19 May - 23 May 2020 , 7.30pm Saturday Matinee 2.30pm Presented by Wigston Amateur Operatic Society. Music is by Matthew Sklar, book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Based upon the New Line Cinema film written by Tim Herlihy. This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI Europe www.mtishows.co.uk Tickets: £16 For tickets call 0116 255 1302 or Click here www.thelittletheatre.net

Leicestershire Police is encouraging people to report non-emergency crime online as part of a new drive to make access for the public even easier. Currently the vast majority of non-emergency crime reports come into the force via the 101 telephone line. Leicestershire Police moved to the Single Online Home platform in April last year – part of a national project to standardise police websites across the country. It allows users to interact directly with forces, providing people with the ability to report crime in a convenient and accessible way. The public can also: Report details of road traffic collisions. Report fraud. Report a lost or stolen vehicle. Log Anti-Social Behaviour details. Report details of missing people. Report lost or found property. Provide feedback to the force including thanks or dissatisfaction. People can simply go the force website and click on report and choose the appropriate section. If they are reporting a crime they will be directed through a series of short questions to establish some basic details of what has happened and where and when it took place, is there any potential evidence and whether anything was stolen or damaged. That information goes straight to the force’s Crime Bureau, which will make an assessment of the information, decide whether more details are needed, allocate an officer or file it for information. Users will receive a reference number and will be contacted back either by email or text of the next steps within 24 hours. Assistant Chief Constable Julia Debenham said: “It is vital that the public have confidence in the police and are able to report any non-emergency incidents in as convenient and accessible way as possible. “Single Online Home allows people to report crimes or incidents that don’t require an immediate police response in their own time and at their own pace. “An increasing amount of people prefer to do their business online and expect the police to be able to offer the same type of interaction they get with other service providers. “It offers people exactly the same provision as calling 101 and can take less time. The average 101 call to report a crime or incident takes eight-and-a-half minutes. Reporting crime online not only gives the public greater choice in how they want to interact with us, it also frees up more of our resources. “So the message is always call 999 in an emergency but if it’s not then report your crime online via our website.” www.leics.police.uk

Two new traffic calming schemes and 20mph zones are due to be introduced in the streets near to a busy Leicester primary school following local calls for action to improve road safety. Proposals for new 20mph zones covering Letchworth Road and the area around Dovelands Primary School are due to be brought in following consultation with local residents and businesses, which showed strong support for such a scheme. The scheme will cover two residential areas, to the north and south of Glenfield Road. The area north of Glenfield Road covered by the 20mph zone will include Letchworth Road, Perth Avenue, Wood End, Withens Close, Mossgate, Lindfield Road, Poynings Avenue, Lancing Avenue, Ditchling Avenue, Balcombe Avenue, Westfield Road, Hilders Road, Plymstock Close, Vincent Close, Ambrose Close, Danehurst Avenue, Sandhurst Close, Sandhurst Gardens and Ashdown Avenue. Within this area, speed humps are proposed for Letchworth Road and Westfield Road. The other area covers the streets between Glenfield Road and Hinckley Road. It includes the remainder of Letchworth Road, as well as streets around Dovelands Primary School, including Meadway, Westhill Road, Westfield Road, Brampton Avenue, Eastfield Road, Nevanthon Road, Denis Close, Gimson Road, Denton Street, Neville Road, Clarefield Road, Wynfield Road, Meadhurst Road, Sunnycroft Road, Mellor Road and Western Park Road. Physical measures will include further speed humps on Letchworth Road and Westfield Road, a pedestrian refuge on Westfield Road just south of its junction with Letchworth Road, and alterations to the kerb line at the crossroads between Letchworth Road and Westfield Road. Detailed designs for the scheme are due to be drawn up, with work taking place on the scheme from April to June 2020. Local support for safety measures was shown in the recent consultation process, in which 80 per cent of people who responded from the Letchworth Road north area, and 86 percent of those from around Dovelands Primary School, supported the implementation of a traffic-calming scheme. Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Local residents and campaigners have been calling for action to tackle vehicle speeds in this busy residential area, and close to a popular school. “The measures that have been drawn up look to address those, with a 20mph covering a wide area either side of Glenfield Road, and speed humps on the streets where particular issues have been brought to our attention. “I do hope this 20mph and these traffic-calming measures help tackle the problems and make these streets safer for everyone who uses them.” Leicester City Council News Published on Friday, February 28, 2020

This free evening event at various locations in the city centre will start on Thursday 5th March 2020 and will run until Sunday 8th March 2020. 5.30pm to 9.30pm Light Up Leicester will offer a digital take on traditional light festivals, with each of the seven large-scale installations interacting with people through sound or sensors, reacting to light, temperature or humidity levels, or responding to data, thanks to an internet connection. Most of the artworks that will be installed in Leicester in March have already enjoyed success in the UK and elsewhere, but three new pieces have been specially commissioned for the festival and will be shown in Leicester for the first time. Shadowdance ­ - an interactive installation by Huddersfield-based Impossible - will transform people’s shadows into gigantic colourful silhouettes, Unexpected Connection by Eccentric Events of Northampton will bring people together in an interactive LED tunnel, while Leicester-based Mateus Domingo has created Traces – a piece that captures visitors’ ‘traces’, allowing them to leave their own mark on the illuminations. Also confirmed for the Leicester festival is Wave-Field, which features eight illuminated see-saws that are activated when people play on them, and Youth Culture – a 3-metre high sculpture of a youth that reflects audience interaction, thanks to its in-built cameras, screens and technology. Together, the seven installations will create a stunning night-time spectacle in Leicester city centre that will be free for everyone to enjoy. Each of the pieces will encourage people to interact with them – and each of these illuminated works will help transform the night-time ambience in Leicester city centre during the four days of the festival. Throughout Light Up Leicester, local artists and residents can visit the ‘Connectedness Clinic’ and learn how to make connected and interactive artworks of their own. Ahead of the main event, several local schools will also be participating by creating their own illuminated artworks and hosting a ‘night of lights’ on their school grounds. Click Here to Download the Event Brochure Location : Across Leicester City Centre, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 1AA. Dates : 5 Mar 2020 - 8 Mar 2020 Thursday - Sunday 17:30 to 21:30 Light Up Leicester is presented by Leicester City Council, BID Leicester and ArtReach. It has been made possible by the support of Arts Council England.

Heritage Grange launches on 25th January 2020, bringing 125 new homes to sapcote. Miller Homes Midlands has pledged more than £780,000 to the Sapcote community as part of its latest development, Heritage Grange. Launched in January 2020, the development on Hinckley Road is set to bring 125 new homes to the village, with the first release of two, three and four bedroom homes currently available to reserve online. The funds will help to support a number of local initiatives for new and existing residents. This will include an investment of over £326,500 to improve educational facilities at Sapcote All Saints Church of England Primary School. Further contributions come in the form of £69,000 to support the expansion of Stoney Stanton GP Surgery and £96,500 to help improve accessibility across the region through new bus passes for residents and improvements to village bus stops. The housebuilder has also earmarked £3,700 to provide additional facilities at Sapcote Library, with an additional investment of over £240,000 to support the maintenance of open spaces around the village, including the creation of a children’s play and game area. Commenting on the investments and the new development, Alastair Parsons, area sales director for Miller Homes Midlands explained: “While we pride ourselves on building high-quality housing, we’re always firm believers in the importance of supporting the existing communities we build in so that both new and existing residents can enjoy their neighbourhood for years to come. “Sapcote is a fantastic village and we’re so pleased we’ve been able to play a part in helping the area thrive further. For us, building a new development goes beyond just the homes we build but it’s also about creating a warm and inviting neighbourhood families feel proud to call home.” The housebuilder celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, and in 2019 was awarded a five-star rating once again in Home Builders Federation (HBF) National Home Builders Federation New Home Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Leicester has been recognised as a global leader on climate action and transparency, achieving a place on CDP’s 'Cities A List'. Last year, 43 cities were recognised for their climate leadership and transparency, compared to 105 this year, 65% of which are new arrivals. CDP is once again publishing its Cities A List to demonstrate how cities are stepping up to the helm, leading on ambitious and urgent climate action. In 2019, CDP scored cities A (Leadership), B (Management), C, (Awareness) and D (Disclosure) based on completeness and quality of their data, and the level of action taken. To score an A, a city must have a city-wide emissions inventory, have set an emissions reduction target, published a climate action plan and have completed a climate adaptation plan to demonstrate how it will tackle climate hazards now and in the future among other actions. Analysis has shown that on average cities on the A List are taking over three times as many climate actions as non-A List cities. This represents five times as many actions to cut emissions and curb future warming, and twice as many to adapt to current climate hazards, from flooding to extreme heatwaves. Kyra Appleby, Global Director for Cities, States and Regions at CDP said: “In the year of COP 26, the world’s attention is turned to state governments to ratchet up their carbon reduction commitments. Cities, however, are uniquely placed to deliver urgent action. These 105 – including Leicester – demonstrate how, setting an example for others to follow, and we congratulate them for their leadership.” Leicester has been recognised for its actions in the last reporting year to develop robust climate change strategies, track and act to limit and reduce emissions, assess and mitigate climate risks and transparently report this information in its 2019 disclosure to CDP. Leicester has already almost halved its carbon footprint compared to 1990 levels. The city council has also managed to reduce its own carbon emissions by over 45% in a decade. Just some of the actions taken to achieve this include: • The ongoing, multimillion-pound investment in the Connecting Leicester scheme to provide safe and attractive routes for more people to commute by foot or bike. • Replacing all of streetlights with white LEDs, reducing their carbon footprint by almost 60%. • Being one of the first UK authorities to install a district heating system that supplies low cost, low-carbon energy to 3,000 homes, the University of Leicester, and 20 council buildings. • Constructing the city’s first carbon neutral classroom block, which will provide space for 120 primary school children. • Work with the Environment Agency on a major programme of flood risk management work that is heling to protect thousands of homes across the city. This includes the creation of Ellis Meadows – an award-winning 20-acre park and nature reserve. Leicester City Council also formally declared a climate emergency in February 2019. It is now preparing to launch a new action plan following Leicester’s Climate Conversation, a major consultation to help shape how the city responds to the climate emergency and becomes carbon neutral. Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transportation, said: “We’re very proud to be recognised by CDP for our work on tackling the climate crisis and reducing our carbon footprint. “As a council, we are already working hard to cut our own emissions and to support local people, schools and business to make the changes needed to help reduce the city’s overall carbon footprint. “We’ve made excellent progress, but we know more needs to be done. Responding to the climate emergency will mean making big changes to the way we all live and work. We need to increase our actions and aim to become a carbon neutral city as quickly as possible.” The science tells us that global emissions must be halved by 2030 to have a one in two chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The full A List of cities is published here. Released By Leicester City Council news

Our highways crews worked 24/7 to deal with over 130 reports. “Do not drive through flood water,” is one of the main messages from councils, fire, police and the Environment Agency who are continuing to work together to tackle flooding. Agencies have been working round-the-clock since Saturday (15 Feb) to close roads, give out sandbags, rescue drivers and keep people safe as Storm Dennis took hold. Areas particularly affected were in the north of the county and include Long Whatton, Measham, Diseworth, Sileby, Loughborough and Appleby Magna. Flood warnings remain in place across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland – and residents are asked to sign up for alerts opens another website in new window if they haven’t already. Our highways teams received 130 reports over the weekend and 33 road closures remain in place including the A6 northbound near Zouch – drivers are urged to listen to local radio, Toby Willison, Executive Director of Operations at the Environment Agency, said: “Every home flooded is a tragedy for that family and our hearts go out to all those who have been flooded during Storm Dennis. “Our teams will continue to work 24/7, alongside the Police, Fire and Rescue and local authorities to reduce the risk of flooding and keep communities safe. “We expect disruptive weather into the middle of this week bringing a significant flood risk and there are flood warnings in place across much of England. “Operational teams are out across England today. We have deployed temporary barriers and are operating 90 pumps across the country. We are also ready to operate our large flood defences as required, and so far we have protected nearly 20,000 properties from the impacts of Storm Dennis. “With the effects of climate change, we are seeing more frequent periods of extreme weather. It is important for people to be aware of their flood risk and stay safe by signing up for flood warnings, making a flood plan and remembering not to drive or walk through flood water – it’s not worth the risk.” Leicestershire Police has been working across the weekend with partner agencies including local authorities, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, the Environment Agency and the Highways Agency to keep people safe, provide advice and to monitor the areas affected by the weather and flooding. Inspector Graeme Baxter said: “We received more than 50 calls between the early hours of Sunday and Monday morning in relation to flooding and traffic issues regarding Storm Dennis and I know our partner agencies were also extremely busy with calls and responding to these. We’d like to thank everyone for your patience and co-operation. “We continue to have officers out, working with partner agencies, to help keep areas safe, put in road closures where necessary and to ensure people are taking the right steps in order to ensure their own safety.” News source : Leicestershire County Council

Community event giving people the chance to talk about tackling knife crime is being held in St Matthews later this week. The ‘community conversation’, held at St Matthews Neighbourhood Centre, in Malabar Road, is open to anyone who would like to attend. It takes place on Wednesday 19 February from 2-3.30pm. Organised by community leaders from the area, it will be a chance for people to have their say and put forward ideas which could go on to form part of a city-wide strategy on knife crime and serious violence. The strategy is currently being developed and the St Matthews conversation is the first of several which will take place across the city over the coming weeks. Assistant city mayor for neighbourhoods, Cllr Kirk Master, said: “These community conversations are crucial and will help form part of the work we are doing to build relationships, share ideas and learning from residents across Leicester. It’s very important that we listen to people who live in communities and may have been affected by knife crime so that their views can shape the direction of our future work. “Developing a new strategy to tackle knife crime is part of our ongoing work in this area, work we deliver with a range of partners across Leicester”. For more information about the St Matthews event, contact community leader Rukhsana Hussain on 07466 868 651. More details about future community conversations across the city will be available soon. News source : Leicester City Council

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall are to visit Leicester Market tomorrow (Tuesday 11 February). The Royal couple will meet stallholders in the city’s famous covered market and representatives of local charity, the Shama Women’s Centre, before moving on to Leicester’s award-winning food hall. They will then be shown the bronze statue of suffragette Alice Hawkins – the Leicester shoe factory worker – before meeting two of her great-grandchildren. The Royal party will then continue to the new market square, where they will enjoy a performance by local schoolchildren as part of the Spark Festival. Around 90 children from St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy, Folville Junior and Avenue Primary schools will perform part of a musical project called Our World – led by local charity, The Spark Arts for Children. Their Royal Highnesses will meet some of the young performers, before unveiling a plaque to formally name the new public space as Green Dragon Square. City Mayor Peter Soulsby – who will welcome the Royal visitors to Leicester – said: “We look forward to showing The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall around our market place and introducing them to some of our very talented young people. “I’m also very pleased that they will be formally naming our attractive new space behind the Corn Exchange, in a move that will bring a historic name back to the area and create another important link with Leicester’s past.” The Royal visit will take place tomorrow (Tuesday 11 February) and will include a walkabout in the newly-named Green Dragon Square – which takes its name from a medieval inn that stood on the site until the 1850s. Members of the public wishing to greet the Royal visitors are welcome to gather in the new square from early afternoon tomorrow (Tuesday 11 February). A programme of entertainment will get under way at 12.45pm. To allow the visit to take place, a number of roads in the area will be closed to traffic for several hours from 10am. These include Market Place, Market Place South, Market Place Approach, Hotel Street, St Martins, Grey Friars, Friar Lane (between its junctions with Berridge Street and Hotel Street) and Bishop Street. Parking and loading restrictions will also be in place, and drivers are reminded that any vehicle parked in a ‘no waiting’ area will be towed away. Letters have been distributed, advising businesses and residents in the affected area of the temporary arrangements. Source : Leicester City Council News

Mood Bears are helping to ease the strain on children’s mental health Cute teddy bears are playing a powerful part in tackling children’s mental health issues - as figures show a steady decline in youngsters’ emotional wellbeing. Mood Bears are colourful teddies which are helping young people to deal with their feelings and emotions. The 30cm-tall cuddly toys each represent one of five recognised feelings or emotional states happy bear, sad bear, silly bear, nervous bear and love bear. It is hoped that in time they can encourage us all to talk, listen and understand our feelings, thoughts and moods. The team behind Mood Bears recently took the cuddly characters into Leicester Royal Infirmary to meet some of the children undergoing care - and received an overwhelmingly positive response. Joanna Proud - who designed the teddies and co-owns Mood Bears with husband Nathan - aims to get the bears into every hospital in England. More than 700 have been sold in just two months. She said: “They proved so popular that the play specialists in charge of arranging fun activities for the children are now looking to include Mood Bears on their daily rounds.” Adults’ intensive care at the health trust also praised the toys, as some were given to young children who had just lost their mother. One nurse wrote to the company: “I just wanted to let you know how much of an impact your bears had when I gave them to some children who had lost their mum under tragic circumstances. “They were given them by the hospital as the last gift from their mum. The comfort and love that these bears gave the children on this last day was immeasurable. I can’t thank you enough for sharing these bears with us.” Joanna, who lives in Loughborough, said: “It brought me to tears to hear this. It’s extremely emotional and powerful to think of how I helped those children.” Joanna, who is mum to Daisy, 15, Eliza, 13 and Thomas, 10, found the bears a comfort herself after suffering from depression over the past 18 months. “I don’t feel the best some days,” she said. “But I walk around the house cuddling them. They are so soft and you look at their little faces and they really make you smile.” Mood Bears’ success comes as Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, warned that a ‘chasm’ remains between what mental health services are available for children and what they need. An estimated 12.8% of children in England have mental health problems - and many more fall just below the threshold for clinical diagnosis. The prevalence of five to 15-year-olds experiencing emotional disorders, including anxiety and depression, has increased by 48% – from 3.9% in 2004 to 5.8% in 2017, according to NHS Digital. But Ms Longfield said: “We are still a decade away from a decent mental health service for all children.” Mood Bears welcome companies to sponsor the bears. The firm’s name is printed on a certificate which is presented with each teddy. The bears, which come with their own biography, cost £19.99, or a family of Mood Bears is available for £89.99 To find out more, visit www.moodbears.co.uk

A Lutterworth man who was almost a victim of fraud, after he was called by someone claiming to be a police officer, is warning others about the scam. Jack was contacted last month by someone claiming they were a police officer from a station in London, he informed Jack that there had been an attempt to access his bank account. The caller advised 87-year-old Jack to check his identity by calling 999 and he would then ring him back. Jack called 999 and the operator informed him that it sounded like a scam call. Later the same day he received further calls from a withheld number and answered it, he informed the caller that his call sounded like a scam at which point the suspect hung up. These offences are commonly known as courier fraud. There are various different versions of the crime but in the majority of cases elderly and vulnerable people are contacted by someone claiming to be in authority, such as a police officer. Reference is made to fraudulent use of their bank cards to accounts and to verify all is well they are asked to withdraw large sums of money or purchase high-value items. Arrangements are then made to send someone to collect the cash or item from the victim’s home address. Jack issued a warning to others. He said: “When I received the call I immediately thought this is a scam but I was just a little curious. I knew I needed to leave sufficient time before checking if the call was genuine. I called 999 and was put through to the police who told me that the call I had received was a potential scam. “I know these offences are becoming more and more prevalent. I want to help the police by getting the message across. If you get a call in similar circumstances put the phone down, don’t get drawn in to a conversation and never disclose any personal details. Use a different telephone to contact the police as there’s always a chance the caller may still be connected to your line.” Since October 2019 we have had 62 reports of courier fraud, 13 of those resulted in a financial loss of more than £120,000 and 49 of the reports were attempts to obtain cash or valuables. Paul Wenlock is the head of the Economic Crime Unit. He said: “Fortunately Jack became suspicious and luckily no money exchanged hands. It’s extremely important for people to be aware of these offences. “One thing to be aware of is the police or banks would never contact people in this way. If they are called they should disconnect the call straightaway and report the incident to the police using another telephone, as on some occasions calls can remain connected. “If you have an elderly neighbour or relative make them aware of this scam. The callers do sound plausible and it is quite easy to get drawn in.” Further advice about these offences can be found on https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/courier-fraud

Following new ownership, one of Leicester’s favourite bars is enjoying a period of refreshment and renaissance with new food and drink menus being launched. Now part of MVR Exchange Limited, sitting alongside the neighbouring Manhattan 34, The Exchange Bar will undergo a light refresh but continue to create the unique ambience and friendly atmosphere that it was known for before. By popular demand, customers will be pleased to know the kitchen will be reopening and offering all-time American brunch classics including American style bagels and pancake stackers. You can also expect staples such as a soup of the day and toasties on the lunch menu with a range of vegan and vegetarian options. Things are being refreshed behind the bar too with a varied and seasonal new drinks menu on offer. With the Curve Theatre just a stone’s throw away, the team created a range of bespoke cocktails to celebrate the arrival of ‘The Woman in Black’ and are currently working on a ‘The Phantom of The Opera’ menu so culture vultures can theme their drinks with their theatre! Continuing as a destination for meetings, catch ups and socials, there will also be special offers including a free Danish pastry with hot drinks, available 8.30 – 10.30am daily. The venue also boasts having three separate rooms to suit a variety of functions and caters to suit the customers’ needs. As well as the main bar, customers can also hire exclusive use of the Garden Room or the larger Broadway Bar downstairs. Marc Van Rooyen, owner of The Exchange Bar and Manhattan 34 said; “We’re excited to welcome both new and old customers to The Exchange Bar. We’re already planning an extensive and varied programme of events including beer and wine masterclasses, poetry nights and open mic nights, speciality cuisine nights – to name just a few.” “The Cultural Quarter is a great hub for the city and to be at the heart of that, is an honour. We’re working with businesses in the area to create bespoke offers and there are already plans for a Cultural Quarter loyalty card”, he added. Marc Van Rooyen The Exchange Bar is at 50 Rutland St, Leicester, LE1 1RD. Booking enquiries can be made on 0116 2621811 and enquiries@theexchangebar.co.uk For more information visit www.theexchangebar.co.uk