Queen's Baton Relay in Leicester
£4 million school to be built on the former Holmfield Primary site, in Leicester Forest East
A new £4 million school is to be built on the former Holmfield Primary site, in Leicester Forest East, to relieve pressure on places. Leicestershire County Council is proposing to build a new 210 place school in time for September 2016 using government funding.
A four-week consultation will be launched on September 1 and it's hoped building work will start the following spring.
The county council is drafting a long term plan to address a predicted future shortfall in primary school places across the county in the next few years because of rising birth rates and family migration.
However, the need to relieve pressure on primary school places in Braunstone Town is more immediate and the council says it needs to act now to ensure there are enough.
David Atterbury, head of school planning for the county council, said: "The site at Holmfield is ideally situated to address this issue as the three primary schools in Braunstone Town, Ravenhurst, Millfield, and Kingsway, have limited space to expand.
"The Lubbesthorpe development is also next door to the site and if it building work starts, having a new school at Holmfield makes perfect sense." By 2017/18 it's predicted that there will be a shortfall of 148 places across all three primaries in Braunstone Town according to a report to go before cabinet next week Holmfield Primary shut in 2010 after plunging into special measures.
Mr Atterbury said the buildings themselves were past their sell by date and were therefore mothballed and torn down. However, he added that the site was retained by the council, partly because of the economic climate.
At the time parents campaigned against the school's closure arguing that it was at the heart of the community.
Funding will come from the government's Basic Need grant, provided to local authorities to ensure there are enough school places. Leicestershire County Council has been granted £55 million over the next three years to fulfil this statutory duty.
Mr Atterbury said: "There's the potential for someone, other than the council to run the school. It may be that some interested parties seek to open one of the Government's free schools at that site, therefore attracting other streams of funding to go with that.
"We have a duty to advertise the running of the school, but in the immediate future the proposal will go before cabinet on June 17 for approval ahead of a consultation in September."
Parent Catherine Simons, from Fosse Road South, Westcotes, welcomed the news. She lost an appeal in 2012 to send her son to Ravenhurst, despite his three elder brothers going there.
Catherine said: "It's good news as my youngest will be going to school soon and this should relieve pressure in Braunstone Town. He might be able to go to Ravenhurst and save me a lot of travel." Councillor Jo Fox, a Labour member representing Braunstone Town for the county and town councils, agreed.
She said: "This is good news for the area. The site is ideal and meets the requirements of Thorpe Astley and the top end of Braunstone Town. I campaigned against the closure of the school at the time and it was disappointing that its closure went ahead in the first place."
Tributes pour in for Rik Mayall, who has died age 56
Rik appeared at De Montfort Hall in 20017 in The New Statesman, theatre critic Lizz Brain met him before his Leicester show. Here's her interview in full: HE'S been one of the funniest men on television and stage for several decades. Lizz Brain finds Rik Mayall in a B'Stard of a mood. MOST comedians aren't that funny in "real" life. But a quickie with Rik Mayall leaves you wondering just how close he really is to Alan B'Stard. Of course, one expects him to offer up a little of the B'Stard flirting and innuendo, given that his hit TV show The New Statesman became a West End hit, and is now heading off on a national theatre tour. But the lines between Rik and Alan, for this conversation at least, are definitely blurred - he's manic, hilarious, appallingly sexy and outrageously funny (most of the conversation isn't printable!). It's an attractive package, even without knowing exactly who you're talking with! So first and foremost, after such a series of successes creating hilarious monster characters, from Rik in The Young Ones to Richie in Bottom (not forgetting being the voice of the Andrex puppy……), why recreate B'Stard nearly 20 years after the Tory MP first appeared on the screen? "I feel closer to Alan than any other character," says Rik. "He's grown with me and I'm now in my prime. I did have reservations about doing this again but when I saw the script I knew it was brilliant, so very funny, so I had to do it. "They say you should never tell the same joke twice, so Alan, who used to be a Conservative, is now the man who invented New Labour. He lives at number 9 Downing Street and found a vain, public school nonentity called Tony Blair and put him into Number 10, so Alan runs the country from number 9 through Blair. I won't give you all the jokes but it's not the same as the TV series. We've done nearly 200 shows of the stage show and there's always new topical jokes. The show gets re-written all the time to keep it bang up to date." He then throws in an example, regarding the reason public schoolboys smoke pot, which clearly isn't suitable for a family newspaper…….so we move on! Does he find it difficult having to always think on his feet with new additions to the script? "Well you obviously have to learn the new lines but if it's funny you just learn it," he says. "It's fun. If you saw the show a year ago you'd have seen a completely different show. Not many people know that it was Alan who sold Leicester City to Milan Mandaric, because he wanted to make sure they never got promoted!" So how does he feel about touring the country again? "It's two hours work each day, staying in hotels, meeting ladies I've never met before, making people laugh and being adored. I don't have to get out of bed until 5pm if I don't want to! It's my job and I love the job and the character. I love engaging with the audience on an intellectual, emotional and physical level and giving them a really good time. I think I enjoy it as much as they do. At the end of a show I'm exhausted but sated, it's very sexual." It's at this moment he realises our time is running out, and he's promoting the show for its forthcoming dates in Leicester. "Oh yes, De Montfort Hall, one of my favourite places, been there lots, love it," he adds. Fair enough.
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Former Leicester City star Robbie Savage in World Cup passport mix-up
Nearly passed for her to be fair ! pic.twitter.com/a3a9qOvTIP
— Robbie Savage (@RobbieSavage8) June 10, 2014
2nd time it's happened I'm going to have to tell my wife to get her haircut
— Robbie Savage (@RobbieSavage8) June 10, 2014
Wow thank you @britishairways great staff for rushing me through as I turned up with my wife's passport just got mine in nick of time
— Robbie Savage (@RobbieSavage8) June 10, 2014
"I thought, 'well, she knows who I am'. There's a lot of shocked faces when I check in places.
"She looked at me and thought 'hmmm', she showed me the passport and it was my wife's!
"Obviously, a lot of people say I look like my wife, but to be fair she needs a shave though!"
He added: "So, I've got to tell her to get a haircut now. It's the second time it's happened."
But it was a case of all's well that end's well for the good-humoured Welshman, after Sarah went to the rescue.
He said: "Anyway, I phoned her and she rushed from our house with the kids in the car, got there – and I just made the flight.
"Now I've just landed at Heathrow Airport and waiting for our connection.
"So, what a bad start to the trip to Brazil."
A relieved Robbie also took to Twitter to thank airline staff for helping him to embark on his transatlantic journey to Brazil, where he will be informing and entertaining football fans on BBC TV and radio during the World Cup, which starts tomorrow.(Thursday).
He tweeted: "Wow, thank you British Airways, great staff for rushing me through as I turned up with my wife's passport. Just got mine in nick of time.
"Second time it's happened, I'm going to have to tell my wife to get her haircut."
He also posted a picture of Sarah to underline his claim.
"I nearly passed for her, to be fair," he added.
Robbie is fondly remembered by Foxes fans for his energetic performances under manager Martin O'Neill.
Following his near-miss yesterday, he has been taking some good-natured stick from football fans and footballers alike.
Paul Saunders tweeted: "Poor old Robbie Savage picks up his wife's passport on the way to the airport and triggers a million blonde jokes."
Robbie will be flying a total of 25,000 miles, visiting five cities, during the World Cup.
In another tweet, he joked: "Luckily, I'm not following England. I'd have been home after the group stages."
You can follow Robbie's exploits during the competition on his Audioboo blog and on Twitter.
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Leicester Tigers boss calls club's Champions Cup pool draw 'very competitive'
Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill has described the club's first Champions Cup pool as "very competitive".
Leicester were drawn alongside Toulon, who have won the last two Heineken Cups, as well as Ulster, who did the double over Tigers in the Heineken Cup last season, and Welsh club Llanelli Scarlets.
Tigers' first Champions Cup campaign will begin in October and dates for the home and away legs will be announced soon.
After hearing the draw, which was made in the Champions Cup's new home of Neuchatel in Switzerland, Cockerill said the three teams in the club's group would provide a stern test.
"At Leicester, we always want to be competing against the best of the best and that is what the new European Rugby Champions Cup is all about," he said.
"We're looking forward to taking part in its first season and maintaining the club's proud tradition in European competition.
"I'm sure the Tigers supporters are already looking forward to some big European occasions at Welford Road and some exciting trips away with the team, too.
"It is a very competitive group with Ulster, the Scarlets and Toulon, who won the European Cup and French title this season.
"We've been to all three venues in recent seasons and know the strength of the challenge from each of them, and I'm sure they'll all be looking at Leicester and thinking the same thing."
Tigers lost a thrilling Heineken Cup quarter-final 21-15 in the south of France the last time they met Toulon, during the 2012-13 campaign.
Leicester lost narrowly on two occasions to Ulster in last season's competition, 22-16 at Ravenhill and 22-19 at Welford Road, while their last European meeting with the Scarlets came during the 2010-11 season when they followed up a 46-10 home victory with a 32-18 win in south Wales.
Champions Cup draw – Pool 1: Saracens, Munster, Clermont, Sale Sharks; Pool 2: Leinster, Castres, Harlequins, Wasps; Pool 3: Toulon, Tigers, Ulster, Scarlets; Pool 4: Glasgow Warriors, Montpellier, Bath, Toulouse; Pool 5: Northampton Saints, Racing Metro, Ospreys, Treviso.
Meanwhile, Tigers will play two games on one day to mark their final preparations before the start of the 2014-15 Aviva Premiership campaign.
Welford Road will host a double-header on the evening of Friday, August 29.
The Leicester squad will be split into two teams, with one taking on Championship side Doncaster at 5.0 and the second playing Cardiff Blues at 7.30.
Cockerill said the fixtures would give his squad the opportunity to get more game-time under their belts.
They will be the only home games of the Tigers' pre-season programme, and admission is included in Tigers' season tickets for the 2014-15 campaign.
Leicester play Edinburgh at Melrose on Saturday, August 23.
Tigers centre George Catchpole scored a crucial try to send holders England Under-20s through to the semi-finals of the Junior World Championship.
The 20-year-old ran in his side's only try of the game in a thrilling 17-16 win over Argentina in Auckland.
Fellow Tiger Henry Purdy was also part of the side that now faces Ireland in the semi-finals.