Aldi Ashby 20 – Sunday 24th March 2019 – Roads Closed

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The Aldi “Ashby 20” is a 20-mile road running race through Packington on Sunday 24th March 2019, starting at 10am.  About 1,500 runners will take part, and there are road closures for safety, for a likely maximum period from about 8am to about 3pm. Full details can be found here on the Ashby 20 website

Mill Street will be CLOSED from 9:05 to 10:15 am

Runners come from Ashby, go down Packington’s Mill Street, then do two anti-clockwise laps of the roughly-circular course shown on the map below.  The anti-clockwise left side of all roads of the circle are CLOSED during the race. Roads are open only in the opposite clockwise direction.  In Heather village, traffic may flow alternately in both directions using Stop / Go boards:

At the Bull & Lion on their second lap runners turn up High Street, Packington and on up Ashby Road to their finish at Ashby. There is a full schedule of Road Closure details in this table from the website, below:

Local MP Surgeries Spring 2019 in Swannington – Whitwick

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ANDREW BRIDGEN MP

Upcoming Surgeries – Please note – You must book an appointment

 Swannington
 Friday 5th April 2019 1.00pm-3.00pm
 Swannington Village Hall, Main Street, Swannington, Leics LE67 8QL
 
 Whitwick
 Friday 10th May 2019 1.00pm-3.00pm
 Whitwick Park Hall, off North Street, Whitwick, Leics LE67 5HB
 
TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT:
 Call: 01530 417736         
 Email: andrew.bridgen.mp@parliament.uk
 Snail Mail: House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Going East? Road closures to Heather 27 Feb to 1 Mar and 4 Mar to 6 Mar 2019

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A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) for Heather Lane, Normanton Le Heath; and Normanton Lane, Heather (see plan below) will allow Leicestershire County Council to patch the road West of Normanton. Expect temporary road closures; not anticipated to exceed four days starting Wednesday 27th February 2019.

Next, a second TTRO for Ashby Road, Normanton Le Heath (see plan below) will allow LCC to patch the road East of Normanton. Expect temporary road closures & parking restrictions. This is not anticipated to exceed two days starting on Monday 4th March 2019.

Many of your fellow Packington villagers might think a different diversion route to be preferable to the one LCC has shown – from our village going East, you can take Coleorton Lane and Old Leicester Road to Ravenstone, turning right for Heather.

Big Charity Breakfast – Major Village Event – Saturday 2nd March 2019

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This is THE village event, where we all have the chance to be part of something REALLY SPECIAL – just come along and eat a top-level Packington Breakfast, AND / OR help by joining the team of villagers for just one hour.

Quality produce supplied by: Taylors Butcher of Ashby de la Zouch; and our own Daybreak Services of Packington

Not from Packington? We welcome you as honorary villagers while you enjoy a full Packington Breakfast. Just turn up! All proceeds to charity!

Full English Breakfast £7
Children’s Portion £3.50

  • Sausages x 2
  • Bacon x 2
  • Black Pudding
  • Fried Egg
  • Tomato
  • Beans
  • Mushrooms
  • Toast, Butter, Marmalade,
  • Orange Juice
  • Tea or Coffee

Vegetarian Full Breakfast £7

  • Omelette
  • Tomato
  • Mushroom
  • Beans

Breakfast Bap £3.50

  • Sausage or Bacon
  • Orange Juice
  • Tea or Coffee

Join us? You can take orders, lay tables, make tea, make toast, cook, warm plates, serve meals, serve hot drinks, serve orange juice, clear plates, wipe tables and re-lay, use the commercial high-speed dishwasher, use the low-speed glass washer, smile at all the happy eaters – call Mike on 560430 to book your chance to star for an hour in this amazing event where we all get to say hello to other village residents, and where volunteering camaraderie can make a major boost to YOUR seratonin level!

Job Vacancy – Parish Council Clerk – please apply by 1st March

Packington Parish Council

Has a vacancy for Parish Clerk / Responsible Financial Officer

9 hours per week (days/times flexible when required)
Salary : NJC Salary Point 11 - £21,166 (from April 2019) pro rata
Actual Pay - £5,148 p.a equivalent to £11 per hour (from April 2019)

We are a friendly enthusiastic Council, keen to make a positive difference to our Parish. We have lots of ideas and are looking for a Parish Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer to support in the efficient running of the Parish Council.

We are looking for someone who is friendly, enthusiastic, well-organised and calm, and who:

  • has excellent people skills, including the ability to work with Councillors, members of the public and third party organisations
  • is proficient with the use of email, Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint
  • is an accurate record keeper, well-organised and able to meet deadlines
  • will, with appropriate training, be able to deal with the day to day management of the Parish Council, including updating the website at https://www.packingtonpc.org.uk/
  • can identify funding opportunities and help prepare bids for grants funding
  • with training and support, ensure the smooth running of the Parish Council, and suggest new ideas or working practices
  • will undertake any other duties as may be reasonably required from time to time, and which may involve additional evening or daytime meetings

The job is carried out from home and the successful candidate may be expected to start working towards obtaining CiLCA (Certificate in Local Council Administration) if it is felt to be necessary in the future and once they have completed the initial 6 month training period.

Please contact Karen Edwards, via phone or email (see below) if you would like to know more about Packington Parish Council, the job, or would like an application pack.

The closing date for return of applications is Friday 1st March 2019. Interviews to be held in the evening of Tuesday 12th March 2019.

Please send applications to:

Karen Edwards, Clerk to Packington Parish Council, 
23 Brittany Avenue, Ashby de la Zouch, LE65 2QY  
Tel: 07936 359949 or email to  clerk@packingtonpc.org.uk

New Management at our Bull and Lion

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Debbie’s cheerful smile awaits you at Packington’s Bull and Lion Pub

There have been some recent changes at the Packington Bull and Lion – but villagers can now hope for a period of friendly stability at the pub, with the help of new manager Debbie Robinson.

No stranger to the Bull and Lion, Debbie has already been a regular customer for six years, even though living twenty minutes away in Gresley. Appointed to manage by lease-holders Phil and Emma as from 4th February 2019, Debbie has her heart set on fully maintaining the happy atmosphere she has previously enjoyed here:

  • YES! Family- and dog- friendly
  • YES! Same enthusiastic village staff
  • YES! Quiz nights on Tuesdays, starting at 9 pm, £1 per person
  • YES! Classic Cars on the first Monday each month – April through September – starting at 6 pm
  • YES! O’Regan’s Pop-up Pizza nights on those Mondays, too!
  • YES! Egg throwing event!

A new chef is still needed to restore the food service, and Debbie is then keen to move on from the present temporarily-restricted opening hours:

  • Mondays 4pm – 10 pm
  • Tuesdays – Thursdays 4 pm to 11 pm
  • Fridays – 3 pm to midnight
  • Saturdays – noon to midnight
  • Sundays – noon to 11 pm
February 2019 – opening hours temporarily restricted – Sorry!

HS2 – “The Great Train Robbery” – Monday 11th 8pm

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Parish Council recommends all to watch Channel 4 at 8pm Monday 11th February

Packington Parish Council has asked Packington Post to alert villagers to a new TV documentary on HS2 and it’s escalating costs:

‘We encourage everyone to watch and record the programme below and alert as many people as possible. Especially those around the Country who know little of this project, IE, those not affected by the route. We need to spread the word regarding the escalating cost.’
CHANNEL 4  at 8pm on Monday 11th February “HS2 The Great Train Robbery”

from Chris Miles, chair of Packington Parish Council
Artist’s impression of an HS2 train

Airing at 8pm on Monday 11th February 2019, “HS2 – The Great Train Robbery” – Channel 4 Dispatches will be a 30-minute look at the controversy surrounding the project.

More details here on Birmingham Live https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/channel-4-dispatches-documentary-hs2-15779003

Filed under HS2

Drop-in for FREE – meet and talk to our councillors on Tuesday

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What’s it like to be a councillor?

What’s it like being a parish councillor? There’s a special chance to informally drop-in and talk to our 6 councillors on Tuesday at 6:30 pm, for half-an-hour before their formal Parish Council meeting starts at 7 pm. Chris, Ian, Jacquie, Clare, Alan and Bob can tell you why YOU should have a go at taking their job at the elections of 2nd May 2019. Rumour has it that they won’t all stand again this year – but all 6 positions are up for election. You might even get in unopposed.

Tuesday 5th February 2019 6:30pm at Venue 35 (Memorial Hall meeting room)

Look, Packington needs YOU to take up one of these 6 vacancies for our Parish Council for the next 4 years. This open chat session could give YOU the confidence to GO FOR IT and stand for election. Please come and talk to them!

They can tell you the inside story of what it’s like to do their volunteer rôle. These are REAL people with REAL lives in our village, and their work really benefits our village. Yes, it’s one meeting a month, with some stuff to read in between, plus some papers to push and some village projects to help with. But, these are the guys and gals who sponsored our Party in the Park, and our WW1 Centenary celebration, that’s just two recent things. They also sponsor our village magazine and lots of your favourite events, they run the recreation ground and the bonfire night. They also have inputs to formal stuff like planning permissions and roads and highways and all sorts of things that Local Government does in our area.

They WANT to talk to YOU. PLEASE will you come on Tuesday 5th February at 6:30, and then resolve to make a difference for us all in May? If you want, stay on past 7pm Tuesday at the formal meeting to hear the police report and other fascinating bits of local news. Then – Please STAND for ELECTION – here’s the timetable and details

Our Oldest Resident has passed away, age 98

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Eric Carter recently

Eric Carter, the oldest person in Packington, has died, aged 98.

Eric was a journalist all his working life. Born in December 1920, he started as a reporter on his home town paper, the Bideford Gazette, before being called up during the Second World War, serving in India and Burma.

Upon demobilisation, he picked up his journalistic career working for local weekly and daily papers in Kent and Devon before heading to Fleet Street. In London, he worked on various national papers including the Daily Express, Daily Sketch and Sunday Pictorial as well as for a number of magazines such as London Life and the Telegraph Magazine. He was assistant editor of TV Times when he decided to return to Devon and run his own newspaper.

He bought the Dawlish Gazette in 1972, and he and wife Betty – with reporting help from son Nick – ran the paper for ten years before selling up and moving to Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Here both worked on the Kent and Sussex Courier, the paper where they met in 1946 before marrying in 1948: the couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last July.

Upon retirement Betty and Eric moved to Packington to be near Nick and his family. Eric died in his Hall Lane home on 15th January of heart failure.

The funeral will be held at Holy Rood Church, Packington, LE65 1UZ on Wednesday 30th January 2019 at noon. Family flowers only but donations can be made to Blind Veterans UK, c/o Lee Cooper Funeral Directors, The Old Courthouse, Belvoir Road, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 3PN.

Coleorton Lane Closed – Monday 10th – Wednesday 12th December 2018

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TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE OF COLEORTON LANE, PACKINGTON

(to fix the ruts where the surface melted back in the recent hot summer…)

Leicestershire County Council Highways has agreed to a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order for a temporary road closure from Monday 10th December 2018 to Wednesday 12th December between 7am and 4pm each day.

This will safely allow Leicestershire County Council to undertake high priority carriageway maintenance works.

During the closure, the alternative diversion route will be via:

– Ashby Road, New Packington;

– Leicester Road, Upper Packington Road, Ashby;

– Ashby Road, Normanton Road, Packington;  and vice versa

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Leics Highways Tel: 0116 305 0001

Andrew Bridgen MP – Local Surgeries in Coalville, Castle Donington, Ashby

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Upcoming Surgeries –

Please note: You MUST book an appointment

Coalville

Friday 14th December 2018 11.30am-1.30pm

Coalville Library, High Street, Coalville, Leics LE67 3EA

Castle Donington

Friday 11th January 2019 1pm-3pm

new venue Castle Donington Community Hub,

101 Bondgate, Castle Donington DE74 2NH

Coalville

Friday 8th February 2019 11.30am-1.30pm

Coalville Library, High Street, Coalville, Leics LE67 3EA

Ashby de la Zouch

Friday 8th March 2019 1.00pm-3.00pm

Ashby de la Zouch Town Council, Legion House, South Street, Ashby, Leics LE65 1BQ

TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT:

Call: 01530 417736

Email: andrew.bridgen.mp@parliament.uk

Mail:  House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

HS2 – How to Respond: Environmental and Equality statements

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Please tell HS2 what YOU think

1. First, about their HS2 Environmental Statement “ES”

This guide is to assist Packington residents to respond to the HS2 Environmental Statement. 

The Environmental Statement describes the impact of building and operating HS2. The Packington Residents group have identified a number of key concerns that, if left unchallenged, could have a fundamental impact on the village and peoples overall well being.

To enable residents to respond to the Environmental Statement, HS2 Ltd, have provided residents with a ‘Response Form’ to complete. This form must be sent back to HS2 Ltd no later than 21 December 2018. When completing the Response form, tick the box marked LA03 – Appleby Parva to Ashby De La Zouch.  ( they may ignore your response if you  don’t make a note of which section of the line you’re responding about).

Also, please personalise it – say how it will effect you and your family.

To access the ES Response form, see below or click here .

The key concerns to include in  YOUR ES Response form are: Continue reading ‘HS2 – How to Respond: Environmental and Equality statements’ »

Filed under HS2

Ashby Food Gusto Christmas Fair 2018

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Great Food and Drink – Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd December 2018

Market Street in Ashby de la Zouch will come to life with the sights, smells and tastes of Christmas as the perfect setting for Food Gusto’s largest Food & Drink Christmas Fair yet.
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Event organisers, Food Gusto, will be bringing their unique festive-themed food, drink and artisan-craft fair to the town on the weekend of December 1st & 2nd following previous successful events in the town.

In keeping with the Food Gusto ethos, the Christmas Fair will be made up of the finest quality food and drink producers from across the region, each bringing a taste of something truly unique to the town, alongside a range of festive entertainment for the whole family, including live music and children’s rides.

The quality food and drink on offer, as well as a range of selected handmade artisan crafts, will provide the perfect opportunity for people to pick up some special Christmas gifts, while enjoying the seasonal atmosphere.

Whether you’re aiming to buy a stand out gift for that special someone, or simply want to eat, drink and be merry, the Ashby de la Zouch Food Gusto Christmas Fair will have plenty to offer, from beautifully spiced mulled wine to freshly-made mince pies.

Other offerings include award-winning Melton Mowbray pies, assorted home baked cakes, flavoured liqueurs, farm produced cider, handmade chocolates and fudge, artisan gin and vodka, sparkling bubbly, jams, chutneys and preserves, Asian street food, cheeses, vegan food, and much, much more.

Hot food is available both days, so you can dine out on anything from Organic Beef, Burgers & Sausages, Samosas to Thai , Wood Fired Pizza and freshly made Crepes. This can be washed down with a Hot Chocolate, Specialist Tea or Barista Coffee.

Not only do we have great local food and drink, we also have a range of entertainment, including children’s rides, a live music programme and even Santa will be visiting.

The Ashby Food Gusto Christmas Fair runs between 10.30am & 5.00pm Saturday, 10.30 & 4.30pm Sunday. The event is free to attend with free Parking in NWLDC car parks (please check as fees will apply in private car parks).

If you would like more information, visit www.foodgusto.com or email info@foodgusto.com. Tel 01530 411337
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HS2 Roadshow – This Thursday, 1st November 2018, at Measham

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2pm – 8pm at Measham Leisure Centre DE12 7HR

Spread this news! – as a final part of consultation, HS2 are holding Roadshow information meetings close to us, as follows:

  • THIS THURSDAY 1st November: Measham Leisure Centre, bottom of High Street, Measham, DE12 7HR, 2pm – 8pm
  • Saturday 10th November: Wilnecote School, Tamworth, B77 5LF, noon – 5pm
  • Thursday 15th November: Yew Lodge Hotel, Kegworth, DE74 2DF, 2pm – 8pm

Below are 2 maps for you to consider.  Yellow and brown are construction compounds, fenced off.  Pink is land required for construction.  These are here on HS2 website, part of the working-draft Environmental Statement (WDES) to describe likely environmental effects of building and operating HS2, as well as proposed ways to “avoid, reduce, mitigate, and monitor” these effects.

Consultation only lasts to 21st December 2018 – HS2 have engaged beneficially with our HS2 Response Group, and your presence and questions at one of these meetings will highlight our concerns to them. 

Map to our North West:

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Map to our North East:

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Residents have an opportunity in the next few weeks to submit a response to these reports. Both the local HS2 team and Leicestershire County Council have advised us that responding to these reports is vital as it forms the detail of the construction process and the design of the route which means how it will impact our daily lives. It’s this detail that they will be firming up in the months ahead so we continue to put forward our mitigation proposals. 

The Packington Residents Team will provide further updates over the next month for those who plan to respond to HS2.

Below are some of the major elements which we’ve highlighted from the reports:
The maps are based on the 2017 route.

Construction…

  • HS2 are assuming they will take all of the land between the A42 and the gardens of those living on Mill street and Ashby Road during construction. (The pink area on the maps)
  • Ashby Road bridge is expected to be closed for 19 months, as are Leicester Road bridge (new Packington) and the B4116 (Measham-Ashby road) and the A511 – all at different time – We are continuing to ask for Ashby Road HS2 bridge to be built “offline” so the road can stay open, as it is a school route and a life-line for Packington to access facilities in Ashby. The risk is that Packington becomes a rat-run / the diversion route when other roads are closed – we need to avoid this.
  • It is unclear if public footpaths will be diverted, & can stay open, or will be closed during construction. Vicarage Lane is the most used public right of way (that crosses HS2 line) in the NW leicestershire area according to HS2’s survey.
  • The maps show no construction traffic through Packington (and we have been told construction traffic will be via a “haul road” with the site), BUT... The words say that Measham Rd/ Bridge St / Normanton rd / Coleorton Lane / Ashby Rd / Vicarage Ln will be used as construction routes (i.e. many trucks per day) – We need to make sure no construction traffic uses Packington’s roads (it will be bad enough with extra traffic avoiding HS2 work elsewhere in the area)
  • Park farm (8 houses) & Sweethill cottage (Measham Road) and the fastener factory and 2 houses at New Packington will be demolished, as they are within the HS2 area.
  • HS2 are thinking building a Railhead beside the Burton – Leicester railway line at J13, to being material in for HS2. This was expected, and will reduce the number of HS2 trucks on the roads, but they are currently assessing a very large area of land (way more that is required), most of which is greenfield!

Operation…

  • Although there is some suggestion (not confirmed though) in the words that the Gilwiskaw viaduct will be slightly lower and shorter than stated in 2017, it is still too long and too high & will cause noise and visual impact on the village.
  • This is borne out by the Noise map for Packington. Main areas of impact for Packington are Ashby Road and Mill street. New Packington & a surprisingly large part of Ashby are also seriously hit with noise.
  • There are no sound bunds shown for between Ashby Rd and New Packington and no sound bunds for the raised section of HS2 behind the sewerage works – both mean that when the wind blows from either of those directions, Packington will get both A42 noise and railway noise.
  • There’s NO viewpoint from top of Mill St in the middle of the village (which will show how badly the HS2 slicing through the hill opposite will look) – we need to push for it to be included.

The Packington Residents Team
Contact Terry Hammond Tel:- 01530 415764
Email:-terryhammond@me.com

Animals Hate Fireworks – Please think of THEM this week..

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Animals are often TERRIFIED by fireworks..

Packington is in a rural area surrounded by fields with animals in them. Lots of village folk have dogs and cats.  It’s likely that things will seem to go “bang” this week and next, and these animals won’t like that. Animals can panic and even die where people don’t take care.

We’re lucky in this country that most people understand being frightened, and wouldn’t want their pretty and spectacular fireworks to cause fright or fear in animals. Most of us take care about when and where we set off our loud and sudden visual delights. 

If YOU see or know people who don’t seem to understand the problem, please try to mention to them that we also have laws:

  • It’s an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause any unnecessary suffering to any captive or domestic animal.
  • Fireworks MUST NOT be set off near livestock or horses in fields, or close to buildings that house livestock.
  • Causing unnecessary suffering carries a fine of up to £20,000, and / or a prison term of up to six months.
  • It is illegal for anyone under 18 to possess a firework in a public place
  • The law says you must not set off or throw fireworks (including sparklers) in the street or other public places.
  • Fireworks must not be set off by a private individual between 11pm and 7am except for certain nights of the year – bonfire night when the cutoff is midnight, and New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am
  • You can be fined up to £5,000 and imprisoned for up to 6 months for selling or using fireworks illegally. You could also get an on-the-spot fine of £90.


If your premises are adjacent to property containing animals, you must not let off fireworks there. Take them some-where else!

There are excellent displays in the local area, including at Packington’s own Recreation Ground at 7pm on Bonfire Night.

Villagers who own or manage animals asked us to mention these facts, and to say “Thank You” for your concern and understanding.