Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Following the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I have attended many civic events to share my grief with friends and colleagues and give thanks for the life of the Queen.
Along with the Lord Lieutenant, The Chairman, and the Leader of Leicestershire County Council, I opened the Book of Condolences at County Hall on Friday 9th September. On Saturday 10th September in the morning, I attended the very poignant wreath laying in Green Dragon Square, Leicester by senior community leaders. In the evening, I attended the service for Prayer and Reflection remembering the late Queen at St Mary de Castro Church in Leicester.
Leicestershire County Council held an Extraordinary Meeting of the Council on Tuesday 13th September to witness the signing of the scroll, pledging our support to King Charles III. After the official business, many members paid their own personal tribute to the Queen.
On Friday 16th September, I attended the Thanksgiving Service for the late Queen at All Saints Church, Loughborough. I was joined by fellow Borough Councillors at this moving service.
On the eve of Her Majesty’s funeral on Sunday 18th September, I attended St James the Greater church in Leicester for my final service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving. This was also attended by many civic leaders from across the city and county and it was a very moving service.
I managed to get to London for the day during the period of national mourning to lay flowers for the Queen. It was a surreal experience to be with so many other people sharing their grief and paying their own personal and private tribute.
I spent the day of the funeral with my family at home, quietly watching the television, along with billions of other people to pay our respects.
As I respected the period of national mourning, I did not attend any social events. I am very sorry to those organisers who decided to continue with their local events, that I was unable to give my support and attend.
Support for Residents
As we head into the Autumn and the colder weather, I know residents will be concerned about the cost of living crisis. The government has provided support with energy bills, which is welcomed by all, but we still have high inflation and rising costs for our families. I just wanted to share again, the support that Leicestershire County Council offers to support families as the cost of living crisis bites.
There are funds, programmes, and services to help you and your family get through this difficult time. These include: -
- Help with food and fuel
- Help with home energy
- Help with transport
- Help with employment, skills, and opportunities
- Supporting our communities.
There are further details on the Leicestershire County Council dedicated cost of living website: -
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/find-help-with-cost-of-living
Please take a look to see if there is any support available to you and your family.
SHIRE Grants 2022
Round 2 of the SHIRE Environment Grant is open and accepting applications.
Leicestershire County Council is committed to improving the local environment through waste prevention and reuse to minimise the amount thrown away, reducing carbon, and improving biodiversity. In order to help eligible community based organisations achieve this, the Council is offering up to £3,000 in the form of SHIRE Environment Grants.
They are particularly interested in funding new and innovative projects that will meet one or more of the grant scheme outcomes:
- To reduce the amount of household waste produced in Leicestershire
- To reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions within communities
- To improve biodiversity and support the creation, protection, enhancement, and management of sustainable green spaces
- To raise awareness and understanding on the above outcomes as well as providing necessary training and skills to manage and support projects.
Deadline: Round 2: Friday 28th October 2022 with decisions made by Friday 25th November 2022.
Round 3 of the SHIRE Community Grant is open from 5th October.
The SHIRE Community Grant programme enables VCSE (Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise) sector organisations to deliver community-based projects, services and activities which help to improve the lives of vulnerable people in Leicestershire.
Eligible organisations are able to apply for grants for community based projects and activities that are specifically focused on supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged people and communities.
They are particularly interested in funding services, projects and activities that will:
- Improve the lives, health, and well-being of vulnerable or disadvantaged people and communities in Leicestershire
- Provide community-based early intervention and prevention solutions which help to reduce demand on Council and other public services
- Complement existing services already being delivered.
Deadline: Round 3: Wednesday 30th November 2022 with decisions made by Friday 25th November 2022.
You can find further details of the grant scheme (guidelines and application form) at Leicestershire Communities website: -
https://www.leicestershirecommunities.org.uk/grants/environment-grant.html
Call for Tree Wardens
An appeal has gone out for more people to come forward and volunteer as tree wardens to help protect and maintain trees and wildlife.
Tree wardens are volunteers for the Tree Council and are appointed by their parish council or other organisation to be a contact and support for all things tree related in their local area. They help protect trees by reporting pests, disease and vandalism and help look out for opportunities to plant more trees in the local community,
They also campaign for grants to help fund more local tree planting and campaign to raise awareness about the key ecological role of trees and woodland.
Leicestershire currently has 93 tree wardens around the county, and the county council has now launched a drive to encourage more people to come forward and volunteer for this rewarding role.
Leicestershire County Council is aiming to plant 700,000 trees - one for every person in Leicestershire over the course of the next few years. So far, more than 100,000 have already been planted.
Anyone who would like to find out more about becoming a tree warden or to apply can also contact their local parish council or email [email protected]
If you have any issues or concerns, I’m here to help.
