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, Amanda Garland, Andrew Garland, Dawn Kirby, Tony Lenney, Rosemary May, Neil Robinson, Grahame Sibson and Andy Thomson. Editor for this issue: Dawn Kirby Cover (a May bug): Neil Robinson Advertising managers: Amanda and Andrew Garland Desk-top publishing (page layout) for this issue: Richard Bowers Printing: 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 1,000 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 May 2014 Contents

Page

Editor’s note 5

Parish council news 5

News in brief 11

Easter bunnies appear early on Beacon Hill 16

The last years of the local bakery 19

Sharing more memories of yesteryear 24

Superfast broadband update 26

Swarming – a perfectly natural phenomenon 29

Learning all about the lilies 31

Garden matters 32

May codeword 33

The last word 34

Contributions to Roundabout Inside back cover

What’s on in May Back cover

Deadline for submissions to the June 2014 issue: Saturday, 10th May Email to [email protected] or hand in at the post office Editor for June 2014 issue: Natalie Ward

Roundabout May 2014 3 4 Roundabout May 2014 Editor’s note With the weather warming up and sun finally shining, more and more people have been out and about. This issue of Roundabout features a round-up about The Beacon Easter Bunny Fun Runs (p.16) where hundreds pulled on their trainers to race around the beautiful country park while raising cash for charity. Woodhouse Eaves’ resident beekeeper Kyle Veitch (p.29) tells us about bee swarms, which are typical for May, and what to do if you should spot one. We also take a look back into the past with tales from the parish’s final baker in the third article in Evelyn Brown’s fascinating series looking at the priceless video interviews captured by Jim Matthews (p.19). Clifford Newton also shares his memories of life as a youngster in the parish during the 1940s and 50s (p.24). Parish council news European Parliament elections on 22nd May 2014 The list of candidates is on local notice boards and on the parish council’s website. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) might seem very remote, but much of what they do has an impact on our community. Some MEPs are able to send you regular updates about what they are doing and, of course, will listen to what you have to say. Our current MEPs for the area are Derek Clark (UK Independence Party), Bill Newton Dunn (Liberal Democrat), Roger Helmer (UK Independence Party), Emma McClarkin (Conservative) and Glenis Willmott (Labour). You can see much more about them at http://tinyurl.com/po54xr7 Each has their own website with a tab to link to what they have been doing and saying in the European Parliament during the past five years. The 2009 results are available at http://tinyurl.com/pg9k7kr New-look parish council website The new-look website is now live. We decided to move from our contract via County Council to go direct with the website providers instead, as they offered extra features that won’t be available through their existing contract with the county council. If you consult the website a lot, you will notice a change to the structure, with fewer headings in the margins and a running newsfeed across the

Roundabout May 2014 5 screen. From an administrative point of view, the site is better because it includes a document management system which provides one place for our documents and avoids duplication. The cost to the parish council is the same as before. If you want to receive alerts about news and events in the parish you can sign up to our Twitter account @WoodhousePC Planning: changes to what you can do The parish council considered ten planning applications in April – four of which were for work to trees. In the parish’s three conservation areas, all trees are protected so you must ask Charnwood Borough Council for permission to work on them. Recent changes to the planning laws mean that we expect to see more ‘permitted developments’ (where planning permission is not required from the borough council) for such things as loft conversions, small extensions, garage, shop and barn conversions. However, those looking to carry out work to their homes in conservation areas will still need to make sure they have Charnwood Borough Council’s permission.

6 Roundabout May 2014 For any of these works you should also contact the borough council’s Building Control Service to make sure any work is properly designed, safe and meets building regulations. Details of all local applications are on the parish council’s website. Echo Honours Awards Woodhouse Eaves resident Ann Humphreys received a certificate from the Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Sandie Forrest, at a ceremony organized by the Loughborough Echo to celebrate the work of local volunteers. If you use a bus in Woodhouse Eaves, you can thank Ann for an accurate timetable at the bus stop because she lobbies and Kinchbus regularly until they provide the information and arrange a display at the bus stops. Both companies have altered their start and finish stops and on some occasions, Ann has rescued passengers waiting in the wrong place. At the start of the new school year, after children and adults were left standing in both villages because there was not enough room on the bus for them, she asked Centrebus managers to provide a larger vehicle and monitored the passenger numbers until she was sure there was a good match between the size of the bus and passenger demand. Congratulations and thanks to Ann for helping so many local people to get to and from their destinations. Orchard now has a community logo When you go to see how the fruit trees are growing at Broombriggs Farm you will see a display board identifying the organizations that have helped to create this community resource. One of the volunteers who helped to plant the trees was local resident and professional designer Philippa Lurcock, who has designed a logo for the board. She has also created a visual record of the venture on her website which you can see by visiting www.itsniceout.com/gatherings/broombriggs-community-orchard At its April meeting, the parish council offered its thanks to Philippa for this lasting contribution as well as to all the volunteers who turned out in some poor weather to plant all the trees. None of this would have happened without the involvement of our heritage and tree wardens, Cathy, Kate and Maggie, who enthused and gathered the volunteers and helped to plan the orchard design. At the same meeting, the council also thanked the scout group for their successful rummage and book sale which raised more than £1,600 for scout funds.

Roundabout May 2014 7 8 Roundabout May 2014 Update on the village hall extension project We have selected a contractor on the recommendation of the project managers. Keller Construction might be able to start work around July, but first we have to raise the remaining sum of money and re-submit a planning application to reflect minor alterations to the size of the building. For example, the original length would make the emergency exit too difficult for anyone in a wheelchair to negotiate; the building will now be be shorter so that the pathway out of the building is less steep. We have also decided to move the rear of the building away from the wall behind to improve access for maintenance. There are still some further details to discuss but the project is moving as fast as possible. Once the work starts there will be some disruption to all users of our premises, we will have to divert the school path and we will lose some car parking spaces. If the new nursery group goes ahead, bookings for the annexe will be disrupted until the new building is ready. Please be as patient as possible and please carry on helping us to raise the money we need. Next meeting See ‘What’s on’ for details. The May meeting marks the start of the council year and as always, you are all welcome to attend. Ann Irving, Clerk to the Council For parish council information, including meeting dates and minutes, see http://woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/

Roundabout May 2014 9 10 Roundabout May 2014 News in brief World Book Day celebrations Pupils at St Paul’s School in Woodhouse Eaves marked World Book Day with a plethora of workshops and activities. Children’s author Jonathan Emmett (aka Captain Fancy Pants!) kicked off the day’s proceedings at a full school assembly where he read Princess Pig and answered various questions the youngsters had to throw at him. He continued to inspire the pupils throughout the day, leading exciting workshops with each class. These included explaining where his ideas come from and the process of writing a book from start to finish. The young bookworms spent the rest of the day engrossed in their favourite books and enjoyed a whole day reading for pleasure. The day was rounded off with a book signing Year 4 relax with their books after featuring Jonathan Emmett. enjoying a mug of hot chocolate and biscuits. Editor Glasses raised! Thanks to a massive donation of 217 spectacles from an anonymous donor who works in a charity shop, the total collected from the pharmacy in Woodhouse Eaves this year for Vision Aid Overseas has leaped to 311. I would like to say thanks, also, to other Roundabout readers who have scrabbled around in drawers and cupboards to find unwanted spectacles to donate. Eric Allsop Woodhouse Eaves Cricket Club update The new season is now underway and the club is optimistic about enjoying reasonable success. This is the first year of the ‘pyramid’ structure to the league, which incorporates all the clubs in the county under one umbrella. This leads to some new names on the fixture list which should create interest. For example, the May fixtures include new opponents in Market Bosworth,

Roundabout May 2014 11 Quorn and Aryans, while also including old enemies in Hathern Old and Barrow. In addition to the two Saturday league teams, the club also has a full list of Sunday friendlies which always gives us a chance to try out new members. The Thursday league has also been revitalized and there will be a match every week until the end of July. Everyone is most welcome to come along and support the village team in pleasant surroundings. If you time your arrival correctly you may be able to qualify for a drink of our famous brew. Junior coaching will be held from 6.00pm to 7.00pm every Friday evening starting on 9th May. Sessions are open to both boys and girls and our coaches have qualified with the and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and have been checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). All equipment will be provided and a small payment of £10 will cover the whole season. New members are always welcome. If you are interested in joining please just turn up at the ground at the King George V Playing Field or contact John Gillingham on (01509) 890 193 or Don Bennett on (01509) 890 828. Don Bennett

Calendar competition deadline looms By the time you're reading this there will be a month to go before the first Woodhouse Eaves Calendar Competition closes. To be expected, entries have been a bit slow but are coming in – so why not have a go? Entry is simple. You might have a great picture for sledging on Broombriggs for January, snowdrops in February, a cracking BBQ for midsummer, a lovely autumn walk in September and a positively wicked pumpkin for October. We’d prefer photos from our local area, so no overseas beach holidays or glorious sunsets over the African savannah. Entries don’t have to be photos – it can be a sketch, picture, collage. All that matters is that the entry is submitted electronically. The month of June is reserved for pre-school age entries only. Select your photographs and go to www.woodhouse-eaves.com to enter. It is free to take part. The competition is open until 31st May 2014. Kyle Veitch

12 Roundabout May 2014 From highlighting history to tremendous teamwork As well as carrying out their usual studies this term, students at Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College near Woodhouse have been busy in other fields.

Students from Welbeck at the Wartime Leicestershire event at Beaumanor Hall. One group were on hand to help out at the Wartime Leicestershire event at Beaumanor Hall in Woodhouse at the end of March. This event was organized by the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society and featured talks, tours of the hall’s Second World War ‘Y’ Station buildings, where German and Italian encrypted messages were intercepted and passed on to Bletchley Park for decoding, and the opportunity to operate a real German Enigma code machine. A team of Welbeck students also took part in the gruelling Combat Cadet 2014. They came first among the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) teams and were third overall out of 21 teams involved. The event on 29th and 30th March was held at Stanford Training Area (STANTA) in Norfolk where there were various challenges to overcome including night navigation, a 5km march and an obstacle course. Editor Free summer exhibition The Leicestershire Pastel Society was formed in the year 2000 and consists of 25 artists who use the beautiful medium of soft pastel. We hold an exhibition every year, usually in the city of , but this year we

Roundabout May 2014 13 14 Roundabout May 2014 decided to choose a pretty village with a good village hall and it was agreed that Woodhouse Eaves would be perfect. Members have been visiting Woodhouse Eaves over the last few months with a view to producing images of the village to be included in the exhibition. The Leicestershire Pastel Society Summer Exhibition is on Saturday, 31st May and Sunday, 1st June from 11.00am to 5.00pm. Entry is free. Alan Oliver

Appeal for Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), a national charity which has helped Woodhouse Parish Council with its planning responses to stop inappropriate development in the countryside, is looking for a press and communications officer. They will need to give a few hours per month to help raise the charity’s profile and build links with media. For more contact Tony Stott on 0116 230 2715 or email [email protected] Editor

Roundabout May 2014 15 Easter bunnies appear early on Beacon Hill Hundreds of people flocked to the Lower Beacon car park in Woodhouse Eaves to take part in The Beacon Easter Bunny Runs on Sunday, 6th April. It was the third year that the 10K and 3K off-road runs have been organized by Loughborough Beacon Rotary. Race director, Garner Roberts said he was ‘very pleased’ with the day especially as they had smashed their target of having 250 entrants, with 316 runners actually taking part. In fact, despite the overcast and cool The start of the 10K Beacon Easter Bunny Run. conditions, the event was so popular they ran out of space in the car park and had to use a nearby field as an overflow car park. Last year, 196 runners took part. Olympic bronze medallist and hockey player Nicola White was the guest of honour at the event, inspiring runners and presenting prizes to the winners. Josh Gilbert-Weaver and Sonya Campbell were the first male and female to cross the line in the 10K race while Iwan Pavard and Caitlin Plummer were the first male and female in the 3K run.

16 Roundabout May 2014 As sponsorship money still needs to be collected it is difficult to tell how much money has been raised for the event’s charities – , Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance, Pancreatic Cancer UK and Time Out Young Carers Project – but last year’s event raised more than £3,000. A scene from Wonderland Among the runners putting their best foot forward for charity were Jo Price, Grace Price, Morgan Price, Steve Meadows, Ben Meadows and Jenny Freeman, who decided to run dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland. Jo and Steve, from Ibstock, had run the 10K last year, as Jo, Grace and Morgan Price, Steve and Ben well as other races like the Great Meadows and Jenny Freeman.

Roundabout May 2014 17 North Run, but wanted to do the 3K with their families and have a bit of fun in the process.

Rebecca Barker. Julia, Elisabeth and Kara Hughes. Rebecca Barker from Hathern ran the 10K, as she is making a return to long distance running after having children. She said her family visit Beacon Hill a lot and she likes off-road and fell running so, when she saw the signs about the event, it was something she wanted to do. Julia and her daughters Elisabeth and Kara Hughes had travelled all the way from Heanor in Derbyshire to take part in the 3K event. It was the 10- year-olds twins’ first race since they joined Heanor Running Club.

New play area Any eagle-eyed visitors to Beacon Hill will have noticed the brand new play area which is opposite the picnic benches on the grassy area next to the Lower Beacon car park. Installed within the last few weeks it was officially opened in time for the Easter holidays by pupils from St Paul’s School in Woodhouse Eaves and Councillor David Snarrt. It features a climbing cargo-net, various wooden poles to climb and walk along and a separate slide.

18 Roundabout May 2014 The area proved to be a hit with the youngsters who were waiting to take part in The Beacon Easter Bunny Runs or who were on hand to support their parents running in the 10K.

Ellie and Miles Barker enjoying the new play equipment. Among them were six-year-old Ellie and four-year-old Miles Barker, whose mother Rebecca ran in the 10K. Ellie said she thought the new play area was ‘exciting’ and it was perfect for her as she loves climbing. Dawn Kirby The last years of the local bakery Unfortunately, the baker’s name is not recorded on Jim Matthews’ video and despite best efforts to try to root it out by asking longstanding residents in the area, it still remains unknown. We would be grateful if anyone who remembers the baker’s name gets in touch with Roundabout so we can include it in the next issue. Ed. Passing mention has been made in previous issues of Roundabout that the shop on the corner of Main Street and Meadow Road, Woodhouse Eaves, was once a bakery. In this third article based on Jim Matthews’s video interviews, we learn about the last baker to run the business. Evelyn Brown. While our last village baker was a young man in the navy during the Second World War, he learned to supplement his income by making birthday cakes for other sailors and so back in ‘civvy street’ after the war, he decided to buy his own bakery. Thumbing through a copy of a bakers’ journal, he came across an advertisement for a bakery for sale in Woodhouse Eaves. He bought the bake house (now Oakwood Pharmacy) on the corner of Main

Roundabout May 2014 19 20 Roundabout May 2014 Street and Bake House Lane (now Meadow Road), together with the adjacent residential cottage in Meadow Road, for £2,000 and moved in with his wife in 1950. Establishing the business To begin with the new baker had a shop window built into the wall facing Main Street, a task undertaken by village joiner and undertaker Bert Newman, who lived in Victoria Road. As well as being able to see the goods on sale, people could also view the bakery itself. The original coal-fired bread ovens, ‘flat as a billiard table’, The last village baker as he was in the late were the best the baker had ever seen 1990s. and so well worth preserving. The business was a joint venture, with the baker making the bread and his wife producing the cakes. He was up no later than 4.00am each day to begin the baking of up to 400 loaves; the only appliance he had was a large open mixer while the rest of the work was done by hand. He was off on his delivery rounds by 1.00pm, by which time his wife had begun the cake making, so the ovens burned 24 hours a day. Winter snow brought problems with deliveries because sometimes it proved The bakery as it was in the 1940s. Courtesy of Woodhouse Eaves Virtual impossible to get the van up to the Museum. houses of outlying farms. The baker would leave the van at the roadside and walk up to the house to ask the farmer to haul it up and back with a tractor. Other than the Co-operative store in Maplewell Road (now Julian Calcutt Hairdressers), which was supplied with bread from its own bakery in Leicester, the Woodhouse Eaves’s baker’s only competition was from Harry Bonser, a baker from Quorn, although the two bakers delivered on different days.

Roundabout May 2014 21 When not working his rounds in Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, our baker had rounds which extended from Copt Oak and Ulverscroft to Swithland, Newtown Linford and Rothley. As deliveries didn’t finish until around 7.00pm, there was little time for an evening drink at the pub; however, there was just time to pop across to the Pear Tree for a quick pint with landlord Les Walker during the half hour that the loaves were baking in the ovens. As the baker delivered to various pubs on his rounds, this was often not his only pint of the day. High days and holidays While the people of Woodhouse Parish may have celebrated holidays, the baker and his wife never had a day off. They worked seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, for ten years. They baked and opened on Sundays as well, and in the summer took advantage of visiting day-trippers. The baker had a wooden shed on wheels which he parked on the shop forecourt and from which he and his wife dispensed teas, cakes and ice cream. Christmas morning in Woodhouse Eaves brought a huge surprise, however, when a group of people turned up bearing trays of poultry or joints of ham and beef to be roasted in the bread ovens (for free – they insisted that it

22 Roundabout May 2014 was ‘tradition’) while they trotted over to the Pear Tree for a Christmas drink. By the time the meat was cooked, the pub was closed so the baker missed out. Clouds on the horizon The baker soon found that his wealthier customers and their money were parted reluctantly; in ten years of delivering bread, he could not recall anyone giving him a Christmas tip, and customers were often a month or more in arrears with their monthly accounts. Meanwhile, the baker still had to find the money up front each month to replenish his supplies. A farmer at Copt Oak once ran up a very considerable bill. Getting hold of him was proving impossible but one warm sunny day, the baker spotted him sitting under an oak tree, reading his newspaper and smoking his pipe. He had no idea who his baker was, and when told how much he owed, replied that he’d thought he didn’t have to pay for bread. As the 1950s progressed, thousands of small bakers began to go out of business. Many customers preferred the convenience of sliced bread, which had been banned during the war as an economy measure but then reintroduced in 1950. Our baker couldn’t afford to buy a slicing machine and, priding himself on selling fresh bread, would anyway have been reluctant to wait the 24 hours needed before the bread could be sliced. Moving on The final straw came in 1959 when, along with other local bakers, the Woodhouse Eaves baker lost a lucrative contract supplying confectionery to Loughborough College because the college had built kitchens and could now make its own. With his business no longer viable, in 1960 our baker sold the bakery and shop for £730, and the cottage separately for £1,000, making a significant loss overall on his original investment. Although residents were sorry to lose their baker, he was not overly sorry to leave Woodhouse Eaves. On his first day in the village a local man, learning that he came from London, had told him that he would always be regarded as a ‘foreigner’. Sadly, the prediction came true because he felt that he had never been fully accepted into the closely-knit society of the village in the 1950s. There were other consolations to the move, too. The baker went to work for the Co-op bakery where he not only earned more than he had as a village baker with his own business, but had days off and holidays as well. Evelyn Brown, based on an interview by Jim Matthews

Roundabout May 2014 23 Sharing more memories of yesteryear Roundabout contacted Clifford Newton after he posted some of his childhood memories about Woodhouse Parish on the parish council website’s guest page in October 2013. Ed. Although Clifford Newton grew up in Quorn and now lives in , as a boy during the 1940s and 50s he both worked and played in Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, and so wanted to share his memories of those days with Roundabout readers. Woodhouse in wartime Clifford was a young schoolboy during the Second World War and recalls how even primary school children were expected to do their bit for the war effort. Children ten years of age were engaged in potato-picking for local farmers, including those in Woodhouse. On some farms we worked alongside Italian prisoners of war (POWs) from a POW camp off Woodhouse Lane, Quorn. I don’t recall whether the work was compulsory for children but either way, parents didn’t object and we didn’t mind because it meant time off school. It

24 Roundabout May 2014 turned out to be back-breaking work, though, and the novelty soon wore off even though we were paid for it. As well as playing what Clifford describes as ‘a vital part in the surrounding villages by working on the land’, the POWs also contributed to the social life of the local communities. The Italians, like the German POWs, had a cracking soccer team which competed against local village teams, drawing quite sizeable crowds. They also made toys for children at Christmas. Clifford has no memories of the POWs doing land work in Woodhouse. Most likely their presence would have been unwelcome in the vicinity of Beaumanor Hall which had been requisitioned and was being used as a War Office Y Group station, intercepting enemy signals sent by Morse code. He recalls nearby Garats Hay, however. I remember sneaking into the grounds and being caught on a couple of occasions by the army guards. Of course, we boys didn’t realize the strategic importance and secrecy of the place during the Second World War, which is why it was heavily guarded. Guards were also posted ‘24/7’ at the gated entrance to the army barracks on Forest Road (now the site of Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College). Directly opposite An image of St Mary’s Church showing Garats Hay and St Mary’s Church, the wooden stocks. there were wooden stocks which were still there in the 1950s. Post-war pleasures As a young teenager after the war, Clifford found more innocent sources of entertainment in Woodhouse Parish. Cycle (i.e. bicycle) speedway was very popular in the surrounding villages in the late 1940s and early 1950s at which time there were roughly 12 to 15 teams in the Charnwood and Leicester area. I was a member of the Quorn Aces team, consisting of eight younger teenage lads. There was great rivalry between the Woodhouse Ghosts team, whose track was behind the Bulls Head pub in Woodhouse Eaves, and us.

Roundabout May 2014 25 In the November 2009 issue of Roundabout, Barry Selby of Woodhouse Eaves was described as being ‘a star attraction of the Woodhouse Ghosts’ whose events frequently drew 60 to 70 spectators. Clifford also has a special memory of the Great Central Railway’s Quorn and Woodhouse Station. In about 1952, some 1,000 men of the 1st Battalion Royal Leicester Regiment came back home to the platform from Korea, in a train drawn by the steam train ‘Kitchener of Khartoum’. They marched in ranks of three with ‘all the swank in the world’, greeted by several hundred locals who were cheering and clapping. Two years later, Clifford joined the same regiment in the Sudan, posted in Khartoum and Gebeit in the Nubian Desert. Evelyn Brown and Clifford Newton Superfast broadband update Leicestershire County Council now has a new Broadband website – www.superfastleicestershire.org.uk – which you can consult for ‘official’ information and advice about the situation. This update, based on material published on our local website – www.ruralweb.org.uk – is an attempt to distil things as they affect the Woodhouse Eaves telephone exchange area. Keep an eye on both websites for further news. The county council's website shows a revised map of expected developments countywide. Pictured below is an annotated extract. Please be aware that the mapping is still ‘high level’ and not definitive. It is unfortunate that the new map seems to raise more questions than it answers, although we understand more information will be available in a few months’ time. To understand the proposed developments we need to know a little about the technology being deployed. The map shows, in fairly dark and mid grey tones, areas which are expected to be able to receive a Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) broadband service over the next two years. Only premises within about 1.2km of a fibre-fed roadside cabinet (by telephone wire distance and generally along roads) will be able to receive 24 megabits per second (mbps), the Government definition of ‘superfast broadband’ (SFBB). Those further away, if they sign up to an FTTC service, will have slower speeds – possibly even as low as 2mbps at a distance. Our estimate of the

26 Roundabout May 2014 limits of true SFBB is shown. The map (when printed in black and white) shows four main area types: • Dark (e.g. Quorn) – adjacent areas having (or getting) a good service. • Fairly dark grey – expected deployment from (i.e. not before) summer 2014. These areas appear to be mostly fed from Cabinet 1 (near the Woodhouse Eaves allotments) and Cabinet 2 (near St Mary in the Elms Church in Woodhouse). • Mid grey – expected deployment from summer 2015. These seem to depend on the upgrading of Cabinet 3 (near The Brand) and, probably, a new cabinet near the telephone exchange. • Pale – a minimum 2mbps by summer 2016 with possible improvements by 2018. The technology to be used is uncertain.

© All rights reserved. Leicestershire County Council. LA100019271. Published 2014. Key and associated material added.

There seems to be both good and bad news. The following have been noted: • The fairly dark grey area now covers Warren Hill (fed at present from Cabinet 3 and previously pale) and Benscliffe Road (fed all the way from Cabinet 1, so speeds seem likely to be well down.)

Roundabout May 2014 27 • Many in Woodhouse Eaves will be concerned that an area covering Birdhill Road, Herrick Road, Perry Close and Tuckett Road appears to be pale – implying that a FTTC service is not expected. Investigation indicates that these roads are all fed directly from the telephone exchange with no intervening cabinet to handle the fibre to copper transition. However, it appears that Beacon Road, Windmill Rise and half of Main Street also have ‘exchange only’ lines, although upgrading of these is indicated. We have sought clarification but are advised to wait for the next update. Possibly, where such a change can be made easily, some ‘exchange only’ lines will be switched to Cabinet 1. • A large area to the north, sparsely populated and pale on the earlier map, is now mid grey. The status of premises on the north side of Deans Lane is unclear. The value of having high-speed broadband to the toilet blocks on Beacon Hill may be questionable. • Roecliffe Road remains pale. As this, like Warren Hill, is served by Cabinet 3 and is a similar distance from it, the logic escapes us. • Brand Lane, also on (and near to) Cabinet 3, is in a pale area which includes possibly the Grange flats and Rushey Lane. We don't understand this either. You can find out which cabinet (if any) serves you by going to www.dslchecker.bt.com – the cabinet number (if any) follows the exchange name. If you find the situation is different from how we understand it to be or you have any other comments, please email [email protected] Richard Bowers, from the Ruralweb group

Leicestershire County Council's website has a section on choosing a broadband provider - see www.superfastleicestershire.org.uk/broadband-providers/ It is best not to sign up to a new long-term broadband contract at the moment if FTTC is expected in your area, as doing so may limit your options when it becomes available.

28 Roundabout May 2014 Swarming – a perfectly natural phenomenon May is the perfect time for bees to swarm. With that in mind, Woodhouse Eaves beekeeper Kyle Veitch tells us more about the process and what to do if you should see a swarm. Ed. Swarming is really the bees’ way of creating new colonies. By swarming, about half of an existing colony is left with sufficient bees and stores to continue as a going concern while the swarm (the other half) leaves with enough bees and the key ingredient, a well-fed queen, to hopefully establish a new sustainable colony. As a result of the swarm, the existing colony is left ‘queenless’ but the bees take necessary steps to prepare for the swarm’s departure by beginning to raise a new young queen. Once the colony is almost certain that the new queen is on her way, the swarm will leave. What remains are about half the bees and a queen ready to hatch. If all goes well, the queen will emerge, reach sexual maturity after about five days and go on a mating flight. Other than swarming, this is the only time the queen will leave the hive. In reality she may go on several mating flights but all in a very short space of time such as a day or so. The mating flights are the most vulnerable time for the virgin queen as she can simply be picked off by a passing swallow or swift. Assuming that the new queen does not become lunch, she will mate on the wing and return to the hive she came from and act as the new queen until she dies of either natural causes, is killed by the intervention of a beekeeper or leaves with a swarm. The swarm The bees that have left the hive are completely homeless, at the mercy of the elements and desperate to find a new home. The classic swarm pictures show a ball of bees about the size of a melon hanging off a tree branch. This is what happens after the bees leave the original colony – the swarm settles, usually with the younger bees, while the older worker bees scout for a new home. The swarm can stay in this state for several days while a home is located. If a new home is found, the scout bees return, dance to indicate its location and the swarm moves off to the chosen location. In reality, it is a great deal more complicated than this as the actual chemical triggers which drive this behaviour are not really known. While it is possible for a beekeeper to see that a colony is about to swarm, the trigger causing the bees to gorge on honey and finally depart is not very well understood.

Roundabout May 2014 29 Beekeeping – preventing swarms Taking steps to prevent bees swarming is part of beekeeping. At this time of year it is critical to inspect the bees every week. There is a science to this timing because the shortest period between the start of the swarming process to when the bees leave a hive is eight days. By inspecting every seven days beekeepers can address swarming behaviour and prevent the loss of half of their bees as, after all, bees equal honey; it is that simple. The flip side to losing a swarm is gaining a swarm. Put simply, you can gain a colony of bees and make up for winter losses; however, swarms don’t equal more honey straight away. Taking a swarm (which is the beekeeping term for successfully collecting and hiving a swarm) means you do indeed gain a colony, but one in which the bees will spend the rest of the year recovering from their quite traumatic house move. They will build up the colony and increase their numbers up to a full complement ready to face the winter; however, it is possible that an early swarm and a good summer may yield some honey for the beekeeper. This picture was taken by a friend who found the swarm in his front garden; I collected it and hived it successfully. This particular swarm was about a metre off the ground and very accessible. Given that this was the first- ever swarm I collected, it worked out to be a text-book manoeuvre – something not every swarm collection has been but that’s another story… What should you do if you come across a swarm? Bees in a swarm are meant to be quite docile because they are full of honey, having gorged themselves before leaving their previous colony as they do not know when they'll get their next meal. A swarm successfully collected by Kyle. Do not attempt to tackle a swarm yourself; it needs to be dealt with by someone who knows what they are doing and has the necessary kit. Keep pets and children away. You may of course find that the swarm moves on of its own accord. Kyle Veitch

30 Roundabout May 2014 Learning all about the lilies For our March Woodhouses Garden Club meeting, Richard Woods and his wife joined us to enthral us with their love of lilies. They brought along a very healthy range of plants from Lilies and Chillies, which is the name of their nursery. We also were delighted to be shown some gorgeous photos of a huge range of specimens. They started their nursery (which grew out of a serious hobby) relatively recently in 2008 and Richard also works part-time as a teacher. The couple spend a lot of time away from home at plant fairs and shows, where they sell their plants and generally have around 50 to 60 varieties to offer customers. Richard took us through the similarities and differences between the various types of lilies, such as Asiatic and Oriental Trumpets. Some prefer acidic soil, some alkaline and some aren’t fussed either way, and while some have no scent at all others could be described as being ‘highly fragranced’ or perhaps even ‘pungent’. He explained that lilies tend to be bred for the cut-flower industry which results in good strong stems for the flowers. Many of the varieties can look very similar and it can be extremely difficult to tell them apart – even to the trained eye. This can be baffling until you understand that although two given varieties look very similar, the flowering season will be slightly different and it is this which gives the impression of an extended lily season. Pests and favourites Richard spent some time talking to us about pests and how to keep the plants healthy. Unsurprisingly, starting with a healthy bulb that isn’t covered in mould is the key to growing a healthy plant. Sadly, he had photos of bad examples which were evidence of his bitter experience when he received a delivery of several hundred bulbs all covered in mould and already becoming soft to the touch.

Roundabout May 2014 31 You also may not be surprised to hear that lily beetle is an enemy of the species and, as a man who loves his lilies, Richard said he delights in what he described as a ‘satisfying crunch under foot’ when one is found. The two images of lilies which really caught my attention were one of the Hiawatha, with what are described as ‘reflexing petals’ because they bend back on themselves, and the other of the Eyeliner, which is a white lily with the finest line of burgundy around the edge of each petal. The enthusiasm that Richard has for his favourite plant really shone through, as did his love of gardening in general, and we hope to be able to visit his nursery or perhaps even see him at a gardening show some time in the future Amanda Garland Garden matters With the sun now shining it is really a busy time for gardeners whether they are working for a good crop in the vegetable plot to put in the cooking pot or for a fantastic floral display in time for June’s Woodhouse Eaves Open Gardens. Ed. 1. After your spring bulbs have given you a super display give them a treat feed with a liquid tomato fertilizer. This will make next year’s flowers even better. 2. Now the lawn is growing well, add a good lawn feed and replace any bald patches that are showing. Don’t cut the grass too short as this encourages moss. 3. Frosts should be over this month so it is time to set out the dahlias. As you set the tubers, remember to fix a cane to each one. 4. You should be very busy in the vegetable plot as it is time to set beetroot, carrots, French beans, peas, all the salad crops, turnips and swedes. 5. Runner bean plants should be ready to set out this month. You can also set more seeds to give you a later crop for the autumn. 6. Potatoes should be showing above ground so it is time to earth up. If they are very dry give them a good watering, especially when they are in flower, as this will help them with their tuber growth. Try putting a few tomatoes out this month too. The Woodhouses Garden Club meets monthly from February to November. See ‘What’s on’ for details. Neil Roberts

32 Roundabout May 2014 May codeword A codeword is like a crossword puzzle, but the letters in the grid have been replaced by numbers. Each number represents a letter of the alphabet and all 26 letters are present. As in any crossword, the words used can include proper nouns and even common phrases. Can you solve the puzzle? We have given you some letters to help you get started. The solution can be found on p.35. (Andy Thomson)

Roundabout May 2014 33 The last word Grammatical put-downs Newspaper funnies A student who sent a letter full of expletives to his English teacher News isn’t just all doom and gloom was taken down a peg or two as these snippets show: when the teacher, armed with red Commenting on a complaint from ink, corrected the bad grammar a Mr Arthur Purdey about a large with comments like ‘Don’t start a gas bill, a North West Gas sentence with a conjunction’ spokesman said: 'We agree it was before signing off with the ultimate rather high for the time of year. It's put-down: ‘Please use your possible Mr Purdey has been education appropriately. Proofreading takes five minutes charged for the gas used up and keeps you from looking stupid’ during the explosion that – telegraph.co.uk, 10th April. destroyed his house' – The Telegraph. More than just a pretty boy Irish police are being handicapped Wunsy, an African grey parrot, is in a search for a stolen van, bidding to show birds are man’s because they cannot issue a best friend by saving her owner description. It's a Special Branch from an attack in a park. His vehicle and they don't want the public to know what it looks like – The Guardian. A young girl who was blown out to sea on a set of inflatable teeth was rescued by a man on an inflatable lobster. A coast guard spokesman commented, 'This sort of thing is all too common' – The Times. Magic numbers A study by mathematician Alex Bellos featuring more than 30,000 respondents has found that the number seven is the most popular in the world, followed by three and owner was taking Wunsy out for a eight. The least favourite number flutter, when a man grabbed her (or the lowest figure not to be and pushed her to the ground. The mentioned by the respondents) parrot squawked and flapped, was 110 – metro.co.uk, 8th April. startling the attacker who ran away – standard.co.uk, 10th April.

34 Roundabout May 2014 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 can write up people’s stories for those who prefer to talk, rather than write. We do not publish notices of births, deaths or marriages. Most articles are under 800 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. What’s on: brief notification of events in the ‘What’s on’ schedule is free. Send event details to Roundabout at the addresses below. Note that we normally include only ‘in parish’ events, may abbreviate the details and are not obliged to include all items submitted. Adverts: requests for further publicity, even for charities, 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. Contact the advertising managers, Amanda and Andrew Garland, on (01509) 890 839 or via the methods listed below. Copy deadline: please see the bottom of page 3. Send any material for Roundabout by: Email: [email protected] Hand or post: Roundabout, Woodhouse Eaves Post Office, 45 Maplewell Road, Woodhouse Eaves, LE12 8RG.

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Solution to codeword (p.33)

Roundabout May 2014 35 What’s on in May

May Mon 5th 8.30 – Woodhouse Eaves May Day Challenge. Village Hall onward See www.woodhouse-may-day- challenge.co.uk for more details. Wed 7th 7.15 ‘Sounds like spring’, Welbeck Defence St Paul’s Sixth Form College students’ concert Church, £5 to raise funds for St Paul’s Church. (See p.10) Mon 12th 7.00 Woodhouse Parish Council meeting. Village Hall Wed 14th 7.30 Leics. and Rutland Wildlife Trust, Village Hall, £2 ‘What happened at the Woodhouse members, Parish BioBlitz’, update on discoveries. £2.50 visitors Thu 15th 7.30 Woodhouses Gardening Club, ‘The Village Hall, history of gardens’, Allison Saxby. members free, (See p.16) visitors £3 Sat 17th 2.00 – Table-top sale for Leics. and Rutland Village Hall 4.30 Wildlife Trust. Contact Pam (01509) 412 589. Sun 18th 11.00 – Special open day for National Gardens Long Close, 4.00 Scheme, homemade teas. John Main Street, £4 Oakland (01509) 890 376. adult, 50p child Wed 21st 7.30 WI, Resolutions for NFWI annual Village Hall, general meeting and social evening. members only Sat/ 31st / 11.00 – Leicestershire Pastel Society’s Village Hall, Sun 1st 5.00 summer exhibition. (See p.13) free June Wed 4th 7.30 Film, A Good Year, starring Russell Village Hall, £4 Crowe and Albert Finney. Light PO, n’agent, refreshments or BYO. Spar Sat/ 7th / 2.00 – Woodhouse Eaves Open Gardens’ £4.50, PO, VH, Sun 8th 6.00 25th anniversary. gardens

Check for more local event details on these web sites: www.woodhouse-eaves.co.uk/ www.leicestershirevillages.com/woodhouseeaves/local-events.html