Category: Leicester

The council said members will be able to use the facility by booking slots and paying a “small fee”, which will help maintain the courts. Locals will also be able to play for free during sessions run by the LTA. Haq said: “Parts of Oadby were recently found to be the least active area in Leicestershire, so I hope that this will help to change that and give people a chance to get moving and improve their physical and mental health.”I really encourage our residents to come along and give it a try, and to take advantage of these fantastic new courts. “Whether you’re a regular player or trying tennis for the first time, these new courts are here for the whole community to enjoy.”Scott Lloyd, LTA chief executive, added: “Park tennis courts are vital for providing people with opportunities to pick up a racket, and we want as many people as possible, of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, to enjoy playing tennis and being active.”

A joint police and fire service investigation has started after a house fire in Leicestershire.Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) was initially called to the property in Kent Crescent, in Wigston, at 15:28 BST on Friday. A spokesperson said seven crews and an aerial ladder platform were deployed to the scene at the height of the blaze. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed, LFRS added.

Leicester is a sporting city.  
While Leicester City and the Tigers might dominate that landscape for most outsiders looking in, the city also boasts the oldest UK-based basketball team, the Leicester Lions and one of the 18 first-class county cricket clubs in the country. 
Jamie Merryfield and Craig Appleby (left) with Peter Částka, Jody Harris, Peter Wan and Marcus Patten
And for those in the know, a strong grassroots jiu-Jitsu scene. There was just one problem. 
Despite the number of clubs and talented athletes, anyone looking to compete in a tournament would have to go much further afield to test themselves. There was nothing in Leicester. 
“That always felt strange,” said Jamie Merryfield, the team leader for Digital Content and Media at DMU. “The clubs were here, the talent was here but the competitions weren’t. 
“Between us, we have over 30 year’s event experience and I think the penny dropped and we asked ‘wait, why aren’t we doing this?’” 
Together with Craig Appleby, a Digital Content and Media Instructor within the university, the pair launched the Leicester Open in March 2024, with The Venue proving to be the perfect spot to host.  
Having taken part in martial arts from an early age and trained in clubs all over the county, they were able to create a small army of volunteers from clubs to help support the first tournament.  

Craig said: “We knew there’d be an appetite for it. We said if there were around 100 competitors, we’d be really happy, and we surpassed that. 
“After that, it’s just grown and grown. We used to ask if anyone was free to help us set up and now we have a waiting list of both staff and competitors. 
“With the event growing, we felt it was time to drop the Leicester Open name because we wanted to expand to host invitationals. Open competitions are a specific format, with multiple bouts going on at one time.  
“The invitational looks more like a boxing card, with one match taking place at a time in front of an audience, so we switched it to Series so we can cover both events.” 
The pair rebranded to the Leicester Grappling Series, with the latest Open event in February attracting more than 300 competitors and drawing athletes from as far as Newcastle. 
BJJ is regarded as one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports with membership soaring from just 10,000 practitioners in 2016 to over 40,000 in 2025, according to the UK Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association (UKBJJA). 
The development of the Leicester Grappling Series also comes at a time when more women than ever are taking part in jiu-jitsu across the UK and Europe. 
Just 13 years ago, Yasmine Wilson became just the fourth woman in British history to achieve the rank of black belt. Now there are more than 100. 
With women’s participation rapidly increasing, demand for competitive environments is growing. 
Keen to supply that demand, Jamie and Craig’s latest Invitational event hosted a number of female bouts, including a women’s quintet tournament, with four teams of five competing – the largest of its kind in the UK.   

The teams, formed of women from different clubs and gyms from across the country, competed in back-to-back matches, with the winner staying on until only one team was left standing. 
“We were just trying to bring that opportunity in line with the opportunity that the men were getting,” Craig said. “To then find out that we were doing something that is essentially UK history is amazing, really. It just kind of justifies the work that we’re trying to put in. 
“Really, we just want to make jiu-jitsu more inclusive and increase the profile of the sport. It’s still in its infancy compared to other mainstream sports, so growing participation early is one of our key goals.  
Jamie added: “At our first competition we didn’t have a single woman compete. At the last one, we had over 50. 
“We’ve always pushed hard to get more women involved in the sport, so to have that many competing in one event was just fantastic.” 
As well as helping more competitors take part in competitions, the duo wanted to give DMU students an opportunity to capture the action and build up their portfolio.   
Viki Borisova, a third-year Media Production student, was among the students covering the events, filming and taking photos.  
Students have been involved since Jamie and Craig’s first event but the recent April event was Viki’s first exposure to the sport, and she loved every minute. 
Viki said: “It was the first time hearing about the sport, and I got to say I am not disappointed.  
“I had loads of fun, we had mics that we could all communicate with, we were cracking jokes, commenting on the fights through our views and making mini bets on who we wanted to win or how the fight would turn out, be it a draw or a win. 
“Honestly, it was so good to get behind the camera and remember all the terminology behind the camera angles we have learned about and putting them to use with new cameras was great.” 
Jamie and Craig’s next events are the ‘Summer Open’ on 6th June, with the next show ‘Invitational 4’ on the 26th of September. 
If you’re interested in taking part, or just finding out more about Jiu-Jitsu, you can contact info@leicestergrapplingseries.co.uk where Jamie or Craig can best advise gyms and clubs to help you get involved.
Posted on Friday 22 May 2026

An investigation is under way after piles of furniture were fly-tipped under a bridge in Leicester.Sofas, carpets, tables and a dirty mattress were left either side of Kent Street, under the railway bridge.Leicester City Council said the fly-tipping was reported on Wednesday evening by wardens.The site has now been cleared, the authority added, and the Local Democracy Reporting Service said an investigation had started.

A 19-year-old man died when a car crashed into a tree in Leicestershire.Leicestershire Police said emergency services were called to Station Road in Great Dalby just after 20:45 BST on Wednesday, following a report a white Vauxhall Corsa had left the road and hit a tree.The force said one of the passengers – a 19-year-old man – was pronounced dead at the scene. Police added the driver of the car, an 18-year-old man, was taken to hospital where he was receiving treatment for serious injuries. Two passengers in the back of the car were taken to hospital to be treated for injuries that police said were not life-threatening or life-changing.

Inspectors found staff gave one person their medicines in secret, with no assessment in place, which inspectors said represented a “serious breach of people’s rights and placed them at increased risk of harm”.It also found risk management was “not safe, not robust and did not protect people from harm” while care bosses did “not listen to or understand people’s needs, views and wishes” and were not “capable, compassionate or inclusive”.Staff told inspectors they did not “feel confident to speak up” adding that “issues were overlooked” which led to “ongoing risks and a failure to drive meaningful improvement”.A Lifeways spokesperson told the LDRS: “We recognise that support was not always to the high standard we expect and we no longer deliver services from this registration.”

All had pleaded guilty on the second day of trial.Galloway, 31, of Myrtle Road in Leicester, was given 11 and a half years in prison; Jahed, 30, of Coleman Close in Leicester, was sentenced to eight years and three months in jail; and Senior, 31, of Thorpe Field Drive, Leicester, was jailed for six years and three months.Leicestershire Police said Galloway and Jahed had each supplied at least 5kg of drugs, while Senior had handled 1kg of cocaine.In addition, Khusal’s partner, Saffron Franklin, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two and a half years, and handed 150 hours’ unpaid work and a 15-day rehabilitation programme.From their Hazeldene Road home, Khushal would buy cocaine and heroin from Lancashire in wholesale amounts, then split it to supply both drug dealers and users in Leicestershire.

Police have arrested four men and recovered valuable copper wire from a crashed car following a break-in at a solar farm.Officers were called to the site on Weston Road, Egmanton, near Tuxford, in the early hours of Thursday (14 May), when a security camera was activated.While enquiries were being conducted, a vehicle was seen travelling at speed and was followed.The car was found a short time later, crashed and abandoned at the junction of Weston Road and Moorhouse Road.A significant amount of copper wiring was discovered inside the vehicle.- Advertisement -Further investigations led to the arrest of a man who was seen walking along the nearby A1.Three further suspects were then located in a ditch near Weston and detained.Four men, aged 28, 45, 47 and 65, were arrested on suspicion of burglary.Following searches, suspected counterfeit banknotes and a quantity of cocaine were recovered, with the 47-year-old being further arrested on suspicion of possessing counterfeit currency and the 28-year-old held on suspicion of possession of a Class A drug.The 28-year-old has now additionally been arrested for two shop thefts, and the 65-year-old on suspicion of one shop theft.Detective Sergeant Andrea Brown, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:“The officers who attended worked efficiently during the night to piece together information from a number of calls into the control room.“They successfully detained four suspects, and detectives are now investigating the incident further.“Break-ins of this nature can be extremely costly for businesses and are taken very seriously by the force.“We’d like to hear from anyone with any information, or relevant dashcam, doorbell, CCTV or mobile phone footage, about the incident.”If you can assist, call 101 and quote incident 9 of 14 May 2026, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The cast of The Sound of Music at Curve, Leicester, photo by Marc Brenner
Opera North has announced complete casting for The Sound of Music, which opens in July.
The show will be led by the previously revealed Katie Bird alongside Edward Bennett, taking on the roles of Maria and Captain von Trapp respectively.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical will run from 9 July to 1 August at Leeds Grand Theatre, with a press night scheduled for Thursday 9 July at 7pm.
The production is based on Curve’s staging, which premiered in Leicester at the end of 2025, and will feature the chorus and 40-piece orchestra of Opera North.
It is directed by Nikolai Foster, while the creative team also includes WhatsOnStage Award-nominated set and costume designer Michael Taylor, lighting designer Mark Henderson and choreographer Ebony Molina. Oliver Rundell serves as musical director, with Ollie Khurshid as associate director and Dale White as associate choreographer, with casting consultant Becky Paris.
Joining Bennett and Bird in the cast are Katherine Broderick as Mother Abbess, Abigail Sinclair and April Perrott sharing the role of Liesl von Trapp, Kamil Bień as Rolf Gruber, Amy Freston as Baroness Elsa Schraeder, Nicholas Butterfield as Max Detweiler, Molly Barker-Knowles as Sister Berthe, Hannah Mason as Sister Margaretta, Gillene Butterfield as Sister Sophia, Dean Robinson as Franz, Claire Pascoe as Frau Schmidt, Ivan Sharpe as Herr Zeller, Tim Ochala-Greenough as Admiral von Schreiber, Graham Russell as Baron Elberfeld and Helen Évora as Baroness Elberfeld.
Featuring music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, The Sound of Music premiered on Broadway in 1959 before being adapted into the Oscar-winning 1965 film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.
Accessible performances during the Leeds run will include captioned, British Sign Language interpreted and audio described performances with touch tours.
Opera North is also offering £10 tickets for under-30s, alongside £22 tickets through the theatre’s Secret Seats scheme.

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