Editorial policy Roundabout aims to promote local events, groups and businesses and to keep everyone informed of anything that affects our community. We avoid lending support (in the form of articles) to any social, political or religious causes, and we reserve the right to amend or omit any items submitted. The final decision rests with the editors. While Roundabout is supported by Woodhouse Parish Council, we rely on advertisements to pay production costs, and we accept advertisements for local businesses as well as those that publicise charitable and fund-raising events. Brief notification of events in the ‘What’s on’ schedule is free. Copyright in any articles published is negotiable but normally rests with Roundabout. We apologise for any errors that might occur during production and will try to make amends in the following issue. Roundabout needs your input. For guidelines on submission, please see inside the back cover. Management and production Roundabout is managed on behalf of the community and published by the Editorial and Production Team comprising Richard Bowers, Evelyn Brown, Peter Crankshaw, Amanda Garland, Andrew Garland, Tony Lenney, Rosemary May, Neil Robinson, Grahame Sibson and Andy Thomson. Content editor for this issue: Peter Crankshaw Cover: Neil Robinson Advertising managers: Amanda and Andrew Garland Desk-top publishing (page layout) for this issue: Richard Bowers Printing: Loughborough University Printing Services Roundabout is available to read or download from the parish council website at www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/roundabout.html Distribution: Roundabout is delivered by volunteers to every address within the parish boundary – just under 1000 households and businesses, including all the surrounding farms. Please let us know if any house or business in Woodhouse Parish is not receiving Roundabout, or if you can help out with deliveries.

2 Roundabout February 2011 Contents

Page

Editor’s note 5

Parish council news 5

News in brief 9

The Haunting of the Wheatsheaf Inn 17

Speed sign arrives 19

A Farming Calendar 22

Local History Group 24

Protecting Charnwood’s wildlife sites 25

Women’s Institute report 27

Notes from your Heritage Wardens 27

Garden Matters for February 29

The last word 30

Contributions to Roundabout Inside back cover

What’s on in February Back cover

Deadline for submissions to the March 2011 issue: Thursday, 10th February Email to [email protected] or hand in at the post office Content editor for March: Evelyn Brown

Roundabout February 2011 3 Woodhouse Eaves Open Garden 2011 'Your village needs you!'

Woodhouse Eaves Open Gardens has been running for over 20 years. This year we are looking for new gardens to open their 'gates' to visitors. Sometimes the most interesting gardens are the smaller, less manicured ones, so everyone is welcome and would be very much appreciated (and of course we still want the big, manicured ones too!). It is a wonderful way to get involved in village life; so we do hope you (and your shrubs, flowers, lawns and vegetables) will join us on the 5th and 6th of June. If you are interested then please ring Liz Wilson on 890181 or 07814 788503 or email Rochelle Foster at [email protected]

4 Roundabout February 2011 Editor’s note This month’s Roundabout covers a variety of topics, offering something of interest to nearly everyone, it seems. A new monthly series begins, featuring life on a local farm; there is news of police concern about car security, as vehicle thefts continue to plague our villages; the Woodhouse Eaves scouts pay their own tribute to the fallen; there are details, too, of the recently installed vehicle-activated speed sign in Woodhouse, and we investigate something of the paranormal with the haunting tale of ‘the lady at the window’. There are the regular features, too, including news from the parish council, gardening topics, and something of the beauty and diversity of our local countryside. As always, we thank all our contributors and would like to remind everyone that their news, perhaps their points of view on particular topics, or maybe their memories of earlier life, are always welcome. Peter Crankshaw Parish council news Gritting Grit and grit bins were a hot topic this winter and there were many requests to provide more. The council surveyed all the locations and will assess the costs of providing additional bins and what charges a contractor would make to fill up any the county council could not deal with. The present county council policy deals with bus and school access routes and a main route in and out of each village, but leaves side roads for local residents to clear using the roadside grit bins. These are re-filled regularly but the severity of the recent weather meant county council staff had difficulty keeping up with demand and in some cases couldn’t reach their location. The council was thankful for the efforts of the county and borough councils, and especially Charnwood Borough Council’s efforts to keep the car park gritted and for maintaining the refuse collection service along most parish roads. Your snow-clearing duty Clearing snow from your property is entirely reasonable and there is plenty of national guidance on the safest ways of doing this. The Occupier’s Liability Act of 1957 places a duty on everyone to keep access to their property as safe as possible. It is unlikely that, as long as a reasonable attempt has been made to clear snow and ice, anyone would be sued, since

Roundabout February 2011 5 individuals on foot also have a duty to take care themselves. The county council is prepared to pay £6.84 per hour to parish-appointed snow wardens; so if you feel fit and strong enough to volunteer, please contact the Clerk. County council officers provide equipment and guidance for this increasingly vital winter task. Crime and safety In December, police officers toured our villages and recorded 51 vehicles either left unattended with engines running, or unlocked, or with valuables in view (see pages 8-9). PC Orton urges everyone to take care with their vehicles as many insurance companies won’t pay out under such circumstances. Sadly, in the same period 79 drivers were arrested for drink- driving offences in the Charnwood area. Traffic speed, even during the bad weather, seemed still too high and volunteers continue to monitor speeding vehicles, using the two devices we own. Liz Randall and her team were warmly thanked for all their efforts to keep our roads safe (see pages 19- 20). In general, crime is down across Charnwood and our local police do a great job. In future, we may see them a little more often since the parish council has agreed to offer them a base here, for when they are in the area.

6 Roundabout February 2011 Responses Requests for parish views continue to flood in and this year the parish council has responded to the county council’s call for details of important open spaces in the parish that should be protected from development. This is part of long-range planning for new housing. The council was able to draw on the 2005 Parish Plan where local people gave their views (www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/parishplan).

Graveyards maintenance One parish council job is to support the maintenance of the graveyards with annual grants. It is a very long time since the amount was increased, so an extra contribution has been granted this year and the amounts will, in future, be reviewed annually. Both St Paul’s and St Mary’s churches depend partly on volunteers for their graveyards’ upkeep but contractors are sometimes essential for graveyard maintenance, and the parish council has a responsibility to help.

Be a local hero Parish elections will take place in May this year, so please consider offering your services to the community by standing for election. We meet monthly, except in August, for about two-and-a-half hours. More details can be obtained from the parish council website (see inside front cover), or by telephoning the Clerk (01509) 890 050. Talk to any councillor about what is involved, or come along to the Annual Parish Meeting and Exhibition in April to see some of its work. The government’s Localism Bill, currently going through parliament, will hand more power down to parishes; so this will be an important year for parish councils and residents, alike. You have had an excellent council for the past four years and for many years previously, and we need to continue its good work. Elections are on 5th May and the new council will meet on 9th May.

Next meeting See ‘What’s on’ for details. Anyone may attend meetings; however, if you want something considered on the agenda, please let the Clerk have details the week before. Ann Irving, Clerk to the Council

Roundabout February 2011 7 8 Roundabout February 2011 News in brief Memories of a ‘White Christmas’

The first day of the Christmas school Out and about with a camera, local holidays and 13-year-old Michael resident Brian Axon captures Cooke, from Victoria Road, celebrates something of the beauty of that snowy by building himself an igloo on the time. St. Paul’s Church and the Donkey Slip, near his home. Memorial provide a dramatic contrast Picture by Hilary Ayling. to the white covering.

Car security a growing local problem Police officers concerned about the rise in car crime in both villages, have spent about eight hours checking for unlocked cars parked on the roads, with startling results. A total of 31 cars was found unlocked and a further eight vehicles had valuable possessions on display, including ‘sat-navs’, a mobile phone and handbags. Three owners had left their vehicles unlocked more than once, despite being alerted the first time. The crime prevention initiative was the idea of PC Matthew Orton, Beat Manager for the area, who has become concerned at the increasing rate of car crime in Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves. He and Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Chris Kendall carried out the checks over an eight- day period. ‘Most people we spoke to were surprised and simply didn’t know they had left their vehicles unlocked. Some, though, seemed a bit blasé about it all. What disturbs me is that these were vehicles parked only on the road. There must be many more insecure cars on people’s driveways.’ PC Orton added that while some cars had been locked, the windows had been left partially open. ‘I am really surprised at the sheer number of vehicles left insecure.’

Roundabout February 2011 9 Stolen cars are sometimes driven out of the area and left locked by the thieves for a time to see if they had been noticed. On some occasions a car has even been found in a transport container, ready for shipping abroad. While some are stolen to be sold on, others are broken into by opportunists, either for the valuables inside or simply for joyriding. Checking cars is time- consuming, says Matthew, but necessary. ‘People can do so much more to help themselves,’ he says. ‘Apart from anything else, car crime affects all of us because postcode checking by the insurance companies, to pin-point problem areas, can result in increased Unbelievable? Pc Matt Orton, with an premiums in some localities.’ unlocked car, holds a sat. nav. found inside! PCSO Chris Kendall warns that relatively crime-free villages, like Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, are often targeted by ‘out of town’ thieves who know residents are often off guard.

Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator Mervyn Greenhalgh, says the results of the car-checking exercise should be regarded as a wake-up call for everyone. ‘We can all do so much to help ourselves. Just being aware of what is going on around you would be a great help. If you see anything suspicious at all, then call the police,’ he urges. Pc Matt Orton, Mervyn Greenhalgh, Peter Crankshaw Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator and PCSO Chris Kendall, compare notes.

10 Roundabout February 2011 Cinema comes to Woodhouse Eaves Thanks to an excellent response to the call for volunteers to help bring high quality films to Woodhouse Parish (see last issue of Roundabout) the project will go ahead. By democratic vote, the debut film to be shown on Wednesday, 2nd March at 7.00pm, in conjunction with Centre Screen and , will be From Time to Time, a haunting ghost story for young and old alike, with a strong British cast including Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall and Hugh Bonneville (see ‘What’s on’ for further details). The volunteers, who met for the first time on January 11th, were faced with a chicken-and-egg situation: the need to pick a film and screening time to suit the local audience without knowing what the profile of the audience will be. With this in mind, we are looking for feedback from Roundabout readers, especially those who would like to see the film but for whom the time is inconvenient. We will also be gathering feedback at the first showing on other issues such as the choice of film, organisational arrangements and value for money. At the moment it hasn’t been decided how often films will be shown – monthly or less frequently. Much depends on audience demand as we have to meet the costs of film hire. It is a new venture and we are all feeling our way, so arrangements may well change as the year progresses. Meanwhile, book the date in your diary and look out for posters round the parish nearer the time. If you would like to know more about the project, or would like to come to the first film but you don’t have transport and would like a lift to and from home, please ring (01509) 890 050 and we will try to arrange one. Evelyn Brown Thank you from the ‘Evergreens’ A coach carrying members of the Evergreen Club set off for Melton Mowbray Bowls Club on 14th December to enjoy their annual Christmas lunch. The venue was a popular choice, and all had a memorable time. The event would not have been possible without the support of the organisers of the May Day Challenge event who funded the trip, and their generosity is much appreciated. On behalf of the Evergreen Club, thank you for making it happen. Jean Mawby …and thank you from us all.. …to Bradgate Trees and to Bernie Morritt, in particular for the annual gift to the village of yet another very fine Christmas tree, put up on Main Street,

Roundabout February 2011 11 12 Roundabout February 2011 outside the village hall. It drew many admirers and lent a true Christmas atmosphere to the Woodhouse Eaves community. Editor Looking for litter Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves are soon to benefit from their first volunteer litter warden. She is Pam Crankshaw, who lives in Woodhouse Eaves and who has agreed to ‘do the rounds’ in an effort to help keep our villages a little tidier. Pam has joined the scheme, run by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), who invited parish councils to find volunteers. A keen walker, Pam decided to take part in the scheme after seeing rubbish strewn around in some of the places she walked. ‘It really is such a shame to see stretches of beautiful countryside and attractive parts of the villages marred by rubbish, and litter in general that is just dumped. I enjoy walking, so litter picking would fit in nicely with that.’ It is now hoped that having our own litter warden will encourage everyone to be that bit tidier. Evelyn Brown Well, now we know! Did you see the 1965 Sunday school group photograph, published in the December/January issue of Roundabout, of the ‘cheeky little lad’ holding his nose as the camera clicked? Local transport manager, Andrew Selby, holds his hand up and confesses all. ‘I really can’t remember why I was doing that,’ he says, ‘but, that’s what lads do.’ Editor Getting close to nature Are you 5–14-years-old? Do you live in or around Woodhouse Eaves? Do you care about nature and want to explore your local wildlife? If you answered ‘yes’ to all these, then the Woodhouse Eaves Wildlife Watch group is the club for you! Wildlife Watch is the junior branch of The Wildlife Trust and the UK’s leading environmental action club for youngsters. The group usually meets on the third Sunday of each month, from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Village Hall Annexe. Their next meeting is on Sunday, 20th February. The theme is ‘Spring Surprises’. Find out more about all the amazing natural events that happen at this time of year. If you would like to come to a meeting, please call the Wildlife Watch group mobile on: 07757 834 191 to book a place and for more information. Children under eight must be accompanied by an adult. Rachel Ibbotson, Education Officer

Roundabout February 2011 13 Woodhouse Eaves Cricket Club - news and moves At the club’s recent annual general meeting, Steve Markley was again elected 1st X1 captain whilst Malcolm Stewart leads the 2nd X1. Nick Frost has gone to university, so Andy Stovell will captain the Sunday X1, with Dan Nice as his Vice Captain. The club has finished as runners up in the league for the last two years and it is hoped that it can be bettered in the coming season. There are few changes in administration, with John Gillingham re- elected Chairman and Paul Andrews and Louise Stovell as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. One important change, however, is the post of Social Secretary, which will be filled by Martin Palmer. Indoor nets will be held at the English Academy, Loughborough University from 8pm to 9pm every Thursday. New members are very welcome and if there are any queries, please ring John Gillingham on (890)193 or Don Bennett (890)828. Finally, Treasurer Louise Stovell has just completed a sponsored slim. The starting and finishing weights are secrets known only to a favoured few, but what is not a secret is that she lost 52 lbs, which has raised over £3,000 in sponsorship money. This will be shared between the club and charity. Well done Louise!" Don Bennett

14 Roundabout February 2011 Woodhouse Eaves Scouts visit the National Memorial Arboretum On Sunday, 31st November, Woodhouse Eaves Scout Troop paid a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in Staffordshire. As part of the build up to Remembrance Sunday, we felt it was important that the scouts had a feel for Remembrance Sunday and why it is so important, not just to scouts but to the whole community. Each year we ask them to turn up on parade and it is always our best-supported event but it can sometimes feel like a duty rather than something they want to do. By trying to gain some insight into the feelings that lie behind the day, we hoped we could generate their enthusiasm. We travelled by minibus, complete with some fantastic singing along the way, to the arboretum and arrived on a blustery, damp morning. The main focus of the arboretum is the Armed Forces Memorial, a huge Coliseum-style memorial, where the names of all service personnel who have lost the lives since the Second World War are carved in the pure white Portland stone. Poignantly, there are huge expanses of wall space still free, with the names of the fallen waiting to be placed on them. After a break for lunch and a chance to get warm, we took the opportunity to lay a wreath of our own, the Scout Fleur de lis, by the scouts, who paraded in front of the Armed Forces Memorial and who were all extremely smart and respectful. Shot at dawn The scouts then had some free time to wander around and look at the memorials that interested them. Many went to look at the memorial known as ‘Shot at Dawn’, found in a wooded area on the edge of the site. A statue of a soldier, blindfolded and tied to a post, waiting to be shot at dawn for cowardice, stands in front of rows of wooden posts, each marked with the names of all those shot for cowardice during the First Word War. The memorial has tried to go some way to redress the stigma and the shame experienced by the families of these soldiers who have only recently been recognised as probably suffering from post- traumatic stress disorder, and the majority of whom were under 20-years-

Roundabout February 2011 15 old; the youngest just 17. The scouts found this memorial quite moving and we had a very intelligent and sensitively thought-out conversation about how these boys and men must have felt, day after day, under the barrage of guns and how they themselves would have felt, being just a few years younger than those people under fire. The arboretum really did bring history to life for the scouts, with the stories and real people that lay behind each carved, marble tablet or stone statue. Lisa Howell, Assistant Scout Leader

16 Roundabout February 2011 The Haunting of the Wheatsheaf Inn Following publication in the October edition of Roundabout, of an account of the apparition at The Brand, Woodhouse Eaves, I persuaded Richard Dimblebee, whose family keeps the nearby Wheatsheaf Inn, to talk about the presence of their ghostly figure – that of a young woman said to have died there, variously from TB or in childbirth, it is believed in the 1860s, when it was still a house. This is his account, together with that of his wife, Bridgette. Ed. It was in the ’60s that Richard and Bridgette first felt a presence at the Wheatsheaf, then part of the Dims Inns family chain of Leicestershire establishments. Bridgette well remembers the first occasion. ‘The dogs had developed a habit of coming no further than this first-floor door at night. They were distinctly uneasy. Then, one day before opening time, I heard footsteps on the stairs that led down to the rest of the pub. All the internal doors were locked and the dogs turned to see who it was. I definitely thought it was Richard, but I then saw him in the yard, outside!’ Twenty years later, Richard and Bridgette, together with some of the staff and one or two regulars experienced something of the paranormal. Richard takes up the story. ‘We had a bar on the first floor, as well as the main bar downstairs, and we were up here one evening after work, just chatting, when the kitchen door flew open completely and utterly on its own. I know there was no access to or from that side of the premises because, apart from the kitchen door, everywhere else was locked up. There was simply nowhere anyone could access. Bridgette and another member of staff were behind the bar and after the door flew open they both moved forward, as if someone at the back was pushing past them to get to the side of the bar which was open. We all variously asked ‘what was that?’ Then, one of our group, a young woman who was sitting slightly apart from us, asked, ‘who was that girl who just walked by?’ The lady at the window In November 1982, Richard Dimblebee was to come face-to-face with the ghostly figure. ‘It was when opening times were restricted to mornings and evenings. I arrived about 5pm with no-one around to find that the logs for the fires had been delivered in the yard, so I began throwing them into the log shed. As I was doing so, I just got this feeling of being looked at so I turned around towards the pub entrance and then looked up. In the middle window, over the driveway entrance, was this young face of a girl looking out at me. I can see it now. I’m not a fanciful person and I just couldn’t believe what I knew I

Roundabout February 2011 17 was seeing. I thought someone, somehow, had got inside the building, so I unlocked the door and came straight into the pub and searched it, thoroughly. I looked everywhere but there was no trace of anyone inside.’ There has been a long history of unsettling atmospheres and ‘happenings’ associated with the pub. In the early 1960s, potential buyers of the business changed their minds about taking it on, it is thought because of inexplicable happenings and the sense of a presence. That is when Frank Dimblebee, Richard’s father, took it over and appointed a couple to manage the business for the family company, but one of them was not happy about the atmosphere she felt there. The window at the Wheatsheaf Inn Richard recalls what then followed.

18 Roundabout February 2011 The figure in the doorway ‘Like our family pets, their own Alsatian refused to walk into the upstairs rooms; in fact, it could not even be dragged in. One night after business, with no-one around, the manager’s wife came up the stairs to go through the restaurant and when she got to the top she saw the figure of a young woman staring at her through the panes of glass in the closed door. She just dropped whatever she was carrying, ran back downstairs and banged on the cottage door for her husband to let her in. Shortly after that, unfortunately, they decided to leave our employ.’ It was years later, during a function at the Wheatsheaf, that the relative of a former landlord button-holed Richard Dimblebee to ask if, by any chance, he had seen the resident ghost. He then said his grandfather had been given information about a very young woman who had died at the Wheatsheaf, long before it became a pub. Her deathbed, it seems, was under the very same central window, over the entrance archway. Peter Crankshaw The Wheatsheaf Inn , It has been quite some time, now, since anything unusual Woodhouse Eaves has happened and, of course, the upper floor continues to be a busy restaurant. There is, too, a table at the very window where the young woman died but the lady in question, it seems, has now left...or, perhaps some visitors to the Wheatsheaf Inn may know otherwise! Do you have your own account of ghostly goings on in our locality? Ed. Speed sign arrives There was joy in the hearts of Woodhouse residents when, early in December, the much anticipated mobile vehicle-activated speed sign (VAS) made its debut in Forest Road logging, initially, traffic coming from the Woodhouse Eaves direction. On-hand to witness the inaugural placing of the VAS were Leicestershire County Council’s Senior Road Safety Officer, Mike Wilson; Community Speed Watch Coordinator, Alan Smart, and Cllr David Snartt. Also present were representatives from the Woodhouse Parish Council; Calvin Marshall, Director of Radarlux, which supplied the sign, PC Matt Orton and representatives from the Woodhouse Parish Traffic Watch Group. Bearing in mind that the aim of the speed sign is to help increase road safety in the parish by reducing traffic speed, we hope that it hasn’t flashed

Roundabout February 2011 19 in honour of any parish residents yet. There is still chance. Being mobile, it will not be a permanent fixture in Forest Road but will do a tour of other speeding black-spots in the parish. All residents owe a debt of gratitude to Liz Randall and Malcolm Whitmore of the Woodhouse Parish Traffic Watch Group, whose powers of perseverance and persuasion have brought Volunteers and supporters of Traffic Watch at the the VAS project to fruition. installation of the VAS. Picture by Michael Price. Outcomes to the end of 2010 Liz, who is the Woodhouse Parish Traffic Watch Coordinator, tells me that the electronic device logs every vehicle that passes from the direction in which the camera is set, not just those travelling over the limit. With the help of Bertil Schou, the camera data from the date of set up (10th December) have been downloaded. From 10th–23rd December, 26,844 vehicles passed the speed sign travelling towards Quorn, of which 5630 were significantly over the 30mph speed limit, with 886 travelling at 40mph or more and 19 at 50mph or more. From 23rd–31st December, 13,313 vehicles passed the speed sign, of which around 2130 were significantly over the speed limit. Of these, 329 were travelling at 40mph or more. On Boxing Day, an ignominious record was achieved by a vehicle travelling at 59mph. Given that these data, especially the second set, are derived from relatively quiet periods on Forest Road, because of school holidays and work-place closures, these data are horrifying. Parish Clerk, Ann Irving, has estimated that if all the vehicles recorded speeding had been captured by a conventional speed camera, then the money raised in fines in three weeks would have been in the order of £0.5 million – sufficient to pay for the purchase and erection of a pair of conventional speed cameras. Liz is now hoping that there will be further cooperation between the traffic watch group and local police in 2011 to help bring to justice at least some of the thoughtless offenders driving through the parish. Cllr David Snartt has already offered to help petition for police-operated cameras to revisit the villages. Evelyn Brown

20 Roundabout February 2011 Roundabout February 2011 21 A Farming Calendar Farming is not only critical for adequate food production, it is also a vital part of the economy; but is it an industry which is truly understood? Over the coming year, Roundabout hopes to carry monthly articles featuring Richard Reynolds who is the fourth generation of a family that has farmed at Woodhouse Eaves for more than 100 years. With his father, John Reynolds, he runs an extensive operation on land not only in and around Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, but beyond. He describes the demands and priorities each season brings and the present-day challenges the industry faces. Ed. The farm in February February can be one of the most depressing months for a farmer, says Richard, but there still much to be done, as he explains. ‘Although much of the winter is behind you, there is still more to come before the spring; and it can also be a wet month. There is no field work because the ground tends to be too wet for ploughing and drilling – and some people wonder if this is a slack month for farming. I can assure them it is not! If you have livestock − cattle and sheep, for instance − there is always plenty to do. Animals, quite rightly, need constant attention and need feeding and watering and there is always maintenance work to be done around the farm and on the land. The biggest worry is always the weather. You can work your way around most problems, but the weather is a different matter. The recent snow we have had is a good example. When you get snow, of course, the stock can’t get to the grass and the turnips we grow for them, so winter stocks, that are already depleted, have to be used. The trouble is that last spring was not a good one for growing grass, so crops of silage and hay were lighter than normal. Then came the hot, dry weather and there was simply not enough grass for the animals to graze on. It has meant I had to feed livestock much earlier than usual from supplies we had harvested and put away for the winter months. We are not too bad, compared to some other parts of the country, so I should be all right.’ Early signs For Richard and John Reynolds, the really busy time will soon start at the first signs of spring, bringing new growth and new life, some of which has already arrived! ‘We have just had some lambs born from ewes we bought, not knowing they were already in lamb. I don’t want many of those too early. Lambing will start in earnest at the end of next month and the beginning of April; that is when Shirley, my wife, gets involved and pitches in with everyone else. Usually she runs the office side of the farm.’

22 Roundabout February 2011 Present-day farming demands a considerable amount of paper-work; something Richard is happy to leave for Shirley to get on with. ‘I can’t say I am brilliant with a computer; perhaps one day, when I can get around to it, I will learn a bit more about using them. There is so much documentation to get through now-a-days. Every animal has to have what is called a passport detailing where it has come from, its age and other details. There are many requirements we have to meet, both from the UK authorities and from European legislation. Another example is the single farm payment we get from the EEC. That requires office time, too.’ Richard Reynolds and new arrival For Richard and his family farming is not a job; it is a way of life and one which he loves. ‘I am on the land by six in the morning and I work through until it is dark – about 5.00pm this time of the year. In summer it is 6.00am until 11.00pm. There is no 40 hour week in farming, but I love it and wouldn’t want it any other way.’ March will bring its own demands and challenges. Richard and his father farm 100 acres at Upper Broombriggs Farm on Maplewell Road and 120 acres on the county council-owned farm, off Beacon Road Peter Crankshaw

Roundabout February 2011 23 Local History Group The snow has gone and there was a good turn out for the first talk of 2011 when Gareth King told us all about life in 13th century manors. In addition to describing how villagers lived in those days, he explained the reasons why they behaved as they did and showed off the type of clothes they wore by dressing as a typical villager of that era! The majority of villagers in a 13th century manor would have been peasants, who made a living from the land. The manor would have consisted of the manor house itself, the village church, rudimentary cottages and about three or four very large fields, divided into strips which were worked by the villagers. Cattle were allowed to graze on surrounding wasteland, and wooded areas were a source of nuts and berries. The extent of the manor would be clearly demarcated to prevent encroachment by neighbouring villages. Life was very tough for 13th century peasants. Most children would die before their fifth birthday and those that did survive had a life expectancy of only about 45 years. Hygiene was not high on their list of priorities, although on returning from a day’s work in the fields the peasants would probably swill off the dirt from their hands and face, but it was unlikely that they would

24 Roundabout February 2011 wash their bodies. That sort of bathing would have to be done in the cold water of the local river or ponds. Knife fights Village life was not only tough, but often violent, with peasants being eight times more likely to be murdered in villages than in towns, as arguments were often settled by knife fights, rather than with fists. In the home, poor hygiene and the constant inhaling of the smoke from fires used for heating and cooking were a constant risk to health. Little wonder that the life expectancy of a 13th century peasant was only 45 years! Mike Jenkins Protecting Charnwood’s wildlife sites It could just be a single, ancient tree, a species-rich hedge, a pond, stream, or a whole field of wildflowers, but local wildlife sites, like these, help encourage biodiversity and link together larger nature reserves, woodlands and other wild places in Charnwood Forest. They allow wildlife to move from isolated sites to colonise new areas and enrich the gene pool of many species of plants and animals. There are around 1000 Local Wildlife Sites in Leicestershire and Rutland; around a quarter of them in the Charnwood area. Katie Glenn, Conservation Officer for the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, explained to LRWT members and visitors at the Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall meeting on January 12th how such valuable wildlife sites are found, designated and managed by landowners, who include individuals, farmers and local councils. The Wildlife Trust, through Katie and her colleague Neill Talbot, help landowners by surveying sites, providing advice on designation, management and the grants available to improve and protect these areas for wildlife. Katie also outlined how a new partnership with Aggregate Industries at Bardon Hill Quarry will help mitigate the effects of the extension to quarrying for many years to come. With funding from Aggregate Industries, Katie will work three days a week across Charnwood Forest, identifying areas good for wildlife, providing advice to landowners, extending the number of Local Wildlife sites and linking up existing LRWT reserves, such as and Lea Meadows, with many other wildlife-rich areas. The aim is to create a range of wildlife ‘corridors’ so that Charnwood becomes a truly ‘Living Landscape’ where farming, leisure, housing and business can co-exist effectively with wildlife, to the benefit of us all. If you would like to know more, please contact Katie or Neill at Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust on 0116 272 8859. Maggie Morland

Roundabout February 2011 25 26 Roundabout February 2011 Women’s Institute report We were very sad to learn of the recent passing of Beryl Marshall, who was an active member of our WI for many years and President from 1992−1995. We were so pleased that she was able to join us for our 91st birthday celebrations last year. In December we invited WIs from Rothley, Quorn, Mountsorrel and Thorpe Acre to join us for a carol service at St Mary's church at Woodhouse, which was followed, in true WI tradition, with delicious home-made refreshments. Our next meeting is on Wednesday, 16th February, at 7.30pm in the village hall, when Amanda Hubbard will give a talk on foot care. For more information please contact our Secretary, Kathleen Harrison, on (01509) 890 514. Cheryl McGreevy, WI Press Officer. Notes from your Heritage Wardens The historical context of our beautiful local landscape can help us to appreciate the forests, parkland, gorse coverts, rocky outcrops, dry stone walls and heath land which contribute to its unique character. Formed mostly by volcanic ash from offshore volcanoes, rocky outcrops are a distinctive feature of the local landscape. The ancient Charnia rocks are among the oldest in England, dating from the late Precambrian period, estimated at more than 700 million years old. The results of quarrying local rocks are evident in buildings, roofs and dry stone walls, featured all around this area. The native woodland tree of Charnwood, is the oak. Walking among the ancient woodland in Buddon or Swithland woods, is the closest we can get to how most of Charnwood would have looked without the intervention of humans. Previously considered barren and of little worth, heath land is now recognised as a rare, but declining habitat. A superb local example of this is the Beacon Hill Country Park, which is currently undergoing a restoration programme. Easily cleared, productive land was settled first, and surrounding woodland, rocky outcrops, heath or marsh were exploited for fuel, timber and hunting. Known as ‘wastes’, these areas of land, unsuitable for agriculture, industry or development, are largely what gives character to the area.

Roundabout February 2011 27 The hunting reserves The Normans brought fallow deer, rabbits and ferrets to England in order to pursue their passion for hunting. Large tracts of waste, especially forests, became royal hunting reserves. Tight controls ensured a good supply of red, fallow and roe deer; wild boars, hares, rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, partridges, plovers and larks for the royal hunt. The king would bestow land upon favoured nobles, who developed their own hunting grounds or ‘Chases’. As the king and his royal court travelled around the kingdom, considerable demands for food and entertainment were placed upon the manors where they stayed, so manors secured a ready supply of venison by enclosing a herd of deer within a ‘park’ in their grounds. Charnwood possessed several parks at Loughborough, Bardon, Groby, Whitwick, Gracedieu, Garendon, Barrow-upon-Soar, Beaumanor, Burleigh, Dishley, Swithland and Shepshed. Most of these historic parks were established around the 11th century and had nearly all disappeared Red Deer at Bradgate Park. by the mid-16th century. We are, however, fortunate to still be able to Picture by Michael Price. enjoy a wonderful example of a mediaeval park and its beautiful herds of deer at Bradgate Park, established in 1241. With forest clearance for the development of agriculture, sheep farming provided pasture for rabbits and hares and, subsequently, foxes abounded. Deforested, well-drained pastureland, made the countryside easily accessible to horse riders and so fox hunting became fashionable. Devoid of much cover, gorse coverts and small copse coverts were provided for foxes to lie up. Trains and horse boxes Leicestershire became renowned for fox hunting, with Arab horses and dedicated fox hounds providing a faster, more exciting experience. The Great Central Railway provided season tickets, bringing riders from London and elsewhere, complete with special horse-box carriages; the Quorn hunt, of course, being one of the most famous of these. A legacy of fox hunting with hounds, no longer legal today, is the continued popularity of horse riding in the surrounding countryside. Interestingly, we owe some of the most delightful countryside we enjoy today to its past rejection as wasteland! Cathy Schou and Kate Moore

28 Roundabout February 2011 Garden Matters for February • Depending on the weather, it’s time to catch up on all the jobs not completed due to the Arctic-like weather. Dig or fork all vacant ground and add compost made in the summer • Set new gooseberries and currants, if the ground is not frozen. Do not set too deep but remove all weeds and add compost. Finish by giving a dressing of Growmore or Bone Meal and lightly fork in • Try to clear out the shed and greenhouse. Wash all the pots and boxes with Jeyes Fluid, ready for spring • Check the mower. Give it a good clean, change the oil and fit new spark plugs, ready to give the lawn its first cut in March • If you did not set sweet peas in October, by the end of this month try setting some seeds. Either place them on a window ledge or put them in the greenhouse • Cut down ornamental grasses to ground level to make way for new shoots. It’s also time to prune wisteria ready for new growth in spring. The Garden Club meets monthly from September to May with the next meeting, our AGM, taking place on 17th February. Neil Roberts

Roundabout February 2011 29 The last word Five get, like, cool 24 ‘panda cows’, with their ‘Gosh,’ said George as she distinctive, panda-bear-like black tapped her boiled egg. ‘Have you and white markings, in the world seen the story in the newspaper?’ and they can fetch up to 30,000 Dick looked up from his treasure dollars each to animal lovers who map. ‘Golly, old girl, what is it?’ ‘It want them as pets. says that Enid Blyton’s books are − The Week, 3th January 2011 no longer in the top ten best sellers list because children today …and smaller bits, even more don’t relate to the language.’ so.. ‘Like, duh,’ said Anne. George Rare porcelain broken into pieces and Dick were astounded. ‘What during Allied bombing raids on was that you said? It sounded Dresden in the Second World frightfully vulgar.’ ‘But that’s the War has been sold for £546,000. way we should be speaking,’ said Even though the Meissen china Anne. ‘Yunnow, like whatever, that belonged to the German innit.’ Dick was flabbergasted. banker Gustav von Klemperer ‘So, we would be understood was reduced to fragments, there better if we spoke like that? was huge interest in the sale at Sounds jolly rum to me.’ ‘You Bonhams in London --The Daily should really say it sounds cool,’ Telegraph 11th December 2010 said Anne smugly. ‘Yeah, right,’ said Dick. ‘I’m gonna talk like wot Say it with flowers? you do from now on. Do you think Mrs. Irene Graham of Thorpe it will help sales?’ ‘I don’t know Avenue, Boscombe, delighted the about that, but Mummy will be audience with her reminiscence awfully confused,’ said George. of the German prisoner of war − The Daily Telegraph, 17th who was sent each week to do December 2010 her garden. He was repatriated at Small is beautiful... and the end of 1945, she recalled. expensive! ‘He'd always seemed a nice, friendly chap but when the A proud Colorado farmer has crocuses came up in the middle bred a rare cross-breed miniature of our lawn in February, 1946, cow which will grow to only 44 they spelt out “Heil Hitler”’ inches in height. There are only − Bournemouth Evening Echo

30 Roundabout February 2011 Contributions to Roundabout We publish items of interest to the communities of Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, such as news of local events, groups and businesses in accordance with the editorial policy (see inside front cover). We do not publish notices of births, deaths or marriages. We accept advertisements from charities and/or other fund-raising organisations. We can also write up people’s stories for those who prefer to talk, rather than write. Most articles are under 600 words and we think they should be! Format: electronic copy in ‘Word’, using ‘Arial’ font, is most useful, although we accept hand-written items that are legible. Pictures are welcome; digital if you have them, otherwise prints. Adverts: brief notification of events in the ‘What’s on’ schedule is free, but requests for further publicity, even for charities, will normally incur a charge per issue of £8.50 for a quarter page or £17.00 for a half page. Full-page advertisements are not normally accepted, but this is negotiable. Contact the advertising managers, Amanda and Andrew Garland, on (01509) 890 839 or via the methods listed at the bottom of the page. What’s on: contact Eric Allsop on (01509) 890 054, or Roundabout at the address below. Copy deadline: please see the bottom of page 3. Send any material for Roundabout by: Email: roundabout@woodhouse- eaves.co.uk Hand or post: Roundabout, Woodhouse Eaves Post Office, 45 Maplewell Road, Woodhouse Eaves, LE12 8RG.

Roundabout February 2011 31 What’s on in February

Sat 5th 7.00 Curry and Quiz Night. Bring your own Woodhouse drinks. Tickets £12 per person from Community Janice Slater (01509) 890 105 Hall Sat 5th 7.00 for Woodhouse Eaves Scouts Group Quiz Village Hall 7.30 Night. Contact (01509) 890 039 or 07793 119 046 £7.50 (inc. supper) Mon 7th 7.00 Parish Council Meeting (see also Village Hall Parish council news p.5). All welcome Tue 8th 2.30 Evergreen Club Village Hall Wed 9th 7.30 Leics. & Rutland Wildlife Trust, Village Hall ‘Islands of Flowers’, Stuart Dixon. £1.50 Includes refreshments members £2 visitors Mon 14th 7.30 Local History Group, ‘Granny Rawle Methodist and the Suffragettes’, Mike Rawle Church Wed 16th 7.30 WI. ‘Foot care’, Amanda Hubbard Village Hall Thu 17th 7.00 Woodhouses Garden Club, Annual Village Hall General Meeting Sun 20th 10.30- Woodhouse Eaves Wildlife Watch, Village Hall 12.30 ‘Spring surprises’ (see also Getting Annexe close to nature p 13) Tue 22nd 2.30 Evergreen Club Village Hall What’s on in early March Wed 2nd 7.00 Film, From Time to Time includes Village Hall £4 refreshments. For information, tel tickets PO or (01509) 890 050 (see, also, p 9) on door

For Parish Council meetings and minutes see http://woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/meetings-and-minutes.html More local event details at http://www.woodhouse-eaves.co.uk/diary/