One team based at an Arnold opticians is celebrating after being shortlisted for a top industry award.
Specsavers on Front Street, which is locally owned and run, has reached the final stages in the Awards for Excellence’s Dispensing category. The annual awards recognise the achievements and professionalism across all UK and Ireland Specsavers stores.
The dispensing team at Specsavers Arnold, which has many years of collective experience, combines extensive product knowledge and clinical expertise with a passion for personalised customer care. From helping people find the best glasses for their needs and their lifestyle through to carrying out repairs and adjustments when required, the team is committed to delivering excellent service at every stage of the customer journey.
“We’re delighted to have made the top three in the Dispensing category,” Vineet Nehra, optometrist and director at Specsavers Arnold, said.
“As a team, we’re always striving to be the best we possibly can be, and being recognised by the wider business for this prestigious award reflects the amazing job the team does every day.
“It’s a testament to the dispensing team and their skill, hard work and ongoing dedication to excellence. We’re looking forward to the awards ceremony taking place at the ICC in Birmingham at the end of the month, and hopefully we’ll be celebrating on the night!”
Burton Joyce residents claim they have to wear wellies to leave their homes during torrential downpours because drains “just can’t cope”.
The corner of Whitworth Drive, which links to the original Nottingham Road in the village, is routinely left submerged in water after heavy rain.
Rainwater from a nearby field travels down a ditch along Whitworth Drive, then enters a culvert under the road, where it is released elsewhere.
However, residents living nearby say the drain system “just can’t cope” in extreme weather, and more maintenance is needed on the regularly blocked ditch grates and water pipes.
One couple, who have lived near the culvert for 15 years, say the drain at the end of the their driveway is like a “letterbox” and regularly gets blocked with debris when the corner floods.
One half of the couple, a woman, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We have floods at the bottom of our driveways to such an extent the only way we can actually leave is either wearing high wellingtons, or in the car – you can’t walk in normal shoes.
“The water coming down is already bringing twigs and debris so it soon blocks it. It just doesn’t work.”
The resident said the flooding happens “more than once a year”, continuing: “The way the climate’s going at the moment, we’ve had much more heavy rainfall this year than ever before, so it’s going to get worse.”
Her partner said two to three inches of mud is left behind once the water clears, and Nottinghamshire County Council has to clear the street with a tractor and road sweepers.
He added: “When it’s steady rain, I think it’s alright, but when you have a sudden downpour, it just can’t cope, it breaches that culvert.”
“That grate [at the bottom of the culvert], the water just bursts over the side, so whether they could raise the banks up? When it gets into the pipe, it’s just not a sufficient diameter to cope with the volume.”
Jillian Archer, 69, who has lived at the flooding hotspot for 22 years, told the LDRS her husband decided to raise the entrance of their driveway to stop the water that was coming “seven feet up the drive”.
She believes more regular maintenance is needed on the culvert.
Ms Archer said: “The water’s got to obviously come down off the field, so if they put some more barriers or a drain barrier somewhere further up to try and stop it.
“We’re pre-fortified against it with the driveway being slightly higher. If it comes down we’re out with brushes when it subsides to wash the mud away… we try keep our own spots clear, but there’s not really much else we can do.”
A section of land in between the junction and the Colwick Loop Road serves as a bund – a mound of earth used to control water flow – where residents say the ground underneath is filled with cages and stone dozens of feet deep to help collect and filter rainwater.
Ms Archer said: “If it did, if that functioned as it’s supposed to do, any water coming down from that culvert would go straight into that.
“When that gets to capacity it filters it straight off into the dyke across the road which then filters down towards the River Trent.”
A 466-signature strong petition was given to Nottinghamshire County Council in September 2025 by Conservative Councillor, Mike Adams, calling for improved drainage at the junction.
The authority gave its response in March, where a document stated it was aware of the “historic” flooding problems there, continuing: “Following Storms Babet and Henk, works were carried out to clear vegetation, de-silt the watercourse, and install leaky dams to help trap debris upstream.
“The grill is now inspected monthly, as well as before and after storm events triggered by severe weather warnings. The grill is cleared as needed during inspections.”
The council says it will be carrying out a survey on the culvert system underneath the road where if it’s found to be working properly, the problems may “stem from water unlawfully flowing” onto the roads from higher up land.
Speaking to the LDRS, Cllr Mike Adams said: “When kids are walking to school then end up walking on the road to navigate themselves through the water.”
“So much water comes down. It’s not just a drizzle, it’s a torrent… It spills into the A612 where if you’re driving inland towards Burton Joyce the whole left lane gets covered in water.
Cllr Adams hopes the pipe carrying the water under the road gets expanded in future or that more drains are put along that section of Nottingham Road.
The LDRS asked the County Council for an update on its survey works. No response was given by the time of publication.
The UK government’s Simpler Recycling scheme is now officially in force across Gedling borough.
Residents can now recycle more of their everyday household items from home.
Households can now place a wider range of materials into their green recycling bins, including:
Tetra Pak items such as drink cartons.
Plastic bottles, pots, ice cream tubs, fruit punnet trays and toothpaste tubes.
Aluminium foil (scrunched into a ball) and metal food trays.
Aluminium tubes, e.g. tomato purée tubes.
Householders are asked to ensure that all items are empty and clean, with lids put back on where possible, and placed loose in the bin – not inside plastic bags. This helps ensure materials can be properly sorted and recycled.
Glass will continue to be collected in the glass collection boxes as normal.
Councillor Marje Paling, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, said:
“These new changes are all about making it simpler and more convenient to recycle from home.
“Most of us use items like foil, cartons and toothpaste tubes every day, so being able to pop them straight into your recycling bin is a big step forward.
By making small changes together, we can reduce waste, protect our environment and keep Gedling a cleaner, greener place to live.”
As part of Simpler Recycling, councils are also required to collect food waste for households, however this is not due to start across Nottinghamshire until October 2027.
A small trial of food waste collections will take place later this year in some areas of the borough. More information about this will be made available from the council nearer the time.
For more information about the changes and a list of what can and can’t be recycled, visit www.gedling.gov.uk/recycling.
With on-demand access to an enormous collection of material, streaming services have become the pillar of entertainment.
By 2025, streaming will surpass just passive watching experiences. Real-time polls or adaptable narratives are among the interactive components that probably will become standard.
This change lets viewers relate to the material they consume more actively. As content becomes more collaborative, remote guest streaming methods are also shaping how creators bring in voices from different locations, adding depth and variety to live and recorded content.
This approach not only broadens perspectives but also reflects the growing demand for more dynamic and socially connected viewing experiences. Focusing on certain genres or groups, niche platforms—which provide highly customized experiences for audiences—are increasingly becoming popular.
Furthermore, artificial intelligence is helping to improve suggestions so that viewers constantly find something suited for their taste. These developments point to a day when streaming will be about creating a customized trip rather than being about material.
Families across Gedling struggling with the cost of living can save money on services including free stay and play sessions for babies and young children, as a number of new Best Start Family Hubs open in the borough, building on the legacy of Sure Start.
Parents will be able to access help with infant feeding, parenting advice and early support for children with SEND, in one place, reducing the need to pay for private classes or specialist support.
On top of savings of up to £200 a year through free stay and play sessions, many hubs will also provide access to debt advice and welfare guidance, which could help families access support they may otherwise miss and improve their financial position.
The following three family hubs are to be set up in the borough:
The programme builds on the legacy of Sure Start, while updating family services for the modern world – combining face-to-face and digital support, strong partnerships with early years settings, and better use of existing community partners and spaces.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Children growing up in our country deserve the best start in life, but for too long, too many families have been navigating the pressures of parenthood without the support they need.
“Best Start Family Hubs will revitalise family services – bringing together health, parenting support and practical advice in one place, free and close to home, so that parents can get the help they need, when they need it.
“I’ve seen the difference Sure Start made in my community, and why it’s so important that we bring that support back today, reimagined for a new generation of families.
“Whether it’s advice on child development, help with additional needs, or simply a friendly face in the community, this government is putting the support so many families used to rely on, back into each and every community.”
Every Best Start Family Hub will include dedicated outreach workers to reach families, alongside a practitioner to help identify additional needs early – particularly those who might otherwise fall through the cracks – helping them access the right support sooner without being passed between services.
Alongside this, Healthy Babies support will be delivered through Best Start Family Hubs – bringing together health and early support such as midwifery, health visiting, infant feeding and perinatal mental health support.
A developer has promised hundreds of thousands of pounds in improvements to a village in Nottinghamshire after concerns were raised over its plans for almost 100 homes.
Gedling Borough Council’s planning committee approved a 93-home development on land east of Westhouse Farm, in Moor Road, Bestwood Village, at a meeting on Wednesday (March 25).
They have been tabled by developer Langridge Homes.
To the west of the site is Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School, and 101 homes have already been built in the wider area, following its allocation for housing under a council plan.
“The scheme would provide a wide range of house types from one to five bedroom, the majority of which would be two-storey, along with two bungalows,” planning documents said.
“The majority of properties would be detached or semi-detached, along with a terrace of three two-bed properties.”
Several concerns were raised during the meeting before plans were approved, including a loss of privacy, poor transport links, and the impact on the area’s amenities and facilities.
Cllr Darren Maltby (Con), who represents Bestwood St Albans, raised issue with the potential for flooding, as well as “horrific” traffic, and poor public transport links.
“Bestwood St Albans is increasingly growing, particularly around the village area, we have no pub, no doctors, no dentist, it has got one convenience store,” he said.
“What consideration has been given towards helping getting a few more facilities locally?”
A council planning officer said there was nothing the council could do in terms of the pub, but emphasised there was a significant amount of money pledged for local improvements by the developer; under what’s known as a Section 106 contribution.
He said the development shouldn’t impact the wider flood risk and there has been no objection from the statutory consultees, including the lead flood authority and the Environment Agency.
Eight objections were received by the council, with concerns ranging from Bestwood being turned into a town due to development, and a shortage of frontline health services and other facilities within the village.
A resident of Keepers Close, which borders the site, spoke during the meeting to highlight her concerns over the impact on her street which is comprised mostly of bungalows.
“Most of the residents are elderly, so a five-bedroom detached house at the bottom of the plot is going to constitute a massive invasion of our privacy ”
Councillors imposed an amendment to the plans that requires any windows facing the bungalows on one particular plot, where a five-bedroom house will be built, to be frosted.
The developer’s planned financial contributions were praised.
In total £777,850 will go toward education provision, £3,278 to be used by Nottinghamshire County Council as a contribution towards enhancing library provision at Arnold Library, a primary healthcare contribution of £50,394.37 and £41,400 for bus stop improvements.
There will also be an open space contribution – in the absence of a play area – of £261,607.20, and maintenance contribution of £119,320.00.
In addition, a contribution of £31,400 is sought for the maintenance of the identified local play area.
Of the properties, 28 are planned to be made affordable, including 20 for social rent and eight shared-ownership properties.
Cllr Catherine Pope (Lab) added: “It is actually quite refreshing somebody is coming along and they are actually going to give all of the allocations for a change, and the right amount of social affordable housing.
Another major step has been taken on plans for £20m community-led investment in Carlton and the surrounding area over the next 10 years.
The Government has signed off on Carlton’s Pride in Place submission plans for the framework for how it will use the investment, which includes using it as effectively a starting point to attract more investment in the town.
The programme will now move into delivery – marking a significant milestone in a once-in-a-generation plan shaped directly by local people.
David S Stewart OBE, Chair of the Greater Carlton Neighbourhood Board, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for Greater Carlton. This programme has been shaped by our communities, and this endorsement means we can now move forward with confidence and purpose.
“We are committed to ensuring residents remain at the heart of delivery, with visible progress that makes a real difference to people’s lives.”
“The Pride in Place programme is driven by a commitment to putting residents first, ensuring that investment reflects the real needs, ambitions and voices of the community. The plan will deliver targeted improvements across Greater Carlton, supporting safer neighbourhoods, stronger local economies, better health outcomes and increased opportunities for people of all ages.
“The approval of this plan is a clear vote of confidence in Greater Carlton and its future.
“We’ve listened carefully to what our communities have told us, and this investment will help deliver safer neighbourhoods, more opportunities for young people, stronger local centres and improved wellbeing across the borough.”
The programme will begin delivering benefits from Year 1, including support for community organisations, improvements to green spaces, investment in sports facilities, and initiatives to strengthen local retail centres and high streets.
Over time, the programme will expand to include skills development, business support, heritage investment and community-led initiatives, ensuring long-term, sustainable change across the area.
The plan forms part of a wider 10-year vision to transform Greater Carlton, improving quality of life for more than 53,000 residents who live across the area, and creating a stronger, more resilient local economy.
The programme represents a £20 million investment over 10 years and replaces the previous Long-Term Plan for Towns (LTPfT) and Plan for Neighbourhoods programmes, which have been reformed and rebranded by Government since 2024.
The NHS is advising people in Gedling borough to order any repeat prescriptions ahead of the Easter holidays and check pharmacy opening times over the long bank holiday weekend.
Pharmacies are extra busy on the run-up to and during bank holidays and opening hours may be different, so it is recommended that any repeat prescriptions should be ordered by Wednesday, March 25 at the very latest.
The NHS app can be used to request urgent repeat prescriptions and view the status of your order. If you’re on an Easter break or day out in another part of the country, you can even arrange to collect your prescription at a different pharmacy while you’re away.
Your regular pharmacy may be operating reduced hours over the bank holiday, but some pharmacies will be open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Bank Holiday Monday. You can check opening hours on the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire website: notts.icb.nhs.uk/your-health/pharmacy
Nottinghamshire County Council is set to embark on a “record-breaking” multi-million-pound project to start fixing the county’s roads – but the leader says it is still “not enough”.
The Reform-led authority has announced this March it will be investing £122.5 million into the area’s highways network in the 2026/27 financial year as part of the first phase of a “record-breaking” roads programme.
Reform has come up with a six-point plan to tackle the county’s strained and crumbling roads, focusing on prevention, permanent first-time repairs, longer-lasting materials, better value from crews and equipment, extra crews during the winter period, and lobbying for more long-term government funding.
A September 2025 survey found about 38 per cent of Nottinghamshire’s roads are in ‘poor condition’ along with more than half of all road markings being in ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ condition. The multi-million-pound investment will resurface and patch about 16 per cent of roads.
About 45 per cent of the £122.5 million money pot has come from the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), with the other 55 per cent provided by the council, through money raised in council tax and secured grants from other funders.
The authority’s leader, Mick Barton (Ref), called the funding and plan “record-breaking” and “game-changing”.
He said: “We’ve had 20 years of underfunding. The EMCCA Mayor has identified and the government’s identified, we are in a mess, but it’s still not enough.
“We’re still only just doing what we should be doing without getting a big way forward, so that’s why we’re coming up with phase two to try and get ahead of the game.
“We’re really grateful to the mayor and EMCCA, but it’s still not enough – though that’s nothing to do with the mayor.”
Councils’ assessment of roads includes something called “steady state” funding – the amount of money needed to maintain the road network in the state it currently is in.
For Nottinghamshire, it is estimated around £101 million of this money is needed per year, with the leader saying around £200 million would be needed to “get ahead of it”.
Cllr Barton clarified if the authority can manage to match the £122.5 million investment going into the county’s roads in 2026/27 over five years then the area’s highway network would be “nearly there”.
David Langford, director of highways at the council, told the LDRS: “The national [highways maintenance] backlog is about £18 billion. The time frame to clear that is estimated to take 12 years.
“We need to be realistic and manage the expectations of the community. We can make a big impact but even if we were spending £100 million, our backlog’s around £400 million, so it’s going to take time to get back on top of it.”
Included in the council’s investment programme is £82 million for road, footway, drainage and other asset maintenance, along with £8 million for transport schemes including pedestrian crossings and road safety improvements.
The county’s roads have been left in a dire state in some parts over the last winter, where part of the investment programme includes 10 winter teams working during the next winter.
Cllr Bert Bingham, cabinet member for highways, added: “We’ll have crews out there permanently, so instead of going around doing temporary fixes, either emergency fixes and dashing around during the winter, they’ll be permanently working year-round to put permanent patching in.”
Mr Langford said a “huge amount of investment” will be put into the summer months, to get the road conditions as best prepared for winter as possible. A pot of reserve money is also being set aside to tackle damage left following the next winter period.
Councillors and officers say they will be lobbying the government for more tax from road users to be pumped back into highway maintenance, where £32 billion in fuel duty and vehicle exercise duty was collected by Westminster in 2024/25 but only around £1.67 billion was allocated to local road maintenance, according to Mr Langford.
Speaking on the much-needed plans, Councillor Barton said: “I’ll start sleeping at night.
“I’ve already burst two tyres myself driving home – which I’m not claiming for – but it’ll all calm down, because that’s all people are talking about at the minute, whether you go into pub, supermarket… in a couple month’s time hopefully nobody will be talking about it.
“It’s exciting. We’ve not just got new ways of working, we’ve got new officers come with fresh ideas which is helping massively.
“We’re getting new JCB machines coming hopefully the end of April which should have a massive difference.”
Cllr Bingham said the authority will be using improved, stronger “put-down-thicker” materials on the roads, adding: “We understand we’ve got to rebuild public trust.”
Mr Langford added: “Most of our staff live in the county, it’s a case of having a bit of pride in the place you live. Staff always want to do a good job and do right by residents.”
Conservative County Councillor, Neil Clarke, who was the previous highways cabinet member, said he welcomed the funding and programme.
He said: “What the Conservatives were previously putting into plan is very similar and they’re basically carrying on what we already started – it’s welcome they’re putting extra winter teams in.
“Everyone gets complaints on the state of the roads, across the whole country. It’s something we are very keen to keep an eye on, and work towards a time where roads aren’t the number one complaint for residents.”
Cllr Clarke said a “close eye” is needed to be kept on how many temporary repairs remain compared to how many are converted into permanent long-term patch repairs and more discretion needs to be given to highway workers fixing potholes in “close vicinity” to one that has been logged.
The council already announced back in February £2 million to go towards ’emergency’ road fixes across 35 sites in the county.
Phase two of its investment programme, centred solely on highways, will be announced in due course.
Police in Gedling borough say they have been made aware of a ‘large scale incident’ that occurred at Trent Lane allotments in Burton Joyce.
It has been reported that a large amount of the sheds have been targeted by thieves with high value items being stolen.
Investigating officers say some of the allotment members have had sheds damaged resulting in financial loss for them.
A police spokesman said: “Unfortunately, some of the allotment members have not reported their sheds to be damaged or if they have had any items stolen from them, so if you are one of those members please ring this in via 101.
“If any residents are aware of any potential people and vehicles that may have been involved or if you have seen anything please get in touch via 101 and quote the current crime reference number of 26000161389.”
