Find a bluebell wood near you

Burroughs Wood, Ratby

Springtime is the perfect time to go walking in Leicestershire’s woodlands. The weather is warmer, birds are singing louder and the once desolate and bare trees are coming into bloom – as are an abundance of other flora species. The most famous is the bluebell. During April and May, woodlands are illuminated by breathtaking displays of bluebells as they spread like a blue carpet across the ground in celebration of winter’s demise.

To help you find your nearest bluebell wood the Woodland Trust has recently launched a brand new website called 'VisitWoods', which contains the details of 14,000 publicly accessible woods across the UK.

To find your nearest wood go to www.VisitWoods.org.uk.

Throughout the bluebell season, woodlands across Leicestershire host various events for the public to come and enjoy their beauty. Swithland Wood in Charnwood has one of the best displays of bluebells in the country, and since 1927 an annual Bluebell Service has been held by Leicester Rotary Club and Swithland Parish Church. This year’s service will be on Sunday 8th May at 3pm.
For the more active amongst you, a Bluebell Walk & Ride will be taking place at Rutland Water on Sunday 1st May to raise money for Crohms and Colitis UK. There is an optional fancy dress theme entitled ‘Fairies, Pixies and Pirates’ and a choice of two walking/cycling distances to suit all abilities. The routes will take you through the stunning, bluebell-filled Barnsdale Woods. (Registration 10am-12pm at Barnsdale car park).

To satisfy any spontaneous urges to go bluebell spotting, here is a list of woods worth a visit:
• Burroughs Wood, Ratby
• Bluebell Woods, Yoxhall Lodge, Newchurch (near Burton-Upon-Trent)
• Willesley Wood (near Ashby-de-la-Zouch)
• Bluebell Woods, Ulverscroft Nature Reserve (near Loughborough)
• Jubilee Woods, Outwoods and Martin’s Wood; all in Charnwood

• Launde Woods, East Leicestershire

• Coton Manor Wood, Northamptonshire

Melton's Green Environmental Agony Aunt

Melton Borough Council now has its very own ‘Green Environmental Agony Aunt’. ‘Ask Amanda’ will promote the principles of environmentally sustainable practices, clear up any common misunderstandings and in general raise awareness to the Boroughs residents on a range of issues including waste minimisation, recycling, carbon reduction and the changing climate. She will also provide advice on a wide range of issues such as our recycling service, waste reduction, home composting, offer green tips such as how to make the most of your leftovers and in general encourage sustainable lifestyles and habits.
For more click here

Time for tea by the Grantham Canal

Dove Cottage Tea Room

The Dove Cottage tea room and charity shop offers a pleasant respite to anyone strolling along the Grantham Canal near Stathern. It was opened in 2009 to support the work of the Dove Cottage Day Hospice just a stone's throw away. Opening hours are: 10.30am to 3.30pm (4pm from 1 April) Monday to Friday and 10.30am-4pm (4.30 from 1 April) Saturday and Sunday. The shop is not open on Sundays.

For more information about the tea room / shop click here

Dove Cottage Day Hospice is a registered charity providing palliative daycare services for people suffering from life threatening illness, living in and around the Vale of Belvoir. It has a turnover of £150,000 every year, of which £100,000 has to be raised locally. All of Dove Cottage's services are provided free of charge
 
For more information about Dove Cottage Day Hospice click here

Leicestershire residents take up 'green cone' deal to reduce food waste

Nearly 2,000 green cone food waste digesters have been bought by county residents keen to recycle their leftovers. Since May 2008 the special bins have been sold at a cut down rate by Leicestershire County Council, on behalf of the Leicestershire Waste Partnership, helping families reduce the amount of leftover food they send to landfill.

All sorts of food waste, from fish and chips to curries and fruit to cooked meat and bones, can be scraped into the device which cleverly turns it into water, carbon dioxide and nutrients which are absorbed back into the soil.

Kathy Platts (pictured) from Sileby said: “By putting leftover food into the kitchen caddy that comes with the digester you see how much you waste. We’ve reduced what we buy, so there are long-term savings.

“There are immediate benefits in the surrounding area - I’ve seen a big difference in the surrounding plants, they’re very lush.”

The Green Cone costs £7.50*, which includes free professional installation, other composters such as wormeries and Green Johannas are also available at discount prices.

Tony Kershaw, County Council Cabinet Member for Waste and Chairman of Leicestershire Waste Partnership, said: “Using a food waste digester helps reduce the cost of sending waste to landfill, which is rising yearly. The digesters we have on offer are really great value and help us all do our bit for the environment.”

To order a food waste digester call 0800 019 2061 or visit: http://www.greatgreensystems.com/

For more information on all the units available visit: www.leics.gov.uk/waste

*Offer available to Leicestershire residents only – excludes Leicester city.

Free workshop for business start ups

A free one-day workshop entitled Starting A Business: Managing Money and Making a Profit will be held at the Samworth Centre in Melton Mowbray on 8 March, starting at 9.30am (registration 9am). It is being run by Business Link East Midlands.

The workshops covers:
- different types of finance
- raising finance
- bookkeeping and accounts
- financial planning and cash flow and credit control

It is designed for people fully committed to starting a business or running an early stage business (up to 6 months).

To book online click on the link below and follow the instructions for 'Start Up Workshops'.

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/eventsearch?keywords=leicestershire&date=99&page=1&site=140&submit.x=11&submit.y=12

Alternatively, call 0845 058 6644 or email info@businesslinkem.co.uk.

Professional entertainment in our village halls

Thanks to Centre Stage, a subsidised rural touring scheme for Leicestershire and Rutland, we can now enjoy a wide variety of highly professional live shows and concerts in our local village halls and community centres.

Centre Stage brings touring companies and artists with regional, national and international profiles to venues across the two counties. The scheme was set up in 2002 and works with volunteers in communities to present high quality professional arts performances to rural audiences.  In 2009/10 it held 136 shows involving 61 groups of volunteers and a total audience of 8,500 across 61 communities in the region.

Centre Stage is funded by Leicestershire County Council, all district and borough councils in Leicestershire, Rutland County Council and the Arts Council England.

For more about Centre Stage and to find out what's on in a village hall near you, go to: http://www.centre-stage.org.uk/