New Customer Services

A brand new Customer Service Centre has officially opened at Wigston Library on Bull Head Street in Wigston. The new centre is part of the Customer First programme and the new initiative brings enquiry handling at a convenient location for the residents of Oadby and Wigston. Members of the public will be able to use the new centre to help with a number of enquiries including claiming housing and council tax benefit, applying for council accommodation, making payments by cheque and debit card, getting an application for a blue badge, school term dates and reporting a highways defect. The opening hours are Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4.30pm and Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm. The Library's opening hours will remain as normal.

Eco-Chefs Wanted

Budding chefs with the flair to transform leftovers into mouth-watering meals are being asked to send in recipes by the County Council as part of a new cook book competition. The top 50 will be included in a publication being created as part of a new Leicestershire Waste Partnership. The creators of the top three recipes will receive shopping vouchers with the first prize being worth £150. The Partnership’s 'Love Food Hate Waste' initiative was launched in support of a national campaign run by WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme/ Waste officers will also be on hand at roadshows across Leicestershire throughout September and October to offer advice on food storage, meal planning and using leftovers. Nicholas Rushton, County Council Deputy Leader and Chairman of the Leicestershire Waste Partnership, said: "Supporting the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign is a great way to encourage Leicestershire residents to reduce the amount of food they throw away by storing it correctly, cooking the right proportions and using up their leftovers." Roadshow in our area are on October 7th at Blaby Shopping Precinct between 10am and 4pm. October 9th at Asda in Oadby between 9am and 3.30pm. October 16th at the Co-op in Broughton Astley between 9am and 2pm and October 29th at Sainsbury’s Fosse Park between 9am and 4pm. For more details call 305 7005.

Courses to help young drivers improve their skills and confidence are being run by the Council. The day-long courses are a mixture of theory and practical driving with a qualified instructor and includes a one-to-one practical driving session which students can tailor to their own needs. The courses are being run to improve road safety for newly-qualified drivers of which nearly one in five has a crash within a year of passing their test and nearly a third of all licences withdrawn by the DVLA, are from people aged 19 years old and under. The next course runs in late October and costs £20 including lunch. Twelve places are available. For more details contact Loraine Harris on 305 7229.

OADBY BAPTIST CHURCH WELCOMES NEW REVEREND

Following two years without a Minister, the Oadby Baptist Church was delighted to recently hold a service of Induction for Reverend Ellen Price, which welcome her to the community. The service was attended by Edward Garnier MP and The Borough of Oadby & Wigston's Mayor, Councillor Jill Gore who welcomed Ellen to the Church on behalf of the local community. During the past two years the Baptist Church has been supported by moderators Reverend Tim Fergusson and Mr. Stan Mackley who travelled from the Aylestone Baptist Church. Both Tim and Stan where also present and took part in the service. Ellen arrives at Oadby along with her husband Steve and three teenaged children.

 By David Harris Boulter

Oadby's brand new 'state of the art' £1 million library is currently preparing to open it's doors. This will be the tenth new library to be built by the County Council and will be open for business from 9am on Wednesday, November 12 with increased opening hours from 52 to 65 hours a week. The building is about twice as big as the former library and has improved facilities including a community meeting room, areas for teenagers and children and ITC training facilities, the library is also WiFi enabled and is being equipped with new stock worth £60,000. The current Sandhurst Street Library will close at 5pm on Saturday, October 11, and borrowers can use nearby Wigston Library until The Parade library opens. For more details about the new library contact Hilary Ward on 305 3689.