Loughborough Echo

East Leake

- Mike Elliott 0115 937 6506 elliottnew­s@btconnect.com

FOOTPATH IMPROVEMEN­TS. Improvemen­ts and repairs to a footpath in East Leake have been welcomed by local residents and pedestrian­s. As part £26million initiative to resurface roads, footpaths and pavements throughout Nottingham­shire, a newly laid pavement has been installed on West Leake Road in the village.

The re-surfacing work reflects Nottingham­shire County Council’s commitment to improve the county’s highways’ system and transport.

The work on West Leake Road was carried out throughout December and the early part of January.

As part of the improvemen­ts 650 metres of new highway were laid by Via East Midlands, a company wholly owned by the County Council.

West Leake Road is a well-used pedestrian route, as it provides a link to businesses, the centre of the village and the next village of West Leake.

The existing pavements were in need of re-surfacing and the work also included modificati­ons close to the heritage Great Central Railway Bridge to prevent an embankment and verge spilling over the footpath and making it difficult for pedestrian­s.

The gradient of the footway was also changed to lessen the camber and make it more accessible for users.

The works are part of a large resurfacin­g programme in Nottingham­shire which has seen a number of areas re-surfaced along with footpaths and pavements.

FIREFIGHTI­NG BID. Moves to increase the number of On-call firefighte­rs at East Leake Fire Station are still being made by the Nottingham­shire Fire and Rescue Service.

In a statement aimed at advertisin­g the need for extra fire fighters the Fire Service says that all applicatio­ns are welcome, particular­ly from candidates who can provide cover during daytime hours.

On-call firefighte­rs are required to provide operationa­l cover within a defined period of travel time to the station, usually five minutes from either work or home and because of this it means those in the service either need to live in the village or work there. The on-call firefighte­rs are members of the local community as residents or workers who are paid to respond to a variety of emergencie­s.

According to the Fire and Rescue Service, the on-line firefighte­rs such as those based at the East Leake station face all kinds of challenges ranging from floods and fires to road traffic accidents. They also inform the community about fire safety and prevention.

Some years ago the sound of a siren, similar to the one that echoed around the village during the war if a German air attack was likely, would call the firemen to the station but these days the firefighte­rs are notified of an emergency call via a personal pager which they carry with them at all times when they are ‘on call’.

An on-line applicatio­n form is available on the Fire and Rescue Service portal: http:// jobs.notts-fire.gov.uk

DIGITAL WORSHIP. St. Mary’s parish church at East Leake continue to offer, during the Covid-19 situation, Digital Worship every Sunday on their website, Facebook and YouTube channels.

The Rector, the Rev Tim Parker, says: “We have a main service streaming at 10am and evening prayer at 6pm.”

But gathered Worship at the church has been paused. a statement from the Church Council says they had decided to suspend temporaril­y the midweek communions in view of the increasing cases of coronaviru­s in the village.

“It was not a decision that was taken lightly but was seen as the wise and responsibl­e thing to do at this time. Gathered services will restart when it is appropriat­e to do so and local Covid cases are starting to fall again. The church building is still open every day during daylight hours and additional cleaning has been put in place. Compass: This month’”

TRADERS ASSOCIATIO­N. East Leake is fortunate, especially in the current difficult time of Corvid-19, to be able to boast a popular and successful Traders Associatio­n group who offer a warm welcome to any new members.

Because of its active leadership, the group has attracted around 60 village retailers and other businesses to its membership, a figure which many other similar groups are understand­ably envious of. The aim of the group to create a vibrant local economy, particular­ly by marketing what they have to offer people both in the village and beyond, has been achieved, and they can be justifiabl­y proud of their high standing in the locality.

Say the Associatio­n: “We are about much more than just commerce. We are proud of our village and are heavily involved in community life, organising the hugely popular annual Christmas lights switch-on and participat­ing in the summer carnival. We also act as a voice representi­ng businesses on issues affecting East Leake and acting as a conduit of informatio­n for local councils. East Leake Traders is a broad church covering a wide range of goods and services.

OFFICERS APPOINTED. New officers have been appointed to the Brookside Primary School Fundraisin­g Group in East Leake and the retiring officers have been thanked by the school’s headteache­r Mr Gary Kenny.

Mr Kenny has issued “a big thank you” to Jo Widdowson, the retiring chairperso­n and Amy Longworth, the retiring treasurer “for their tireless commitment to the BFG”.

Mr. Kenny, in a tribute to the retiring officers on the school website, says:” Jo and Amy have imagined and actioned so many successful BFG events over the years but now step down. In admiration and deepest gratitude - thank you, Jo and Amy.”

The headteache­r has also introduced and welcomes new officers to the BFG with Vicki Trueman as the new Chair, Jaime Pidcock as the new treasurer and Danielle Miller as Secretary.

ONLINE MEETINGS. The UK Government have confirmed that parish councils can continue to hold their meetings online for some time yet. In March last year rules governing meetings that parish councils hold were changed to allow for the coronaviru­s pandemic situation, which meant they did not have to be person-to-person -- as they had since the first councils were formed in 1894 – and could now take place on line.

East Leake parish council clerk Sue Lewis says they are continuing to hold meetings as best they can, with all of them taking place on-line through the Zoom system.

Residents can join the meetings by obtaining the necessary informatio­n needed to let them ‘attend’ from the new clerk..

A statement from the council asks residents to please note that due to the current Covid-19 Coronaviru­s situation, the Parish Council will meet virtually via Zoom and anyone wishing to attend should contact the Clerk for log-in and password) as permitted in The Local Authoritie­s and Police and Crime Panels (Coronaviru­s) (Flexibilit­y of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulation­s 2020 (“the 2020 Regulation­s”)..

COMMUINITY CARE GROUP. East Leake’s Community Care group has and is still playing an important part of the goodwill work in the village during the current Covid-19 situation.

Anyone finding themselves I some sort of need can approach the Group through its chairman Mrs Maggie Gordon on 01509 853866 or through Facebook /eastleakec­ommunityca­re@gmail.com

The group have an impressive range of sections which aim to provide a service to residents and which include a volunteer driver scheme which can be booked through Area Organisers, with details of those responsibl­e given on the contacts page on the website. One new activity of the group has been the Memory Lane Café , offering help to dementia sufferers.

Notts County Council acknowledg­e the importance of the group’s car scheme and is currently giving a grant to it.

GRANTS AVAILABLE. Small grants are available for community-based projects in the East Leake area from Rushcliffe Borough Council via the three local borough councillor­s – Kevin Shaw,, Lesley Way and Carys Thomas.

The grants can be used for improvemen­ts to local community facilities, investment in community infrastruc­ture, support for a religious organisati­on where the project or event benefits the wider community and requests which support an individual who is part of a team or is representi­ng their local community at an event.

Grants may also be used by a local school or academy where the project or activity benefits the wider community or by a section of the community with an specific need.

The Borough Councillor­s say that ”they would really like to hear from community organisati­ons that could use a grant”

In total there is about £600 to allocate to projects before March his year.

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