Leicester City fans will have to be long in the tooth to be able to remember the time the club had a side good enough to challenge for the double.

It is 50 years since Matt Gillies' men went within a whisker of achieving that feat and, at the King Power Stadium last Sunday afternoon, many of that famous side, including midfielder Davie Gibson, winger Mike Stringfellow and goalkeeper Gordon Banks, were reunited to relive those golden days.

An inability to bolster the team before the closing stages eventually cost City, as four consecutive away defeats saw them miss out on the title to Everton.

A jaded City side were then beaten in the FA Cup final by Manchester United.

Gibson, widely acclaimed as one of the best midfielders to ever grace a City shirt, recalls that period in his new book, Gibbo: The Davie Gibson Story, which has just been published.

He has fond memories of his time with City and that magical season of 1962-63 when they very nearly were the kings of English football.

"It is hard to believe it was 50 years ago," Gibson told the Mercury.

"It is also 50 years since I played against Austria for my first Scotland cap, and I am going up to Edinburgh to celebrate that as well.

"I can't believe it. The two games, the cup final and my Scotland debut, came within weeks of each other.

"Looking back at my career, that year was probably the best season, not just for me personally, but the team played brilliantly.

"We had one or two injuries right at the end, and I think that caught up with us.

"I was hopeless in the final, the worst game I ever played for Leicester. There was so much expected of us on the day, maybe we froze, I don't know.

"But what a magnificent season. We somehow gelled with each other. We had the best goalkeeper in the world in Gordon Banks, and the defence was fantastic.

"I look back fondly on nearly every game, except the final. The occasion made it the best game, but the best we played was in the semi-final against Liverpool. The defence played so well and Banksy was out of this world, it was possibly the best game he ever played."

City were to lift silverware the next season in the League Cup, but they could not sustain the success as the side aged gracefully.

"The following season we again got to the League Cup final, but by then time was catching up with one or two players," said Gibson, who now lives in Dorchester.

"From then, things started to change because chaps were getting older. That was the sad thing about it, we didn't have the money to spend to replace those players.

"It is mind-boggling to see the money being spent these days, but I don't begrudge the players now who earn £200,000 a week.

"But I can say this in full confidence, they never enjoyed the 90 minutes more than I did."

Gibbo: The Davie Gibson Story, is published by Amberley and priced £15.99.

Prince Edward's visit to meet university students and school children has been rescheduled for next month.

The Prince had been due to visit in January, but freezing fog at the last minute made travelling by helicopter unsafe and his trip was cancelled.

Now the Earl of Wessex has confirmed he will visit on June 7 to officially open De Montfort University's £8 million Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee leisure centre, in Duns Lane, Leicester.

He will tour the facilities before meeting a host of sports societies who say they are already benefiting from being able to train there.

University vice-chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard said: "The leisure centre is a fitting legacy of her majesty's Diamond Jubilee tour, which began here at the university.

"It's an honour to welcome the Earl of Wessex to our university a year later."

He will also visit John Cleveland College, in Hinckley, on the same day, where he will meet students studying for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, created by his father.

In recent years a record number of students at the school have achieved the bronze, silver, and gold awards.

Dick Beaumont, the school's DofE coordinator, said: "Pupils were naturally a bit disappointed when the visit was cancelled in January, but they were very philosophical about it and are looking forward to meeting him in just over a month's time.

"They're very excited and of course there's a bit of trepidation there, too.

"This is a real feather in the cap for the group and a great opportunity to raise awareness within the local community about the positive work being done with young people that helps to equip them with real life skills for adulthood."

In addition, the Prince will visit North Warwickshire and Hinckley College's £12.8 million creative arts campus, in Hinckley, to talk to staff and students about the work they are doing there.

Marion Plant, joint principal of North Warwickshire and Hinckley College and South Leicestershire College, said: "We're very much looking forward to welcoming Prince Edward to our campus, as our creative arts offer goes from strength to strength. This visit is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact of the high quality, vocational education and training delivered by our college.

"Students and staff are busy preparing for his visit which will include a student performance as well as time spent with students in a number of different teaching areas where they can show examples of their work and talk about their experiences and aspirations for the future."

Roadworks to create a controversial bus lane through Glen Parva are putting pedestrians and drivers at risk, it has been claimed.

Numerous official complaints have been made about the work on Leicester Road, which involves digging up pavements.

Jane Hemsley, 50, who lives in Leicester Road, said her 13-year-old daughter was unable to walk safely near her home and that mounds of earth piled up either side of her driveway also made reversing out of the house dangerous.

She said: "It's absolutely dreadful. It's dangerous to reverse out on to a 40mph road in any case, but with these mounds of earth blocking our view it's worse.

"The pavement is coned off and my daughter has had to walk on the road to get to our house. I've also seen other children and elderly people having to do the same thing.

"If we have to put up with six months of this it's going to be a case of an accident waiting to happen."

Jane has written to the county council to complain.

Another resident, Mary Dunn, has written to the council about the dangers for motorists and pedestrians going to and from houses along the road, as well as large areas being coned off even when work is not taking place.

Alan Bailey, county councillor for the area, said: "I've had six or seven letters about the problem and it's a serious concern.

"County Hall has said it is doing what it can but greater care needs to be taken to protect the residents along that road – the overwhelming majority of whom were against the bus lane from the start.

"It has always been our concern this was going to be a long-term project."

The work has only begun in the county council area so far, but Nigel Porter, a member of Leicester City Council, said he had received complaints from constituents.

He said: "A gentleman rang me up who had been driving into Blaby and saw an elderly person struggling to walk in the traffic and he was shocked by it. Unless the county council does something about it, someone's going to get run over."

A spokesman for Leicestershire County Council said: "Ongoing excavation work means contractors are having to temporarily store some of the mounds of earth on the pavement and progressing to the next phase of work.

"The contractors will reduce the height of the mounds as a matter of urgency, as well as ensuring access to residents' properties by foot is provided.

"We're also going to be installing a temporary crossing to help pedestrians near the junction of Red House Road.

"We sent out leaflets ahead of the work and contractors have also got a public liaison officer who can be contacted on 07923 470376 or by e-mail and residents can call the contractor on a 24-hour customer service line on 07901 001863."

a426buscorridor.tarmac@ outlook.com

Tomorrow, voters in Leicestershire go to the polls to choose which party will run County Hall for the next four years.

Politicians of all parties are urging people to get out and use their votes, fearing apathy may well lead to low turn-outs at polling stations.

The 2013 local election is the first for many years to be held without a General or European election on the same day which would normally encourage larger numbers of people to vote.

In 2009, when the Tories regained control of the county council, 43 per cent of the Leicestershire electorate voted.

Candidates are now involved in a final push for votes, stepping up leafleting and door knocking to get their message over.

The Conservative currently have the majority with 33 seats.

Tory county council leader Nick Rushton, who has had to deal with the fall-out of his predecessor, David Parsons, resignation over his expenses claims, has previously said he sees a Labour resurgence at the main threat to his party.

He has predicted UKIP, fielding 31candidates in Leicestershire, will not win a single seat.

He said: "When people vote, they should think about who can be trusted to provide the best services at the lowest cost. That is the Conservatives.

"There will be some difficult decisions to make. We know there will be reductions to budgets. That is a given.

"It is my intention, after this election, to work with the other parties to tackle the challenges the council faces."

The county council needs to save £79 million over the next four years but the Conservative administration says it still needs to work out where £30million of cuts will be made.

The Liberal Democrat group has 14 seats and leader Councillor Simon Galton said: "We know the financial situation will not be good after the election but whatever hand the council is dealt it will be the Liberal Democrats who will make the right decisions. Frankly the Tories have got some key decisions wrong."

County Labour group lead Coun Max Hunt, who is hoping to add to the four seats his party holds and overtake the Liberal Democrats as the main opposition party, said: "Put simply, if you don't vote, and you don't vote Labour, you will have a new onslaught on services which is being planned by the Conservatives."

UKIP candidate and former Conservative deputy council leader David Sprason said: "I think the Tories are scared of us. They know we are offering people a fresh choice.

"We would freeze council tax for four years, cut the departments at County Hall to save money and we would campaign to get HS2 scrapped and invest the money in local lines like the National Forest Line."

The counts are set to begin at 11.30am on Friday.

Our website will feature full coverage of the results as they come in.

Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill has told head coach Matt O'Connor to take the vacant Leinster job if it is offered to him.

Cockerill was the first club official to comment on growing rumours linking the 42-year-old Aussie to the post in Dublin, after it became available when Joe Schmidt was named the new Ireland boss on Monday.

Cockerill said he would be sad to see O'Connor leave after five years with Leicester, but admitted that it would be an ideal move for someone who hopes to coach his country one day. "Matt has had an approach from Leinster," said Cockerill.

"I am not sure whether that is all signed and sealed but it is pretty far down the road.

"If that is a concrete offer, I think Matt will take it.

"They are a great club and it's a credit to this environment that they are interested in Matt.

"When he came here, nobody knew much about him but he has had five very good years here, coached exceptionally well and this side would not have done half as well as it has done without him.

"To get the head coach's role at Leinster is probably too much for him to turn down.

"He spoke to me about it and I said to him that, if they offer it to you, take it. It's a great opportunity.

"He wants to coach at Test level and wants to coach Australia at some point, which is probably the next step for him.

"If he can prove he can be in charge of a big club side, I would be very surprised if, in the near future, Matt wasn't in contention for the Australia job.

"We are all disappointed that Matt may leave, but that's life. He has done a fantastic job here. He will be my friend for a lifetime and, some time, partnerships come to an end.

"If that happens, we will find someone else. It will be different and a lot less noisy in the office – and my language will be a lot better too!"

Tigers will have to put talk of departing head coaches and British & Irish Lions to one side as they prepare for a return to the Aviva Premiership on Saturday after a week off.

London Irish arrive with nothing to play for but pride as Tigers seek a victory that will secure them a home semi-final in the play-offs.

Cockerill reported few injury worries and said he would be putting out his "best side".

"It's a must-win game for us because we have to be at home in the semi-finals," he said.

"They are a dangerous side. We will treat them with the respect they deserve."

Tigers lock Ed Slater has been named as the Aviva Premiership's Player of the Month for March.

The 24-year-old was in superb form for the club during big games against the likes of Exeter and Northampton.

Bath have confirmed the signing of George Ford and Mickey Young from Tigers.

Bath head coach Gary Gold said: "George is an exceptionally talented young player, and we are very much looking forward to him joining us here."

Leicestershire ground their way to 250 on the opening day of their Championship game at Grace Road yesterday.

And given that they had endured a horrible morning against Gloucestershire after winning the toss, that was a pretty reasonable effort.

They obviously would have liked more runs on the board but given that, at one point, they were tottering on the brink of collapse at 52-5 County did at least stand their ground and find a way into the game.

Half-centuries from Shiv Thakor and Matthew Boyce in a century stand for the sixth wicket saw County recover and eventually pick up two batting points, while the fact that Robbie Williams and Ollie Freckingham both picked up wickets late in the day, to leave the visitors on 31-2, was a bonus.

It didn't take long for Leicestershire to hit trouble, Michael Thornely bowled by just the second ball of the day.

They were two down with only eight on the board when Niall O'Brien chased a wide delivery and was caught behind.

Ned Eckersley, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Josh Cobb all made starts of sorts but they were dislodged by the medium pace of Benny Howell, who was to finish with career-best figures of 5-57.

Faced by a difficult position, Boyce and Thakor, who had prospered against Kent a fortnight ago when they each made centuries, set about restoring County's fortunes. They reached lunch at 67-5, but then dominated the afternoon session with what was good, solid batting and, by tea, Leicestershire had progressed to a much healthier 171-5.

Both batsmen had half-centuries to their names by that point, Thakor the more aggressive of the pair as he hit seven boundaries to reach 50, Boyce finding the ropes on four occasions.

Thakor, who produced some strokes of the highest calibre, also benefited from a 'five' thanks to overthrows as the batsmen took control of the action.

It was a pity, from Leicestershire's point of view, that the stand of 125 was broken just two overs and half-a-dozen runs after the interval when Boyce, on 55, clipped Howell straight to short mid-wicket.

Thakor's 180-ball stay ended at 75 when off-spinner Jack Taylor had him smartly taken at slip by Hamish Marshall. Claude Henderson bludgeoned a rapid 33 to help take the total to the respectability of 250 before he was last out to give Will Gidman his third victim.

That left County's new-ball bowlers nine overs in which to claw back something from the day. Williams and Freckingham charged in, the former trapping Chris Dent lbw in the fourth over, while Freckingham had Dan Housego caught behind by O'Brien as he fenced at a short delivery in the seventh.

On balance, Gloucestershire can justifiably claim to have enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges. However, what had threatened to be a one-sided day proved a good deal more even than many would have thought thanks largely to the graft of Thakor and Boyce.

Staff at a city primary school have launched a formal complaint against the head teacher and governing body.

They have demanded education bosses at Leicester City Council request the resignation of Tim Luckcock, head of Uplands Junior school, in Highfields, and chairman of governors, Abid Matak, due to an "irretrievable breakdown in the relationship with staff".

The collective grievance, which states it is from the staff at Uplands Junior School, was sent to the council 10 days ago.

The school, which has about 480 pupils, was rated "good" by Ofsted last year, with leadership and management also classed as "good".

One member of staff, who did not wish to be named, said: "We're still waiting for the council to come back to us, but we hope action will be taken soon to sort out this appalling situation."

The grievance states it follows a vote of no confidence on March 14 against both men by the whole staff.

The eight-page document alleges Mr Luckcock, who joined the school as executive head teacher in September 2011, often arrives late, missing all or part of Monday morning briefings and that there are further "unexplained absences" which they believe have not been recorded properly or approved by governors.

It claims his "intimidatory and confrontational behaviour" towards some children has raised concerns about his style of behaviour management.

The grievance also alleges it was six weeks into the new academic year before Mr Luckcock met with the new intake, meaning some year three pupils did not know who he was.

According to the grievance, Mr Luckcock preferred to delegate tasks and "confined himself to his office" refusing to engage with parents.

His manner was also claimed to be "aggressive and ill-mannered".

The grievance further alleges at times Mr Luckcock had expressed a desire to make the ethos of the school Islamic, using phrases such as "insha'- Allah" (meaning "God willing" in letters sent to all parents.

It said staff felt this was inappropriate in the school, which was meant to hold a multi-faith ethos.

Concerns have also been raised over his use of Facebook.

The staff member said: "A child pointed his Facebook page out to me which shows Mr Luckcock apparently wearing a turban stating, 'Nearly gone native in Leicester'.

"I believe it's completely inappropriate and open for everyone to see because he has no privacy settings."

The grievance against Mr Matak says there is unnecessary interference in the management of the school.

It is claimed governors had refused to agree elements of the budget and a one-off "discretionary payment" to Mr Luckcock was agreed by Mr Matak which had not been approved by the whole governing body.

In March, the Leicester Mercury reported the school was proposing to axe up to 10 teaching assistant posts by the end of the summer term.

Mr Luckcock said this had been subject to a full consultation.

However, the grievance disputes this and calls for a halt to the restructuring process until an impartial review could be carried out.

Mr Luckcock declined to comment and, despite leaving messages for Mr Malak, the Mercury was unable to reach him.

A Leicester City Council spokesman said: "We can confirm that trade unions have raised collective grievances against the head teacher and the governing body.

"We have scheduled discussions with governors and with trade union representatives to discuss how the issues can be investigated and resolved.

"In the meantime, we cannot comment further on this matter."

A murder trial heard how the frozen dismembered remains of ex-professional boxer Shaun Cummins were discovered by the police.

Pc Philip Briggs attended the former champion's semi-detached bungalow, in Marriott Road, Saffron Lane, Leicester, on September 12, after he was reported missing.

In a statement read out at Leicester Crown Court by prosecutor William Harbage QC, the officer described going into the back yard after no-one answered the door.

He said he realised something was wrong after unfolding a discarded mattress which gave off a strong smell he recognised from his experience in dealing with dead bodies.

There was also a chainsaw, a hacksaw and a small incinerator in the yard.

An enforcer battery ram was used to gain entry through the front door. Pc Briggs said: "The spare rooms were full with belongings and medication and it was very untidy."

In the hall were "forensic style" blue plastic shoe covers.

There was no mattress or bedding on the "missing person's" bed and part of the carpet had been cut out.

Pc Briggs said in another room, there were two freezers that hadn't been searched. He cleared the top of the smaller freezer then lifted the lid. It revealed some sort of large items wrapped in blue plastic and secured in grey electrical tape.

He said a very bad smell came from the freezer.

A colleague lifted the lid of the second freezer to find similarly wrapped items in it. He said the premises were then sealed, to await scientific examination.

Mr Cummins, 45, retired from boxing in 1995, with a record of 22 wins, six defeats and a draw.

He was in a motorbike crash in 2004, which left him paralysed from the waist down and virtually bed-ridden.

Thomas Dunkley (29), of no fixed address, who was Mr Cummins' unofficial carer, denies murder. He also denies theft of Mr Cummins' credit card or taking out a payday loan in his name, prior to the death.

Dunkley maintains Mr Cummins died of natural causes.

He claims to have "panicked" and, instead of calling for help, chopped up the remains and put them in a freezer.

He has pleaded guilty to preventing a lawful burial and four counts of fraudulently using Mr Cummins' bank accounts and cheques from his trust fund after his death. The prosecution say he dishonestly took £25,000 from the former boxer.

The jury was shown CCTV footage of Dunkley, of no fixed address, visiting stores to buy a chainsaw, a freezer, cleaning materials, goggles, a mask, plastic gloves and shoe covers, on September 6 and 7.

There was also footage of him using Mr Cummins' bank cards to withdraw cash from Oadby Asda, on September 6.

Pc Aaron Horn told the jury a district nurse reported Mr Cummins as missing on September 12.

When the officer contacted Dunkley by phone, he was unhelpful about Mr Cummins' whereabouts, saying he had taken him to a Dudley hospital but was unsure of which one.

Pc Horn said: "I'd know where it was and when."

He said he had checked out all possible hospitals, without success.

The trial continues.

Leicester Tigers boss Richard Cockerill has spoken of his pride at having six players chosen for the British & Irish Lions summer tour.

The director of rugby said that having the joint-largest contingent of any club side was "a great day for Tigers".

The Tigers quintet of prop Dan Cole, hooker Tom Youngs, flanker Tom Croft, scrum-half Ben Youngs and centre Manu Tuilagi were widely-tipped to be in the squad for the Australia tour.

Geoff Parling has also made the set-up as one of five lock-forwards.

Cockerill said: "I am delighted for the players because it is a huge honour and the opportunity of a lifetime in anybody's rugby career.

"They have all earned the right to go on the tour and I am pleased for them because I know how hard they work.

"I am also delighted for the club too. A lot of people have put a lot of work into those guys and five of our six Lions have come through our Academy.

"It is a great day for the club."

Tigers have the joint-highest contingent in Warren Gatland's 37-man squad with Irish province Leinster.

Tigers players represent 16 per cent of the tour party which will face the Wallabies in a three-Test series, in June and July, and make-up 60 per cent of England's 10-man contingent.

Tigers' forwards only found out about their selection when they were briefly pulled out of a mauling practice session yesterday to be told by Cockerill.

The backs, meanwhile, had no idea they were in the squad until after training when they logged on to a computer inside Tigers' Oval Park training base.

Tom and Ben Youngs are the first brothers to tour together with the Lions since the Hastings (Gavin and Scott) and fellow Leicester duo the Underwoods (Tony and Rory) did it in 1993.

Along with the 10 English players in the set-up, there are 15 Welshmen, nine Irishmen and three Scots.

Big omissions were Jonny Wilkinson and Ireland hooker Rory Best, while the likes of Saracens props Mako Vunipola and Matt Stevens were surprise inclusions.

The Lions begin their tour on June 5 with a fixture against Perth-based Super 15 side, the Western Force.

That will be the first of a nine-game schedule, in Australia, which includes games against the Brumbies and the Queensland Reds and ends with a three-Test series against Robbie Deans' Wallabies side.

The Lions last toured Australia in 2001 when Graham Henry's side went down to a 2-1 defeat, despite winning the first Test.

A "manipulative" mother of two convicted of murder after stabbing her boyfriend 24 times was yesterday jailed for life.

Former children's nursery worker Michelle Mills was ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years before she can be considered for parole.

Mills, who is 4ft 11in, used such force when she stabbed Eddie Miller, 20, at their home in Scalford, near Melton, the handle broke away from the knife.

She claimed she was in fear of her boyfriend and said she thought she was about to be attacked.

Judge Michael Heath, passing sentence at Lincoln Crown Court, said: "You were not, in my judgement, in fear of him. You were extremely angry with him. Had you been in fear, you could easily have left the house, but you were in a rage and you picked up what was the largest knife available.

"He did not realistically stand a chance of defending himself, such was the ferocity of the attack."

The judge dismissed her claims to have been regularly subjected to physical violence by Mr Miller, saying she gave as good as she got in the relationship.

He told her: "This was a brutal, ferocious and sustained attack. You loved each other but you were jealous of each other.

"You were extremely angry with him and you were in a rage.

"I detect no remorse in you. You have only been concerned with yourself. You did your very best to hoodwink the jury, but they saw through you.

"You are a manipulative woman who strays from the truth when it suits you to do so.

"Throughout this trial, you have tried to portray yourself as a serial victim of domestic violence. That picture is not an accurate one."

Mills attacked Mr Miller following an argument after they returned home from a bonfire night party at the Kings Arms, in Scalford.

As her boyfriend sat on the sofa drinking wine, she grabbed the knife and repeatedly stabbed him, leaving him lying in a pool of blood.

Mills then waited 20 minutes before raising the alarm. Her boyfriend was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, but was pronounced dead soon after arrival.

In evidence, she told the jury she thought she was about to be attacked and although she used a knife, she did not mean to kill him.

During the trial, the jury heard how she had attacked two of her previous partners with a knife but neither suffered serious injury. Neither man made a complaint to police.

Mills (31) was Mr Miller's first serious girlfriend and they had talked of marriage. She was 11 years older than him and told the jury that she had had more than 70 previous sexual partners.

Mills denied murder on November 6 but was convicted after a three-week trial.

Peter Lodder QC, in mitigation, said there was evidence Mills suffered mental health problems.

He added: "She has two young children and there is, we submit, a poignant sadness in that for her, a woman whose own childhood was categorised by abuse and unhappiness."

A sixth form college is celebrating a "good" Ofsted report for the first time.

Regent College, in Leicester, was given the second highest rating following a two-day inspection at the end of March.

It was previously inspected in 2011, when the college was "satisfactory".

Principal Paul Wilson, who has led the school for five years, said: "I'm delighted the hard work of staff and students has been recognised.

"We created a plan for Regent College and I'm pleased to see it has come to fruition.

"However, we are not complacent and will work towards becoming outstanding."

Inspectors said the broad range of programmes provided students with good opportunities to gain qualifications and progress to advanced level courses.

They said AS and A-level students made good progress – many having started with relatively low achievements – and most students made better progress than expected across all courses.

Students benefited from the "harmonious and inclusive character of the college".

The quality of teaching and learning overall was good and a number of lessons observed had outstanding features.

Teachers challenged students well and had high expectations.

Inspectors said student assessment was "excellent" and showed accurately how each was progressing.

The college's strong focus on literacy skills was evident in all subject areas.

Mr Wilson, senior leaders and governance was praised.

Mr Wilson said: "Our job over the past few years has been to make sure students had very clear pathways towards their goals and go on to higher education, if that's what they wanted, no matter what their starting levels.

"We've achieved that very successfully

"Students know clearly what their targets are and our teachers have shown they can be consistently good."

Keisha Carrington-Hackshaw, 18, who is studying for A-levels said: "The relationship between teachers and students here is fantastic.

"I get the support I need and I enjoy my lessons.

"I've had great support to go beyond my target grades and enable me to achieve straight As. I have a place to study veterinary science at the Royal Veterinary College in London next year."

Leandra Mika, 20, said: "I've been a student here since 2010, when I joined to take GCSEs.

"I've received the support I need to achieve good grades and next year I've accepted an offer to go to Leicester University to study medical genetics."

To improve, inspectors said student attendance and punctuality needed to be better, good practice should continue to be shared and all teaching staff should reach high standards.

De Montfort University has sold its Charles Frears campus in the city to the University of Leicester – for £2 million less than it was marketed at.

The site, in London Road, Leicester, has been bought for £2.9 million, but had previously been up for sale with a guide price of £5 million with Innes England.

An undisclosed developer, with plans to build homes on the seven-acre site, was close to exchanging contracts with DMU in August, but negotiations fell through and the site was put up for sale again.

Nursing students who had used the site in the Stoneygate conservation area moved to the university's city centre campus last summer.

Education bosses at the University of Leicester said the building will be used for teaching purposes, but could not say what they would be.

Funding for the purchase has come from a combination of loans and the university's reserves.

A university spokesman said there were no plans to use the site as student residences.

Professor Sir Robert Burgess, vice-chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: "This acquisition is a key part of our £1 billion development plan.

"In a global marketplace for education, it's essential the physical attributes of the university reflect its world-class research and teaching.

"What we're developing in Leicester reflects the kind of institution we are and our ambition to be one of the best in the country."

Brookfield House, which dates back to the 1800s, stands on the site and was once owned by Thomas Fielding Johnson, the principal benefactor of the University of Leicester.

Its name will be retained and the building will be refurbished subject to planning permission.

Trevor Humphreys, director of estates and facilities management at the University of Leicester, said: "Our strategic plan envisaged the need for additional land and an allocation of capital had already been set aside for such a purchase, so there is no impact on other capital projects.

"The purchase enables the university to continue with its objectives of estate improvement and, in the long-term, the University of Leicester estimates the purchase will save millions of pounds as it will no longer need to lease other local premises to accommodate its services.

"The site has a real parkland campus feel to it, which will be a great benefit for staff and students who may be located there, and complement the high-quality environment already experienced on the university's main campus and at its student village in Oadby."

David Carrott, director of estates at DMU, said: "We are very satisfied with the price agreed.

"This sale completes our planned programme as we drive forward a multi-million pound investment in facilities and the transformation of our city centre campus over the next three years.

"It's great to hear the University of Leicester will be developing the former Charles Frears campus and will continue to use it for educational purposes."

David Oldershaw, from the Stoneygate Conservation Area Society, which represents home-owners close to the site, said: "This seems very positive given the university is a good business.

"It's pleasing it will remain for teaching purposes, but we hope the issue of parking is thought through carefully along with other plans the university may have."

A university arts centre is set to get a £1.5 million extension.

Staff at Embrace Arts, at the University of Leicester's Richard Attenborough Centre, successfully bid for £600,000 from Arts Council England to extend the gallery space.

A further £400,000 has been secured though the university's Breaking Barriers Appeal.

An appeal is now being planned to find the rest of the money, which must be raised by November.

Michaela Butter, co-director of Embrace Arts, said: "We're look forward to creating a national centre of excellence for inclusive arts practice in Leicester, to be enjoyed by local people and visitors alike."

Exhibitions at the centre are held in a small corridor gallery.

The work will open this up, creating a series of interlinked spaces for art.

Managers are confident the extra money can be found.

Ave Vinick, who is responsible for fund-raising, said: "It's achievable.

"We have a number of bids in to trusts and foundations and are planning an art auction, among other ideas.

"This is going to help bring the city to life and can only add to its tourism and in particular it's bid to be city of culture."

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "This will be another quality cultural attraction.

"Added to the amazing discovery of Richard III, it further strengthens Leicester's claim to become city of culture."

GSSArchitecture has been appointed to design the space.

Partner Tom Lyons said he was excited about being involved in the development.

The Richard Attenborough centre was the result of a campaign championed by Lord Attenborough.

It us one of two purpose-built accessible arts centres in the East Midlands for the promotion of arts and disability.

The development, which would increase the size of the building by fifty per cent, will be fully accessible for disabled and able-bodied visitors.

Bosses running mental and community health services are spending £70,000 to improve the way they listen to and talk to staff.

The Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is joining a scheme called Listening into Action.

It is the same programme which has been adopted by Leicester's hospitals.

Managers believe it will be money well spent, as it helps with recruitment and developing the workforce.

A spokesman for the trust said: "Our staff are passionate about their work and have a lot of experience and many terrific ideas.

"We want to help them to be able to deliver the great care they aspire to and feel proud to be a part of the trust.

"Listening into Action is a tried-and-tested approach which enables staff to lead service improvements, secure better outcomes for patients and improve their working lives.

"Many NHS organisations have already benefited from it."

In a report to directors, Alan Duffell, director of human resources and organisational development at the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: "A key element to the approach is holding large staff conversations, or listening events, which will be hosted by the chief executive. Employee engagement and empowerment are driving forces for any high performing organisation."

He said research shows absenteeism is, on average, 27 per cent lower among "engaged employees".

The next step will be to hold large-scale staff "conversation" events.

About 600 staff representing the make-up of the organisation will be invited to one of the events.

The three main questions to be asked include, what gets in the way of success; what big changes could be made which would make a huge difference to services and how could the changes be achieved.

Mr Duffell said: "The objective is to put staff at the centre of change and alter the trust's style of leadership."

The Listening into Action programme has just got under way at Leicester's hospitals.

About 500 staff, representing a cross section of the workforce at Leicester's hospitals, have been invited to one of six events being held between now and next Thursday, at the King Power Stadium.

They are being hosted by John Adler, who took up the job of chief executive at Leicester's hospitals in January.

Adopting the programme, he said: "Effective staff engagement is crucial to high-quality care and, in the past, organisations have struggled to find a way to improve it."

Each event will give staff the chance to share their views and ideas.

These will then be analysed and grouped into themes to help manages see what changes can be made.

A farmer who left two dead sheep rotting in a field for up to five days has been fined £235 by magistrates.

William Noakes, of Kinnachan House Farm, Stockerston Road, Uppingham, pleaded guilty at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Friday to two offences of leaving sheep carcasses uncovered in a field and not disposing of them promptly.

He was also ordered to pay £570 prosecution costs.

Following a complaint from a member of the public, trading standards officers working for Rutland County Council visited the farm with a Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in July.

The court heard they found two dead sheep in a field, close to an incinerator used for disposing of carcasses.

Trading standards assessed that one of the carcasses had been left uncovered for at least five days and the other for three days.

Magistrates heard the older carcass displayed signs that it was being eaten by vermin, presenting a risk of spreading disease.

Trading standards officer Peter Stonely said: "It's important all farmers manage their stock properly to prevent the spread of disease and to prevent unnecessary suffering.

"This was a challenging case and legal action was a last resort.

"We appreciate there is a lot of pressure on farmers, especially at this time of the year, but in this case we were concerned about the lack of comprehensive regular checks made to the stock and the failure to dispose of any fallen stock in the correct manner."