East Leake
COMMUNITY CINEMA. Community Cinema performances will resume at St. Mary’s Parish Church at East Leake this month with films being shown on the third Saturday of the month.
Dates already set are January 15, February 19 and March 19 and this is a change to previous years when community cinema sessions were held on second Saturdays.
Doors open at 6.30pm and the films start at 7pm.
Copyright restrictions for free-entry community cinemas prevent the public listing of the films’ titles but they are advertised inside church and in the church porch.
SERVICE. A Christingle service will be held at St. Mary’s Parish Church in East Leake on Sunday this week, January 9, 2022.
PASTURES NEW. Former curate at St. Mary’s Church in East Leake the very popular Rev. Michael Allen and his family who have moved to a parish in inner-city Toxteth in Liverpool are “loving life” in their new community.
After “the uncertainty around housing and schools” the Rev. Allen has told parishioners in East Leake that “it has been wonderful to see God’s faithfulness and care in the provision of a good-sized house and a school for the children that they have settled into really well.”
Rev. Allen is now the Vicar at St. Philemon’s Church in Toxteth and he has told his former parishioners in East Leake that he and his family have “all found it very easy to make friends.
His wife Beth has joined the music team and has been helping with a midweek group for parents with young children.
Rev. Allen has been focusing on plans for a new city centre congregation, spending time getting to know a potential team that will start it.
He is also running a faith exploring course.
He has told parishioners in East Leake:” We’re so thankful for your prayers for the move and would appreciate them for the next stage of getting ready to plant the new congregation, particularly wisdom over the exact location to be used.”
CHURCH DONATIONS FOR HOMELESS. Parishioners at St. Mary’s Parish Church have been reminded that a box to donate items to a local charity for the homeless and vulnerable has returned to the back of the church.
Founded in 1988, the Friary was created to meet the needs of the homeless in Nottingham.
Responding to the ever-changing complex needs of the homeless, the charity has tailored its services into the extensive provision today. It continues to meet people who are hungry. In addition to the very real housing & financial problems, individuals often face a host of other challenges including mental & physical ill-health, substance misuse & addiction, social exclusion to further compound these difficulties, unemployment, illiteracy and sometimes domestic and substance abuse.
Over the years the charity has extended its services to enable access to a GP, dentist, podiatrist, in-house IT services to give support with online benefit claims, CV writing and job applications; access to mental health professionals and a specialist nurse to assist rough sleepers.
Its mission is to help homeless and vulnerable adults to rebuild their lives by offering practical and health services, advice and emotional support.
Members of the St. Mary’s congregation have been informed that donations of food and warm clothes are welcome. Tinned meat and mens joggers and underwear are also in short supply at the moment.
LIBRARY. East Leake Library continues to house a contact point for Rushcliffe Borough Council to provide a face-to-face meeting place for local residents. The service is offered on a Wednesday morning at the village Library on ogham Road between 8.30am and 12.30pm.
All the Borough contact points -- West Bridgford, Cotgrave, Bingham and East
Leake had to be closed during the height of the pandemic but were able to re-open earlier this year.
TRAFFIC CONGESTION FEARS. While there are scores and scores of parents delighted that East Leake will have a temporary school to at least mean some of their children will be able to received early years education in the village, there are fears that the traffic congestion that is likely to be caused and for at leas a year there will be disruption to local residents. But at the end of it all there will be a new school.
The temporary school to accommodate 120 pupils will be based off Sheepwash Way, near the existing new housing development on Rempstone Road, and will feature a permanent, lighted path, soft play areas and car parking.
The temporary school comes as a reality, having been approved by both Rushcliffe Borough Council and Notts County Council from a planning point of view, and has been approved ahead of plans to build a permanent school on a site nearby.
The temporary school is planned to be ready for use this year and the permanent one in 2023
At the County Council planning and rights of way committee meeting just before Christmas one member Coun. Phillip Owen said he agreed they had to support the scheme but during the time when the permanent school was being built he feared residents near the two sites would face 12 months of hell from a traffic and congestion point of view.
But one councillor warned about the prospect of a “year of hell” for nearby residents after fears over parking and access at the temporary school were raised.
Members of Nottinghamshire County Council’s planning and rights of way committee debated and approved the plans, at the new Rempstone Road development at their meeting two weeks ago. .
The proposals have been in the pipeline for several months after the permanent, 210-place school and 26-place nursery were first unveiled last year.
Plans are in place to have the permanent school open by September 2023, in a project which will cost the council more than £13 million to deliver.
Plans for the temporary, smaller, school to be built nearby in order to meet the growing need for education places in the village have been approved and the facility is expected to be available from September
The temporary ‘education village’ will be accommodating more than half of the expected school places ahead of the larger school opening. The temporary school will be based off Sheepwash Way, near the existing housing development on Rempstone Road, and will feature a permanent, lighted path, soft play areas and car parking.
A temporary, single-point access road will be created to serve the short-term site, with the school to use the same mobile classroom units from a similar temporary site constructed by the council in Edwalton for the same purpose.
It is understood the temporary access road will be removed once the permanent school is open, and restored to its previous greenery to protect the environment of the area.
It has been confirmed by the County Council the temporary site is “necessary” to meet the growing demand for education places and to prevent children in East Leake – including those on the new development – from going to schools outside the village.
But concerns were raised over the impact the temporary school could have on residents, with a traffic regulation order planned to “mitigate the impact” of disruption on nearby homes.
If is accepted traffic issues from the temporary site will be perhaps more than originally thought due to its single access point, leading to the concerns. .
Cllr Philip Owen , who previously chaired the children and young people’s committee, said: “There’s no doubt we really have got to give approval for this temporary accommodation because there simply will not be enough school places for the children of East Leake.
“Yet, on the other hand, I fear we’re unleashing a year of hell on the residents in the estate adjacent to this.”
He added: “I have every sympathy with the residents and we must ensure when the final school is built, that issues they will suffer -- [over parking and traffic -- do go away.”
Once open, both the temporary and permanent schools will be operated by the Spencer Academies Trust.
AWARD RUNNER-UP. Runners-up in the Environmental Project Group of the Year at the annual Celebrating Rushcliffe Awards event was the Oldershaw Trust Working Party in East
Leake.
The award was sponsored by Streetwise Environmental. The working party was formed to develop Oldershaw Trust Land into a woodland exploration and nature education for children in East Leake. They have planted over 50 trees and hedging from the Woodland Trust to create a nature trail, mounted Bug Hotels built by local children and installed woodland themed play equipment.
Residents, groups and community heroes took their place in a showcase celebration event with media partner West Bridgford Wire at the Rushcliffe Arena.
It celebrated the Borough’s wonderful volunteers, businesses, organisations, environmentalists and the best of its health and wellbeing and food and drink sectors, mindful of the impact COVID-19 has again played on Rushcliffe communities this year.
Leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council Cllr Simon Robinson led the praise to all those shortlisted for an award and to the many local sponsors who supported the accolades.
He said: “Many congratulations to our winners and to all those who were shortlisted and nominated.
“The event highlighted so many who give so much to their community, group or organisation and particularly in what has been such another tough year for so many of us.
“Whether volunteer, business owner or community hero, they are all making a difference to people’s lives and are hugely deserving of this recognition.
“Thank you to everyone who nominated a group or individual, it was wonderful to celebrate their achievements.”
Media partner West Bridgford Wire Editor Pat Gamble joined the congratulations.
He said: “The awards never fail to amaze me how much people achieve and do for others often for such little recognition, so it’s heartening we have taken another opportunity to highlight just some of those who shine bright in our communities.
BOOSTER APPEAL. In line with the Prime Minister’s plea, Rushcliffe Borough Council are encouraging everyone over 18 to now receive their COVID-19 booster vaccination, if their previous jab was three or more months ago.
In Nottinghamshire the local COVID-19 vaccination booking system is currently open to people via the National Vaccination Booking website, calling 119 or by walking-in to selected sites.
The Borough council say with the emergence of the Omicron variant all are urged to take this opportunity to further protect themselves and the local NHS and play our part to flatten the curve of transmissions and protect the NHS.
The Borough say they continue to support the NHS CCG with offers of their facilities as additional vaccination venues and identifying any volunteers from our own teams to assist operation of vaccination centres. As a result of this residents in East Leake are being informed that the Rushcliffe Arena’s Sports Hall is now home to a new vaccination centre following great support work from our partners Parkwood Leisure.
The Borough remind the village residents that face coverings are compulsory in most public indoor venues, such as cinemas, theatres and places of worship and the Borough’s own Customer Service Centre and contact point, including East Leake. . There are exemptions in venues where it is not practical to wear one, such as when you are eating, drinking or exercising. Face masks are not required in hospitality settings Rushcliffe ask for everyone to please continue to get tested with lateral flow tests at home or at testing sites.