Mum-of-five Shamim Ahmed is the rock on whom the family depends, says her daughter Mehwish.

The 67-year-old, of Belgrave, Leicester, has more energy than many people a third her age, according to her 22-year-old daughter.

that's why Mehwish, who lives with her parents, said she was proud to nominate her mother for the Mercury's Mum of the Year Awards.

Mehwish said: "I decided to nominate Mum for an award because of all the things she does without thinking of herself.

"My mum has always been there for all of us.

"My brother and one of my sisters have a walking disability. I remember mum and dad taking them to different doctors and trying herbal medicine, even spiritual healing – anything that might have helped them recover.

"When they realised the conditions were permanent they didn't lose heart and kept on doing whatever was possible to make things easier for them.

"My sister recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

"Mum goes over to her house every day so she can help her by cooking and cleaning, allowing her to save strength to look after her baby.

"For someone who is 67, that's more energy than I have."

Mehwish said her mum was also a major support when she was pregnant with her first baby.

She said: "I became very unwell after giving birth. Mum was there like my knight in shining armour and looked after my daughter for the first two months.

"It wasn't until I found out I had a heart condition and started taking the proper medication that I was fit enough to look after my baby.

"If mum hadn't been by my side, I don't know what I would've done."

Mehwish is now back at work and her mum is always on hand to look after her daughter.

Mehwish said: "She's a mum to our kids, not a grandmother. The truth is, Mum is our rock.

"All I want to say is "thank you, Mum, and I love you. You're the best mum in the world."

Shamim said: "I was very surprised that my daughter nominated me.

"I do what any mother would do, nothing special. But it is nice to be nominated."

Amanda Phillips, manager of the Haymarket shopping centre, in Leicester, is a sponsor and judge of the competition.

She said: "We believe mums can often be the unsung heroes in the family, doing lots of little things every day which make our lives easier, keep us going and make us feel special and which, if we're honest, often go unnoticed.

" If you think about it, we bet you can come up with a whole list of things that your mum does which say 'I care'.

"It might be something as seemingly ordinary as a cuddle when you fall over, a listening ear, a home-cooked meal while you are studying hard or the nights of unpaid babysitting which allow you to spend time with your partner."

Baby's first steps are always a proud moment for parents but they also bring a deep sense of satisfaction for Dr Andy Currie.

They mark the moment he can sit back and reflect on how he has helped some the smallest and sickest babies survive.

There is not always a happy ending – there are many times Dr Currie has to break bad news to parents – but it all comes with the territory for the man in charge of the neonatal unit at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Dr Currie said: "I get a lot of satisfaction in doing my job.

"It is highly rewarding dealing with patients at the beginning of their life and, hopefully, helping them to have a long and healthy life."

Dr Currie and his wife Carolyn, a diabetic research nurse, moved to Leicester in 1992 from Southampton and have two children.

He has been in charge of the neonatal service at the infirmary for four years and oversaw the creation of a £9.3 million unit in the hospital's Kensington building.

Dr Currie and his team care for about 1,200 babies a year and are hoping to open four more intensive and special care cots later this year, to add to the 28 already there.

If all goes to plan this will increase by four more the following year.

He said: "The biggest change since I qualified in 1986 has been in survival.

"The chance of children born between 23 and 25 weeks is much better than it used to be thanks to technology and new drugs.

"But now I do think we have hit a biological brick wall.

"It is difficult to see we will be able to do any more for babies born at less than 23 weeks and weighing less that about 500 grams. They are just too small and fragile.

"We did once have a baby which was 450 grams who survived but that is the exception and not the rule.

"It is not about survival at all costs, it is the quality of life which is important."

Another major step forward is the cooling of babies who have been starved of oxygen at birth.

The specialist cooling machine prevents permanent brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.

Dr Currie said: "This has a profound difference to our ability to treat these children.

"There is still a long way to go but it has made a big change."

It is obvious to Dr Currie what the best part of the job is.

"Seeing the babies go home and how they grow and develop, especially when they take their first steps," he said.

But sometimes that just does not happen and the hardest part of his role is when there is bad news for new parents and the team.

"It is important to ensure the baby does not suffer and it is as dignified as possible," he said.

"Emotion can be a big issue. The job can be extremely upsetting and difficult to manage.

"It is not just the baby, it is also about helping and supporting the family to understand what is happening.

"It would be dishonest to say I never take work home with me, but I do try not to.

"You find ways of dealing with it. I don't believe you ever become hardened to it."

Was your baby cared for by the neonatal team? You can leave a message of using the form below.

Thieves who broke into allotments in an attempt to steal expensive equipment were foiled by upgraded security measures.

Rotovators and other pieces of machinery were removed from sheds at the site in Braunstone Town.

However, new locks on the perimeter gates could not be removed, so the thieves left the Braunstone Close allotments empty-handed.

Allotments steward George Raynor said: "We estimate seven sheds were broken into after the thieves climbed over the fence.

"The thieves took the doors off and looked at what they could steal.

"They removed a number of pieces of equipment, including rotovators. We don't think much has been taken but we are still trying to contact some of the allotment-holders."

He said members had spent more than £3,000 on new locks and chains, which had been fitted to the entry gates in January.

They had decided to step up security because of thefts from sheds last year.

There are more than 100 allotments being cultivated on the site, which is surrounded by fencing and houses.

Mr Raynor said it was the second time in two weeks that thieves had broken into city council-owned plots.

He said most of the sheds damaged in the latest incident had been repaired and the doors put back.

Allotment-holder Roy Snell, 68, had his shed attacked.

Mr Snell said: "They unscrewed the shed door and lifted the machine out and just left it outside.

"Nothing else has been stolen."

The break-in occurred overnight on Wednesday.

Police in Braunstone are urging anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time to contact them on 101.

Leicester were able to name an unchanged side from the one that earned an important win at Exeter last weekend for this clash against their East Midlands rivals.

The much-awaited fixture against Northampton Saints had been sold out for weeks and a hostile crowd greeted Tigers players for a game that was vital to both teams.

10 MIN: PENALTY (0-3) After a typically fast and furious start, Tigers get the scoreboard ticking over through Toby Flood's penalty kick.

11 MIN: PENALTY (3-3) Stephen Myler gets the home side on the board only a minute later.

18 MIN: PENALTY (3-6) After a great high-ball-take from Mat Tait, Tigers win another penalty and re-take the lead.

27 MIN: PENALTY (3-9) Flood extends the lead as Tigers start to get on top.

34 MINS: YELLOW CARD Saints lose Courtney Lawes after he is penalised for a deliberate knock-on.

34 MIN: PENALTY (3-12) Flood gives Tigers a nine-point half-time buffer and it is deserved.

H-T: Saints 3 Tigers 12

41 MIN: TRY (3-17) Manu Tuilagi scores the first try of the afternoon with a simple finish in the corner after Tigers start the half with 10 phases of possession.

57 MIN: YELLOW CARD Niall Morris is sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on as Saints threaten during a big spell of pressure.

58 MIN: TRY (8-17) And with their man advantage, the Saints make the most of it and run in a try through their fly-half Stephen Myler. Tigers had defended their line with vigour during several five-metre line-outs and seemed to have kept Northampton at bay until Myler pounced for the points.

62 MIN: TRY (8-24) But it's Leicester who score next and there are still a man down. It's another for Tuilagi, who breaks through the tackle of Tom May in midfield to run in for his second.

71 MIN: TRY (8-31) The game is well and truly over when Niall Morris cruises in on the right wing after some lovely off-loading in the build-up from a visiting side that smelt blood.

74 MIN: TRY (8-36) Tigers go for the jugular with the Saints looking a broken side and Mat Tait runs in the crucial fourth try for a bonus point as he finds himself one of a five-man overlap with Saints stretched.

F-T: Saints 8 Tigers 36

There were tears and cheers, champagne and celebrations as the Leicester Riders became British basketball's top dogs on Saturday night.

This was the night when the club that began five years before a league in this country was formed, who were founder members of the league, stood tallest.

This was the night when the oldest club in British basketball could finally lay claim to being the best.

After toiling away at top-flight basketball for 38 years, mainly as make-weights or even worse, the Jelson Homes DMU-backed Leicester stood at the top of the basketball tree and no-one can catch them.

Little wonder then that the normally unflappable Kevin Routledge, the club's director, whose connection with the club goes back almost 40 years, was wiping away the tears as he embraced coach Rob Paternostro moments after the final buzzer.

He has seen more than most, but even he could probably never had dared to dream a night like this.

Nor too the sell-out crowd, who to a person stood and saluted their team for the final minute of the game.

This was the night that Vaughn Thomas, Peter Shaw and the founding fathers had dreamed of on April 26, 1967, when the club was born with a vision of being the best in Britain.

It may have taken 46 years, but for those who witnessed it, it was well worth the wait.

Those who squeezed themselves into John Sandford, and it was a squeeze as the old place struggled to contain the support of champions, had come for a party, in their minds Durham were merely the supporting cast.

But the visitors were coming to save their season, only a victory would keep alive their slim hopes of the play-offs.

The scores were level at 15-all seven minutes in, but Drew Sullivan and Yorick Williams led Riders' charge in an 11-2 finish to the first quarter.

Jorge Calvo and Zaire Taylor hit three-pointers that had Leicester into a double-figure lead and they were essentially cruising at that point.

Riders hit the first eight points of the second half to lead by 20 and they could have almost brought the medals out.

Not that anyone had told that to Paternostro, who, even when his side's lead had reached 88-57 with six minutes to play, didn't look comfortable.

One can only imagine what he said in the time-out three minutes later when 11 consecutive points by Durham had narrowed the gap. But he needn't have worried, the game was never in doubt, the title has not been in doubt. In truth, outside of Leicester, many had Paternostro's team inked in as league winners for a month or more.

So Jorge Calvo calmed his nerves with a three-pointer and not long after he was leading the cheers 'campeón' as the first Spaniard to win the British league.

And as they collected their medals after the game, this current squad of Riders' players inked themselves into the folklore of the BBL's oldest club.

There has been no superstar carrying the side all year, just a dedicate group of players who take turns at being the key player.

Riders 93: Rowe 15, Couisnard 13, Sullivan 13, Taylor 12, Losonsky 12, Williams 11, Calvo 9, Anderson 6, Washington 2, Haggith, Lamble, Maynard.

Wildcats 70: Keister 16, Bucci 15, Baldarelli 12, Page 10, Guinane 8, Johnson 6, Elderkin 2, Reynolds 1.

Worshippers plunged into a freezing outdoor water tank as part of an atmospheric baptism ceremony at dawn to celebrate Easter Sunday.

The build-up to the service began on Saturday, when about 100 people gathered at Leicester Cathedral for an all-night prayer vigil and to remember the Easter story.

Just before dawn, they went outside to light candles from a bonfire, bringing light into the cathedral, before an outdoor baptism as the sun came up.

Kumari Neelam, 43, from Rowlatts Hill, Leicester, was one of eight people to be baptised.

"It was very good and I am feeling very good. I have now gone forward to Jesus Christ, our saviour," she said.

"I am very happy to be baptised and now I feel very free and I feel alive."

Teenager Reese Musk, from Syston, said it was a ceremony he had been looking forward to for a long time.

The 19-year-old said: "Since I was little I have wanted to do this and I just never did.

"Now I have done it, it feels right.

"It was brilliant. I was a bit nervous beforehand – and it was really cold – but as soon as it was happening I was fine."

Ravinder Kaur, 35, from Beaumont Leys, Leicester, was also baptised.

She said: "At the time, lots of things were going through my head.

"My mum was baptised already and she asked me if I wanted to do it.

"I read up about it and my priest asked if I wanted to do it on Easter Sunday and I thought 'yes'."

The service, which began with a bonfire in darkness and ended with the first sunlight, symbolised the Christian belief that Jesus brings light to the world, even in death.

Entering the water and then emerging symbolises resurrection.

The ceremony was led by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens.

"It was a joyous occasion, with eight new Christians making a commitment to follow Jesus Christ after a night of prayer," he said.

"I was particularly encouraged that this included people of other races and different faith backgrounds."

Homemade chicks and carefully-coloured paper eggs adorned hats at an Easter bonnet parade.

Dozens of children made elaborate headgear for the event held at Leicester Market.

Ayaan Khan, from the city centre, made his hat with some help from mum Nishath.

The five-year-old said: "I had to get some things from the shop to help me make it and then stick it all on with some glue.

"I like the sparkling bits that are on the front and the bits that are hanging off.

"I learnt about Easter at school and I know that the Easter bunny will come and give us some Easter eggs and he will hide them and I will have to find where he put them."

Richard Dowsing, six, from Glenfield, made his Easter bonnet, complete with dangling eggs and a huge chicken, by himself. Even if he did leave mum Bridgette to do the clearing up.

"I cut some eggs out and put some stickers on it and then coloured them in," said Richard.

"I made it all by myself because I love making things. I like it because I like the eggs hanging off my hat and the big chicken, too."

Proud mum Bridgette, said: "He's very creative. Anything to do with arts and crafts, you just set it out and away he goes."

Nine-year-old Lucy Houghton took inspiration from the seaside for her tall Easter hat.

"It has a slide that goes round the hat and then a bit of sea at the bottom," said the youngster, from Hinckley.

"I got the idea from my mum and I have never made a bonnet before.

"I think I might do really well because I think they will like how it pops out – like 3D."

Three children from each category won a bike, paid for by donations from traders.

In the six and under age category the winners were: Rhys Taylor, four, from Syston; Harshiv Naker, five, from Abbey Park, and Gabriella Webster, three, from Saffron Lane

In the eight to 12 age category the winners were: Jade Owen, nine, from Birstall, Kira, seven, from Braunstone, and Kyil, nine, from Narborough.

There was also Easter family fun at Great Central Railway, which has been holding a vintage festival over the bank holiday weekend.

Quorn and Woodhouse stations were filled with traction engines, steam rollers, showman's and miniature steam engines, steam lorries and other historic commercial vehicles.

One of the star attractions was an 1898 Gavioli fairground organ, on display for the first time since 1923.

There were craft and trade stalls, a children's funfair at Rothley and a real ale tent with live music.

A speedway rider is recovering in hospital after suffering head injuries in a crash which took place hours after his Leicester debut.

Adam Roynon made his first appearance for Leicester Lions on the afternoon of Good Friday, at Scunthorpe.

The 24-year-old also rides for the Coventry Bees and was racing in a later home match for the team on Friday evening when he crashed. According to reports, he was competing in heat 14 when he spun and fell at turn three and was hit by the Birmingham Brummies rider Josh Auty, in what was described as an unavoidable crash.

He was initially unconscious, but was awake by the time he arrived at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.

Leicester Lions co-promoter Alan Jones said he was recovering well.

He said: "He will remain under observation and in hospital for about 10 days, but he has been awake and talking to visitors.

"We would like to thank everyone for their best wishes and he wants to be back at Leicester as soon as he can – and we want him back as soon as possible, too.

"He received head injuries but they are not as serious as was first thought, which is really good news, and he has not broken any bones.

"We really are relieved."

Adam took to Twitter on Saturday to thank fans who had sent him messages. "I'm doing okay, thanks guys," he wrote.

"Thank you so much for the well wishes it means a lot."

An elderly man was treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at his home.

The fire, in a semi-detached house in Stoneleigh Way, Leicester, started at about 2.30pm on Friday.

Firefighters found it "well alight" when they arrived.

The occupier was treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation.

The fire service said a faulty electric heater was believed to have caused the blaze.

A next-door neighbour said: "When I heard about the fire I called to my friend upstairs and we ran out.

"We had to stay out because they were worried it might spread to my house.

"I was crying and it was frightening. Thankfully, it did not spread to my house, but the man has lost everything. It is very sad."

The ground floor was severely damaged.

Firefighters also tackled a blaze at a house in Seagrave Road, Sileby, on Saturday.

Two crews from Loughborough and one from Syston were called to the property at about 9.10am.

A spokesman for the fire service said: "We believe the cause to be an electrical light fitting."

Nobody was injured.

After a 46-year wait, Leicester Riders fans were celebrating this weekend when their team secured the British Basketball League title.

The players' 93-70 victory at home over Durham Wildcats saw them win the league for the first time in the club's history.

While the team still have three games to play this season, the win ensured they cannot be toppled from top spot, with nearest challengers Newcastle Eagles eight points behind.

Fan Alan Johnson, 65, from Narborough, who has followed the team for almost 30 years, watched the Riders clinch the title on Saturday at De Montfort University's John Sandford sport centre.

"It was well worth the wait," he said.

"We expected to win last night to be honest, but you just never know.

"The atmosphere was absolutely brilliant.

"Everyone was very, very happy and stopped and waited for the trophy presentation.

"Fantastic.

"It was definitely the highlight of the season."

The team, led by coach Rob Paternostro, ended a 12-year wait for silverware in January when they won the British Basketball League Cup Final by beating Newcastle Eagles.

But they had never won the league title – until Saturday.

Fan of more than three decades Chris Stone, 52, of Stoneygate, Leicester, paid tribute to the team spirit of the Riders.

"They are a team who have played team basketball and we've got no selfish players that just want to do it for themselves," he said.

"The points are shared around and this success is really a team effort."

He said fans never thought they would win the league – but are now looking forward to the next success. "What a great achievement this is and after all this time I don't think many of us thought we would win the league," he said.

"Bring on the play-offs."

Club chairman Mark Ellis, a supporter since 1991, said: "This has been 46 years in the making, and those few minutes from the end of the game to the start of the trophy presentations said all you need to know about this club – there were families hugging each other and their neighbours. A long wait was over and our time had come. It felt very good.

"This club is much more than just the team; it is about families and it is about the community."

The club has had a turbulent past.

Founded in 1967 as the Loughborough All Stars, the Riders moved to Leicester in 1981, but had to leave the city for Loughborough with the closure of Granby Halls in 2000.

In 2004, they returned to the city thanks to a sponsorship deal with De Montfort University and they now play at the university's John Sandford Sports Centre.

Fans helped stave off liquidation in 2007 by forming a consortium to raise funds and, when financial crisis loomed again the following year, county builder Jelson Homes stepped in to save the club.

For the match report see P43.

The starkly contrasting emotions of a local derby result were never more evident than with 12 minutes to go and Tigers leading the Saints 24-8.

Deciding that the game was already over, the first pockets of dejected Saints fans left their seats and trudged towards the exits.

Walking past a section of already delirious Tigers fans in the corner of the ground, they were greeted with a chorus of: "Oh when the Saints go marching home, oh when the Saints go marching home..."

It was a brutal send-off for a group of supporters who had just seen a seventh consecutive defeat by their most bitter rivals.

For the travelling Leicester contingent, however, things only got better as two more tries in the final 10 minutes gave them a 36-8 bonus-point victory to tell their grandchildren about.

They were in fantasy land by the final whistle after watching their side steadily control the first half before unleashing a four-try burst after the break.

Fly-half Toby Flood, clearly relishing the captain's role handed to him by director of rugby Richard Cockerill, had been perfect with the boot in the opening period to give his side a 12-3 lead.

And although Leicester could have easily scored a couple of tries on top, especially with Courtney Lawes in the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on, Tigers were already looking the better side.

It took just 90 seconds for the visitors to extend their lead after the interval.

Manu Tuilagi was on the end of a 10-phase drive, which had Jordan Crane's name written all over it with two rampaging runs and some lovely soft hands at the crucial time.

Saints had to score next at 17-3 and they eventually did through Stephen Myler after Niall Morris has been yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on.

But they only scored after Tigers had repelled their famed driving maul time and time again with some tremendously aggressive defence that rendered their most dangerous weapon impotent.

With 14 men, Tigers marched down the other end and Tuilagi added his second as he brushed aside the challenge of Tom May in midfield.

By the time Morris returned, Tigers were rampant.

Morris promptly made it 31-8 on 71 minutes after a build-up that contained some wonderful off-loading.

Smelling blood, and a bonus point, Tigers poured forward and got what they wanted just three minutes later as Mat Tait found himself one of a five-man overlap to complete the rout.

Franklin's Gardens was stunned. Before kick-off, this one had been almost impossible to call.

Saints went into the game after a four-game unbeaten run and there was talk before the match of not only of beating Leicester – but getting a home semi-final too. Sadly for the packed home crowd, this was men against boys.

Across the board, the visitors were superb and every decision they made seemed to be the right one. This was the performance Tigers supporters have been craving all season – and it came just when they needed it most.

Tom Croft was man-of-the-match for an astonishing showing that booked his place on the plane for the Lions tour in the first-class cabin – as long as the metalwork in his neck gets through the security checks, that is.

Flood and Ben Youngs ripped Saints' defensive line to shreds with flat and attacking passes, Anthony Allen was superb in midfield and two-try Tuilagi had his best game in a long while.

Tigers back-three were rock solid under the high ball, Geoff Parling and Ed Slater were immense in the second row, Crane was at his bullying best at No.8 and Julian Salvi cruelly exposed Saints' lack of a genuine openside to completely boss the breakdown.

Saints were also comprehensively out-coached. Cockerill and head coach Matt O'Connor stopped the home side's maul to kill off their most potent weapon, exposed the space in Saints' drift defence in open play and were clinically efficient turning turnover ball into scoring opportunities.

"I'm not sure we will ever beat this lot again," grumbled one Saints fan in the bar afterwards.

It was an incredible afternoon.

A handful of objectors could delay or prevent demolition of Belgrave Flyover.

Sainsbury's has proposed knocking down the 40-year-old bridge as part of a scheme to close and redevelop its site in Belgrave Road and open another in Rushey Mead.

Leicester City Council has approved the plans but before demolition can begin permission has to be granted by the Department for Transport.

Ten objections to the demolition have been lodged, which could mean a planning inquiry is held in the summer.

Michael Adenmosun, portfolio development manager for Sainsbury's, said: "We have received a small number of objections during the 28-day consultation period, which is now over.

"We're addressing these objections, some of which have been withdrawn following clarification of the benefits of the removal of the flyover."

He said the company had yet to speak to all the objectors.

A spokesman for Leicester City Council said although most of the objections had been resolved, "the remaining few may need to be dealt with at a public inquiry in the summer".

The identities of the objectors have not been revealed. If the remaining objections are not upheld, the work would start as planned.

It is believed the objections primarily involve fears of greater traffic congestion if the flyover was demolished.

Dharmesh Lakhani, the owner of Bobby's restaurant, in Belgrave Road, and chairman of Belgrave Business Association, said the vast majority of people in the area wanted the development to go ahead as soon as possible.

He said: "The community welcomes the proposals to invest in the area, which includes the demolition of the flyover.

"There has been little investment in the area over the past four decades and we believe the removal of the flyover will take away the barrier which separates the Golden Mile from the city centre.

"Not only will it help businesses, it will improve road safety as it will remove the temptation for drivers to exceed the speed limit on the flyover before reaching Belgrave Road."

Leicester Civic Society chairman Stuart Bailey said he could not wait to see the back of the flyover. Sainsbury's plans to construct 10 shops and eight business units on the site of its store.

It would build the new superstore on the site of the former GE Lighting factory, on the corner of Troon Way and Melton Road.

It is understood Sainsbury's hopes to open the new store in November, with the flyover being demolished in January or February 2014.

Delighted Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill believes a home Aviva Premiership semi-final is now "there for the taking".

Tigers put seven points between themselves and third-placed Harlequins after a record 36-8 win over Northampton at Franklin's Gardens.

They earned a seventh consecutive win over their old enemy and scored four tries in 33 second-half minutes to turn a 12-3 half-time lead into an absolute rout by the final whistle.

With just three Aviva Premiership games remaining until the play-offs, Leicester are now firm favourites to secure a top-two finish with games against Wasps, Bath and London Irish to come.

"It was the best we have played this season. Our set-piece and our defence were very good," said Cockerill.

"Our attitude was impressive and the lads were outstanding in what they did.

"We were on the front foot for most of the game and the result was fantastic for us because, with Harlequins losing at Gloucester on Friday night, that second spot is there for the taking.

"We were good up front, our half-backs were good and Ant Allen was fantastic in midfield.

"That was also the best Manu Tuilagi has played this season. Across the board, we were top drawer and the likes of Mat Tait, Tom Croft and Geoff Parling were all outstanding."

Captain Toby Flood was perfect with his kicking boot in the first half, but it was after the interval that the visitors really exploded out of the blocks.

Saints' famed driving maul was completely nullified by Tigers superb defence and the hosts had no Plan B.

Cockerill said that defensive effort came out of a brutal training session at Oval Park last Tuesday.

We thought they would come at us hard up front and our attitude was to fight fire with fire at the line-out and try to keep them on the back foot," said Cockerill. "We wanted to be positive with and without the ball.

"It's no secret that if you can stop Saints at the set-piece and in the maul, they will struggle to get rhythm in their game – and that was the case.

"We spent all Tuesday morning last week brawling against each other on line-out drives. We did half-a-dozen scrums and then spent the rest of the 90 minutes doing line-out drive defence.

"If we could stop that, we would take their game away and there was a point in the second half where they kept going for line-out drives and couldn't score.

"For me, that was the moment we won the game. Psychologically, they were done then."

Archaeologists are to excavate more of the car park where they found Richard III.

This summer, academics from the University of Leicester will dig up the site in New Street to uncover the east end of the Grey Friars church.

The project, which is expected to cost about £30,000, is intended to produce detailed records of the church where the king was buried more than 500 years ago and where his remains were discovered in August.

A spokesman for the university said: "The planned excavation is because of the work that is to start soon on the visitor centre.

"We and the city council want to ensure the plan and the archaeology of the church is well understood and fully recorded."

The university has not said where the money for the excavation would come from.

The Grey Friars church lies beneath buildings, walls, electrical cables, underground phone lines and gas pipes.

The king's remains were discovered in the choir of the building.

The trench containing Richard III's grave has been kept open since lead archaeologist Richard Buckley and his team unearthed the remains. It is protected by a small marquee.

Parts of the car park, which belongs to the city council and is used by social services staff, are now back in use.

However, the site may be altered as part of the plans to attract tourists.

A city council spokeswoman said the site would be linked to the proposed Richard III visitor centre at the former Leicester Grammar School a short walk away.

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "We want people to be able to walk over and see the actual place where Richard was buried.

"We also want to encourage the university to carry on excavating the site because this would give visitors an example of archaeology in action."

The council is considering knocking down a 1930s building at the New Street site to accommodate any loss of parking spaces due to the excavation.

Sir Peter said: "It's a fairly nondescript building and the council staff who reside in there can be easily moved."

He said it would also give archaeologists an opportunity to uncover more of the friary, although large parts of building may have been destroyed when the foundations of the structure were laid in the 1930s.

"Anything is a possibility," said Sir Peter. "They've pretty much got free rein to dig where they want – within reason."

Nigel Pearson has admitted his side's current poor form is a real concern.

But he said everyone must take heart from their battling display in defeat with 10 men against Millwall.

City head to Oakwell today to take on relegation-threatened Barnsley and both sides are desperate for points for very different reasons.

A run of one win from 10 games has seen City slip outside the top six for the first time since September, while the Tykes slipped back into the bottom three after their defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

"They are going to have to take encouragement from Friday's performance," Pearson said.

"We are now down to seven games. To be out of form in terms of getting results, as we are, is a concern, there is no doubt about that.

"But we have got to bounce back and bounce back quickly. The only way to do that is to continue to work hard.

"When you face a bit of adversity you have to be able to deal with the responsibility of going out there and performing under pressure.

"The players are clearly very upset about a few things after Friday, but we will have to get ourselves prepared for the next game on Monday," Pearson said after Friday's defeat.

"The players have shown a lot of desire to play in a positive fashion; to play in a good manner despite going down to 10 men after two minutes.

"Things aren't going for us at the moment but we have to keep working hard."

City will be without influential captain Wes Morgan, who was dismissed for a professional foul after just two minutes of Friday's defeat, which they suffered after Alan Dunne's cruel late strike.

Morgan will serve a one-game ban at Oakwell, but Pearson said he had no real complaints about the decision.

"It was a bit of a stumble but with the interpretation of the law I can't really have too much of a moan about that," he said. "If it had happened at the other end, we would think it was worthy of a red card.

"It was unfortunate the stage it was at and that it was unintentional.

"There were lots of other events that went on which were a bit inconsistent. It would be inappropriate to try and use those situations.

"I could bemoan a number of things but the defeat was unfortunate. The players have worked very hard to get something out of the game and to concede a goal so late in the game is quite cruel and they didn't deserve it.

"Having said that, we didn't defend that situation at all well. You have to defend for the entire game and it cost us."

Travellers who set up an illegal camp four years ago are now seeking permission to make it permanent.

Families who live on The Good Friday gypsy site, near Barlestone, want to stay put despite a temporary three-year permission for them having expired last month.

The camp, next to the authorised Costalot site off the B585, is named after the day four years ago when travellers moved on to the site and began concreting it, without permission.

The families applied for retrospective planning permission for the 10-pitch site but were refused by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.

Following an appeal, a planning inspector said they could remain for three years, from March 2010, anticipating that the council would provide more authorised pitches in that time.

The latest planning application is being opposed by nearby residents and councillors.

Councillor Paul Bessant, leader of the council's Tory opposition group, said: "It doesn't matter one bit that it is a travellers' site.

"What matters is that it was developed illegally. It shouldn't be there in the first place."

He accused the council's Liberal Democrat administration of trying to deal with the application "under the radar" after it appeared on a list of items to be dealt with by officers under their delegated powers rather than being discussed in a public planning committee meeting.

He said: "If the Lib Dems had their way, elected members would not discuss this and members of the public would not be able to have their say.

"They should have been insisting it be removed."

Lib Dem council leader Stuart Bray said it was not true that they had tried to deal with the matter behind closed doors.

He said: "The application is a variation of a condition on the temporary approval and those sorts of things are routinely dealt with by officers.

"It was the (Lib Dem) councillor for the area, Bill Crooks, who called for this to be discussed by the committee.

"We get no advantage from keeping it quiet."

He said he wanted the application to be rejected. He said: "We were looking at enforcement but could not do that until the permission had expired."

Barlestone Parish Council chairman Derek Crane said: "We want it refused but it will almost certainly be appealed.

The Mercury tried to contact Philip Brown Associates, the agent for the travellers, but was unsuccessful.

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson said he had no concerns about throwing Zak Whitbread into the fray to cover for the suspended Wes Morgan today.

Whitbread has not played since Boxing Day because of injury and the form of Michael Keane, but either he or young defender Liam Moore, who was recalled from his loan at Brentford on Saturday, look set to step in for Morgan.

The club captain serves a one-game suspension against Barnsley this afternoon.

Only 24 hours before Morgan was sent off, Sean St Ledger was allowed to go out on loan to Millwall until the end of the regular season to get match fitness after his five-month injury absence and City cannot recall the Republic of Ireland international for 28 days.

So they opted to recall the 20-year-old Moore, who has made seven appearances for the League One side during his loan.

Pearson now has a straight choice between the experience of Whitbread, who has not had much football this year, and the athleticism of Moore, who has been playing regularly lately.

"The only reason I didn't put Zak on the other night was I didn't want to make an early substitution, and to keep two up front," said Pearson.

City have sickness concerns over midfield duo Danny Drinkwater and Andy King, but they are expected to be fit.

Every week, more and more amazing shots from our pictures archives are being added to our online gallery.

This shot from 1955 of an engineer fixing a street light in Infirmary Square, Leicester, is just one of hundreds of fascinating and nostalgic pictures now available on our website.

The Mercury's chief photographer, Andy Baker, said: "It's a classic silhouette shot with just enough daylight to illuminate the buildings.

"It was obviously a precarious pastime and the engineer seems to be working in something like a trilby – it's certainly not a hard hat.

"The Health and Safety Executive would probably be horrified!

"Everything about this, from the engineer to the style of the lamppost is reminiscent of a bygone time that wasn't actually that long ago."

Anyone with memories about pictures from the archives they would like to share can get in touch with Mr Leicester, at Leicester Mercury, St George Street, Leicester, LE1 9FQ, or by e-mailing:

mrleicester@leicester mercury.co.uk

Images on our website are available to buy. To view and purchase pictures, visit: www.thisisphotosales.co.uk/leicestershire

Cases dealt with at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Courtney Johnson (31), of Armadale Drive, Netherhall, Leicester, admitted stealing items worth £104.49 from Tesco, in Maidenwell Avenue, Hamilton, Leicester, with two others, on January 31.

He was discharged conditionally for two years and told to pay costs of £40.

Andzelika Rebkoviene (37), of Cross Road, Clarendon Park, Leicester, pleaded guilty to stealing clothing and fragrance to the value of £82 from Debenhams, in Leicester, with another person, on February 1.

She was discharged conditionally for 12 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20.

Callum Richardson-Hore (21), of Thornton Lane, Stanton-Under-Bardon, was found guilty in his absence of failing to comply with a double solid white line road marking, and overtaking a vehicle in Nottingham Road, Ashby, on October 25.

He was fined £200, told to pay costs of £85 and his licence was endorsed with three points.

What are the three biggest challenges facing you?

City: Within Leicester, people live up to eight years less in some areas compared to others, due to unfair differences in health among different groups.

Heart and lung disease are the two major causes of people dying earlier here, so it is vital we tackle those issues.

We need to improve the availability and range of services offered by GPs and to solve the problems of too many people using A&E unnecessarily.

East Leics: We need to ensure that high-quality, effective health services are available, in the right place and at the right time for our patients.

Commissioning services are needed now but with a view to the future, to ensure that we are preparing adequately for our ageing population, and we will also be playing our part in addressing significant pressures on the urgent care system.

West Leics: The expected growth in the number of people aged over 60 will bring associated increases in long-term conditions.

Too many services depend on buildings which are not the right size, in the wrong places, and are costly to run.

The NHS faces a number of significant financial pressures.

What are the priorities in the coming year?

City: Fighting heart and lung disease; improving mental health services and improving the quality of care for older people are priorities.

East Leics: The priorities are enhancing quality of life for people with long-term conditions, improving the quality of care at GP surgeries and providing more care closer to home.

We are working to help bridge the gap between the healthier and less healthy in our area.

West Leics: We will be looking to continuously improve the quality of primary medical care and tackle major causes of premature death. Priorities include providing care closer to home and timely and appropriate access to services to allow discharged patients to recover.

What difference can patients expect to see once the CCGs take over?

City: Starting with heart disease and lung disease, we will be working with clinicians and others to see if these services can be provided in a better way, such as in a community setting, so as to be easier and more convenient for patients.

East Leics: GPs are ideally placed to see where and how the system needs improving.

The new system sees commissioning decisions based on greater levels of clinical experience, expertise and frontline knowledge of patients' needs.

West Leics: We are already making better use of our planned care and prescribing budgets. We have also put in plans to improve urgent care in Loughborough. We have led a project with our two neighbouring CCGs to develop a system to better predict the health needs of patients with long-term conditions.

Adventurer Sarah Outen is making the final preparations for her row across the Pacific Ocean.

It will be the second attempt to row the 4,500 nautical miles from Japan to Canada for the Oakham 27-year-old, who is attempting to go around the world under her own steam by cycling, kayaking and rowing.

Last year, she had to be rescued 800 miles off the coast of Japan, when 30ft waves capsized her boat, leaving her forced to abandon it in the ocean.

Sarah returned home to England after the ordeal, but she is now back in Japan and hopes to set off on the row soon.

Her new boat has been built and shipped to Japan and Sarah is afloat once again after dropping the vessel, called Happy Socks, into the water.

She said on her website: "It certainly feels good to have a floating boat, smartly decked out and knowing the final few jobs are tickable off the to-do list in an afternoon or so.

"It will be good to have her to myself too and I shall spend a few nights aboard this week ahead."

Sarah plans to decorate the inside of her cabin with photos and a map of the world.

Sarah now needs to wait for the wind to be right before she can get the row under way.

She said: "We are still watching the weather and hoping that towards the end of the week it might develop into something useful, where useful means anything blowing gently out to sea for a few days – allowing me to get safely away from shore and settle in to life on the water once more.

"For now, I shall focus on ticking off the to do's and topping up on sleep."

She said she was enjoying being back in Japan, where she had made many friends last year.

She said: "The balmy weather has certainly made the transition an easy one and the wonderful hospitality of friends has made me feel truly hugged."

Before Sarah's losing battle against Typhoon Mawar in June last year, she had already rowed across the English Channel and cycled 7,800 miles through Europe and Asia.

After the storm, which saw her former rowing boat, Gulliver, tossed around by 30ft waves, Sarah had an eight-month break.

The Pacific crossing is expected to take Sarah and Happy Socks about six months.

If she succeeds, she will be the first person to row from Japan to Canada. Once she lands, the plan is to cycle 3,000 miles across North America, from Vancouver to Nova Scotia, before getting back into Happy Socks to row home to London.