News in Ashby

Ashby councillor Nick Rushton - the leader of Leicestershire County Council - says he hoped for a 'different outcome' after the county heard it would remain in Tier 3 until after Christmas.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock addressed the House of Commons today (Thursday) and said only few areas would see their coronavirus restrictions change after the latest review.

Ashby MP Andrew Bridgen has welcomed a recommendation by the National Infrastructure Commission to site the HS2 East Midlands Hub at East Midlands Parkway rather than Toton.

The plans unveiled today (Wednesday) will see the HS2 line run to the existing East Midlands Parkway Station instead of Leeds.

Ashby is to get a new Covid-19 marshal who will support and advise businesses, reassure shoppers and help to encourage a shop local atmosphere in the area.

North West Leicestershire District Council has appointed compliance officers primarily to provide support and offer guidance to businesses across the district.

The congregations of St Helen's and Holy Trinity in Ashby have got together to create a special Christmas Windows trail for families.

Over 40 households in Ashby have decorated and lit up a front window in the theme of a Christmas carol = and families are invited to follow the trail and work out the carol that each window is depicting.

Ashby MP Andrew Bridgen has predicted a quick return to Tier 2 for North West Leicestershire if coronavirus cases in the district remain low.

Mr Bridgen, the Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, said he was lobbying for the area not to be included in the same tier as Leicester, where rates have been high in recent months.

Ashby Fire Station is recruiting on-call firefighters.

It is being described as a 'Fantastic opportunity to join our diverse crew, learn new skills and help the community. Get in touch for more information!'.

Richard and Ange Bebbington have raised more than £300 for Ashby Castle Rotary after their Santa Run around the town on Saturday.

The Rotary will, in turn, be supporting Ashby Foodbank this Christmas.

Smisby Day Nursery has had to do things a little differently this year - but despite not being able to run their annual Christingle service which has been around for 15 years, and is held at Holy Trinity in aid of The Children's Society, it has been able to support more local charities. 

In November, the Nursery raised a record amount of over £280 for Children In Need by raffling off three hampers made up of donations from staff members. 

Sixth Formers at Ashby School have collected almost 50 bags of donations for the town's Food Bank, weighing in at a staggering 260.5kg – the equivalent of 130 large Christmas cakes or 1.5 reindeer.

When Sixth Form staff suggested supporting Ashby Food Bank, they were overwhelmed by the positive response from students.

Ashby MP Andrew Bridgen is urging people to check before giving to charity to ensure their donations reach genuine organisations this Christmas.

Action Fraud, the Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator have warned that while the vast majority of fundraising appeals and collections are genuine, criminals can set up fake charities, or even impersonate well-known charitable organisations, to deceive victims.