Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood

Normanton le Heath is a village and civil parish situated between the parishes of Packington, Ravenstone and Heather in North West Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish was 131 at the 2001 census, rising to 165 at the 2011 census. It should not be confused with another Normanton in the county which is near Bottesford. The name, which in Old English means the settlement of Northmen on the heath, suggests that the current village was probably an English village taken over by a group of Norse or Danish settlers at the time of the original Viking settlement, and this fits well into the overall pattern of land occupation in the area. It lies on the edge of the great heath that once stretched Westwards from the edge of Charnwood Forest, something which is reflected in the names of a number of other settlements in the area, such as Heather and Donington le Heath. There are, however, signs of significant earlier land usage in the parish. Near to the boundary with Heather and Ravenstone an Iron Age settlement has been discovered. Equally, the newly discovered Roman road from Leicester to Chester has been discovered running through the centre of Normanton. Just over the parish boundary in the southern Ravenstone area there was a small Roman town. A track called the Swepstone Way can be traced running from the Iron Age settlement all the way to Tamworth. The Salt Way which ran through Measham can also be traced to Normanton. It is not totally implausible to suggest that a road/track ran through the centre from Ancaster to Wall. If this is correct it would suggest that this track was of Roman origin. However, this is very much a speculative road at the moment. The settlement is not mentioned in the Domesday Book and the first mention we have is in 1209. Much of the land in the early Middle Ages to the north was known to be woodland or heathland. Coal mining formed part of the economy of the area from a very early period and mines have been found at the abandoned village of Alton to the north of Normanton. To the east of the village was the Long Moor open cast coal mine managed by UK Coal. Over a three-year period from 2007 to 2010 this extracted 725,000 tons of coal. Following restoration, the 188 acres (76 ha) mine site has been acquired by the Woodland Trust. With adjoining agricultural land this will become the Flagship Diamond Wood, a 186 hectares (460 acres) new woodland to celebrate the 2012 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Heather St John's Football Club is a football club based in the village of Heather, Leicestershire, England. They are currently members of the Midland League Division One and play at St John's Park.

Heather Preceptory (pronounced: ; He-ther) was a preceptory of the Knights Hospitaller, established in the village of Heather, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.

Heather ( HEE-dhər) is a village west of Ibstock in North West Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish was 949 at the 2001 census reducing to 920 at the 2011 census. In the Domesday Book of 1086, its name is recorded as Hadre, meaning "the heathland".There was an Iron Age settlement immediately north west of the village. As part of an open cast coal mining application, this was excavated in 1990. It identified a settlement from the late 2nd century BC through to early second century A.D.

Alton is a deserted medieval village between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, England. The earliest documentation of the village is found in the Domesday Book where it appears as Heletone. The land was rented out to someone by Hugh de Grandmesnil, and had a total value of 60 shillings. There were 25 villagers, 1 being a man at arms and 4 smallholders. There were 8 ploughs, 1 mill, 4 acres of meadow, woodland 1 league long. The name is probably derived from ald, and the suffix tūn, meaning "old settlement".It is one of only four villages in Leicestershire that seems to have been deserted as a result of grange formation, the others being Dishley, Ringlethorp and Weston. The most important possessor of granges in Leicestershire was the Cistercian Garendon Abbey whose economy was largely based on sheep farming. Nothing remains of the village other than a few vague topographical features.

Heather and Ibstock railway station is a disused railway station on the former Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway. It served the village of Heather and town of Ibstock. It was originally named Heather, but with the industrial expansion of nearby Ibstock the request to have it renamed to include that town was accepted in 1894. It closed to passengers in 1931 but closed to parcel traffic in 1951. Goods continued to pass through until 1954 when the line was closed from Hugglescote to Shackerstone. The site has since been demolished and is now part of a housing estate which now occupies the entire former station site.

Ravenstone is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ravenstone with Snibstone, in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is within the National Forest, just off the A511 road between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in 2001 it had a population of 2,149.

Sence Valley Forest Park is located between Ibstock and Heather in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England. It is situated on the site of a former open cast mine where, between 1982 and 1996, eight million tonnes of coal were extracted by opencast mining. The 60-hectare site has since been transformed by tree planting and the creation of lakes and is now managed by Forestry England. The River Sence flows through the park. A series of paths provide access to a picnic area and the various fishing opportunities. There are also toilets and parking facilities for both the able bodied and the disabled. The park is also home to Sence Valley Forest Park parkrun, a free timed 5km running and walking event held every Saturday at 9am.

Swepstone is a village in the civil parish of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland, in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, about five miles south of Ashby de la Zouch. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census 656. The parish includes the villages of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland. On 1 March 2023 the parish was renamed from "Swepstone" to "Swepstone and Newton Burgoland".The earliest documentation of the village is found in the Domesday Book where it appears as Scopestone. Later documentary appearances are given as Swepeston from around 1130 to 1471, and Swepston from 1234. The name is probably derived from the Old English personal name Sweppes, and the suffix tūn, meaning "Sweppi's farm or village". Swepstone farmers regularly sold their cattle in local market towns. In 1597 three Swepstone farmers, Richard Dudley, William Chilwell and Thomas Burrows were called to give evidence in an archdeaconry court case. It is recorded that the three were drinking together in an alehouse near the market square in Atherstone while their beasts were tethered outside.Swepstone's only public house is The Old Crown Inn, previously known as The Odd House, which serves food. Planting of The National Forest is taking place near the village.

Newton Burgoland is a village in the civil parish of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland, in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The Swepstone parish used to include a small settlement named Newton-Nethercote, which formed part of the village, but that is now part of the rest of Newton Burgoland. The population is included in the civil parish of Swepstone. The place-name is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Neutone. It is referred to as Neuton Burgilon in 1390. The name "Newton" means "new homestead or village". The "Burgoland" element refers to the Burgilon family, the name meaning "Burgundian".The village contains a public house, "The Belper Arms", which is identified as the oldest pub in Leicestershire. The pub dates back to 1290 when which it was named "The Shepherd and the Shepherdess Inn". During the Second World War, the village was highly affected by German bombing which took place in surrounding villages such as Odstone, Measham and Heather. In 1940, evacuees were escorted to the village notably from Coventry, Birmingham and London to escape the bombing in such cities. Nearby Gopsall Hall was later requisitioned as a barracks for British soldiers during the war, who visited public houses in Newton Burgoland such as "The Belper Arms" and "The Spade Tree". The village contains a primary school situated on School Lane. Children attending the school typically transfer when aged 11 to Ibstock Community College, The Market Bosworth School or elsewhere. The famous cinema and church organ builder, John Compton, was born in Newton Burgoland.

Ashby de la Zouch Rural District was a rural district in England, near Ashby de la Zouch (which was an urban district). It was formed in 1894 along with most other rural districts. In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, to form the non-metropolitan district of North West Leicestershire. The district originally consisted of three detached fragments. The larger part was between Ashby and Coalville. The parish of Blackfordby, west of Ashby, was split between the urban districts of Ashby de la Zouch and Ashby Woulds in 1936, whilst the parish of Bardon, east of Coalville, remained a detached portion.

Kelham Bridge is a 8.1 hectares (20 acres) nature reserve north of Ibstock in Leicestershire. It is owned and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.The conversion of this former sewage disposal site to a nature reserve was completed in 2002. The River Sence has been diverted to create meanders, extending flooded areas and reedbeds; 101 bird, 19 butterfly and 16 dragonfly species have been recorded.There is access from the A447 road.