Cover: ‘Parkrun’ Dave Harris, Creativity Works, Leicester City CouncilGot a digital camera? Then you could be an Alert photographer.Just send us your photos and we’ll print our favourites. We might even putyour work on our front page - instant fame!

Sandyhurst for Children in Need

Audley End Bulb Planting

Alan’s Art

It must be Love!

NeighbourhoodManagement

The latest meeting of Braunstone NeighbourhoodManagement Board (NMB) discussed the following;

Hockley Farm SurgeryThe surgery Open Day was a great success. Cllr. Cookeand the doctors met to discuss ways to allow less mobilepeople to access the surgery instead of home visits.Community Action CitywideOn the day after the EDL protest, the ‘Reclaiming the City’event attracted 8,000 people from all over the city.Braunstone Park Dug OutsFootball groups had been consulted prior to the removalof the dug outs.Residents NetworkThe group continues working on the Braunstone Awards,to take place on Thursday 9th December. Resident, DavidGollings had been elected as the new chair of theResidents Network committee.Raffle tickets are on sale to support next years Carnivaland Bonfire event.Make A Difference DayThe Rancliffe Gardens Clean-up brought agencies,volunteers and residents together and transformed thearea. Cllr. Cooke will investigate possibility of CommunityFunds to get the fences painted.Neighbourhood Action PlanThe final plan has been approved with funds allocatedas follows: Young people’s services: £30,000,Olderpeople services £30,000, Education support £10,000,Health £10,000, Crime £10,000. A further £10,000 willbe held back as a ‘rapid response’ fund.B-inspired have commissioned Streetvibe to carry outoutreach work with Choices Nurses, one night perweek. Streetvibe will also deliver two nights outreachyouthwork on South BraunstoneCrimePolice report that overall crime has fallen by 26%CleansingHousing and Police have sent letters on how to cleargardens of rubbish. The Orange Bag recycling schemepilots have been more successful than anticipated.ParkrunsPark runs take place on Saturdays at 9:00 am. Startingfrom the Park Stable Block.Fund RaisingRaffle draw and fundraising event takes place on Tuesday21st December 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm at St Peters Church.

To Our ReadersIt’s hard to believe that we are now in our fifth year of

producing the Braunstone Alert... time certainly doesfly! 2010 was a busy year but we tried to cover as muchcommunity news as we could cram in our six editions.During the year the Alert gave us the opportunity to meetand work with many people; service providers, projectstaff, volunteers, residents network, artists andmusicians and residents who had stories to tell us.We always get regular feedback about the Alert so weknow that people look forward to reading it. Readers alsogive us ideas for stories and in some cases they getinvolved as part of our team, as photographers andinterviewers. We wouldn’t, and couldn’t, do it without you,so we’d like to say ‘thanks’ and wish you all a HappyNew Year.

Residents’ NetworkAs we entered the new year, we had a little think about

what we did in 2010. It turned out to be quite a lotreally. There was the art exhibition... we were involved ineverything from joining the groups of artists to helping planthe look of the exhibition. Then there were things thatfollowed, like the History Exhibition. We’ve worked withthe Neighbourhood Support Team (Ali, Anne and Paddy)on things like housing visits, consultations, bringing issuesto the Neighbourhood Management Board and getting newpeople involved.We have meetings every six weeks to talk about thingsthat come up and decide what we need to do about them.Sometimes we can get things sorted by just a phone callor reporting it to the Support Team. Other things need togo to the Board for discussion and action.There were three big things we got involved in later in theyear. First was the fundraising for Braunstone events. Wehad two curry nights and a Therapy Show. We raised acouple of thousand pounds. Then we helped with theresident consultation about the Plan for Braunstone… butthe biggest event was the Braunstone Awards. We had abig part in the planning and preparations to make sure thatit was a great event for everyone.This year we want to do even more. We want to raise lotsof money for the Carnival, Bonfire and any other eventsthat would work. We are always looking for other residentsto join us. You can become part of the Network if you justwant to pick up news to pass to other people you know,or you can take a leading part in organising... or anythingin between. All you need is an interest in doing things forour community, enthusiasm and any amount of time youcan spare. We all love being involved and you could joinus. See the contact details on the back page.

That’s a big ‘thanks’ to Ian, James andJohn for the photos they sent us forthis edition. Keep them coming!

Braunstone’s Bard?We believe that Braunstone is full of talent and love to meet people who prove us right - like Victor Richards. We met

Victor when he and partner Reiko volunteered at a Braunstone Clean Up. We discovered that he is a man of manytalents, actor, writer, director, poet. So, of course, we wanted to know more.Victor told us, “I was born in London; my mum and I moved to Leicester when I was young. Wespent a long time in Highfields but we lived in different parts of the city. I spent many years of mycareer as a fashion model and choreographer, then in the mid nineties I went on to study drama.”Victor had previously filmed one of his fashion shows Fashion through the Ages. A friend watchingit commented “With a little change, this could be a great one man show.” Taking the advice, Victoradapted the show into his first one man play, Streets Paved with Gold. “Then things started totake off... I toured the play and had it broadcast on BBC Radio Leicester. I followed up with Returnto the Caribbean and Children of the First Generation. In 2008 I published my first book Poetry Trilogy.“Not one to stand still, Victor now has a new production, I Spy through the World’s Eye. He said “This is about connectionsbetween people around the world and between us now and future generations. I performed it at the Peepul Centre inNovember. Now I’m hoping for funding to bring it to different venues across the city, including the BRITE Centre.”Victor and Reiko moved to Braunstone in 2009, He said “You hear negative things about Braunstone, but when we firstlooked here we thought it was great. We love it!” As Victor’s work developed he looked at how to achieve more communityinvolvement in poetry and drama, especially with young people. He said “I developed workshops based on I Spy...targeted at schools. In teaching poetry I work on memory, voice and presence to help students become confidentperformers. I’ve recently delivered this at St Paul's School in Evington and hope to bring it to other schools.”“I also run monthly poetry workshops for all ages at the Peepul Centre. Again, this is to help people develop the confidenceto perform… and the benefits can go way beyond poetry. I don’t want to ‘own’ the product, just to show others how to doit so they can pass it on.” Victor’s next Poetry Workshop is at the Peepul Centre, January 27th from 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm.Victor, is keen to hear from local schools and groups who might want to find out more. For information about performanceand workshops, check his website.

Poverty can bring the worst and best out of people,

bring nations together, or destroy hearts and

minds for generations to come.

But after all is said and done, the authors of books,

film makers, documentary radio presenters

and politicians have their say,

are we any wiser at the end of the day?

World leaders look through their half closed eyes

as they sit and watch innocent children and

mothers die,as they continue to spin their web of lies.

Collateral damage is the term they use for what

they cannot justify,your son, her child, my friend, the politicians no

tears they cryFrom ‘Poverty’ by Victor Richards

Fundraising Stars and Angels!

Paparazzi PupilsFullhurst’s Year 9 Media Group was very excited to be the‘paparazzi’ at the Braunstone Community Awards. Thegroup, Kyle Greenhill, Chris Richards, Taff McGoff, CharlieBedder, Andreas Kyprianou and Brad Russell worked veryhard to prepare for the event.They designed publicity, prepared interview questions,devised a behaviour policy and carried out their own riskassessment and planned their itinerary for the evening.It was a very cold night but the group wrapped up warm andwaited outside to photograph guests as they arrived. Oncethe event was under way the students waited excitedly to

hear who the awardwinners were and werevery eager to conducttheir interviews.The students werethrilled to see their ownnames on the bigscreen and realisedthey had beennominated for their hardwork. They said, “ We had a great time; it was hard work butwe loved every minute of it.” We think they did a great job!

Jean Looks BackAfter hearing about the cost of the impending royal

wedding, Jean Simspon told us, “It made me think aboutmy wedding day. That was a big event, but done verycheaply and it didn’t take six months to plan.”Jean was born on Valentines Day 1930and moved to Braunstone when shewas seven. “I met my Joe when I wasfifteen, he was two years older. Fiveyears later we were still together andone night at the Sovereign cinema heproposed. I don’t know what the filmwas, because I had him out of therelike a shot to tell my Mum and Dad.”The happy couple planned to marry atChrist Church on Bow Street on 23rdDecember 1950. “We were poor then, everyone was! So Iwas just going to wear a suit, not a white wedding dress. Mydad asked me if I was pregnant, but I wasn’t.” Jean’s dadtold her, “Then have a proper white wedding!” So she did!“We borrowed all sorts! There were seven bridesmaidsdresses, I got my dress from a friend and I made ribbonsand rosettes for just a couple of pounds. Another friend evenmade the three tier wedding cake I wanted. We had to savebutter and sugar to do that because of the rationing. We hadno way to move the cake so we had to fetch it in a pram!”Jean said, “It was a big wedding for the time with lots ofguests and it looked great but it only took two months toorganise and nearly everything was donated, borrowed orhome made.”Sadly Joe became seriously ill and his health deteriorated.“We were living in Grunden Street but eventually got thisplace twenty three years ago. I was glad to be back inBraunstone, but Joe got worse. He died in 1995, just oneday before he turned sixty five. I still miss him.”Despite the sadness, Jean was upbeat, “No-one could havebeen as happy as we were... and living here was really good.

When we came to Woodshawe we were the youngesthere and we used to help our neighbours. One man hadleukaemia and I used to give him his injections when hecouldn't manage. When I was sixty Joe said “Let’s havea do!” and we got the neighbours down to the Oak. I loveit here, Braunstone was always home to me. You know,me and Joe didn’t have children but all my family are stillhere and their children and grandchildren. There’ll alwaysbe Johnstones in Braunstone!”When Jean says all her family, she includes everyone!

“They are all in Braunstone, even the ones who died are inSt Peter’s Cemetery. So I can say that all my family dead oralive are Braunstone residents!” Can’t argue with that.

Don’t Be Sad!Winter illness can get you down and give you

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This isassociated with symptoms such as low mood, extremetiredness, loss of concentration and overeatingthroughout the colder, darker months of the year.One way to avoid these winter blues is to use your localpharmacist for minor medical problems. Instead ofvisiting your GP, your pharmacist can help you dealwith common complaints like colds, head lice ordiarrhoea and you don’t need an appointment.Pharmacists can provide a wide range of servicesincluding reviewing your medication, help to stopsmoking, flu vaccine and sexual health information.They also offer a number of important health checks.Lesley Gant, senior pharmacist for NHS Leicester City,said: “We run a minor ailment scheme that allowspatients exempt from prescription charges to accessadvice and, if appropriate, medicines from aparticipating pharmacy, free of charge.”Community pharmacies work closely with GPs andfrequently a pharmacist will refer a patient back to theirdoctor for more complex conditions. However, apharmacy can treat many conditions. They are expertsin medicine and undertake appropriate accreditedtraining so they can provide high quality care andtreatment.

for more information on-linewww.askyourpharmacist.co.uk

To find your nearest pharmacyCall 0116 295 7011

Alert AwardA hearty Alert ‘Well Done’ to two Braunstone couples

Darren & Mary and Scott & Debbie, who have justcelebrated their first anniversary as non-smokers.We met fume-freefoursome at theB r a u n s t o n eAwards and theytold us they had allstopped at thesame time.We thought theydeserved andaward for stickingwith it. If you want to help to stop smoking then look forthe STOP ad in this edition. If you want us mentionsomeone who has kicked the weed, just let us know.

Sport SpotThree enthusiastic young people have started working to get more sport happening in Braunstone. The three Chris,

Simon and Laura are Braunstone’s Park Activators, working on the Future Jobs scheme. For six months they will becoaching sport and physical activity across Braunstone in local community venues and schools. They will also lead

activities on Braunstone Park.Chris said. “I’ve lived on Braunstone all my life. When I was younger we never had many sportsclubs after school. This was one of my main reasons for getting into sports coaching. I’ve beencoaching voluntary and paid in Braunstone for about three years and have loved every bit ofit. I work for b-active through the Future Jobs Fund, I’m looking forward to doing more coachingon the estate and gaining more qualifications through the Achievement Project. I want to climbthe coaching ladder and eventually run many activities on a dailybasis.”Simon told us ‘I’m looking forward to doing something I enjoy andproviding the community with the drive to do more sport and

physical activity. I studied sports coaching at Loughborough College for two years... it’ssomething I love doing, my main passion being football. I would like to coach football andother sports at different levels. This current post will help me to achieve my goal.Laura also spent two years at Loughborough college studying Sports Development and

Performance. She said “I have been training towards London 2012as a triple jumper. Future Jobs lets me do something that I reallylove, which is getting involved in the community plus I am gaining key qualificationsfor jobs. I grew up near here and I have a strong passion to develop sports here.”Joe Smith, assistant manager at b-active, told us “Thanks to the Future Jobs Fund we canhave Chris, Laura and Simon providing additional sports coaching on Braunstone for a sixmonth period. Sport and physical activity is popular and important in the area and I hopethat lots more young people will take advantage of this opportunity.”Chris, Laura and Simon say “We are looking forward to working with young people ofBraunstone and hope to see you at one of our sessions soon!

Once again the Awards ceremony celebrated the amazing community spirit inBraunstone. There was an excited buzz from our own Fullhurst paparazzi as the real

celebrities of Braunstone arrived. The red carpet was out to welcome everyone to theWest End WMC, which kindly hosted the event for the third year. Inside, the

big golden statues gazed out at a very appreciative Braunstone audience.

We wanted to give you a flavour of the evening and to give another big‘Thank You’ to our nominees and everyone who works for a betterBraunstone! Enjoy the photographs!

OUR AWARD CATEGORY WINNERS WERE;

Services to the Community: Janet Statham

Good Neighbours and Carers: Alex Windrum

Workers in the Community: Dr. Ahmed Nana

Overcoming Difficulties: Christopher Bradbury

Work with Young People: Braunstone Adventure Playground

The overall winner, Alex Windrum, received the BraunstoneTrophy from Capt. Benner of B Squadron, the royal yeomanry.

Syd has an array of stop-smoking

accessories in his arsenal. “I’ve got

patches, gum, lozenges, nasal

sprays, under-the-tongue tablets

and even squeezy toys. They can

all help you lose the smoker

within!”

It will usually take twelve

weeks for you to stop. But

if you need more time

then I’ll be here for you!”

If you become a client we can find out what

product will be best to help you. I can give you

vouchers for many of them, so you can go straight

to the pharmacy. Others need a GP to make out the

prescription but I can write a recommendation to

your GP.”

Syd usually works one-to-one but adds “If you feel moreconfident in a small group then we’ll do that... it’s yourchoice. We will do whatever works for you. That’s why wecan say that you are four times more likely to be successful ifyou work with an advisor.”

Leaving one final message, Syd says, “Even if you don’t manageat first you can always come back. Once you’ve made the decisionthe trick is, don’t give up giving up!”

Good news for anyone in Braunstonewho wants to stop smoking.Syd Matthias is a Stop Smoking Advisorwith the Leicester STOP Smoking serviceand you can see him on Wednesdays atthe BRITE Centre.Syd says, “Lots of smokers feel they arejudged and condemned. We don’t dothat, we just help you if you want to stop.”

PET make your pets famous!

Young HeroesWe heard about an exciting new sporting

opportunity hosted by Fullhurst CommunityCollege. Young Heroes is a basketball

club for boys and girls and issupported by Leicester Riders.The club is for any youngpeople interested in playingbasketball for fun or as part ofa team. Organiser, Dave Harris

is an ex-England Internationaland promises fun, games and

competitions for young people who join. The club isorganised by TEAM (Together Everyone AchievesMore), which offers the sessions free of charge and willprovide a free t-shirt to everyone who joins. The clubmeets at Fullhurst Community College every Saturdayfrom 10:30 am - 12.30 pm.

COUNCILLORS’ INFO

Phone: 0116 291 4993Fax: 0116 229 8850

Email: anne.glover@leicester.gov.uk

Phone: 07890 564 696Fax: 0116 229 8850

Email: michael.cooke@leicester.gov.uk

Phone: 07890 564 709Fax: 0116 229 8850

Email: wayne.naylor@leicester.gov.uk

19th January 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm

2nd February 10.00 am - 11.00 am

16th February 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm

2nd March 6.00 pm - 7.00pm

Housing NewsEllen Watts told us more about the recent changes at

Braunstone Housing. “We’ve had a big change in theteam and our way of working. To summarise, we now haveresponsibility for managing maintenance. That’s a bigchange but we are rising to the challenge. We have twoHousing team Leaders, Sally Morris and Impy Kler. Sallyis very experienced in Housing Management while Impy’sbackground is in Maintenance. This combination of skillswill make for a more effective service.”There are also five Estate Management Officers (EMOs)who are Kerry Sullivan, Melanie Osborne, Sally Franklin,Darlene Ahmed and Jason Addision. Ellen said, “This isa big change too. Each of the EMOs will be responsiblefor a ‘patch’ in Braunstone. They will be very much outand about, getting to know tenants and being veryproactive in working out of the office. For example, theywill be able to visit people in their homes, meet them onthe street and will be accessible by mobile phone. Withthem being more visible and more ‘embedded’ in thecommunity, they will be able to resolve repairs and otherissues quickly.”Reporting on other housing topics Ellen said, “We askedfor local opinions on the idea of converting 3-bed housesinto 2-bed properties with upstairs bathrooms. We hadlots of support and soon we’ll be carrying out eightconversions. Another one is about houses where thetoilets do not have a washbasin. We’ve got money toinstall vanity basins in over sixty properties. I’m reallychuffed with those two!”“We’ll be installing some tall gates in the communal spaceat the Mortimer and Newfields bungalows to provide extrasecurity for tenants. Now that we have a Braunstone-based repairs team we can look forward to faster responsetimes. This is a period of readjustment while new staffsettle in and get to know the area, but our whole team iscommitted to improving our success rate and the qualityof services we provide.”In the New Year we plan to restart the ‘Looking Out ForYou’ visits for older tenants. This is part of our ongoingcommitment giving Braunstone the best service we can.”

Creative NetworkWhen funding ended, Lisa Hall continued to run the

Creative Network as a volunteer. Recently Lisa starteda new job and sadly cannot keep up her network connection.However, resident and talented artist, Alan Ross wants thenetwork to keep going. He said, “I’d like to see if the othermembers are interested in keeping the evening session goingat the BRITE Centre. It all depends on what people want todo, but with a small amount of subs we could cover the roomhire. It’s only £12 for the room and we could have a kitty fortea and coffee. I’m willing to help people to learn a bit moreabout painting. Withenough of the currentmembers and some newpeople, I’m sure we canmake it go of it.”

If you want to help Alan tokeep Braunstone’s CreativeNetwork going just get intouch. See our e-maildetails on the back page orcall us on 0116 223 2256.

What’s OnMonday:10.00 am - 11.30 am 50+ Aqua Fit, Leisure Centre10.30 am - 12.00 Let’s Walk, Braunstone Park Stable Block11.30 am - 12.30 pm Healthy Eating Group Hockley Farm Health Centre2.00 pm - 4.00 pm Golden Years Group (Bingo!) Blessed Sacrament Church2.00 pm - 4.00 pm Indoor Bowling Trinity Church, Hallam Crescent6.00 pm - 9.00 pm Bingo Cort Crescent Community CentreTuesday:9:30 am - 12.30 pm Citizens Advice Bureau,

(appointments only)Braunstone Civic Centre

10.00 am - 12.00 pm Braunstone History Group BRITE Centre - Library Braunstone AvenueWednesday:10.15 am Coffee and chat at St Peters Church, Woodshawe Rise. Call Rev. Chris Burch - 0116 282 50341.45 pm - 3.30 pm Over 60’s Friendship Club West End Working Men’s Club3.00 pm - 5.00 pm Friendship Club Trinity Methodist Church Hallam Crescent3.30 pm - 6.00 pm Family Group, The Oak Centre6.00 pm - 8.00 pm 40+ Club Oak Centre, Bendbow RiseThursday:12.00 pm - 3.00 pm Women of Wisdom (WOW) Group Contact Eileen on 07769 315 18412.00 pm - 1.30 pm Lunch Club - Trinity Church Call Marilyn on 0116 289 21823.30 pm - 6.00 pm Family Allotment, Rancliffe AllotmentsFriday:10.00 am - 12.00 pm Coffee morning, nearly new sale and bric -a -brac

Blessed Sacrament ChurchGooding Avenue

10.00 am - 12.00 pm Art Club - Visitors CentreThe Stable Block, Braunstone Park

10.00 am - 1.00 pm Sew ‘n’ So’s Needlecraft Group The Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise12.00 pm - 1.30 pm Bingo Cort Crescent Community Centre6.00 pm - 9.00 pm Bingo Bonanza

Cort Crescent Community CentreLast Friday of every month

Saturday:From 9.00 am ParkRun, Stable Block Braunstone Park (You need to register first at

www.parkrun.org.uk/braunstone)

In the SpotlightDavid Gollings is our resident in the Spotlight this

edition. David has been married to Eileen for 19years. He works as anExport Manager and in hisspare time is a keengenealogist who enjoystracing his family tree.David also takes part inResident Network meetingsand is regular volunteer atBraunstone communityevents. Recently, Davidwas elected as chair of theBraunstone ResidentsNetwork and is lookingforward to his new role.What’s your good night out?A restaurant meal with family and friends... and agood pub afterwardsA good night in?Football on TVWhat animal would you be?A bull, ‘cos they’re stubborn and bull-headed (not pig-headed?)What is your pet hate?Not in a nasty way, but I don’t like it when people areslow to pick up on thingsWhat is your favourite film?Lord of the Rings 1, 2 and 3What do you love about Braunstone?Our sense of communityWhat word would people use to describe you?IntrovertedWhat’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home?South Africa and ThailandWhat’s your ideal holiday?A safari in Kenya (send us some photos!)What’s your most attractive quality...Fairness... and I’m a good listener...and your least attractive?Intolerance and impatienceHave you a claim to fame?I helped raise cash for the Braunstone PlayschemeCampsIf we made a movie about your life, who wouldplay you?Ewan McGregorDo you have a wish for Braunstone?For people to take more pride in their environmentHow do you want to be remembered?As a loving and caring husband and father

DearGoodbye Bill

Dear Alert,

I wanted to pay tribute to a local

man who was a clever, witty and

generous friend, William (Bill)

Law.

His passing was a great loss to

Braunstone and its community and

whose devotion to Braunstone will

be missed by all.

As a close friend, I will

certainly miss our discussions

about the topics of the day over

a cuppa.

To Bill, from your humble friend

Anthony Cupkovic

Alert On-line. If you have access to the internet then you can read all our editions of the Alert on-line. If you follow the linkbelow, you will be able view our library of Alerts and other publications you might enjoy. Just type the link into your web address bar.Another way is to send us an email and we will re-mail the link to you. Then you can send the link to friends an family anywhere inthe world, to let them know what’s going on in Braunstone.

http://issuu.com/b-alert/docs

Useful Alert InformationDeadlines for placing adverts or

articlesMarch/ April 2011 edition - 14th Feb

Delivery TimesNew Year Edition - 1st/2nd week JanMarch/ April 2011 - 1st Week March

Volunteer DistributorsWe always welcome new volunteers

to deliver the Alert.If you would like to help, please

contact us, details overleaf.

Summer Fun

Models @ St Peters

Rain and Snow

Quack!

The Last Leaf

Holiday Memory

Just Chillin’

Blessed Sacrament Drop InGood-as-New sale,

Bric-a-bracSnacks & refreshments

Every Friday from10.00amChurch Hall,

Gooding Avenue

ü Voice Coachingü Singingü Performance

Ring Barry & Maria0116 229 9727

is situated in the BRITE Centre. It is staffed by a team

of highly trained officers who are able to deal with any

enquiry, service request or complaint about any service

offered by the City Council.Customer Service Line 0116 252 7000

8.00 am - 8.00 pm, Mon - Sat.email customer.services@leicester.gov.uk