Market Bosworth Annual Parish Meeting Appendices - Reports 2019

MARKET BOSWORTH PARISH COUNCIL Market Bosworth Annual Parish Meeting April 30th 2019

Appendices

Appendix A - Market Bosworth Parish Council Page 2

Appendix B – Market Bosworth Gardening Club Page 5

Appendix C – Market Bosworth and District Bridge Club Page 5

Appendix D – Market Bosworth Free Church Page 6

Appendix E – Royal British Legion Page8

Appendix F – Aspect Community Magazine Page 8

Appendix G – Market Bosworth Bowls Club Page 8

Appendix H – The Market Bosworth School Page 9

Appendix I – 1st Market Bosworth Scout Group Page 9

Appendix J – The Market Bosworth Festival Page 10

Appendix K - Market Bosworth Community Library Page 10

Appendix L – Arts Society, Sparkenhoe Page 11

Appendix M – Rotary Club Page 12

Appendix N – Tennis Club Page 13

Appendix O – Business Group Page 13

Appendix P – Christmas Festivities Group Page 14

Appendix Q – The Market Bosworth Society Page 14

Appendix R – The Friday Club Page 15

Appendix S – The Dixie Grammar School Page 16

Appendix T - Market Bosworth Community Interest Company Page 16

Appendix U – Bosworth in Bloom Page 17

Market Bosworth Parish Council

Appendix A - Chairman’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting, 30 April 2019

During the past year the Parish Council has not only spent time on the day-to-day administration involved in running a cemetery, 2 play areas, open spaces and a car park, but has also obtained grant funding from various sources and progressed some major projects.

• Road safety has been a major concern in recent months, with correspondence regularly received from residents in respect of traffic congestion, speeding, inconsiderate parking most of this relates to poor driver behaviour – out of our control. • The Parish Council has limited powers with regards to Highways matters but continues to bring concerns to Highways for attention and to address the issues where possible. For example, ▪ Highways are to introduce a graded speed limit on Wellsborough Road in the vicinity of Bosworth Marina and Bosworth Water Park, ▪ The Parish Council is looking to purchase portable speed indicator devices which can be moved around the village and placed at strategic points to warn drivers driving above the speed limit. ▪ The Parish Council will also continue to work with the local schools and police to try to improve pedestrian safety for all. • Comments were submitted on no fewer than 60 planning applications during 2018, with the Parish Council continuing to reference the Neighbourhood Plan and expressing concern as to how divisional and county strategic planning decisions could conflict with local Neighbourhood Plans. • Complaints re people living at and operating business from the Marina continue to be reported to HBBC for investigation. These are passed to the HBBC enforcement team who have so far always reported that nobody is in breach of the requirements in that all the boats have been out on the canal system during the past 12 months, each boat owner moored at the Marina has a permanent private residential address elsewhere and each boat licence shows that the boat has a home mooring or is a continuous cruiser. • Comments have been submitted on numerous and varied County and Borough Council consultations and questionnaires. • The Parish Council continues to fulfil its legal duties and responsibilities. For example, the legal requirements to meet the General Data Protection Regulation which came in to force in 2019. On top of that, journals, newsletters, changes to local government policies, police matters, etc all provide much reading matter. • The Parish Council also continues to ▪ administer the public toilet block; ▪ to regularly update its website; ▪ to issue two newsletters a year; ▪ and be represented on outside organisations such as the Patient Participation Group, Parish Forum, local tourism groups and the local business group. • The Parish Council also continues to support local groups and residents where possible; for example in pressing Royal Mail for an additional post box and supporting the Market Bosworth Society’s Bosworth Links dig project by permitting a pit to be dug on the Parish Field. • The Neighbourhood Plan and subsequent feedback from local businesses also highlighted a need for wifi and CCTV within the town centre. Working with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council’s Town Centre Manager and the local business group, and thanks to part funding from the

Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, Market Bosworth joined the digital age with free public wi-fi in January 2019. The next project will be to install CCTV. • The Town Centre Manager also assisted Christmas Festivities Group with this year’s very successful Christmas Lights Switch On which took a new format, being held on a Sunday afternoon instead of the usual Thursday evening. The Parish Council is pleased to continue to support the Christmas Festivities through purchase of a Christmas tree and tree lights, meeting the costs of the electricity for the lights and hosting a civic reception. • With regards to day-to-day administration, the Parish Council continues to be busy in this area as well. • The open space, cemetery, play area, parish field and car park maintenance contracts have been rationalised and the Parish Council has assumed responsibility for the paved part of the jitty between Station Road and Warwick Lane where it has authorised the felling of the oak tree which has become too large for the space and a danger to adjacent properties. • Other major projects have been completed this year. These include the cemetery. • Planning permission has been obtained for the next stage of cemetery development. The Parish Council has recognised the need for more ashes interment spaces and an area to scatter ashes therefore the existing cemetery plan has been amended to accommodate these needs accordingly. The project will be implemented in stages to create additional pathways, provision to scatter ashes, a covered seating area, wheelchair access, vertical posts for plaques and views across the cemetery and open countryside. This will be the start of a much bigger Cemetery Phase 2 scheme to grow the cemetery. • The work took place to implement the enhancement works in the Memorial garden at the start of the last year which was then followed up by the commemoration of World War 1 project and the installation of the Heritage Panels. The project funded through a LEADER grant facilitated the design and installation of the panels which identify the background to the Memorial Garden and the story of Market Bosworth during WWI and WWII, and they list those who died in combat. This was completed ‘just in time’ and the work completed to commemorate the centenary of the end of WWI and were officially unveiled at a commemoration event on 11 November 2018 attended by local dignitaries. We have received positive feedback from residents and visitors saying how much they appreciate the area now it is open and welcoming. Needless to say we hope to have another exciting project for the very large area that was cleared of undergrowth. Another project completed was the commissioning and installation of heritage interpretation panels in the Memorial Garden. • The draft Market Place Redevelopment Scheme – aimed at rationalising parking and improving pedestrian safety – went to public consultation at two very well attended events in October 2018 organised by the Rural Community Council. Phase I, to prepare a scheme for costing, is complete thanks to a Developing Communities Fund grant and practical assistance from Leicestershire County Council’s Highways department and Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council. The scheme addresses concerns and fulfils aspirations raised through the production of the Neighbourhood Plan adopted in 2015. It is hoped phase II, to carry out surveys and prepare parking strategies, will be completed during 2019 prior to implementation later. • A further significant piece of work was the production of the Neighbourhood Forum’s ‘Survey of Important Trees and Hedgerows in the Parish of Market Bosworth’, a valuable piece of reference work involving many volunteer hours aimed to gain an understanding and evaluation of the defining characteristics of the Parish of Market Bosworth by assessing the potential impact of the loss of trees and hedgerows on the landscape character. A small working group led by Councillor John Pope pulled the idea together and recruited scores of volunteers to roam the parish to elicit

the data. The document has been promoted as an example for other parishes to follow, has gained much publicity, and is timely considering advice in the updated National Planning Policy Framework that valued trees and hedgerows should be recognised as local heritage assets. Furthermore, the document reached the finals for a prestigious Royal Town Planning Institute award based on community participation in the category ‘Planning for the Natural Environment’ whilst not winning it was a superb achievement, especially as no other Parish Councils were nominated across all the categories. • The Parish Council also successfully obtained grant funding, this time from the Borough Council’s Parish & Community Initiative Fund, to install new swings to offer additional facilities at the Waterside Mede Play Area on Pipistrelle Drive. Further funding has been sought to install some wet pour surfacing beneath the swings. • The above represents a huge achievement for 8 volunteers and one part time member of staff. At this point I would like to record my thanks as chair on behalf of fellow councillors to Cathy r not only for the excellent work she does in the contracted hours but the considerable additional time she gives to ensure we can achieve the aspirations and goals we have been working towards. I would also like to thank our Borough Councillor Maureen Cook and County Councillor Ivan Ould for their continued help and support over the last year. It is very much appreciated by the Parish Council. • Tonight, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my fellow councillors for their input and support accordingly. As you may know we are losing 4 experienced and valued members of the council. Heather Broughton and John Pope although only being in office for one term have added immensely to the richness of the council proceedings and their involvement in these recent projects has been invaluable to their successful outcomes. John will continue as Chair of the Neighbourhood Forum which is a key role as we move nearer to the Neighbourhood Plan review. • Thanks especially are due to Dick Symonds and Harry Whitehead who will be stepping down at the May local elections thus marking the end of an era for the Parish Council. Dick has served as a Councillor for 40 years since first elected in May 1979, 15 as Vice Chairman. Harry has served as a Councillor for 28 years since May 1991, 20 as Chairman. Thanks are due to them both for their commitment and dedication to the community, not only through the Parish Council in activities such as establishing the cemetery, Rectory Lane car park and Heath Road Play Area, but also through local groups such as Bosworth in Bloom and Aspect. I have been told since taking over as Chair that Market Bosworth is recognised as one of the most proactive counties in the Borough and County. I believe the bar was set very high by Harry and Dick, and the legacy of their many now established and successful projects are integral elements of the fabric of our community. • Finally, a thank you to you not simply for attending but all the hard work, time and commitment you all give to your respective organisations – all of which in some add value to or provide support for members of our community. Market Bosworth is a great place to live, work and visit and that is down those people you are representing - the volunteers, the grafters, the unsung heroes in fact all those who get on to do their best for others

Appendix B - Market Bosworth Gardening Club

The Gardening Club, with 34 members, continues to meet in the hall of the Church of Our Lady and St Gregory on Station Road on the first Friday of the month from September to May with speakers on a wide range of horticultural topics. Many of our speakers bring plants for sale, and we conclude with a cup of tea and homemade cake. This season we have also had afternoon tea in January at Dobbies Garden Centre, and a Summer barbecue in a members garden. We went to Lamport Hall as our Summer Outing, with a tour of house and garden.

This all sounds very positive, and we are an enthusiastic and lively club with an excellent planning team. But over the past few years we have been drawing down on our financial resources and can no longer afford to do so. There is a good chance that the club will close if we cannot generate more funds. The fees charged by the speakers and their added travel costs have escalated over the last few years beyond our income. We have decided reluctantly to increase the annual subscription substantially and have several fund raising activities planned. Our membership remains at a constant number losing and gaining a few members every season, despite efforts to recruit and retain new members. The programme planned for 2019-2020 may be Gardening Clubs final season.

Our meetings are advertised in The Aspect and The Graphic with a contact phone number for the Chairperson Judy Buckell. We welcome visitors and new members.

Appendix C – Market Bosworth and District Bridge Club

The Market Bosworth and District Bridge Club is now over 40 years old and thriving even in this modern-day environment. With over 80 regular players, we have continued to expand our sessions to cover new, improvers and experienced players. Our Main Bridge night for reasonably experienced players is on Wednesday nights in the Parish Hall from 7-10 pm, and generally we welcome around 40 players. We run a number of competitions over the year, culminating in our Annual Dinner and Awards Evening held every May, which attracts around 50 players and guests. We also now run a ‘Bridge For All’ session on Tuesdays afternoons, which ran in the Parish Hall over the winter. I am delighted to report that this session will continue over the summer in the Library, as we are attracting over 14 players every week. Our Beginners Bridge and Continuing Bridge training ran on Thursdays over the winter and takes place in the Market Bosworth Community Library. This attracted 8 new players and 12 improvers. This session will restart on the Thursday 26th September for 12 weeks, from 2:15-3:45 pm. I want to thank John Pope, who has been the driving force in getting our Tuesday and Thursday session off the ground and running so successfully With our growing number of players, the Club is hoping to fund the purchase of an automated scoring system which will cost around £2500, this will enable us to score our sessions immediately at the end of play. We run the Bridge Club in a friendly and welcoming way, and although there is competitive edge to our main sessions, the atmosphere we create is very social. The club has an excellent and very supportive committee and is always delighted to welcome new or returning players. Our main contact is our secretary: John Pope - [email protected] or 01455 290724

Appendix D – Market Bosworth Free Church

At this meeting last year, I reported that Market Bosworth Free Church was about to enter an exciting new phase, as we eagerly awaited the arrival of our new Pastor, Rev. Jim Mullin, whom we would be sharing with Desford Free Church. Jim has now been with us for 8 months. He hoped to be here this evening but sends his apologies as he has a commitment in Desford. He is usually in Bosworth on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as well as leading a couple of Sunday services each month.

We have continued to seek ways in which to serve the community of Market Bosworth and the surrounding villages, and, as well as continuing with our existing services, activities and events, we have begun or are about to begin some new ventures, which if you use Facebook , or read The Graphic and Aspect, or if you simply walk around the town, you can’t fail to have seen advertised. We are a very open and friendly church – we welcome people to come to any of our events/services and there is something for everyone.

It is a very special time ahead for us as September this year marks the 70th anniversary of Market Bosworth Free Church and we are planning some exciting celebrations. Our main Celebration Weekend will be 21st & 22nd September, when on the Saturday, we will be holding our annual Big BBQ here, at the Dixie Pavilion and Playing Fields for anyone in the community who would like to come along to join in the fun for all ages. It will be bigger and better than ever! On the Sunday morning, we will have a Celebration Service which will also be our Harvest Festival, and, in the evening, there will be a lively Praise service led by an excellent worship band from Sutton in the Elms. We also have a few other surprises planned during the year to mark this anniversary so do look out for the publicity.

The Bosworth Society have kindly agreed to help us research and put together an archive on the 70 years of our church and the part that its members have played in the community during that time which we then plan to put on display for everyone to see. Details for this are still to be arranged. If anyone has anything which may be of interest regarding Market Bosworth Free Church and its founders and members such as photos, newspaper clippings, or any other information, then please let us know.

For families/children:

Messy Church, which is a family-friendly way of doing church on a Saturday, is now held every month on the 3rd Saturday, 3-5pm, with lots of crafts and activities, songs, stories, puppets and food. Also, with families in mind, every 4th Sunday of the month we hold family@church services which are deliberately shorter than usual services and are interactive, and very child –friendly. We continue to have a thriving parent/carer and toddler group, Jollytots, which meets on Thursdays from 10.30 - 11.45am during term time, providing a place for the children and adults to make new friends, in a relaxed and safe environment. We welcome children from newborn until school-age.

Also for children, this summer we will be running a holiday club for Primary school age children from 24th -26th July – 3 mornings and in December we are planning, with the other 2 churches in Bosworth, to host Saltmine Theatre Company with a Christmas show for families called The Nutcracker. Saltmine is a nationally acclaimed theatre company and their show in Desford last December was extremely entertaining.

As part of Churches Together, with St Peter’s Church and OLSG Church, we held a Children’s Easter Activity Morning which was hugely successful, with lots of families attending and we hope to be able to organise a similar event, again with the other 2 churches, at Christmas this year.

For adults/elderly:

Coffee Chat every Wednesday from 10.30 am – 12 noon is a friendly drop-in, welcoming local people and visitors to the town.

Friends and Neighbours is a group mostly attended by retired people on 1st Wednesday each month from 2.30pm – 4pm. The programme is varied, with visiting speakers on wide range of interesting topics or themed afternoons/quizzes etc. Always followed by refreshments and lots of chat. Great for people on their own or anyone who would like to spend time in the company of others, to make friends.

Next Monday sees the commencement of a new initiative at the Free Church –the Forget Me Not Memory Café for people living with dementia or memory loss and their carers. In conjunction and with the support of AgeUK and a number of volunteers from across the local community to help run the monthly sessions, we are very pleased to be able to offer this facility to people in the town and surrounding villages. There will be tea, chat, games and other appropriate activities in a safe, friendly and supportive environment. If you know of anyone who would appreciate this facility, please do tell them about it.

In February, we became an official Keep Safe Place as part of Leicestershire County Council’s scheme. Keep Safe Places provide somewhere for people to go if they feel scared, upset or need help. They will also call or help people to call someone to help them such as a friend, carer, relative, police, emergency services etc. Whilst we cannot be open all the time, the hours when people can find this facility at the church are advertised on Leicestershire County Council website.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this report, we are a church seeking to serve the community in whatever ways we can. We welcome requests for infant dedications, weddings and funerals and are very happy to pray with or for people or situations or concerns. We have a prayer request box outside the church where anyone can post a request for prayer, anonymously if preferred, or we can be contacted by phone, email, or Facebook if needed.

Our facilities are also available for hire at very reasonable rates to community groups, societies etc for meetings and events.

We look forward to welcoming the people of Market Bosworth and surrounding area to our church in the coming year and we hope that you will help us to make our 70th anniversary celebrations a really memorable community celebration.

Appendix E – Royal British Legion

Branch Secretary, John Ward, explained that member numbers are sadly decreasing and there are now only 5 or 6 active members. This is due partly to the changing demographic towards an older generation and to the fact that some members have moved away.

Despite this the group is heavily involved with various occasions across the county such as ‘Armed Forces Day’ and ‘County Hall Flag Day’.

MBRBL has a very full year ahead. They will have a 2 day stand at the Shackerstone Steam Festival in September and a 2-week collection point at Dobbies Nursery for poppy day in November. Also, a lot of organisation is involved for the annual Remembrance Day Parade through the Market Place in Market Bosworth.

The group is desperately short of members and would welcome volunteer helpers or they may have to amalgamate with another group.

Appendix F – Aspect Community Magazine

Aspect magazine was started in 1973. It was produced by members of the community for members of the community and has been providing news information and local articles of interest almost continuously for the last 36 years. It has improved in quality from the early days when it was produced ‘in house’ at the High School with mainly text and few illustrations to a full glossy professional looking magazine.

Although supported by adverts the ratio of adverts to articles and information pages is relatively small. There is a membership of around 400 per issue but local shops also sell copies both to non- subscribers of the area as well as visitors. Sales are around 500 copies per month. The cost of production is however increasing and price increases have been inevitable.

Aspect welcomes articles from all local sources. All clubs and societies attending this annual meeting are invited to submit articles and the appeal from the editorial committee is to buy, contribute and support.

Appendix G – Market Bosworth Bowls Club

Market Bosworth Bowls Club is a friendly and welcoming club with around 60 members. Surprisingly quite a few people in Market Bosworth do not know that the club exists on Rectory Lane. The club plays both league and friendly matches throughout the season April to October although evening matches finish usually end of August due to earlier dark nights. There are opportunities for beginners to try bowls and coaching for those who want to take it a little more seriously.

The club hosts a number of social events throughout the year including regular coffee mornings, a bridge afternoon and other activities to mark club occasions.

More information and contacts can be found on the club website at www.marketbosworthbowlsclub.co.uk

Appendix H – The Market Bosworth School

Our core role in the community: We provide an outstanding education for over 800 local children aged 11-16. Achievements: • The only secondary school in Leicestershire to be awarded Outstanding for three consecutive visits by Ofsted  The highest overall 2016 & 2017 GCSE results of all Leicestershire state schools  A well established and popular school. We have been significantly over subscribed for the past 6 years  Chosen to contribute to the parliamentary review.  We have also started working with Andrew Churchill from JJ Churchill ltd, to support our careers department and offer opportunities and talks to develop our students skills for the wider world of work. Future Plans, Aims and Aspirations: based on our Mission Statement - “Educating with care to encourage success for all” translated into our Vision: • To remain an outstanding school • To provide outstanding education and support for our pupils • To provide wider opportunities for pupils, that will support and prepare them for life after secondary school • We are committed to raising standards for all our students, promoting the highest possible achievements, regardless of background or ability • We strive to educate with care to enable all students to realise their full potential, both academically and socially Our wider community input:  Provide regular car park for community events  Provide facilities for local sport groups  The Bosworth Festival  Poppy Appeal  Local primary visits  Provide a French theatre visit for local primary schools  Bosworth in Bloom  Provide sponsorship for the local Football club  Young musicians performed for the local care homes at Christmas

Appendix I – 1st Market Bosworth Scout Group

The group is flourishing with membership application exceeding available spaces. Membership has increased thanks to a very dedicated team of leaders who have enabled a strong and popular group to flourish.

The group is very active. The scouts have enjoyed many curricular and extra-curricular activities such as attending camps and a shooting event, visiting Leicester’s Space Centre and preparing for the annual Scarecrow Trail.

The group has also carried out extensive fund raising and has managed to raise money to fix tents and purchase new camping equipment.

The Parish Council was thanked for its grant towards the new camping equipment and all those present were invited to the Scouting Event and AGM which are to take place on the Parish Field on Saturday 6 July 2019

Appendix J – The Market Bosworth Festival

The 18th Market Bosworth Festival will run from 7-23 June 2019.

There is a committee of 12. Tim Richardson will take over as Chairman in 2019.

The committee meets monthly and enjoys putting on the festival, the purpose of which is to celebrate the Arts in a variety of forms: music (classical, rock, soul, pop, folk), film, theatre, literature, lectures, visual arts and crafts and surprises.

The Festival won best free festival in Leicestershire in 2018 for the big weekend portion of the festival. The events are not done in isolation. Help comes from sponsors, including Fox Country Properties, the Dixie Grammar School, Bosworth in Bloom, Rotary Club, Parish Council, Sports Club, Water Park, Library etc – it is a team effort.

All are encouraged to visit the Bosworth Festival’s website. Practical help is welcome e.g. to cut grass, lend a van, hammer in posts etc.

What’s on this year: The Archers in the form of Lillian Bellamy; comedy; art exhibition which has 130 entries so far; big new art trail with 16 venues in the town; photography competition; summer soul party; classical concert; open air theatre; boules competition and French themed evening; craft market; children’s entertainment.

Appendix K - Market Bosworth Community Library

Achievements

In the last year we have signed up 169 new members of the library

We have loaned 9497 books 4,201 to children

We have an average of 154 active loan users a month

Sold 2,200 books from our reuse book facility, lots of the most recent paperbacks available

Currently 56 active volunteers and we have offered 15 placements for local youngsters 3 to 6 months (Duke of Edinburgh Award and Service to the Community)

Still open part of every day except Sunday for 19 Hours a week

Regular meetings at the library include the Knit & Stitch Group every Weds Morning

Story & Rhyme first Friday each month

Bridge Training Courses Next in Sept/Bridge Players

Short Mat Bowls (Wed Afternoons)

In addition, we have a number of events that are advertised in the local press and on our website.

Developments

After an amazing amount of bureaucracy, the Leader Bid for audio visual equipment was finally agreed and installed in the library in December last year. We have been able to welcome into the library the Bosworth Festival film nights and the facility is available for presentations, training and community events but please tell us if you want to use the equipment when you book the room. Thanks to the Festival Committee who financially supported this project.

A grant from the Parish Council has enabled the library to introduce a short mat indoor bowls facility which after some initial experimentation is now operating on Wednesday afternoons.

The direct path from Station Road was finally installed although due to technical issues this path is not DDA compliant and disabled access remains along the old access route. This is causing some problems as Disabled Parking for the library is very difficult.

Due to our very effective fundraisers, our 200 Club and library sales we have been able to meet the financial objectives set out in our original “business plan” submitted to the LCC in our bid to run the library.

The library Trustees would like to thank all of our local representatives (Parish, District and County Councillors) and local organisations for their ongoing support.

Appendix L – Arts Society, Sparkenhoe

I am the Chair of The Arts Society Sparkenhoe – an associate of The Arts Society based in London who have similar associations throughout the UK and overseas. Our aim is to connect our members and guests with the arts in its broadest sense.

To this end, we hold 10 monthly evening lectures (we omit January and August) on a diverse range of topics. This past year, for instance, our lectures have included topics such as: Street Art; the artist Frida Kahlo; the Magic of Pantomime (our Christmas lecture); Egyptian treasures of the Ashmoleon Museum; and Jewellery and fashion - all delivered by highly regarded and experienced lecturers accredited by the Arts Society. Some of these are TV personalities from the Antiques Roadshow (recently, Marc Allum and Lars Tharpe) and other programmes. Our lectures are well attended and enthusiastically received. Members and guests are offered a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink following each lecture, giving an opportunity to socialise.

Visits to notable venues associated with the arts are Included in our remit, and last summer a party went to Renishawe Hall. This year we have a visit planned to The Ashmoleon Museum in Oxford as a follow up to the recent lecture on the Ancient Egyptian Treasures held by the museum.

We are very proud of our work promoting Young Arts locally. This year, working with the Market Bosworth School Art Department, we have made an award to the School of £1000 for new printing equipment needed to support their art projects.

Our annual programme commencing in June will include: What did the Ancient Greeks know about the Golden Rectangle? A lecture on ‘Debo’ - Deborah Mitford, the late Duchess of Devonshire; and in November we have a lecture on the History and Heritage of the Canals in Britain. The lecturer has promised to tailor part of his talk to the locality. We are negotiating with Ambion Voices ladies choir based in Dadlington and Stoke Golding, with the aim of having a performance of Three Reflections on

11 the Ashby Canal to follow the lecture. This short piece was specially composed for Ambion Voices by Michael Dix and is based on the story of the Ashby Canal through its phases of activity. The piece had its premiere performance at the Marina in Market Bosworth a year or so ago, and the choir is very enthusiastic at the prospect of performing it again for us.

We have joined the Enjoy Market Bosworth web site, and we hope this will spread the word about The Arts Society Sparkenhoe in the wider community.

We are also now working with the Market Bosworth Festival, organising our June lecture to coincide with and come under the banner of the Festival; again, this aims to broaden the reach of our society and encourage a greater interest in the arts.

We continue to use local magazines and posters to give our programme publicity and reach., and of course use our own website www.sparkenhoearts.co.uk. We are always keen to welcome new members, some of whom initially come as guests and then decide to become members. In common with most other societies and organisations, we find it more tricky to recruit volunteers to serve on our committee so that we can then offer more activities than we are currently able to do.

Appreciation of the Arts in its broadest form is such an important ingredient in enhancing and enriching both an individual’s and a community’s day-to-day life, and in The Arts Society Sparkenhoe we try to make the best contribution we can.

John Hawkes, Chair, The Arts Society Sparkenhoe

Appendix M – Rotary Club

Rotary comprises 3 working committees, Fundraising, Community Service and Social and this year we have organised and involved ourselves in a Garden Party, Watering for Bosworth in Bloom, Marshalling for the Remembrance Day Parade, a Santa Fun Run, an Easter Egg Hunt, as well as collections at Woodlands/Dobbies, Hinckley Market and Twycross School.

We have carried out extensive repairs to our Santa Sleigh which has allowed us to complete an extensive programme of visits throughout Market Bosworth and surrounding villages. We along with our helpers do make collections on these journeys but they are considered as much a service to the community nowadays as they are a source of funds. All funds collected are shared with our helpers.

We have helped with tree planting for the Dixie Grammar, Youth Speaks with St. Martins at Stoke Golding, who’s entry reached the District Final. We are helping with the provision of an additional Defibrillator for Market Bosworth to be installed at St. Peters Hall. We have also arranged a training course for its use along with CPR. Bosworth Hall Britannia Suite at 3.30 on Wednesday 1st May at 3.30pm at a cost of £10 per head.

Funds raised this year amount to well over £10,000.00 and we have already made donations to 14 local Charities and deserving organisations. These along with our national and international appeals for Kids Out, Shelter Box, End Polio Now and Rotary Foundation.

Significantly this year we have moved our meeting venue back to Market Bosworth at Bosworth Hall Hotel where we meet every Tuesday. 3 lunchtime meetings 12 for 12.30pm and 1 evening meeting 6.30 for 7.00pm every month. Members number 30 currently and they are all male who now enjoy

12 facilities that would cope with greater numbers. We would like to increase the numbers and include some lady members.

The time allowed is not sufficient for me to give you more detailed information but will hope that what I have said will give you some idea of what Rotary is about. If any of you are interested know someone who is or want more detailed information why not come along to a meeting, have a look and give it a try.

Appendix N – Tennis Club

We are situated at the Dixie Grammar School playing field on Barton Road.

We have 250 members of all ages and abilities and offer a full programme of competitive, coaching and social tennis opportunities.

We have six floodlit courts, three hard and three astroturf, a brick built clubhouse and carparking.

We have twenty plus teams in the Leicestershire leagues ranging from minitennis red for very young juniors to veterans.

We run a programme of free coaching in seven local primary schools which culminates in a tournament held at the club.

This year at the Tennis Leicestershire Awards Evening Market Bosworth won the following awards

Club of the Year

Coach of the Year – Nick Rose who has been our head coach for 16 years.

Young Player of the Year – Aaron Jinks – County Under 16 and Under 18 Champion.

Young Adult of the Year – Alex Jinks – Assistant coach and volunteer.

For a rural club to win so many prestigious awards is outstanding and we feel very proud.

This follows on from the National British Tennis Outstanding Achievement Award won last summer by Helen Buckingham for her part in developing the club over forty-four years.

We welcome new members of all ages and abilities.

Appendix O – Business Group

The group is formally constituted and open to all business owners in and around Market Bosworth. The group tends to meet on a four to six week rotation. The group is involved with a number of local initiatives and supported following areas of activity:

• Free Wi-Fi • Christmas Lights event • Parish Council Town Centre Redevelopment Programme Trying to assist Bosworth in Bloom • Shop watch • Rural transport

• Finance and Grants • Free digital marketing and training sessions

The aim is to try and not duplicate the efforts of other groups such as the Parish Council but act as additional support as and when needed.

Appendix P – Christmas Festivities Group

The group is made up from representative from local businesses, parish and borough councils, the Rotary club and other local volunteers. Last year saw the move to holding the event on a Sunday. This enabled us to achieve a road closure and made the market place area much safer as well as facilitating more stalls and activities. The ice rink at Bosworth Hall hotel was well received and provided a different type of attraction. The event attracted large crowds and with the support of The Market Bosworth School Car park together with the Dixie school buses providing a shuttle service between car parks at the Water Park and the Dixie Playing Fields we were able to provide much needed car parking. Helen Buckingham was the ‘local hero’ nominated her outstanding work with the Tennis Club and invited to participate at the Christmas lights switch on 2018.

The group felt that they had learned a lot from this first year of the new format and look forward to refining the event but ensuring it will be both exciting and welcoming for the local community as well as the many visitors who attend the event. ‘Bosworth in Bloom’ are this year’s nominated local heroes.

Appendix Q – The Market Bosworth Society

I am delighted to be able to deliver my report to you. Once again, our Society has had yet another excellent year. We have been lucky to hear some very interesting guest speakers and two thoroughly enjoyable and educational Summer Visits. I am especially grateful to the members and residents who take part in the ever-popular local history evenings. Do please come along and enjoy these evenings. For the 2019/20 programme, this Summer our Visits will show up some interesting points if not surprises. We are always open to recommendations for visits should anyone have a suggestion or two.

Bosworth Links completed in 2018 and was, on all fronts a complete success. The archaeological discoveries were matched only by the community spirit demonstrated by those involved. I am immensely proud of what the Society and Bosworth Links has achieved.

The Society has put the Archive to extensive and effective use supporting local groups such as the Tommies and Bosworth in Bloom, both of which have also had successful years. The Archive also yielded up many facts unearthed by our researchers culminating in the superb presentation, last November, which transported the audience back to 1900/ 1918. The text and images are available on the website. I would like to thank and congratulate our Archivist Glynis, her researchers Beth and Ingrid and our talented narrator, Robert. May I also remind members that we are always looking for local information and memorabilia, VHS videos, DVDs, photographs and documents, everything should be considered for addition to the Archive before deletion or destruction.

We have maintained a watching brief upon planning application which effect the Conservation Area, entrances, vistas, and views. This latest year we have commented upon 11 applications and have 3 more under consideration. The Society works hard to preserve the Conservation Area for the enjoyment of everyone, including future generations. I attend many meetings regarding Heritage Tourism issues representing the Society. Until it became an open meeting we were the only society invited to attend the 1485 Sculpture Trail Consultation Event held in the Market Bosworth Community Library.

Our website has been updated and is now much better protected than it ever was. Threats are increasing and in the last three months alone there have been 175 separate hacking attempts, which thankfully our programmes and policies have thwarted. Last month we had 2042 visits from across the world with “A Brief History of Market Bosworth” coming out in top with 347 hits or roughly 17%, Bosworth Links 3rd at 225 or 11%. Work on the website continues and we are looking into hosting two new sites. One specifically for Bosworth Links and one for our guided walks. Guided walks are available via the Walk-Bosworth button.

My gratitude extends to George Lees who manages our Facebook pages. George ensures that posts are appropriate and removes posts and people if they do not keep to the rules. We currently have 401 members, many of whom do not live nearby but are able to keep in touch with Market Bosworth and the Society.

Looking forward to the future, we are moving forward with our plans to digitalise the Archive. It is now completely housed in the new Archive Room and we are seeking quotes for digitalising equipment and software. The full project cost is likely to exceed £29,000 so if anyone has that amount spare? No, grant applications it is then.

The Society has also formed a sub-committee to review our guided walks in light of added information from Bosworth Links and we are currently developing 4 new walks for testing this summer with a full launch next year. The reason? To raise money to support the Archive and the other work we do, where we cannot rely on membership fees alone. The new Town Trail Guide and Souvenir should be available by this May. Bosworth Links is complete but not finished. The Bosworth Links committee are working to put together a programme of further investigations. It would be wrong of me to reveal any more at this point, but I can assure you it is both exciting and has never before been attempted. Stay tuned.

We have a full lecture and visit programme taking us to April 2020. Fantastic value for money! Do tell everyone and encourage them to join.

Appendix R – The Friday Club

This is a small, friendly community drop-in coffee morning. Members meet together every Friday between 10am and 11.30am in the hall of Our Lady and St. Gregory church, Station Road, Market Bosworth. The Friday Club is open to everyone and newcomers are especially welcome. Occasionally outings and lunches are arranged, often subsidised. These are mostly in the local area so that members with cars can offer lifts. There is also a bingo session once a month.

With a small charge for members of £2 per term and coffee at only 50p, the club is self-funding.

More information from Teresa - 290849 or Averil - 290333

Appendix S – The Dixie Grammar School

The Headmaster, Mr Richard Lynn, explained the background to some exaggerated negative reports recently published in the local press, reassuring those present that all is well at the school.

Mr Lynn also reported on the school’s ongoing involvement within the local community. For example: • 1,000 indigenous trees had been planted on Nutswood Pasture with the help of the Market Bosworth Society, Bosworth in Bloom and other local volunteers as part of a scheme to mark the centenary of the end of WWI. • 10% of the school’s income over the past year had gone on bursaries • Local groups are encouraged and always welcome to use the school’s facilities such as the main school hall and the Sports Pavilion where the Annual Parish Meeting was being held. Anyone wishing to use the facilities was urged to contact the school office.

Appendix T - Market Bosworth Community Interest Company

Market Bosworth CIC is limited company but is run entirely by volunteer directors. Our aim is to support local initiatives that have been identified by the community that require a legally constituted organisation to initiate an outcome. The first activity was to reinstate a post office service. The provision by our outreach partner Rob at the Parish Hall on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons is extremely good but we continue to try to extend this service to be more frequent.

Expressions of interest from local clubs and societies for a website that they could share events and activities as well as advertise their offer. We now have many of our clubs and societies supporting this venture. Similarly, a growing number of businesses advertise the thriving and diverse nature of goods, services and the unique shopping experience to be had in Market Bosworth.

Recently the group received established a service provided by Age UK. This weekly service provides free advice or support on the following –

• Attendance Allowance • Pension Credit • Carers Allowance • Blue Badge Application • Housing Benefit An Age UK advisor is now able to provide confidential information and advice sessions in our office at the Parish Hall or through a home visit available by appointment. We also offer help to complete the forms. For more information, please contact us via Phone: 0116 299 2278 Email: [email protected]

Appendix U – Bosworth in Bloom

BACKGROUND NOW IN 34TH YEAR CONSISTENTLY HIGH PERFORMER (PREMIER LEAGUE) 2018 COMPETITION RESULTS INVITED TO COMPETE IN THE ELITE ‘CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS’ CATEGORY AT NATIONAL LEVEL, WHERE RECEIVED A GOLD AWARD EAST MIDLANDS IN BLOOM GOLD AWARD AND (LARGE VILLAGE) CATEGORY WINNER DISCRETIONARY AWARD FOR WW1 MEMORIAL SPECIAL MENTION FOR BLACK HORSE & FIRESTATION LEAD ORGANISER FOR THE BIENNIAL ‘OPEN GARDENS’ EVENT 2019 CAMPAIGN CONTINUE TO BUILD ON SUCCESS AND MAKE BOSWORTH A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND VISIT CHANGE IN MARKING OF RHS CORE PRINCIPLES: HORTICULTURE 40% (50%) COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION 30% (25%) ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY 30% (25%) HAPPY WITH THIS BECAUSE ALWAYS TRY TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION THEME ART IN THE LANDSCAPE – FANTASTIC RESPONSE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY HOPE WILL INSPIRE FURTHER INTEREST AND PRIDE IN THE VILLAGE ALSO SEEMS TO HAVE CAUGHT THE IMAGINATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHEELBARROW CHALLENGE SUNFLOWER GROWING COMPETITION WORKING WITH THE COUNTRY PARK OTHER ACTIVITY PLAN TO UPDATE PARK STREET BEDS REPLACE ROADSIDE BOXES WITH SELF-WATERING CONTAINERS ON THE VILLAGE SIGNPOSTS THEMSELVES CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COUNCIL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES TO IMPROVE VISITOR FOOTFALL DAVID NEAVE HAS SET UP THE BOSWORTH IN BLOOM WEBSITE BOSWORTH IN BLOOM AND THE COMMUNITY GREATLY APPRECIATE THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT WE GET FROM: THE COMMUNITY THROUGH OUR ANNUAL APPEAL PARISH COUNCIL GRANT BUSINESSES OF MKT BOS AND PARTICULARLY RECENTLY LILY& MABEL REALLY HELPFUL HANDS-0N SUPPORT FROM ROTARY, W.I. AND YOUNG FARMERS COULDN’T DO WITHOUT SUPPORT OF GILL & PETER AT THE NURSERY GOOD RELATIONS WITH COUNTRY PARK, MARINA AND LOCAL SCHOOL AND PRE-SCHOOL ORGANISATIONS SUMMARY B IN B CONTINUES TO THRIVE AND MAKE A REAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE OF THE VILLAGE. A CORE OBJECTIVE – TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMERCIAL VIABILTY OF THE VILLAGE TO EVERYONE’S BENEFIT WE CANNOT GET COMPLACENT – WE NEED YOUR ON-GOING SUPPORT BOTH FINANCIAL AND WITH THE CONSIDERABLE WORKLOAD OF PRESENTING AN AWARD-WINNING VILLAGE. VITAL. THANK YOU