Children are encouraged to join the fight to defeat vegetables – by eating them. Over 120 Leicestershire primary schools have signed up to a national campaign to encourage children to eat more vegetables. ITV and Veg Power’s seven-week national campaign, Eat Them To Defeat Them, launches on 12 February and aims to capture children’s imagination by encouraging them to join the fight to defeat vegetables – by eating them. Since February 2019, Eat Them To Defeat Them has seen an increase of 517 million children’s vegetable portions within schools. The county council, Leicestershire Traded Services, Food for Life and public health have joined forces to get Leicestershire schools involved in the healthy eating initiative. For seven weeks children will be encouraged to find out more about the vegetable of the week, discovering its benefits through school assemblies, activity sheets and puzzles. Catering teams will then use the vegetable in school meals. Recipes and reward charts are available for children who want to carry on the fight at home, with parents being encouraged to join in and make sure they're defeating their veg too. Gavin Fletcher, Co-ordinator of the Leicestershire Sustainable Food Partnership, said: “We know the kids who take part love this programme – and we do too. “All the feedback we’ve had from county schools taking part in Eat Them To Defeat Them has been extremely positive and encouraging.” Dan Parker, Veg Power Chief Executive, said: “We know that vegetable consumption levels drastically need to be improved – for the benefit of our health, wellbeing, and our planet. "We also know that Eat Them To Defeat Them is working and children are eating more veg because of their involvement, but we need to broaden the reach and have more schools and local authorities join us to achieve our mission this year.” Across the UK, the Veg Power charity’s research found that 89 per cent of children aren’t eating enough veg, with one in three not managing one portion a day. To learn more about sustainable food in Leicestershire, and to sign up the newsletter, visit: https://resources.leicestershire.gov.uk/good-food-leicestershire Leicestershire County Council News

More help available for thousands of Leicestershire families struggling with the rising cost of living Parents of children eligible for free school meals will get a £15 food voucher to spend at half term. Leicestershire households facing hardship caused by the of living crisis are being invited to apply for help with soaring food and energy bills. Leicestershire County Council has money available specifically to help people who struggling with rising costs from £3.6 million it has been allocated from the Government’s Household Support Fund. Half of the sum is ringfenced to be spent supporting families with children with rest available to other homes needing support this winter. The council is again preparing to run a school meal voucher scheme for some 14,000 eligible county children so their parents and carers can buy £15 worth of food for the week-long half term break that starts on February 14. In all, nearly £250,000 has been made available by the county council to fund February’s school meal vouchers. The February half term food voucher initiative in Leicestershire follows similar programmes of support in the October half-term and over the Christmas Holidays which in total saw £750,000 committed to feeding children in need. Further money is also being available to help those most in need with the costs of electricity and heating bills. The opportunity to access extra support comes with energy costs set to rocket by hundreds of pounds a year for many households after regulators OfGem recently raised the cap on annual bills. Many families are facing a cost of living crisis and need help with the essentials. That’s why this council is once again stepping up to the plate providing assistance to hard pressed families most in need, in the form of vouchers for free school meals and help with heating.” Food is more expensive, energy is frighteningly costly and yes, people will face higher council tax bills from April so vital public services for the most vulnerable people can be afforded. But there is some support available from the council, via the Government, which we hope will mitigate some of the pain. County council leader Deborah Taylor Struggling eligible households can also apply for food vouchers worth £40 per adult and £30 per child with single households potentially being able to access £50 vouchers. Fuel vouchers are also available – worth £49 to family households and £28 for people who live alone,More information is available on Household Support fund Guidance on support for families who do not have children eligible for free school meals is also available via the link. Thursday, 10 February, 2022 Leicestershire County Council News

A New training hub to help people build a career in the construction industry has launched in Leicester. The Construction Skills Hub is located in former site offices at the heart of the Ashton Green regeneration project in the north of Leicester. Supported by £518,000 of funding from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the new hub will provide training and employment opportunities for people in Leicester and Leicestershire who are looking to work in the construction industry. The project is being led by Leicester City Council – which is contributing £300,000 of capital funding – and aims to offer training in construction skills to more than 400 people over two years, with a goal of securing sustained employment for at least half of those taking part. Delivery partner Futures, which specialises in employability for 18 to 25-year-olds, is also contributing £107,000 to the project. The training programme will be delivered by local companies Construct Training and Keith Cook Training. The project will work closely with construction partners at the Ashton Green development site, where hundreds of new homes are being built, and at the new prison under construction at Glen Parva. It will also help support the delivery of new homes at Waterside and the city council’s plans to for major investment in new council houses. Cllr Danny Myers, assistant city mayor for jobs and skills, said: “We already have a proven track record of working with local employers, helping hundreds of people into jobs or apprenticeships through the work of our Leicester Employment Hub. “Now, thanks to generous support from the CITB, we can offer onsite training and opportunities for people looking to move into the construction industry. This will be located at the heart of major construction and development projects, offering people hands-on experience and specially tailored training from professionals. “With a huge amount of major transformative construction projects potentially happening in Leicester over the next few years – including the transformation of our railway station, a major multi-million-pound revamp of Leicester’s hospitals, the planned expansion of the King Power Stadium and an ambitious programme of new house building across the city – it’s vital that local people have an opportunity to train up and benefit from this new investment. “By equipping local people with the right skills and qualifications for future employment, we will continue to encourage further investment into the city and help our local economy to grow.” CITB’s Strategy and Policy Director, Steve Radley said: “It is great news that the Leicester hub is open for business. Onsite experience hubs like this one, go a long way to help close the skills gap we are seeing in the industry right now. “The Leicester hub will give people invaluable practical construction experience and the site-ready qualifications local employers need. This really will provide a one-stop recruitment solution for construction employers.” The Leicester Employment Hub has already supported over 40 people into work and training in the construction industry, but this is the first time it will have its own one stop shop for advice and training. Simon Pipkin of Leicestershire-based RJH Building Construction Ltd, said: “This scheme has been incredibly beneficial to RJH. “The construction skills hub team has an understanding of our business needs and can fulfil those needs by sending us appropriate applicants that fit with us.’ “We’ve given a start to five local people from the construction skills hub so far. Three of those have since joined our company long-term, through on-the-job training or an apprenticeship, and we expect to have openings for more in 2022.” If you are an employer in the construction industry and considering recruiting new employees, the Construction Skills Hub can provide you with site-ready candidates with some industry related skills and a CSCS Card. Candidates will have successfully completed a tailored training programme and are available for trial on site in the hope of then gaining employment in the construction industry. To find out more contact employmenthub@leicester.gov.uk For people interested in a career in construction – whether new or returning to the industry - the Construction Skills Hub offers a free entry programme into the sector. You will gain industry-related skills to support you to become site-ready before undertaking a work trial with a local employer. To register your interest email constructionhub@futuresforyou.com Leicester City Council News.

Work will get underway this month on part of an extensive conservation project aiming to protect and restore a major tributary of the River Soar in Leicester. “Saving the Saffron Brook” was awarded just over £800,000 of Government money last year, to improve the heavily-degraded river ecosystems along the whole course of the Saffron/Wash Brook, which runs through the south of the city from neighbouring Oadby and Wigston. It involves a programme of conservation, restoration and repair works, as well as community engagement designed to get local people involved. The Saffron Brook and surrounding catchment area act as a key wildlife corridor in the region, linking the centre of Leicester to rural Leicestershire and beyond. This month, work will begin at one of the main areas for improvement, in Knighton Park, with habitat management being carried out at Knighton Spinney, an established broadleaved woodland in the park. Knighton Spinney is protected as a Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site, and is home to rare wildflowers such as wood anemone and goldilocks buttercup. The work will involve carefully selected tree felling to remove diseased and potentially dangerous trees and open up glades to encourage local biodiversity to thrive, along with a combination of cutting back some species, planting other native tree species in targeted areas, and improving access and restoring pathways. Knighton Park is one of the initial areas of conservation work, which will also include the area around Overdale School, the Washbrook Nature Area and Hughenden Drive, as well as Oadby’s Brocks Hill Country Park, Lucas Marsh and Fludes Lane, and other sites selected to support vulnerable species of wildlife. Leicester deputy city mayor for environment and transportation, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “Projects such as this help to manage and protect the city’s valuable natural habitats in a way which supports local wildlife, and preserves these sites for future generations as havens of peace and quiet within the city.” Alongside Leicester City Council and the Trent Rivers Trust, partners in Saving the Saffron Brook include Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, NatureSpot, Knighton Wild, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and many others. The £807,800 project builds on earlier work including the 2021 Leicester Biodiversity Action Plan and 2019 Leicester Riverside Environmental Strategy, which supported the need for investing in work to restore the area. It is one of 90 nature-based projects across the UK to benefit from the second round of the Government's Green Recovery Challenge Funding, designed to boost green jobs and nature recovery. In total it will improve and restore around 2,300 metres of river habitat and over 500m of riverbank, as well as planting around two hectares of woodland, creating 1.3 hectares of wetland and two hectares of species-rich grassland to boost local biodiversity. The project will also create or improve up to 2,000 metres of footpaths, improving access along the river and bringing communities closer to nature. For more information on the project visit Leicester City Council's website here. Leicester City Council News.

Police are urging people to be vigilant when selling items on social media sites such as Facebook Marketplace or the Gumtree site following a spate of incidents involving payment with counterfeit currency. The counterfeit notes being passed are Bank of England polymer £20 notes. (‘plastic’ notes) Counterfeit polymer £20 notes can be readily identified by first checking the hologram which can be found on the front of the note below the see-through window. If you tilt the note from side to side you will see words change between ‘Twenty’ and ‘Pounds’. Secondly if you look at the metallic image over the main window, the foil is gold and blue on the front of the note and silver on the back. Over the past week officers have been made aware of various incidents, in particular in Central Leicester and North Leicestershire, where members of the public have sold electrical items such as computer game systems on Gumtree and been paid with fake notes. Some of the counterfeit £20 notes recovered in fact have no holographic foil whatsoever. Nicole McIntyre, from the force’s Volume Fraud team, said: “These incidents show how it is easy to be duped by someone posing as a legitimate buyer who then uses counterfeit currency to defraud you. “When you receive cash, there are quick checks which we have shown that you can do to ensure the notes aren’t counterfeit.” If you believe you may have been a victim of a similar or related crime, please contact us on 101, or online at www.leics.police.uk If you have information about persons passing, supplying or using counterfeit currency you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. More information about how to check £20 notes in particular can be found on the Bank of England website here https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/20-pound-note or guidance about all bank notes can be found here https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/counterfeit-banknotes/how-to-check-your-banknotes

An appeal is being made to locate a motorcycle which was stolen during a burglary in Enderby. Between 6.30pm and 7pm on Tuesday 1 February, entry was gained to a garage in Sandhill Drive, Enderby and the vehicle – a yellow Suzuki RMZ 450 – was taken. The motorcycle, which is an off-road dirt bike, has the number 30 on both the front and side panels. Laura Stevens-Toon, from Braunstone police station, is investigating the incident. She said: “I’d like to speak to anyone who has information about this incident or who has seen the motorcycle being used. “I’m also particularly keen to speak to anyone who has seen it listed or been offered it for sale. Anything you know, no matter how insignificant you think it is, could help.” You can pass on information by visiting https://www.leics.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ and quoting reference 22*067809. Alternatively call 101.

Further improvements are planned for two busy Leicester roads, as part of a government-backed programme of investment in sustainable transport across the city. Leicester City Council is planning to invest about £2million to improve routes on parts of Aylestone Road and Welford Road and help encourage more people to make the shift to walking, cycling and public transport. The proposed scheme will be paid for through the Transforming Cities Fund following the city council’s recent successful bid for £32million of second tranche funding to support improvements to local public transport and create more cycling and walking routes into city neighbourhoods and the city centre. The new scheme has been designed to create a safer and more attractive route for pedestrians and cyclists along part of Aylestone Road, from Putney Road to Welford Road, close to the home of Leicester Tigers, where it will link with existing cycleways. Pavements between Putney Road and Almond Road will be widened to up to three metres to create an improved cycleway and footpath. The proposals will involve making permanent a pop-up cycle lane which currently runs along the stretch of Aylestone Road between its junctions with Almond Road and Welford Road, close to the Leicester Tigers stadium. This was the first of Leicester’s original pop-up ‘keyworker corridors’ introduced during the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic, almost two years ago. Since then, the temporary cycle lane has not been found to have had any significant adverse impact on traffic. A new raised off-road cycle track will be created in place of the temporary coned-off route, and the number of lanes for general traffic will be permanently reduced to three along this stretch of road. Improvements will also be made to the junction of Almond Road and Aylestone Road to create a safer and more direct crossing for cyclists and pedestrians. An additional stretch of new cycleway is also proposed for part of Welford Road, from the Tigers Stadium to Lancaster Walk, running alongside Nelson Mandela Park. Once complete, the new cycleway will link directly to safe cycling routes created on Welford Road and Lancaster Road, as well as routes currently under construction on Putney Road and Saffron Lane. Roads will also be raised at key crossing points, and new and improved signals will be installed, to provide a safer route for pedestrians and cyclists. Letters outlining the proposals have been delivered to about 500 homes and business in the nearby area. Work is expected to begin in Spring 2022 and will take around nine months to complete. Deputy Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transportation, said: “These plans represent another important expansion of the city’s growing network of safe and attractive routes for cyclists and pedestrians and will allow us to further extend the multi-million-pound investment we have made in and around the city centre, out into the Leicester’s busy neighbourhoods. “Aylestone Road was one of the first routes to be identified and used as a pop-up ‘keyworker corridor’ to provide safe commuting routes for people during the first lockdown almost two years ago. It’s been a popular route for pedestrians and cyclists ever since. “It is vital that we continue to provide healthier, greener streets to accommodate the future growth of the city and its economy, all of which supports our commitments to address the climate emergency and to reduce air pollution. We need to be radical and ambitious to meet these challenges.” The Transforming Cities Fund is a major £80million citywide programme of investment in sustainable transport, backed by £40million of Government cash from the Department for Transport. The ambitious package of works will focus on major sustainable transport improvements to provide attractive choices for people to get to work, education, shops and other local facilities to help support the city’s growth and deliver on the council’s climate emergency, air quality and health living commitments. The programme includes the development of new bus priority corridors linking the city centre to local neighbourhoods and suburbs along with the continued development of a network of high-quality cycling and walking routes throughout the city, building on the success of the Connecting Leicester programme. It has also seen the introduction of electric buses onto the Park and Ride service and a new citywide electric bike hire scheme in partnership with Santander. To view the plans for Aylestone Road in more detail visit: www.leicester.gov.uk/TransfromingCitiesFund Leicester City Council News 10/02/2022

East Midlands awarded £15,642,403 to support vulnerable families and build brighter futures Region to get £15.6 million share of £200 million package for Supporting Families programme over the next year which helps vulnerable people across the country Key workers help resolve issues at an early stage, before they develop into more serious problems Flagship government scheme has helped more than 470,000 vulnerable families Over 5,000 vulnerable families across the East Midlands will receive tailored support and interventions through government investment in the flagship Supporting Families programme. This week the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced that councils across England will receive a share of over £200 million in 2022/2023 to support vulnerable families in their communities and help them build a brighter future. Working jointly with the Department for Education and other departments, the extra money will help local areas tackle the challenges that vulnerable families face including those that put them at risk of neglect or harm. Dedicated key workers work with every member of the family and bring local services together to resolve issues at an early stage before they develop into more significant problems. Families are supported to leave abusive relationships, receive joined-up support for mental health issues and help people find work. In Nottinghamshire, the Supporting Families Programme has funded a wide range of interventions and parenting programmes through local Family and Parenting Teams. The teams are helping families find their own solutions to areas which they are struggling with including: · Reducing violence and conflict within the home · Improving day to day practical routines and boundaries Working directly with children and young people on how to stay safe online, understanding grooming and the risks of sexual and criminal exploitation and how to deal with emotions and feelings positively. Minister for Levelling up Communities Kemi Badenoch said: “As a society we must help the most vulnerable in our communities and the government is focused on giving families the support they need to build a better future. “Our Supporting Families programme in the East Midlands plays an integral role as we recover from the pandemic, making sure children get back to school, helping those who have lost their jobs get back into work, protecting people’s mental health and stopping domestic abuse.” A total of £15,642,403 has been allocated to the East Midlands: · Derby £1,290,200 · Derbyshire £2,238,467 · Leicester £1,796,000 · Leicestershire £1,442,200 · Lincolnshire £2,279,533 · Northamptonshire North £2,224,000 · Nottingham £1,690,333 · Nottinghamshire £2,520,333 · Rutland £161,333 To date up to £1.2 billion has been invested in the programme since 2012. Evidence shows the whole family approach taken through Supporting Families could prevent children in vulnerable families from ending up in the care system, reduce the likelihood of involvement in crime and support families back towards work and more fulfilling lives. It also found that the proportion of adults receiving custodial sentences had decreased by a quarter; under 18’s receiving custodial sentences had decreased by almost 40%; and the proportion of adults on the programme claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance had decreased by 11%.    The Supporting Families programme costs the taxpayer less in the long run – by preventing issues before they become more serious. Full funding allocations can be found here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-families-programme-funding-allocations-by-local-authority-area-2022-2023

A delivery driver who caused a serious collision by driving on the wrong side of the road has been jailed. Shortly before 2am on 20 March 2020, police were called to the A426 Rugby Road in Lutterworth, following a report that a box van and a lorry had collided and that both drivers were trapped. An investigation, undertaken by detectives from the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU), began while both received hospital treatment for a number of weeks. As a result of their enquiries, it was established that one of the vehicles – driven by 27-year-old Constantin Muscalu – had been on the wrong side of the road, travelling south on the northbound carriageway. Detectives determined that Muscalu – a Romanian national – had not taken any form of evasive action to avoid the lorry, driven by a man in his 40s. Despite the other driver trying to slow down, both vehicles collided head-on. Yesterday (Wednesday 9 February), at Leicester Crown Court, Muscalu was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment. He was also given a driving disqualification of two years and 10 months. On the 7 December last year, at the same court, he pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Detective Sergeant Paul Hawkins, from the SCIU, was the senior investigating officer. He said: “Muscalu was driving on the other side of the road and took no action to avoid colliding head-on with another vehicle – something which could have had far more devastating consequences for all involved. “I don’t know whether it was a momentary lapse in concentration, but he will be well aware that in the UK, we drive on the left-hand side of the road and there was ample road signage to highlight this. “I am just relieved that no-one lost their life as a consequence of his actions. However, the injuries suffered by the other driver have had a significant impact on his life and I hope the conclusion of the case will provide a degree of closure and allow him to move on.”

The 'Tiger Who Came to Tea' exhibition receives a very exciting special guest this month There’s more than one tiger coming to tea at Charnwood Museum this month, when Leicester Tigers mascot Welford roars in to visit the hugely popular ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ exhibition. Welford is a familiar face to rugby fans for his appearances at Leicester Tigers matches, Junior Tigers Club events and getting out and about with the club’s Maul team at shows, among many other engagements. On Wednesday February 16, he will be taking some time out of his busy rugby schedule to pop along to Charnwood Museum in Queen’s Park, Loughborough. He will sit down for tea with the four ft tall cuddly tiger in the recreation of Sophie’s kitchen - part of the exhibition based on Judith Kerr’s beloved children’s book Welford will be at the museum from 12 noon to 3pm, where he will be meeting visitors and posing for photos. He’ll also bring along some fun games and activities – including ‘Spin the Wheel’ and ‘Vault’ – with prizes for the winners. A spokesperson from Leicester Tigers said: “We are incredibly excited to be coming down to the exhibition with Welford to meet everyone. “We’ll be bringing fun games with chances for everyone to win prizes and so we would love to see as many people down as possible.” Councillor Jenny Bokor, lead member for Loughborough at Charnwood Borough Council, said: “We have seen a superb response to The Tiger Who Came to Tea exhibition at Charnwood Museum, and we can’t wait to have another tiger pay a visit. “What a fantastic addition to the exhibition a visit from Welford will be. Children and parents alike will no doubt have a lot of fun. A big thank you to Leicester Tigers.” The Tiger Who Came to Tea exhibition runs until March 5. It was originated by Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, and features illustrations from The Tiger Who Came to Tea, as well as Sophie’s kitchen, where young visitors can sit down to tea with the big cuddly tiger, a reading area, dressing up, puzzles, games and lots more Tiger-related activities. Entry to the exhibition is free during museum opening hours. The museum is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm. More information is available on the Charnwood Museum website at www.charnwoodmuseum.co.uk

Time is running out for people to make their voices heard in a consultation which proposes a range of measures to tackle rogue landlords and help safeguard tenants in communities across the city. Leicester City Council is considering bringing in extra measures requiring landlords and properties to be properly licensed in order to protect the most vulnerable people and improve the standards of private-sector rented housing citywide. Three different options – or combinations of these options – have been set out in a consultation which gives people the chance to find out more and get involved in the decision making to make a difference to their neighbourhoods. The online consultation which began in November 2021 runs until February 22, 2022. As part of that, the city council is running three online Q&A sessions giving people the chance to ask questions and find out more details about the proposals. The sessions take place via Teams, and will take place on Tuesday, February 15, from 2pm to 3pm; Thursday, February 17 from 10 to 11am, and on Friday, February 18, from 12noon to 1pm. People wanting to take part can log in via the city council’s consultations page here. The city council wants to widen the scope of its existing powers to tackle ongoing issues within the private rented sector and to improve standards. The consultation sets out three options showing how these different approaches could be used to improve private rented sector standards. The first approach would involve bringing in Selective Licensing, which would require all privately-rented properties to be licensed by the city council, within parts of the city’s Westcotes, Fosse, Saffron, Stoneygate, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields wards. A second option proposes introducing citywide Additional Licensing, which would require all small HMOs occupied by three or four unrelated tenants who share facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms, to be licensed. It would operate in all areas of the city. A third option would bring in Additional Licensing only within parts of Westcotes, Fosse, Stoneygate, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields. Each of the proposed licensing measures would place conditions on the landlord to ensure issues such as gas and electrical safety, installation of smoke, fire and carbon monoxide alarms are adequately dealt with, along with matters such a repairs and maintenance, waste disposal, tenancy management and addressing antisocial behaviour. Leicester assistant city mayor for housing, Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, said: “It is vital that people have access to decent affordable housing, and for many families the only chance of this is through a private rented tenancy. “Our responsibility is to protect the most vulnerable people by ensuring their housing, and their landlords, meet a higher standard in terms of safety, maintenance and the effect on the wider community. “We’re supporting landlords and tenants to engage with us on these plans, and the involvement of communities themselves is key to ensuring we have robust measures that address local issues. “I’d urge people to take part in this consultation, and to take part in the Q&A sessions, to play their part in shaping how we can raise standards to be met by both landlords and their properties.” Additional Licensing and Selective Licensing are the latest steps being considered by the city council to both crackdown on rogue landlords and improve the standards of private-sector rentals. Another consultation, which ended last month, looked at plans to expand legislation known as an Article 4 Direction, which means planning permission would be needed to convert any house into a HMO in certain areas of the city. An Article 4 Direction already exists covering parts of the West End, streets near to De Montfort University’s campus and Leicester Royal Infirmary, numerous streets in the area between New Walk and HMP Leicester, as well as most of Clarendon Park and a section south of Lancaster Road. That would be expanded to include thousands more homes from Rowley Fields, to Westcotes, Newfoundpool and parts of the Waterside area, as well as much of Knighton Fields, Knighton, Stoneygate, part of Aylestone, along with most of Spinney Hills and Highfields. To take part in the Additional Licensing and Selective Licensing consultation visit here. Leicester City Council News Published on Wednesday, February 9, 2022

A New exhibition at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery will form the centrepiece of a programme of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the arrival in the UK of thousands of Ugandan Asians. The Uganda 50 exhibition will both mark the anniversary of the exodus in 1972 by those fleeing the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and also celebrate the contribution the Asian community has made to Leicester’s culture and community over the last half a century. Leicester-based arts organisation Navrang has been awarded just over £102,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a programme of regional events including the exhibition. The project will bring to life the extraordinary experiences of an entire community of people who were given just 90 days to leave Uganda, and the stories of those displaced people who settled in the UK, and in Leicester. The exhibition in Leicester has also received a £10,000 contribution from Leicester City Council’s Museums and Galleries Services. It is due to open in July 2022. A wider programme of events is also being planned, details of which are yet to be finalised, but in Leicester Museum and Art Gallery the exhibition will be the first to occupy the new display space which is being created in the former World Arts Gallery on the museum’s first floor. Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “This is a very important year in the history of the city’s Ugandan Asian community, and we are looking forward to developing a wide-ranging programme of events and activities recognising that. “The Uganda 50 exhibition is just the first part of what is planned, and we will be announcing details in due course of other events we are planning. “More than 27,000 Ugandan Asians came to Britain after being expelled by Idi Amin, and several thousand of those started new lives in Leicester. “Their wealth of experiences, personal accounts and memories of that time are something we want to be reflecting in this programme of events across the community. ” Cllr Piara Singh Clair, Leicester deputy city mayor responsible for culture, leisure and sport, added: “The new exhibition at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery will be a fitting celebration of the resilience and resourcefulness of a whole people who were displaced and forced to start all over again, far away from home. “Leicester’s Ugandan Asian population have helped forge a unique identity for the city over the last 50 years, and these commemorations will celebrate the huge contribution they have made to the city’s culture.” Arts organisation Navrang previously worked on the 2012 ‘Kampala to Leicester Exhibition’ marking 40 years of Ugandan Asians in Leicester, which included an exhibition that is now a permanent exhibit at Leicester's Newark Houses Museum. The organisation has planned events for Charnwood Museum in Loughborough, along with three smaller traveling exhibitions touring the city and county, plus a programme of lectures and activities in local schools. Navrang’s Nisha Popat added: “The project will explore the emotive and inspiring story of Ugandan Asians, the links to Empire and the impact this community has had on the city it made its home.” Leicester City Council News - Published on Tuesday, February 8, 2022