Acknowledgements and Credits
An enormous amount of time, energy and expertise has been put into the creation of both the Anstey Heritage Trails and the creation of the new Anstey Local History Society website and many people have been involved.
Tribute and Special Dedication to Brian Kibble
The trails are dedicated to Brian Kibble, a very special person and supporter of the project, who sadly died before he could see the trails completed.
Brian started The Millennium Collection of photographs and documents of Anstey in 1970 and continued adding to it until his death in 2024.
There are now approximately 6000 photographs and documents in the collection. Most of the photographs in the trails come from this collection.
The collection is now managed by Anstey Local History Society and is being added to continuously.
Our Trails Team
Jane Cole – Chair
The Anstey Local History Trails would not have happened without the vision and dedication of the Chair of the society, Mrs Jane Cole. It was Jane’s idea and passion to portray the rich and multifaceted history of Anstey in a walking trail. It was only when the immense extent of the historical information relating to the village became evident that several trails were created to capture the varied history for all to enjoy. Jane has devoted, not just days, but years, to researching, recording and producing the trail project. The village is indebted to Jane for her tenacity in delivering this incredible asset.
Lauren Downing was born and raised in the West Midlands, choosing to come to Leicester to study based on her personal passion of art and design. Lauren graduated from De Monfort University Leicester in 2025 with a First-Class Honours degree in Graphic Design with Illustration.
Her first long term commission was as an intern when she was recruited in May 2024 by the Anstey Local History Society to bring her graphic design skills to the production of the Anstey History Trails.
Her exciting and innovative design work has been instrumental to the development of the ALHS trail project, and her skills have enabled the delivery of the highly informative set of trail boards and a brochure which are now a legacy for the village. Over the months of the project Lauren has been an active member of the trail team, using her skills and expertise to produce and hone the user-friendly designs.
The ALHS trail board project is testament to Lauren’s expertise and vision for graphic design and additionally she has gained the experience of working as part of a team on a very successful project. Lauren’s portfolio evidences this success and is a great start to her career.
You can visit her Instagram at @created.by_lauren
And Also
- Vicky Ball
- Sue Billington
- Kath Farmer
- Alison Briars
Special Thanks and External Links
Below are some of the people and organisations Anstey Local History Society would like to make a special mention.
- Thank you to the Kibble Family for helping us continue Brian’s work.
- The Anstey Heritage Trail group – Jane Cole, Vicky Ball, Sue Billington, Kath Farmer and Alison Briars for their incredible hard work, commitment and enthusiasm over many years in order to create these trails.
- Lauren Downing who has created the trail boards.
- Anstey Parish Council for their support, financially with grants and practical advice, as well as their patience over many years. Without this support the trails would never have been completed. The Victorian Trail Board in Park Road is dedicated to them.
- Charnwood Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council for financial and practical support.
- Anstey Town Charity for their financial support. The Master Board is dedicated to them.
- Anstey Library for allowing their unused sign to be re purposed for the Master Board.
- All the members of Anstey Local History Society who have supported this enterprise by helping to raise funds, walking and checking the trail routes and supplying words of encouragement.
- Michael Tedd who gave hours of his time to check and correct the trails content.
- Paul Day for passing on his knowledge of Anstey.
- Sign Shop (Loughborough) for their patience and guiding the trail group through the process of producing and installing the trail boards.
- National Forest and Charnwood Forest Geo Park for their financial support.
- Ulverscroft Press for allowing the Bradgate Road and Nook Trail Board to be placed on the wall of their premises.
- Potters Carpets for allowing the Boot and Shoe Trail Board to be placed on the wall of their premises.
- Norwood Press for printing the brochures.
- Steve and Dave from PxWM web management for their expertise in creating the new website, as well as their patience over many months.
Funding Support
Anstey Local History Society thanks the following for their funding of our projects.
- Anstey Parish Council
- Anstey Town Charity
- Charnwood Borough Council
- Charnwood Forest Geopark
- Leicestershire County Council
- The National Forest
- National Lottery Heritage Fund
- All the members of Anstey Local History Society
Charnwood Forest Geopark
Anstey Local History Society are extremely grateful for the support of the Charnwood Forest Geopark in the creation of this website and the National Heritage Lottery Fund for funding it.
Please click here to see more information about the park and the geology of this significant region.
Where not out of copyright, all photos used with permission of the copyright owner(s). Photos provided through the Anstey Millennium Collection.