Articles

Now that the nights are closing in and autumn has truly arrived, it was time to celebrate Harvest here in Smeeton Westerby. Firstly, on 30 September we held our Harvest Supper in the Village Hall. The whole place looked really welcoming, with soft lighting and beautiful flower displays on each table. We welcomed nearly 50 guests to a delicious meal of carbonara, salad and French bread. Followed by a wonderful selection of desserts donated by some of our guests.

We had hoped that with this edition of The Chronicle, we would have been able to announce our next production. However due to personal circumstances, we have had to delay things a little.

The Parish Council held their monthly public meeting on 27 September in the Studio at the Kibworth Grammar School Hall.

Have buses ever run on time? Well, yes, but some don't. The ones that do run reliably on time are the school drop off in the morning and collect in the afternoon, so I hear.

Hello all! By the time you read this, we’ll have had several Pantomime rehearsals under our belts for ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. This year, we only have a very small Chorus. All of our ‘little ones’ have grown up and are taking principal parts or have flown the nest and been lost to University, studying, apprenticeships. More mature members moving out of the area, suffering illness or having family commitments.

Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital will be holding a Coffee Morning and Table Top Sale on:

Like most other things the effects of Covid are still being felt in all areas of leisure and group organisations. As a result, we are still awaiting confirmation that the Leicester Contest will go ahead.

A report for the Council Cabinet on 23 September laid out the dire financial position for local government and for Leicestershire County Council in particular. The Council’s budget gap is set to grow from £8m to £28m next year and could surpass £140m by 2026. The Council has had to face and plan for many budget challenges in recent years. However, this is on a scale never seen before in my 21 years as a County Councillor.

Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us -- not lose them in a community hub or invite further OFSTED criticism.

The big topic on the waterways for the summer of ’22 is the lack of rain. We've had one of the driest periods for 50 years. Canals in many parts of the country have run out of water. Foxton Locks are on restricted opening hours to try and conserve the reservoir supplies. Currently the flight is open from 10am to 4pm. As is the one at Watford Gap at the other end of the 20 mile summit level. So far we have not had many instances of boats arriving at the locks not being able to pass through.

"It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!" – Winnie the Pooh

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

Recently featured on BBC TV was the unveiling in Leicester of ten more heritage panels explaining the history of  Leicester. The ten panels detail locations and themes from the past, including John O'Gaunt's Cellar at Leicester Castle. The BBC website tells us that the panels are part of the Story of Leicester project. The information panels have been commissioned by the city council to give residents and visitors the chance to find out more about the city's past. This is from Roman times, through the Middle Ages, to the Victorian era and beyond.

Our sincere thanks go to Graham and Christine Eaton, who have now stepped down from distributing bundles of your Kibworth and District Chronicle to the many, many door-to-door deliverers.  They have been doing this since the early days back in 1978. It is a well-deserved rest and, once again, “Thank you” from us all.

Action Fraud have received numerous crime reports about fake text messages from the UK Government. These texts state that the recipient is eligible for an energy bill discount as part of the Energy Bill Support Scheme, beginning Saturday 1 October. The links in the texts or emails lead to genuine-looking websites, designed to steal your personal and financial information.