A police call handler's life has been transformed by glasses which make numbers appear as if in 3D.

Claire Curtis thought she might have to quit her job at Leicestershire Police headquarters, in Enderby, when she learned she had the rare condition dyscalculia.

However, an optician in Market Harborough has provided her with glasses fitted with newly developed lenses which make numbers stand out clearly.

The 49-year-old, of Hinckley, said it was wonderful she was able to continue in her job, directing officers to emergencies.

She said: "The change has been unbelievable.

"I was really struggling with numbers. I would hear them in a different order and I couldn't read them at all.

"It was becoming a real problem and was stopping me doing my job.

"The new lenses have allowed me to read the numbers far more clearly.

"They leap off the screen at me and now I am confident in my ability to do the job. It's incredible."

The glasses were supplied by Davis Optometrists, in St Mary's Road, Market Harborough.

Kim Durden, a partner optometrist at Davis, said: "Dyscalculia is a condition that affects the ability to acquire arithmetical skills. It's like dyslexia for numbers.

"People with dyscalculia may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers or have problems learning number facts and procedures."

Leicester Tigers have set out to improve their skill levels after being "too structured" last season.

Assistant forwards coach Richard Blaze has spoken about a shift in emphasis this summer in a bid to eradicate one of the problems that held Tigers back last season.

And with pre-season now in full flow and contact training beginning next week, Blaze says the squad's skill levels have already been a focus of the first few days back at Oval Park.

"We are just trying to get a higher basic level of skill from the players," he said.

"We probably got a bit too structured last season and the game is getting less structured.

"At Leicester, we pride ourselves on having a good set-piece. But the ability to be able to execute four-on-threes, three-on-twos and two-on-ones is something that the Kiwis do very well.

"The reason they do that consistently well is why they are at the top of the game and we thought that our players base levels have to be higher in that department.

"If we can combine that (better skills) with the running side of things we did last year, it will be a perfect combination."

Tigers were never short of creating chances last season, even in the midst of the worse injury crisis the club has ever known.

But their inability to finish some of those opportunities led to a poor 'red zone' conversion rate. And that cost them points in crucial games, despite the fact that Tigers' 59 tries was still the third best tally in the Premiership.

Blaze and the rest of the coaching staff are clearly working on improving that conversion rate this season and that is not the only new idea or face being introduced in pre-season.

"New defence coach Phil Blake will give another voice and an outside influence," said Blaze. "There are a lot of us who have been at Leicester for a long time, so it is good to have someone like him come in. He is another body to relieve Cockers from some of the coaching duties and hopefully help us to be better at what we do.

"We are also putting a lot more pressure on the older guys to work with young guys and improve their game. For example, someone like Julian Salvi has been working hard with the Academy's Will Owen on the breakdown to try and help bring him on.

"And while myself and Geordan Murphy are still quite new to coaching, the longer we are here, the more responsibility we are getting which is obviously good for both of us.

"It's all to do with trust. Paul Burke was also new to the job last season and he has come on massively in his development," Burke added.

Radio presenter Amy Voce is gearing up for a 380km bike ride to raise money for a cancer charity in memory of her dad.

Amy, of Clarendon Park, Leicester, lost her father, Neil, to prostate cancer in 2009, aged 63.

The 31-year-old, who co-presents the Sam and Amy breakfast show on East Midlands station Gem 106, has decided to mark the fifth anniversary of his death by taking on a challenge to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.

In October, Amy and her boyfriend, Ben Sullivan, will get on their bikes for a cycle ride along the west coast of America, from Yosemite Park to San Francisco.

They are hoping to raise at least £6,500 in Neil's memory.

"This year marks the fifth year anniversary of losing my dad to prostate cancer," said Amy.

"While life inevitably goes on and I strive to make the most of every day, that five years still feels like yesterday.

"I still miss and think about him every single day. When dad was diagnosed, up until his death I had the uneasy feeling of total helplessness.

"The only thing that helped was using my position at work to raise awareness as much as I could and fund-raise for prostate cancer charities to help spare other men and families such pain.

"After dad's death, if I'm honest, I simply didn't want cancer in my life any more. I just wanted life to revolve around anything other than cancer."

Amy started supporting charities again last year, when she got involved with the Movember men's health fund-raising drive.

"I realised I should be doing more and also how important it is to share your story," she said. "I decided that this year, the fifth-year anniversary, should be the year I did something more. I decided I wanted to take on something physical that would push me.

"We found the cycling challenge, which takes place over five days, starting in Yosemite National Park and ending up on the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, setting up camp inbetween.

"The distance and endurance scares me a tad but I know I can get in training, work towards it and make it to the end. I'm also hoping the bears at Yosemite don't take an interest in our tent!"

Amy, who has been in training for the past few months, said she hoped her efforts would also raise awareness about prostate cancer.

"I know we get endless requests for charitable causes, but the fact is people do it because in those moments of helplessness it makes them feel like they're giving something back and making a difference," she said.

"But also, the real fact is you never know when you may need the next breakthrough in cancer research to benefit you, your family or friends."

To help raise funds, Amy is organising a charity race night at the Queen of Bradgate pub, in Leicester city centre, on Friday, August 29. She is also auctioning off a range of dresses on eBay. For more information, or to sponsor Amy, visit:

http://www.justgiving.com/amyandbenchallenge

A Leicestershire teenager is competing in an international beauty pageant.

Sixteen-year-old Chloe Lake, a year 11 student at Bosworth Academy, is taking part in the Face of the Globe beauty pageant.

After competing in the Midlands heats earlier this year, she is heading to London next month hoping to win a place in the final in Disneyland Paris in October.

She will be competing in the teen category.

"It's every little girl's dream to go to Disneyland and be a princess," Chloe said.

Face of the Globe is the first beauty pageant Chloe has competed in.

"I just wanted to try something new," she said.

Finalists will be judged on more than just looks, there are also categories for Miss Charity and Miss Publicity.

The pageant is linked with Chico Slimani's charity, The Rainbow Child Foundation.

The charity helps children in need throughout the world by building homes for orphans and providing water play pumps and sanitation units.

Chloe has been raising money for the charity throughout the year.

As part of her fund-raising efforts, she is auctioning her signed Leicester City football shirt.

Those wanting to bid for the shirt can do so through her Facebook page Chloe Lake – Face of the Globe London Heat 2014.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes Leicester City are "a great addition to the Premier League".

City secured a 1-0 victory over the Toffees in their pre-season friendly in Thailand on Sunday ahead of their meeting on the opening day of the Premier League campaign on August 16.

Martinez was without many of his star players for the game in Bangkok. Ross Barkley, Kevin Miralles and Leighton Baines were all out, while Nigel Pearson utilised the majority of his squad.

Even though Martinez said the contest will have little bearing on the game at the King Power Stadium, he said he still expects City to pose a strong threat.

"They are a great addition to the Premier League," he said.

"You can never be happy when you lose a game but we have to be realistic, we are still in pre-season and we are still working towards achieving our best level."

The conditions were almost unbearable inside the Supachalasai Stadium, with the heat and humidity pushing both sets of players to their limits.

"It was always going to be a tight game because the conditions were very difficult for both teams but I must admit I thought the game was even more open than I expected, there were a few chances and we had a couple of opportunities to score. The first goal was vital" said Martinez. "It was a difficult mental exercise in many aspects. It is the type of game where you have to really get through a lot of physical pain but it worked really well to get some volume and good precision work and, in that respect, I'm very happy."

Pearson was also keen to emphasise that the meeting on the opening day will be much different.

City dominated much of the second half on Sunday, as Everton looked to blood some of their youngsters.

Pearson admitted that this will not be the case next month.

"We go into this new season and we are not going to be the best team in the Premier League. But we have got good players who understand our own strengths and weaknesses," said Pearson.

"I think that is always a very important aspect of playing in any game. You have got to know what you are good at, you have got to know where you need to be a little more streetwise.

"This has been a good experience for the players but, once the season starts, it will be very different. But I am very pleased with how we approached the game."

A killer broke down and sobbed in court while saying "I'm so sorry" to his victim's parents sitting in the public gallery.

Giving evidence for the first time at his murder trial, James Andrew Burton claimed he lost control and "flipped" before stabbing Matthew Dunn 29 times.

Yesterday, Burton (32) wept repeatedly in the dock and said: "It should have been me who died. I was prepared to die, he wasn't.

"If I could bring him back I'd swap places with him. I think about him every day. I think about his son, of his son not having a father.

"I think about his family, his brother, his mum, his dad."

Turning to face Mr Dunn's parents, his face reddened as he said: "I'm so sorry."

Burton, of Parry Close, Earl Shilton, denies murdering Mr Dunn, on the morning of January 24.

The cause of death was a stab to the back of his neck, severing the spinal cord, and a knife wound in his heart.

Burton also denies threatening to kill his own son.

He is claiming diminished responsibility because of his mental state. The stabbing happened in Factory Road, Hinckley, at the home of Burton's ex-girlfriend, Aimee Radley, with whom he had a 14-month-old son.

Miss Radley (24) had started a relationship with Mr Dunn, a plastics worker from Wednesbury, West Midlands, and had stopped Burton from seeing their child since October – which had left him feeling suicidal.

When Burton barged into her kitchen at 8.50am on January 24, he said he unexpectedly found 23-year-old Mr Dunn had just arrived.

He told the jury he had taken a knife, ropes and a noose, makeshift handcuffs and lighter fuel with him. He said he planned to talk to Miss Radley and tie her up if she would not co-operate, before hanging himself in front of her if she refused to let him see his son.

He said: "I was shocked to see Matthew, I wasn't expecting him to be there.

"He started coming at me with his left foot in the air, swinging punches.

"That's when I pulled the knife out. The look he had in his eyes was as if he could kill me.

"I stabbed him in the left arm.

"I thought he was going to back off but he didn't. We were grabbing each other, trying to hit each other, everything happened so quickly.

"It's like a black sort of mist, just in a rage. I just flipped."

He said they ended up in the lounge, fighting on the sofa.

Burton said: "He was trying to grab the knife."

Sobbing, he described a haymaker blow with the knife into the back of Mr Dunn's neck, saying: "That's when he got killed. His body went limp, some of the life drained out of him and he collapsed on top of me. I'll never get that image out of my head."

He said he went upstairs, where Miss Radley had fled with their son.

She was calling for help out of a bedroom window and eventually jumped out, holding the child. She suffered three broken vertebrae and the child escaped with bruising.

Burton said he had told her he was going to hang himself and did not threaten to kill his son, saying: "I love my kid with all my heart."

Among text messages Burton sent to Miss Radley in the weeks before the stabbing was one which read: "I told you I never wanted another man around my son playing daddy."

Burton told the jury he still loved Miss Radley but also said he "hated her" for what she had said in court about him.

Under cross-examination, he said: "If she'd let me see my son this wouldn't have happened.

"I do blame her, she's got blood on her hands just as much as me."

William Harbage QC, prosecuting, accused Burton of showing the jury "fake crocodile tears" and giving rehearsed evidence.

Burton lost his temper, saying: "Do you think I'm some cold-hearted killer?"

Mr Harbage nodded his head, saying: "Yes, Mr Burton."

The court heard that Burton had earlier pleaded guilty to another offence of making a threat to kill and inflicting grievous bodily harm on another person.

The case continues.

Firefighters had to rescue a woman who got stuck in a child's swing at a park.

A crew from Western station was called to help the adult female who was trapped in the swing in Talbot Park, Thurcaston Road, Belgrave, Leicester, at 2.37pm yesterday.

The firefighters released the woman within minutes. She was unharmed.

Firefighters helped clear up an accident which happened yards from their station.

A crew from Eastern station went to the scene after two cars collided close to their HQ in Hastings Road, Northfields, Leicester,  at 10.27pm yesterday.

No-one was hurt in the crash.

A van carrying carpets was destroyed in a fire caused by an electrical fault.

Firefighters were called out to the blazing vehicle in Market Place, Shepshed, at 12.56pm yesterday.

The crew from Shepshed had the fire under control within minutes.

The Transit van and its contents of carpets and glue were destroyed.

Sales at high street clothes chain Next have jumped 10 per so far this year thanks to growing consumer confidence and new store openings. The Enderby-based company said branded sales were up 10.7 per cent, with in-store business up 7.5 per cent and the online Next Directory up 16.2 per cent. New stores accounted for a 2.4 per cent rise in overall business. Shares in the company rose 2 per cent on the announcement, to £66.80, along with news that Next was raising its sales forecast for the full year top growth of 7-10 per cent. In a trading statement, the company said: "It might appear overly cautious to forecast a full year sales range which is below our current rate of growth. "However, the first half of last year were hampered by a particularly cold spring and Easter which presented a soft comparison for this year. "Last year sales progressively improved through the year. "This pattern makes estimating second half sales particularly difficult so our guidance for the next six months is for growth of between 4 and 10 per cent." The business – now valued at more than £10 billion – has raised its profit forecast for the year to next January to between £775 million and £815 million, up £25 million on its previous estimates. Last month Next headed up the Leicester Mercury's list of Top 200 companies for the third successive year. Early last month the company's share value dropped with the announcement that Christos Angelides – one of the people who turned Next into a multi-billion pound fashion retailer which is now more profitable than Marks and Spencer – is quitting to take a senior role at US clothes brand Abercrombie and Fitch. Angelides has been at the Enderby-based high street retailer for 28 years, rising to one of the most senior members of the board. He will remain at Next until September and start his new job in October. In April Next boss Simon Wolfson said he was giving away almost £4 million of his earnings to his staff – a year after gifting them £2.4 million. The Tory lord and boss of the high street clothes giant waived a huge bonus in favour of sharing it among 20,000 employees who have three or more years' service. Qualifying staff – many of whom work at the company's head office in Desford Road, Enderby – got a one-off payment worth about 1.5 per cent of their annual salary.

By day, Teon Foster is a typical eight-year-old boy who loves reading and football.

But when he has finished his homework, the youngster becomes rapper Lil' T.

Teon has two live performances under his belt and will be back on stage at Leicester Caribbean Carnival on Saturday.

He could follow this up with a performance at Notting Hill Carnival next month.

Teon, who has hundreds of online fans, raps about the big issues for eight-year-olds, such as homework and having to get up in the morning.

His first video has been viewed more than 2,000 times and his next is being shot at Go Kids Go, in Freemen's Common, Leicester, next month.

"That should be wicked," he said.

Teon first showed his talent for freestyle rapping four months ago. He was in the car with his dad, Taurean, when he started putting his own lyrics over Krept and Konan's Don't Waste My Time.

Teon, of Beaumont Leys, Leicester, said: "We were messing around and singing the words and Dad said try making up your own words, so I did."

Taurean, 29, said: "I've been producing since I was 16 and I love music but that was the first sign from him.

"I recorded him and thought it was brilliant. I sent it to other people to see what they thought and they all agreed."

Teon initially kept quiet about his talent at Glebelands Primary School.

Taurean said: "He does well at school – he's a really good reader and brilliant at football, too.

"He was really modest and didn't tell anyone about the music.

"When the teacher found out they gave him a certificate for it and let us film a music video at the school."

Teon's rapping has found a celebrity fan in The Voice contestant Bizzi Dixon.

Step-mum Shanice Carter, who is also his promoter, said: "Bizzi got in touch on Facebook and loved the video so much he invited Teon to perform at Leicester's Best MC Contest last month.

"Then, after that, he did a song at the African Caribbean Centre in Highfields.

"He was brilliant. I sent e-mails all over and that's how we got him on stage at the Caribbean Carnival on Saturday at Victoria Park.

"That's going to be in front of about 20,000 people. We're waiting to find out about the Notting Hill Carnival."

Teon is practising for the carnival by performing for his one-year-old brother, Kobe.

Shanice, 22, said: "Kobe bops along whenever Teon sings and when he's performing live Kobe always tries to get on to the stage."

Taurean said he knew it was important to keep his son focused on his schoolwork.

He said: "He's got to be a kid as well but he's also living life as a bit of a rock star."

The next plan is to launch a Lil' T clothing line, called I'm Just Bein' Me.

Leicester City striker Gary Taylor-Fletcher has vowed to show that he still has what it takes to make an impact in the Premier League.

The 33-year-old has been one of the stand-out performers in City's pre-season campaign so far.

He was at the heart of City's attacking play in the first half of the 6-1 victory at Ilkeston while impressing once again and scoring the winner when City beat Everton in Thailand.

Taylor-Fletcher is one of only a select few of Nigel Pearson's current City squad already to have Premier League experience, having scored six goals in the top flight with Blackpool in 2010/11.

But he faces tough competition this season with record signing Leonardo Ulloa joining the club, alongside fellow strikers Jamie Vardy, David Nugent, Chris Wood and Tom Hopper.

Taylor-Fletcher may find himself down the pecking order but he believes he offers manager Nigel Pearson a more versatile option.

"I might not be able to do some of the other things that people can do but I bring something different so it is good for the manager to have," said Taylor-Fletcher.

"The gaffer knows he can play me in midfield, in a three, I think one of things with having me on the pitch is he can change the formation easily as I can play in a number of positions.

"If and when I get some games, I will try my best and I am looking to show people that even at 33 I can still handle it."

Taylor-Fletcher played the second 45 minutes in the game against Everton, in Bangkok, enjoying space "in the hole" behind striker Chris Wood.

While only a pre-season friendly, Taylor-Fletcher said it was still a boost for the players to pick up a victory against an Everton side, albeit without their star names.

"It's a good preparation and to win is nice. It keeps that run going. When you come up from the divisions below having won a lot of games, sometimes that can drag you on in those first few games. It's a good mentality to have," said Taylor-Fletcher.

"We tested ourselves against a good Everton team and I think it showed us a few things that we need to work on for the kick-off."

A tall chimney could be installed at a waste processing plant to carry away foul smells from hundreds of surrounding homes.

It is one of the measures Biffa Waste Management is working on to tackle the odour problems which have plagued families in the Mowmacre area of Leicester for more than a decade.

On Monday Biffa general manager Simon Lund told a heated meeting of residents that the company was implementing an action plan drawn up by the Environment Agency.

The move comes after months of complaints from residents following a break down at the plant.

Under the Environment Agency plan the company will improve the scrubbing of the air before it is released into the atmosphere. They will also ensure the smells are sealed in the main processing building.

The company will also start tests in August in and around the plant to see if the installation of a taller chimney stack would ease the problems.

Mr Lund said the plant which processes 120,000 tonnes of house hold waste a year needed to take action.

He said: "We are working on ensuring the seals will prevent odours being released. We will conduct smoke tests to ensure the work has been completed."

He also said they would carry out "modelling" tests to see if a taller chimney would diffuse smells over a wider area away from the neighbourhood.

But he discounted a call to install two sets of doors at the entrance to prevent smells escaping as lorries entered the processing area.

He said it would require a 16 metre long "porch" to accommodate incoming vehicles and there was no room for it on site.

Residents were sceptical that the measures would be effective.

Long-time resident Michael Warner said: "I have lived here all the time the plant has been open and the smells have always been bad.

"I will have to wait to see if what is proposed will work."

Julie Wilkinson, manager of the Diamond House care home for residents with dementia, said: "We have 44 residents and we can't let them sit outside because the smells from the plant make them feel ill. They cannot understand why there is such a dreadful odour."

City councillor Annette Byrne said: "The smells are still dreadful. I get complaints from residents every day which I log. We have had promises in the past. It is long overdue for action that works.

A number of the residents complained that the discharges from the plant could be causing chest infections and breathing problems.

Mother of two Yvette Whitaker said: "I and my two children suffer with chest infections. Not only does the plant smell we want to know what we are breathing in. My son suffers from asthma and I have to send him away to his nan's if the smells are bad."

Another mum Lynn Green said: "The children are always complaining about finding it difficult to breathe when the smells are bad. Many are now on inhalers."

The meeting at the Tudor Centre was organised and chaired by Leicester West MP Liz Kendall.

She said: "I will press for the environmental health officers at the city council to ensure that air quality tests are carried out."

She added: "People have had to wait for too long to have a solution to the ongoing problem."

She added: "I am sure senior Biffa management would not tolerate living with the smells. I do not see why my constituents have to."

Environment Agency officer Mervyn Tongue said the programme of action had been agreed with the company and would be monitored.