One lucky library user has won a signed copy of an Incredible Hulk poster.

The competition, run by Leicestershire County Council’s libraries, gave everyone who borrowed a copy of The Incredible Hulk DVD the chance to enter a free prize draw.

The giant poster was signed by the creator of the original Marvel Comics cartoon strip Stan Lee

The prize was won by Michael Keyes of Husbands Bosworth, a regular user of Market Harborough Library, who is a big fan of The Hulk and delighted with his early Christmas present. More »

Lynne Brydon-Graham and Helen Dalton are the new Village Website Content Co-ordinators for Leicestershire Villages. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the website or if you need any help putting your own information onto the site. We can also arrange training sessions if required. If you are a community group (e.g. local history group, scouts etc.) get in touch and we can see how we can help you put content on the site. We would like everyone in the community to be actively involved in this website so get in touch if you need any help getting started.
Email admin@leicestershirevillages.com
Tel: 0116 3055676

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 strategy covers 23 miles of the River Soar and Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire from Oadby to Loughborough.The public consultation will run from December 5th 2008 to January 20th 2009.

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

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.

Application materials are now available for the fifth funding round of the vcashpoint scheme. Grants are awarded to young people in England, aged between 16 and 25, to set up exciting and creative voluntary projects that benefit their communities. The scheme has a total budget of £1 million available for distribution, with individual grants capped at £2,500.

Projects that involve young people in their organisation, planning and implementation will be supported. The funding can be used to design and undertake schemes that will benefit the applicant's community and will have a positive impact in the long-term. More »

Responses to policing consultation show widespread support for cutting police red tape.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said, ‘On visits up and down the country I have seen first hand the positive impact of neighbourhood policing and the growing involvement of communities in the fight against crime.'

She added, ‘The public are our strongest weapon in tackling crime and I passionately believe that empowering them to get a good deal through the policing pledge will play a powerful role in driving up the quality of policing for our citizens and in our communities.’

The Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (NHWN) was launched across the nation with a brief to keep an eye on crime and crime fighting on our home front.

With the backing of the police and Home Office we will keep you up to speed on developments both locally and nationally via a constantly-updated website and regular newletters. Use this link to download your copy and to register to receive future editions.

Christmas shoppers in Leicester city centre are being given purse bells and chains to try and prevent thefts from handbags over the festive period.

The chain can be used to attach a purse to a handbag to make it more difficult to steal. Meanwhile the bells will alert shoppers if someone is tampering with their handbag.