Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Walks Show Children Development of Belgrave

I led two walks recently for Anstey Latimer Primary School, Anstey being a village just outside Leicester.

I called the walks "Development of Belgrave". The teacher who arranged them with me was eager to show the children how the Leicester district of Belgrave and its Golden Mile came into being. This was particularly relevant at this time of the year, when so many in the area are celebrating Diwali.

I started in the heart of the old village, by St. Peters Church, Belgrave and Belgrave Hall, and walked beside the lovely River Soar for a while before moving into the area that most people today think of when Belgrave is mentioned.

I explained how so many people of Indian extraction were expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin in the 1970s, and how lots of these people came to live and work in Belgrave.

Along the way, the children admired the beautiful sari shops, the jewellers, the acclaimed Indian restaurants and the sweetshops, and I was also able to show one Hindu and two Moslem places of worship.

I led the walk twice to encompass two classes.

Everybody, including me, felt it was a rewarding experience. I will be very pleased to repeat it for any other organisation.

Posted by colin on Thursday 30th October, 2008 at 8:48am