Ben Youngs has epitomised the spirit at the club during what has been a difficult month.

Being new to the game of captaincy, Ben has faced some very tough situations to deal with at the start of this season. And like many of us, he has faced some criticism.

But, in a side that has been compromised and not on its best form, he has continued to lead vocally, doing everything he can to get things right.

Some of those things have not come off as well as he would have liked at times, but you saw with his dummy that led to Blaine Scully's try against Harlequins last week, that little bit of class always shows in the end.

Ben's attitude has been great. When times are hard and things are not going as well as you would like, and this is a big year for him with the World Cup on the horizon, it's easy to look around and start spreading the blame. Ben, however, has been at the forefront of driving standards and trying to sort things out to make things better.

His maturity in dealing with those issues has been really important and has not gone unnoticed among the playing group and coaching staff.

You will not find Ben Youngs shirking any responsibility whatsoever.

Another player whose work and attitude may have crept under the radar in the last month is Owen Williams.

Make no mistake about it, Owen is a fly-half who wants to play at fly-half. So for him to run out at inside-centre and learn a trade that is completely alien to him, without moaning at all, has been admirable.

We asked him to do the job through sheer necessity at Bath and Owen has remained there ever since because of injuries to Ant Allen and Seremaia Bai.

He has been learning all the time and there is plenty to learn when you move from the 10 to 12 shirt, but he has got really stuck in.

Owen is well over 15 stones and has put himself about, making plenty of tackles.

But his future remains at fly-half. He will be relieved to read that!

Ben and Owen are indicative of the attitude and spirit we have in the camp ahead of tomorrow's European opener against Ulster. Following on from last Friday's win over Harlequins, what amounted to virtually an under-20s side went to Sale in the 'A' League on Monday night and won 13-0 with new signing Tommy Bell scoring all of our points.

If he can guarantee me a try, points with the boot and a win, he can play every week!

That performance gave us two wins in 72 hours and that has given everyone a lift.

Everyone has stuck together during some tough weeks. From top to bottom, they have ridden a rocky time and, hopefully, we have turned the corner and will be better for it.

There is still plenty to work on and we have some big games coming up .

People in Leicester are being invited to help shape a blueprint on how the city should be developed over the next few years.

Officials at Leicester City Council are preparing a local plan - a document required by the Government to set out planning policies and guide decisions on new development.

The council has launched an eight-week public consultation on the next local plan which is due to be adopted in 2016.

The council says up to 1,350 homes will need to be built in the city each year until 2013 to cope with the growing population and meet Government targets.

Residents will be asked to comment on the sort of homes needed and where they think they should be built such as on former industrial sites.

They will also be also be asked to comment on the contentious issues of where new student accommodation and managed travellers' plots should be provided.

Other questions relate to the future provision of community facilities and public spaces and measures to tackle flooding.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "The local plan is an important opportunity to steer future development in the city.

"Future growth needs to be planned to ensure that we create the sort of confidence that will help attract major investment and ensure that people living in Leicester reap the benefits of new business, jobs and other facilities.

"This first consultation will give people the chance to help shape the local Plan by telling us what they think of our ideas, and raise any issues they think need addressing."

He added: "These documents are normally quite dry and I wanted to take the opportunity to add our vision for the city.

"The consultation will let people tell us what sort of city they want Leicester to be in the future

"It is important because the local plan allows us to exercise our planning powers and to prevent undesirable development."

The consultation will end at 5pm on Wednesday December 10 when work will begin on drafting the Leicester local plan.

The draft plan will be published for further public comment before being submitted to the Secretary of State and Planning Inspectorate for approval in 2015.

A final round of public examination involving an independent inspector will then take place before the new plan is adopted.

To take part in the consultation visit www.leicester.gov.uk/haveyoursay

Copies of the consultation documents will also be available in local libraries.

Marcos Ayerza returns to the Leicester Tigers starting line-up for the Champions Cup opener against Ulster at Welford Road tomorrow (7.45pm).

The loose-head prop made his first Tigers appearance of the season last Friday when he came on as a second-half replacement in the Aviva Premiership victory over Harlequins.

Ayerza starts in the front row alongside Leonardo Ghiraldini and Fraser Balmain in the only change from last week.

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: "We've faced Ulster in recent seasons in Europe and know they are a very competitive team. The win last weekend was important for us but there is still work to do.

"There is nothing like the big European occasions in front of a big Welford Road crowd and this is another big day for the players and the supporters."

Teams:

Leicester Tigers: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Blaine Scully, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Williams, 11 Vereniki Goneva, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Ben Youngs (c), 1 Marcos Ayerza, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 3 Fraser Balmain, 4 Brad Thorn, 5 Graham Kitchener, 6 Jamie Gibson, 7 Julian Salvi, 8 Jordan Crane

Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Michele Rizzo, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Sebastian de Chaves, 20 Robert Barbieri, 21 David Mele, 22 Sam Harrison, 23 Miles Benjamin

Ulster: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Paul Marshall, 1 Andrew Warwick, 2 Rory Best (c), 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 4 Lewis Stevenson, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 6 Robbie Diack, 7 Chris Henry, 8 Nick Williams 

Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Callum Black, 18 Declan Fitzpatrick, 19 Clive Ross, 20 Roger Wilson, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Stuart Olding, 23 Darren Cave.

IT'S not easy to pick the most harrowing part of Curtis Granger's tragic tale, writes Lee Marlow.

It could be the night it all happened. Friday, July 20, 2012. 23-year-old Curtis, an unsuspecting young man on a night out with a mate, punched to the floor by a lad he didn't know just because the lad "didn't like his jacket."

Or the phone call to his mum in the early hours of Saturday morning. "Your son is in accident and emergency, Mrs Dickens. You better come now."

It could be the grim warning of the doctor a week later. A different hospital but the same prognosis. A crowd of concerned specialists, all thinking the same thing - that Curtis Granger wouldn't survive the next 24 hours.

A succession of family and friends lined up to pay their last respects, but Curtis clung on, not just for one day, but the next day and the one after that. He won't survive the next 24 hours, the doctors said, shifting the goalposts, re-siting the misery. And yet he did. He always did.

But that's not the worst part, says Vanessa Dickens, Curtis's mum. She knows the worst part. It happens every time she visits him.

Curtis lives in a hospice in Northampton. His needs round the clock care. Curtis can't walk. He struggles to talk. He is incontinent. His skull has been cut away and rebuilt in titanium.

"I sit with him," says Vanessa, "and I talk, I tell him what's been going on at home, what's been happening in the news and he looks at me and he says:

"Where am I?

"Why am I here?"

The same two questions.

And they tell him.

"Someone hit you, Curtis.

You have a head injury.

You're in a care facility in Northampton."

And Curtis sighs, as if he can't quite understand how unfair it all is or why this had to happen to him.

"You can see it's such a shock for him," says his sister Elle Granger, 22, "and then, gradually, he seems to accept it."

He'll look round. At the thin NHS curtains and the stark, flourescent lighting, the busy nurses and the beeping and the ever present smell of hospital food.

And his face falls. Every time, his face falls.

It lasts for a minute, maybe two. This is who he is. This is his life.

And then it's gone. You can almost see it vanish. Gone, like everything else, except for the questions. The same two questions, over and over again:

"Where am I?

Why am I here?"

They never disappear.

"If I sit with him for three or four hours he must ask me those questions a thousand times," says Vanessa.

And she tells him, every time.

And Curtis forgets.

On it goes. Hour after hour, day after day.

This is not just Curtis's life. It's his family's life.

You imagine how that feels, says Vanessa Dickens. Imagine that every time you go to see your son, your innocent, beautiful son, in a hospital bed, mentally and physically disabled by a lad he had never met merely because he didn't like his jacket, because of a stupid fight he didn't encourage or take part in.

Imagine that.

And then, when you do, see if a small part of your heart doesn't just break inside.

CURTIS GRANGER was a quiet boy. Quiet at school. Unsuspecting. If you didn't know him, you wouldn't have noticed him.

Curtis had a small band of friends but no enemies. No-one disliked him because there was nothing to dislike.

He went to South Wigston High School and Guthlaxton, doing well in his GCSEs and staying on into the sixth form. And then Curtis was diagnosed with Crohn's, a crippling condition of the digestive system.

It was bad; so bad that Curtis was in and out of hospital and his studies suffered. He quit the sixth form and gave up on his A Levels.

It took a long time to get better, says mum, Vanessa.

Curtis was always thin but he went down to eight stone. "There was nothing on him," says Vanessa. "We were worried about him."

It took the best part of two years for the Crohn's to clear. When it finally did, Curtis began to piece his life back together

He got a job in the accounts department at Cromwell Tools in Wigston. He made new friends, who all liked going out, and they dragged Curtis out, too, which Curtis loved. It was the making of him, says Vanessa.

He started spending his money on designer clothes – "£90 for a t-shirt," says Vanessa, "I was scared to wash it" – and nights out in Leicester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester.

Finally, it all seemed to be coming together for Curtis. A new job, new friends. A growing sense of independence. "He was coming out of his shell," says Vanessa. It had taken a long time. But it was heartening, she says.

On Friday, July 20, 2012, Curtis went out for a night in Leicester. A few pubs; drinking, dancing, music, laughter. Maybe a club, and then home, a bit worse for wear, probably. That's what usually happened.

Not that night. It was the night Curtis's life-changed forever.

THE FIRST part of that Friday night was spent at Bistro Live in Charles Street, eating and drinking and dancing with his work colleagues.

Curtis left shortly before 11pm to meet up with some old school friends who were heading to Republic nightclub, off Church Gate.

What happened next is still not entirely clear. Curtis and his friend, Nathan, left Republic at 3.30am. They walked along Church Gate, up to McDonalds. A group of five or six lads followed them.

There was a stand-off, a bit of jeering and finger-pointing. You could see that much on the grainy CCTV coverage. Apparently, the group took exception to Curtis's smart, suit jacket. They called him a 'geek'.

Curtis and Nathan walked on. Nathan went inside McDonalds, Curtis stayed outside, on his phone.

A few yards away, on the pavement outside Irish Menswear in High Street, a fight broke out between some other lads. CCTV cameras which had been following Curtis and the trailing group of lads swirled round to hone in on the fight.

"By the time the cameras came back to Curtis, he was on the floor," says Vanessa.

The row had escalated. It went from Curtis's jacket to the group wanting his iPhone. There was a scuffle. It would be wrong to call it a fight. A fight requires two willing participants. Curtis had never had a fight in his life.

Joshua Smith was a 19-year-old kid from Beaumont Leys on a night out with his mates. The police don't know if he started the taunts about Curtis's jacket, or if he tried to take his phone.

What they do know is that, for whatever reason, Smith punched Curtis in the face.

When the case came to court, Smith's solicitor insisted her client had punched Curtis just once. Curtis's family say they still find that hard to believe.

Smith and his friends ran off. Police caught them and Smith was arrested that night. Following his arrest, Smith texted his friend. "I punched him so hard I knocked him unconscious, no word of a lie!"

Vanessa, Elle and other members of their family went to court. "I felt like I had to be there, I had to see him," says Vanessa. "But I found it hard to look at him.

"His defence lawyer claimed he was sorry for what he'd done but he showed us no signs of remorse. He didn't apologise for the devastation he had caused us. There was nothing."

Smith pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm. He was given credit by the judge for his early guilty plea and sentenced to two years in detention.

He served six months.

By the time Smith was a free man, Curtis had suffered a stroke. His skull had been removed. He was still in a coma.

THEY TRANSFERRED Curtis from the Leicester Royal Infirmary to the Queens Medical Hospital in Nottingham, which specialises in traumatic brain injuries.

For a week, Curtis was in excruciating pain. "He was conscious. He knew what had happened. They gave him the strongest pain killers they had but he was vomiting constantly and crying in pain."

A week after the original incident, Curtis had three seizures. His brain swelled. They could see from the scans and x-rays that his brain was swelling, says Vanessa. They thought it would go down.

It didn't.

Curtis had three seizures. On the operating table, he suffered a stroke. For seven hours, some of the best surgeons in Britain battled to save his life. Curtis's brain was so engorged, they had to cut away his forehead to relieve the pressure.

For a week, Curtis clung to life. Three times in three days, doctors predicted he wouldn't see out the night, that death was imminent. Each time, he defied them.

His internal organs were failing. His liver was struggling. His lungs couldn't cope. His heart was barely beating. This became their biggest concern. They wondered how he could go on.

A queue of family and friends lined up at the hospital, waiting to pay their final respects.

But Curtis's heart wouldn't stop. His spirit wouldn't give in. Curtis refused to die.

Curtis didn't wake up again for another seven months.

HE WAS transferred from one hospital to another. Unaware of each move, each change in circumstances, Curtis lay in a deep coma.

His family followed him around hospitals and hospices across the East Midlands, silently hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

"We came in to see him one day and the doctor sat us down and said he thought Curtis would never wake up," says Vanessa.

And when they look back now, they wonder how they got through it all – the weeks and the months, sitting by his bed, watching his motionless face, wondering when their son, their brother, this decent man who had done nothing wrong, would die.

But Curtis wouldn't die.

Curtis woke up. He opened his eyes, scanned the room, said then nothing, closed his eyes again. Slowly, Curtis emerged from his coma.

He recognised his family immediately. Mum, dad, sister Elle. He didn't need to be told. He knew. They were overjoyed.

"He can remember things from years ago, when he was a boy, things we did as a family - but his memory seems to stop around 2011" says Vanessa.

2011, a year before the incident. He doesn't remember the night it happened. That's no bad thing, really, says Vanessa. They're relieved about that.

CURTIS HAS made progress since then. He's in a wheelchair but he's out of bed. He can feed himself. The feeling in his left hand, his left side, is returning. He can do things, and that's something

"The damage he suffered is in the front of his brain," says Vanessa. "His short term memory is non-existent. He can't watch a film, or the TV. He can't retain it. A conversation is difficult.

"I can sit with him - talking, chatting, trying to entertain him - and then I can leave the room, go to the toilet or fetch a drink, and he thinks I've just arrived."

Will he improve?

Who knows? They don't. They wish they did but even the experts shrug their shoulders and look bemused.

"They've told us that he will always need some form of care but I'd like to bring him home," says Vanessa. "That's my ambition."

They try not to hope any more. It's the hope that kills you. So they just exist, taking one day at a time. "Hoping for the best and keeping positive and determined and all that - it all sounds very nice, but it doesn't work."

Curtis lives in a unit full of people with serious brain injuries, unsuspecting men and women, who were out and about, living their life when their lives were changed forever.

Like the girl who was out celebrating her 18th birthday who had a car crash that night, the night of her 18th. She's 23 now. She's still in a coma.

Then there's the young builder who fell from the scaffold on a building site and suffered brain damage. Years later, he's still in a coma.

"You have to get used to it," says Vanessa. "This is our life now. We've become that family you read about. This is how we live.

"I haven't worked since it happened. It wasn't just Curtis's life that was ruined that night – it was all of us. There is no end. The pain is indescribable. It's always there. It hurts and hurts.

"I know Curtis will never work again. He will never buy his own place. He will never marry or have children. It's such a waste.

"So I get used to that. I have to. But I don't feel, still, like I've accepted it. I still haven't accepted it. It feels so bloody unfair."

* Friends of Curtis's are raising money for him.

Ollie Bray is running the Leicester Marathon and Sharna Matthew-Hanley and her friends are competing in the Cummings Solicitors Half Relay Marathon.

Both events are on October 26.

http://www.gofundme.com/e4djf4.

Leicester's hospitals are prepared to deal with any suspected cases of Ebola....

Unlike this American chap with the clip board

The boss of the UK's biggest business group has told firms at an event in Leicester he wants the next Government to be more business-friendly.

John Cridland, CBI director-general, was speaking last night at the group's East Midlands annual dinner, at Athena, in the city.

The showpiece event was attended by more than 300 business, political and community leaders.

Mr Cridland said: "Business needs public spending to be directed towards measures that will boost growth, such as capital spending.

"Recent improvements to our tax system need locking in and business rates need reforming.

"Entrepreneurial spirit is best realised if it's given the right environment in which to flourish and invest. This needs to be right for all parts of the country – as much in Leicester and Liverpool as in Bath and Bristol.

"We need to foster a pro-enterprise environment, a competitive and stable tax regime and make sure businesses have access to capital.

"Business in turn has then to make sure the benefits of the growth it creates are spread out among everyone."

Mr Cridland's speech came as business groups across the UK have started to compile their wish lists ahead of May's General Election.

He also said the debate on the UK's future role in the EU and the run-up to the Scottish referendum in September had created unwanted instability.

Mr Cridland, a keen historian, said he had been excited by the unearthing of the remains of Richard III in Leicester.

"The most exciting thing to happen last year as an historian was the discovery of the bones of Richard III," he said. "So it's really great to be in this place."

Green-fingered residents' pride in their communities has been rewarded with a harvest of awards at the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom UK final.

Market Bosworth, Loughborough and Evington, in Leicester, flew the flag for the county at the competition's 50th birthday awards, in Bristol, last night.

They had beaten off competition from almost 4,000 other 'Bloom' groups just to make the national final, known as the 'Oscars' of gardening.

Bosworth in Bloom scooped Gold in the Large Village category.

Chris Hooker, chairman, Bosworth in Bloom said: "We are absolutely delighted.

"Market Bosworth has taken part in the competition for many years and this year, the whole village has taken a keen interest in the outcome of the judging.

"Just being at the UK final was a wonderful experience – to be part of a national event and to see and hear from the representatives of the army of volunteers out there who work to keep Britain beautiful is quite amazing."

The judging panel, led by RHS gardener Roger Burnett , visited local projects to assess them against three key criteria – horticultural achievement, community participation and environmental responsibility.

Commenting on Bosworth in Bloom, Mr Burnett said: "The floral impact in the Market Square and shops was a pleasure to see.

"The support from the Fire Station, school restaurants and businesses, was fantastic and made such a contribution in the street scene for all to see."

He added: "The Story of the War Horse, the Leicestershire Regiment and the display were also commendable to commemorate a 100 years since the start of the First World War."

Loughborough in Bloom won a Silver Gilt award in the Small City category.

Chairman Andy Rush said: "To reach the final twice in the space of two years was something we would never have dreamed of when we first started out on our adventure just six years ago.

"Just to be nominated for an award is an amazing honour and a testament to the hard work all of those involved."

He added: "Maybe we didn't win the category this time around, but really, at the end of the day, the prize has been to witness all the groups, individuals and sectors of the town's community coming together to make Loughborough a nicer place to live in and visit."

Evington, meanwhile, picked up a Silver in the Urban Community category.

Co-ordinator Helen Pettman said: "It's a tremendous honour for us.

"Seven years ago we were a small 'It's Your Neighbourhood' group working on one flower bed.

"Today, we have got recognition at a national level. We are immensely proud."

The awards were presented byRutland gardener, RHS ambassador and six-time Chelsea Flower Show gold medalist, Adam Frost.

He said: "'In my early career I was involved in Britain in Bloom and in April this year I helped launch the 50th anniversary of this fantastic campaign.

"So, I know all about the amazing work that the thousands of Bloom volunteers up and down the country do on a daily basis."

He added: "It's such an honour to be asked to present the awards to those who have made it to the national finals – they are all inspirational people."

Emergency hygiene supplies have been sent to Sierra Leone to help health workers combat the Ebola epidemic.

Thousands of high level disinfectant wipes, hundreds of gloves and aprons have been dispatched by Leicester-based charity Inter Care.

They have been supplied by Lutterworth company Pal International Ltd.

They will be used by health teams at two sites in the disease-stricken country.

General manager at Inter Care Diane Hardy said: "We are not a disaster relief charity but several of our beneficiaries have been caught up in this terrible Ebola crisis and as a humanitarian organisation we are trying to do everything we can to help them."

Inter Care, is a charity which recycles and donates surplus medicines from the UK to health units in sub-Saharan Africa.

It has teamed up with Pal International Ltd to offer assistance in tackling the virus.

Pal International Ltd, is a Leicester company and market leader in infection prevention, and has donated high level disinfectant wipes, disposable gloves and aprons to help control the spread of the virus.

A company spokeswoman said: "A shipment of 60 boxes of wipes, 600 gloves and 600 aprons was sent by Inter Care last week to two health units in Sierra Leone, one of the worst affected countries."

Dr Tamba Missa at the Nixon Hospital in Sierra Leone, a health unit supported by Inter Care, said: "Lack of protective materials to work with was a barrier faced by staff. The fight against Ebola is not over yet."

With the number of cases rising and spreading internationally, the World Health Organisation has warned that there could be as many as 20,000 cases by November.

Around 4,500 people have already died from Ebola most of them in West Africa.

Britain has just sent a team of 90 Army medics to set up treatment stations in west Africa.

For further information on Inter Care visit www.intercare.org.uk or email info@intercare.org.uk.

Health bosses have set up a new home visiting service to try and stop patients becoming so poorly that they end up in hospital.

GPs across West Leicestershire can now call on four emergency care practitioners to visit their patients needing an urgent visit.

The aim of the scheme set up the West Leicestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG), which plans and pays for local health services, is to get urgent help to patients.

Tony Marsh, one of the emergency care practitioners, said: "Anyone over the age of 18 can be referred to us by the patient's GP.

"We will then visit the person and can either treat them at the time or refer them directly to hospital.

"We can also go back to the GP and ask them to see the person if, for example, medication may need altering."

He added: "Typical types of cases we are called to are patients with chest or urinary tract infections and COPD (chronic lung disease).

"It is very effective in preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.

"It also means that patients can have their family around them and they do feel better at home."

The emergency care practitioners also see people with minor wounds such as skin tears after suffering a slip or fall.

Mr Marsh said: "We can arrange for a district nurse to visit to change the patient's dressing."

Mavis Maude, 79, has benefited from the service.

Mr Marsh was called to her Quorn home after she called her GP when she had chest pains.

He was able to leave instructions for her to have a special blood test and found her medication needed changing.

She said: "I was feeling really ill and this lovely, polite young man came in for an hour and looked after me.

"I felt very reassured after he had been."

The service is being run by the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) which also runs a GP practice and walk-in medical centre at Leicester's Merlyn Vaz Health and Social Care Centre.

GPs refer patients who call into their surgery asking for an urgent home visit.

The doctor can then make an immediate request for one of the emergency care practitioners to visit and who aim to get to the patient within an hour.

The service began in August and is due to run until March next year when the CCG will look at making it permanent.

A similar scheme run by East Midlands Ambulance Service (Emas) from October 2013 until May this year was withdrawn after Emas bosses said they needed to focus on providing A&E services.

Nick Willmott, a GP in Hinckley and clinical lead for the CCG's acute visiting services, said: "The service is proving popular with both patients and GPs.

"It provides vital emergency support to patients in need and we are extremely pleased with performance so far."

Rob Gorringe, assistant director, strategy and development at SSAFA, added: "We are delighted to be working with the West Leicestershire CCG."

A Leicester restaurant has clinched a prestigious award in a national competition.

The head chef at Flamingo Bar and Grill, in Loughborough Road has been crowned winner of the Midlands' Chef of the Year in the English Curry Awards.

The fourth annual awards ceremony took place at the AJ Bell Stadium, in Manchester, on Monday night.

Dev Matharoo, head chef at Flamingo Bar and Grill, said when his name was read he felt shocked and surprised.

"The feeling was fantastic. Standing on the stage was a fantastic feeling."

He added: "We have been here for 20 years and finally we have been recognised for the quality of our food. We are very proud to win this award - it is long overdue.

"It is quite a prestigious award to win.

He added: "I feel that our restaurant is very unique in the way we prepare our food.

"Punjabi food is all about using fresh ingredients.

"I would like to say a big thank-you to all our customers who supported us and nominated us."

The winners of the awards were chosen by public vote.

For more information, visit: www.lovecurry.info

This month the Royal Mail is introducing an offer meaning people can send bigger items for less money.

From October 20, the maximum size allowance for a small parcel will increase.

This means customers will be able to put bigger items, or more items, into every 'small parcel' they send by Royal Mail.

The small parcel allowance will be 45cm x 35cm x 16cm. It is currently 45cm x 35cm x 8cm.

The Royal Mail is also running a Christmas price promotion from October 20, 2014 to January 18, 2015.

This promotion will mean all stamped second class small parcels weighing up to 2kg will cost £2.80. Previously, there were separate prices for 0-1kg and 1-2kg parcels.

This means customers will save £1 on second class small parcels weighing between 1kg and 2kg.

Franked small parcels weighing between 1kg and 2kg will also benefit from a saving of £1 during the period of the promotion.

Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: "We are pleased to further simplify our stamped parcels portfolio to provide great value and support consumers and small businesses.

"To launch the new small parcel format we are introducing a festive price promotion that will benefit customers sending Christmas presents to friends and relatives, marketplace sellers and smaller businesses selling gifts online."

For more information click here. 

A Leicester City victory today would pile the pressure on Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.

However, City boss Nigel Pearson does not want his players distracted by the continuing unease around St James' Park.

The Toon Army have been growing increasingly dissatisfied with Pardew and owner Mike Ashley.

Pardew admits himself the game has taken on a greater significance as they look for a victory to ease the pressure mounting on him.

"It's not easy at the moment," admitted Pardew. "When you are winning, things can fall into place.

"When you're fighting for every result, it makes it difficult and stressful."

But Pearson, who spent a spell as coach and caretaker manager at Newcastle, believes the Toon Army will be as vociferous as ever towards his side.

"It is a fantastic place to play football – great stadium and atmosphere, and it is a big game," said Pearson.

"I expect the Newcastle fans will get fully behind their team. I don't want to talk about a peer of mine. We all have those pressures and it is never easy. Alan and his staff will be working hard to turn things around and the only way they will do that is by results.

"My focus is very much on us. Whether we can harness any situation will be whether we play well enough. We have to go there and play at our best.

"Regardless of where you go, sides have players of experience and know-how and quality.

"There are always sub-plots and things that aren't necessary to do with anything else."

Pearson said he enjoyed his time on Tyneside, although the expectation for success was always incredibly high.

"I look back at my two years at Newcastle with good memories," said Pearson.

"It was an appointment that came out of the blue. I had left West Brom as Bryan Robson had left and did not expect to be in work so quickly. It was a great experience for me.

"It's a big club and there were a lot of good things about them.

"I still know a lot of people who worked for the club and look forward to seeing them." Pardew said he was immensely impressed with what he saw when City overcame Manchester United recently.

"They have had the stand-out result of the season for me, beating Manchester United when they had everybody available," said Pardew.

Highly-rated Leicester City defender Liam Moore can get even better, manager Nigel Pearson has said.

The 21-year-old from Loughborough has established himself as a first choice for both his club and England Under-21s during the past few months.

Moore also enjoyed an excellent international break as he scored his first goal for Gareth Southgate's side in Croatia as they booked their place in next summer's European Championships.

Pearson said there is still plenty of room for improvement in Moore's game but believes he has the right attributes to continue his development.

"There are still areas of the game he needs to improve on, but he's made good progress for us and with us," said Pearson, who gave academy graduate Moore his debut in January 2012.

"Hopefully that will be the case. Because there is strong competition for places, it is only right that he keeps having to play well – and that goes for all the players.

"It's early days and he's done very well, but he still has a lot of scope for improvement.

"He has done well and been used in different positions. To make the step up to international football is another useful learning experience.

"There are always things you can learn and, hopefully, he will continue to progress."

Pearson admits Moore has made remarkable progress in such a short space of time but believes his team-mates must take some of the credit for his development.

"It's very difficult to definitively say a player will make it or not," he said.

"What you have to do with a sound youth development policy is to give players the right time and give them the challenges.

"Three years ago, I don't think there would have been too many people who could say Liam would have achieved what he has done, but he's done well out on loan and also he's developed with exposure to first-team football. No one can say we've done a great job, there are lots of contributory factors.

"He's gained valuable experience by playing alongside some good senior players like Wes Morgan and Marcin Wasilewski.

"When you play with experienced players with good habits, that can be of enormous value but it is difficult to quantify what that value is."

A father who thought his poorly young son might never smile again has spoken of the "astonishing" moment the youngster grinned for the first time in two years.

Richard Page said that when he saw six-year-old Ellis beaming, it was like "when your baby smiles for the first time - but a million times better".

In 2011, Ellis was diagnosed MECP2 duplication syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality which causes epilepsy and restricts development, leaving the youngster unable to walk or talk.

The condition has no cure yet, and although patients can take medication to control the condition, Ellis's parents, Richard and Leanne, were warned he might never smile again.

But that suddenly changed this week.

"I was with Ellis the other day and out of the blue, a big grin spread across his face," said Richard, 29, of Barkby.

"At first, I thought it was just a fluke but then he did it again, and again.

"It was like when you see your baby smile for the first time but a million times better.

"Who said we couldn't beat this?"

When their son was diagnosed, Richard and Leanne launched the Text Ellis Campaign, which raises money for MECP2 research taking place in America. To date, they have raised around £120,000, most of which they took over to the US in July.

Richard, as well as Ellis, won the hearts of Leicester City fans and players, and supporters of other clubs across the country, when he cycled to every Foxes away match last season to raise money for the campaign.

"It's been a long time coming, seeing Ellis smile - but it makes all of the fund-raising worth it," he said.

Richard said that now, when his Leanne sings to Ellis, he acknowledges it and starts smiling.

"When we walk in a room, Ellis is actually turning to look at us and smiling, it's amazing," added Richard.

"The thing is, we never knew before if he was happy. But now he's smiling, we know he's happy, and that's all we could ask for."

In 2012, after Ellis suffered a series of frequent epileptic fits, doctors told Richard that his son might never smile, sit-up, walk or make eye contact again.

"It was heart-breaking," said Richard.

"He has the most gorgeous little smile.

"It was devastating to hear he might not smile again.

"So to see him smile again, it really does feel like we're getting our little boy back."

The prospect of seeing Ellis start to grin again had seemed like a dream, said Richard.

"Last year, he spent most of his time staring into space - he didn't acknowledge us at all, " he said.

"This time last year, seeing Ellis smiling again seemed impossible. Things seemed to go from bad to worse.

"Now our dreams of Ellis progressing seems a lot more realistic."

Over the past few months, Ellis has been taking a new medicine, which agrees with him better than others, said his dad.

"He used to be having five, six, or even seven fits a day, and in the past seven weeks, he's only had one," said Richard. "It's incredible.

"Seeing Ellis progress and hearing about the research that is taking place is so exciting.

"Touch-wood, we're starting to get things back on track now."

To donate to the Text Ellis campaign, visit: www.justgiving.com/textellis

A man has pleaded guilty to illegally uploading thousands of music tracks to an online forum.

Richard Graham, of Station Road, Leicester, has admitted illegally distributing thousands of files on a website called Dancing Jesus.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the 22-year-old had illegally distributed thousands of files, including more than 8,000 pre-release tracks, via the forum.

Graham originally pleaded not guilty to illegally distributing music.

However, he changed his plea to guilty this week.

Dancing Jesus was an online forum which allowed members to post illegal links to music. The tracks were often distributed before they were officially released - known as pre-release piracy - which can cause harm to musicians and music companies.

His guilty plea followed that of Kane Robinson, of South Shields – the owner of the Dancing Jesus site – who on January 8, 2014 also pleaded guilty to illegally distributing music.

In 2010, the British Phonographic Society (BPI) Copyright Protection Unit began an extensive investigation with the cooperation of the City of London Police and US Department of Homeland Security, which identified the creator and operator of the site as Robinson.

The director of the BPI Copyright Protection Unit, David Wood, said: "This case is significant.

"The guilty verdict confirms that posting illegal online links to music is a criminal offence which economically harms musicians and the labels that support them.

"Pre-release piracy, in particular, robs musicians of artistic control, leaving them with no say in when and how their music - which has taken blood, sweat and tears to produce - is released.

"In a first-of-its-kind operation, the collaboration of UK enforcement bodies and the US authorities shows that the protection of intellectual property is a global issue that can and will be dealt with across borders."

Graham and Robinson were investigated under a section of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 which states that a person commits an offence when they extensively distribute copyright work otherwise than in the course of a business.

Both Graham and Robinson will be sentenced on Monday, November 10.

Leicester Mercury cartoonist Rachael Smith has been nominated for a national comic award.

The 29-year-old announced on Twitter she has been short- listed for a British Comic Award, in the Emerging Talent category.

The artist, who now owns her own illustration business, began drawing for the Mercury three years ago. She tweeted: "Holy moly you guys, I've been short-listed for this year's Emerging Talent category in the British Comic Awards."

Her nomination is for some of her work in the Mercury, including House Party, One Good Thing, Flimsy and Vicky Park.

The illustrator, who graduated with a first class honours fine art degree from De Montfort University in 2006, is one of five artists nominated for the award.

Winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony later this year.

The annual awards, now in their third year, will take place on Saturday, November 15.

Today: Many places will have a windy and very mild day with some rain at times. The rain will be generally light and should clear most parts by the end of the day with perhaps some late sunshine. Maximum Temperature 19C.

Tonight: Staying cloudy and breezy with the odd spot of rain, mainly in southern parts. Exceptionally mild for the time of year. Minimum Temperature 15C.

Sunday: A cloudy and windy start with some sunshine breaking through during the morning. Most of the day it will stay windy with sunny spells and perhaps the odd shower. Maximum Temperature 17C.

Cases dealt with at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Matthew Lukic (22), of Rockingham Road, Loughborough, was proven guilty in absence of failing to give information relating to the identification of a driver alleged to have committed an offence on June 18. He was fined £600 with £85 costs, a £60 victim surcharge, with six points put on his licence.

Michael Pius McDonagh (22), of Ambleside Drive, Eyres Monsell, was proven guilty of using a vehicle on Stonesby Avenue, Leicester, without a vehicle or trade licence on March 9. He was fined £200 with £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Mark Mngle (24), of Kirkstone Drive, Loughborough, was proven guilty of exceeding 30mph on the A6004 Ling Road, Loughborough, on February 6. He was fined £200 with £85 costs, a £20 victim surcharge and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for six months.

Sharon Reed (36), of Foxglove Way, Glen Rise, was guilty of failing to stop at a red traffic light on the A563 in Enderby. She was fined £200, with £85 costs, a £20 victim surcharge and given three points.

Cases dealt with at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Kelly Marie Stone (31), of Pope Crescent, Enderby, pleaded guilty to driving in Mitchell Road, Enderby, on September 7 with 69mcg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath. The legal maximum is 35mcg. She was fined £120 with £85 costs, a £20 victim surcharge and was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 17 months.

Sandis Janitis (24), of Tudor Road, Leicester, was proven guilty in absence of entering a train between Leicester and St Pancras, London, with the intention of travelling without having a valid ticket. He was fined £200 with £79.50 compensation, £135 costs and £20 victim surcharge.

Andrew Leslie Moore (47), of

Oxford Street, Leicester, was found guilty in absence of entering a train between Hull and Leicester intending to travel on September 6 without a valid ticket. He was fined £400 with £80.40 compensation, £135 costs and £40 surcharge.

Simeon Piwek (36), of Rosebery Avenue, Melton Mowbray, was proven guilty in absence of entering a train between Leicester and Loughborough on June 4 intending to travel without a valid ticket. He was fined £200 with £5.50 compensation, £135 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.