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As the festive season continues, please look after yourselves, have fun and celebrate safely. Over the past few months, the force has been busy planning for the upcoming weeks including ensuring proactive patrols are in place across the whole force area and that our officers and staff are here to help keep you safe. This includes extra patrols and shifts which are planned for key dates across Christmas and New Year which are usually some of the busiest nights of the year for the force. Superintendent Aimeé Ramm said: “As the festive season gets well and truly underway, we want to ensure that all your celebrations are fun and safe. Our officers are out and about, carrying out proactive high-visibility patrols both at day and night to be there for you, to help you and to respond quick and effectively to incidents and reports when required to. “Please work with us by looking after yourselves and your friends and families and celebrating responsibly while having fun. This includes taking steps such as ensuring you plan ahead when having a night out, staying with your friends and ensuring you know how you are going to get home. Please also remember the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme which allows anyone who feels intimidated, threatened or in a vulnerable situation while in a bar or club to discreetly alert staff who will provide support. Further information can be found at the bottom of this release. “If you feel unsafe on a night out or start to feel unwell, please always make sure you tell someone such as a member of bar staff and please ensure you report any suspicious behaviour or incidents to police.” Licensing teams across force continue to work with pubs, bars, clubs and licensing teams within local authorities. This work includes continuing to ensure premises are aware of signs to look out for in relation to potential spiking incidents and that any incident is immediately reported to the police. Our social media channels will also continue to share safety advice and information across the coming weeks. Superintendent Ramm said: “Thank you for working with us in this way and we wish you all a safe and enjoyable festive season. Thank you also once again to all of our officers and staff who are giving up time with their own families to help keep our communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland safe during this festive season.” You can report incidents to us online at www.leics.police.uk or by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.

With us at the mid December of this year’s extended Winter Drink Drug drive campaign Leicestershire Police have arrested 64 drink and 23 drug drivers, along with 4 who failed to provide, and including one person who was recorded over four and half times the legal limit! While forty nine of those arrests have been made in Leicester city (32 drink, 13 drug and 4 fails), drivers have also been detained across the Leicestershire and Rutland, these arrests include people of all ages, backgrounds and communities. Jonathan Clarkson, spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership said, “I wanted to remind people to think about booking a taxi, using public transport or having a designated sober driver as the only safe way to get home and not to risk starting the New Year with a drink drug drive conviction.” This year’s campaign has been launched earlier to coincide with the World Cup and the campaign will end on 1st January, however, Police patrols will still operate around the clock stopping those drivers who are unfit behind the wheel and helping to make our roads safer. If you see someone who appears to be a drink or drug driver enter a vehicle to drive away, make a note of the registration plate and the direction of travel and call your local police on 101 or make a make a free and anonymous call to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

THE LORD-LIEUTENANT of Leicestershire has launched his 2023 awards designed to showcase and celebrate the achievements of young people aged 13 to 19 across the city and county. Family, friends, teachers, and other professionals and community leaders who see the best our young people have to offer are being urged to nominate inspiring young people in their communities for this year’s Lord-Lieutenant’s Award. As always, the categories for this year celebrate the very best examples of effort and achievement. People can nominate for Young Person of Courage, Young Volunteer, Young Leader, and Young Artist. Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE, said: “I am delighted to formally open the nominations for the 2023 Lord-Lieutenant’s Awards. "As ever, the award categories highlight bravery, creativity, strength of spirit and selflessness – which can inspire us all in Leicester and Leicestershire. I hope this year’s awards will once again offer local people the opportunity to celebrate young people they know who amaze, support and inspire those around by overcoming obstacles and bringing people together in their communities. “As Lord-Lieutenant I am privileged to meet so many fantastic young people and I really look forward to hearing about the remarkable efforts of our amazing young people and their outstanding endeavours. So, with your help by nominating young people who deserve recognition I’m convinced that competition will be as strong as ever.” The finalists and their parents or guardians will be invited to a special ‘red carpet’ awards evening and dinner, hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant, to be held next year. The closing date for this year’s nominations is 17 February 2023. The award scheme is open to all 13 to 19-year-olds. Nominations can be made by other young people, their school, parent or carer, as well as any other agency or individual. To find out more about the awards or to nominate a young person, visit www.leicestershire.gov.uk/llawards

A project designed to create school meals that are kinder to the planet has changed the menu at dozens of city schools. The Lower Carbon Lunches project got children to think about the impact their food choices have on the environment, focusing on the carbon emissions linked to energy use, packaging waste, food waste and meat-based meals. Workshops led by the city council’s Sustainable Schools team earlier this year introduced the children to the four key greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases – and helped them to identify the carbon footprint of various foods, giving them the knowledge they need to choose lower-carbon meal options. Games, videos and other activities were used to encourage learning and help the children draw up their own action plan for reducing energy use or food waste at their school. Around 160 youngsters were then invited to try some healthy new planet-friendly meals developed by school meals provider City Catering – including Moroccan Rainbow Tagine, Traffic-Light Couscous and Vegetable Ball Curry – before the new dishes that passed the taste test were added to the lunchtime menu. Yoshi, a Year 5 student at Stokes Wood Primary in Leicester, said: “We played a fun game which helped us understand about recycling and which bin we should throw which packaging in. All the food we tasted was plant-based so it is healthier for us and better for the environment as when it is produced there is less carbon dioxide put into the air.” Anish Thomas, catering operations manager at City Catering – which provides meals at 41 city schools – said: “Animal agriculture and intensive farming are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, so – as part of the Lower Carbon Lunches project – we’ve reduced the amount of meat, fish and dairy on our menus by around 15% and have introduced more plant-based meals. “Monday is now ‘Love Your Planet’ day, when meat is completely off the menu at 26 city schools. “We’ve swapped a lamb pasta bake, for example, with a meat-free bolognese, and replaced a pork sausage hot dog with a jacket potato served with beans and cheese. “We know that lots of children want to do their bit for the environment and choose food that’s not only delicious, but also as planet-friendly as possible, so we make sure that the plant-powered dishes are always clearly highlighted on the menu.” The city council has worked on the project with ProVeg UK – a non-profit organisation that works with local authorities and school caterers to increase the health and sustainability of school food. Colette Fox, programme manager for ProVeg UK, said: “We are delighted to be supporting City Catering and Leicester City Council to make school food in Leicester both healthier and more sustainable by reducing meat and increasing plant-based options for all children. “It is really encouraging to see such positive climate leadership from Leicester City Council and we look forward to continuing to partner together to bring about positive change for our children and our planet." Deputy city mayor for transport, clean air and climate emergency, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “This is a brilliant project that’s got children and young people working with their schools, their school meals’ provider and our Sustainable Schools team to learn about greenhouse gases and the environment and then putting it into action by changing the food on their lunchtime menus to help reduce their carbon footprint. “I’d like to thank all the young people who took part in the project for reminding us that if we all take small steps, together we can make big changes.” Diets high in plant-based foods and lower in animal products are proven to be less damaging to the climate, with the Climate Change Committee recommending a 20% shift away from all meat and dairy by 2030 – rising to 35% by 2050 – in order to put the UK on the path to net zero. The Lower Carbon Lunches project also aimed to reduce gas and electricity use in school kitchens by improving efficiency, recognising that energy consumption accounts for around 40% of a school’s carbon footprint. It targeted food waste too, ensuring that any waste was composted or processed correctly, and aimed to reduce the amount of food packaging that ends up as waste. In total, 12 Leicester schools, and around 280 students, were involved in the Lower Carbon Lunches project. They were: Avenue; Buswells Lodge; Catherine Juniors; Charnwood Primary; Dovelands; Hazel Community Primary; Krishna Avanti; Lancaster Academy; Mayflower Primary; Sandfield Close; Stokes Wood; Wyvern Primary. The Lower Carbon Lunches project is one of the initiatives in the city council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan. Leicester has an ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030, with the city having already reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by around 40% since 2005. More information about Leicester’s Climate Emergency Strategy can be found here

WIGSTON AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY PRESENTS Ghost The Musical Main House, The Little Theatre, Dover St, Leicester LE1 6PW Sam and Molly, childhood sweethearts, are happily in love and living together in Brooklyn. On returning to their apartment one night, they are mugged at gunpoint, Sam is murdered and finds himself trapped between this world and the next, and as a ghost is unable to leave Molly. Sam quickly learns Molly is in grave danger. Oda Mae Brown, a local psychic helps Sam communicate with Molly in the hope of protecting her. Ticket information All tickets – £18 no concessions. Book here Credits & acknowledgements Ghost: The MusicalBook and Lyrics by Bruce Joel RubinMusic and Lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard Box Office 0116 255 1302 hello@thelittletheatre.co.uk

Join the Space Elves at the National Space Centre for a very special pre-Christmas Small Space Day, including a visit from Mrs Santa all the way from the North Pole! 18th December. Small Space days have been created especially for the littlest space cadets, with songs, stories, games and the whole Centre for the under 5s and their families to explore. Included in your entry ticket is an opportunity to join Mrs Santa for a selection of Christmas stories, before meeting the Space Elves, who take care of all the very difficult science that makes Christmas magical, like how does Santa get all those gifts in his sleigh, and how fast must the jolly chap travel to visit all the children of the world?! A trip to Mrs Santa and the Space Elves is followed by a special Sing-A-Long Snow Time Sensory Party, with lights, snow, bubbles and music to kick off the Christmas season. If you are looking for a special Christmas outfit to wear? Take a seat and make your very own Rudolph hat, complete with bright colourful nose and googly eyes! If that wasn’t enough you can decorate your own rocket Christmas decoration to take home, for the ultimate festive memento. All day tickets include a fulldome planetarium show on your first visit. For Small Space Day there are two shows to choose from, including a very special show, created for toddlers to enjoy, the Astronaut George Show. Booking in advance is essential, so head to the website to make sure you join Mrs Claus and the Space Elves this Christmas. Small Space Mrs Santa Clause Special is a PREMIUM EVENT – Annual Passes and vouchers are not valid. Find out more here

Road gritting teams from Leicester City Council are preparing to take to the city’s streets as the first very cold winter temperatures approach over the coming days. The team of six gritting lorries and 15 specialist drivers, based at the council’s Leycroft Road depot in Beaumont Leys, are on standby throughout the winter months. They routinely grit 180 miles of primary routes – more than a third of the city’s entire road network – and a further 40 miles of routes during more severe snowfall. With temperatures predicted to plunge below zero over the next few days, the team is closely following up to the minute local weather forecasts to decide if and when to send out the fleet of gritting vehicles. Leicester City Council has stockpiled over 3,000 tonnes of rock salt, which works by lowering the freezing point of moisture on the road surface. The first early morning traffic following any overnight ice or snow will crush the salt to form brine, which then gets worked into the snow and ice and helps dissolve it. Gritting routes cover all local hospitals, fire stations and main police stations as well as many schools. Leicester City Council’s director of City Highways, Martin Fletcher, said: “After a very mild start to the winter, much colder weather is expected over the coming weeks. “We get regular detailed road gritting weather forecasts from specialist weather service providers, so we monitor these closely to make a decision on if and when we need to go out. “The gritting lorries are only part of it. We also have over 430 grit bins in neighbourhoods across the city which residents can use to grit pavements and other well-used areas. "As always we’d advise people to take extra care when out and about in icy conditions, particularly pedestrians who should wear appropriate footwear and warm clothing.” The city council’s gritting teams are on standby every year from October to April as part of their winter gritting programme, so are ready to go out gritting at very short notice if overnight snow or ice is forecast. Details of winter road services are available at the city council's website here.

Bodyworn video footage has captured the moment two of our officers searched through a city centre block of flats as a fire took hold – including helping a woman and her two young children get out safely. Police Constables Elliot Godden and Vishal Dave were both at Mansfield House police station in the city centre at around 4.40pm on Wednesday (16 November) when they heard on their radios that a fire had been reported at the nearby building in Lower Hill Street, Leicester. Both raced outside where they described seeing bright orange flames coming from the building and glass shattering. Footage captures moment officers search through city centre flats as fire takes hold. PC Dave said: “I was at the station getting ready to go home when I heard it on the radio. I put my kit back on and raced across. I was shouting at people to get out of the way. Elliot came over and we just ran into the building.PC Godden added: “We went in together and just went up floor by floor to see if anyone was left inside the building. ”The officers described the smoke becoming more intense as they searched each floor. The fire had started on the fifth floor of the building.PC Dave said: “When we got to the sixth floor, I did start thinking about my girlfriend and my daughter. You start to think about what if something explodes.” The building all appeared empty until the officers reached the ninth floor – the top floor – where a woman was present with two young children. PC Godden said: “We found the female on the top floor and helped carry her children downstairs so they could all get out quickly and safely. The fire service had turned up so we carried on clearing the area then and speaking with the residents. “Luckily the fire hadn’t spread rapidly through the building which had allowed us time to go from floor to floor. The fire service managed to get the fire quickly under control before it caused too much damage to the building and put anyone else in danger.” PC Dave added: “You do think about what could have happened. I’m just so pleased we could be there and help ensure everyone was safe and that no-one was hurt.” The officers were assessed by East Midlands Ambulance Service following the incident. Fortunately neither officer was injured. Welfare support is also being provided. An investigation into the cause of the fire found it is not believed to have been started deliberately. City Centre Neighbourhood Area Commander, Inspector Nadia Rana said: “PC Dave and PC Godden put their own lives at risk in order to ensure everyone was out of the building safely. Their actions were extremely brave and we are all very proud of both of them. “The response from all the emergency services, the local council and other partners to this incident was excellent and meant that thankfully no injuries were reported and that the damage caused was contained. Thank you to everyone who responded to this incident so efficiently and effectively. Our thoughts and our support remain with residents and members of the community who have been affected by the fire.” Leicestershire Poice News release.

Leicester's City Mayor says the autumn statement published by the Chancellor yesterday will lead to more cuts to essential services, as the city council prepares for the worst funding crisis it has ever experienced. City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “Like other councils across the country we expect to be facing even greater budget pressures over the next few years, and the Chancellor said nothing yesterday that will change this. “At our current level of spending we will be short of up to £50m a year by 2024 and are having to make huge cuts just to keep basic services going. This is on top of the £90m of savings we have already had to make to services other than social care. “This will put at risk the services people value – including our parks, museums, street cleaning services, and leisure centres. After yesterday’s statement, the bad news is that the years to come look like being even worse." The Chancellor announced yesterday that local government will not get any additional funding over the next two years to cover inflation. Some extra money will be made available to cover adult social care, but not enough to cover cost increases. Sir Peter said: “The Government has previously spoken about an end to austerity, but thanks to the current economic crisis – exacerbated by its disastrous mini-budget – we face the worst cuts’ crisis in this council’s history. And it’s not just Leicester; all local authorities are in the same boat.” The Chancellor also announced that local authorities will be able to increase council tax by 5%. Sir Peter said: “The Government has ducked its responsibility to provide councils with an adequate level of funding, and has instead left us with an extremely difficult decision: do we cut vital services or do we increase taxes during a cost of living crisis? There are no easy options.” The council’s director of finance, Amy Oliver said: “We knew we would need to make more savings as the Government told us last year there would be no new money for councils. “We continue to face increasing costs as more older people need the support of social care services, and the situation is now much more difficult because of the recent surge in inflation. “We have of course also seen significant increases in energy costs for all of our buildings, and even though our staff have received a pay award below inflation, it is still more than we expected when we set the budget. “The city council is continually making efficiencies, but with a shortfall of up to £50m in what we need to spend and the funding we have available – huge savings will have to be made over the next two years.” Leicester City Council will set its budget for 2023 on 22nd February.

Motorists are being advised of possible traffic disruption caused by a religious procession taking place this weekend. The annual Nagar Kirtan procession, which every year attracts about 10,000 Sikhs, will be making its way through Leicester on Sunday, November 20. The colourful procession will set off from the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara in East Park Road, at around 11am, and will follow a route through the city to Holy Bones, near St Nicholas Circle. The route will include East Park Road, St Peter’s Road, Sparkenhoe Street, Swain Street, St George’s Way, Charles Street, Northampton Street, Granby Street, Gallowtree Gate, East Gates, High Street, St Nicholas Place and finally to St Nicholas Circle, before finishing at nearby Holy Bones, at 3pm. It will mean a series of rolling road closures while the procession passes through the city. There will also be some parking restrictions in the streets near East Park Road, namely parts of Leicester Street, Rosebery Street, Nottingham Street, Holy Bones and Great Central Street. Information signs will be going up on main routes into the city ahead of the procession to warn drivers, while the city council’s Area Traffic Control team will be providing regular traffic and travel updates to help people coming into the city. Nagar Kirtan is a major event in Leicester’s religious and cultural calendar, which celebrates the birth of Sikhism’s first Guru and founder, Nanak Dev Ji. The event has been celebrated in Leicester for more than 20 years and involves people in the procession walking from temple to temple, singing hymns and filling up on food. Leicester assistant city mayor for culture, leisure and sport, Cllr Piara Singh Clair, said: “Nagar Kirtan is a very popular event among the city’s Sikh community, with people turning out in large numbers to take part in the events. “We want to ensure the safety of spectators and people taking part in the procession, so we will be putting in place a series of rolling road closures as it passes through the city. “We want to be sure that people intending to visit the city centre on that day are aware of this event and can plan accordingly.” For traffic and travel updates visit Area Traffic Control on Twitter via @ATCLeicester

Jubilee Square’s real ice rink is back this year! Skaters can show off their best moves, come rain or shine under the lights of this covered rink. Get your skates on for a Christmas on real ice Thursday 1 December – Monday 2 January With the introduction of super off-peak pricing this year there will be opportunities to skate for just £5. Plus, popular demand on the ice means the opening hours have been extended adding the new late skate session of 9pm. And if that hasn’t given plenty of time to show off your skating skills, why not book on to make your Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve extra special. And, for the first time ever, the rink will be open on New Year’s Day too! TICKETS Tickets can be purchased from Jubilee Square Ice Rink ticket office, located at the front of the ice rink in Jubilee Square. The ticket office is open from 9.30am each day until 9.30pm, except for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve when it will close at 6.30pm. The rink and the ticket office will be closed on Christmas Day. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Visit Leicester Information Centre located at the KRIII Visitor Centre, 4A St. Martins, Leicester, LE1 5DB. Skate hire and a 45-minute session on the ice will cost just £5 at super off-peak times. Off-peak tickets will cost £10 for adults and £8.50 for children/concessions. Standard price tickets will cost £12 for adults and £9.50 for children/concessions. Book tickets here OPENING TIMES The ice rink is open from Thursday 1 December 2022 to Monday 2 January 2023, every day except Christmas Day (25 December). Open from 10am* – 10pm (last session starts at 9pm). On Christmas Eve the last skate session will be at 6pm and ends at 7pm. *On 2, 5, 9, 12 and 16 December the rink will open at 11am. Preview 1 December | 5pm – 9pm 2 December | 11am – 9pm Super Off Peak 5, 9, 12, 16 December | 11am – 4pm 6 – 8, 13 – 15 December | 12pm and 2pm – 4pm Off Peak 3 – 4, 10 – 11, 17 – 18, 24, 31 December and 1 January | 10am – 1pm 19 – 23, 26 – 30 December and 2 January | 10am – 2pm 5 – 8, 12 – 15 December | 5pm Peak 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24*, 31 December and 1 January | 2pm – 8pm 19 – 23, 26 – 30 December and 2 January | 3pm – 8pm 9 and 16 December | 5pm – 8pm 5 – 8, 12 – 15 December | 6pm – 8pm 24 December* last session is 6pm and rink closes at 7pm Quiet Sessions 19, 21, 26, 28 December | 1pm 25 December – CLOSED For further details check out our FAQ’s

Leicester's Jubilee Square is getting into the festive spirit as the Wheel of Light makes its return for Christmas. The massive, illuminated Ferris wheel is open from today (Friday 11 Nov) and will be offering some unparalleled views of its city centre surroundings. Each ride lasts for approximately eight to 10 minutes, in which riders will be lifted to a dizzying 110 feet. The Wheel of Light will be open Monday to Thursday from 11am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am until 11pm, and on Sundays from 11am to 9pm. There are 24 covered gondolas, each seating 6 people. Wheelchair access is available to one of the gondolas – assistance will be provided for anyone using this gondola. There’s no need to book ahead as tickets can be bought from the onsite booth. Standard tickets are £7, tickets for small children (under 1.4m) are £5 and a family ticket (two adults and two children or one adult and three children) is £20. The Christmas fun fair also makes it return to Humberstone Gate from today. It all means the countdown to Christmas in Leicester is fully now properly under way with just a few days to go until the Christmas Lights Switch On celebration on Thursday 17 November. This year’s event will run from 5pm until 8pm with entertainment and activities taking place at key locations around the city centre. A countdown – played out on speakers across the city centre – will herald the switch-on of Leicester’s Christmas lights at 6.30pm. The popular ice rink attraction at Jubilee Square will be open from Thursday 1 December until Monday 2 January. For more information, and to pre-book skating tickets online, visit www.ChristmasInLeicester.co.uk