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Designated dog-waste bins may ‘disappear’ after local trial

Civic, News, , , , ,

Designated dog-waste bins are under threat as Blaby District Council run an ‘any bin will do’ trial in Enderby and Narborough.

At their meeting on 14th March, Enderby Parish Councillors resolved to make strong representations to both the District and County Councils against the move to remove the dedicated bins.

The trial is being undertaken following proposed changes to the District Council’s provision of street and open space bins – primarily, the district’s designated dog waste bins (DDWB’s).

Many dog lovers are grateful for the designated dog bins placed on the streets and open spaces popular with dog walkers. Stickers, identifying that dog waste may now be deposited in general waste bins, have been affixed to rubbish bins in the trial areas of Enderby and Narborough.

The changes arise following a decision by the County Council that Blaby District could no longer dispose of waste from designated dog waste bins at their Waste Transfer site and that the waste material should be taken directly to landfill at Shawell, near Lutterworth.

The move created an ‘operational disadvantage’ to the District Council as the transfer station is next door to its depot in Whetstone.

Apart from the extra man-hours and mileage considerations in the journey to Lutterworth, the District Council also points to  the vehicles in the Cleansing department not being suitable for landfill sites, and are experiencing increased damage as well as accumulations of mud on the underside of the vehicle chassis. 

This is presenting difficulty with servicing the vehicles, as well as decreasing the vehicles load carrying capacity.

Luke Clements, Waste Operations Manager at Blaby District Council, informed Parish Councillors by email that almost half of all of the street bins currently provided are designated dog waste bins.

All District Cleansing crews collect waste from these bins. So the County Council decision has affected the whole service.

In an attempt to find a workable solution, the District and County Council’s arrived at an agreement.

The agreement is to close the designated dog waste bins in the trial areas of Enderby and Narborough and encourage the redirection of bagged dog waste into the general litter bins.

Luke Clements points out that many other councils have already adopted the ‘Any Bin Will Do’ policy to dog waste, and he himself has first hand experience of this from his time at Hinckley Borough Council.

Leicestershire County Council are happy to accept dog waste at their transfer stations as long as it is mixed in the bag with other material. So during the trial period the District Council will be able to take street litter bin waste from the trial area to Whetstone Transfer Station.

The trial period is expected to begin on March 19th and run for a minimum of 2 weeks.

Leicestershire County Council will take a view after the initial fortnight and determine whether they want to extend the trial or make a permanent decision one way or the other.

Black Roses event comes to Countesthorpe

News, ,

Sophie Lancaster

An acclaimed education session on anti-bullying and hate crime by the Sophie Lancaster Foundation will be hosted at Countesthorpe Leysland Community College.

The event was created for students following the murder of Sophie Lancaster, who was 20-years-old when she and her boyfriend Rob Maltby were attacked in a Lancashire park in 2007. Sophie never regained consciousness and died 13 days later as a result of her severe head injuries.

Following her death, Sylvia Lancaster OBE, mother of Sophie, created a lasting legacy for her daughter by setting up The Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

“Black Roses” includes a film featuring Sylvia and recollections of her daughter with first-person poetry, written by English poet, playwright and novelist Simon Armitage.

A panel of guests, including Sylvia, Julian Robertson from the Youth Offending Service and Inspector Emma Maxwell, NPA Commander for Hinckley and Blaby will discuss the topic of hate crime with staff and students after the film. Inspirational teenager Ellie Spokes, 14, will also be on the panel to talk about the bullying she has been a victim of at a school in Leicestershire.

Ellie, who has dwarfism, has battled through her bullying ordeal and has represented Team GB in swimming at the World Dwarf Games alongside team-mate Ellie Simmonds OBE. She will also be competing in the British Para Swimming International in May.

The event is being funded by Blaby District Council, supported with grants from the PCC Community Fund and Countesthorpe Parish Council.

Councillor Lee Breckon, Portfolio Holder for Community Services, said:

“Black Roses is a well-known and powerful event that we hope will have a positive impact on students. This event has taken place at a school in Hinckley and because of its success we wanted young people in the district to see the film.

“We are looking forward to welcoming both Sylvia and Ellie, who will be able to give us all an insight into the devastating effect hate crimes can have on victims.”

Sylvia Lancaster OBE said:

“Our work in Leicestershire is very important to us. We started to work with Darren Goddard, Hate Crime Officer, several years ago and it has led to us training teachers, the police and reaching many school students.

“This partnership between the Foundation, the Council and Police is the most effective way to teach that hate and prejudice will not be tolerated in our communities and everyone should be free to be themselves, without fear of abuse. Thank you for inviting us back to Leicestershire to work with you once more.”

Kat Morris, Citizenship co-ordinator at Countesthorpe Leysland Community College, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to share Sophie Lancaster’s story. We want to make sure our students know that being different is not something that should ever be feared.”

Students from years 9 and 10 will be shown the film and take part in the question and answer panel on the morning of Friday 16 March.

More information about the Sophie Lancaster Foundation can be found by visiting https://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com.

Enderby resident Laura wins national accolade after 9st (120kgs) weight loss!

News, , , ,

Enderby resident, 35yr old Laura Cosbie, a Slimming World Consultant, has been crowned “Slimming World’s Consultant Slimmer of the Year 2018”.

Laura had struggled with her weight since childhood and when she eventually left home her eating habits revolved around ‘less than healthy’ options.

Speaking about her journey on the Slimming World website Laura said:

“….I’d have a takeaway for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unsurprisingly, the weight piled on very quickly and, before I knew it, I was almost 19st.

When Laura became pregnant with her son, Joshua , and then later her daughter, Charlotte (now 12yrs and 9yrs respectively), she remembers feeling disappointed people didn’t congratulate her or ask her about the baby – and she thought it was because her weight meant that she didn’t look obviously pregnant.

She also realised that as the children got older – and started to get more active – she could miss out on quality family time as as she wasn’t ‘fit enough’ to keep up with them.

‘The turning point came when my husband and I went to Alton Towers and decided to go on the ‘Air’ ride. After a bit of a struggle I managed to get the harness to fit, but as the ride started I began to panic that it wouldn’t be able to hold my weight.

“I cried the whole way round. Worst of all, it took three men to get me out of the harness. I was so mortified – especially as everyone in the queue looked on – that we just went straight home afterwards.

‘Later that day I came across a picture of an old school friend on social media. She’d lost a lot of weight and was looking great, so I messaged her to see how she’d done it. She told me that she’d joined Slimming World. I decided enough was enough and looked up my nearest group.”

Laura started cooking meals from scratch rather than depending on ready meals. Other family members were supportive and, as the numbers on the scales started going down, it spurred her on to become as healthy and happy as possible.

The vegan option

Laura had read about leading a vegan lifestyle and it just seemed to make sense to her. The whole family became vegan in July 2017. Laura said:

“We fill up on plenty of fruit, vegetables, beans, rice and pulses, and love experimenting with new recipes and flavour combinations.”

It was a couple of years ago when Laura and her family moved to Enderby and shortly afterwards she left her full time job with a national pharmaceutical retailer to become a Slimming World consultant.

Laura is also more active these days. Since losing weight, the family have adopted three dogs – who love long walks! Laura’s also completed numerous Park Runs and even a muddy ‘Wolf Run’ obstacle run.

Laura is committed to helping others and as a Slimming World consultant she gets much satisfaction from “making a difference” to other people’s lives.

Laura runs a group at Huncote Community Centre, (Attached to Huncote Community Primary School) Denman Lane, Huncote, LE9 3BS. The group meet Wednesdays 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

She also runs a group at Narborough: St. Pius R C Church, 52 Leicester Road
Narborough, LE19 2DF Mondays 9.30am, 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

Anyone interested can just drop in to any session or give Laura a call on 07535 184040,

Laura and team at Wolf Run event
Laura and team pose for a photo at a muddy ‘Wolf Run’ event. Photo: Twitter

“Slim with Laura” on Facebook.
“Huncote Slimming World” on Instagram

Enderby Heritage Group March talk – Charles Lorraine Smith

Heritage, News

Photo: Charles Lorraine SMITH

Enderby Heritage Group’s March meeting features local historical personality, Charles Lorraine Smith of Enderby Hall.

The next meeting takes place on Monday 12th March at 8pm in Enderby Civic Centre.

Group meetings are at 8pm in the Civic Centre (King Street entrance) unless otherwise noted. All are welcome.

Attendees are asked to contribute £2 each, to cover the group’s costs.

Enderby Heritage Group was set up in 1999 and consists of mostly local people with an interest in Enderby. There is no fee or forms – just contact the group by letter or e-mail.

Contact details for Enderby Heritage Group can be viewed here »

Enderby Band Organisation announces formation of two new bands

News, , ,

Band graphic

The Enderby Band Organisation has announced that it is forming two new bands, an ‘Apprentice Wind Band’ and a ‘Big Band’.

The Apprentice Band is starting on 5th April at 6.30pm and will be based on a Wind Band format.

It is for musicians in their early stages of learning or those that have had some time away from their instruments and that would like to get back into playing.

The Apprentice Wind Band will be aimed at grades 1-4 standard but grades aren’t essential to join.

It will be a chance for musicians to build confidence to play with other players supported by members of the Wind Band.

The Big Band will be starting soon and will rehearse on Sunday afternoons.

The Big Band will follow a traditional ‘big band format’ of Saxes, Trumpets, Trombones and Rhythm Section.

The Big Band will concentrate on developing a repertoire in its early stages so that it can focus on performing gigs – ideally once a month in the longer term.

Anyone interested and who would like any more information, please contact enderbywindband@hotmail.co.uk