New wood planted in Wymeswold



View of Wymeswold from new woodland

A new native woodland has been planted at Wymeswold with help from woodland charity the Woodland Trust.
The new two acre wood, planted with the help of the local community, consists of 750 trees - a mix of native deciduous species including Oak, Ash, Cherry and Hawthorne – in partnership with the Trust’s new MOREwoods programme, which offers help, advice and, in some cases, funding to landowners across the country.

Local landowner Kathy Simpson decided to have the wood planted on her land in the rural North Leicestershire village to “enhance the environment and leave something for the future.” However, without the expertise or finance to plant a wood herself, she contacted the National Forest, who then referred her to the Woodland Trust. After an inspection of the site, she was extremely pleased to receive 750 trees from the trust along with the necessary planning proposal.

Read more on this in the April/May issue of Village Connect (out end March).

To find out how you can get involved with MOREwoods in Leicestershire, see http://www.MoretreesMoregood.org.uk/planting, email morewoods@woodlandtrust.org.uk or call 0845 293 5689

The Green Place in Sileby reopens

The Green Place gift shop

After a couple of months of hibernation, The Green Place in Sileby will be re-opening on 5th March. Regular visitors will notice new products in the green gift shop and and new snacks in the cafe. The first 10 customers to visit on Saturday March 5th will get a free goodie bag and there will be some great bargains on old favourites from the gift range. Look out for some great computer deals too, with machines from £95 while stocks last.

Got a wood burner?
If you regularly use logs, take a look at the Smart Splitter which the Green Place now stocks, a safe and effective way to split logs. No electricity needed or heavy, dangerous axes to swing. 2-year guarantee and special price of £70. See it demonstrated on Saturday 5th.

What's going on?
There are plans for some major development in the next few months. The first will be an array of solar panels covering the roof, to provide a chunk of the Green Place's electricity and take them a step closer to being carbon neutral. Also, the first draft plans have been drawn up for some extra space for shop/workshop/activities.

Book of Green
The Green Place have five copies of the Book of Green eco-living directory to give away. A great source of green and ethical business across the UK. Please ask for a copy in the shop.

The Green Place is run by Complete Wasters, a social enterprise whose aims include promoting Fair Trade, recycled and eco-friendly products. As well as a gift shop, cafe and computer shop, it also has a weekly veg stall and runs regular events and workshops.
For more information go to http://www.completewasters.co.uk/

The Green Place, 6 Cossington Road, Sileby (next to Chine House vets)
Telephone 01509 815181

Harby Parish Walks unveiled

Grantham Canal, Harby, by Kate Jewell

A new walks guide covering the village of Harby and surrounding countryside has been added to the Leicestershire CC's Parish Walks series. The guide gives details of four walks of different lengths, all starting and finishing in Harby, in the heart of the Vale of Belvoir. The shortest of the routes is suitable for wheelchairs and one of the longer ones is completely stile free. For more information go to:

http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/environment/countryside/walking/parishwalks/parish_walks_harby.htm

Explore Leicestershire ... on foot

View towards Hungarton, by Mat Fascione

Want to get out and enjoy the Leicestershire countryside now the days are getting longer? Why not try a walk from one of Leicestershire County Council's Parish Walks leaflets? There are currently 40 leaflets, each one describing a choice of walks starting and finishing in a particular village, and all are downloadable from the the council's website.
http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/environment/countryside/walking/parishwalks.htm

Tucked away in beautiful countryside a few miles to the east of Leicester, lies Hungarton, (pictured above) one of the 40 villages covered in the Parish Walk series. It's a charming, unspoilt village, with many of its houses showing the red and buff brick chequer pattern built by Shukbrugh Ashby who lived there in the mid 18th century. It has a very good pub called the Black Boy Inn.
The leaflet has two walks around Hungarton (3.5 and 4 miles), one of which will take you past the lovely Quenby Hall, built in 1627.

Wind turbines: not in my back yard

Two years ago planning permission for eight wind turbines in the Vale of Belvoir near Bottesford was turned down, much to the delight of the strong protest group who had campaigned strongly against the scheme. Last month, it was the turn of Queniborough residents to celebrate when the Scottish Power Renewable's plan for four turbines close to the village was rejected.

BBC News - Queniborough wind turbine plan is turned down

Now, a group opposed to a plan to put eight wind turbines on the site of the old Asfordby mine are hoping their campaign will be successful. They say the noise created from the turbines will have an adverse affect on the lives of those living nearby. However, Peel Energy, who submitted the planning application last December, argues that the wind farm poses no enviromental problem and the visual impact would be limited within two kilometers of the site.
For the latest on the campaign to 'stop the turbines' click here

It's a tricky issue. We want renewable sources of energy, but not at a cost to our quality of life and our local environment. So, where is the best place for wind farms? What do you think?

'Looking at Landscape' in the rural Midlands

Landscape painting inspired by the gentle rolling hills of the rural English Midlands is the focus of an exhibition at Charnwood Museum which runs until 10 April.

'Looking at Landscape' reflects the way that people have looked at, interpreted, recorded and used the Leicestershire landscape throughout history - in both artistic and scientific ways.

Click here for more information and pictures

What green spaces do you value?

Wymeswold Meadows Nature Reserve by Kate Jewell

People in Leicestershire are being urged to have their say on the green spaces they value. The county council wants to hear from people about their favourite green spaces, whether they are parks and meadows or large green wedges between towns.
There are already a number of protected areas in Leicestershire, such as Bradgate Park, Conservation Areas and Green Wedges. The council are particularly interested in hearing about more local areas that are important to people in their community. It could be a small strip of waste land that local children play on, a roadside verge that provides particular wildlife habitat, a village green or public garden, or even large areas of green space between towns and villages.

You can make your views known either by attending your local community forum meeting before the end of March (there will be sessions on green spaces at each one), or by making your comments using the council's interactive, online map of the county.

For more information go to http://www.leics.gov.uk/greenspaces

Film and Green Day in Bottesford - March 2011

The community group Vale Villages in Transition have organised two events which will take place at Bottesford Village Hall in early March.

On the evening of Friday 4th March from 7.45pm, the group will show the film “The Power of Community”, which tells the inspiring story of how Cuba coped with increased fuel prices by switching to sustainable agriculture and urban food production.

On Saturday 12th March from 2pm to 6.30pm, the group are organising a Green Day, which will feature local food providers, energy saving advice, kids’ activities and much more.
For further information, visit http://www.valevillagesintransition.org.uk/FutureEvents.html, or contact the group on 07812 564 059.

Both events have been supported by Climate Friendly Communities grant funding from the Communities Cutting Carbon project (http://www.ruralcc.org.uk/climate-change). The funds were made available thanks to the support of each of the local authorities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

This news item is taken from http://www.ruralcc.org.uk/latestnews.html

BBC News - Leicestershire libraries will not close, says council

Good news for library users across the county! Click here for the story.....

Out and about: Vale of Belvoir

Belvoir Castle viewed from Woolsthorpe, by Brian Green

Now that spring is within sight, you might be planning to explore the area a bit. Here is the first article in our 'Out and About' series, which we hope you find interesting.

The wide, low lying area that straddles North East Leicestershire, South Nottinghamshire and West Lincolnshire is known as the Vale of Belvoir. It is predominantly rural grazing land, with some interesting features including a canal and a castle, making it an attractive part of the country to explore. Click here for the complete article.

Getting ready for the summer fests

It might seems ages until the summer festival season gets underway, but organisers are already hard at work planning their various events, to make them even better than the ones they held last year!

Here's a flavour of what's on offer in this area - more information in future issues of Village Connect and on this blog. 

Glastonbudget - Turnpost Farm, Wymeswold 27-29 May
Europe's biggest tribute and new acts festival.
http://www.glastonbudget.net/

Hosefest - 2 July
A big event in a small village in the Vale of Belvoir. Lasts all day starting with the Hose Village Fete and followed late afternoon and into the evening by the Hosenbury Music Festival. A great family day/evening out!
http://hosefest.org.uk/

Fristock, Frisby on the Wreake - 9 July
Held every summer at the village cricket ground. Bar, barbeque & free camping. Tickets sell like hot cakes for this popular event!
http://www.fhrcc.co.uk/fristock/main.htm

Then of course there's the Party in the Park which is part of the Stathern Festival, usually held during the second half of June (dates not yet confirmed). Check out the website for updated information:
http://www.stathernfestival.co.uk/


For information about festivals around the country, try
http://www.efestivals.co.uk/