A planning application has been submitted to transform a former restaurant in Netherfield into new accommodation.
The proposals submitted to Gedling Borough Council would see the ground floor of the former Fire and Spice restaurant in Victoria Road being turned into nine-bedroomed shared apartment.
The first and second floor currently consist of six-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments.
In the planning application submitted by owner Fariba Sezavar, reads: “Mrs Sezavar had a number of short term tenants in the restaurant. The tenants cannot make the business work in this location which has meant there have been a lot of tenants in a short amount of time. Each one of the tenants has defaulted on their rent leaving Mrs Sezavar short on rent and with a vacant ground floor restaurant.
“The residential accommodation at first and second floor level however is very successful as many people in this area are looking for affordable accommodation.
“We believe the ground floor could create residential accommodation that is desired in this area and keep this building relevant to the community it serves.
The restaurant, which won favourable reviews from local customers, closed back in June.
A decision on the application is expected shortly.
A Newstead pub is hoping to reunite former miners from two of the county’s collieries at an event in December.
The Pit Micropub is inviting past pit workers from Newstead and Annesley Colliery to the reunion night on Saturday, December 16.
The event takes place between 5pm and 8pm at the venue based on Tilford Road.
Free sandwiches and nibbles will be on offer during the event.
Th pub’s landlady Lorraine Horrocks said: “Did you work at either Newstead or Annesley Colliery? Then this event is especially for you. It will be a chance to get together and reminisce with old friends and workmates.
“We want former miners to come and visit the pub and see our mining memorabillia and photos. We also want people to bring along their own photos and memories too.
“Please spread the word and lets make this an evening to remember.”
Staff working for an Arnold care service are celebrating after earning a rare ‘outstanding’ rating in its latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.
The rating was given to the Caring aspect of the service delivered by Respectful Care’s Nottingham North branch following its Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.
Respectful Care, which provides domiciliary care to support people in their own homes, has five branches, including the Nottingham North office in Arnold.
The CQC inspector visited the branch in August, looking at what the branch does, talking to staff and getting information and views from clients.
And in the report that followed the inspection, Caring was rated as Outstanding, and the remaining categories of Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led all gained a Good mark.
Karl Overton, who is managing director of the branch, said: “For a branch that is just two years old, this is a proud moment. We’re already hitting the high standards that we set out to achieve.”
Respectful Care CEO and Co-Founder Scott Marsh said: “This is fantastic news for the branch and the Respectful Care family.
“Karl and his professional team have raised the bar and we are incredibly proud of what they have achieved.”
Scott adds that in discussions with the inspector, the inspector was overwhelmed with how good the service was, given that the branch is relatively new.
The inspector told him that inspecting the branch was “like a breath of fresh air” and that it had done “phenomenally well”.
There were many highlights in the report, including this comment: “People found the care staff to be kind, and caring; they understood their needs and listened to and acted upon their views. There was a strong emphasis on ensuring that people were always treated with dignity and respect.”
In his latest book covering the history of some of the borough’s best known towns and villages, local author and historian Bob Massey shares the story of Bestwood Lodge servant girl Mary Cooper – a maid who went from making beds to making headlines…
Mary Cooper was born in Calverton back in 1851 and at 19 she became a servant at Bestwood Lodge.
In the course of her duties in the kitchen she met William Foster who was a farmer and market gardener at Gringley on the Hill in north Nottinghamshire.
William delivered vegetables to the lodge and they became friends.
Mary also met James Ramm who she married in 1876. However after about a year they separated and James joined the army. This was short lived as he deserted the following year. He made no contact with Mary, their friends or family and she never heard from him again.
Mary continued in service becoming housemaid to Fredrick Topham, a lace manufacturer, at his house in Wellington Square, Lenton. It was here in 1887, now 36, she again made the acquaintance of William Foster. Foster started to court her as she considered herself free, having heard nothing of her husband for 10 years.
LEGAL: 19th century artwork capturing a former couple discussing with a solicitor about a Breach of Promise agreement
By 1889, Cooper had moved back to Calverton and William proposed. Mary accepted, on condition that they consult a solicitor to find out about her husband. They discovered that as noone had heard from him for more than seven years he was considered legally dead, so William and Mary were free to marry. Divorce was just about impossible at that time.
Plans went ahead for the wedding, with Mary constantly visiting William and staying with him. They exchanged many letters where William professed his love and his desire to marry Mary.
On June 25, 1889, Mary and her sister visited William to make the final arrangements for the wedding – or so they thought. To their great surprise, William made the shock announcement that he had just married someone else! Stunned – they both left very distressed.
AUTHOR: Bob Massey
Mary soon discovered she was pregnant with William’s child, so took him to court for breach of promise.
From at least the Middle Ages until the early 20th century, a man’s promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract. If the man were to subsequently change his mind, he would be said to be in “breach” of this promise and subject to litigation for damages.
William did not defend the case, in fact he did not even appear in court.
With witness evidence and William’s letters, Justice Stephens and the jury soon found in Mary’s favour.
The Judge stated that William was well aware of Mary’s marriage and all the facts surrounding the case and that her husband had been declared dead so he had no grounds for going back on his promise. He had treated her very badly taking advantage of her and leading her on when he also had some one else to whom he was paying attention.
The judge therefore awarded damages of £30 with full court costs stating that she would also have a strong case for paternity of the child.
You can read more about this story and many more in Snippets from History Vol 3 by Bob Massey which is on sale from November 11. This is the third collection of stories from Arnold, Mapperley and the villages. All three books are available from The Bookcase in Main Street, Lowdham, Five Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham, and MSR New in Front Street, Arnold. They are priced at £4.95 each. For more information email: bob.m.massey@gmail.com
Police are appealing for information after two mountain bikes were stolen from outside a sports centre in Carlton.
The bikes, which were padlocked together and secured to a post, were taken from outside the Carlton Forum Sports Centre in Coningswath Road between 10am and midday on October 24.
PICTURED: These bikes were taken from outside Carlton Forum
One of the bikes – a Voodoo Bantu – is electric blue and dark grey in colour with distinctive thick electric blue coloured wheels. The other bike – a B’Twin – is black and blue.
Anyone who recognises the bikes or who has any information is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 411 of 24 October 2017.
A man has today been convicted of murdering an 18-year-old in Mapperley Park on Good Friday.
Nathan Towsey, 21, of Braunton Crescent in Gedling appeared at Nottingham Crown Court today (3) following an 11-day trial.
He was arrested after Matthew Rothery, of Woodborough Road, suffered a fatal stab wound at around 1am on Friday 14 April 2017.
Officers, who had been called by the ambulance service, found Matthew Rothery in a critical condition and treated him until paramedics arrived. He was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre but sadly passed away shortly afterwards.
An investigation was immediately launched by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Major Crime Team and Towsey was subsequently arrested, charged and remanded into custody.
He pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to possession of an offensive weapon. He denied the murder all along, claiming that he’d been set up and that he was acting in self-defence.
During the trial, the court heard how Matthew was at his flat when the defendant Towsey arrived with two of Matthew’s friends.
There was a dispute between Matthew and Towsey over a bike he had previously borrowed which is when Towsey took out a knife and stabbed the victim. A witness in court stated that he stabbed his the leg and then attacked him again causing a defence injury to his arm before fleeing the address.
A post mortem revealed that Matthew Rothery had been stabbed twice (once in the leg and once in the arm) and attempts had been made to attack him again. The fatal blow was a wound to the knee which had cut a vital artery.
Detective Inspector Justine Wilson said: “This tragic case is one example of the devastating consequences of knife crime. A young man has needlessly lost his life.
“The court heard how Nathan Towsey was a low level street drug dealer and one who saw this as an opportunity to assert his control and inflict fear. This callous attack has devastated Matthews family who have lost a son, brother, cousin and nephew.
“Nottinghamshire Police is committed to working with our partners and communities to reduce knife crime and the harm it can cause. We would encourage families to speak to their loved ones about the carrying of knives and remind people of the Crimestoppers service where they can anonymously report people who persistently carry them.”
Matthew’s mum Sharron Hartfield said: “The man who killed my son has today been convicted. This does not bring me any peace but it does bring some measure of justice for Matthew. My only hope for the future is that another family does not have to suffer the same as we have.
“Young men carrying and using knives is unforgiveable and devastating and this needs to be addressed in our society and legal system. It is not and can never be acceptable as the cost of such actions comes at far too high a price.”
“Matthew was a cheeky, loving, kind hearted, affectionate son. He was a born entertainer, he loved life and everyone around him, I adored him as did his family. He was idolised by his younger brother and sister. To them he was awesome and funny and silly and they had the purest of love for him.”
“He was not perfect and he tried to push boundaries but he had a heart of gold and would help anyone. He was still trying to find his way, his place, in life but he will now never have that opportunity.”
Nathan Towsey is due to be sentenced on Tuesday (7 November 2017).
As workplaces across the borough start thinking about venues for this year’s Christmas party the Food Standards Agency are encouraging organisers to ‘look before they book’.
The Agency are urging people to only book restaurants and venues that take food hygiene seriously.
Nina Purcell, Director of Local Delivery at the FSA, said: “You need to consider a lot of things when picking the perfect venue for your Christmas party and you’re usually not short of opinions from work colleagues, but please don’t forget about the food hygiene rating.
“It’s very easy to check on our website or just ask the business. We recommend food businesses with at least a ‘3’ and most food businesses are achieving this.
She added: “There are plenty of potential regrets at the work Christmas party, but you can help to ensure food poisoning isn’t one of them.”
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is run by local authorities in England, Northern Ireland and Wales and applies to all food businesses including restaurants, pubs, and cafes.
Each business is given their hygiene rating when it is inspected by a food safety officer from the business’s local authority. They will check how well the business is meeting the law by looking at:
how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored;
the condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities;
and how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe.
At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings from ‘0-5’. The top rating of ‘5’ means that the business was found to have ‘very good’ hygiene standards. Any business should be able to reach this top rating.
We have all felt shy or under confident in meetings or at social gatherings. Maybe we have dreaded walking into a room full of strangers or just experienced an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness. We all differ in how reserved or outgoing we are and what kind of situation or people we find most difficult to deal with.
Social anxiety is much more than this as it can stop us from enjoying things we take for granted, and for some people it even restricts their use of the phone or leaving the house.
Social anxiety disorder is a persistent and overwhelming fear or anxiety about social situations where we may become embarrassed. This fear or anxiety is way out of proportion to the actual threat posed at that point. We tend to be self-conscious and worried about whether others might be judging us. We will think and dissect past incidents and worry about what we did, who saw us and what that means to everyone else.
This can lead to panic attacks, a fear of shame or humiliation which is too great to deal with or frustration, loneliness and a low mood. All of this stops us from going out or isolates us from support which makes us criticize ourselves even more. This results in our self-esteem dropping and a vicious circle is created.
We develop safety behaviours, such as trying not be noticed, staying in the background, being quiet and not contributing, or maybe drinking to calm ourselves and not making eye contact with anyone else. All of this is stopping us from finding out how we could cope if we faced our fears, as it keeps us distant and we appear stand-offish or look like we are not making an effort.
But, ironically most of us know our social anxiety is irrational, and is not based on fact or experience but we simply cannot make it go away.
All of this distracts us and makes us unable to concentrate, avoid eye contact which makes us look like we are not concentrating or connecting with people. We remain silent and do not contribute. We miss appointments and events that affect our well-being and, if we do speak, we talk excessively to cover up our anxiety.
Physically we are affected by symptoms such as shaking & tremors, dry mouth & closed throat, racing heart, panic attacks, headache, grinding teeth, nervous stomach or even IBS and uncontrollable crying.
All of this makes us really focus on ourselves and our perceived thoughts. We judge ourselves harshly if we are shaking or there is any sign of our anxiety. This of course, makes everything worse, as we become self-conscious, we don’t focus on others around us and eventually we feel we are no good in social situations, thus lowering our self-esteem and increasing our fear.
So what can cause social anxiety? Anything at all, but some key examples are eating in front of others, going to parties, starting a conversation, contributing to a meeting or in a classroom, shopping, talking to authority figures, exercising or simply leaving the house.
There is not a great deal of research into the causes of social anxiety but it is often started by some form of negative experience like abuse, conflict or bullying.
Anxiety can run in families but it’s not thought to be genetic but learnt from parents as a way to deal with situations.
As children we can also develop anxiety if we were brought up in an over protective way or in a very controlled environment. If, as a child, we were shy and under-confident we are at a higher chance of developing social anxiety too. Our brain may play a part too as the amygdala controls the fear response and if this is overactive we may have a heightened fear response, causing increased anxiety. Sadly if we have something about our appearance that draws attention to us, like stuttering or a disfigurement, we again have a higher chance of developing social anxiety.
We often find coping mechanisms for our social anxiety that are destructive, such as alcohol, drugs, and left untreated social anxiety can lead to self-harm or suicide.
There are some things that we can do to help ourselves; and we need to recognise unhelpful or even destructive thoughts –
Mind reading –assuming we know what others are thinking about us and that its negative
What if… thinking or obsessing about what if’s ‘what if I make an idiot of myself?’ ‘What if I can think of anything to say?’
Labels – believing only negative things about ourselves – ‘I am so dull, ‘I am going to be a flop in this interview’
It’s my fault – taking to heart or personally situations that are out of our control e.g. if our friends are quiet today it’s something we have done
Crystal ball – predicting the future especially about all the things that could go wrong before we get to the event/interview etc.
We can learn methods to challenge these thoughts. Firstly we need ask ourselves
Is there evidence that contradicts the thought?
Can we identify what kind of thought it is from the list above?
What are the benefits from thinking like this and what is the cost to us?
Is this my voice saying this or is it something we heard in the past that has become our thought now?
Will it matter in 6 months’ time?
What would those people who care about us say about our thoughts right now?
Using these helps us to come up with a more realistic thought process – e.g. ‘I met my brother’s new girlfriend last week and it went ok, we did not run out of things to say. I f I am a bit quiet meeting the new guy at work its ok. It’s not the end of the world’
Keeping a thought diary for at least a month often helps us to find our triggers, listing the situation, the thoughts and emotions and then afterwards looking at the reality of our thoughts and coming up with new balanced thoughts, which gives us a way of practicing and reforming our thought process.
When we get in to anxiety making social situations there are a few things we can do there and then:
Spend less time focusing on physical sensations
Remember we may be anxious but we can still be performing or appearing ok
Concentrate on the conversations around us
Remember we do not have to fill the silences in conversations , other people can do this too
We do not have to perform perfectly or be the centre of attention, we can just be there and join in and be ok
We should stop replaying what was said or who did what in our heads and just be present in the moment
Of course, this can be difficult and sometimes we need help to challenge our thoughts, our safety behaviours and our fears. CBT is a great place to start as it will help you challenge your thoughts, emotions and behaviours. Also, look for exposure therapy too as this helps us go out and face our fears one step at a time.
Drinks giant Coca-Cola has announced its world-famous Christmas truck will be visiting Netherfield next month.
The touring red truck will stop off at Victoria Retail Park on December 8 between 11am and 7pm.
FESTIVE: The Coca-Cola Christmas trick will visit Victoria Retail Park on December 8
Netherfield is one of 42 towns being visited across the country during the festive tour.
Featuring a whopping 8,772 fairy lights and playing the ‘Holidays are Coming’ jingle, it will attract fans from across the borough.
Those coming out to see the famous festive vehicle will be treated to free 150ml cans of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Classic.
Christmas fans can also get involved with the festive campaign on Twitter using the #HolidaysAreComing emoji throughout December and share a picture on Snapchat or Instagram, using the Coca-Cola festive filters.
A young boxer from Sherwood this week made a name for himself on the national stage while representing local club Arnold School of Boxing in a nationwide tournament.
20-year-old Kyle Birkett, from Sherwood, 20, who is currently the East Midlands champion, recently made it through to the national development semi-finals.
Kyle traveled to Liverpool to take on local boxer David Thompson of Golden Gloves ABC .
Kyle boxed a very composed three rounds using his jab very well.
Thompson, who is a very tall and awkward boxer, boxed on the outside. He was dedicated a point after multiple warnings by the ref for holding.
In the end, Kyle lost on a very close points decision which on another day could have gone to the Arnold boxer.
Kyle has proven himself on a national stage and will be now be pushing for more honours this season.
