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Arnold man part of gang jailed for drug smuggling

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Arnold man part of gang jailed for drug smuggling

An Arnold man was part of a six-strong gang importing drugs and counterfeit cigarettes into the UK, who were this week jailed.

Ian Oldham, 37, of Brookfield Road, Arnold, was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to import amphetamine sulphate.

Also jailed was Adam Vhora, 32, of Stamford Street, Awsworth, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of one count of importation of cocaine. He also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to import amphetamine sulphate and was sentenced to six years to run concurrently.

Kevin Machin, 37, of Hilcot Drive, Aspley, who was sentenced to 20 months after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to import amphetamine sulphate.
The convictions follow an investigation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).

They were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 3 July along with three other men from Staines, Grantham and Eastchurch in Kent.

Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Mark Chapman, from SEROCU, said: “This was an intelligence led investigation into the importation of controlled drugs, class A and class B, as well as counterfeit cigarettes from the continent.

“This gang operated throughout the UK and was arrested attempting to smuggle cocaine with the street value of around £780,000 which would have been destined for the streets of South East of England.

“They also attempted to avoid duty of around £844,000 by smuggling in over 20,000 sleeves of cigarettes destined for the North West of England.
All the offences took place between October 2011 and April 2013.

Arrests after supporters clash with police as Carlton cancer sufferer evicted from home

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Arrests after supporters clash with police as Carlton cancer sufferer evicted from home

Police today confirmed that five people were arrested following clashes with campaigners yesterday who were attempting to prevent bailiffs from evicting a Carlton resident from his home.

Tom Crawford, 64, of Fearn Chase, in Carlton, disputed claims he owed Bradford & Bingley £43,000 in mortgage payments.

Mr Crawford, 64, claims he doesn’t owe the bank a penny because they changed the terms of his mortgage without his knowledge.

Dozens of people descended to the street in Carlton yesterday to try and blockade the home and prevent him from being evicted by bailiffs.

Police confirmed that arrests were made following clashes with campaigners.

A spokesperson from Nottinghamshire Police said: “Two people were arrested on suspicion of assault on a police constable, one for a breach of the peace, one on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and the other on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and a breach of the peace.

“Officers worked to ensure public order and safety was maintained whilst civil action was carried by the county court and recovery staff.

“Efforts were made to allow people living in the area access to their homes and to keep disruption during the day to a minimum.

They added: “Nottinghamshire Police would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank the public for their understanding.”

Borough council launch health scheme at leisure centres

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Borough council launch health scheme at leisure centres

A health programme for people with medical conditions is to be launched at four council leisure centres.

Gedling Borough Council is introducing a 12 week health programme called DNA Health, for people aged 16 or over who are physically inactive and suffering from health problems. The aim of this scheme is to provide people with conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, diabetes and obesity an opportunity to experience different types of physical activities which will improve their long term health. The health programme will be available at Carlton Forum, Calverton, Arnold and Redhill Leisure Centres.

There will be different classes taking place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, including circuit training, fitness classes and swimming will also be available at a discounted rate. To sign up, eligible people must complete the referral form, which is available from the council leisure centres, GP surgeries and libraries.

Prices for the first 12 weeks vary between £2 and £3 per session. A monthly contract or pay as you go will be available after the 12 weeks. The 12 week programme will then start from the date of registering.

Cllr Henry Wheeler, Portfolio Holder for housing, health and well-being said: “This is a great programme to help people with medical problems such as stress, anxiety and depression to get back into shape and have a healthy lifestyle and feel better about themselves. It’s good value for money and could reduce the need for people to see GPs in the long term.”

To find out more about the programme, people can contact Leisure services on 0115 901 3697 or visit their local GP.

Charity fashion show raises over £600 for school ramp appeal

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Charity fashion show raises over £600 for school ramp appeal
A fashion show held to raise cash to buy a wheelchair ramp at a local school has raised over £600.
Over 100 people bought tickets for the show, which was held on Tuesday, and raised £616 on the night through donations and a raffle
Organisers are hoping to put the money towards buying a wheelchair ramp for Carlton Hill Pre-School.
The school, which has been open in the town for 45 years, needs the ramp to improve access to the building for pupils with special needs.
A spokesperson told Gedling Eye: “We had a great night and raised lots of money with ticket sales, donations and the raffle £616.
“We’ve still got a way to go but its a great start.”

Residents mount campaign to save mental health service from closure

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Residents in Gedling are being asked to get behind a campaign to save a mental health service from closure by a local health authority.

Broomhill House, which is based in Gedling, could soon be closing its doors for good after the service was put into consultation earlier this month by Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust.

The service, which has been based in the village for over 20 years, provides care and treatment for patients who are recovering from enduring mental health conditions but are not yet ready to return home. It also provides an outreach service that enables some of its patients to live at home in the local community.

A campaign has now been launched to save the service and a public meeting has been organised for people to have their say on closure plans.

Campaigners hoping to save the service posted on Facebook recently outlining reasons why the service is essential to its patients and also the local community.

“The rational [for closure] is that the government has said they want more community-based services that deem to be cost effective but limits the support to patients who realistically will only be seen once or twice a week. This does not replicate the service delivered now.

“The concerns are that some will suffer as a result and may end up back on an acute ward.

“For those that access the outreach service, where will they find that safety and support? Will they be left wandering the streets of Gedling?”

Gedling Eye today asked Nottinghamshire Healthcare for a statement on the future of Broomhill House.

A spokesperson said: “Feedback from patients and clinical evidence shows that people want to be cared for in their own homes, which aids their recovery. Therefore, the Trust has proposed the the expansion of the successfully developed community rehabilitation team serving residents of the City and south of Nottinghamshire.

” These developments will allow more people to be supported to meet their rehabilitation need in their own homes, optimising recovery in the home environment. This change will lead to a decrease in demand for inpatient rehabilitation beds as more people receive their care in the community, and therefore the Trust has proposed to close two open rehabilitation units, Heather Close in Mansfield and Broomhill House in Gedling.

“There are a number of ways for people to share their views and more information can be found on the Trust’s website at www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/haveyoursay The deadline for comments is 28 July 2015 and a final decision will be made following this engagement period”

The public meetings will take place at St George’s Centre in Netherfield on Friday, July 17, at 10am.

The meeting previously advertised on June 30 is now for Broomhill House patients and carers only.

Gedling businesses offered discount off cost of improving broadband speeds

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Gedling businesses offered discount off cost of improving broadband speeds

Small businesses from across the borough now have the chance to get discounts of up to £3,000 off the cost of improving their broadband speed, following the extension of a scheme to cover the whole county.

The Connection Voucher Scheme gives businesses money off the cost of installing superfast broadband and access speeds of over 30Mbps.

The scheme was only previously available in the Greater Nottingham area but has now been extended to include businesses county-wide.

The Connection Voucher Scheme is a government-funded initiative, administered through Nottingham City Council.

Any small to medium sized business in Nottinghamshire and the City of Nottingham – including home workers, social enterprises, sole traders and landlords – can apply to the scheme to fund the capital costs of upgrading broadband connections.

Businesses can choose their own preferred provider from more than 600 registered suppliers in the UK. So far, over 60 local businesses in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have received money off connecting to superfast broadband through the scheme.

Councillor Nick McDonald, Portfolio Holder for Jobs, Growth and Transport commented: “We know that customer focused businesses rely on great infrastructure to allow them to expand their business. It’s great to see companies in Nottingham benefiting from this funding, which is easy to access.

“We urge all local businesses to access this money and make sure Nottingham business people are claiming their fair share of it.”

Businesses interested in applying for the grant can visit www.connectionvouchers.co.uk/city/nottingham to check their business postcode and get started.

In accessing the scheme, businesses pay the VAT charge and the monthly line rental to their service provider. While monthly costs vary by provider and package, a quarter of businesses pay £40 per month or less.

For more information on the scheme, please visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/connectionvouchers

Revamped garden for blind to be unveiled in Carlton

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Revamped garden for blind to be unveiled in Carlton

A revamped sensory garden for the blind will be opened by the Mayor of Gedling this week thanks to volunteers from local businesses in Carlton.

The Nottingham Building Society, Gedling Borough Council and The Blind Society, with the help from donations from local businesses, have been working together to restore a garden for the blind in Carlton Hill which will be unveiled on Friday, June 26 by Councillor Meredith Lawrence, the Mayor of Gedling .

Plants have kindly been donated by local businesses including local fruit and vegetable shop Aaron’s Orchard, who has provided a variety of plants to the garden. There were also donations from Morrison’s and Hilltop Nursery.

The work is part of the Nottingham Building Society’s commitment to local communities. They approached Gedling Borough Council, who own the park, to revamp the garden for the blind which is opposite the branch on Carlton Hill. Along with help from Gedling Borough Council councillors, the group will be planting sensory, tactile, annual and perennial plants and bedding with a mixture of colours that can be seen by partially sighted users.

Melanie Ozer, Senior Customer Adviser at Nottingham Building Society and the event organiser said: “The Nottingham is thrilled to be supporting this garden to give it a new lease of life for local people. When we set up our community programme ‘Doing Good Together’ in 2010 this is exactly what it was all about – harnessing resources to make a difference to our local communities and we’re delighted with the support we’ve received.”

Portfolio Holder for Environment, Councillor Peter Barnes said: “This will be great for the users of the garden. We knew the garden needed a spruce up and Nottingham Building Society and local businesses have shown some great community spirit to make this happen. It will look wonderful.”

Gedling filmmakers urged to take part in Nottingham’s microfilm festival

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Gedling filmmakers urged to take part in Nottingham’s microfilm festival

A new film festival taking place in Nottingham is looking for original submissions of short films from filmmakers across the borough.

The first Nottingham International Microfilm Festival (NIM) intends to introduce a Chinese film industry phenomenon – microfilm – to new audiences.

Running in venues across Nottingham from October 15- 20, 2015, the Festival has attracted award-winning industry representatives from around the globe and intends to raise the profile of microfilms and showcase their application outside of China. Microfilm has been a rapidly developing sector in the Chinese film industry since 2010. Everyday, around 40 million people in China search for videos on the internet and many of them, especially young people, are looking for what’s known as microfilms –  short films that can be watched on the commute between home, work or school.

Festival organisers Nottingham City Council, The University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, who are key members of The Nottingham Screen Partnership, believe the sector provides a low-cost but high value springboard for filmmakers and businesses alike and are encouraging the established Chinese sector to engage with UK filmmaking talent and business.

This is an innovative city-wide initiative bringing the ‘microfilm’ format to cinema audiences across a range of venues,” said Professor Murray Pratt from Nottingham Trent University.

The concept of microfilm is already gaining international recognition as an art form, communications tool and media evolution, and the Nottingham International Microfilm Festival showcases examples of best quality from across these genres.

NIM is just one more example, following Notts TV and the National Videogame Arcade, of how Nottingham is pioneering in opening up new audiences, new formats, and new art and creative production in ways that are at the forefront of metropolitan cultural experimentation.”

Gianluca Sergi, Director of the Institute for Screen Industries Research at the University of Nottingham said: “NIM is proof of Nottingham’s intention to become the home for this exciting new way of thinking about short narrative formats, industry and talent.

“Microfilm is not just a word, it is a meeting place of new ideas, formats and talent. From film to video, games to animation, microfilms provide all types of talented individuals the opportunity to craft imaginative and engaging short stories for audiences to enjoy everywhere, from cinemas and TVs to exhibition spaces and online. Microfilm is fast becoming a meeting point for different narrative production cultures from China to the UK and Hollywood.”

Councillor Dave Trimble, portfolio holder for leisure and culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “Nottingham has been the scene for many a distinguished film project.

span>The city is proud to host its first international microfilm festival, which will help to  raise Nottingham’s profile as an international hub for the screen industry.”

The NIM is open to all freelance film makers. Entries need to fit in one of four categories and should be submitted by 4 September 2015. Full criteria and further information at http://www.nottinghamscreenpartnership.com/

 

Drug conspiracy gang members jailed

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Drug conspiracy gang members jailed

Four men from Arnold and Mapperley were part of a gang all jailed for a total of 18 years for conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis for sale on the streets of Nottinghamshire.

James Stacey, of Forest Road, Mansfield, was the ringleader of group supplying cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), cannabis and steroids, until a police investigation – Operation Fallency – led to search warrants being executed across the county in August 2013.

Until then, Stacey had enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, owning two houses and two high value cars, despite earning a declared income of just £15,000 as a mechanic.

When officers arrived at his workplace, he was seen trying to dispose of white powder, which was seized and analysed, revealing that it was cocaine and MDMA.

He ran a network of lower-level dealers, many of whom were in debt to Stacey, who also lent money and enforced so called ‘drug debts’, and helped him to sell the drugs on the streets of Nottinghamshire.

At the home of Haydn Henson, in Bentwell Avenue, Arnold, class A and class B drugs were found by officers, while benzocaine, a ‘cutting agent’ commonly used to bulk out cocaine and to help dealers increase profits, was found in the possession of Daniel Grady.

Stacey’s cousin Sean had a cannabis grow with an estimated street value of almost £40,000 at his home in Ganton Close, Mapperley.

An even more valuable haul was found at the home of James Stacey’s partner, Kerrie Roynane, in Kingsley Drive, Netherfield.

Another court case meant that the investigation into the drugs supply conspiracy could not proceed immediately.

In the meantime, however, a sixth member of the conspiracy, 23-year-old Stuart Hall, was identified and arrested in December 2014.

The investigation revealed that, unlike the others, Hall had a more prominent role in the drugs supply conspiracy on a par with James Stacey.

James Stacey, 30, of Forest Road, Mansfield, pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply cocaine Conspiracy to produce cannabis Conspiracy to supply cannabis resin Possession of MDMA (class A) Possession of amphetamine (class B) Possession of testosterone (class C)

Stuart Hall, 23, of Rolleston Drive, Arnold, pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply cocaine Conspiracy to supply cannabis resin

Sean Stacey, 38, of Ganton Close, Mapperley, pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to produce cannabis Conspiracy to supply cannabis resin Possession of CS spray

Kerrie Ronayne, 28, of Forest Road Mansfield, pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply cocaine Conspiracy to produce cannabis Conspiracy to supply cannabis resin

Haydn Henson, 23, of Bentwell Avenue, Arnold, pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply cocaine Conspiracy to produce cannabis Conspiracy to supply cannabis resin

Daniel Grady, 29, of Birchfield Avenue, Arnold, pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply cocaine Conspiracy to supply cannabis resin

All admitted the charges when they appeared at Nottingham Crown Court earlier this year.

James Stacey was sentenced to five years and eight months, Stuart Hall was sent to prison for three years and eight months, Sean Stacey was given a three year sentence, Kerrie Roynane was jailed for three years, Haydn Henson was sentenced to two years and Daniel Grady was jailed for nine months.

Detective Sergeant Simon Pearson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “James Stacey controlled this conspiracy through fear, lending money to associates and then enforcing the debt, which sometimes required those individuals to sell drugs for him, enabling him to enjoy a lifestyle which was well beyond the legitimate income he earned as a mechanic.

“He also exploited his employer’s trust in him by using his place of work to exchange quantities of drugs with his network of dealers. He ran a sophisticated business that required a lot of investigation’.

“His use of intimidation does not excuse the actions of his co-conspirators, however, and the sentences given today emphasise the seriousness of conspiring to sell illegal and addictive drugs in our communities.”

Headteacher at Netherfield school recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours list

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Headteacher at Netherfield school recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours list

The headteacher of a Netherfield school has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Sharon Gray, headteacher at Netherfield Primary School, will be awarded with an OBE for services to education, it was announced yesterday (12).

Ms Gray has transformed the school, which was previously in special measures, since her arrival back in 2009. The transformation was complete when the school was rated as outstanding by Ofsted inspectors following their visit back in 2013.

Colwick-born boxer Carl Froch was also recognised in the list. The sportsman will be awarded with an MBE for services to boxing.

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