Around and About

Cancer Research UK - Loughborough & District Group

Cancer Research UK is the new name for Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research Fund who joined forces earlier this year. By joining in this way, we are in a position to make the most of this exciting time in cancer research and bring better treatments to patients, faster. A great deal has been achieved for people facing cancer but a great deal more needs to be done. By combining our strengths and working together as Cancer Research UK, we are in a much better position to prevent, treat and cure cancer.

The role of the Loughborough and District Group is still mainly fundraising - we are a small group with members from Loughborough and the surrounding villages and would welcome new faces to help either on a regular basis or occasionally. Our events range from coffee mornings, cake stalls, flag days, table top sales and rummage sales, to concerts, dances, marquee lunches, auctions and sponsored walks. We also sell Christmas cards and gifts from our Christmas catalogue, available from September. Many hands make light work - so will you lend a hand?

Forthcoming events include:

Sponsored Walk, Sunday 6 October, 10am around Thornton Reservoir. A flat walk of 3 or 5 miles. Walkers and sponsors very welcome.

Cancer Research UK stall at The Charities Fair, 2nd Nov at Trinity Methodist Church, Loughborough, 10am - 2pm.

Coffee Morning, Saturday 9th Nov at 2 Moorhen Way, Loughborough, 10am - 12 noon. Stalls and Raffle.

Cake Stall, Saturday 30th Nov at Loughborough Market, 8.30am to 12 noon. Offers of cakes, savouries, chutneys, jams etc. would be very much appreciated

For offers of help or more details of above events please phone Shirley Buckley on 01509 620097. Website: CRUK Loughborough Branch

Choose a Flower Emblem for Leicestershire!

Flowers have always taken on symbolic meanings, or provided people with an identifiable emblem. In the United States and Canada, for example, every state has an emblematic wild flower: Texas bluebonnet, Californian poppy, or the prairie crocus of Manitoba. In the UK, there are four national flowers, the red rose for England, the leek or daffodil for Wales, the thistle for Scotland and the Irish shamrock. And of course, we have the other famous flowers, the red and white roses, of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Wild flowers have also been used by local authorities to express their identity, such as grass-of-Parnassus flowers of Cumbria, the summer snowflake (Loddon lily) of Hampshire or the coralroot of Amersham.

As part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations, the national charity Plantlife is encouraging counties to find their own wild flower. Residents of Leicestershire can vote for the wild flower that they think best reflects Leicestershire. This could be because it expresses the character of the whole county, has a meaning in the community or because it is unique to our area. Or maybe there is no particular reason, but just that you value it.

So what are the criteria?

The flower should grow in the wild rather than in gardens and allotments. Plantlife has made a selection of wild plant species characteristic to each county, the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles, as well as species appropriate for our capital cities and metropolitan areas with a population of 500,000 or more.

And the suggestions for Leicestershire are . . .

Plantlife has suggested the arrowhead, the bluebell, and the cowslip. Local people have already made other suggestions including the foxglove, the green-winged orchid, and the red campion. But you can always make your own suggestions.

How do you vote?

You can vote using the leaflets that are widely available in the County libraries and museums. Alternatively, you can vote on the Plantlife website at www.plantlife.org.uk. Voting closes on Sunday 1st December 2002.

In order to vote for a species that you feel is the most appropriate choice for the county where you live, and to register a vote for as many counties as you visit in 2002, you can register your vote on this web site. You can vote as many times as you like for different counties.

Assessing the results

In December 2002 and January 2003 the National Wildflower Committee will assess the results. The wild flower which receives the most votes will be selected, providing it is a wild flower and meets the criteria. If there is any duplication in the popular vote, the county where the wild flower is most threatened will be the county to which the flower is allocated. The second most popular vote will then apply in the 'losing' county. The results will be announced in February 2003.

And a flower in a county you visit

You can also register a vote for any counties which you visit in Jubilee year. Enjoy the countryside and look at the richness of the wild flowers. If there is one that strikes you, that sums up the place, then cast a vote for that flower in that county. You can do this for as many counties as you visit.

For more information

Call 0116 267 1377, or email cholmes@leics.gov.uk or write to The Holly Heyes Environmental Resources Centre, 216 Birstell Road, Birstell, Leicester LE4 4DG.

University Courses in the Area

- it's never too late to learn

Rawlins Community College, Quorn will be the venue for three new stimulating courses this autumn. The School of Continuing Education in the University of Nottingham, which delivers higher education courses at various venues in the East Midlands region, is launching new programmes in art history, practical art and local history. All of these involve two years of part-time study to achieve a Certificate in Higher Education, the equivalent to the first year of a degree, and are open to mature students from all walks of life.

The Certificate in Art History is a daytime course involving two hours attendance on Tuesday and Thursday mornings each week. The course aims to introduce students to the theory and practice of studying art history, whilst encouraging the acquisition of knowledge relating to different periods, genres and artists. Students will develop an ability to research the subject, explore issues and concepts, and present ideas and knowledge gained.

The Certificate in Visual Arts will run on Thursday evenings and five Saturday mornings each term. The course aims to provide a stimulating creative atmosphere in which students can explore and develop their potential as visual artists, using a range of materials and media, with the support of professional artist-tutors.

The Certificate in Local History aims to provide an introduction to the principal sources and methods used by local and family historians. There is an opportunity for specialist study based on two areas of historical debate and a residential weekend is conducted in another part of the country. The dissertation enables students to complete a substantial piece of research selected in conjunction with the course tutor. The course meets on Monday evenings. This Certificate also provides access to the MA in Local and Regional History taught by the University of Nottingham.

Ring 0800 013 0633 for further information or pick up a brochure from Rawlins College. www.nottingham.ac.uk/continuing-education