A driver from Bestwood was still over the drink-drive limit when he crashed into two parked cars the morning after he had been drinking.
Joseph Storey, of Larch Close, Bestwood, was disqualified from driving for 15 months after pleading guilty to drink driving at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (June 1 2018).
He was also given a £150 fine, ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £30 victim surcharge.
The 23-year-old was arrested shortly after 7.50am on Saturday 20 January when he crashed his car into two parked cars in Chesterfield Road North, Mansfield.
He escaped uninjured having provided a sample of 59ug when the legal limit is 35 (in 100ml of breath).
Police Sergeant Tony Rungay who attended the scene said: “This highlights the importance of drivers being incredibly cautious about getting behind the wheel the morning after a heavy night.
“The alcohol was still in Storey’s system and he was not fit to drive. It is so dangerous to take this risk, the entire windscreen of his car was forced out from the impact and he is lucky that his actions didn’t result in serious injury or worse.”
A new state-of-the-art £21m mental health services hub for children, young people and families, was opened to patients today in Woodthorpe.
Hopewood is Nottinghamshire Heathcare’s new 40-bed site on Mansfield Road in Nottingham which offers specialist inpatient care and support for adolescents and perinatal women experiencing acute mental health difficulties that can no longer be managed in the community.
It is also the base for the Trust’s community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and perinatal services.
Hopewood includes The Lookout Adolescent Unit, a 32 bed inpatient facility, which provides 20 more CAMHS beds than previously available. This includes a 12 bed specialist eating disorders ward and an eight-bed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), the first of their kind for young people in the East Midlands.
Also on site is The Lookout Education Centre, provided by Nottingham City Council, which supports young people to continue their education whilst admitted to the unit. The Pebble Bridge Community CAMHS Centre is also based at Hopewood.
Perinatal services are based in Green Haven at Hopewood, including inpatient and community perinatal services. The Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit, which has increased from 6 to 8 beds, provides vital support for mums who have serious mental health problems shortly before or after having a baby.
All inpatient wards have single ensuite bedrooms, providing privacy and dignity, and access to communal areas, day spaces, private gardens and additional green space set within Hopewood’s grounds.
The facilities also include new clinic and consultation rooms offering space for one to one or group therapy, with services delivered by a range of dedicated and highly skilled staff.
Ruth Hawkins, chief executive at Nottinghamshire Healthcare, said: “We are immensely proud to open Hopewood. This fantastic and incredibly important facility demonstrates our commitment to the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and perinatal mums. Providing this significant increase in beds means that more young people and women can be treated locally, staying close to their homes, families and communities.
“Hopewood has been developed with patients, their families and our dedicated staff to ensure the facilities meet their needs and to create an environment where people are able to receive support, inspire hope and help them on their journey to recovery. This is a major investment in local mental health services, which will have such a positive impact on the lives of so many.”
Hopewood is located on an existing Trust site on Mansfield Road in Nottingham. It replaces the Thorneywood Adolescent Unit on Porchester Road in Nottingham and the Mother and Baby Unit previously based at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
In the very near future Nottinghamshire Healthcare will be launching the Hopewood Appeal, in partnership with Nottingham Hospitals Charity, to raise funds to further enhance the environment and facilities for patients.
The chairman and manager of Carlton Town have heaped praise on a scheme running at the club for youngsters which combines football and education.
The Millers signed up to the Norther Premier League Football Academy (NPLFA) programme back in November 2016 and it has already produced four players for the first team.
The scheme, which is aimed at 16-19 year olds, gives players the opportunity to achieve a BTEC or NVQ during classroom sessions with teammates, train three-four days a week with an experienced UAFA qualified coach and also play for Carlton Town in the NPLFA league and FA Youth Cup.
The best players will then hopefully progress into The Millers’ first team.
The NPLFA programme is the brainchild of long-time former Radcliffe Borough boss Kevin Glendon, and runs in conjunction with the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League.
Carlton Town chairman, Mick Garton, said he is delighted to see the programme grow so rapidly in such a short space of time
He said: “The NPLFA programme has only brought positive affects to our club, from bringing the local community together, the extra financial income and attracting youngsters from the local area to the club and providing them with an education. The added bonus is producing players four our first team which is great for us.”
“We have been delighted to have four students make their first team debuts this season, the manager (Wayne Scott) works closely with the academy coach Evan Garnett and they communicate on a weekly basis.
“The more players we can get from the academy the better. We are not like a Premier League club in regards to the finances, which are tight, we want to develop our own players.”
Mr Garton added: “I believe this is a fantastic thing the NPLFA are doing, it’s what this level of football is crying out for. Opportunities are limited at the top clubs, so we are in more of a position to provide chances and create more opportunities. We’re the next step for them. As well as the football, for our local lads to be here at the club and gaining an education all the way up to degree level is great.”
First-team manager Wayne Scott also praised the scheme.
He said: “With UEFA qualified coaches, the quality of football is excellent but to get an education as well make it a fantastic programme and the work in the classroom is the most important aspect of the Academy.
“Young fifteen/sixteen year olds coming to us, now have a clear vision for up to five years with the degree course on offer which can only benefit themselves, our club and the NPL Football Academy.”
A group of nature vigilantes are continuing with their fight to get one of our local waterways back from the grip of the aggressive Himalayan balsam.
Volunteers yesterday began to tackle the balsam problem on the Ouse dyke, which runs through the borough, at its source.
The balsam bashers targeted a section of the dyke which crosses Mapperley golf course. This site is a big reservoir for the balsam and the seeds from here are then transported downstream to produce next year’s plants.
WATCH OUT BALSAM, WE’RE COMING FOR YOU: (l to r) Chris Jackson, Cllr Nicki Brooks, Paul Sergent, Virginia Cooper, Jack Dennison and Richard Bissett).MENACE: Himalayan Balsam
He said: “Balsam is a huge problem on the Ouse dyke. It is an aggressive invasive species and crowds out our native plants and wildlife.
“The Gedling Conservation Trust, as part of the Waterside Care initiative, is determined to clear this pest species from the dyke to help restore it for the wildlife that should be seen there.
“We are pleased to be able to tackle the very source of the problem and would like to say a big thank you to the golf course staff who help facilitate the work and who understand its importance.”
The Trust are now on the lookout for more balsam bashers and also volunteers who want to get involved in their other conservation projects.
Mr Glover added: “We are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with this vital work as well as with other conservation projects at our nature reserve – the Netherfield Lagoons. People can find out more details on our Facebook page.”
The next balsam bash session will be back at the dyke tomorrow (Sunday 3) at 2.30 pm, meeting at the end of Teal Close where is crosses the dyke. All are welcome.
A large brewery group has pledged to do everything it can to find a new landlord for a popular pub in Gedling.
Shutters went up on The Phoenix in Shelford Road on Wednesday (May 30) but it appears that the pub has been closed for a few weeks.
A posting on their public Facebook page from May 23 read: “As most of you know The Phoenix is closed we don’t know what is happening to it. We’d would like to say thank you for the good times and the memories we will keep with us. Thank you all for your continued custom and all the best for the future we will miss you all”
PICTURED: The Phoenix before the shutters went up (PHOTO: Google)LAST ORDERS: The shutters go up on The Phoenix (PHOTO: Jo Burton/Facebook)
A spokesperson from Ei Publican Partnerships told Gedling Eye: “We can confirm that The Phoenix, Gedling is currently closed. We’d like to reassure the local community that we aim to reopen the pub as soon as possible.”
Do you have memories of The Phoenix? If so, let us know in the comments section below
A Carlton firm is planning to double its workforce after securing a number of key contracts.
A number of new business wins has led contact centre solutions company Mpl Contact to increase its workforce by more than a half.
MPL Contact, which is based at Carlton Business and Technology Centre on Station Road, offers outsourced, overflow and out of hours call handling.
The firm has already recruited for 50 new employees across a range of full-time and part-time roles, from contact centre agents to management positions, over the last three months and now has 140 staff working for the business.
The influx comes as Mpl Contact announces a record year, with a turnover of £4m.
CEO Paul Macildowie said: “We are happy to announce a record year in 2018, and are especially pleased that recent business wins and existing client growth allows us to continue to play an important role in the community as a local employer, particularly as our recruitment is mainly for permanent positions and therefore stable employment opportunities.
DELIGHTED: Chief executive, Paul Macildowie
“Our people are the key to our success and we look forward to another great year as Mpl Contact goes from strength to strength. There’s no doubt that continued growth will lead to us launching another recruitment drive later in the year.”
Nigel Blackburn has joined the company with over 18 years’ experience in the industry, taking on the role of operations manager. He said: “I’m really pleased to have joined Mpl Contact at this exciting time of growth in the business. I have experience managing contact centres with up to 300 seats and have worked with a number of high profile businesses including Prudential, Churchill Insurance, RBS and more recently Pendragon Plc.
“The opportunity to be right at the start of this planned period of sustained growth was a major factor in attracting me to the business. In the few weeks that I’ve been here it’s easy to see the fast-paced nature of the business, the great staff in place already and the culture of empowerment to make things happen.”
Mpl Contact, which has been providing outsourced contact centre services since 1994, was bought by Paul Macildowie and Peter Newbold in June 2013.
The firm has recently won three new contracts to provide its services to multi-channel retail business Scotts and Co, consultancy and business services provider Interserve and commercial laundry, catering and heating equipment supplier JLA.
Police investigating an assault in Gunthorpe are making a fresh appeal for witnesses.
Officers are continuing to investigating an assault in Lowdham Road on Saturday, May 12 at around 11pm.
During the incident a 44-year-old man suffered a serious facial injury following the altercation with two other people.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: “It started inside a moving vehicle which pulled up on Lowdham Road, where the group got out and continued fighting.
“It’s believed a passer-by stopped and tried to intervene and there would have been other motorists who drove past and may have seen what happened.”
If you have any information, please call police on 101 quoting incident 988 of 12 May. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Energy customers in Gedling borough are being urged to switch suppliers to avoid overpaying on their bills by hundreds of pounds, as price hikes come into force from this week.
New analysis from Which? magazine has found that nine million Big Six energy customers could beat what critics have dubbed as ‘price hike fortnight’ and some could save over four hundred pounds by switching to a better value deal.
Four of the Big Six energy firms will be hiking their energy prices on their standard variable tariffs, if they haven’t already, in the next few weeks. SSE will also be getting in on the action by increasing its standard tariffs in July.
SSE customers will see the biggest price increase, as British households on its standard tariff can expect their gas and electricity bills to cost an average £76 more per year.
The firm announced a 6.7% price rise this week, to come into force on 11 July, meaning customers will pay £1,196 per year on average.
Overall, Npower customers will still be paying the most, as its price increase of £64 – 5.5% – will mean customers on its standard tariff will pay £1,230 per year on average from 17 June.
According to Which?, Npower customers on its standard tariff could save up to £434 by switching to the cheapest deal on the market- Utility Point’s variable tariff at £797 per year- or £268 by switching to Npower’s own cheapest tariff.
British Gas’ price hike came into effect on May 29, with four million of its dual-fuel standard tariff customers seeing their bill rise from £1,101 to £1,161 on average per year.
This is an increase of 5.5% or £60 a year – £364 more than the cheapest deal on the market. This makes British Gas’ standard tariff the fourth most expensive of the Big Six firms after NPower, Scottish Power and SSE, once all price rises have come into effect.
Households who are keen to stay loyal to British Gas could still save £113 if they ask it for the best deal available.
As of the 1 June, Scottish Power customers on its standard tariff will see their bills increase by an average of £63 a year, an increase of 5.5% bringing its standard tariff to £1,211 on average per year.
Affecting more than one million households, this increase will make its standard tariff cost £414 more than the cheapest deal on the market and £100 more than Scottish Power’s own cheapest tariff.
Over a million EDF customers will also be subject to a price increase – with this one coming into effect on the 7 June.
Customers on the firm’s standard tariff will see their electricity bills increase by 1.4%, or £16 a year, taking this SVT to a total of £1,158 for the average user. This takes EDF’s dual fuel standard tariff to £361 more than the cheapest deal on the market and £167 more than EDF’s own cheapest available deal.
Eon has not announced a price increase. However, it back in March it said that it was cutting dual-fuel and paperless discounts from its bills and increasing its standing charge for some customers. This will mean some customers pay £30 more a year – leading to an average annual bill of £1,153.
Many of the energy companies have blamed rising policy, network and wholesale energy costs for their price increases.
Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home Products and Services, said: “Energy customers tired of being slapped with eye-watering energy bills can take the power back into their own hands and radically change how much they pay, simply by choosing a better deal.
“Before the energy price cap comes into effect later this year, anyone still suffering on a poor value standard tariff should take five minutes to compare and switch as they could potentially save up to £434 a year.”
Developers have submitted their latest plans for a new medical facility in Netherfield to Gedling Borough Council.
The new surgery, which would be based on Ashwell Street, would see ‘ the construction of a new medical centre and pharmacy, including associated car and cycle parking facilities, sub-station and landscaping.
Assura, has been chosen as the developer who will construct the new surgery.
Senior development manager, Andrew Cooper, said: “With more patients using this surgery and with significant new housing growth expected to continue, the GPs need a building which can offer them flexibility and more space for the future – especially given the NHS’ strong focus on delivering a bigger range of services closer to home.”
Subject to planning permission, it is hoped the new medical centre would be completed by the end of 2019.
A tough action plan has been agreed between police, Gedling Borough Council and Vernon Coaker MP to tackle knife crime in Arnold after three stabbings in just two days.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, John Clarke; deputy leader of Gedling Borough Council, Micheal Payne and MP for Gedling, Vernon Coaker met with the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police and senior police officers to discuss and agree how to respond to genuine concerns of local residents following the recent incidents.
An action plan was agreed at the meeting and plans include:
Accelerating the establishment of a police base at the Council offices in Arnold
Gedling Borough Council will invest in additional CCTV and improved lighting in and around the Arnold area
Gedling Borough Council to invest in increased Neighbourhood Warden presence across the borough.
Neighbourhood Wardens will be granted extra powers to approach people on the streets, they will also have access to police radios and police briefings.
Gedling Borough Council has committed to work with Nottinghamshire Police and help fund work in schools across Gedling to educate young people about knife crime.
The local neighbourhood policing team and Gedling Borough Council are also carrying out youth engagement work across the borough – this work will be expanded and strengthened.
The Council has now applied for funding from the recently announced Home Office community Fund to help tackle knife crime locally.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said the meeting had been very productive.
He said: “I’d like to thank the Chief Constable and his fellow police officers for attending today.
“Today’s meeting has set out some clear actions that should reassure residents that we are all doing everything we can to make our streets safer.
“We work closely with Nottingham Police and the actions agreed today will further strengthen this relationship.”
Mr Coaker has now called on The Government to ensure the area receives a fair share of this fund.
He said: “There is an urgent need for the Prime Minister and her Government to wake up to problems facing communities across the country. Government cuts to our police force have gone too far and done damage.
“I will be writing to the Home Secretary demanding additional funding for our police to focus on crime hot spot areas and more police on our streets.
“I will also be writing to the Justice Secretary demanding the courts hand out tougher sentences to anyone caught in possession of a knife. We understand from our police colleagues that all too often the courts are giving frequent chances to those caught in possession of a knife. This is simply not acceptable. The Government must introduce tougher sentences for knife crime and the courts must use them.
He added: “Arnold is a great place to live and work and our message is clear – we will not allow a small minority to spoil things for the law abiding majority.”
Nottinghamshire Police has already charged two individuals for the recent incidents – they will now be brought before the courts.
Additional officers have also increased patrols in recent days and there will be additional police officers in and around Arnold going forward.
