Rushey Mead

Rushey Mead is an area, suburb, electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 15,962. It comprises the northern Leicester suburb of Rushey Mead in its entirety, as well as historical parts of Northfields and Thurmaston.
The electoral ward of Rushey Mead includes parts of the neighbouring suburb and Leicester area of Belgrave.
Geography.
Rushey Mead is bounded by the wards of Humberstone & Hamilton and Charnwood to the east and south-east and Belgrave to the south and west. North and north-west of Rushey Mead are the Leicestershire villages of Thurmaston and Birstall in the borough of Charnwood.
History.
Rushey Mead was originally a part of the Thurmaston civil parish during the 19th century. The modern day suburb was split from Thurmaston and gazetted as a "Thurmaston Urban District" in 1894, before being annexed to the City of Leicester in 1935, when it was renamed Rushey Mead.
The GE Thorn Lighting Factory on Melton Road opened in 1946 producing light bulbs.
The site of the Former GE Thorn Lighting Factory is now occupied by a Sainsbury’s Supermarket. There is now a large metallic tree built opposite the former site on the corner of Melton Road and Troon Way called The World Tree, wiry there being a map of the world on the base of the tree. This was built in honour of the former factory.
Jesse Jackson, the American politician who was twice a Democratic Party candidate for nomination in elections to be President of the United States visited Rushey Mead on 5 December 2015 to open a park named in his honour.
Education.
Schools in the area.
Primary schools: Wyvern Primary, Herrick Primary, Sandfield Primary and Rushey Mead Primary.
Secondary schools: Rushey Mead Academy, which is the best state-funded secondary school in Leicester and Leicestershire and Soar Valley College.
The World Tree.
Located in Rushey Mead, on the corner of Melton Road and Troon Way, is a 5m high steel tree sculpture with bronze light bulbs on the branches. It stands opposite the former site of the GE-Thorn Lighting factory, which a Sainsbury's supermarket now occupies. It cost £62,000 and was paid for by Sainsbury's. It was unveiled on the 4th of March 2016 by the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow in the attendance of Mayor of Leicester Peter Soulsby and Leicester East MP Keith Vaz.
Area.
The electoral ward of Rushey Mead contains parts of the neighbouring area and suburb of Belgrave meaning that despite them street’s actually geographical location they may also be classed as being in Rushey Mead by virtue of the electoral ward mapping.
Shopping.
There is a large Sainsbury’s supermarket on Melton Road including a garage and café.
Transport.
Bus.
The Number 22 First bus travels from Leicester City Centre through neighbouring area Belgrave on the A607 Belgrave Road and then Melton Road, then turning onto Marfitt Street, carrying on to Gipsy Lane and then Barkby Road before entering Rushey Mead on Wyvern Avenue and carrying on up Gleneagles Avenue before turning around on Trevino Drive, just before the Leicestershire county boundary and the village of Thurmaston.
The Number 21 First service travels from Leicester City Centre and through the St Matthew's estate before getting on to Catherine Street and then passing through Rushey Mead and then on to Charnwood before eventually reaching its terminus in the nearby county village of Thurmaston.
Arriva services 5, 5A and 6 travelling to and from Thurmaston, East Goscote and Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire travel through Rushey Mead on the A607 Belgrave and Melton Roads.
The nearest bus stations, both located in Leicester City Centre, are Haymarket and St Margaret's.
Train.
The nearest train station is Syston Railway Station, located in Syston, 2.2 miles from Rushey Mead.
Airport.
The nearest airport is East Midlands Airport, located in Leicestershire and 19.8 miles away from Rushey Mead.
Politics.
Rushey Mead is located within the Leicester East parliament constituency, a seat held by the Labour Party consistently since 1987 albeit with a significantly reduced majority in the General Election of 2019 though reflecting a widespread national trend for the Labour Party in that particular election.
The electoral ward of Rushey Mead includes parts of the neighbouring suburb and Leicester area of Belgrave.
Rushey Mead is represented on Leicester City Council by Labour Councillors Ross Willmott, a former leader of the city council and the Labour Party candidate for Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, Piara Singh Clair MBE, the deputy city mayor and cabinet member for Culture, Leisure, Sport and Regulatory Services and Rita Patel, the assistant city mayor and cabinet member for Equalities and Special Projects and founder of the Peepul Centre, located in the neighbouring area of Belgrave and close to Leicester City Centre.
Rushey Mead was represented within the East Midlands parliamentary constituency in the European Parliament.
Sport.
Highfield Rangers F.C. is based in Rushey Mead. They are currently members of the .
Notable people.
Actresses Parminder Nagra and Rakhee Thakrar went to Soar Valley College within Rushey Mead.