Thankfully, most of us will never know how difficult it is to be told your son or daughter needs life-saving heart surgery. This must surely be one of the hardest things for any parent to hear.

As the news gradually sinks in, you'd want to know your child was going to get the best possible treatment and that their operation stood the best possible chance of success.

For months, campaigners have been saying this is exactly what the amazing surgeons, nurses and other staff at Glenfield provide.

The evidence to prove this is now clearer than ever.

Last weekend, NHS bosses finally published the mortality data for all the children's heart surgery services in England.

As we have consistently argued, the results for Glenfield are outstanding. The hospital has the second lowest death rates of any unit in the country.

It shouldn't have taken so long to make this new evidence public. For months, I've been pressing Government ministers to publish the data and ensure it is fully considered – both in the national review of children's heart surgery services and before any final decision is taken about Glenfield.

It beggars belief that Glenfield is proposed to close when it has among the best clinical outcomes for surgery, and a world-class ECMO service that is used by patients across the country.

Incidentally, a journalist recently asked me whether I should really be pressing for the data on death rates to be published: "What if it doesn't support Glenfield?" While I was always confident it would, from the start, my view has been that my constituents have a right to know all the facts. Only then will they be able to choose the best treatment for their child.

We're now in the final stretch of our campaign. The Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP), which is currently reviewing the proposals on children's heart surgery services, will report its findings at the end of the month.

On Monday, I and the MP for Loughborough, Nicky Morgan, arranged for 16 East Midlands MPs – including Leicester's Jon Ashworth and Keith Vaz – to write to the Health Secretary, the Medical Director of NHS England and the chair of the IRP.

We called for the new evidence on mortality rates to be fully considered by the IRP's review, and for the decision to close Glenfield to be over-turned.

Throughout the campaign, the public's support has been incredible.

Thousands of people took part in the initial consultation and 108,987 people signed a Government e-petition to secure a proper debate in Parliament.

Hundreds more have written letters, or come to London to hold a vigil in Westminster, in order to press the hospital's case. I want to take this opportunity to pass on my genuine, heartfelt thanks for everyone's hard work and commitment.

Day in, day out, the surgeons and staff at Glenfield perform miracles. I'm determined to do everything I can to ensure their excellent, life-saving work continues long into the future.

The Duchess of Cambridge has honoured the high achievements of hundreds of Scouts at Windsor Castle.

Kate, 31, beamed after being greeted at the National Review of Queen's Scouts at the royal castle in Berkshire by Chief Scout, adventurer and TV star Bear Grylls.

Four hundred youngsters and their families from across the UK and around the Commonwealth flocked to the prestigious annual celebration.

Pregnant Kate hid her growing baby bump dressed in a light green Mulberry coat.

Despite being around six months pregnant, the royal is increasing her charitable workload and is now patron of seven organisations as well as being a volunteer with the Scout Association.

Grylls – who became the UK's youngest Chief Scout in 2009 aged 34 – said Kate was an "incredible role model" who helped show that Scouting was not just for boys.

Since Kate joined the Scouts last year, more than 2,800 new adult volunteers have joined up – the second biggest rise since 1986.

Last year, the Queen – who celebrated her 87th birthday yesterday privately – honoured Scouts at Windsor.

Most of the youngsters yesterday received Queen's Scouts awards – the highest a Scout can gain – for achievements including carrying out regular community service for a year.

It is also handed out to those aged 16 and 25 who have learned new skills, completed a four-day expedition in unknown terrain, taken part in a residential project and shared what they learned with their peers.

During the day, Kate also met youngsters who had received gallantry awards.

Police say no further action is to be taken against Britain's first youth police and crime commissioner who stepped down from the role over offensive comments she made on Twitter.

Paris Brown, 17, was meant to be providing young people's views on policing but found her tweets being investigated amid claims they were homophobic, racist and violent.

A spokeswoman for Kent Police said: "We have spoken to the CPS about our findings, and given them our view that this case does not pass the evidential threshold for prosecution.

"We will make no recommendations to them for charges and take no further police action having discharged our duty to investigate."

She added: "While some of the language used is offensive, particularly the comments which derogatorily refer to particular social groups, we do not believe that in the context they are grossly offensive on a reasonable objective assessment considering intent."

Miss Brown, from Sheerness in Kent, who was to earn £15,000-a-year from the role, has since apologised for causing offence with the messages she posted between the ages of 14 and 16.

She denied being anti-gay or racist, and said she is against taking drugs, insisting that a reference on Twitter to making "hash brownies" was from a Scooby Doo film. The offensive tweets have now been deleted.

The teenager's Twitter account was not checked as part of the recruitment process.

It has also emerged that lawyers representing Miss Brown have written to the chief constable of Kent Police complaining of a "wholly disproportionate" response to the Twitter comments.

Her questioning by officers came after the force received more than 50 complaints from members of the public amid claims that the tweets were homophobic, racist and violent. Her lawyers, Olswang, have written to Chief Constable Ian Learmonth about the scope and nature of the investigation, including the decision to seize her phone and for Special Branch to quiz her.

They said she was visited by a Special Branch officer at her home on April 11, along with a second officer, and asked to surrender her mobile for examination.

Then she was requested to attend an interview under caution on April 14.

She was quizzed for one hour and seven minutes about material posted on her Twitter account which had already been published in the media. Her phone was returned three days later.

In their letter, her lawyers said: "As we are sure that you will readily understand, being subject to a police investigation is highly distressing for any person, but especially so for a teenager, particularly one who has been recently subject to such adverse media coverage.

"In such circumstances, we believe that the police must weigh carefully the extent to which an investigation relating solely to social media activity is merited."

Olswang also referred to the interim guidelines from the Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer regarding prosecutions relating to social media.

Kent police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes appointed Miss Brown to the position earlier this month and was to pay £5,000 of the teenager's salary from her own pay.

She praised Miss Brown as a "remarkable young woman" and said her decision not to take up the role, which was due to begin this summer, was "very sad".

Another youth commissioner will be appointed in her place.

A politics student is the youngest candidate standing in this year's county council elections.

Heather Worman, 20, a first year politics and British government student at De Montfort University, has been selected as Labour candidate for Ibstock and Appleby ward in North West Leicestershire.

She said: "I've always been interested in politics.

"The first thing I can remember is when I was at primary school and we had a head teacher and I was unhappy because I didn't vote for them – I was seven or eight."

Heather joined the Labour Party at 16 and helped campaign in the last General Election.

She has stood for selection at district council level and helped election campaigns run by party colleagues.

"I was canvassing in 2010 and Labour was getting a lot of stick," she said. "It wasn't a good time for the party.

"But this time around, the reaction on the doorstep has been incredibly positive."

Heather said standing for election was good material to draw upon for her university politics studies.

She said: "It could not be more perfect. I'm studying the subject I love and if I win the election, I'll get to do the job I really want to do.

"I grew up in Ellistown, went to school in Ibstock and my family are from Heather, so I know this area and the people really well."

Heather's manifesto includes a pledge to fight for better rural bus services and to improve job prospects for people in rural communities.

All 55 seats on Leicestershire County Council will be contested on Thursday, July 2. Ballot papers will be counted, and the results announced the following day.

A man who accessed more than 1,500 indecent images of youngsters on the internet has been jailed for 10 months.

Roy Widdowson was caught after an associate found some images stored on CDs and DVDs of naked girls aged between 10 and 12 years.

The 65-year-old, of Hinckley Road, Leicester, admitted making indecent images of children, by downloading them.

They relate to 1,375 images, including 18 movies, at level one, 170 images, including two movies, at level two, 78 images at level three, 188 at level four, and 24 in the most serious category, level five.

Sentencing him at Leicester Crown Court, Judge Philip Head said: "Your offending spanned a nine-year period.

"It ended on February 28 when you moved out of a hostel and told an acquaintance he could keep what he found.

"He found CDs and DVDs of girls exposing themselves and alerted the police who then searched your computer.

"A significant proportion of the victims shown were 10 years old."

The judge said there were also images of even younger children being abused.

He added: "The impact on the victims, for the rest of their lives, of being treated in this way cannot be imagined.

"People like you, who download and use them, keep this trade going.

"It's said you've had unhappy emotional experiences, which led you into these offences.

"However, the material is so serious and of such a quantity, only custody is justified, in the public interest."

Carl Gaskell, mitigating, said Widdowson was willing to address his offending and regretted his actions.

Judge Head imposed a sexual offences prevention order, enabling the authorities to monitor and restrict his future computer use, and also banning him from unsupervised contact with females under 16.

He will also have to enlist on a sex offenders' register for 10 years.

It has been a long time coming, but veteran Bill Merry is delighted to have received a campaign medal – 70 years after he served in the Arctic convoys of the Second World War.

Bill Merry, 89, was one of thousands of sailors on warships that defended vessels carrying weapons and food to the Soviet Union.

While Mr Merry and his colleagues were given medals by the Russian Government for their service, it was only last year that David Cameron announced the Ministry of Defence would thank the veterans with an Arctic Star.

Mr Merry, from Scraptoft Lane, Leicester, said: "I feel absolutely great.

"In two weeks' time I will be 90 years old, so I am really happy to have got this medal now.

"It certainly is nice to be honoured after all these years. It is a long time coming, after all."

He received his medal in the post.

"To be honest, I didn't know what it was," he said.

"It was in a package and all wrapped up, and came in a nice box. It's lovely."

Mr Merry served on HMS Westcott as a stoker between 1943 and 1945 and took part in 14 convoys between Iceland, Scotland and the Russian ports of Murmansk and Archangel.

He said the temperatures were below zero and he would often experience 22 hours of darkness a day.

"Always, at the back of your mind, was the thought a U-boat might be about to sink us," Mr Merry said.

"It was hard and frightening."

Mr Merry will add his star to a collection of nine other medals he received for his service.

"I had them all put in a special frame, so now I suppose I will have to have a new one done."

The Arctic convoys were reportedly called the "worst journey in the world" by Winston Churchill.

About 3,000 died while serving on convoys.

The sailors were never recognised by the British military for their service. However, following a campaign by a 93-year-old veteran from Portsmouth, David Cameron announced in December that convoy veterans would get a medal late last year.

The Prime Minister awarded the first of the newly-created Arctic Stars at a ceremony at Downing Street earlier this month, to 40 of the surviving 400 men who served on the convoys.

The MOD said surviving veterans would receive the medals first, and then widows, followed by other next of kin.

Andy King said Leicester City would have taken a point from their clash with play-off rivals Crystal Palace before the game.

However, the midfielder, who scored City's first equaliser in the 2-2 draw, confessed the players were disappointed they had not claimed all three points after twice coming from behind against Ian Holloway's side, and creating some good chances to win.

"I think it was a good point and we probably would have taken it," said King.

"But having played the way we did, we probably deserved all three having gone behind twice and come back.

"We had the better of the chances so we are a bit disappointed.

"I thought we played fairly well, especially having gone behind like we have done quite a bit recently, but the boys showed the courage to come back.

"To do it twice at a tough place and against a team that is above us in the league is great. We are playing some good stuff at the moment.

"It is frustrating that we are giving ourselves uphill battles. It is a lot tougher then.

"We are a better team when we score first. That is something we have to work on.

"But we played some good stuff and we have two big games coming up, so let's see what happens after that."

King's cool finish was his first in 11 games, but he said he had not lost any confidence.

"I have scored a lot of goals for Leicester and people know I am confident in front of goal," he said.

"It is just nice to get one because it has been a while since I scored. But, most importantly, it was about the team getting back to 1-1 and looking to kick on for all three.

"It didn't happen but it was a vital goal for the team."

The point, coupled with Bolton's victory against Middlesbrough, saw City drop out of the Championship top six.

King believes City must now win both their final games to make it into the play-offs, starting with Friday's visit of Watford to the King Power Stadium.

"The next two games are both must-win games," he said. "We have to take that form into those.

"It is a must-win for us if we are to have any chance of getting that sixth spot.

"We have to win the game and everyone in the dressing room knows that. We will be working hard ready for Friday."

Leicester City were never going to make it easy for their long-suffering supporters, but then again we all knew that.

City pretty much know they must win their last two games to gatecrash the play-offs after Saturday's 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park – and hope Bolton cannot match their achievement.

It is certainly a possibility, but City have not won back-to-back games since their fantastic form at the turn of the year, and they have not claimed an away win since demolishing doomed Bristol City at Ashton Gate in January.

But you would not rule out Nigel Pearson's men taking it right to the wire against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on the final day of the season, ensuring there will be shredded nerves and bleeding fingernails among the Blue Army.

They have certainly showed plenty of spirit in recent performances, and it is a good job too.

Again, City had to come from behind, not once but twice, to claim a point when perhaps it should really have been three.

After six games without a win and five without even scoring a goal, Palace were nervous and you could smell the trepidation around Selhurst Park.

Manager Ian Holloway, as popular as ever with the City fans, decided to go route one and picked his biggest side in a bid to out-muscle City.

After the visitors made the brighter start of the two sides, Holloway's tactic paid off when City failed to deal with Stephen Dobbie's free-kick and Danny Gabbidon headed the hosts into the lead.

But from that moment, City started to play some good football and they crafted a superb equaliser, which was expertly taken by man of the match Andy King, the Welshman with ice in his veins when bearing down on goal.

There was no question City were the better side, and the only time they looked troubled was from set-pieces.

City were starting to carve out some good opportunities and Jeff Schlupp wasted a great chance from eight yards when he fired over the bar.

City paid the price as they struggled to clear their lines shortly after and Dobbie curled the ball past Kasper Schmeichel to put Palace back in front.

City's players slumped to the ground but, while they were down, they were not out.

Nigel Pearson's men continued to play the better football but their equaliser came after a horrendous mistake from Eagles captain Damien Delaney, and Chris Wood latched on to the ball before powering his shot past Julian Speroni to make it 11 goals for City and 22 for the season.

The point means City have dropped out of the top six and face tough final games at home to Watford and away to Forest. Tough, but not impossible.

They may put fans through the wringer, but you just cannot write them off.

More than 15,000 people were drawn to the city centre yesterday for one of the most colourful parades of the year.

The annual Vaisakhi procession saw people from Sikh temples all over the region parade through the centre of Leicester from the temple in Holy Bones, near St Nicolas Circle, to the temple in East Park Road, Evington.

Drums and religious songs reverberated through the streets as the crowds made there way along the three-mile route, with drinks and snacks to keep them going.

The procession was headed by a drummer on the back of a vehicle, followed by more than a dozen barefoot sweepers, clearing the streets with brooms ahead of the flag and sword bearers.

For Sikhs, Vaisakhi commemorates the founding in 1699 of the Sikh community, the Khalsa, and for Hindus marks the start of the New Year.

The first vehicle in the parade, with musicians and the scriptures known as the Guru Granth Sahib, was followed by dozens of school children. Behind them were more vehicles and thousands more people.

As the parade made its way through the city, more and more people joined in.

Gurjeet Kaur, 32, of the Narborough Road area of Leicester, who was there with her family, said: "We come every year and it's always a very happy event.

"People come from a long way away because this is the biggest event of the year for us and although there are others elsewhere in the UK, this is the best.

"There are thousands of people.

"We love coming to follow it through the city and sing traditional songs.

"There are snacks along the way to keep our energy up – lots of samosas and drinks."

Balbir Singh Ram, 40, of Braunstone Town, Leicester, was also there with his family.

He said: "I've done this every year since I was little and it's lovely on days like this when the sun's out.

"A lot of people join the parade as it moves along but a lot of other people, who aren't Sikhs, come and watch, so I think it's a good multi-cultural event as well.

"Leicester City Council and the police always make a big effort and they're to be applauded."

It was the first parade for three-year-old Gurnnoor Singh, of Belgrave.

His dad, Satinder, 42, said: "Last time he was in his pram so this is the first time he's walking and I'm sure he'll make it the whole way.

"It's a long way but we never feel tired because we're celebrating and so everyone's happy.

"It's a very nice event and it's lovely weather, too."

In the last four processions combined, more than £16,000 was collected for charities along the way.

This year the collection was in aid of Anthony Nolan, Leicester General Hospital's kidney unit, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Sikh Organisation for Prisoner Welfare and the Sukrit Education Trust.

Leicester City councillor Inderjit Singh Gugnani, who represents Knighton ward, was among the organisers of the event.

He said: "The nicest thing about the day is when I see people from other communities opening theGallery: Vaisakhi festival in Leicester

Nigel Pearson said his Leicester City side can take a lot of confidence after twice coming from behind to claim a draw at fellow play-off hopefuls Crystal Palace.

Strikes from Andy King and Chris Wood gave City a share of the spoils at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Pearson said he was pleased with his side's display, although the point saw them drop out of the Championship play-off places.

However, he said there was every reason to be optimistic that they could beat both Watford and Nottingham Forest in their final two games to make it into the play-offs.

"I thought we were the better side and played pretty well," he said

"We twice had to come from a goal behind. The players showed a lot of quality on what was a difficult pitch, and I thought we were the better side.

"I have said to the players we have two games left now and we have to make sure we win them both.

"If we show the positive qualities we showed (against Palace), then we have a great chance.

"At any other time, we would be talking about this as being a really good point."

Pearson added: "It is not games like this that has put us in this situation, it is the performances against Derby and Barnsley.

"What we have to do is focus on what we can influence – and that is the last two games.

"We have to take the positives from (the Palace result) and move forward, because we have a really good chance."

City had fallen behind to Danny Gabbidon's first-half header, and then Stephen Dobbie struck from the edge of the box to put the Eagles back in front in the second half.

"Clearly, their biggest threat was going to be from set-plays as they had a big side," said Pearson.

"Unfortunately, we conceded one from a set-play, but we were very unlucky with the second one in terms of ricochets.

"I thought we played well. It was just slightly unfortunate to concede the two goals, and we created a number of good situations as well. There are a lot of positives."

Hundreds of proud Scouts, Cubs and Beavers marched through the city streets to mark St George's Day.

The annual event yesterday saw more than 400 youngsters take part in a parade to Leicester Cathedral for a service to celebrate England's patron saint, while hundreds more marched to Bishop Street Methodist Church for a separate service.

Afterwards, both groups joined up for a massive parade led by a marching band, which went through the heart of the city centre as shoppers enjoying the warm weather looked on.

Mia Doshi-Prichard, 12, of Knighton, was parading with the 68th Leicester Scouts.

She said: "It's really good. Everyone watched us and we all marched in time to the beat.

"It's good to have so many people taking part.

"This is only my second parade, we did one in November for Remembrance Day, and this is much nicer weather."

Her group leader, Jane Letter-Miller, said the event was always an eye-opener for the youngsters.

She said: "They know they're all members of the biggest youth organisation in the world but until they see all the others here it's hard for them to get an idea of just how many there are here in Leicestershire."

Calum Jones, eight, of the 63rd Leicester Beavers, was also having fun on the parade. He said: "It's really good fun. I've never done it before and it's a bit scary."

The 63rd are a new Leicester group, set up a year ago.

Chris Wilkins, one of the group's leaders, said: "We had eight Beavers all together, with one up front, carrying the flag, and they've all had a really good time. There are also Cubs and Scouts from the 63rd here.

"It's also my first parade for about 40 years and it's good to be back!"

Along the route of the parade, hundreds of parents and grandparents looked on proudly as the children filed past.

Edward Brooksbank, of Knighton, Leicester, had three children, aged seven, 10 and 12, in the parade.

"It's lovely to see them all dressed up and looking so happy," he said.

"It's nice to have a bit of a ceremony and it's not too cold for it this year."

Jemmah Harrison, of Braunstone, Leicester, watched her six-year-old daughter Molly take part in her first parade.

She said: "I brought Molly here to see the parade last year and that really set her off and she wanted to be a Beaver.

"So now I'm back here this year and she's in the parade and having a really good time. It think it's brilliant."

Pamela Ball, of Wigston, looked on as her six-year-old son Corey took his turn at carrying the flag for the 112th Leicester Beaver group.

She said: "He's only six and it's his first parade so he's really been looking forward to it. They were all well behaved and they were trying very hard to march nicely."

• Click here to see a gallery of 40 pictures from the FINISH of the Rutland to Melton CiCLE Classic 2013

• Click here to see a gallery of 40 pictures mostly from the START of the Rutland to Melton CiCLE Classic in Oakham