The onset of winter this year seems to be bringing a very different trend than 12 months ago. Ben Stevens delves into the statistics behind Covid hospitalisations in Leicester.
Covid hospitalisations down in Leicester despite winter approaching
November 22, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Talented artist boosts mental health in the community with sensational artwork
November 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment
by George Kirk
A Leicester artist has been placing envelopes with artwork inside around the city, in an attempt to improve mental health.
The envelopes contain key messages of support and inspiration as well as on the actual art, with the main goal being to point people who are struggling in the right direction to get support, as well as to motivate people.
Anton Levy Amoo started these acts of kindness just before the first lockdown after an increase in suicides were being reported in Rowlatts Hill area of Leicester.
Anton said that it made him think to himself “How can I use my heart to make a positive effect.”
It started off with just two a week around his local area with Anton eventually branching out to Leicester as a whole as well as other cities around the UK.
This led to him being spotted by BBC Radio Leicester and brought onto one of its shows.
Anton said that working in a school for 10 years made him understand the importance of mental health and want to make a difference in society.
The work he has done so far has made him connect with a lot of people already.
He explained how a man suffering with agoraphobia found his artwork around the city and it helped boost his confidence and forget about his issues.
As well as this, an NHS worker was uplifted by messages of love and kindness on his artwork after a bad day at work.
Anton said that the sole aim is to raise awareness for mental health. He said: “People aren’t finding art, but art is finding them.”
You can follow Anton and his work through the links below:
Instagram- @Antonlevyamoo.art
Facebook- fb.com/AntonLevyAmoo.Art
Website- www.antonlevyamoo.co.uk
Letter from Canada: Groundhog days in Ottawa
November 16, 2022 by Leave a Comment
De Montfort University Journalism student Grace Cushnie is on an exchange year at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
In the second of her features for Leicestershire Press, she meets her can-mate, watches grown men clatter into each other for the sheer fun of it, and searches, fruitlessly, for a Carleton University dog jumper.
But first, there’s a spot of bother with some pesky doors…
Arriva bus service cuts anger Leicestershire passengers
November 10, 2022 by Leave a Comment
By Molly Lee
Bus company Arriva’s cutbacks and timetable changes in Leicester have caused serious disruptions to some passengers’ journeys.
The Arriva bus company has made several cutbacks to its services in Leicestershire over the past couple of weeks and more are expected to come.
Bus routes and stops have also been changed – as announced on the company website https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/changes-to-services-in-leicestershire – with the reasoning given being that it is only cutting services entirely for those with few passengers.
In another press release, Arriva stated: “There just aren’t enough people travelling to cover the cost of running the buses without significant additional subsidies from Leicestershire County Council.”
More than 20 bus schedules have been amended or cut, including the withdrawal of the X55 service which connected nearby villages to the city centre and Fosse Park, as well as the termination of service 14, running from Leicester to New Parks.
Customers are reporting that these cutbacks have had and continue to have detrimental effects on them due to the confusion it has caused and the limited times in which the buses now run.
A lot of anger from customers has been expressed on Arriva East Midlands’ social media pages as the endless number of complaints build up.
Lee Marlow, Senior Lecturer in Journalism at De Montfort University, experienced the negative impact of the cutbacks when he had to leave a reunion early because his last bus home was at 9.17 pm.
Lee said: “I don’t use the bus often as the service where I live, in North Leicester, is always pretty poor.”
He added: “We are constantly told to leave cars at home to protect the environment, but we need proper and reliable public transport to do so.”
Arriva addressed the changes on its social media channels, saying: “We’ll be making a few changes to the Leicestershire bus network to help speed up some journeys and keep buses running on time.”
One customer commented on the post: “It’s impacting everyone’s lives, especially when the cost of living crisis is going on and not many can afford a taxi.”
Others have reported the cutbacks have left elderly customers waiting for up to an hour and a half for a bus to arrive, after several others had been cancelled.
Arriva East Midlands is yet to respond.
American Leicester City fan travels 5,000 miles to watch Foxes: track his trip on Google Earth video
October 27, 2022 by Leave a Comment
By Jayden Whitworth
Over the last 15 years, Leicester City has gone from a small club in the third division of English football to a global brand that reaches all corners of the globe.
With the Premier League growing astronomically across multiple countries, including the USA, India and Saudi Arabia, Premier League clubs are taking on a larger fanbase.
More than 5,000 miles away in Philadelphia, USA, many fans have adopted the Foxes as their favourite Premier League team.
American Leicester City fan, Ben Ferree, made the 11,000-mile round trip to Leicester last Thursday to watch the Foxes take on Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United side.
Speaking before the game against Leeds, Ben, who is co-founder of the Philly Foxes, said: “I am buzzing right now, I am so excited.
“Hoping for the best tonight, I’m hoping for goals. Selfishly, when the schedule came out, we circled Leeds.
“There are a lot of American connections there, with Brendan Aaronson, who is actually from Philadelphia, and Tyler Adams and Jesse Marsch.
“I would love a win today, but we’re staying realistic this year. We really do need a win though.”
Leicester City took all three points against Leeds after a 2-0 win thanks to a Robin Koch own goal, and a well-worked Harvey Barnes goal.
Leicester City has not only had a massive impact on sport fans across the city, but they have had a big impact on the city itself. They are a community driven club, as seen by the introduction of the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha foundation after the late chairman’s passing.
Ben said: “One word to describe this club is community, that’s the simplest way to put it.
“The first time I ever went to a pub to watch Leicester, we went to New York. The guys (New York Foxes) there immediately came over and introduced themselves and gave us a tour of the bar.
“That’s just something you don’t get with other clubs, especially in the States. I feel that here. Going into all the pubs in town, everyone knows everybody.”
The Philly Foxes is a newly-founded LCFC supporters’ group based in Philadelphia. To keep updated on LCFC in the USA, you can follow them here: @Philly_foxes.
