Our readers from across the borough give their weekly take on the biggest issues impacting Gedling and beyond.
You can write a letter of your own to us by filling in the simple form below, and it may appear online.
Some letters refer to past correspondence which can be found by clicking HERE. Join the debate by email. Send your letter to letters@gedlingeye.co.uk and put ‘Letters’ in the subject line.
Names and addresses will be withheld by request but must be included in the email.We reserve the right to edit letters.
Depressed by eroding countryside around me
All I ever see is concrete and tarmac, my countryside is being eroded and it is causing me great distress.
I live in Netherfield and can walk so far and used to enjoy a visit to Netherfield Lagoons, but now I despair as I gaze to towards the Trent and see that new estate to my left. All those fields – GONE!
A walk down Colwick Loop Road and my view of Gedling House and the Woods will soon be blocked by another new estate, with even more to come.
I have no fields. I have no green space – it’s all gone.
We need countryside around us; it is good for our mental health.
Occasionally I would get a taxi to the Country Park – no buses there for us plebs in Netherfield – and now some clever planner has put a road through it! Not a pretty site at all.
It seems that green spaces are reserved for the rich and the poor shall forever be surrounded by pollution, factories and housing.
Maybe one day somebody will have the foresight to create a country park near my home free from construction and industry.
A green space replacing Carlton Square – as suggested before – would be a good idea but can’t see it happening.
The first advert where you see young children running at the end of the advert, one of them was Darren Prater, who has now unfortunately passed away; the blonde haired boy was Steven Price who lives in Calverton.
We all went to Priory School, I was someway back that day when they were filming.
Chris Moody, via email
Dismayed by litter on our streets
I am dismayed on a daily basis when I venture out and see the state of our roads and pavements which are strewn with litter.
It ranges from crisps and sweet wrappers to soft drinks cans and the occasional beer bottles and cans casually discarded in bus shelters for the travelling public to try and avoid whilst waiting for transport to work or shopping or leisure.
I know some of the most recent littering can be blamed on the inclement weather we recently endured but come on people of this fine borough, surely you don’t like to see and walk through the rubbish. And as there are plenty of waste bins dotted around there is simply no excuse for dropping litter or even just throwing out of a moving vehicle.
Please stop the littering and if you can’t find a waste bin when out and about take your rubbish home and dispose of it properly.
The situation will only be made worse by the arrival of the Popeyes drive-thru.
Keep Britain, and especially Gedling, tidy please.
Derek Fairbairn, Carlton
Huge thank you to Post Office
I wrestled over the weekend on my computer with an attempt to re-tax my car.
When the process goes well it can be easy but lack just one piece of documentation or reference number and “Computer says No”.
Fortunately we still have a Post Office in Netherfield that keep the relevant forms and despite being busy, the polite and efficient staff could not have been more helpful. They beat artificial intelligence hands down and did so with a smile.
The local “posties” delivering our mail are great also and deserve our thanks.
Roy Perry, Netherfield
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Fuming Gedling borough motorists are calling councillors and the MPs to account on social media as the state of the roads continues to leave drivers with eye-watering bills due to copious amounts of potholes.
The issue has escalated into such a problem that a Facebook group has been launched titled ‘Gedling Borough Potholes‘.
The new group page is being used to alert drivers about the worst affected areas across the borough with pictures of the crumbling and deep craters that can be found across all areas of the borough being posted by fuming motorists daily.
One outraged driver from Arnold told the group that his family have had to replace four car tyres over the past six weeks.
They wrote: “The roads around Arnold are becoming in a sorry state of repair to a point where some roads are becoming undrivable.”
Another driver warned other members to avoid parts of Valley Road.
They posted: “One road to be careful for is Valley Road, between Marshall Hill Drive and Foxhill Road… every little bad weather seems to create more potholes and they’re always really big!”
It was announced back in November that the authority would be handed an extra £138m by the Government to maintain its roads over the next decade – but council officials said it’s still not enough.
This extra funding will go towards problems such as potholes in an ongoing repairs schedule, as well as winter damage and clearing gulleys to ease flooding.
Nottinghamshire County Council will be given another £138m over the full period, although this starts in much smaller chunks of £2.3m for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Following the announcement back in November, Councillor Neil Clarke (Con), the cabinet member for transport and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The money that we have received is very welcome but there’s always room for more.
“We’ve received £4.7m over the next 18 months, which will enable us to keep our strategy going for large patch repairs and keep our roads maintained.
“A lot of the money is for pothole repairs, but also it’s for other things on the highways – for instance drainage gulleys, preparing for winter and street lighting.
“With winter coming, the roads do get damaged and we need to be able to repair those and keep people safe.
“I’m afraid it’s not enough to fix all of Nottinghamshire’s roads. We will still be pressing to obtain additional funding so we can really escalate our road repairs.”
It is likely to be at least eight years before construction of any new extension to Nottingham’s tram network can begin, the operator’s senior manager says.
Past studies of potential extensions have included a route to Gedling Village via Nottingham Racecourse and the new Teal Close development.
Initial estimates before the Covid pandemic suggested this extension would cost between £96 and £116 million.
A tram extension to Gedling would go via the Racecourse and Teal Close
Other potential routes included one to the now-cancelled HS2 Hub at Toton and on to Long Eaton, and another from Clifton South to the new Fairham development.
It was said the extensions together could open up the tram network to over 11 million additional passengers.
Tim Hesketh, the chief executive officer of Tramlink, the group of companies behind the network, described them as “readily achievable extensions”.
However, speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he also said the extensions, which were in Nottingham City Council’s feasibility plans before the Covid pandemic, have now “effectively been shelved as the funding to take it to the next stage has been used for other things”.
He explained the City Council is not “in a position to do anything” following the issuing of a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy, at the end of November.
Instead he says hope now lies in the creation of the new East Midlands Combined County Authority, being created this year.
The devolution deal will put more money and power in the hands of local politicians, and an election for a regional mayor is due to take place in May.
“It is a complicated situation,” Mr Hesketh said.
“In truth there is nothing that is going to come from the City Council in extending the network any time soon.
“But as funding of transport strategy moves to the combined county authority, they have a lot of capital funding coming from central government and devolved authority over how they spend it.
“A lot of it is specifically targeted at sustainable transport. So if there was going to be an extension to the tram network it would likely come through the mayoral authority.
“Having said that these things don’t happen overnight. What we have discussed is that if they want to be able to extend the tram, or work on extensions immediately after the expiry of our contract in 2034, they need to start working on it now.
“They would have to go through a very long and tortuous public consultation exercise, they would have to put a transport works order and an Act of Parliament through Parliament.
“It is a minimum five, probably eight to ten year process, before they even put a spade in the ground.”
Responding, a spokeswoman for the City Council added: “The East Midlands Combined County Authority is being awarded £1.5bn from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement Fund.
“In using these funds it will need to consider which schemes best meet its objectives across the Combined Authority area.
“NET extensions, as well as any changes to the existing system that might have a business case, are certain to be looked at as part of that review, which is something Nottingham City Council welcomes.”
Some believe there may also be hope in the axing of HS2, including the revised plans for a station at East Midlands Parkway, and the resulting left over money from the cancellation.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said the East Midlands would receive £9.6bn in transport investment, funded by the cancellation of HS2, and some of this money could be used to pay for an extension past Clifton South, according to Cllr Ben Bradley, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Mansfield’s Conservative MP.
Mr Bradley says there may be further scope to extend to Ratcliffe-on-Soar and towards East Midlands Airport.
He said: “It is absolutely fair to say the City Council is in no position to invest in it at all, if anything it is struggling to keep it running, so the combined authority comes at a really good time not just for the tram but also wider transport connections.
“Having all of that stuff, trams buses, all organised in one place means it can be a much more integrated service, and yes we can look at the potential for tram extensions.
“There are two things to that. One is the tram needs to be commercially viable, so we need to look at how we do that, but there is new capital investment, £1.5bn transport fund, £4bn overall, and actually adding routes to the right places to bring additional passengers might help balance the books.
“It will be five to ten years to bring something like that to fruition. One of the first things the mayor will need to do is decide if they want to look at route extensions [and which ones].”
Before the shelving of the City Council’s plans, the authority had also pledged to support neighbouring Broxtowe Borough Council in its investigation of an extension from Phoenix Park.
Kimberley’s Cllr Will Mee (Lab) says there have been a series of feasibility studies conducted since the early 1990s for routes in the north of Broxtowe.
He says the A610 corridor and tens of thousands of people are currently only served by one single-deck bus service and traffic is therefore “a massive problem”.
“Something has to be done,” he said.
“It has been a long standing policy of Broxtowe Borough Council to support tram extensions in the north of the borough.
“This would include an extension from Phoenix Park serving the areas of Nuthall, Watnall, Kimberley and Giltbrook retail park, with a view to extend further to Eastwood and Amber Valley.
“If the tram is to extend it must be to as many places as possible, with integrated ticketing across the buses, tram and regional train services, also opening up old lines like the Maid Marian Line to increase train services to Amber Valley.”
However Mr Hesketh said some residents in Beeston and Chilwell are still “smarting” from the disruption of having the tram extension built through in 2011 to 2015.
It is another high hurdle that must be tackled before any plans move forwards, he said.
“Several small businesses went out of business,” he said.
“But if you look now at the regeneration it has boosted in the area and the inward investment into Beeston town centre and Chilwell High Road, and the increase in house prices, yes there are a lot of eggs that require breaking but the omelette is well worth waiting for in the long run.”
Firstly, my thanks to the Gedling Eye team and all its readers for all the support given to our choir and a Happy New Year to you all.
Looking back is something we try not to do at Carlton Male Voice Choir as we are constantly pushing forward to continue to make our choir relevant in a quickly changing landscape. Our past year contributed massively towards improving our diversity with an influx of new members reflecting the community around us.
We engaged with a large section of the public across the board with over 30 concerts at classic car shows, summer music and beer festivals, parks and outdoor spaces, micropubs, churches including Southwell Minster, Nottingham Castle, two large festival concerts and then some brilliant Christmas appearances across December by candlelight at Rufford Abbey’s beautiful Mill and Wedding Venue; we even performed for a joyous private wedding, at a working men’s club and under the towering Clipstone’s Headstocks in the pouring rain!
PICTURED: Comedian John Bishop meets the choir at Southwell Minster
The choir has toured Northampton, Bournemouth, Merthyr Tydfil, Cardiff and Swansea, had choirs visit us and performed jointly with Radcliffe on Trent Male Voice Choir, Vicky McClure’s our Dementia Choir and the amazing Sing It Bold! Gospel Choir based in St Anns. We have raised funds for loads of great charities including the British Legion Poppy Appeal, Prostate Cancer, Emmanuel House and Maggie’s Cancer Care to name just a few. We met comedian John Bishop at Southwell Minster who said we massively exceeded his expectations as the oldest Boy Band!
We employed a new member of the Music Team, the young and brilliantly talented Philip Miles, who will become our next Principal Accompanist in 2024 and a photo session at the Bonington Theatre launched our new ‘smart casual’ look which we now employ effectively for less formal events. The standard of singing and performance flexibility has never been so high.
PICTURED: Nicholson and Derick – both new members in 2023.
We now have a wonderful, colourful and bright advert on the back of a 44 Nottingham City Transport bus which travels between Nottingham City and Gedling and lots of banners and posters up around the region to entice new members, all helping our choir thrive and raise funds for great charities. Look out for those, spread the word and let people know about the work we do at Carlton Male Voice Choir.
We have had many new members join us in 2023 and I can now proudly say we have someone from each decade from their 20’s to their 80’s singing in the choir; exactly as it should be! Many of these new members have already performed at some amazing places, experienced some brilliant events and audiences and for those that wished have even sung solos at high profile concerts.
PICTURED: Philip Miles – our next Principal Accompanist
Why not join us as a singing member in 2024? Simply call us on 07306 039777 and now is a great time as we learn new music from across the genres for another excellent year of singing.
If I was to choose just one highlight of the year for me personally it would be performing with the beautifully presented Classic Minis at Nottingham Car Show held at Wollaton Park back in June. By some amazing feat we were safely able to get 3 gorgeous red, white and blue Minis from the club ‘Notts About Minis’ to park at the side of the performance area beeping their horns and flashing their lights to the choir being conducted by me, there was a video filmed which I put up on my YouTube channel – just search “Carlton MVC with Notts About Minis” to see this amazing spectacle.
Looking forward to 2024 the choir sponsor and support a new scratch choir for men called Nottingham Men Allowed commencing for the very first time in February where we hope around 40 men from the area will come together for just 6 rehearsals to learn 4 songs to perform live at the Marcus Garvey Centre in April for Prostate Cancer, no commitment just a one off good fun event with a free beer for everyone that signs up – for more info, dates and to get involved contact joinnma@hotmail.com call us on 0788 7918638 or look up www.nottinghamsings.org
Finally, we launch our brand-new and reimagined music competition in 2024 seeking and rewarding young musician talent in Nottingham, details are on our website: www.carltonmvc.org
Ian Watts
Musical Director of Carlton Male Voice Choir
PICTURED: The CMVC advert on the 44 bus
Further information and contact details for the Carlton Male Voice Choir can be found on their facebook page HERE or on their website www.carltonmvc.org
Yesterday (2), Gedling borough encountered heavy rain and flooding at the hands of Storm Henk. As a result, The following roads are still closed.
Main Street, Burton Joyce (NOW OPEN)
Stoke Lane, Burton Joyce
Main Street, Woodborough (NOW OPEN)
Lingwood Lane, Woodborough
Main Street, Lambley
This was last updated at 6:29pm by the AA on January 2, and this morning at 8:32am by Gedling Eye.
Flood alerts
The Environment Agency has warned that river levels are high and rising at the Colwick river gauge due to heavy rainfall.
Areas most at risk are low-lying agricultural land and roads including communities near to the River Trent such as Stoke Bardolph.
They said that further rainfall is forecast over the next 24 hours which could be heavy at times. River levels are expected to rise and remain high for several days.
A spokesman said: “We are closely monitoring the situation. Please avoid using low-lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low-lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded.
“Please plan driving routes to avoid low-lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded. “
Areas of low-lying agricultural land and roads around Woodborough Brook and Ouse Dyke also remain at risk.”
Let us know if you have any road closures to add by emailing news@gedlingeye.co.uk or messaging us on Facebook.
A man who has lost £20,000 after sudden spates of flooding at his home in Burton Joyce is asking the authorities to investigate the cause.
Andy Palmer’s property has been flooded four times in the last three months.
Although the incidents follow rainfall, he says nothing similar has happened in the previous decade and the exact cause is unknown.
The first time in October caused damage throughout the ground floor, and ruined thousands of pounds worth of items.
Andy Palmer’s property in Burton Joyce has been flooded four times in the last three months.He has contacted his council and other authorities in an attempt to resolve the problems.In October flooding caused damage throughout the ground floor, and ruined thousands of pounds worth of items
He has been forced to use pumps to prevent water from entering the house three times since then.
Properties on either side of Andy’s house on Nottingham Road have also been affected by the localised flooding.
He has contacted his council and other authorities in an attempt to resolve the problems.
Severn Trent, which is responsible for managing sewers, says it hasn’t found any issues with the network, and is continuing to investigate.
“The first thing I knew was when I got a call from a neighbour on October 20 that water was rising around the house. My wife got home and found the water coming up,” Andy said.
“It rose around the front of the house until the drive was under 50cm of water, then the back garden and came up through the hardwood floors.
“It started around 11am, and we couldn’t get it all out until 1am.
“My wife hurt herself with the strain of moving things away from the water – and then there’s the emotional stress we’ve had.
“It has started coming up through the manhole three times since then, and we have to use the pumps to keep it down. It’s like the drains can’t deal with this volume of rain.
“It’s worrying going out in case it happens again.
“We have contacted the council and Severn Trent, but no one seems to know why this is happening.
“It cost us £20,000 because not all of the items damaged in the garage were insured, and we are only just getting electricity back on downstairs.
“We’ve been here for nine years, and nothing like this has ever happened before. Something has clearly changed recently.
“It feels like everyone else has been drinking mulled wine and looking forward to Christmas, while we’re still recovering from what has happened.”
A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear about the issues Mr Palmer has experienced, as we know just how distressing experiencing any kind of flooding can be.
“We’ve had one report of flooding at this property that our teams attended, and while they found no sewer flooding or issues with the network, we did arrange a follow-on meeting with Mr Palmer as we are aware of a wider surface flooding issue in the area.
“Surface water flooding is when there’s a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time that can’t drain away quick enough through the drains and gullies.
“We’re working closely with the Lead Local Flood Authority, Nottinghamshire County Council, and the Highway Authority, VIA-EM, on this wider issue, to understand what can be done to reduce the flood risk in in the area.
“Mr Palmer has our teams direct contact number, so we’d be more than happy to speak with him and arrange a future visit.”
Nottinghamshire County Council, the lead flood authority, hasn’t responded to a request for comment.
This week’s public notice features a plan to install a pedestrian crossing on Coppice Road, Arnold
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Nottinghamshire County Council in exercise of its powers under Section 23 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, proposes to install a “Puffin” pedestrian crossing on Coppice Road near the Mapperley Orchard junction in Arnold in the district of Gedling.
The crossing will incorporate a controlled area indicated by zig-zag markings along the carriageway where parking and loading will be prohibited. The extents of the controlled area will be:
Coppice Road, Arnold
From a point approximately halfway across the junction for Mapperley Orchard and Coppice Road for a distance of approximately 45m in a westerly direction.
The puffin crossing will provide a safe crossing facility across Coppice Road for pedestrians, particularly Coppice Farm Primary School students.
Any comments (quoting ref: TP2350947) in respect of this proposal should be received in writing by Friday 8th March 2024 to the address stated below.
A man has been arrested by police in Calverton after a homeowner who was on holiday was alerted to a burglary taking place by their doorbell camera.
A suspect was arrested within minutes of the homeowner spotting they were being burgled.
The victim received an alert whilst on holiday telling them there was motion outside their house. When they checked their phone, they saw someone breaking into their property before making off with their TV.
Response officers were called to the property in Pheasant Way, Calverton, shortly after that sighting at around 8.35am on Thursday (December 28).
The force’s Dog Unit then led a search of the surrounding area, which resulted in the TV being found under a blanket in a neighbouring house’s garden.
Officers also found a stolen bike under a cover in the same garden.
Following that discovery, police entered the property and also located a suspect matching the description of the burglar.
The suspect – a 35-year-old man – was subsequently arrested on suspicion of burglary.
“Thanks to the rapid response of our uniform officers and the Dog Unit following initial reports of this break-in, they were able to quickly recover stolen property and detain a suspect nearby.
“This would’ve been a very distressing experience for the homeowner, who spotted on their camera that they were being burgled and did the right thing by ensuring we were informed straight away.
“Burglary is an incredibly invasive crime that can leave people feeling unsafe in their homes, which is clearly unacceptable and will never be tolerated by Nottinghamshire Police.
“While we’ve arrested a suspect in connection with this incident, our inquiries are still very much ongoing, so we’d ask anyone with any information to call us on 101, quoting incident 110 of 28 December 2023.
“Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.”
A flood warning has this morning been issued for a village in Gedling borough where water levels are rising, with some residents told they will experience flooding.
The Environment Agency has informed residents in Woodborough to expect flooding as a result of further heavy rainfall expected today (2).
They say flooding could occur from after midday into the evening.
Water levels in the Woodbrough Brook also continue to rise due to heavy rainfall.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Areas most at risk are Woodborough including Main Street which is likely to be impassable, affecting access in and out of the village.
“Flooding may also affect properties on Lingwood Lane, Smalls Croft and Westfield Lane.
Flooding is expected in Woodborough from mid-day onwards
“Further heavy rainfall is forecast over the next 24 hours. We are closely monitoring the situation.
They have instructed residents in the areas affected to ‘move possessions and valuables off the ground or to safety and avoid contact with flood water’.
Many roads have already flooded over the weekend and the village has been heavily impacted previously.
Here are some of the amazing sporting achievements by Gedling heroes and sportspeople that Gedling Eye covered over the last year:
Zach Haynes: Another British Champion from Redhill Academy
Zach Haynes took home the Gold medal for his category at the British Taekwondo National Championship 2023 in September to add to an amazing year of success for the Redhill Academy student.
Zach is currently ranked UK number one in his weight category and is a member of the National Taekwondo Club. Zach started Taekwondo at 6 years old and his dedication to this craft means he currently commits to a three-hour training session three nights a week after school alongside a three-hour training session on Saturdays with his Taekwondo club.
Zach finished his year of competition winning gold in November at the International Bergischer-Lowen Cup in Wuppertal, Germany.
This years achievements included:
Ultimate Open Barnsley GOLD
Ali’s Dojang Open, London SILVER
Midlands Open, Coventry GOLD
North West Open, Liverpool GOLD
QF European Club Championships, Sofia
Premier Open Huddersfield GOLD
British International Open Manchester SILVER
Scorpion Open Barnsley BRONZE
British National Championships Sheffield GOLD
Riga Open, Latvia BRONZE
England Open, Leeds SILVER
International Bergischer-Lowen Cup, Wuppertal, Germany GOLD
Pictured: Zach Haynes Redhill Legend (Courtesy of Redhill Academy)Pictured: Some of Zach’s trophy and medal haul from 2023 (Courtesy of Facebook)Pictured: GOLD at the Nationals (Courtesy of Facebook)
Willow Wanderers broke their knockout cup hoodoo in style
Formed in 2015 when the chairman Tom Turner and club secretary Neil Barrs felt their approach to kids’ football was at odds with the club they were then working with, the duo decided to go their own way.
Their players followed them almost unanimously to create a distinctive new club with a clear philosophy of putting the enjoyment of football above the desire to win games and, unusually, a commitment to equal game time right up to U12.
The club however seemed to have a bit of a Cup curse hanging over them as since their inception in 2015, they’d never laid hands on a knockout trophy.
This all changed in May when the Gedling-based youth football club finally broke their Cup duck – and then added a second less than a week later.
Neil Barrs, Club Secretary told us that “We’ve won plenty of trophies in different league divisions, and the odd Fair Play award to boot but a knockout trophy always seemed to elude our teams.
“The U14 Lions got close last year, making it to their final before losing to a strong West Bridgford Colts side; a couple of years previously, the U9 Raptors reached Willow’s first ever final, before being pipped at the post.
“Then at last, in May, the U14 Eagles – newcomers to the club just a year previously – first won their Sunday Division 1 title, and then followed it up with a nailbiting Cup win on penalties.
“Not to be outdone, the following weekend their Saturday colleagues, the U14 Rockets, in contrast, one of the original Willow teams from 2015 – repeated the feat, again needing spot kicks to settle the match. Huge congratulations to both!”
From Westdale Lane to Sicily: The Gedling athlete that took on Europe
Valerie Woodland proudly put on her Great Britain vest as she represented Great Britain on the world stage in three events at the European Masters Athletics Championships in Italy.
Valerie who only started doing triathlons in 2019 got into running as she neared fifty years of age. Only a few years after taking up running and running in her first ever 5,000m over 50s (W50) track race in Pescara, Valerie came in an amazing seventh place and the second fastest GB & NI athlete in the field. She followed this up with an even better sixth place in the 10,000m over 50s road race (W50) where she was the fastest GB & NI athlete in the field. In her third event of the championships Valerie won silver in the 10km over 35s (W35) team event.
Valerie lived on Westdale Lane in Gedling, went to school at Carlton le Willows and kept a pony on Wood Lane prior to relocating to Sicily. She also attended Arnold & Carlton college and as a student worked part-time on customer service the year Tescos on Carlton Hill opened.
Valerie competes at least once a year in the UK either running, cycling, triathlon or all 3 and does at least one charity event when in the UK to help with cancer research awareness.
Jude Irons: Redhill Academy student and 2023 British Champion gymnast made the GB Junior Squad
Redhill student Jude Irons made the Team GB U18s Junior Squad after representing Great Britain in Switzerland where the GB team placed second.
His list of achievements also include 2022 British Champion, 2023 British Champion, 2023 English champion and Wohnen Junior Champion.
Jude also represented Notts Gymnastics Academy at the 2023 British Gymnastics Championships. He took home Gold on the pommel horse in the men’s under 14s apparatus and won the bronze all-around medal. Jude joined the Notts Gymnastics Club aged seven and began competing regionally after taking up gymnastics at Robin Hood Gymnastics when he was just five years of age.
Notts Gymnastics Academy congratulated Jude on their social media saying “Congratulations to Jude who had a great competition out in Switzerland representing Great Britain. He helped the team achieve 2nd place! Well done Jude!”
The young athlete trains between 26 and 30 hours per week to maintain his elite level performance including after school and weekend sessions.
Pictured: Jude Irons Redhill Legend (Courtesy of Redhill Academy)
Nottinghamshire’s only kettlebell sport coach and world champion continued to deliver in Gedling
Jude Freeman has the highest rank that can be achieved in Kettlebell Sport – ‘Master of Sport World Class’ and has been lifting for England since 2017.
This year Jude competed in two World Championships where she won bronze medal in the Double Bell Pentathlon and became a World Champion winning gold in the single bell Half Marathon (30 mins continuous lifting One Arm Long Cycle).
Jude’s amazing achievements include becoming Master of Sport World Class, two time World Champion, two time Master of Sport, four time Candidate for Master of Sport and British Record holder for the Half Marathon Two Arm Long Cycle.
Jude runs small group training and kettlebells and circuits training at her studio every week and on a Sunday morning World Champion Jude can be found running her outdoor bootcamp nearby at Onchan Park on Oakdale Road.
Jude competed in her first 10 minute GS competition in Harrogate in 2016 at the British Championships with a 12kg kettlebell and placed 2nd (silver) and after working with her coach for only 6 weeks qualified for a place on Team England at the English Championships in February 2017.
Jude added: “My first World Championships was October 2017 (just before my 47th birthday) in Loutraki, Greece. I became a World Champion at that event with Gold in Veteran Class (over 40) and also a Bronze in Open Class (age 18+).
“This really was a defining moment for me and the real beginning of an international career in kettlebell sport. In December 2017 I competed in the British Championships lifting a 16kg kettlebell for 30 mins – half marathon and achieved the rank of Candidate for Master of Sport.
“I am so proud to have been lifting for England since 2017”.
Pictured: Jude Freeman (L) competing (Courtesy of Tonic Fitness)Pictured: Jude Freeman (L) competing (Courtesy of Tonic Fitness)Pictured: Jude Freeman (L) competing (Courtesy of Tonic Fitness)
Gedling’s Tom Parnham took the chequered flag as he became British champion
Gedling‘s Tom Parnham became British champion of ‘Hotfords’ at Buxton Raceway 2023 following the final race of the competition on October 29.
In the last year Tom also won The North and Midland cup and British cup.
Tom was crowned overall British points champion making him the new ‘Hotford’ champion following race checks where his engine was totally stripped and checked by a professional engine builder.
This was no normal victory as Tom’s points total of 310 was an amazing 99 points clear of second place in a competition that is normally won by single points.
-Tom expressed his delight on social media saying “What a year it’s been, Northern Midland champ, British champ and overall points champ. All in all, a mint season.”
Tom is one of a group of friends, mostly from Gedling and Carlton that stock car race at Buxton raceway. The formula they race in is called ‘Hotfords’.
The group have been friends since secondary school and all have a passion for cars.
Pictured: Tom Parnham (race number 690) PHOTO: M WinterburnPictured: Tom Parnham, British Champion (PHOTO: M Winterburn)Pictured: Tom Parnham (race number 690) with the North and Midland Cup PHOTO: Matthew Winterburn
Arnold’s Paviors RFC players went international with England and Wales
There was been plenty going on at Arnold’s Paviors Rugby Club as Dee McKenzie , one of the club’s Under 18’s Women’s Squad was selected to attend the England Under 18’s training camp at Wellington College, this month.
Club President Neil Kendrick told Gedling Eye that “The club is extremely proud of Dee’s achievements – she sets an amazing example to others in the club and the club is proud of her achievements.”
But its not just Dee making waves at the top level as Neil added “Four of our youngsters attended the Welsh Exiles Training Camp ( eligibility through Welsh parentage/grand parentage) recently at Trent College : Danny Mountain, Josh Kirwan-Thomas and Owen Evans were involved in the under 15 training, while Evan Griffiths was with the Under 13’s.”
Pictured: Evan Griffiths at Under 13 Welsh Exiles trial. PHOTO: Paviors Rugby FCDanny Mountain, Josh Kirwan-Thomas and Owen Evans at Welsh EXILES UNDER 15 TRIALPHOTO: Dee McKenzie
Carlton Town FC carried out a great escape
What a change a couple of months made at Carlton Town FC where from almost certain relegation they fought off relegation, secured Step 4 status and reached a cup final. A Great Escape indeed.
Tommy Brookbanks, co-manager of The Millers said “You look at it from January 7, nine games we got four points. From March 7, nine games we got 19. Now that is playoff form”.
Relegation was avoided by virtue of North Shields failing their ground grading, but this was a very precarious situation whereby Carlton did not know if they would have to play a relegation playoff or not. The managers were actually at the training ground when the got the call, three days before they would have had to have played said playoff.
Tommy said: “The lads were coming in for 7:30pm, we got the call from the secretary and we stopped the lads from coming in because we wanted to give them a rest.
But what was it that inspired The Millers to get out of their rut? For the managers, it seemed that there was not too much concrete change, but just a dressing room lift and a belief in their squad that they could do what they needed to do.
Mark said: “After the North Shields (March 4, which they lost 2-1), we spent all weekend on the phone as we thought the only chance we had was to get a couple of lads in. And it wasn’t that we didn’t think the squad was good enough, because the squad has proved its good enough.”
“I think the dressing room needed a lift more than anything. Following that weekend we got Charlie (Marzano) and Alex Troke in, which gave the dressing room a lift, and we went and won our next game.”
And whilst Mark and Tommy passionately highlighted how important their dressing room cohesiveness has been in surviving, they were also quick to highlight the pivotal role the support played in keeping them on track.
“The support has been magnificent,” said Tommy. “They could have turned on us. But they still turned out for every home game. A lot of supporters would have turned, but they’ve been brilliant.”
PICTURED: The Bill Stokeld Stadium on Stoke LanePICTURED: Carlton Town manager Tommy Brookbanks (PHOTO: Twitter)PHOTO: Carlton Town FC
Ellie’s marathon effort raises much-needed cash for medal-winning ice skating team
A Gedling youngster put in a marathon effort to raise funds for her local ice skating team.
Nine-year-old Ellie completed the Robin Hood Mini Marathon in September to bring in cash for her synchronised ice skating team.
The team had a successful competition season in 2022-2023, with Gold in London, Silver in Dumfries, Silver in Sheffield and Bronze at the British Championship Britannia Cup.
In November the team won gold in their category at Skate London 2023
Ellie, who attends Priory Junior School, in Gedling, is part of the ‘Ice Gems’ who are the Juvenile squad of the Nottingham Synchronised Skating Academy.
Ellie is the youngest member of the team that has members ranging in age from from nine to 14 years old. The team’s ice schedule at present means the girls need to be at the rink for 5.35 am, which means an early start for members and also the parents who provide the transport.
Three award winning dads scored with Woodborough’s newest football club
Woodborough Celtic Youth FC is a new football club that started in the village of Woodborough for the 23/24 season with teams from under 7s to under 10s.
The club started when three dads, Paul Stevenson, Adam Meakin and Martin Giddy got together and decided to give up their time to coach two age groups.
Paul told Gedling Eye that “For the first ever session the coaches had planned for eight children turning up and were shocked when 24 out of a 27 person class arrived kitted out ready for training.
“The children started having regular coaching in April 2021 (at the end of the Covid restrictions) and this was a way of bringing the community together after a long period apart.”
In October 2022 Martin, Paul and Adams were nominated for the Inspirational Healthy Lifestyle Award at the Pride of Gedling awards which they deservedly won.
Paul added that “they were absolutely delighted to win at a memorable evening at The Arnold Civic Centre.”
Photos: Courtesy of Woodborough FCPhotos: Courtesy of Woodborough FCPhotos: Courtesy of Woodborough FC
Jack Donovan became British Ice Skating Champion
Redhill Academy lauded student, Jack Donovan as he became the Advanced Novice Boys British Ice Skating Champion.
Jack finished his competition with 117.05 points, almost 20 points ahead of his nearest competitor, Edward Solovyov with 97.75 points.
This marked Jack’s fifth win of 2023 and his third British Championship at the Advanced Novice level, having previously placed third in 2021 and second in 2022.
Mr Peters, Jack’s Head of House said: “For several years now, Jack has been balancing, early morning skating training, performing on the international stage and keeping on top of his studies. He continues to reap the rewards both with his studies and on the ice, with his latest achievement being the Advanced Novice Boys British Champion. All at Redhill are exceptionally proud of Jack’s achievements.”.
Jack’s father, Richard, told Redhill Academy that “This is a perfect end to his time in the Advanced Novice category, and although he could stay in this age bracket, he will now step up to compete in the Junior category. To prepare him for next season, Jack’s next competition will be The Robin Hood Trophy, held in January. It will be an international event which will help to prepare him for the season ahead. Thanks once again for the support you have given as a school.“.
Pictured: Jack Donovan (Courtesy of Facebook)Pictured: Jack Donovan (Courtesy of Facebook)Pictured: Jack Donovan (Courtesy of Facebook)
You don’t have to be representing your country or winning European championships to be featured by Gedling Eye – we love local success stories, so please drop us a line at news@gedlingeye.co.uk if you know someone or a team that are amazing.
