On Thursday, 17th July, 2008, I was delighted to have been formally invited by Brigadier J.E.Richardson MBE (Late R Signals) and Commander 49 (East) Brigade, to attend a Reception and Briefing by the Army Presentation Team at Welbeck, The Sixth Form College in Loughborough.

Accompanied by Maurice and Carol Collett, we were given a presentation and update on the recent changes within the Army.

The Army takes it's responsibilities as a public service seriously and the Presentation Team seek to promote awareness and understanding of how the Regular and Territorial Army operate and how it interacts with other sections of society.

The evening started with a drinks reception and continued with the main presentation. This was followed by an opportunity to ask questions in open forum to the Team and a number of local Army representatives from our area.

The evening concluded with a finger buffet and an opportunity to chat to any of the military personnel present.

The evening was attended by many influential leaders in the local community and was thoroughly enjoyable and very informative.

The men and woman of our Armed Services deserve our whole-hearted support....no matter what is asked of them!

The County Council has come up with a plan to deal with the parking problems that I have been raising. The problem is that students from Faulkner Eggington Hall in the University use Outwoods Drive as a long term car park, thus avoiding the £120 a year charge that would be levied if they parked in the University. This causes serious problems for residents, many minor accidents and destroys the character of the street during term time. A local resident who frequently has her drive blocked said "students have told us over the years that they feel as you say--why pay for parking that they can have conveniently nearby for free?" The University have written to students asking them not to park in the road, to no effect, and has refused to take measures to ban students from using the road as a car park.

The County Council has produced a scheme, now out for consultation which includes double yellow lines on the corners of Outwoods Drive and Forest Road (where police already take action on cars causing obstruction). This will help to prevent parking on the first 10 metres of the road, where no cars normally park.

A much more significant part of the scheme is to ban parking along the whole of the east side of Forest Road from Epinal Way to the Post Office, except for a section outside a house where there used to be an invalid who left five years ago.

At the moment, as the photographs show, there is no parking on that section of Forest Road, but the double yellow lines will ....?

The County Council scheme does not include any measures to deal with student cars in Outwoods drive because "The situation is exacerbated by a higher than average number of vehicles per property due to shared accommodation arrangements within the area" (which will be news to residents). "and the introduction of restrictions would displace parking within the wider area, and potentially increase traffic volumes and speeds along Outwoods Drive." Some residents however believe that parking restrictions might reduce accidents and allow traffic to move more freely.

The plan now out for consultation has been prompted by the concerns of residents in Outwoods Drive, who will be surprised to see that it has resulted in a ban on parking on Forest Road.

The designation of parking restrictions is not a matter for Charnwood Borough Council. It is a County Council responsibility. This scheme has been approved by the local County Councillor. I have sent in written objections.

If you want to report a stray or lost dog, during office hours (Monday - Thursday, 08.30-17.00, Friday, 08.30-16.30) please telephone 01509 634628.

Since the police no longer have a responsibility for accepting stray dogs, the Dog Control Officer now provides an out of hours collection and kennelling service from Monday to Sunday 17.00-22.00hrs for stray dogs that have been reported to him and are in the possession of the finder.

The Dog Control Officer can be contacted on 07895 490589.

The kennels which are situated at College Garth Kennels, Derby Road, Hathern, are also available to accept strays on Monday-Friday 08.00-12.00 and 13.00-17.00, on Saturday 09.00-16.00, and on Sunday 09.00-12.00.

Telephone No: 01509 842327

Fun & Games for all the family!

The East Goscote Scouts will be holding their annual Summer Fete on the Jubilee Playing Fields Sunday 8th June, 1pm-5pm.

This year there will be plenty going on and you are sure to have a fun day out!

Several activities are on offer this year such as;
Raffle/Stalls/Games/Prizes/Refreshments/BBQ/Bouncy Castles/Archery and shooting.

See you there!

A damsel fly - just one of the many insects, with birds, wild flowers and beautiful landscapes.

On Saturday 31st May, Cllr Roy Campsall, County Councillor Betty Newton and I joined residents on a nature walk of the area called Stonebow Washlands near Mount Grace Road.