East Leake
Mike Elliott 0115 937 6506 elliottnews@btconnect.com
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FLOWERS IN MEADOW PARK. More than 80 different flowers were recorded in Meadow Park during the period from February until November 2019.
Gwen Mountain told the annual meeting of the Friends of Meadow Park that she took over the flower census in the park at the end of January in 2019.
She told the meeting that the census involved walking the length and breadth of Meadow Park once a month, usually taking about 2 hours, recording the wild flowers in bloom.
Gwen said: “A total of 82 different flowers were recorded. Unfortunately, the orchids flowered during my holiday period and then were cut when the hay was harvested before my return so I was unable to record any orchids in bloom. The highlight of the period of this report was to see the profusion of cowslips which have spread to most areas of Meadow Park.”
Other points to note are that “white nettle again flowered during each month of the report. Red clover is still in flower in November and field scabious re-flowered in October.”
She explained that her aim for the coming 12 months is to record not only the first months when flowers bloom but also each successive month of blooming to record longevity of each species.
NEXT SHOW IS ALLADIN. All is set for the next drama production by students at East Leake Academy on Thursday and Friday this week, January 30 and 31.
The next school show will see the students presenting Aladdin, including all the well-known characters and songs from this family classic.
Tickets are £2 at the door and the show is suitable for the whole family
EXPLORING FUNDING FOR PAVILION. East Leake parish council have set up a new sub committee to look into funding possibilities for the new pavilion planned for provision on the existing Costock Road sports field.
The first meeting of the new group , including the chairs of the 3 working group that had already been set up, was held in the run-up to Christmas , and was felt, says parish clerk Neil Lambert, to have made important progress, seeking the best possible collaboration of the Charity, Sports Clubs and ELPC, to replace the old pavilion and have modern changing facilities and more.
The parish clerk says the Construction Group have received further costed designs in that a single storey version costs just over £1m, a Ground Floor and shell, with first floor fitted out later -- 2 phases --costs almost £1.6m – using comparable figure estimates.
Each has merits and would result in more than just new changing rooms.
However, as yet, says Mr Lambert, they only have up to approx. £0.75m available, so the challenge is to decide which funding shortfall they can take on and realistically expect to achieve in a reasonable timescale.
The parish council are being requested to fund tender documents and research details about loans and repayments over a period.
WEEKEND VISIT. Members of East Leake St Mary’s Parish Church are again taking part in a weekend visit to Willersley Castle, a Christian-run hotel in Cromford, Derbyshire.
Those involved will be going to the popular venue from Friday this weekend, January 31 to Sunday February 2. The weekend is a mix of relaxing holidaying, making and renewing friendships and worshiping together as a church family, with the hotel offering excellent catering, a pool and with lots to do in the surrounding area.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH APPEAL. New co-ordinators and members are needed to maintain the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in East Leake
The organisers of the scheme are looking for looking for new Coordinators and members in Woodgate Road, Sycamore and Trees Estate, Twentylands, Kirk Ley, Leveret, Burton Walk, Meeting House Close, The Green, Manor Farm Meadow, Main Street, De Ferrers, Stonebridge, Brookfield Way, Thistle Bank, St Marys Crescent and all roads off the Crescent, Woodroffe Way and all roads off the Way and Angrave
The success of Neighbourhood Watch is largely down to volunteers who give up their time to engage with their neighbourhoods and communities.
Co-ordinators are the first point of contact for local residents and the wider community and ensure a smooth flow of information and communication between the police and scheme members.
The scheme is a valuable way of bringing people back together to combat community issues and crime, keeping a look-out for suspicious activity and neighbour’s property, especially over the holiday periods and share information and reporting it.
Co-ordinator welcome new residents to the Neighbourhood Watch scheme and invite other neighbours to join, keep a list of names and emails or telephone numbers and if possible set up a WhatsApp group and circulate any information from relevant authorities. Co-ordinators can also arrange for Neighbourhood Watch signs to be put up in the area.
Anyone can join up to an existing Scheme if there is one in their area.
Residents interested in joining as a co-ordinator are asked to contact Sara Dickenson, the East Leake Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, Tel 07510123690, or email dicko@ yahoo.co.uk
Sara will check if a co-ordinator is needed in the area where the resident lives, otherwise they can join an existing scheme.
HUNDREDS OF TREES FOR VILLAGE. Hundreds of small trees are being planted in East Leake to encourage woodland and promote the environment.
After noting that the village had very little woodland and even less woodland accessible to the general public, East Leake Parish Council therefore decided to plant up Oldershaw Trust land off Costock road and relocate the football goals.
The 2nd East Leake Guides have planted about 200 small trees called whips in this area. These will be supplemented by trees which members of the public have requested from Rushcliffe Borough
Council and donated to the village.
While it will take some time before this area will feel like an established wood, the organisers are keen to promote the idea that that trees are good for the environment, capturing and storing carbon and stabilising soil. They also enhance the environment.
The area will remain open for people to walk through and they are being urged to respect the small trees while they are established.
HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING MOVES. Extra effort is being made by East Leake Parish Council to encourage local people to recycle household waste.
It is has brought to the attention of the Parish Council that some residents do not know the location of the recycling centre in the village.
A request has been made for a new sign on Main Street, indicating the location of the recycling centre which is situated in the Co-op car Park.
Residents can recycle glass, cardboard, clothing, tetra packs and shoes at the centre.
BUTTERFLY FIGHT. East Leake’s British Gypsum has joined the fight to save a rare butterfly that was ‘almost extinct’ in the county. The company is working with the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group (Notts BAG) to save the Grizzled Skipper whose numbers have more than halved in the last 40 years.
The company has donated 20 tonnes of railway ballast to the project which is being run in partnership with Butterfly Conservation East Midlands. The ballast has been used to create suitable butterfly habitat at a site near Granby in South Notts. This work was part of the ‘Grizzled Skipper Project’ which has been ongoing since the start of 2012.
In addition, as part of biodiversity improvements at its site north of Bunny Woods near East Leake, British Gypsum has created two butterfly banks, also consisting of railway ballast. These have been planted with strawberry and creeping cinquefoil plants, which the butterflies feed on in the caterpillar stage of their lifecycle in the summer, creating perfect locations for the next generation of Grizzled Skipper to enjoy.
Butterfly Conservation reported in 2018 that Grizzled Skipper numbers nationally were at their lowest ever on record.
In Nottinghamshire, thanks to the Grizzled Skipper Project, steps have been put in place to save the butterfly and there are signs that the work being undertaken is having a positive effect in assisting the conservation of this species.
The butterflies used to thrive on the open, bare ground adjacent to railway lines, but the closure of many branch lines in the 1960s and 70s meant the routes became overgrown and many species started to disappear.
The Grizzled Skipper is very particular about where it lays its eggs, preferring areas of bare ground on which the caterpillars’ food plant grows.
The Grizzled Skipper Project manages over 20 sites in South Notts that are either known to support the butterfly, have had sightings reported in recent years, or are areas of potentially suitable habitat near known sites.
The Project aims to strengthen existing populations by enhancing or expanding the habitat present, and to increase the linkages between these sites.
British Gypsum’s senior estates and minerals planner Jen Saunders explained: “We had an opportunity to improve an area of our site that would be suitable for the rare Grizzled Skipper butterfly.
Although the butterfly banks are still in their infancy, we are really pleased to see the planting becoming established.
We hope it will attract Grizzled Skippers to the area and encourage them to lay their eggs and larvae here. Grizzled Skippers have been spotted just 3km to the west on the Great Central Railway line at East Leake”.
Chris Jackson, biodiversity officer at Notts BAG added: “We are delighted that locally based companies like British Gypsum are showing support for Nottinghamshire’s biodiversity through initiatives such as the Grizzled Skipper Project and we look forward to working more closely with them in the future.”
British Gypsum, part of the Saint-Gobain group, is the UK’s leading manufacturer of interior lining systems.
The company produces gypsum based systems including plaster, plasterboard and ceiling solutions.
With over a century of experience, it has developed innovative products and services that help customers build better spaces to live, work and play.
JOHN PICK’S FUNERAL SERVICE. The funeral service of Andrew John “Picky” Pick who passed away on January 8 aged 47 years will take place today, Wednesday, January 29, St Mary’s Parish Church in East Leake followed by a private cremation at Loughborough Crematorium.