East Leake
Mike Elliott 0115 937 6506 mike@elliottnews.co.uk
MEADOW PARK. East Leake’s progressive and hardworking Friends of Meadow Park group has reported another good year, continuing its previous successful 12-month periods, despite the difficulties created by the continuation of the UK’s pandemic situation.
An overview of the work in the year just ended underlined once again the progress being made to highlight the popularity of Meadow Park, and the attraction it is for a growing number of people, from both within and outside the village.
Friends group publicity manager Brenda Lewis is responsible for making everyone aware of the activities undertaken to ensure progress is achieved in the various different aspects of their work they tackle.
She says the start of the new year is the time to thank everyone for their past support as well as to remind their members to be looking at the need to renew their membership of Friends group.
Brenda tells members there is no need to fill in another membership form. They can simply put the fee - £3 per individual or £5 per household - and a note giving their name, address and any changes they may have made to their email address in an envelope and post it to the Parish Office or pop it in to Mel’s greengrocery shop on the Main Street.
Brenda says it is thanks to their members that they are able to do so much in the park.
She said: “We have planted trees, bulbs and wild flower seeds in 2021 with your contributions. Other small projects have also been funded by your contributions.”
Since the country’s first lockdown there has been a big increase in the use of Meadow Park and the Friends are hoping this will translate into higher membership numbers when they can get out and about at various village events to talk to residents.
“Thank you for your past support and we hope you decide to renew,” is the closing message from the Friends group, whose chairman, Coun Kevin Shaw, says there have been two very testing years that are now behind them and thanks to the vaccine programme, we are slowly starting to get back to normal.
He said: “A significant number of the Friends have continued to work in the park, for which we are very grateful.”
It is hoped that the spring will see the resumption of the group’s monthly working parties.
KIDS’ CHURCH. The Kids’ Church at St Mary’s Parish Church, East Leake, continues to be held every Sunday from 11am until noon in the church hall and is a popular addition to the activities there.
Organisers say the one-hour session is suitable for ages four to 11, with fun and age-appropriate activities for all.
For more information or to register children ,parents are asked to email: jan@eastleakechurch.org
NEW YEAR LETTER. After “a rollercoaster 2021”, the Rev Tim Parker, vicar of the United Benefice of East Leake, has told parishioners he is hopeful for the year ahead.
In a new year letter, he has told parishioners that 2021 was a year “with quite a few ups and an awful lot of downs” and no-one was quite sure how it was going to end.
But he is hopeful for the year ahead, “not just because more and more of us have received vaccines and boosters – and certainly not because I believe the backlog of challenges both our church and our nation face are not just going to magically all be resolved.
“Rather, it’s because of the hope we have been celebrating these 12 days of Christmas, the Saviour Jesus Christ.
”It is easy to say in principle during the restful days just after Christmas, but what about a month or two from now, when we feel in the thick of challenges and uncertainty?
“How can Christmas hope remain something concrete and real then?”
He says the answer, in part, comes from the example of St Stephen who died in
36 CE in Jerusalem and whose feast day is December 26.
Stephen was a deacon in Jerusalem and the first Christian martyr. His defence of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his accusers and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers, echo those of Jesus on the cross.
The Rev Parker said that just before sentence was passed, the Holy Spirit gave Stephen a vision of Jesus that gave him strength, ”not just to keep believing but also to keep working. And even with his dying breath, to pray and seek the salvation of the men who are stoning him to death”.
Stephen died “not knowing how his prayer might be answered. He said that in the New Testament “we meet another young man who was there that day named Saul. He became a Christian, changing his name to Paul and going on to do what Stephen did, not just in Jerusalem but right across the Roman world.”
The Rev Parker concludes: ”None of that should surprise us if we have truly celebrated the Christmas story in our hearts. We know that the light of God really does shine in the darkness and the darkness can never overcome it.
“But often when we are in the thick of it our hearts need reminding that a) Jesus is victorious and b) Jesus is still at work both in us and in others.”
WI. The pandemic and the restrictions it has created continues to hit the activities of groups of all ages, with no one immune in one way or other.
The Women’s Institute group in East Leake had been looking forward to its first monthly meeting of 2022 in January but was faced with a dilemma as to whether to go ahead due to the rapid spread of the Omicron strain.
Said the WI: “With cases here in East Leake involving some of our members and their families and feedback from many other members saying they would not be comfortable attending, even with the recommended safety and hygiene measures in place, we felt we had no option but to cancel.
“However, due to the easy online and hand-delivered distribution of our monthly newsletter we were able to keep members up to date with our other planned activities for the month. The main one was an outdoor get together at Rushcliffe Country Park for a sociable afternoon stroll followed by refreshments at Cherry Lane Garden Centre, Bradmore.”
In addition, members were able to access information about county events on the Nottinghamshire Federation website and Facebook page and were looking forward to receiving their next copy of WI Life magazine which features articles and news stories showcasing the diversity and wide-ranging interests of WI members from all walks of life.
This publication is delivered directly to members’ doors eight times a year and also gives updates on ongoing WI campaigns.
The latest issue features an exclusive article from HRH the Duchess of Cornwall about the WI’s national campaign to end violence against Women.
A spokeswoman said: “Such high- profile support shows the impact and influence the WI has nationally and the potential there is to make a real difference as a member.
“We look forward to resuming our monthly meetings on Tuesday, February 8, at 7.30pm, in East Leake village hall. Clive Rudd will be entertaining us with songs and stories from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
“Our message is, why not join us for a trip down memory lane?
“New to the village or been here a while? Why not come along as a visitor? You can enjoy a pleasant evening, join in and find out more about us – we offer a warm welcome to a range of events and activities with fun and friendship.
The £4 admission includes refreshments and a raffle ticket.
For more information, contact Carolyn Barnett, membership secretary, on 01509 853440.
PLANS. Rushcliffe Borough Council has received a planning application seeking approval for a two-storey side extension and single storey side/rear extension at 22 Costock Road East Leake.
ACADEMY. The popular and highly-rated East Leake Academy – providing learning facilities for more than 950 students – continues to believe passionately that every young person should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum, so they can foster a true love for learning allowing them to reach their full potential, says principal Blake Francis.
In a message on the school website, Mr Francis says they believe students should develop into strong role models who can contribute positively as outstanding citizens within the wider community.
He writes: “We also strive towards creating a culture of respect and consideration for others at ELA, so students develop a strong moral compass. Everything we do is underpinned by our core values – we empower, we respect, we care – which are central to our academy’s ethos.
“We deliver on our beliefs through providing a robust curriculum and high-quality teaching and learning focused around developing knowledge and skills, as well as creating opportunities for students to explore learning deeply through developing debate, problem solving, critical evaluation and communication skills.
“Alongside this our excellent pastoral programme is designed to allow further development of leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication skills in readiness for future lives beyond school.”
Originally opened as East Leake Harry Carlton school the academy has a strong track record of academic success at both GCSE and A-level, and consistently outperforms national averages in a wide range of performance measures.
Mr Francis says life at the academy is about much more than strong academic performance.
“Year after year, our students never cease to amaze us with their passion to go above and beyond in a wide variety of disciplines such as English, sport, drama, music, enterprise, science, technology and maths, to name but a few,” says the principal.
In the message to would-be students, he says: ““Our personalised approach and rich curricular and extracurricular offer make ELA a very special and positive place to learn.
“We really hope you choose to come on this journey with us and look forward to welcoming you to ELA.”
CRIME UPDATE. Crime in the East Leake police area during December was low, with figures showing a number of villages not having any incidents at all.
No incidents were reported at West Leake or Ratcliffe on Soar. The same position was reported at Zouch, Normanton on Soar and Barton in Fabis. At Gotham there was an incident on Boxing Day, when an unknown suspect forced entry to a pub and then its gaming machine before being disturbed and making off.
No crimes were reported at Thrumpton, but at Stanford on Soar on December 7 a quad bike was stolen from a farm on Leake Lane. Due to a tracker being installed the quad was located and recovered. Kingston on Soar was also crime-free throughout the month.
At Rempstone on December 18 a suspect approached a property in Main Street with a torch and was seen looking through windows. When challenged by the occupant he made off.
Other no-crime areas were Bunny, New Kingston, Bradmore , and Costock.
Local officer Pc Kelly Carlile can be contacted by email, and can be followed on twitter @LeakeKworthCops or on facebook at Rushcliffe South Police.
Her phone number is 0772 592 5330. Kelly.carlile@nottinghamshire. pnn.police.uk
Kelly also says if you wish to contact her you can ring 101 ext 3101530, or the control room where a message can be left. Her sergeant is Sgt 974 Jury based at Cotgrave police station (ext. 3100974).
PAVILION PROJECT. Good progress is being made on the £950,000 scheme to rebuild Costock Road sports pavilion.
Since 1996, management of the entire site has rested with the East Leake Playing Fields Charity (ELPFC), which was set up for that purpose. The charity owns the original five-acre sports ground and leases the rest from East Leake Parish Council.
Over the years, significant sums have been invested as part of efforts to extend the life of the pavilion. However, both ELPFC and the parish council believe that replacing it with a new pavilion is the best way of creating a facility which will meet the future needs of East Leake.
The rebuild is scheduled to take approximately six months and an artist’s impression of how the new building will look has been released ( see, below).
FUN FAIR. East Leake could find itself without having its annual fun fair because of problems it is claimed it brings.
The parish council, whose Gotham Road playing field is used for the event, is investigating the m atter following receipt of an email from East Leake Academy, proposing that the fair not be allowed to visit the village again due to anti-social behaviour.
The Parish Council agreed it should consult with the police before responding and the possibility of the Clerk Sue Lewis speaking to the fair operators regarding an earlier finish time, or the feasibility of moving visit to half term or summer holidays also be investigated.