Villages
| Published date | 26 May 2021 |
| Publication title | Loughborough Echo |
The most recent of the events was again a Friday night affair and brought tremendous life to the village centre as people flocked not only to the Market but to such permanent businesses as the Round Robin bar in the village centre and the village fish and chip shop Funding from Rushcliffe Borough Council's Strategic Growth Board and the dedication of the village Trader's Association, parish councillors and local volunteers has given the Market staged on the Gotham Road car park and playing field a super and sound base which looks set to have a continuous future, with the next one due to be held on Friday June 11 when there will be another with a wide array of stalls offering local, fresh and homemade products.
The market is held in line with the current Government guidance on COVID-19 regulations, the site will feature stalls that aid social distancing and provide visitors with opportunities to browse an eclectic range of goods and produce in a COVID secure environment.
Hayley Masom of the village photography studio Captcha was busy at the recent Market and has been at the forefront of efforts to coordinate the market for local people, serving on both the market committee and as a member of the Trader's Association.
Because of the COVID-19
situation, the Market had a shakey start, with the first one having to b e called offdue to the pandemic lockdown, but the supporters did not give up and continued with their plans to bring a local artisan market for villagers on to the events map.
The first of what the organisers hoped would become a regular attraction
was on September 11 last year, being held as a twilight market from 3pm until 8pm with the aim of it a becoming a regular attraction for the village, And I seems it now has.
Special thanks were at the outset to local Rushcliffe Borough Councillor and parish council chairman Kevin Shaw for allocating funding to get the project offthe ground and to the many people behind the scenes who had already donated so much of their time and professional expertise to the project.
CRIME UPDATE. Three crimes were reported to police in East Leake last month, relating to the theft of number plates, criminal damage to a skate park and shoplifting.
On March 2 number plates were stolen during the night from a car parked on West Leake Road and damage was caused to a skate park on March 9.
On March 20 a female entered a shop and paid for some items she had purchased but failed to pay for alcohol hidden in her bag.
Details of the crimes committed during the month have been reported to the local Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator and to East Leake Parish Council Any residents who wish to contact the local Notts beat officer responsible for the village - P.c. Kelly Carlisle - may contact her at Kelly.
carlile@nottinghamshire.pnn. police.uk She can be followed on twitter @LeakeKworthCops or on facebook at Rushcliffe South Police Her mobile number is 07725925330 If wish to contact her you can ring 101 ext 3101530, or the control room where a message can be left. Her Sergeant is Sgt 775 Robinson based at Cotgrave Police Station (ext. 3100775).
COLOUR IN THE VILLAGE CENTRE FOR EAST LEAKE. Some of the parish councillors with the help of one of the grounds staffdid some time ago plant herbs into two of the brick planters by the shops in the village centre. As these grow it was the hope that shoppers will enjoy
picking a few sprigs to use in their cooking at home - please help yourself was the message from the council.
Other planters were filled with some perennials and bedding plants. Those beds were later planted with spring bulbs. The flower bed next to the post office was tidied up and also has some new bulbs added. This was the start of the parish council efforts to bring colour to the village centre.
DIGITAL WORSHIP. Live digital worship at St. Mary's Parish Church in East Leake is "continuing to work well" with a live broadcasting system.
Church leaders have thanked parishioners for their input and feedback "as we continue to learn how to make the most of the new technology."
As well as thanking the technical team, thanks have also been expressed by church officials " to everyone who has been taking part in leading these services along with our clergy."
Services have been broadcast live on the church's
website, Facebook and YouTube channels. To be a part of the digital services, parishioners are asked to ring 01509 559702 in the usual way to 'book in' or use the form on the church's website.
Plans are also being made to resume a two service pattern at St Mary's this month. The church will continue to run the socially-distanced midweek communion services. To help manage the numbers, church members are asked to ring 01509 559702 to 'book in' or use the form on the website.
St Mary's is also open for private prayer most days, though the church will be shut on Wednesdays, after communion, to allow for cleaning between services.
VANDALISM ATTACK.
Volunteers on the Great Central Railway have been fighting back after vandals twice attacked an historic signal box on the northern section of the heritage railway at Hotchley Hill in East Leake.
Fund raising and public appeals have raised funds that have enabled the volunteers to carry out a number of
vandal-resistant repairs and restorations to the signal box since the criminal damage last year.
Generous public donations enabled volunteers to install anti-vandal security doors at a signal box that was attacked twice in three weeks by teenagers.
The currently-disused signal box is in the process of being restored by volunteers on the heritage railway.
The signal box which is Art Deco in style replaced the original Great Central signal box when nearby sidings were extended in the late 1940s An appeal for £600 for security doors was launched after the vandalism destroyed equipment and floor boards.
On the Great Central Facebook page it said at the time: "An extremely generous donation, combined with a number of others, has completely covered the cost of purchasing security doors."
Two steel security doors have been fitted by volunteers, with mortice locks and additional bolts.
The appeal for funding was so successful that "we've sailed through the next target too, which was the purchase of an appropriate reproduction downpipe and fittings for the front of the building. Huge thanks to everyone responsible."
The reproduction front downpipe cost £150 Following the installation of the security doors and the downpipe, the volunteers are now turning their efforts to the large upstairs windows in the signal box and there was an an opportunity to "sponsor a window."
Several other projects have been launched and completed as part of the refurbishment of the signal box. In recent weeks a new name board has been fitted to the signal box and according to volunteers it is "very much a compromise with a view to vandalism and low cost."
At the same time the polycarbonate for the small window panes has arrived and volunteers have spent the last few weekends painting the window frames prior to the installation of the windows.
After the vandalism, police in Rushcliffe appealed for information about the "mindless destruction" of the heritage...
To continue reading
Request your trial