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.^[1] It comprises the northern Leicester suburb of Rushey Mead in its entirety, as well as a part of the neighbouring area, suburb and electoral ward of Belgrave and historical parts of neighbouring Northfields and Thurmaston.

Quick Facts Population, Unitary authority ...

Rushey Mead
Rushey Mead Location within Leicestershire
Population	15,962 (2011)
Unitary authority	Leicester
Ceremonial county	Leicestershire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LEICESTER
Postcode district	LE4
Dialling code	0116
Police	Leicestershire
Fire	Leicestershire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Leicester East
List of places UK England Leicestershire 52.660°N 1.110°W / 52.660; -1.110

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Rushey Mead is bounded by the wards and areas of Belgrave to the south and west and Humberstone & Hamilton and Northfields to the east and south-east on the other side of the Midland Main Line.^[2] North and north-west of Rushey Mead are the Leicestershire villages of Thurmaston and Birstall at the Leicestershire county border and in the Borough of Charnwood at the start of the Leicester Urban Area in that direction.

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.

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.^[3]

The Mazda Lamps factory opened on Melton Road in 1946. In 1964 the factory was renamed as Thorn Lighting.

Further details concerning the history of the Mazda factory on Melton Road, Rushey Mead, Leicester

In 1946 British Thomson-Houston (BTH) opened what was, until 1964, called the Mazda Lamps factory on Melton Road, Leicester, producing electric lamps of many kinds.^[4] BTH had licensed the 'Mazda (light bulb)' brand name from General Electric of USA (GE). In 1964 the lamp factory was renamed as Thorn Lighting after the merger of Thorn Lighting with AEI. General Electric, one of the world's biggest companies, took over the Thorn Lighting company in 1991.

Earlier history In 1928 BTH was amalgamated with its rival, the Metropolitan-Vickers company, to form Associated Electrical Industries (AEI). The two companies' brand identities were maintained until the 1960's until, soon after 1967, the holding company, AEI, was taken over by one of the UK's biggest companies, the General Electric Company (GEC), which is distinct from — and should never be confused with — the giant US company General Electric (GE).

At Christmas time, for many years, there had been a public Christmas Lights Display on the site of the lamp factory.

The site of the former 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, there being a map of the world on the base of the tree. This was built in honour of the former factory.

Like neighbouring Belgrave, Rushey Mead has a large Asian population.

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 4 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.^[6][7]

• Watermead Country Park - a network of artificial lakes with a large statue of a mammoth atop a hill.

The River Soar runs along the west of Rushey Mead and up to Watermead Country Park.

The electoral ward of Rushey Mead contains parts of the neighbouring area and suburb of Belgrave meaning that despite the actual geographical location that specific area may also be classed as being in Rushey Mead by virtue of the electoral ward mapping.

There is a large Sainsbury’s supermarket on Melton Road including a garage and café.

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 2019 United Kingdom general election, 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.

Highfield Rangers F.C. is based in Rushey Mead. They are currently members of the Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division.

Actresses Parminder Nagra and Rakhee Thakrar went to Soar Valley College within Rushey Mead.