Welcome to Birstall Methodist Church's Website.

Leicester North Circuit
Information Booklet
CONTENTS

Introduction

The Circuit

Syston Town

The Manse
 Circuit Churches
 Syston
 Queniborough
 Rothley
 Birstall
 Edgehill Road
 Claremont Street
 Harrison Road

The City of Leicester

The County of Leicestershire
Introduction
This booklet is intended to give concise details on important topics for ministers who intend to visit
our circuit when considering the appointment of minister. The information has been gathered from
church stewards, circuit staff and a representative of the circuit stewards. With this booklet we will
enclose a recent preaching plan and various information booklets about this area. There will still be
many questions to deal with – the circuit stewards and other people from our churches will be very
willing to assist in any way they can, please ask!
As the manse is in Syston and the section pastoral responsibility is for Syston, Queniborough and
Rothley, the booklet has a bias of information to that section whilst trying to give a broader picture of
the whole circuit.
The Circuit
Our Circuit is towards the northern end of the Northampton District and is one of three circuits that
serve the City of Leicester and surrounding communities in the County. Our Circuit comprises two
rural, two suburban and three city churches encompassed within a radius of 3 miles centred on
Birstall. We currently have three full time presbyters, one of whom is from the World Church in
Britain Partnership. In addition there is one supernumerary minister and one minister outside direct
control of the church.
Our Superintendent, Rev Rachel Parkinson, who has been in office since September 2008, has
pastoral responsibility for Birstall and Rothley churches. Our presbyter from the World Church
completes his service in September 2010 and has pastoral responsibility for the City churches, while
our other full time presbyter, who has pastoral responsibility for Syston and Queniborough, retires in
September 2010.
The Circuit Action Plan, 2007 – 2011, detailed the appointment of two paid workers. Firstly, Mrs
Laurie Rowell was appointed as Circuit Administrator in November 2008. Her key role is to ease the
paperwork load on Circuit staff and she works 20 hours per week. Secondly, Mrs Jane Williams was
appointed as a Childrens’ Worker in September 2009. She works for the Grace Project and her key
role is to develop new links in Thurmaston through work with the children there – a “fresh
expression” of church. She works in our Circuit each Thursday and on the third Sunday of each
month.
The part of the City within our Circuit is an area of several faiths; Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and
Christianity are all active and take their place alongside each other. Efforts have been made to
establish dialogue with neighbouring mosques and temples but these have not led to any close
relationship or cooperation.
Our Circuit has supported many of the initiatives of the ecumenical inner city work (such as the
Street Pastor Scheme), based at Bishop Street Methodist Church. We have benefited significantly
through the other two Leicester Circuits offering Local Preachers to preach regularly in our churches.
There are ecumenical partnerships in various parts of the Circuit; where appropriate, reference is
made to these in some of the separate church details. In addition, there is a Churches Together
Group in Belgrave and Rushey Mead; this includes three Anglican Churches, one Roman Catholic
Church, two Non-Conformist Churches and our three Methodist Churches. There is a high degree of
friendship between the congregations, with good attendance at events in the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity.
Our Circuit mission statement is “Deepening Discipleship; Making More Disciples” and as such the key
priorities for our Circuit are to increase membership, maintain and encourage existing members and
build strong Junior Churches.
SYSTON TOWN
Syston is a small, busy thriving town offering many opportunities for its residents.
It has a history going back to 1086 and the Domesday Book, where it was recorded that there was a
settlement of 120 people and a mill. From that time it has continued to grow and became an
industrial village in the early 20th century, with knitting and shoemaking. Considerable growth was
seen between 1971 and 1997 when the number of dwellings increased by 80% and in 1987 the
village was given the status of ‘TOWN’. The population today is around 13,000.
Syston is situated approx 5 miles north of the City of Leicester and has the main Melton Road running
through its centre. It also lies on part of the ‘Fosse Way’ (an old Roman Road that ran from Lincoln to
Exeter). Immediately north is the beginning of the ‘Wreake Valley’ which is an excellent
walking/hiking area with good footpaths and sign posts through mainly farm land.
To the west and south is ‘Watermead Country Park’ which has been developed from the remnants of
the gravel pits. It contains several lakes one being ‘King Lear’s Lake’ which has statues of the
characters from Shakespeare’s play erected on the lake. Another lake is dedicated to the late John
Merrick (England Gold Medallist for Sailing).The park has something to offer for everyone from
walking, cycling, sailing, fishing, and yet, it is a quiet place that offers a safe haven for the many
different birds and wildlife. The River Soar and the Canal also run through the park.
The centre of Syston is very much a mixture of new and old buildings, from the ‘new’ town shopping
centre, health centre and modern flats to the ‘old’ church, public houses, cottages (some thatched)
and the old Chapel – now used for the local drama group and dance classes.
Off the High Street is the ‘Village Green’ that is not green at all - but more resembles a car park.
However there are two good sized green spaces: the first is right in the centre of the town which
contains a play area for children and a small sensual garden designed for the blind or handicapped.
This space is also used for town events such as the ‘Syston Carnival’ that takes place annually and
brings people from the surrounding areas. The second is commonly known as ‘The Donkey Park’
where mainly football is played (never seen any donkeys!).
Running right through the town is the Syston brook, which in the summer can be pretty with the
ducks and flowers, in the winter it can rage (and has been known to flood in the recent past to the
detriment of some residents) but that seems to have now been sorted out by the local Council. In
2000 a small pedestrian millennium bridge was built over the brook, of which the town was proud.
The local cemetery with its own chapel, is also a place of pride and has won ‘best kept cemetery
awards several times.
The town is well catered for in the variety of small shops and businesses. It also has a community
centre; Methodist community centre; a swimming pool; a bowling green; tennis courts and club; and
a library. There are numerous societies and clubs to join, including the Syston Silver band or the
Scout Troop that is one of the oldest in the country. And lastly there are five Christian churches of
different denominations which have all been long established and form part of the fabric of the town.
Amenities:
Health Centre with two practices and several doctors.
2 Dentists , both private, nearest NHS dentist is in Thurmaston.
Supermarkets, 3 small: Co-op; Somerfield and Aldi.
3 Banks: HSBC; Barclays; Alliance and Leicester.
At Thurmaston (5 mins by car) there is a shopping centre with larger retail stores including Asda,
Dunelm and Boots.
Travel:
Bus service to Leicester (every 10 mins).Buses to Melton Mowbray and Loughborough.
Small Train Station: (Ivanhoe Line – 4 mins walk from manse) 7 mins to Leicester,
12mins to Loughborough
Roads: A46 links Syston to the M1 going south, or Lincoln. There is a Syston bypass, and heavy
traffic is not allowed through the town except for delivery.
Recreation: Walking / Cycling -Watermead Country Park (10/15mins walk from manse) with links to
Birstall, Thurmaston and Leicester area.
Wreake Valley Swimming Pool (newly refurbished).
Bradgate Country Park or Swithland Woods 5 mile drive.
Churches: St Peter & St Paul, Anglican; The Infant of Prague, Roman Catholic; Baptist Church;
Gospel Hall – a small Brethren Church; and the Methodist Church.
Schools: Two Primary Schools – St Peter and St Paul; and Merton.
Middle and Upper School – Wreake Valley.
A number young people from Syston attend ‘Roundhill’ School which is just outside the boundary. It
takes 11 to 14year olds and feeds them into Wreake Valley.
Library
Community Centre
Fire Station – long established, but may close
Police Station- small
Care Homes for the Elderly – at least two
Syston Town Map
Key: (a) The Manse (+) Methodist Church (c) RC Church (d) Anglican Church (e) Health Centre (f) Police Station
The Manse
The manse is located at 11 Broad Street, Syston, which is on the southern edge of the town, close to
the railway station. The town centre and the Methodist Church are only about a 7 minute walk away.
The main road through Syston, Melton Road, is only a one minute walk away, with bus stops
conveniently located.
The house is a substantial four bedroom semi-detached property with gas central heating. On the
ground floor there are two reception rooms, study, kitchen and large hall. There is a small integral
garage and established gardens. All the windows are UPVC double glazed. On the first floor there
are a bathroom and w.c. in addition to the four bedrooms. The loft has recently been insulated.
The property is well maintained; the present minister and his wife have been particularly vigilant with
respect to upkeep of the interior and gardens. The circuit stewards are prepared to make feasible
changes to the property to meet the requirements of new occupants.
Ground Floor First Floor
Syston Church
Syston is an active family church with a membership of 125 serving a small town with a population of
approximately 14,000.
The premises, which occupy a prominent position on the High Street, have recently undergone complete
renovation, linking the Church building to the Hall complex, removing pews, modernising the interior of the
church and opening up the front of the church with glass doors.
At morning worship the size of the congregation normally numbers around 80, evening worship attracts a
smaller congregation of 18-24. We have an enthusiastic Junior Church who join the congregation for the
beginning of Sunday morning worship, and lead worship for special occasions – Junior Church Anniversary and
a Gift Service at Christmas. Singing in church is accompanied by our new Westmorland Monarke organ, by
Makin Organs, on which we have held several recitals, the latest being performed by the famous Carlo Curley,
a wonderful evening with the church filled to capacity.
A weekday communion service is held monthly on a Wednesday morning.
Our Girls’ Brigade Company meets weekly, and numbers around 20 girls. There are two Ladies meetings, one
in the evening which is affiliated to Network and one in the afternoon. Both meetings attract members from
the wider community who are not church members. Young parents and their babies and toddlers are catered
for by a twice weekly group aptly named ‘Make and Play’, a lively group run by the parents themselves. A
Keep Fit group and a Badminton group meet weekly, attracting both church and non-church members.
The premises are well used by the local community, and are available for hire, offering a large or small hall,
fully equipped kitchen, recently refurbished and smaller meeting rooms. The Syston Local History Group meet
monthly on the premises and an afternoon Tea Dance is held weekly. Age Concern has their offices here and
hold a weekly Coffee Morning each Wednesday. A Lunch Club is held fortnightly, staffed by volunteers from
the church.
A Coffee Morning is held every Saturday morning, again staffed by church volunteers and this is regarded as a
valuable asset by the people of Syston.
The church has a Fund-raising committee which is responsible for organising events of a social nature,
providing valuable income for church improvements and upkeep, a proportion of this income is donated to
charity each year.
House Fellowship Groups take place weekly and Worship Leaders are increasingly being involved in the
preparation and leading of worship. Many members work actively in the community and ecumenical links are
encouraged through Churches Together in Syston.
Queniborough Church
Queniborough Methodist Church is situated in the heart of a rural village that has a
population of some 2,500 people and has seen a Methodist presence for more than
100 years, serving God in the community.
Today, although the membership is only around 15, with services fortnightly, it enjoys
great fellowship and visitors are always warmly welcomed. A coffee morning is held on
the first Saturday of the month and this provides a real opportunity for villagers to
meet and chat over a coffee. It has raised several hundreds of pounds for Methodist
work and charities, as well as helping with the upkeep of the building.
The Mothers Union hold their monthly meetings on the premises as do a Ladies Group
who are affiliated to the church.
It is important that this church survives and continues its witness to God in the
community and is loyally supported by its members.
Rothley Church
Rothley is a village of some antiquity with the shaft of an Anglo-Saxon cross in the churchyard, which is
reputed to be 9th century. The Parish Church is 13th century but was extensively restored in Victorian times.
On the western outskirts of the village stands Rothley Temple which is a remnant of the estate that was
granted to the Order of the Knights Templar by Henry III. After the dissolution of the monasteries the Manor
House came into the possession of the Babington family who occupied the estate for 300 years. In the early
19th century, William Wilberforce stayed at the manor House and drafted his treaty for the abolition of slavery.
The Manor House is now the Rothley Court Hotel.
The expansion of Rothley started towards the end of the 19th century and has continued steadily since. In
1899 the second station out of Leicester on the Great Central Railway line was opened at Rothley. The line
was closed in 1969 but was re-opened as a heritage railway in 1976 and is now a popular attraction.
In 1823 the Methodist Church was built out of slate from the quarries in the adjoining village of Swithland. It
now has a membership of 21 and holds regular morning services plus occasional evening services. The
congregation is small but loyal and hardworking, trying to maintain a perspective which includes issues
affecting the local community and the world church. Joint services with the other churches are occasionally
held and the Churches Together in Rothley group meets regularly.
Coffee mornings are held each Tuesday. This is a source of fellowship as well as a form of community
outreach. On Tuesday afternoons there is a fortnightly Ladies Circle meeting which has around 28 members
who enjoy a varied programme of speakers and demonstrations. Fund raising events take place and amongst
the beneficiaries have been Tsunami victims, a cow for a third world country and renovation and repair of a
school in the Cameroon.
We look forward to the future with hope as we face the challenges of a small congregation promoting the love
of God in a village community.
Birstall Church
The church occupies a central location in the village, opposite Riverside Primary School and the
Library. Built in 1958, the church building has undergone some recent internal improvements and
refurbishment. The most notable recent maintenance activity was the replacement of the central
heating boiler at a cost of approximately £30,000. There is a substantial building, completed in 1994,
connected to the church. These newer premises offer a lounge, quiet room, hall (the location for the
Coffee Shop) and kitchen on the ground floor and an office and meeting rooms on the first floor. All
the rooms are available for hire by church and community groups and are heavily used.
The present church membership is 179; many of the church affiliated groups have members who are
not church members. A large proportion of the church membership is elderly, there are a small
number of families with younger children and a significant proportion are in their 50s and 60s.
There are three different women’s groups that meet during the week. The Bright Hour, meeting on a
Tuesday afternoon, has a very small membership of older women. The Thursday Group, which is
affiliated to Network, meets in the evening with about 60 members. On a Monday evening the
Women’s Group meets with about 40 members. The latter two groups run annual fund raising
projects devoted to charities.
The only men’s activity is the pantomime, which stages a production in the church concert hall every
February with an all male cast.
The Girls’ Brigade meet on a Tuesday evening with a lively membership of 40 girls. Boys’ Brigade
meet on Friday evening with a membership of 7 Junior and Anchor boys. Each weekday (for half a
day) there is a preschool run by the church. On Monday and Friday mornings there is a playgroup
for children with special needs. There are about 20 children from a wide area and staff are
volunteers from the churches in the village and beyond. Parents of these children are able to meet
together to provide mutual support.
The Coffee Shop runs from Tuesday to Saturday every week, staffed by volunteers principally from
the village churches. This is a very popular venue in the village generating some profit that is shared
between charity and the churches.
There are many village and community groups that hire rooms in the premises throughout the year,
e.g. a Bible Study Group, Neighbourhood Watch, Weight Watchers and Luncheon Club.
There is a Wednesday morning informal Communion service held in the Lounge which attracts about
20 people. On the first Wednesday of each month there is an evening act of worship (Sacred Space)
which is quieter and more contemplative. Most Sunday morning worship starts with a 15 minute
period of Sunday Club (Junior Church) worship led by people from the church or the worship leader.
The children, who number about 18-20, then go out to Sunday Club. The Sunday Club worship and
activity programme is based upon Roots resource materials. There is a family service on the first
Sunday of each month.
Singing in church is mainly accompanied by organ, but occasionally there is a small orchestra. The
choir contributes to all morning and special evening services, often singing an introit and for special
occasions, an anthem. Our worship group, Laudate, periodically leads singing, using guitar
accompaniment and more contemporary songs.
At morning worship the size of congregation ranges from 40 to 100 (excluding occasions like
Christmas carols where there can be 150). Sunday evening worship attracts a much smaller
congregation of between 10 and 20.
Throughout the year there is a programme of joint worship and social activities through Churches
Together in Birstall and Wanlip. This is a long standing and well supported aspect of Christian life for
members of the three churches in the village.
Edgehill Road Church
We are a small, friendly church situated in a mixed residential area in the North East of Leicester. As
far as our worship is concerned it can best be described as traditional Methodist! Our congregation
varies in number from 12 to 18 and we have 36 friends on our Community Roll. You will see from the
photographs on our web site (http://www.lnc-methodist.org.uk) that we have an attractive but
simple church interior. The Church is financially solvent.
There has been a place of worship on the corner of Hampden Road and Edgehill Road, Leicester
since 1897. In 1896/97 a brick mission hall was speculatively built on the site and was initially
occupied by the Anglican Church. The Anglicans moved on to another nearby site in 1899 and the
hall was let to the Methodist Church who eventually purchased the hall in 1902, having fended off a
rival bid put in by a Working-Men’s Club. In 1956 a new Church was opened on a site next to the
original mission hall which then became a Church Hall.
The area surrounding the Church is known as the Cromwell Estate because the roads in the area are
named after people and places associated with the English Civil War. The area originally comprised
of dwellings, market gardens and allotments. Over the years the various plots have been sold for
building and there is now a mixture of Victorian villas, houses, bungalows and modern starter homes
with some light industry. The population in the area is a mixture of ages and races.
We have a very successful Coffee Shop which is open each Thursday morning and attracts many
people from the local area. We are indebted to friends from Birstall Methodist Church who help to
run the Coffee Shop. The Church of the Assemblies of the First Born, a mainly Afro/Caribbean
Church, worship at Edgehill Road on Sundays and also use the premises for other events. We
regularly attend each other’s special services. We are active members of Churches Together in
Belgrave and Rushey Mead (CTBRM). Details of CTBRM activities can also be found on our web site.
Unfortunately the Church is facing an uncertain future. The original mission hall is now past its ‘sell
by date’ and we have been advised that it needs to be demolished and a new community hall built in
its place. The cost of a new hall will be in excess of £500k (we have planning permission) and it will
cost over £100k just to demolish the hall and make the resulting exposed walls weatherproof. In
recent years unsuccessful attempts have been made, in conjunction with the Cromwell Residents’
Association, to raise funds for a new community hall. It now seems unlikely that funds to redevelop
the hall will become available. Church Members will have to make a decision about the future of the
Church and to this end we hope to soon enter into discussions with friends at Claremont Street and
Harrison Road over the future of the Methodist Church in the City Section of the Circuit.
Claremont Street Church
Claremont Street is located on the northern outskirts of the City of Leicester in a multi-ethnic area
called Belgrave. The area is changing with factories and public houses being converted to private
dwellings, which add to the existing well-established housing stock.
The Church has a loyal membership and a community roll totaling approximately 100. It has a Girls’
Brigade, Sunday School and cares for all ages from toddler to senior citizen. About one third of our
people live in the area. Two thirds travel in from the surrounding area. The Church Society has
existed for over 125 years and seen many major changes.
Our Sunday Services tend to be traditional with a small Sunday School. One of the greatest assets at
Claremont is the warmth and fellowship of its people. Our weekday activities include the Girls’
Brigade, Senior Friendship Group, Coffee Drop in Centre, Weekday Communion and Luncheon Club.
Part of our premises are used by the Soar Valley Music School who have a very good reputation
throughout the UK. This means the property is used daily, mainly by young people for the teaching
of music.
Services are regularly conducted by members of the congregation, showing a commitment to be
involved fully.
There are links with other Christian denominations in Belgrave and Rushey Mead, i.e. Anglican,
Catholic, Baptist and United Reform who join together for worship and other activities.
CLAREMONT STREET METHODIST CHURCH
MISSION STATEMENT
Members of Claremont Methodist Church believe that it is vital for our local area to maintain a
Christian witness on the present site.
We must continue to build on the existing work, among young people, promoting Christian
principles and understanding.
There is an already active mission to the local community to be maintained through groups
and activities for all ages.
As a Christian fellowship, we all have God-given talents and abilities to offer to His service. It
is our duty to harvest these talents for growth to continue.
We shall build upon already strong ecumenical work and seek ways of linking with ethnic
minority groups.
An outward expression of our inward faith is essential. Outreach through activities and
charitable giving is basic to our mission.
Harrison Road Church
Hall opened July 1905 Church opened October 1909
It was the vision of the members of several Methodist Churches near to the city centre in 1904 which
led to the establishment of the Methodist Church in Harrison Road in 1905. We worship in a building
that reflects that period, with a fairly large hall, several ancillary rooms and a large lawned garden
making up the remainder of the 2000 square yard site. The buildings have been well maintained
over the years and we have a large well equipped kitchen and ample toilet facilities, which includes
provision for the disabled. A continuous programme of maintenance and renovation to keep the
premises in good shape is in place.
The finances of the church are healthy and our Treasurer keeps us in order over expenditure. We
have been left legacies by late members and the church council look to use these kind gifts wisely to
develop the worship and witness of the church in the area and the general upkeep of the premises.
The membership of the church has been between 40 and 50 over a number of years and we have a
small number of adherents on the community roll. Although our membership is fairly small, most of
them attend at least one service each Sunday.
Our Tuesday Group for women meets on alternative weeks and has a membership of 16-18; the
group enjoys a varied programme of events during the year.
Our church choir, though small in number (10 regular members), still sing an introit and anthem at
every service, with a fair variation of music. They meet each Wednesday evening for practice and
play an important role in supporting the preachers each week. They also organise most of our “Own
Arrangement” services and a very enjoyable “Choir at Home” concert during December.
Saturday evening suppers/concerts are held during the year at Harvest and Church Anniversary, with
the men of the church organising one in the Spring and the Tuesday Group arranging one in the
Summer. We usually seat around 60 at these events.
For a number of years our Sunday School was in serious decline and for some time consisted of a few
children visiting grandparents at the weekend. Even now the numbers are only about 10 when all
present but now most of the children have parents in the church. The ages range from 3 to 18
years, but some very encouraging progress is being made by a very dedicated Sunday School staff.
From Easter Sunday 2007 a group of Asian Christians known as the United Christian Fellowship –
Leicester started to use our premises for worship and fellowship each Sunday afternoon. The
Fellowship is made up of men, women and children who originate mainly from the Punjab, Gugarat
and Pakistan and have had over 40 people attending. Members have come from as far away as
Corby, Kettering and the West Midlands. Recently numbers attending have fallen to around 20 but
UCF members are working hard to recover the lost ground and are very hopeful of increased
membership. Our own minister conducts a service of Holy Communion for the Fellowship once per
month. We are hoping that in time closer links will be established.
Ecumenical links exist between the churches in Belgrave and Rushey Mead area, but this is a slowly
developing situation.
Our Church at Harrison Road is suitable for staging major events with seating for 500 people and
whilst car parking is a problem, we are able to use the nearby school car park for special events.
The Church has a fine Taylor pipe organ which is kept in good condition despite not being used at
most services, but we are usually able to engage an organist for special occasions, funerals and
weddings.
The Church hall is used by a local amateur operatic society twice per week and by other community
groups on an occasional basis. For three weeks during August our hall and garden are used for a
local playscheme for up to 100 children each day. Premises with such facilities are very rare in this
area. Our premises are also included in the City Council’s list of emergency centres should the need
ever arise.
Our forebears had a vision at the beginning of the 20th Century for this area of Leicester. Now, at
the beginning of the 21st Century our vision is to bring Jesus Christ to a much changed situation. Our
forebears moved into a new housing development in 1905 to bring Christ to the families moving into
the area. Now, in 2009, most of the local population are of Asian origin and there are numerous
temples and mosques in the area which reflects the religious orientation, so our situation has
changed to a ‘holding stance’, maintaining a Christian presence in a largely non-Christian area.
The City of Leicester
The area of the city which is included in the Leicester North Circuit developed during the late
Victorian and early Edwardian periods. The village of Belgrave at that time was just outside the town
boundary. Large areas of red brick terraces were built in the fields between the town and Belgrave
village to accommodate the influx of people working in the growing industries. Along with the
houses were built many new schools, churches and chapels which developed a tradition of witnessing
in the respectable and proud working class community.
Today the city covers an area of 28 square miles with a population of over 270,000. It is very much
a mutli-racial and multi-cultural city with over 25% of the population being of ethnic minority origin,
by far the greatest number are of Asian origin. Many of them came to Leicester after expulsion from
East Africa in the 1970s, arriving virtually penniless having left prosperous businesses behind in East
Africa. They settled predominantly in the Belgrave area, which was declining in prosperity as the
traditional population was moving to newer suburbs outside the city. The new immigrants brought
their business acumen with them, adapting well to the Leicester traditions of small knitting shops and
family industries. The Belgrave area has evolved over the last thirty or so years into a thriving
community with Belgrave Road the principal Asian shopping area with traditional clothes, food and
jewellery imported from the Indian sub-continent and attracting customers from all over Britain. This
area is also a centre for major celebrations of Hindu and Islamic faiths.
In the centre of the city there is a wide choice of more traditional and modern shops from the major
High Street stores to boutiques in Victorian arcades. The new Highcross shopping centre in the heart
of the city houses three major department stores and over seventy other shops plus restaurants,
cafes and ample car parking. The Leicester market is reputed to be one of the largest open air
covered markets in Europe, over 700 years old, still operating six days a week and still one of the
best places to buy traditional Red Leicestershire and Stilton cheeses.
Industry, like that of the rest of Britain, has suffered in the decline of the last few years; however,
diversity has protected Leicester from some of the worst effects. Local growth industries now include
food and drink, plastics, printing and publishing. Industrial developments are growing on the
outskirts of the city with new industries and wholesale distribution taking advantage of Leicester’s
central location at the hub of a motorway network. East Midlands Airport is easily accessible, with a
road journey time from Syston of only 45 mins.
There are a number of large green spaces in the city, in particular Victoria Park and Abbey Park. A
number of museums exist in different parts of the city, such as New Walk, Jewry Wall (Roman
artefacts), The Guildhall and Castle Gardens. The city is home to two substantial universities,
Leicester and DeMontfort in addition to further education and printing colleges. The DeMontfort Hall
entertainment venue has been used in the past for productions by both Roger Jones and Rob Frost
and is used annually for Christian Praise.
Leicester is home to people of many races and faiths, notably of Afro-Caribbean African and Asian
origin. This adds richness to the local culture and we recognise that the Asian community, in
particular, cannot be grouped together as a single entity. Within it is a diversity of culture, faith and
language, English being only one of several languages in everyday use. The city has several
Mosques, Hindu and Sikh Temples and a major Jain centre. Areas such as Belgrave are now truly
multi-cultural and the Methodist and other Christian churches in the area represent a minority faith.
The County of Leicestershire
Leicestershire covers 1100 square miles with a population, excluding the city itself, of 500,000.
There are several large towns, namely Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Hinckley, Market Harborough
and Coalville, which provide employment, entertainment and shopping centres for the population in
and surrounding them. Many people still commute daily into the city for work.
The east of the county, around Melton, is famous for its tradition of pork pies and Stilton cheese. A
very attractive area of undulating green hills with the field pattern broken by small woods and
picturesque villages, it has been noted for hunting for centuries and the landscape can be seen in
many traditional hunting prints and paintings. Rutland Water in the adjoining county is the largest
man made reservoir in Europe, which provides a variety of leisure facilities both on and off the water.
To the north west of the city lies Charnwood Borough (Syston is on the eastern edge of this Borough)
and Charnwood Forest. Many of the trees have long since disappeared from this hilly region leaving
areas of craggy granite outcrops. It is one of the oldest rock formations in the country with very
hard stone, which is much in demand by road makers. In spite of the quarrying and acid soil, which
is not very fertile, the area still has great natural beauty with much of it protected from development.
The area contains several large public parks, which attract large numbers of visitors.
In the north west borough lie the defunct coalfields but the evidence of mining remains. The area is
undergoing a process of substantial re-forestation as part of the National Forest scheme.
To the south of the city, towards Market Harborough, the land is more fertile and agriculture again
begins to dominate the countryside.
Loughborough is a thriving town with a combination of a market, industrial, commercial and
university life. The university is one of the pre-eminent higher education establishments with a
national reputation for sport academics.