Wanlip Village

Wanlip, Leicestershire (Anelepe, Onelep)

Wanlip is a small but ancient village of only 68 properties and less than 180 residents. Mentioned in the Doomsday Book, the village is dominated by a medieval church (1393), stunning parkland and the remains of 2 working farms. It is bordered to the south and east by Watermead Country Park and the River Soar, and to the north by the A46. Despite its close proximity to Leicester and 2 main roads, the village retains the charm and character of a farming village and is best described as a ‘rural enclave’.

Wanlip Wins Best Village Competition

Wanlip was the 2008 winner of the Leicestershire and Rutland Best Village Competition*.

The award of £100.00 was presented by Lady Gretton along with the featured framed certificate which has already been displayed on the the Parish Notice Board for all to see.
*(population under 500)

For further details see the front page of the Autumn Edition of Wanlip Village News archived here on your web site.

Latest on Best Village!

Wanlip Church & Community Centre Development

WANLIP CHURCH & COMMUNITY CENTRE
FRIDAY 30th 2009

Considering the wintry weather, there was a good turn out from Birstall & Wanlip, for the inaugural meeting to re-launch the function and functionality of the former Wanlip Church Rooms.

Partnership – a celebration The partnership between Birstall & Wanlip Churches and the village of Wanlip was symbolically recognised in a hand-shake between James Shakespeare, Rector, and Allan Corner, Chairman of the Wanlip Parish Meeting.
A more tangible recognition was the launch of the new name for the building Wanlip Church & Community Centre (Wanlip C3) , emphasising the shared use of the building (which will remain in the ownership of the Church) for church and village community activities.

Wanlip Parish Plan - an action arising - For Wanlip village, the partnership represented a significant step towards a tick on the to-do list arising from the Social & Community element of the Wanlip Parish Plan (WPP).
WPP was based upon a comprehensive survey of the views of the residents from which “We need to up-grade and make better use the Church Hall”, “It’s our only community facility”, “We used to have great weekly whist drives there.” were typical remarks.

Fun & fund-raising - The evening was a celebration all the hard work in the past to raise funds for the professional and DIY work needed to convert a former coach house (generously donated by the Palmer-Tomkinson family) into a useful community building.
On show were a selection of memories of the way the hall has been used in the past – village fetes, coffee mornings (cake, plant and white elephant stalls etc.) and celebration of anniversaries of national, village and family occasions (Queen’s Silver Jubilee, a medieval banquet, weddings, anniversaries and birthdays).

Designing for the future – It was recognised that it is now time for an overall up-grade of the building to meet present day standards and expectations. Specific proposals for improving the entrances, extending the toilets and replacing the kitchen were presented and comments were welcomed. The next step will be obtaining quotes – recommendations would be welcomed.

Funding – It was made clear that the past local efforts of fetes, fashion shows and raffles will still need to be continued in some form but these activities will be augmented by applications to various trusts and grant-making bodies.
From the meeting, an offer was made to host a Body Shop evening where all profits would go towards the project. Any other offers to lead or support an activity would be welcomed.
Another very useful suggestion was to investigate the benefits Gift Aid (tax relief on money donated to UK charities) to boost any donations made to the fund.

The future – Reviewing the history inspired the future. At one level, we are all custodians of the building; we can all enjoy the fun and good neighbourliness of greater community activity.

A Thousand Years of History

Wanlip Newsletter and Bulletin Archive

Mobile Library Service

Free Mobile Library Service

Leicestershire County Council provide the Mobile Library Service free of charge to anyone who registers with them. Here is the summer schedule. For those of us who have never used the service perhaps it's time to check it out. It could be a case of "Use it or Lose it"