Leicestershire Matters

Eastfield Primary School in Thurmaston has a farm, where children are rearing chickens, rabbits, ducks, pigs and ewes, which have given birth to lambs. They also grow their own vegetables, herbs and flowers.

The farm was set up in 2006 and is helping to improve children’s understanding of food production, their health and gives them a chance to have fun while learning outside.

The farm is now making a profit by selling eggs, pork and produce from the gardens, which helps to pay for the animals’ food.

The school won the Year of Food and Farming Challenge as part of the Year of Food and Farming 2007-08. They received a plaque and a cheque for £1,000. The school also has an Eco School ‘green flag’.

To mark the achievement, County Council Chairman, Tony Kershaw, held a reception at County Hall for teachers and pupils and also visited the school.

Pictured ... Farm visit - chairman Tony Kershaw with pupils

'Dear Keith

The bank wouldn’t lend me £550 for car repairs and a friend told me about a man who lends to anyone.  The man lent me £600 immediately and didn’t need any paperwork. I’ve paid him £15 a week for 50 weeks, except three weeks I missed. He’s now threatening me as I can’t pay him £500 extra interest.  Is there any way out of this mess?'

The lender is a loan shark and is committing a criminal offence. Loan sharks are very dangerous and can ruin people’s lives.  

Any consumer credit agreement must be in writing and give full details of the loan, the repayments and your rights.  Your loan is most likely unenforceable in law, which means you don’t need to pay it back.

We can help by referring you to legal forms of credit.  There is a confidential hotline to report loan sharks and receive help and advice.  

Call the hotline on 0116 217 9550 or for more information about the dangers of loan sharks and help to manage your debts, visit the Trading Standards pages of this website. Free internet access is available at your local library.

A new Local Involvement Network (LINk) is being set up to include local people and organisations who want to make these services better.

The aim is to receive a wide range of views, including those of people who may not have been heard before.

The LINk will listen to people about their needs and experiences of NHS and social care services - what they think is good, what can be improved and whether there are any gaps in services.

They will then feed back this information to those providing the services so things can change.

For more details, or to find out how you can become part of the Leicestershire LINk, please call the CVS Community Partnership on 0116 234 1577 or e-mail: link@ccp.org.uk

Street-based workers meet with young people aged 10 to18 to stop rowdy behaviour, drinking and vandalism.

Over the last six months, they have worked with more than 800 young people in Lutterworth, Coalville, Melton Mowbray, Measham, Blaby and Loughborough – with more areas planned.

These IMPACT workers talk to district councils, the Police and local residents to help target their work.  They help young people to find support and learn about the consequences of their actions, both to themselves and to others.

In most areas where the IMPACT team has worked, there has been a significant reduction in calls about anti-social behaviour by young people.

For example, groups of young people were hanging around shops in one area, which others found intimidating.  The team explained the effect their behaviour was having and helped them become involved in other activities.

Byron Rhodes, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “We are determined to tackle the anti-social behaviour of a small minority of young people.

“Through IMPACT, we are helping young people to get involved in more constructive activities and keeping them out of trouble.”

To report an incident, contact the anti-social behaviour co-ordinator at your local district council.  Visit the Anti-Social Behaviour pages of this website for contact details. Alternatively, call the Police on 0116 260 6000.

For more information, call 0116 260 6000 or e-mail: youthoffendingservice@leics.gov.uk

Making sure that there are no barriers stopping people from achieving this is done in a number of ways, including:

See our Interpretation and Translation Policy pages on this website.

For more information please call 0116 305 6242.

We're one of the largest employers in the East Midlands and one of the top performing councils in the country. As you would expect from a progressive and forward thinking organisation, we employ a diverse and skilled workforce and recruit “the best people to deliver the best services”.  

If you have the required skills and experience we would welcome an application from you. We offer a wide range of staff benefits including our innovative approach to work life balance including flexible working. Our rewards scheme offers you discounts on a range of items from shops to travel through to health clubs and holidays.

For more details, visit our Jobs website which is updated weekly.

They work with people with physical disabilities, mental health issues, learning disabilities and those affected by ageing.

The aim is to help people so they can continue to carry out activities themselves. These could include getting washed and dressed, moving around their home, cooking and getting out of bed or chairs. This can increase independence, reduce dependence, and help improve self confidence.

Occupational therapists (OTs) in social care services visit people at home to look at the practical difficulties they have. They work with them to identify their needs through an assessment – and may suggest changes within the home.

Around 6,000 adaptations are completed every year in Leicestershire. These could include: Grab rails or second stair rails

Amy Wright is a 27-year-old OT who works with adults. She enjoys the challenge and says it’s a great achievement to help someone become more independent.

She said: “I have worked at County Council care homes, with older people, since I was 16. I also worked weekends and during holidays, while I studied for my degree in OT from Northampton University.

I’ve aways found it interesting how the environment can prevent a person with disabilities from being independent or from taking part in everyday activities. Being able to adapt their surroundings and help them to maintain their independence is a great thing.

“I also enjoy going out into the community, helping people in their homes and being challenged by different environments.”

Her advice is to work in home care or social care services before starting training – to make sure you enjoy the work and can work with people.

Pictured - Rewarding... Amy helps a service user

To begin training, you need five GCSEs and two or ideally, three, A-levels, one of which sometimes needs to be in a science subject. You may also be able to obtain a training place through Access or NVQ courses – check this with individual universities.

Training is usually a three-year full-time course leading to a BSc in Occupational Therapy. OT support workers or other social care staff could study part-time, over four years. You may be able to get funding to help with this.

Occupational therapists earn between £21,411 and £31,227 a year.

Water Leys Primary School in Wigston is the first permanent Eco School in Leicestershire and only the second in the East Midlands.

The school has worked hard for the last eight years to reduce its carbon footprint. Many children walk or cycle to school, grow produce, recycle and save energy and water.

Children grow vegetables such as onions, carrots, potatoes and beetroot in their allotment. Their pond has been revamped and is attracting wildlife such as insects, butterflies and birds.

The pupils recycle paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, clothes and computers. Fruit waste is composted and used in the garden and printer cartridges are recycled to raise money for the school.

Schools get permanent Eco School status when they get their fourth green flag. 130 of our schools are on the programme, and of these, 10 have one green flag, seven have two and eight have three.

For more details visit the Eco Schools pages of this website or call Rachel Sweetland on 0116 305 7332.

If so, the new Grassroots Grants scheme could help.

Community and voluntary groups can receive between £250 - £5,000 for projects that benefit local people.  Groups which have been active for at least 12 months and have an average annual income of less than £20,000 over the last three years can apply.

The scheme is funded by the Government via Voluntary Action Leicestershire and the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation.

For more information, or an application form, visit www.voluntaryactionleicester.org.uk, call 0116 257 5047 or e-mail: daves@voluntaryactionleicester.org.uk