Leicestershire Matters – The latest council news straight to your inbox
To read the latest edition of the Leicestershire Matters Newsletter please view here
Neighbourhood Link – The December 2024 Edition of OUR NEWS is here
Here are some highlights in December’s Our News newsletter:
* Remember the NW Shop when buying your Christmas gifts
* Enter ERA’s prize draw to win a home security bundle over £200
* We’re proud to introduce our new partnership with Phonely, working together to keep you protected from scams
* Making your lists and checking them twice… cybersecurity with Avast
* SimpliSafe offer advice on keeping your home secure this Christmas, and how to have fun at the same time
* LockLatch share recipes for festive homemade dog treats – don’t forget to check out their PetLatch product!
* The Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) help us stay safe over the festive period
READ THE DECEMBER NEWSLETTER HERE
PCC-funded Youth Project looks at anti-social behaviour through a new lens
Young people have been exploring their creative potential as part of an innovative media project funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews.
The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCC provided a grant worth £10k to Candy Arts Community Interest Company (CIC) to run creative media activities from the African Caribbean Centre in Highfields, Leicester.
The project, which runs until January 2025, aims to empower young people aged between 15 and 17 to unleash their creative talents in a safe and encouraging environment. This is designed to prevent their involvement or future involvement in anti-social behaviour (ASB) and provide them with a sense of community and belonging.
Students learn essential life skills including project management, teamwork and digital media proficiency and engage in pre-production activities such as developing stories and scripts for future film projects. Up to 30 young people are currently involved in the project.
For more information, the full news story can be accessed here
BUILD – People, Community, Business
Voluntary Action Leicestershire (VAL), CASE and the Rural Community Council (RCC) are currently, jointly delivering a new community funded project called BUILD.
The project is being delivered to individuals across rural areas of Leicestershire and the aim of the project is to help people boost their confidence and help them to develop their skills and experience through volunteering, employment, training and skills development.
Post a ‘Letter to Heaven’
Markfield Parish Council are proud to reveal their ‘Letters to Heaven’ post box, which has recently been installed in Markfield Cemetery.
Following an initial request from a local resident and with funding support from Bardon Hill Quarry, the Parish Council are hoping to support the people of Markfield navigate their way through difficult times of grief.
The ‘Letters to Heaven’ project was originally the idea of nine year old Matilda Handy from Gedling in Nottinghamshire whose wish was to send birthday and Christmas cards to her grandparents who had recently passed away. The first memorial post box was installed at Gedling Crematorium just before Christmas 2022 and within a few weeks more than 100 messages had been posted in it. The launch of the first memorial post box quickly attracted attention from all over the UK and abroad.
Residents of Markfield are encouraged to post a letter, card or a simple note to express their feelings to those that they have loved and lost. The post box will not be serviced by Royal Mail, so no address or stamps are required. Each letter and card will be treated with the utmost respect and confidentiality and will not be opened or read.
From left to right: Kirsten Cunningham (Estates Manager, Aggregate Industries UK Ltd),
Wendy O’Hare (Markfield resident), Parish Councillor Maddie Burrows
E-Bike Training Courses from Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council have released more dates for their E-Bike training courses!
Book onto one of the courses where you can try the e-bikes, learn about them, and you can claim £300 towards the cost an e-bike after attending!
For more information and to book your place, visit the link here
Temporary Traffic Regulation Order – Forest Road, Markfield – 2nd January 2025
A temporary road closure will take place on Forest Road, Markfield commencing on 2nd January 2025.
The work is not expected to exceed a period of two days and has been scheduled to take place during the school holidays to try and minimise disruption.
For further information, please read attached document
A MESSAGE FROM THE ROAD SAFETY PARTNERSHIP
Running late isn’t an excuse to break the rules.
Plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to arrive safely.
Community Initiative Funds open for applications
COMMUNITY groups in Hinckley and the parishes of Hinckley and Bosworth are being encouraged to apply for their share of the Borough Council’s Parish and Hinckley Initiative Fund.
A total of £134,000 has been made available to support community projects throughout the borough. Grants are available for up to 50 per cent of the total project cost. The minimum total project cost for the scheme is £5,000 and grants cannot exceed 50% of the total project costs. A maximum of £12,000 can be allocated to any one parish area and £10,000 is available through the Hinckley community initiative fund to community groups within the town of Hinckley.
Since 2005, over £1.9 million has been awarded to a total of 465 projects throughout the borough. Projects have included community building improvements, play area improvements, the installation of outdoor gyms, landscaping, habitat creation and community open space improvements.
To reflect the council’s commitment to address the climate emergency and in line with its climate change and biodiversity strategy, projects which reduce carbon emissions or improve biodiversity will be given priority when allocating funding. Projects will be prioritised in the following order:
- Climate change/carbon reduction projects and conservation/biodiversity projects
- Play area improvements and community building projects
- Sports and fitness projects, footpaths, trails and historic features
- Landscaping projects and improvements to places of worship
- Others (schemes that meet the essential criteria but don’t fall into any of the above categories)
Councillor Martin Cartwright, Executive Member responsible for Rural Communities and Environment at the Borough Council, said: “As in previous years I would like to see these grants spread as wide as possible across the parishes and variety of schemes delivered, with special emphasis on the smaller organisations as well as our parish councils. Any project with a focus on climate impact reduction or carbon reduction measures as well as biodiversity all of which will help towards the council’s ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030 will receive extra points awarded in the overall scoring process. I would urge your community group or parish council to apply for this grant funding. Good luck.”
Councillor Cathie Gibbens, Chair of the Hinckley Area Committee welcomed the initiative and said: “I am delighted the council has once again been able to continue with this funding and look forward to it continuing to have a positive impact on the development of community-based projects in the Hinckley area. Local groups – please apply.”
More information about the scheme and how to apply can be found by visiting: https://www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/pcis
Deadline for applications is 10 January 2025.
For more information, please contact the Green Spaces Team on 01455 255707 or email
‘Warm Welcome’ grant scheme updated by Borough Council
Funding for community, voluntary and charity groups offering ‘warm welcome’ locations across Hinckley and Bosworth has been launched by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council.
A grant of £1500, is available to help groups support what they can offer to residents and their families who are facing difficulties due to the increased cost of living.
‘Warm welcome’ locations are places where people can go free of charge, to keep warm, have a hot drink and refreshments, sometimes including a warm meal. What is offered to people can vary at different locations, but it may also include social activities, free Wi-Fi, and information to help with directing to other services and groups.
Applications will be considered to support costs associated with providing a warm welcome location, for example energy costs linked to the delivery of the project, food and refreshment costs, improving and/or enhancing an area and the start of a new activity including costs for equipment to support the activity.
Cllr Michael Mullaney, Executive Member for Community Safety at the Borough Council said: “I am delighted that we can help provide grants for these hugely positive and much needed facilities. We have seen a wide range of locations open across the borough and the positive impact they are having in their local communities and being able to access this funding will help expand their work further when it’s most needed.
“Many organisations and groups offer this support all year round, but in the current economic climate for so many of our residents these places are needed more than ever. It’s not just about keeping warm; it’s about providing space for people to come together and support one another as well as providing vital advice and information.”
You can find out more information about the fund and the eligibility criteria by visiting www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/warmwelcomegrant or telephone Jennifer Fry on 07557 816741. Deadline for applications is Friday 28 February 2025 or until the funding for the programme has been fully spent (whichever is sooner).
A ‘warm welcome’ locations directory with more than 53 different spaces throughout the borough can be found at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/warmwelcome – which provides information about what is on offer in each location including days and times.