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Section of Church Gate will be closed to traffic on Sunday (19 January) as the city council prepares to reverse traffic flow on that part of the city centre street. Church Gate will be closed between its junctions with St Peter’s Lane and Gravel Street from 8am on Sunday, with a section of Butt Close Lane - between Blake Street and Church Gate - also closed. Once council workers have installed new signs and painted new road markings to enable the change to take place, the section of Church Gate will re-open on Sunday afternoon, with traffic now flowing one-way towards Gravel Street. During the closures, parking in the area will be suspended and diversion routes will be in place and clearly signposted. The following day (Monday 20 January), Sandacre Street will close to traffic for around six months, as works to reconstruct and upgrade the road get under way. The permanent change on Church Gate and the refurbishment of Sandacre Street – which will be part of an improved new route for pedestrians between Leicester’s two bus stations – are part of a £4m scheme that is creating a new link road for buses between Belgrave Gate and Mansfield Street. The construction of the new link road – which will be called Savoy Street - got under way in November and is due for completion in mid-2020. While Sandacre Street is closed, traffic wishing to access St Peter’s Lane or Mansfield Street will be diverted via Burleys Way, Burleys Way roundabout, Belgrave Gate, Haymarket and Church Gate. The Belgrave Gate and Mansfield Street link road and improvement scheme is supported by the Government’s Local Growth Fund through the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Limited (LLEP).

John Whitbread, Creator of Spotted:App Since launching in December, the Spotted:App looks on-course to revolutionise the way that Leicestershire residents search for business services in the future. The app, which has already seen almost a thousand users in its first month, has been designed to make the process of finding a reliable and trusted service so much simpler. Spotted:App was the brainchild of local businessman, John Whitbread, who is so passionate about helping businesses he has risked it all, even selling his house, and put everything on the line to make it work. John created the simple-to-use app to connect the buyer (the customer) with the seller (the service provider), whether they need help or recommendations with odd-jobs, or services such as dog walkers, solicitors or personal trainers. Spotted:App has been created so it’s freely accessible to all Leicestershire residents. “It’s the simplicity of its use that I’ve been mindful of since day one. I realised that algorithms on certain websites and apps are making decisions on behalf of the customer, showing them what it thinks they want to see, rather than showing all options available, meaning they are less likely to make a well-informed decision”, offers John. “The Spotted:App provides all options available to a customer without any algorithms, or adverts being biased to the top, giving them the ability to find the right business for their job”. He continues: “It’s only through having all the options available that we can really make educated decisions, so I wanted to create that very thing: I wanted to link businesses and customers with technology aiding the process, rather than hindering it”. After a year in development and selling his house to fund the project, it’s safe to say that John is both excited and passionate about sending the Spotted:App out into the world, and his dedication and hard work is already starting to pay off, as the initial user figures testify. He says: “It has been an interesting 12 months, as well as a steep learning curve, but I’m really proud of what I’ve created. We have already had over 850 people downloading and using the app in the first month of launch alone, and this is just the beginning!” Anyone can download and use the app for free via the Google Play and App Store or visit www.spottedapp.com for more information. Spotted page on Facebook (official page is https://www.facebook.com/thespottedapp/

Members of groups across Leicestershire celebrated being handed their grant from the Central England Co-operative Community Dividend Fund. Schools, football clubs and good causes were among those who shared the payout, with a total of over £44,000 handed out to 25 good causes across 16 counties from the retailer’s Community Dividend Fund. St Joseph’s Catholic Voluntary Academy will use £5,000 to create seated areas across its play areas, new litter and recycling bins and some replacement play equipment. Sharon Marton, school council co-ordinator, said: “The tree benches and the recycling bins will make a such a huge difference to the children of St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy. “The play areas will become vibrant fun areas for the children and will also encourage and teach the children to more environmentally friendly. We can't wait for all this to become a reality once spring arrives.” A total of £2,664 has been handed to Norton Housing and Support for vital cooking equipment to allow people with mental health needs and pregnant homeless women to learn about healthy eating and how to cook better. More people than ever will be able to stop and watch the multiple number of teams who play under the Bottesford Football Club banner after it was awarded £2,500 to pay for a vital extension to its car park. The club has 12 pitches and has 29 teams in total. Nick Dobney, from Bottesford Football Club, said: “The Central England Co-op store has only been open in Bottesford for a couple of months and we are therefore delighted that they have chosen Bottesford Football Club as one of the first beneficiaries of the Community Dividend Fund. “We are a not-for-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers offering football to approximately 400 local people so funding of this nature is vital to the club to enable us to improve our facilities. “Everyone at the club would like to thank the Central England Co-op for their support.” Groups Altogether Men in Sheds, based in South Wigston, will have an array of new tools following a grant of £1,400. Rob Elliott, from then group, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Central England Co-op for the kind donation. “It will make a big difference to our existing members and enable us to increase membership in the future.” Grants of between £100 and £5,000 are handed out every three months to a wide range of applicants. The fund guarantees that at least one per cent of the Society’s trading profit is reinvested in local communities in a bid to help projects to thrive across its trading area of 16 counties from the Midlands to the east coast. People can apply for funding by visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/ Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate. Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

Joining the growing trend for young people to act to improve the environment, girls and boys of the 1st At-Taqwa Beaver Colonyused recyclable items to make models of endangered animals such as elephants, giraffes and loggerhead sea turtles at their meeting on Friday 10 January 2020. The activity counts towards the Beaver Scout Global Issues Activity Badge, created for Scouts by national recycling brand Recycle Now, and funded by Postcode Earth Trust. The badge is for 6 to 8-year-olds. It aims to get young people thinking about environmental issues both at home and abroad, and how they can help make the whole world a better place, from the way they interact with the environment to what they choose to buy at the shop. As well as endangered species, there are also opportunities to learn about recycling and energy saving, fairly-traded products and clean and safe drinking water. The children used Recycle Now’s Recycling Locator to help their families and friends find out what items are recyclable in their local area. At the session, they discussed what ‘endangered’ means, then built models of the animals, without using any glue, Sellotape or glitter so that the models could be fully recycled. They also discussed how to help the animals not to becomeextinct. After the activity they took their models home and usedthem to talk to their families about the importance of recycling , before finally taking them apart and recycling them. Craig Stephens, Recycle Now Campaign Manager, said: “More and more of us are becoming aware of the need to play our part in caring for the world around us. Our partnership with the Scouts, funded by Postcode Earth Trust, has created a brilliant opportunity for children to have fun at the same time as learning how they can take positive action themselves and encourage others to do the same, in their own neighbourhood and the wider world.” Simon Carter from the Scouts said: “For many young people recycling is something they have grown up with, and they are positive advocates. The key to harnessing this natural desire to do the right thing is to make sure they educate their parents too and help them find places to recycle as much as possible. “Our partnership with Recycle Now helps make recycling a reality rather than a wish for most families.” For more information about Recycle Now visitwww.recyclenow.com

A man in is 60s was taken to hospital after being attacked by a man during a aggravated burglary at his home in Wigston on Monday afternoon. He sadly died this morning, Leicestershire Police have now launch a murder investigation. Another man who was also in the house who is in his 70s, suffered minor injuries." Detectives have launched a murder investigation today (Tuesday) following the death of a man at a house in Wigston. Shortly before 3.45pm yesterday (Monday) police were called to an address in Gibson Close, following a report that two men had been injured during an aggravated burglary. A man entered the house and assaulted the men inside before taking a quantity of cash and leaving, heading out of the house and turning left on to Kings Drive. One of the men, who was in his 60s, was taken to hospital to be treated for injuries to his chest, but died in the early hours of this morning. The other man, who is in his 70s, suffered minor injuries. Detective Inspector Jonathan Blockley, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) major crime team is leading the investigation. He said: “This man lost his life as a result of the mindless actions of someone who entered the house and took a quantity of cash. “Our enquiries are in their early stages and we are carrying out extensive investigations in the area of Gibson Close, speaking to residents and looking at any CCTV opportunities. “I’d like to hear from anyone who saw anything that caused them concern yesterday afternoon. Gibson Close is not far from the busy shopping area in Wigston and this incident happened at a time when many people will have been collecting children from school or making their way home from work. “Did you see anyone or any vehicles in the area acting in a manner that seemed unusual, suspicious or caught your attention? You may not have thought much of it at the time, but think back. Any information you have may help our investigation. “I would also like to speak to anyone who has CCTV footage installed at their property – whether it’s a home or business – or anyone who was driving in the area at the time and has a dashcam installed in their vehicle.” Call 101, quoting incident 411 of 13 January or visit https://mipp.police.uk/operation/33EM19I79-PO1 to upload information to the public portal.

A man has admitted multiple explosives and ammunition offences after part of a Leicestershire village was cordoned off by bomb disposal experts. Matthew Montanow, 29, was arrested in Newbold Coleorton on 12 September. He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing explosive substances, two counts of making explosive substances, and four of possessing prohibited ammunition at Leicester Crown Court. Montanow, of Vicarage Close in the village, will be sentenced on 3 April. Police said in September they did not believe the incident was terror-related.

Each year, the Lord-Lieutenant celebrates the achievements of young people across the city and county. People in Leicester and Leicestershire are being urged to nominate inspiring young people in their communities for this year’s Lord-Lieutenant’s award. 2019 category award winners with Lord Lord-Lieutenant, Mike Kapur Lord Lord-Lieutenant, Mike Kapur The scheme is open to all 13 to 19 year olds, and nominations can be made by other young people, their school, parent or carer, as well as any other agency or individual. As always, the categories for this year celebrate the very best examples of effort and achievement. People can nominate for categories including - Young Braveheart, Young Volunteer, Young Leader and Young Artist. The finalists and their parents will be invited to a special ‘red carpet’ awards evening and dinner to be held in April next year hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant. Josh Welford, who won the Young Person of the Year 2019 and was the Young Braveheart of the Year category winner said: “I didn’t really expect to win, to be honest, there’s so many other people that have done such great things that you don’t exactly hope for it, but when you get given it, it’s mad! Don’t give up, look for the bigger picture, because in the end it’ll come good, you’ve just got to wait for it.” The closing date for this year’s nominations is 16 February 2020. To find out more about the awards or to nominate a young person visit www.leicestershire.gov.uk/llawards

Scientists now agree that the climate is changing as a result of human activity. Global average temperatures have increased by 1ºc from pre-industrial levels and sea levels are rising. In Leicester and the rest of the UK we are already seeing the early signs of change. More frequent intense rainfall is adding to the risk of flooding. More heatwaves like the one we saw in 2018 could pose a threat to health for vulnerable groups. World leaders have set a target in what’s known as the ‘Paris Agreement’ to stop the temperature increase from going beyond 1.5 ºc. This is what scientists believe is needed to prevent catastrophic impacts. It will require major changes over the next decade and beyond to stop temperature rise going past this limit. In response to this, Leicester City Council declared a ‘climate emergency’ on 1 February 2019. Many other councils are doing the same. We have committed to develop a new action plan to play our part in tackling climate change. This will pick up where our previous Sustainability Action Plan left off. Why We Are Consulting We have looked at what experts are saying will need to happen in cities like Leicester, and at what we think the council and others could do about it. Now we would like to hear from the public about these ideas. We are inviting people to suggest their own ideas too. We will use the responses we get to help us prepare our action plan. We will also develop a vision for what Leicester could be like as a ‘carbon neutral’ city which is ready for a changing climate. We hope that other organisations in the city including businesses, the public sector and community groups will be prepared to make their own commitments to help achieve the vision too. Download details of our proposals via the links below Online survey News source :- Leicester City Council

Leicestershire Police is thanking the public after 500 fewer calls were made to the force over the festive period in comparison with last year. Collectively on 24, 25, 26, 31 December and 1 January, the force received a total of 5,120 calls to 999 and 101 compared to a total of 5,620 calls to 999 and 101 for the same dates last year. Superintendent Grant Wills, Head of Contact Management Department (CMD), said: “Very similar to 2018, the force received a substantial number of calls both to the 999 and 101 systems over Christmas and New Year. “It is very welcoming to see such a reduction on last years figures and I would like to thank the public for only calling us in a genuine emergency or for police assistance. “Despite 500 fewer calls, Christmas and New Year still puts a significant amount of demand on the department and I would like to thank all those involved in working hard to deliver this service to the public.” Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “New Year was particularly busy for us with 243 emergency 999 calls received between midnight and 3am. “This resulted in a huge team effort by colleagues in CMD to answer and deal with these calls and action where police attendance was needed. "A large amount of planning goes into policing Christmas and New Year to ensure a high number of officers and staff are providing proactive high visibility patrols and quick and effective responses to incidents throughout the force area. “Our dedicated Christmas campaign featured heavily on our social media channels to encourage people to be safe and drink responsibly and I hope that this messaging has been successful in contributing to this call reduction. "We are very grateful to our partners for their support across the festive period. East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) and other agencies worked hard in planning and delivering a safer Christmas and New Year period. We were also thankful to our own volunteers and special constables as well as street pastors for their amazing efforts. “2019 has been a demanding year for the force but I am extremely pleased that we were able to start 2020 on this note and I would like to thank the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for acting responsibly and celebrating safely.” #LeicsPolice

Since 1st December there have been 97 drink and 23 drug drive arrests across the Leicestershire Police force area, including: 31 younger drivers (aged 24 or under) 32 arrests following a road traffic collision One of the highest road side breath tests recorded this month has been 141, just over four times the legal limit 57 of the arrests have been in Leicester City, 61 across Leicestershire and 2 in Rutland The winter drink drug drive campaign will end on December 31st, however, Police officer patrols will continue to operate around the clock to ensure our roads are safe for everyone. Jonathan Clarkson, spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership said, “Although the number of people arrested this month is lower than December 2018, which saw 122 drink and 33 drug drivers detained by the roadside, one hundred and twenty people have taken the risk to drive while they are unfit behind the wheel and been arrested since December 1st.” “These people will face the courts and can expect a driving ban, a substantial fine and penalty points on their licence, they will also face increased insurance costs in the future and will find a drink drug driving conviction may prevent them travelling overseas to countries such as the US and Australia.”

Leicester City Council will be making changes to its regular waste and recycling collection days over the Christmas and New Year bank holidays. There will be no collections made on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day. Homes that normally have their waste and recycling collected on a Tuesday will receive their collections on Monday 23 December and Monday 30 December instead. Homes whose collections are normally made on Wednesdays will receive their collections on Tuesday 24 December and Tuesday 31 December. Homes that normally have their waste and recycling collected on a Thursday will receive their collection during Christmas week on Friday 27 December, and Friday collections will move to Saturday 28 December for Christmas week only. Waste and recycling collections will return to normal from Thursday 2 January. All bins and orange bags should be put out for collection by 7am on the correct day. Households can put out as many orange recycling bags as they need for their recyclable waste. Festive items like sweet and biscuit tins and tubs, glass bottles and jars, cardboard boxes, and non-metallic wrapping paper and greetings cards can all be bagged for collection as recycling. There will also be some changes to the opening hours of the two household waste and recycling centres over the holiday period. Both the Gypsum Close and Freemen’s Common sites will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The centres will be open from 8am until 2pm on Christmas Eve (24 Dec) and New Year's Eve (31 Dec), and from 8am until 6pm at all other times. Real Christmas trees can be dropped off for composting at either of the city council’s recycling centres. Details of opening times for the Gypsum Close trade recycling centre will be available on the council’s website. For more information visit www.leicester.gov.uk/recycling source : Leicester City Council News

An award-winning counter terrorism training course is being made available to the public for the first time and we want you to sign up and help protect the UK. Devised by CT officers and security experts, the ACT Awareness eLearning package was previously only available to staff working in crowded places like shopping centres and entertainment venues. Now Counter Terrorism Policing has decided to open up the training to anyone who wants to become a CT Citizen so they can learn how to spot the signs of suspicious behaviour and understand what to do in the event of a major incident. The programme was originally devised in partnership with retail giant Marks and Spencer - and participants needed to be signed up by their employers. Today the online learning is available free of charge to anyone who wants to take part. The decision to offer the training to the public was not made in response to the recent attack in London. However, the tragic events which took place just over a week ago, when two people lost their lives to terrorism, were a stark reminder of the ongoing threat and the need for vigilance. “ACT Awareness eLearning is especially useful for anyone working in or regularly visiting crowded places,” says Cheif Constable Simon Cole. “Each stage was developed alongside industry experts and to date over one and a half million modules have been completed. “The course has been so popular, with nine out of 10 users saying they would recommend it, we want to open it up to as many people as possible. “The threat level remains at Substantial – meaning an attack is likely - so giving everyone the chance to be extra eyes and ears for police and local security teams help to keep all communities across the Leicestershire force area safe. “The festive period is obviously a very busy one – so this is a good time to join up and become a CT Citizen.” ACT Awareness is made up of seven modules that take a few minutes each to complete. You can pause and re-join at any time. In total it takes just 45 minutes – so less than an hour of your time could help to prevent an attack or help save lives if one was to happen. The course is hosted by online training specialists Highfield. To register and start learning, visit https://ct.highfieldelearning.com/