Firefighters are urging residents in Gedling borough to be careful when placing magnifying objects near windows after a house fire was caused by sunlight reflecting off a make-up mirror.
Nottinghamshire firefighters were recently called to a house fire in Weston recently that started after the sun’s rays hit a magnifying make-up mirror, creating an intense beam of heat which set alight some nearby curtains.
This incident was dealt with quickly and nobody was hurt, however the Service’s Community Safety team is keen to stress that these types of fires – which can happen any time but can be more common in Spring and Autumn due to the low sun – can be avoided as long as people are careful with what they place on windowsills and near to windows.
“When we talk about magnifying objects we refer to everyday things such as fish bowls, glass ornaments, paperweights and glasses of water, as well as mirrors,” said Crew Manager Andy Oxnard, who works as part of the team.
“We would strongly advise that people avoid placing these types of objects near windows as they can potentially concentrate the sun’s rays and set fire to nearby items such as curtains, paper or clothes.
“Fortunately there was nobody injured at the fire in Weston recently, and the damage was only small, however it could have been a lot worse.”
The same crew also attended another similar incident to the one in Weston towards the end of last year. This fire, which was at a property in Muskham, started after rays from the sun were accidentally concentrated by a mirror onto some paper – which then set alight.
Andy is also advising that people have a general look at their windowsills to see if they currently have any magnifying objects on there and, if so, that they take them off where possible.
He added: “We would also urge people to make sure they have working smoke alarms in their homes in case something like this does happen and that, in such a situation, they get out, stay out and call 999
CEREMONY: Mayor of Gedling, Meredith Lawrence is joined by Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire to raise the Commonwealth flag at the Civic Centre in Arnold. Picture: Emily Beaumont
The Mayor of Gedling, Councillor Meredith Lawrence this morning raised the Commonwealth flag in Gedling borough at a ceremony at the Civic Centre in Arnold.
The borough joined thousands of people across the globe to raise the flag as part of more than 850 ceremonies celebrating Commonwealth Day 2016.
Following the ceremony, the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire read a speech from HM The Queen to an audience of council staff.
Cllr Meredith Lawrence said: “I’m very proud to be part of raising the Commonwealth flag in front of the Civic Centre. It is important to celebrate the values and unity of the Commonwealth family.”
Local train enthusiast Tony Cave has adopted both stations in Carlton and Netherfield. In his monthly column he updates us about all the latest happenings on our local railway…
LOCAL TRAIN EXPERT: Tony Cave
Annual station usage figures
25,168 passengers used Carlton Station during May 2014 to April 2015, latest figures released this week have shown. This is up from 20,298 who used the station in 13-14. 6,050 passengers used Netherfield Station during the same period.
Netherfield Station
Off-peak return tickets to Skegness are available on the 8.30am train, now that the cut-off time between peak and off peak fares at this station is 8.44am. Remember that on Saturdays the train leaves earlier at 8.48am.
Carlton
Monday to Friday peak time restrictions end at 8.30am; however, I have been told by regular passengers that they were asked to pay the peak-time fare on the 9.07am Matlock train when travelling to Nottingham or Leicester. This is incorrect and unfortunately may have deterred some who use the trains occasionally, from using them again. Let me know if you encounter this problem, as we need all the passengers we can get.
Another problem that has been mentioned to me is the interavailability of tickets between Carlton and Netherfield stations. A local arrangement sanctioned by East Midlands Trains said a ticket purchased for either station will be valid for both. It appears some staff aren’t aware of this. As it is a local arrangement it doesn’t appear in the local fares manual, and that is probably where the problem arises.
Train to Liverpool
Not many know that there is a direct train from Netherfield to Liverpool. The 8.33am Monday to Saturday is the one weekday train, whilst on Sunday it leaves at 13.22pm. A Liverpool to Norwich train also calls at Netherfield at 17.32 on Sundays only.
All change on Saturdays
From May 21, Carlton Station will get an hourly daytime train service, more or less the same as weekdays. Sadly, though, if you are going to Lincoln, it will now mean a change of trains on Saturdays. If you are going to Derbyshire though, the chance is you won’t have to change.
If you are going to Lincoln on a Saturday, you can catch a train to Newark at 8am. If you wish to go on to Lincoln there will be a 10 minute wait for a Lincoln train at Newark. After this the wait will be 30 minutes. You could go to Nottingham and catch a train directly to Lincoln from there.
Pictured are Michelle Sewell, right, and Henpicked’s Editor in Chief, Kay Garrett.
Local entrepreneur Michelle Sewell has been persuading ladies from Henpicked, the Nottingham-based online community for women over 40, to step away from their straighteners and embrace their natural, curly locks.
Michelle, 44, of the Arboretum, asked a team of Henpicked testers to try out her ‘miracle’ Maya Confident Curling and Styling Crème, designed to promote beautiful, bouncing curls without frizz. And she wanted honest answers about the results.
“I’m confident in my product and I know it works, but I also wanted some testimonials from ladies with all hair types to show that it can transform any hair,” said Michelle, a part-time business studies teacher at The Nottingham Academy.
The team of testers agreed to take a break from their endless straightening and smoothing routines, instead using Maya to give them a variety of looks, ranging from textured and tousled to gorgeous, healthy-looking curls.
“My hair is naturally curly but just looks a mess if I wear it that way,” says Henpicked editor Kay Garrett, 40. “But I tried using the Maya, both on its own and with rollers, and the results were fantastic. It’s quick and easy to use, and it also smells gorgeous!”
Henpicked contributor Jacqui Sankey agrees. ““I’m thrilled with discovering Maya. It’s lovely to find a natural product which leaves my hair feeling silky smooth and easy to manage.”
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Seddon, also a contributor to Henpicked, believes it’s transformed her grey hair.
“Wow, what a difference Maya has made to my hair,” she says. “As you get older, your hair texture changes and becomes more coarse, especially if you go grey. I have a full head of long, thick grey hair, which had also become very flyaway. Maya makes it feel smooth, look shiny and NOT greasy. An amazing product.”
Michelle is delighted with the feedback, and is using it to shape her website and promotional activity.
“Maya contains 12 natural oils and is incredibly good for any type of hair,” she said.
“Initially I designed it for mixed ethnicity hair, but as the Henpicked testers have demonstrated, it works on all hair types.”
Henpicked founder Deborah Garlick, 51, is happy that Henpicked could help Michelle by trialling and testing the product.
“It’s a fabulous product, and it really works,” she said.
“We wouldn’t hold back with our opinions and we gave Maya a big thumbs up.”
CLOSED: Pastamaster in Victoria Street, Netherfield
Fast food fans in Netherfield were this week disappointed to learn that one of the town’s busiest takeaways has closed its doors for good.
Pastamaster, which is based on in Victoria Street, now has a sign in the window announcing its immediate closure.
The sign reads: “Dear customer, by the way of intro my name is Shaz and I am the owner of Pasta Master for six years. Regrettably I am faced with new and challenging adventures ahead of me and having to close this shop
“I hope you all a peaceful and pleasant year ahead. Thank you from all Pasta Master team”
The takeaway currently has a ‘0’ rating on the Food Standards Agency website, although it states a new score was due to be awarded following a recent inspection.
ROBBERY: Police want to speak to this man about a robbery at P and P News in Netherfield
Detectives have made a fresh appeal for people to come forward with information about a robbery at a newsagent in Netherfield.
Officers are keen to speak to the man in these CCTV images in connection with the robbery at A and P News in Victoria Road, Netherfield, on Saturday, 20 February 2016.
The robbery took place when a man carrying a screwdriver and wearing dark clothing with a hood up, walked into the shop and demanded money from the till.
When the shopkeeper refused to co-operate, the man grabbed the till and smashed it onto the floor before making off with the contents.
No-one was injured in the incident.
If you recognise the man in the image or you have any information please contact police on 101 quoting incident 592 of 20 February 2016.
An amazing line up of musical talent has been announced today for this year’s Splendour Festival, the all-day summer music festival which takes place at Nottingham’s Wollaton Park on Saturday, July 23.
The Human League and UB40 – two legendary bands with an outstanding back catalogue stretching back more than 40 years – join the bill on the main stage headlined by one of the hottest artists of the moment Jess Glynne, the Grammy award winner with an unbelievable 5 UK Number 1 singles from her chart topping debut album.
Another British singer with a debut number 1 album, Jamie Lawson is next on the bill with Turin Brakes, Jeremy Loops and local Nottingham artist Ady Suleiman also announced for the main stage. Suleiman has been earmarked as one to watch, his timelessly classic yet fresh sound has garnered him a broad range of influential fans from both sides of the Atlantic. The festival will once again be championing local talent by offering the opening slot of the main stage to the winner of the hotly contested Future Sound of Nottingham battle of the bands competition.
Across the park, multi-million selling megaband The Darkness will headline the Confetti stage along with The Fratellis, The Rifles, Stiff Little Fingers, Louis Berry, These Your Children and Eyre Llew.
Headlining the Acoustic Rooms stage will be British folk singer Will Varley, who has recently sold out The Bodega and supported Frank Turner at Rock City, followed by Brad Dear, Tom McCartney, Bru-C, Ellie Keegan, Josh Wheatley, Raphael Blake and Lowrie.
HIT-MAKERS: The Human League
Over on the Funhouse Comedy stage, acts will include: John Ryan, Patrick Monahan, Ivan Brackenbury, El Baldiniho, Tom Binns, Vince Atta.
Formed in Sheffield in the late 1970s The Human League evolved into one of the seminal 80s electro pop bands. The band sold more than 20 million records and their classic pop masterpiece ‘Don’t You Want Me’ was a number one hit around the world.
Naming themselves after the unemployment benefit form, UB40 formed in 1978, before releasing their debut album ‘Signing Off’ in August 1980. It was the start of a career that has since seen the band have over forty UK Top 40 hit singles and achieve sales of over 100 million records. Led by Robin Campbell and Duncan Campbell on vocals, UB40 play Splendour for the first time following a sell-out show at Rock City in 2014.
British singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson is quickly making his mark on the music industry, as the first artist signed to Ed Sheeran’s record label, Gingerbread Man Records. In the whirlwind that followed, Jamie toured with Ed across the world and supported One Direction on their final full UK arena tour. His self-titled album reached #1 in the UK and has sold over a quarter of a million copies worldwide.
After a fantastic sell out show at Rock City in December, three-times Brit award winners The Darkness will be bringing some glam rock to the Confetti stage. Revellers can expect a high-energy set, full of remarkably catchy material, and unapologetic worship of old-school rock & roll including their classic “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”.
Scottish rockers The Fratellis will bring their turbo charged indie guitar tunes including top 10 hit singles “Chelsea Dagger” and “Whistle For The Choir”.
2015 saw indie band The Rifles mark the ten year anniversary of their debut album ‘No Love Lost’ with four triumphant sold out Electric Ballroom shows in London and 2016 will see the release of their 5th album.
Punk rock stalwarts Stiff Little Fingers take to the stage before hotly tipped Liverpool-born singer-songwriter Louis Berry will take things in a soulful direction with his gritty rock ‘n’ roll with soul. Louis has won praise from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, John Kennedy at Radio X and Zane Lowe.
George Akins, owner, DHP Family, said: “We’re delighted to bring bands to Splendour that have contributed so much to the musical heritage in this country. Once again, we’re confident that our mix of music legends along with some of the hottest artists of the moment will make it a winning day out for everyone, whatever their age or musical taste.”
Recognised as the city’s biggest summer day out and shortlisted in the final three for Best Festival in the national Live Music Business awards, organisers DHP Family and Nottingham City Council are keen to replicate the success of last year which saw 20,000 festival goers sprawled across Wollaton Park. With lots happening all over the park aside from the three music stages, including comedy in the courtyard, a kids’ area and entertainers out and about in the crowd, the festival is a fantastic day out for all the family.
Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “We’re pleased to announce a great line-up for Splendour Festival that I think Nottingham people will love. Splendour really is the highlight of the summer and with acts like Jess Glynne, The Human League, UB40 and The Darkness, tickets are sure to sell fast. Splendour truly offers something for all tastes in music, and with the comedy stage and kids’ area it’s a really fun family day out.”
Splendour has also partnered with the multi-award winning radio station Gem. As well as activity on the day of the festival, they’ll cover all the line-up announcements and offer the chance to win tickets over the coming months. Their breakfast presenters Sam & Amy will be at Splendour soaking up the sunshine (fingers crossed), and are both looking forward to it after last year!
Gem’s Sam said: “Splendour is the highlight of the year for Nottingham; relaxing in the sun, listening to music, you can’t beat it. Amy and I can’t wait to be there again this year, we’re very excited Gem is involved again.”
Tickets for Splendour are on sale now. Children under 11 will once again be admitted free, and City Card discounts are also in place for Nottingham residents. A standard ticket is £45, coming down to £35 when the City Card discount is applied. Young people aged 11-17 with a City Card are £20 while tickets for young people with a County Card are £35. VIP packages are also available starting from £50.
Tickets can be purchased from all the main ticketing sites or in person from locations around the city such as Nottingham Tourism Centre; Royal Concert Hall and Nottingham City Council leisure centres.
Gedling borough will join thousands of people across the globe to raise a Commonwealth Flag as part of more than 850 ceremonies celebrating Commonwealth Day 2016.
Flags will be raised in locations throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, UK Overseas Territories and Commonwealth countries at 10am on Monday, March 14.
FLYING HIGH: The Commonwealth flag
The Mayor of Gedling Cllr Meredith Lawrence will raise the Commonwealth Flag for Gedling at the Civic Centre in Arnold.
He will be joined by the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, who will read a speech from HM The Queen to an audience of council staff.
Cllr Meredith Lawrence said: “I’m very proud to be part of raising the Commonwealth flag in front of the Civic Centre. It is important to celebrate the values and unity of the Commonwealth family.”
Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth said: “Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth is a most imaginative way for people in local communities – wherever they live, learn or work – to join together with others throughout the Commonwealth in a spirit of respect and understanding to celebrate the variety and unmatched diversity of our global family.”
A new travel smartcard launched in the city late last year is being hailed as a huge success.
The Robin Hood Pay as You Go smartcard, which is available from vending machines at bus stops in Arnold and Netherfield, has been taken up by more than 3,500 people since its launch back in December 2015.
Bus and tram passengers based in the borough who use the card are charged on the basis of the trips actually made, with joint fare deals for journeys involving more than one transport provider.
The cards can also be used on all main bus, tram and park and ride services.
Councillor Nick McDonald, Portfolio Holder for Growth, Jobs and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “Although very much operating in a trial period, the Robin Hood card is proving to be a popular day-rate option. Further planned improvements will allow the Robin Hood card to become an even more flexible and cost-effective way to travel. The increase in the number of vending machines means that it is easier now to buy cards – even outside the city.”
The Robin Hood card can be used on Nottingham Express Transit (tram), Nottingham City Transport (NCT), including Pathfinder and South Notts buses, Kinchbus, Trent Barton and the City Council’s Linkbus network (including park and ride) within the Greater Nottingham boundary.
The following fares will be applied to trips made on a given day:
closure.
