More than 500 local residents have called for a revamp of a local park which they say is needed to make it more suitable for current users.
A volunteer group has launched the petition around Arno Vale Park – or ‘Helicopter Park’ as it’s known locally to gather support for a possible refurbishment.
The Arno Vale Park can be found on Arno Vale Road, Woodthorpe.
Tom Andrews is one of a number of local people that are part of the ‘Friends of Arno Vale Recreation Ground – Helicopter Park’ group.
Pictured: The famous helicopter at Arno Vale Park (PHOTO: Tom Andrews)
The group say they are fighting for improvements for a park that holds a place in many adults’ hearts, many having played there themselves over the last thirty-plus years.
Tom said: “The equipment in the park is in a very poor state with paint peeling off, the play equipment being outdated, and especially the play area surface being all loose stone chippings that children regularly slip over on and graze themselves.”
Pictured: The gravel at Arno Vale Park (PHOTO: Tom Andrews)
Tom told us that as a result of the decaying park, like-minded people have now come together to look at establishing a ‘Friends’ group to bid for external funding in the hope that the council will contribute towards this.
Their aim is to completely redevelop the play area and the all-weather pitch, and then whatever else the remaining funding permits, including lighting and potentially a pathway from Arno Vale Road to the alley that leads onto Aylesham Avenue.
Tom said that “The local councillors, especially Ron McCrossen have been very supportive, and after liaising with a few of us last year, he arranged for around a hundred trees to be planted around the field, by the probation service.”
Tom was keen to stress that this is currently the establishment phase of the group and that it will be led by the community about changes they’d like to see – and will definitely seek to preserve the ‘helicopter’ theme of the park, as that’s what everyone knows and loves.
Pictured: An unamused Tom Andrew pointing out the state of the play equipment at Arno Vale Park (PHOTO: Tom Andrews)
The group are looking for volunteers to join the committee to help shape the future design of the area and help with funding bids etc. They can be contacted through their Facebook page HERE.
The group are currently gauging interest in the local desire to see the park renovated and asking those that would like to see improvements to sign their petition which has already achieved over 550 signatures.
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has announced that fares will increase across the county later this month.
NCT said new bus fares will be introduced from Sunday, May 28 2023, as they ‘continue to face significant increases in its costs, which has resulted in an operational loss in the last financial year’.
The average bus fare will rise by 9.6%, which they said was below the current inflation rate of 10.1%.
David Astill, NCT’s Managing Director said, “We’ve all had to contend with the cost of living situation which is affecting businesses, just as much as it is households. The government has been very understanding and has provided financial support since the lockdown of 2020. But even with that support, Nottingham City Transport has made a loss and that clearly isn’t sustainable going forward”.
New prices for core tickets in the Nottingham City Zone, which apply to all payment methods, will be:
Outer Zone fares on South Notts 1, Pathfinder 26 and Sky Blue 46, 47 will increase by up to 40p on single tickets and 70p on Day Return tickets, although those fares which are above the government funded promotional £2.00 fare, do not take effect until 1st July 2023. Easyrider Purse fares will no longer be discounted and fares paid for using Easyrider Purse will be charged at the same price as on-bus cash and contactless fares.
There will be new Easyrider Everyday and Anyday prices (including on equivalent passes on the NCTX Buses app). Lowdham and Burton Joyce will move from the City Zone to the Outer Zone, with the boundary brought in line with other tickets on Pathfinder 26 at Linden Grove/Carlton-le-Willows Academy.
The well-known Arrow pub in Arnold stands proudly at the junction of Gedling Road and Arno Vale Road in Arnold.
A lot of readers will know that the Manager, Lydia Stafford and her amazing team have been raising money for a defibrillator on the outside of the Arrow pub.
After eight weeks of solid fundraising for the defibrillator unit, the team finally raised a massive £1500 to purchase the life-saving equipment, all thanks to London Hearts charity who provide the units and have provided over 24,000 defibrillators to 2800 community partnerships to date.
Pictured: The new defibrillator unit at The Arrow (PHOTO: Courtesy of Lydia Stafford)
Lydia said: “I was so excited when it finally arrived and even more so today when it was fitted to the wall and fully registered with east midlands ambulance service, I am so proud of my team for the fund-raising efforts and of cause our wonderful community as without them this wouldn’t have happened.”
Lydia told us that the team already know what their next fund-raising events will include – an abseil in Birmingham for the children’s hospital and hopefully a swim of 26 miles for Macmillan, which Lydia says will be like swimming the English channel.
It was quite appropriate that on a day when the defibrillator was fully installed that she also celebrated her 20th anniversary as an employee of Greene King.
Lydia’s team at The Arrow took to Facebook to congratulate her on her 20th anniversary working with Greene King saying “She makes coming to work not feel like work and always puts a smile on the faces of new and regular customers. Congratulations on this great milestone. Here is to many more years x”
Pictured: The Arrow pub (PHOTO: Courtesy of Lydia Stafford)
But the Arrow, Lydia and the team don’t stop there. They also raise money for Macmillian and a Children’s hospital in Sheffield.
Last year they raised £2,725.88 for Macmillian which involved five brave souls jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet.
A further £500 was raised for a Children’s Hospital which involved Lydia and her Assistant Manager Heather doing a glow-in-the-dark 10-mile walk in the snow and as a team, they also did a PJ day in the pub.
Pictured: Team Arrow Sky Divers – Sue Ratcliffe, Lydia Stafford, Jess Shelton, Ophelia Hiebert and Kaylum Wildgust (PHOTO: Courtesy of Lydia Stafford)
Last but definitely not least every December the Arrow hosts the ‘Gedling Toy Run’, donated toys are collected at The Arrow for underprivileged children, and the Salvation Army collects and delivers them.
The Arrow serves a great range of pub food, weekly deals & offers and a great selection of drinks served in a friendly, local pub setting and next time you are in don’t forget to support their fundraising activities.
The Arrow can be contacted on Facebook HERE or via their website at https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/nottinghamshire/arrow/ .
Severn Trent Water is looking to build a new 10 mile-long water pipe under part of Nottingham and surrounding boroughs and districts to improve the area’s supply.
The new pipe would carry water between reservoirs in Redhill and Strelley, helping to make the city’s water supply more reliable.
Multiple road and lane closures will be needed during construction, but the water company says the work is necessary.
Loxley House
The plans follow criticism of water companies over how much is lost through leaking pipes.
In 2022, the industry regulator, Ofwat, said Severn Trent Water lost around 161bn litres of water through leaks in a 12 month period.
In response Severn Trent says it is “targeting a 15 per cent reduction by 2025, and 50 per cent by 2045, to meet the needs of our long-term water management”.
Plans submitted to Nottingham City Council by the water company say the new 10 mile (16km) pipeline will help improve the reliability of the supply for the city, while also reducing its reliance on boreholes.
Boreholes are holes are drilled hundreds of metres into the ground to reach naturally filtered water.
They are one of three main sources of water alongside reservoirs and rivers, but are typically costly to create.
Plans say the pipeline comes as part of Severn Trent’s obligations to protect the environment and to improve its water supply network.
The new pipeline would begin at a reservoir at the Ollerton Road and Mansfield Road roundabout in Redhill, before running through fields near Bestwood Country Park.
It would then continue from a field to the north of Park Road, Bestwood Village, and run below what plans refer to as Farley’s Disused Railway Local Wildlife Site, and towards Bulwell Hall Golf Course.
Finally the pipeline would run next to the new housing estate at the former Rolls-Royce aerodrome in Hucknall, before running parallel to the M1, down towards Nuthall and Strelley.
Severn Trent’s plans say: “The key driver behind this scheme is to provide water for the area of Nottingham reducing the requirement for borehole water and the provision of supply resilience for the city.
“The scheme will involve the laying of approximately 16km of new pipeline to transfer water from Strelley Reservoir to the west of Nottingham to Redhill Reservoir to the north-east of Nottingham.
“The route of the proposed pipeline will run roughly south-west to north-east from Strelley Reservoir to the west of Nottingham to Redhill Reservoir in Arnold, to the north-east of Nottingham.
“The proposed pipeline route passes through the jurisdiction of Broxtowe District Council, Ashfield District Council, Gedling Borough Council and Nottingham City Council.
“The majority of the pipeline will be laid within private land with the minority within the highway.”
If plans are approved, work will start in September and take approximately 18 months.
Multiple temporary road and lane closures are proposed if the plans are given the green light.
One such lane closure would be on Nottingham Road, just outside Nuthall and opposite the Temple Community Centre.
The pipeline would then run under the A610, parallel to the M1 at junction 26.
Another road closure would be introduced at the A6002 Woodhouse Way, at the roundabout near the Nottingham Business Park.
These closures would extend to the Chatterley Parkway, Lawrence Drive and Princess Boulevard roundabout.
Other closures are proposed in Park Road, near Bestwood Country Park, as well as Lamin’s Lane near Killarney Park.
Wessex Archaeology has also been commissioned by Severn Trent Water to assess the area where the pipe is planned, to establish whether there is an archaeological interest on the expansive site.
Because the areas where the pipeline is planned have been left relatively undisturbed by modern development, artefacts may have been preserved from the Romano-British, medieval and post-medieval periods, according to documents.
Documents from Wessex Archaeology say: “This assessment finds that as the proposed works will, following its completion, reinstate the surrounding rural landscape, and not permanently alter its function nor character, the impact of this development upon the significance of any designated heritage assets though a change in their setting is considered to be negligible.”
However, further fieldwork surveys will be required.
Six Gedling artists are hosting an open studios event to share their work with the community.
The group wants to show the different art forms created in the area.
The artists are hosting the event in Westdale Lane Community Centre, Mapperley on Saturday (May 20) between 11am and 4pm.
One of the members of the group, Sarah Sewell, started sewing 13 years ago on a beginner course and is now the sole trader of her free machine embroidery company.
The 55-year-old owner of Wildgoose Designs said: “People think art consists of someone sitting in a room in front of a canvas but it’s so much more than that.
“We have been together for 10 years and want to make art more accessible to the public.”
The Oxfam Homeware store on Arnold high street is closing.
The outlet is one of two shops run by the charity in the town.
But this week Oxfam’s head office said that they could not afford to keep it running.
The charity shop chain raises money to reduce global poverty.
An Oxfam spokesperson said: “Oxfam shops exist to raise as much money as possible to overcome poverty and suffering in some of the poorest countries in the world.
“We constantly evaluate the profitability of all our shops, to ensure they are efficient and making the most money for Oxfam’s vital work.
“Sometimes this leads to difficult decisions about the viability of particular shops.
“These decisions are never taken lightly and we always take into account the impact on our staff and volunteers.
“We have made the difficult decision to close the Oxfam homewares store on Nottingham Road, Arnold, on Friday, May 19.
“However, the Oxfam store on Front Street will remain open and customers can continue to support us there as they have done so generously over the years.”
Residents of Arnold took to social media to speculate the charity shop’s apparent closure.
One wrote: “Hopefully it will not be another bar or fast food shop”, with another hoping for the location to become an arts and craft shop.
Drinkers in Gedling borough can expect to be forking out more for their pints after a major brewery announced a price increase.
Greene King, which operates more than 3,000 pubs nationally, has raised its prices by an average of 6.5%.
In 2022, the British Beer and Pub Association estimated the average price of a pint in the UK was £4.03.
This would result in an average increase of 26p on a beer.
A spokesperson for Greene King said: “As a result of increasing cost prices and inflation, we have needed to implement an average 6.5% increase across some of our drinks.
“With other rising costs such as energy and labour also affecting the industry, many pubs are facing similar challenges.
“While we are doing everything we can to avoid passing the full cost increase to our customers, it is necessary to make some minor price adjustments to keep in line with these changes.”
Across their franchises, Greene King is responsible for over 10 pubs in Gedling.
These include The Arrow in Arnold, The Tree Tops and The Plainsman in Mapperley and The Cooper’s Brook in Daybrook.
Andrew Ludlow, secretary of the Nottingham CAMRA branch, said: “There is a disappointment in one sense, if it is at that level [6.5%], that it reflects the increases they’re having to come up with.
“But with energy prices coming down, it would have been nice to see them hold off until the autumn. It seems like they’ve done it at the wrong time.
“You do feel that we’ve reached the peak of costs, and now doesn’t seem the time to put costs up. The likely impact of an increase is inevitable for landlords to put up prices, which results in a cycle of price increase, less customers and less income.”
Nottinghamshire’s county councillors claimed nearly £44,000 in combined expenses in the most recent financial year.
Two Conservatives on the authority have explained their high expenses claims as the authority outlines its full claims list for 2022/23.
The council produces its councillor allowances and expenses list every year as a way of being transparent with the public about sums paid to elected members.
The new list, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Monday (May 15), is accurate for the previous 2022 to 2023 financial year, which ended in March.
The paper reveals £43,983.22 was claimed in total across the 66 elected members of the authority, which was more than £10,000 higher than the £32,254.55 figure claimed in 2021/22.
The 2022/23 total includes £35,206.42 claimed across the 35 Conservative councillors, £7,281.10 by Labour’s 15 politicians and £1,189.70 across the 15 Independent Alliance members.
The remaining £306 was claimed by Cllr Steve Garner, an unaligned independent.
The report shows some councillors claimed nothing across the financial year while others claimed thousands of pounds for travel and other expenditure accrued through their role.
Cllr Ben Bradley (Con), the authority’s leader, claimed £362.45 for the year, while senior cabinet members Cllrs Neil Clarke and Keith Girling (both Con) claimed £2,438.10 and £3,107.25 respectively.
However, the two highest claims were made by Cllr Tracey Taylor (Con), cabinet member for children and families, and Cllr Boyd Elliott (Con), who represents Calverton.
Both members have spoken out to clarify why their claims were the highest of all their peers.
Cllr Taylor, who claimed £4,877.18, said her expenses were for visits to schools, children’s homes and youth centres in “every part of Nottinghamshire”.
She says she also makes the 93-mile round trip from her Misterton division to County Hall several times each week.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m a cabinet member running one of the biggest portfolios at the council.
“This means I have to be at County Hall three or four days a week dealing with children and family issues as well as senior Conservative Group meetings.
“I live in the northernmost part of the county and this is a round trip of 93 miles.
“As well as my County Hall business, I regularly visit schools, children’s homes and youth centres every month, which can take me to every part of Nottinghamshire.”
Cllr Elliott, who claimed £3,472.55, said his expenses relate to work with outside bodies and separate charity work supporting struggling families in his division.
“A lot of it is expenses for the two outside bodies I chair, including Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE), which hosts events all around the county,” he said.
“During lockdown, I also helped to set up a shopping scheme for vulnerable residents that identified a cohort of people who can’t get out. I’ve carried on doing a lot of that.
“Without being able to claim my fuel, I possibly wouldn’t be able to feed all of those families so there’s nothing untoward there.
“I’ve got a huge interaction with my residents. You don’t put them all down and, as a Gedling borough councillor, I’ve never put a claim in.”
However, the expenses figures led to the Independent Alliance opposition group calling for a “proper review and a value for money assessment” of the expenses system.
Cllr Helen-Ann Smith (Ash Ind), the group’s deputy leader, added: “Councillors have a duty to ensure that we get the best value for money for taxpayers.”
In the report, Adrian Smith, the authority’s chief executive, says the sums accrued include the totals paid to councillors after claims were made.
All fees claimed by councillors were approved by the authority’s democratic services department prior to the report being published.
However, the figures do not include train travel or accommodation, which are funded by the authority but have not been featured in the report.
“Travel and subsistence amounts are the totals paid during the year based on claims made by members,” Mr Smith said.
“Members’ duties at times necessitate the use of train travel and overnight accommodation.
“Most of these costs are met directly by the authority and are not included in the figures.”
Below is the expenses list for each councillor, which includes travel expenses and ‘subsistence expenses’.
Nottinghamshire County Council expects to spend more than £4m alone on opening up the Top Wighay Farm site near Linby so new homes and council offices can be built.
The Conservative-led council is planning the huge building project alongside property developer Vistry, which is expected to submit detailed planning documents for the housing next month.
In total, more than 800 houses have already been given outline planning consent for the site, while 600 more could be given permission in future.
Now new council papers reveal opening up the site for development is expected to cost £4.382m between now and the end of March 2025.
The costs include the construction of a new access road for the residential development, which would also be used to access the council’s future £15.7m office building.
Overall, construction and building work provided by the authority is expected to cost £4.078m during this year and the next financial year.
The Top Wighay Farm Development (credit Nottinghamshire County Council)
Papers reveal £3.978m of this is due to be spent before the end of the current financial year in March 2024, with the remaining £100,000 allocated for 2024/25.
Construction works, the authority says, will include a road and roundabout into the site.
In a report on the spending, the council said: “The proposed arrangements to develop the wider site with Vistry (for residential development), the release of the employment land, and the further access considerations for accessing the safeguarded land requires the provision of infrastructure in advance by the council.
“The infrastructure also enables the opening up of the proposed council office site.
“The provision of the access road and roundabout into the site will accelerate and ensure the delivery of the overall Top Wighay scheme.”
An impression of the Top Wighay building. Image: LDRS
Papers reveal a further £305,012 will fund professional fees for the wider Top Wighay project.
This includes costs for all stages of development and planning, as well as site surveys and costs to the authority’s contractor Arc Partnership.
It follows an exempt report being filed by the authority confirming the land at Top Wighay will be sold off so the development can begin.
Papers do not reveal the exact sum for the land sale due to the risk of causing “significant damage to the council’s commercial position”.
However, the council says Homes England funding has also been secured to deliver the wider project.
The council adds the wider scheme is “complex” and needs “significant upfront infrastructure works” to deliver the development.
The Top Wighay boarding on Annesley Road, Linby. Image LDRS.
This, it says, will help to deliver not just housing but also a new school, a local centre and the planned office space.
“It has been necessary to futureproof these aspects of the site to ensure these additional land parcels are protected in terms of access, services, and to enhance their value to the council in the future,” the authority adds.
The documents were approved during a delegated decision by Cllr Keith Girling (Con), cabinet member for economic development and asset management, on May 10.
Speaking after the decision, one opposition councillor called for any extra income from Top Wighay to improve services in nearby Hucknall.
Cllr Dave Shaw (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall West on the council, said: “This development, whilst in Gedling, will have a significant, adverse impact on the infrastructure of Hucknall.
“We will therefore be fighting for as much money as possible from the expected windfall to be spent in Hucknall.
“We need urgent investment in our roads and pavements, more money for healthcare, urgent assistance with school places and much more.”
Carlton Town has announced that Notts County supporters will take on Juventus supporters in a charity match at 2pm at The Bill Stokeld Stadium on May 20.
A statement on the club website said: “Carlton take pride in their role in the community and a number of events including the Ukraine Trophy for Peace day and the fantastic foodbank collection are among the events that have been held in recent weeks.
“The women’s cup final on Tuesday, May 23 will be the last event on the main pitch until July but before that is Saturday’s big supporters game.”
The statement includes some background off Matt Lawson from Notts County who said:
He said: “Notts County Fans FC will compete with Juventus Fans FC for the Tom Savage Memorial Trophy at Carlton Town FC on Saturday, May 20 (kick-off 2pm).
“The special relationship between Notts and Juventus is well known to football fans around the world. It can be traced back to the early 1900s, when Nottingham-born Turin resident Tom Savage gave Juventus a batch of Notts kits as a replacement. Juventus were so impressed with the stripes they decided to keep them as their home kit and have played in them ever since.
“The two football communities were further strengthened in September 2011, when Juventus invited us to play in the opening game at their new stadium. The match finished 1-1 and this extraordinary gesture signalled to the rest of the world the unique bond between the clubs.
“The Notts team will be managed on the day by Matt Lawson and coaches Julian Wilson and Alan Higgott, captained by Ian Baggott. The Juventus team will consist of players from England and Italy and will be managed by Antoni Sorgi alongside captain Riki Canningham.”
There will also be a display of information to remember the 39 Juventus fans who lost their lives at Heysel Stadium on 29 May 1985.
As this is an event celebrating the Notts and Juventus fanbase communities, admission will be free of charge.
The event will partner up with local not-for-profit organisation Bottled up Blokes to encourage positive men’s mental health – something playing football can really help towards.
Fans interested in updates can follow @nottsfansteamfc on Twitter, Notts County Fans FC on Instagram and the club’s social media pages.”
The latest news from Carlton Town FC can be read on the Millers website HERE
