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Leicestershire MattersAutumn 2006WE are celebrating a number of awards and achievements across the
County Council.
 Quality attractions!Six of our attractions have received the national Visitor Attraction
Quality Assurance Service (VAQAS) award. This identifies an attraction’s strengths and highlights development
areas.
The attractions are Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre; Charnwood Museum; Donington
Le Heath Manor House; Harborough Museum; Melton Carnegie Museum and Snibston Discovery Park.
For more details on our attractions, visit the Tourism pages.
Green Flag for parkMarket Bosworth Country Park in Market Bosworth has been awarded Green
Flag status.
This is the first Green Flag to be awarded in the County. It is given to parks which
are welcoming, safe and well-maintained with strong involvement by the local community. The award is
managed by the Civic Trust on behalf of the Government.
For more details on the park, visit the Market Bosworth Country Park
pages.
Honour for athleteA DISABLED swimmer, who has received an MBE, has been recognised by
the County Council.
Richard Hudson, 38, from Scalford, Melton Mowbray was awarded for his contribution
to disabled sport, which includes beating seven world records.
The Vice-Chairman of the County Council, Mike Jones, and David Sprason, our Cabinet
Lead Member for Adult Social Care, congratulated him on his achievements.
E-awards for pupilsVIDEOS made by County pupils have scooped first prizes in a competition.
The East Midlands Broadband Consortium (embc), a group of nine councils which aim
to improve Internet access in schools, organised an ‘Our Shorts’ video competition where pupils made
videos relating to ‘citizenship.’
Winners were Newlands Community Primary School, Barwell; Welland Park Community
College, Market Harborough and Rawlins Community College, Quorn.
Website award A WEBSITE,
created especially for teenagers, has won a national award.The Jitty provides information, advice and support for young people in areas including
bullying, exams, self-harm and crime. Young people update and contribute to the site. Visit The
Jitty
Wavemakers, a UK charity dedicated to recognising, celebrating and building on the
achievements and work of young people gave the award.
We’re listening!WE have won the national BT ‘Seen and Heard’ award for listening to
young people and acting on what they have said.
We were given the award for supporting a group of looked-after children aged 14
– 18 who meet to discuss important life issues such as living arrangements, leaving care and education.
FUNDING could be available for the best community regeneration projects
suggested to us.
Grants of between £75,000 and £250,000 are to be awarded to initiatives such as
developing recreational areas, community centres, play areas, skate parks, nature reserves and multi-use
sports facilities.
Successful applicants will benefit from the funding which is being made available
through the WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited) Communities Challenge which is operating around
the Country.
The County Council will select the best schemes in Leicestershire to compete against
projects from other areas.
WREN will then decide which schemes will be awarded funding. Projects can
be for the creation or renovation of facilities but awards will not be granted for the purchase of land
or buildings.
For further details visit the WREN website or call Pam
Holliday on 0116 305 7305, e-mail: pholliday@leics.gov.uk
The closing date for applications is 30th March, 2007.
COULD you help a child or young person by visiting and offering your
support and friendship?
Some children in our care are not in touch with their family and despite the support
of foster carers, social workers or residential staff, can feel isolated and alone.
Our independent visiting scheme helps children and young people in this situation
by arranging for a volunteer to see them regularly, to offer a consistent and reliable personal interest.
If you volunteer, you could visit up to two children once a month.
If you can talk and listen to young people, offer support and care, be in contact
regularly and are in good general health you could become a volunteer. You also need a reliable vehicle
and a clean driving licence with fully comprehensive insurance.
We provide comprehensive training and on-going support. Expenses are paid for travelling
and trips out. Volunteers must undergo relevant police and statutory checks.
If you are interested please call 0116 305 9315 between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday
and give your name, address and telephone number. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Helping is rewarding and fun! Terri Toth, a 56-year-old grandmother,
has been visiting two sisters for six years. She said: “I have grandchildren and saw the opportunities
they have, such as visits to the zoo and I thought I’d like to give other children the same chances.“The foster mother of the girls I visit doesn’t drive, so they weren’t getting these
experiences, but now there are very few visitor attractions in the County that we’ve not been to! We’ve
had some lovely days out. It can be very rewarding and it’s always been fun!”
She explained there is also a more serious side, she said: “Their foster mum got
ill and they went to new separate foster homes, so my visits got them together and helped them through
a time of change.
“I’ve been a constant presence in their lives and they’ve formed a kind of trust
for me. I saw the real value of the scheme when I was able to raise and resolve some of their concerns.
“
She added: “Anybody who genuinely cares about people could do this, it doesn’t matter
what age you are!”
Picture posed by model
DINOSAURS arrived in the County this summer and thousands of people
turned out to welcome them!
 Jurassic Leicestershire brought huge
model dinosaurs, fossils and sandpits to market towns and rural centres. Visitors took part in dinosaur
events and competitions.There was a serious side to the fun, as the aim was to bring visitors into our market
towns and rural centres to show them the wealth of shops and businesses on offer. These centres are
facing increased competition from cities and out-of-town shopping centres and the County Council wants
to encourage the small independent retailers, which make these centres unique.
The successful event brought an estimated additional 30,000 people into the 12 venues.
Many traders reported an increase in interest and sales.
Following this success, another event will be organised for next year.
There were six lucky winners of our ‘name the dinosaur’ competition, which we ran
in the summer issue of Leicestershire Matters, who all chose the name of Victor. They all received dinosaur
goodie bags and certificates, presented by our Cabinet Member for Communications, Tony Kershaw (pictured
centre back).
Events Guide
 OUR comprehensive FREE guide
to events happening across Leicestershire in our museums, libraries and country parks is now available.The latest issue of the Leicestershire Events Guide, which runs until the end of
January, is packed with hundreds of events and activities to keep you and your family entertained over
the autumn and winter.
Find out about Christmas events throughout the County as well as a host of events
taking place in libraries, museums and country parks.
There is also a chance to win digital cameras by submitting a photo.
Don’t miss out – pick up your copy from any County Council library or museum. Alternatively,
to receive regular copies, e-mail: libraries@leics.gov.uk or fill in the form and
send it to The Marketing Team, Room 409, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8TD or complete
the online request form.
EDUCATION chiefs are delighted with exam results from pupils in Leicestershire.
There have been improvements in results for various tests this year. Our Key Stage
2 and 3 achievements put us first among our similar, neighbouring authorities. Our results at KS3, Level
5 make us the 5th best authority nationally.
Ivan Ould, Cabinet Lead Member for our Children’s and Young People’s Service, said:
“These achievements are a result of the hard work of pupils and staff in our schools and of the support
and advice that the authority provides.
“These results are excellent considering our financial situation, as funding for
our schools from central Government is the lowest in England. However, our schools are not the lowest
funded schools, because we give them more than the Government allocation.
“We want to improve these results further for next year, in particular we want the
number of pupils with five or more GCSEs at A* to C to increase to over 60% and to maintain our position
with KS2 and KS3.”
WE are working to reduce traffic problems in Market Harborough and
Melton Mowbray. Residents have highlighted concerns about congestion and we are working with the communities
to help find solutions.
 In Market Harborough we are:
In
Melton Mowbray we are:
In both towns
we are also:
We
are working with the District and Borough Councils to ensure residents can give their views. You can
also contact:
Record
bid…County school pupils attempt to get onboard the largest ever walking bus, one way of reducing the
number of cars on the road.
DO you need to brush up on your English and maths skills – to get
a job, progress at work or to help your children with their homework?
 We have free courses throughout the County at most community colleges as well as
some libraries and community centres. We offer confidential advice to ensure you get a good start
in the right class. You can join at any time and take an exam when you feel ready.
These free Skills for Life courses in English and maths include basic courses, new
national certificates and GCSEs.
The national ‘Skills for Life’ campaign aims to improve adults’ literacy and numeracy.
This is not just for general reading, writing and maths, but to help people achieve higher level skills
to get on at work and in society generally.
For confidential information, please call:
FREE calendars are available with handy hints to help keep elderly
and vulnerable people safe in their own homes.
 The Leicestershire Doorstep Calendar 2007 has attractive photos of times gone by
from across the County – and each month there is useful information on home safety as well as advice
on how to stay fit, healthy and independent.
This includes how to get a password from gas, electricity and water companies so
you can be sure that callers are genuine. There are also details on home fire safety checks and how
vulnerable people can get smoke alarms supplied and fitted for free.
David Sprason, our Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care, said: “The information
and messages on the calendar will help older and vulnerable people feel safer in their own homes, be
more confident when dealing with doorstep callers and know who to contact for help and advice.”
Partners in the scheme include Neighbourhood Watch, Harborough Be Safe, the County
Council, Age Concern, the police and the fire service.
Copies are available on a first come, first served basis. For a copy, please call
0116 305 7404, or e-mail: communicationsteam@leics.gov.uk
 WE are expected to receive
an extra £9 million to spend on services, with our partners, thanks to meeting a number of targets set
by the Government.The money will be awarded thanks to our success over the last three years, as part
of the local public service agreement (LPSA.) Under this agreement we agreed to try to meet targets
which are over and above what we would normally be expected to achieve.
We were successful in a number of areas, including:
We made progress, but didn’t
achieve our targets in areas including the following:
Our partners in this initiative include District
Councils, the police and health authorities.
 RECYCLING facilities in
Leicestershire have been improved further by the completion of a £1.2 million redevelopment and expansion
project at the Oadby Recycling and Household Waste Site.The upgraded site is much bigger with better and easier to use recycling facilities.
It is now safer, with no steps or gantries and there are new signs to let you know what can be
recycled and composted.
The redeveloped site represents a major investment in the area and follows similar
schemes at Loughborough and Coalville.
We would like to thank the residents of Oadby and Wigston for their co-operation
and patience whilst the site was being upgraded. We hope they will continue to maximise their
recycling and composting at the site now the redevelopment has been completed.
To find out more about your local recycling and household waste site, visit the
Waste pages of our website at or call 0116 305 7240.
SOME people may stay in an abusive relationship because they are afraid
to leave their pets behind.
 NSPCC research shows a close link between
domestic violence and pet abuse – but help is now available with PetRetreat, which finds foster homes
for pets while a victim is in a refuge, and reunites them when they are re-homed.This supports our aim to encourage more people to report domestic violence incidents
and to help prevent more people from re-offending.
Sarah decided to leave her smallholding after years of problems with her partner.
Loughborough Women’s Aid found her and her children a place in a refuge and homes were found for her
dog, cat, donkey, horse and other animals!
When the family were re-homed they got their dog and cat back but, as they had no
room for the other animals, they were found new homes.
Sarah said: “If I couldn’t have taken our dog I wouldn’t have left – and without
this help we couldn’t have kept any of the animals. The ones who have been re-homed are really happy.”
 Sarah added: “PetRetreat needs more people
to foster animals. Even if you can only take one animal you’re helping prevent a lot of stress for people
going through this. With a foster home you know you’ll get your pets back and that’s a big weight off
your mind.”Lyn – a pet fosterer – said: “People forget that domestic violence can be traumatic
for pets as well and they may personally experience violence. So it’s nice for the victim to know that
their animal is going into a relaxing environment and will be well looked after.
“The dog we had was very timid and withdrawn at first, but we have a quiet home
and my dog took him under her wing. We helped him to work through his own issues.”
Lyn added: “You get a lot of satisfaction out of fostering and PetRetreat provides
support at any time. Also, the client doesn’t know where the fosterer lives, so there is no chance of
the partner finding out.”
PetRetreat is a partnership of organisations and charities lead by the RSPCA. Call
07910 721797 if you can help.
TWO women a week and 30 men a year, die as a result of domestic violence
nationally.
To highlight the issue and publicise the help on offer to victims and their families,
Domestic Violence Week is being held from November 20th – 24th.
Call 0116 305 6017 for details.
Raising awareness enables those affected to access support and highlights the fact
that no-one needs to cope alone.
The County Council offers training and support to groups, organisations and schools
to help ensure that victims have the opportunity to get away from violent homes. We also want to encourage
more people to report domestic violence incidents and help prevent more from re-offending.
Schools have also been given a domestic violence protocol to help them support children
and young people over domestic violence issues.
For confidential help and advice, call the Leicester Domestic Violence Helpline
Number on 0116 255 0004
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