Articles

It’s that time of year again where we start preparing in earnest for our forthcoming annual concert!

Smeeton Road Recreation Area Makeover

With the hustle and bustle of summer fading and the school year back in full swing, now is the perfect time to refocus on your fitness goals. The Fitness Box is buzzing with renewed energy, and there’s no better moment to join the momentum. Here’s why joining us at The Fitness Box this autumn can be a transformative experience for your health and well-being.

Summer in Smeeton Westerby brought with it some really enjoyable and successful events. Our CoCo (coffee and conversation) mornings on the third Wednesday of every month, 10.30am - 12noon, have proved to be very popular and it is so nice to welcome not only people from our village but surrounding villages too.

September is traditionally the start of the new academic year, a tad earlier for Leicestershire, and so I think a good many people who have long since left school, see it as a good time for a bit of an office
refresh. Since Covid, those offices are more likely than ever to be situated in our homes, where we can spend long periods of time staring at a computer screen.

Main Stage Theatre Company (formerly Kibworth Theatre Company and Main Street Theatre Company) are very excited about their new production, Holly Jolly Saves Christmas. The show is a must for everyone to get them in the festive mood and will appeal to those aged between five and a hundred and five.

Greetings to all readers from Kibworth Methodist Church. If you are new to Kibworth or one of the surrounding villages, we can be found in School Road (just off the High Street, opposite the Post Office). Our Sunday Service is at 10.30am and Kibworth Methodist Pre-School meets in our premises throughout the week.

In June I shared concerns about the poor showing of common butterfly species in April and May. Since then, these anecdotal concerns have been formalised by the East Midlands Regional Butterfly Coordinator. Data collected through weekly transect counts across the region have been aggregated and show a decline of 40% plus in butterfly numbers. This is in comparison with 2023, which was itself a below-average year.

We are pleased to announce that we have finally secured the finance for phase one of the new development of the Community Hub to include the library extension. The work has begun. If you have visited the hub lately you will have noted that the old entrance is now out of bounds and we have a temporary entrance round the back, through one of the fire exits. This is clearly signposted, so hopefully you won’t get lost. Although part of the corridor by the hall is now blocked off, all our rooms are still open for hire and the hall is functioning normally. Unfortunately, the disable toilet is inaccessible, but we have made one of the other toilets disabled friendly.

Well September has come and we will soon be off to Cheltenham for the National 1st Section Finals. Over the last few weeks we have been working hard in both sectional and full band rehearsals – once again apologies to the residents of Halford Road for the increased traffic – and hope to come away, if not with a prize, then a pride in our performance and representation of the Midlands Area.

Breast Cancer Now is a charity which funds research into the causes of breast cancer and also provides counselling support for sufferers, sadly many of whom are young.

Several people have commented on the unusal smell arising from ‘muck spreading’ this autumn. The Enviromental Agency website says:

A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working to equip christians and churches to protect and restore the environment – for God, nature and all people. We aim to inspire individuals and families, equip churches and church leaders, build partnerships and manage land for nature and people.

Following the retirement of Clerk Alison Gibson, interviews were conducted for the posts by both Tur Langton and East Langton Parish Councils. Alison has served both Councils for ten and seven years respectively. Her dedication and thoroughness have kept both Councils abreast of the regulations, updating and ensuring their smooth running as well as taking on the enormous amount of office work involved in establishing our Neighbourhood Plans. We all and thank her for her devotion to the Council and wish her a well-earned rest and enjoyment of her retirement.

The summer holiday has been busy at KMA! Thanks to a huge capital investment from The Mead Educational Trust, a massive amount of building work has been successfully completed over the summer. This has included the refurbishment of two state of the art science laboratories, our Year 7 refectory, and the main student entrance.