establish an ICT suite for the village and a church in a small settlement requiring secure storage to allow the building to be used for other services by the community.
For more information about Vibrant Villages please contact Fiona Walker on 0116 305 5673 or e-mail ruralgrants@leics.gov.uk

Download a copy of the latest Winter 2008 Newsletter using this link.

With the winter weather now upon us, there have been a number of crimes reported where people have started their vehicle's engine to defrost windscreens and have gone back into their homes only to find the vehicle missing on their return.

Unfortunately there are thieves who will not think twice about stealing your vehicle off your drive and officers are warning motorists to be mindful of this type of crime.