One in seven people now depend on their local Post Office branch for cash and banking services as per a YouGov survey conducted in 2021 on behalf of Post Office.
In fact, nearly three in 10 small and medium businesses use a Post Office once a week to deposit cash and use mail services.
Gedling Eye caught up with Ketan Barchha, Postmaster of Netherfield Post Office to talk about the survey’s findings.
He said “I’ve been in Netherfield over 11 years and have seen our local banks disappear.
“We are delighted to be able to help so many people, especially the vulnerable members of our communities and we have great customers who come from not just from the Netherfield area but from Carlton, Gedling, Burton Joyce and even further afield”
In a Post Office statement, Nick Read, CEO of Post Office said: “Simply put, post offices, and the dedicated Postmasters and Postmistresses who run them, keep people connected. Connected to the financial system and their cash, to their friends and loved ones, to their customers at home or overseas, and connected to one another in what may, for some, be the only human contact in the day. It is very telling that half of customers believe Post Office fosters a sense of belonging in the community. Post Offices should not be overlooked nor taken for granted.”
The Post Office’s extensive reach means it helps support 4,028 FTE jobs in the East Midlands and sustains nearly 50,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs throughout the United Kingdom.
With high street banks closing daily, post offices are providing vital services to our communities. This includes providing services to those earning less than £20,000 (23%) and those individuals aged 55 and above (20%), where access to cash is more important to these groups.
But it’s not only the important services that our Post Offices provide ,the Post Office also generates an economic impact of £122million, the equivalent of £46 per person across the Midlands.
Post Offices create an additional £223million in local spending in nearby shops and businesses across the East Midlands, and an additional £3.1bn across the UK keeping many high street businesses afloat.
We love the big screen and with big blockbuster film releases, original plots, and new and familiar characters, there has never been a better time to get lost in a great story on the silver screen.
The Bonington in Arnold has some great films lined up over March for those planning a cinema trip.
Based on the best-selling book and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Women Talking is the powerful story of the women of an isolated religious community and their attempt to reconcile a brutal reality with their faith.
Stay and fight, or leave. They will not do nothing.
The film is available to watch from Tue 28 February – Thu 9 March
Event Cinema : Brian & Roger Eno: Live at the Acropolia (U)
Brian Eno and Roger Eno have been recording together since 1983. This unique musical event not only sees the two brothers performing live together for the first time but it’s one of the very rare occasions that Brian Eno has ever performed live in front of an audience.
In front of a sell-out crowd and against a backdrop of spectacular images being projected onto the stones of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus amphitheatre, Brian and Roger perform atmospheric musical landscapes from legendary productions that include ambient records, television soundtracks and film scores.
The film is available to watch from Thu 2 March at 7.30pm
Oscar Catch-up Screenings: All Quiet on the Western Front (15)
All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.
Nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best International Feature
The film is screening Fri 3 & Tue 7 March
Event Cinema: Extra Screening: National Theatre Live- The Crucible (12A)
Credit: Johan Persson
A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller’s captivating parable of power with Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell (Yerma).
Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe from trial.
Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet) directs this contemporary new staging, designed by Tony Award-winner Es Devlin (The Lehman Trilogy). Captured live from the Olivier stage at the National Theatre.
The Crucible by Arthur Miler, directed by Lyndsey Turner
The film is screening Sat 4 March at 1.30pm
Oscar Catch-up Screenings: Avatar- The Way of Water (12A)
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure.
Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture
Screening on Sat 4 March at 6pm
Event Cinema: Exhibition on Screen: Mary Cassatt- Painting the Modern Woman (12A)
Exhibition on Screen, the award-winning pioneer bringing art films to cinemas around the world for over a decade, is proud to announce the release of Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman in cinemas nationwide on International Women’s Day, Wednesday 8th March 2023.
Mary Cassatt made a career painting the lives of the women around her. Her radical images showed them as intellectual, curious and engaging. This was a major shift in the way women appeared in art.
Directed by Ali Ray (Frida Kahlo) and featuring the world’s most eminent Cassatt curators and scholars (all women), this new feature film Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman reveals how this classically trained American artist came to join a group of Parisian radicals – the Impressionists – a movement that transformed the history of art.
The film is screening Wed 8 March at 7.30pm & Sun 12 March at 4.30pm
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (18)
Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is an epic, emotional and interconnected story about internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.
Nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Documentary
The film is available to watch on Fri 10 March at 1.30pm & Tue 14 March at 4.30pm
Blue Jean (15)
In Thatcher’s Britain, Jean, a PE Teacher, is forced to live a double life. When a new student arrives and threatens to expose her, Jean is pushed to extreme lengths to keep her job and her integrity.
This screening is available to watch Fri 10 – Thu 16 March
Free Screening: We R Here present Love?
As part of the celebration of International Women’s Day Love? shows us a glimpse into the world of survivors of this hidden form of abuse by using the voices of many millions of women to portray the voice of “Woman”. The film articulates the silent voices of Domestic Abuse, describing not just the dark world they inhabit, but the shafts of light that bring a sense of hope.
A powerful film like no other, this WILL save lives.
Produced, written and starring Samantha Beckinsale, directed by Jason Figgis of Figgis West Productions, and co – produced with October Eleven Pictures and Simon W. Golding.
The film is available to watch Fri 10 March from 7pm
Event Cinema: Encore Screening: National Theatre Live- Othello (12)
An extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy, directed by Clint Dyer with a cast that includes Giles Terera (Hamilton), Rosy McEwen (The Alienist) and Paul Hilton (The Inheritance).
She’s a bright, headstrong daughter of a senator; elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He’s refugee of slavery; having risen to the top of a white world, he finds love across racial lines has a cost.
Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together. But as unseen forces conspire against them, they find their future is not theirs to decide.
Othello is filmed live on the Lyttleton stage of the National Theatre.
Othello by William Shakespeare directed by Clint Dyer
The film is available to watch Sun 12 March at 7pm
Catch-up Screenings: A Man Called Otto (15)
Otto (Tom Hanks) is a grumpy isolated widower with staunch principles, strict routines and a short fuse, who gives everyone in his neighbourhood a hard time as he watches over it like a hawk. Just as it seems like he’s finally given up on life, an unlikely and reluctant friendship develops with his new neighbours. Little by little, Otto undergoes a subtle transformation…but is he really capable of change?
The film is available to watch Mon 13 – Thu 16 March
Event Cinema: Anything Goes – The Musical (PG)
Don’t miss Anything Goes, ‘the show of the year’ (★★★★★ The Telegraph) and a ‘fizzing tonic for our times’ (★★★★★ The Guardian) when it sails back into cinemas.
Filmed live during its sold-out 2021 run at the Barbican in London, this major 5-star production of the classic musical comedy features an all-star cast led by renowned Broadway royalty Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney, alongside Robert Lindsay (My Family), Felicity Kendal (The Good Life) and Gary Wilmot (Chicago).
A heart-warming romance with spectacular dance routines and some of theatre’s most memorable songs, Anything Goes is ‘a joyously shipshape revival’ (★★★★★ The Observer).
The film is available to watch Wed 15 March at 7pm
The Whale (15)
From acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky comes The Whale, the story of a reclusive English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.
Nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Actor (Fraser)
The film is available to watch Mon 20 – Thu 23 March
Event Cinema: The Royal Opera House Live- Turandot(12A)
In the court of Princess Turandot, suitors who fail to solve her riddles are brutally killed. But when a mysterious Prince answers one correctly, suddenly he holds all the power –and a glorious secret. When life hangs in the balance, can love conquer all? Puccini’s score is rich in musical marvels (featuring the famous aria ‘Nessun dorma’), while Andrei Serban’s production draws on Chinese theatrical traditions to evoke a colourful fantasy tableau of ancient Peking. Antonio Pappano conducts Anna Pirozzi in the title role and Yonghoon Lee as Calaf.
OPERA Company – The Royal Opera Music – Giacomo Puccini
The film is available to watch Wed 22 March at 7.15pm
Cinema prices at The Bonington are very competitive, with tickets at £6.50, and concessions at £5.50. Concessions are open to those Under 18, Students with valid student ID, and over 60s. Tickets for 16-25 Year Old’s are £4 via a free membership here- Young Person’s Membership – The Bonington (boningtontheatre.co.uk)
This Sunday (26) sees an amazing fundraising event taking place at Ramsdale Golf Centre in Calverton
Club members, staff, and members of the public will be taking on the challenge of a Firewalk (walking over hot stones) to raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Care Charity – the club’s chosen charity.
A great amount of money has been raised so far, and the club are hoping to surpass the £2,000 mark in this latest charitable endeavour.
Pictured: Ramsdale Golf Club (Courtesy of Ramsdale Golf Club)
Ramsdale Golf Club raised almost £20,000 in total for local charities in 2022.
Carlton Hill welcomed a new pie shop in style today (25) as it opened its doors for the first time.
Around 20 people were waiting outside eagerly awaiting the chance to sample the large selection of pies on offer at Project Pies.
The store has been opened by Danny Lione, and there’s definitely something for everyone. We recommend trying the katsu curry scotch egg, bought on our first visit.
The queue outside Project Pies this morning on Carlton Hill (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)
Project Pies have specials every month and the first month’s specials are Goose Fair Pie, Cheeseburger Pie and Chicken & Stuffing Pie.
The store replaced the well-loved Big Mike’s Fat Kitchen Cheesecake Shop that closed at the end of December, however, the two business owners are not strangers by any means.
Mike Jones, the previous store’s owner revealed on his Facebook page that he couldn’t be happier that his friend is taking over the premises.
He posted: “We want to wish Dan all the luck in the world! It is very hard for small businesses at the moment so please give Dan all your support as you did us.”
Project Pie owner Danny, who used to work as a butcher, first set up the business during lockdown in 2020.
He said: “During the lockdown, I decided to put all my skills into producing proper high-quality comfort food during the pandemic. Utilising only locally butchered and free-range meat I started creating pork pies and scotch eggs and sold around the NG4 area and quickly found I couldn’t make enough!”
Pictured: The XL Sausage Roll Box (Courtesy of Facebook)
Danny prides himself on innovation and providing a wide range of pies, from traditional steak pies to his latest creation – the cheeseburger pie!
Danny’s pies generally come in two sizes – smaller individual pies and larger family size pies that can feed 3/4 people.
Full details can be found on Project Pie’s facebook page HERE
135 new homes could be built on land in Linby, Nottinghamshire following a planning application or detail having been submitted to Gedling Borough Council that are receiving consideration.
A planning statement document prepared by Fisher German on behalf of Barwood Homes indicates that the 135 dwellings are proposed to be built on land off Hayden lane with vehicular and pedestrian access to the new homes taken from Dorothy Avenue and Delia Avenue which join Hayden Lane.
Pictured: Proposed development site off Hayden Lane (Courtesy of Google)
To inform the local community about the new development proposals, consultation leaflets and freepost return forms were distributed on 30th December 2021 by the developers wherein residents were asked to submit their feedback via an enclosed freepost form or a given email address by 17th January 2022.
The 135 dwellings will consist of a mixture of dwelling types and sizes including up to 30% affordable housing on site (40 units in total). The affordable housing units are distributed evenly throughout the site, as well as being visually indistinguishable from the equivalent open market dwellings. The remaining 95 units comprise a mix of 2-storey family housing and smaller starter homes and has been informed by the market and local needs.
Pictured: Proposed site Plan (Courtesy of Barwood Homes)
The Co-op have been matching any donation to Arnold Foodbank, up to £250 per person, via their Crowdfunder site .
This fundraiser will end on Tuesday (28).
This means that if you donate £5 online, it will automatically double to £10 and there’s GiftAid on top, which doesn’t cost you anything if you’re a taxpayer.
PICTURED: Arnold Foodbank on Mansfield Road in Daybrook (IMAGE: Google)
Volunteers at the foodbank in Arnold say demand for help has never been higher
The charity, based on Mansfield Road in Daybrook revealed only two weeks ago on social media that it had handed out a record number of emergency food parcels over the previous 10 months.
6,200 were given to those in need – and the charity said that this broke the record previously smashed during the pandemic.
A spokesman for the charity said at the time: “A sad record was broken this week: Arnold Foodbank has supported more local people with emergency food parcels this financial year than at any time in our ten-year history, which includes beating the year of the pandemic. That’s over 6,200 people and still counting as there are another six weeks until our year end on March 31.
Councillors, police, and residents are working together to combat the spike in anti-social driving across the Gedling Borough.
People riding unregistered motorbikes and dirt bikes have been doing wheelies down streets, going onto pavements, and riding through alleyways in the area.
PICTURED: Police teams get ready to tackle ‘boy racers’ in Colwick and Netherfield (PHOTO: Notts Police)‘Get them off our streets’: Councillor Michael Adams has called for action to tackle the problem of anti-social driving across the borough
Police Inspector Mark Stanley has informed local councillors that his team are trying to get hold of further resources to combat this issue.
Councillor Mike Adams said: “We need to fix the problem and get these illegal bikes off of the street.”
One of the issues is that these bikers are riding down the Waverley Avenue cut through however restrictions cannot be put in place as this would cause difficulties for residents who rely on the use of mobility scooters.
There has also been an increase in speeding and car meets in the area.
Vehicles are getting into the industrial carpark behind Stratford Close in Colwick performing donuts and making a large amount of noise.
Locals have expressed their concerns about this disturbance and the police are trying to resolve the problem.
They are working on putting a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in place which will give the local authority the ability to act, such as confiscating cars, when these problems occur.
The landowner of the car park in Colwick has asked his tenants to park in a certain way to prevent donutting and has employed 24/7 security.
He is looking at gating off the area but there are logistical issues surrounding this as all hour access to the car park is needed.
One weekend there was a count of around 300 cars on the premises.
Last weekend many vehicles were causing problems in the carpark and there was a very swift response from the police.
Cllr Adams told us that these issues have been occurring since November and residents have been hearing cars with ridiculous exhausts in the late hours of the evenings.
He said: “One resident told me they were walking down the road with their daughter, a car drove past making an incredibly loud noise and the daughter was in tears because of this.”
He feels it is not fair on the people in Gedling who expect peace and quiet.
Cllr Adams added: “If you do see any of them, whether it be the bikers or the car cruisers, please don’t approach them but please call 101. If you see a registration plate please report it, if not just tell them where you’ve seen them.”
The continued reporting of these incidents can help the police to take action and put an end to the anti-social driving in Gedling.
GMB members at Gedling Borough Council have today announced an agreement has been reached to deliver a significant pay boost for staff at the Council.
Those working across Environmental Services, including HGV Waste Drivers, Arborists, Street Cleaning Teams and Grave Diggers are all to receive significant increases to their pay.
Paul Genders, GMB Rep at Gedling Borough Council, said: “With the solidarity of our GMB members, we’ve been focused from day one on making work better for our members, that’s what GMB union at Gedling Borough Council is here to do.
“Our members do essential work in the Borough, keeping communities safe and clean for local people. Luckily, we’ve been able to avoid strike action this time as it would no doubt have led to significant disruption across our area.
Craig Thompson, GMB Organiser, said: “This is a significant increase in pay for key workers in Gedling; it’s right thing to do and I’m delighted our members have been able to campaign to deliver this win.
“Council budgets are being squeezed at an unprecedented rate due to this Government’s unwillingness to support the key services local authorities deliver, and it should never be the front line key workers who pay the price for this”.
Post Office chiefs have today announced there will be a delay to the reopening of a Post Office on Carlton Hill.
The branch within the old McColls store on Carlton Hill has been shut since Thursday, January 19 – but was set to reopen today (24).
The branch is being reopened under new management of an independent postmaster at the former McColls shop.
PICTURED: The former McColls shop will again house the Post Office (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)
A statement to Gedling Eye from a Post Office spokesperson, said: “Carlton Hill Post Office was planned to re-open today, however, there has been a delay. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. We will soon be able to advise a revised opening date.”
Previous communication from the Post Office said: “If there are any unforeseen changes to the opening date then posters will be displayed in the branch to let people know.”
There was no evidence of work or posters displayed in the old post office when Gedling Eye visited today (24).
One customer who wished to remain anonymous said: “I’m so disappointed, I have to get a bus to the nearest post office since last month. I hope it opens soon”
The Post Office will again be housed in the former McColls store
Services were stopped when the chain went into administration and although it was saved by Morrisons in a £190m rescue bid, the branch was one of six stores to be shut in Notts.
Gedling Borough Council has written to over 50 schools in the borough to ask for their support to educate parents around the dangers of idling vehicles, particularly during the “school run”.
Idling vehicles, where a vehicle is stationary but still has the engine running, release harmful pollutants into the air which can have a negative impact on the environment as well as public health.
Children are particularly at risk because they have smaller lungs and breathe more rapidly as well as spending more time outdoors. Studies have also shown that exposure to air pollution can lead to respiratory problems, such as asthma, coughs, bronchitis and other health issues.
Schools are being asked for their support to educate parents on the importance of turning off their engines when parked, whether they are waiting to pick up or drop off their children, or parked near the school. The measures support the council’s Air Quality Action Plan as well as the council’s pledge to become net zero carbon by 2030.
Last year, the council introduced Anti-Idling legislation across Gedling Borough, which states drivers can be issued a £20 fixed penalty notice (FPN), increasing to £40 it not paid within 28 days. The legislation does not apply to drivers in stationary or slow moving traffic.
Drivers will not be fined without warning, however those who refuse to turn off their engine when asked by council officers, could find themselves issued with a notice.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke MBE said: “Air pollution is a serious issue, and one that we all play a part in tackling. It affects not only our health but the environment and climate too.
One area of concern of where drivers are often found to be idling is around our schools, but by raising awareness of this specific issue, together we can make a real difference.
We’re asking for the support of our local schools, to work with us and help educate parents on the dangers caused by idling cars, and encourage them to change their habits for the health of their children and the community”
Gedling Borough Council Climate Change Officer, Sim Duhra said: “It’s so important to reduce emissions from idling cars near schools. These emissions can cause serious harm to our health, especially for children, as well as contributing towards climate change.
“Turning off your engine while waiting near schools is such a simple thing to do, but it can help protect our children and the planet.
“If your school is learning about climate change or the environment, get in touch to find out more about what support we can offer. Please email: sim.duhra@gedling.gov.uk”
