New Mayor for Charnwood Borough Council
The new Mayor of Charnwood has been sworn in for 2025-26 following the Council’s Annual Meeting on Monday, 12th May.
Cllr David Northage, Borough Councillor for Shepshed West, says that he is deeply honoured to become the first citizen of the borough.
Cllr Northage will be representing Charnwood at hundreds of events throughout the Mayoral year and will be supported by his wife, Jenny Northage, as Mayoress.
The Mayor’s chosen charities for the year ahead are Rainbows, a hospice for children in the East Midlands and The Carpenter’s Arms, a Leicestershire-based charity that supports men who are challenged by issues with drugs, alcohol and other addictions.
Cllr Colin Hamilton has been appointed as Deputy Mayor and will be supported by Deputy Mayoress Mrs Emma Lowe.
At our Conservative Group meeting before the Annual Council meeting, Paul was again elected as the Deputy Leader for the Conservative Group and Deborah remains the Shadow Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods.
Charnwood Community Heros
Charnwood Community Heroes returns for 2025, shining a spotlight on the incredible efforts of residents who go the extra mile to support their communities.
Nominations are now open for the annual awards, which recognise everyday people making a significant difference – from small acts of kindness to long-standing service.
Organised by Charnwood Borough Council, the awards are a chance to say thank you to those who make the borough a better place.
Residents have until Thursday, July 31 to submit their nominations.
An awards ceremony will take place in September at Burleigh Court in Loughborough.
The seven award categories are:
- Young Hero (sponsored by Loughborough College)
- Super Trooper
- Inspiring Others (sponsored by Digital Planning)
- Green Hero (sponsored by Idverde)
- Brilliant Board / Trustee Member (sponsored by 1284 Communications)
- Beyond the Call of Duty
- Business Community Action (sponsored by Howes Percival LLP).
The Harry Cook Award will also be presented in honour of the late Harry Cook, an enthusiastic advocate for Loughborough in Bloom. Chosen by the Cook family, this award recognises someone who has made a lasting impact in their community.
Harry, alongside his wife Pat, helped make their home a landmark of the local bloom effort, even featuring on BBC Gardener’s World. Pat Cook now chairs the Loughborough in Bloom Board.
To nominate your community hero, visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/heroes and share their story.
Loughborough Leisure Centre
Loughborough Leisure Centre is taking big steps to achieving net zero carbon emissions after securing nearly £3 million in Government funding.
The centre, owned by Charnwood Borough Council and operated by its leisure partner, Fusion Lifestyle, will benefit from £2.7 million from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which aims to reduce emissions from public sector buildings by 75%.
The funding will be used to replace the centre’s gas boilers with air source heat pumps, which will reduce the centre’s carbon emissions by around 587 tonnes overall, making the site net zero. It is also expected to bring utility bills at the leisure centre down by around 57% per year.
It comes just as work is completed on the installation of solar panels on the centre’s roof thanks to another Government grant worth £235,000. The work already completed includes the addition of 216 solar panels which will lead to an expected reduction of 36.2 tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of the annual emissions of 20 average homes.
The solar panels can deliver up to 91.8kW of energy and the utility cost savings are expected to cover the investment within four years.
In total, 99% of the generated power will be fed straight to the leisure centre with one per cent fed back into the grid.
Food Festival
Charnwood Borough Council is hosting an inaugural food festival on Sunday, 8 June.
The Charnwood Food Festival will feature an enticing mix of street food vendors, artisan producers, and local delicacies, alongside live entertainment, children’s activities, right in the heart of the town centre.
The event will run from 10am to 4pm, offering something for every taste – from global street food and fresh bakes to unique foodie gifts.
The festival is free to attend and open to all.
Charnwood Food Festival is one of several events which form part of the Living Loughborough project which is being supported by Loughborough Town Deal. The Town Deal secured £16.9 million from the Government’s Towns Fund to support 11 projects and in total, they are worth more than £40 million of investment.
For more information or to apply, visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/foodfest or contact the events team at [email protected].
If you have any issues or concerns, we are here to help.
Deborah and Paul
