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Gedling borough schools are being offered free fruit trees to create orchards

Free fruit trees are being offered to schools in Gedling borough so they can create orchards to harvest for healthy foods.

The scheme in Nottinghamshire is being run in partnership with Veolia and Nottinghamshire County Council.

Each successful school will join Veolia’s network of national orchards which are being supported by the community action charity, Groundwork.

This campaign aims to improve the wellbeing of young people and nurture their skills to create a positive change to their environment.

The maturing fruit orchards will become a source of healthy food for schools, whilst also helping to improve their local air quality and create new habitats for wildlife.

Successful applicants will be informed from Monday, July 18, with tree deliveries taking place during September and October.

The trees will be accompanied by an information pack on how to plant the trees and harvest the fruit, making this a unique learning opportunity for pupils.

Schools can apply online at www.veolia.co.uk/veolia-orchard for their free fruit trees until Friday, July 8. 

Nottingham Castle looking to hire new land train driver and conductor

Nottingham Castle is looking to appoint a new land train driver and conductor ahead of its launch in time for the busy summer season.

Two new team members are being sought to share the role of driver and conductor on the eco-friendly train that will take visitors from Brewhouse Yard to the Castle Colonnade.

It will carry around 35 passengers at one time and features facilities for wheelchair users.

David Johns, interim CEO at Nottingham Castle Trust, said: “The Land Train will not only be an additional attraction, as visitors of all ages will be able to enjoy going past 1000 years of history on their 20-minute journey, but it provides further accessibility to those visitors that require it.

“This is a fantastic job for anyone with a love for history, the city of Nottingham, or trains!”

The shared driver and conductor role will cover the summer season and play an essential part in educating guests on the Castle’s history and its visitor offering.

Applicants must be 25-years or older and hold a full, clean driving license and a PSV Category D licence.  

The Castle is also searching for a full-time museum facilities technician. This role takes responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the museum displays and buildings. Details can be found on the website.

For further information on Nottingham Castle please visit the Nottingham Castle website.

Interested applicants should email recruitment@nottinghamcastle.org.uk.

Interactive map shows Tour of Britain route through Gedling borough

Residents in Gedling borough are gearing up (excuse the pun) for the Tour of Britain race later this year and a new interactive map has been created showing the route competitors will take through our towns and villages.

The 190-kilometre (around 118 miles) fifth stage of the showpiece event takes place on Thursday, September 8 and will start in West Bridgford before finishing in Mansfield.

Riders making their way to the finish line in Mansfield will be heading through Lambley and down onto Colliery Way, which they will take to Mapperley Plains. They will then pass Woodborough before making their way to Calverton and then go past Ravenshead before leaving the borough.

Communities based on the route are now being urged by Nottinghamshire County Council to get involved in the event and help ‘showcase what our great county has to offer’. They want locals to transform their towns and villages with bunting, flags, yellow bikes and creative displays to celebrate the sporting spectacular as it passes through our county.

They have also called on landowners to get into the spirit of the Tour by taking part in a national land art competition, to turn fields, hills, gardens, or any open spaces into unusual art displays.

The tradition of creating huge pieces of art visible from above for television cameras during bike races has long been celebrated and race organisers have again launched a competition to find the most eye-catching.

Councillor Tom Smith, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “The return of the Tour of Britain to Nottinghamshire is a great opportunity for communities to come together and show their support for what is a truly global sporting event which will once again put us on the international map.

“On the two previous occasions we’ve hosted the race, we had so many examples of land art creations by schools, community groups and landowners which were highlighted by Tour organisers for inspiring them to encourage people across the route to show their support and get creative.

“Who can forget the iconic image of a bicycle made of sheep feeding created by Nottinghamshire farmer Des Allen during the 2017 stage, footage which subsequently went viral on social media.

“So, with a global TV audience of millions and the eyes of the world on Nottinghamshire again this year, let’s get creative and help make it a sporting extravaganza to remember and showcase what our great county has to offer.”

New figures reveal grocery bills will rocket by £380 over coming months

Residents in Gedling borough could see their grocery bills rocket by an additional £380 over the course of the year, new figures have revealed.

Latest figures from Kantar also revealed like-for-like supermarket prices have risen by 8.3% over the past four weeks – up 1.3% on May’s figures and hitting the highest level in 13 years.

The data, which has been crunched by Grocery Gazette, also showed that discounters continued to perform well as supermarket sales fell by 1.9% during the 12 weeks to June 12, 2022, the best market performance since October last year.

“The inflation number makes for difficult reading and shoppers will be watching budgets closely as the cost-of-living crisis takes its toll,”said Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt.

“Based on our latest data, the average annual grocery bill is on course to rise by £380. This is over £100 more than the number we reported in April this year, showing just how sharp price increases have been recently and the impact inflation is having on the sector.”

Lidl was once again the fastest growing grocer for this period, with sales up by 9.5% over the 12-week period to reach a 6.9% market share. Sales at Aldi rose by 7.9%, taking its market share to  9% – just 0.6% behind Morrisons.

Tesco continued to out-perform the market, boosting its market share up to 27.3%. Sainsbury’s now holds 14.9% of the market, while Asda has 13.7% and Morrisons 9.6%.

Convenience retailer Co-op accounts for 6.2% of sales, while Waitrose holds 4.8%, Iceland held its market share flat at 2.3% and online retailer Ocado retained its 1.8% slice of the market.

Consumers are taking steps to manage rising prices, with sales of branded items down by 1% as shoppers opt for cheaper products. McKevitt said sales of own-label products have grown by 2.9% – partly boosted by “strong performances” from both Aldi and Lidl.

He added: “We can also see consumers turning to value ranges, such as ASDA Smart Price, Co-op Honest Value and Sainsbury’s Imperfectly Tasty, to save money and together all value own-label lines grew by 12%.”

At the same time, store footfall jumped by 3.4% over the latest four weeks, while online fell to 12% – its lowest market share since May 2020 and the 12th consecutive month of decline.

“This drop could be the result of shoppers looking to cut costs by avoiding delivery charges,” said McKevitt.

The planned roadworks and road changes in Gedling borough over the next few weeks

A number of roadworks, and changes to the roads, are set to take place on Gedling borough’s roads during the next few days.

The roadworks and road changes include things such as speed alterations, repair works and changing the layout of the roads. 

Most of the roadworks are being undertaken by Nottinghamshire County Council while a couple are being led by Severn Trent Water.

These are the roadworks and closures you need to know about

Bentwell Avenue, Arnold

22 June – 05 July

Delays likely – Road closure

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Cowper Road, Woodthorpe

27 June – 22 July

Delays likely – Road closure

Description: Footway resurfacing works

Works location: Full length Cowper Road, Woodthorpe

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Gedling Road, Carlton

26 June – 26 June

Delays likely – Traffic control (multi-way signals)

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Kirkby Road, Ravenshead

22 June – 22 June

Delays likely – Traffic control (two-way signals)

Description: Lighting column replacement

Works location: Kirkby Road, Ravenshead near Little Ricket Lane junction

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Nottingham Road, Arnold

27 June – 27 June

Delays likely – Traffic control (multi-way signals)

Description: replacing damaged traffic signals

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Nottingham Road, Daybrook

27 June – 27 June

Delays likely – Traffic control (multi-way signals)

Description: replacing damaged traffic signals

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Oxton Road, Woodborough

28 June – 29 June

Delays likely – Traffic control (two-way signals)

Description: Speed camera calibrations

Works location: Oxton Road, Epperstone Bye Pass

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Westdale Lane East, Gedling

26 June – 26 June

Delays likely – Traffic control (multi-way signals)

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Arnot Hill Road, Arnold

27 June – 27 June

Delays possible – Traffic control (multi-way signals)

Description: replacing damaged traffic signals

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Avon Road, Gedling

25 June – 28 June

Delays possible – Traffic control (give & take)

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Chapel Lane, Ravenshead

22 June – 23 June

Delays possible – Traffic control (give & take)

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Current status: Planned work about to start

Coronation Walk, Gedling

23 June – 24 June

Delays possible – Traffic control (give & take)

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Current status: Planned work about to start

Lambley Lane, Gedling

27 June – 01 July

Delays possible – Traffic control (multi-way signals)

Description: S171 ; Two Trial holes

Works location: near its junction with Jessops Lane

Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Main Road, Carlton

26 June – 26 June

Delays possible – Traffic control (multi-way signals)

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Orlando Drive, Carlton

24 June – 27 June

Delays possible – Traffic control (give & take)

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Current status: Advanced planning

Works reference: LB9081101-000060443925

Rigg Lane, Ravenshead

27 June – 08 July

Delays possible – Traffic control (two-way signals)

Responsibility for works: Western Power Distribution

Current status: Planned work about to start

Works reference: DY5372357847

Latest Gedling borough crime map: what’s been reported in your street?

Hundreds of violent and sexual offences were reported to police in Gedling borough in April.

Each month Gedling Eye will chart every crime in the borough on an interactive map for readers to stay on top of what is happening and where.

The map can be found below.

This month, our map reveals the location of every crime reported to Nottinghamshire Police in April 2022 (the latest available full month of data).

The map shows location, type of offence, and outcome or current status of the police investigation.

Readers can use the online tool to see what happened near their homes, schools and places of work and build an understanding of the county’s crime hotspots.

By far the greatest number of reported offences were violent and sexual offences, with a total of 199 such offences reported in the borough

This was followed by anti-social behaviour with 192 reports, criminal damage with 63 reports, vehicle crime with 56 reports, shoplifting with 50 reports, burglary with 18 reports and drugs with 8 reports.

The least reported crimes were bike thefts (two), and possession of weapons (eight)

Train damaged after being hit by projectile near Newstead Station

A train was damaged earlier today (20) after being hit by a projectile near Newstead Station.

British Transport Police confirmed the incident took place in a statement released this afternoon.

They said: “British Transport Police received a report of an object hitting a moving train near Newstead station at 11.50am today (20 June).

“The window of the rear cab was shattered, and thankfully no one on board sustained any injuries.

“The train is now being held nearby while officers carry out enquiries.”

Once local councillor voiced fears that it could be a copycat incident a following a scene broadcast as part of the BBC’s recent Sherwood drama.

During an episode of the popular drama screened last week, a train was shown being attacked outside Newstead Station.

Independent District Councillor David Hennigan was a passenger on the train.

He told Hucknall Nub News : “I was absolutely appalled at the thought that anybody was copying what they’ve seen on TV. But thankfully nobody was injured but it could easily have gone the other way.”

Trains are now running again on the line between Mansfield and Nottingham.

REMINDER: No train service in Gedling borough during rail strike

The largest train strike in more than 30 years will see no train service from stations in Gedling borough for most of this week.

East Midlands Railway say only a select number of trains will be operational during the strike action tomorrow (21) Thursday (23) and Saturday (25).

A limited number of regional services will operate during the strikes and these are as follows:

  • One Train per Hour between Derby and Matlock
  • One Train per Hour between Derby and Nottingham
  • One Train per Hour between Leicester and Nottingham (Stopping Service)
  • One Train per Hour between Nottingham and Sheffield.
  • All other lines of route will be closed and Rail Replacement Bus (RRB) services will not be provided.

This means trains that would normally operate from Carlton, Burton Joyce and Netherfield will be affected.

A spokesman for East Midlands Railway said: “The RMT union has confirmed its members will be taking strike action on Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June 2022.

“As a result, we will be operating a significantly reduced service on these dates. We ask customers to only travel by rail if necessary. If you do decide to travel, plan ahead and leave extra time for disruption and short notice changes.

“This includes the days between strikes as we will be running a reduced level of service and expect some disruption to the advertised service levels, particularly on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.”

More than 40,000 staff at Network Rail and 13 train operators are expected to walk out next week on 21, 23 and 25 June in a dispute over pay and redundancies.

Network Rail said the six days of disruption are due to the impact on services on the days in between the strike.

It has advised that passengers “who must travel” are urged to “plan ahead” to ensure they can complete their journeys within this window.

Network Rail said it wants to cut between 1,500 and 2,000 frontline jobs in a bid to reduce costs, improve safety and boost productivity.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive said: “Talks have not progressed as far as I had hoped and so we must prepare for a needless national rail strike and the damaging impact it will have”.

Couple visiting every pub in Notts name their favourite Gedling borough boozers

A Nottinghamshire couple is determined to visit all the pubs the county has on offer – including those in Gedling borough.

Dale Harvey, 37, and Holly Booth, 30, have decided to embark on the ‘Great Nottinghamshire Pub Crawl’ after getting bored of their usual pubs.

PICTURED: The couple outside The Willowbrook in Gedling
Holy and Dale outside the city’s Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

Since starting their journey on March 16, the couple has visited a grand total of 346 pubs out of an estimated 1,800, according to Google.

Dale said: “After we started, we realised there’s a lot more pubs than we thought it was going to be.

“But we’re too invested now so we have to keep going.

“The rate that we’re going at is about 3.6 pubs a day so far and if we keep that up, it means it would take us about 500 days to visit them all, which isn’t bad at all.”

The Sneinton-based couple revealed that there is no particular order in which they visit the pubs, but that they printed an A0-sized map and pinned the names of pubs they have not visited yet, which gives them an idea of where to go next.

The pair, whose daily record of visited pubs is currently 13, prefers independent venues, as they have “a lot more character a lot of the time and they’re allowed to do more of what they like”.

However, they have expressed their love for the Castle Rock and Greene King chains, as well as some of the Wetherspoons branches they visited, like the ones in Stapleford and Bulwell.

When it comes to Gedling, Dale revealed that his favourite pub in the area so far has been the Willowbrook, followed by the Gedling Inn & Kitchen.

Writing for the over 1,000 people who follow their Facebook page, Dale said: “Willowbrook is a shining example of Castle Rock doing good pubs, the right way.

“Several dogs were present as we entered, which is always a welcome site, and this place just has such a warm, welcoming feel to it that we were instantly comfortable there and would love to do a ‘Revisited’ episode inside the place.

“The Gedling Inn & Kitchen is another huge pub just down from one of our favourites of the crawl so far, The Willowbrook.

“This place is another that has a great looking food offering of standard pub style food.

“They were also showing Sky Sports and have a huge stage type set up outside with a screen on that looks amazing for watching movies/cinema nights, as well as for the big sporting occasions.

“Our dogs were also made to feel very welcome, which was great.”

The pair say they are open to people joining them in their impressive journey.

Dale said: “If there’s anyone who wants to join us and go out for the day with us, just message our Facebook page and tell us.

“We’re finding so many great pubs that we’ve never even heard of, we’ve gone places we’ve never gone to.

“It’s such a great experience.”

You can keep up with Dale and Holly’s journey and pub reviews via their dedicated Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatNottinghamshirePubCrawl/

New timetables in place on these Gedling borough bus services

Changes to Gedling borough bus services have now come into force as Nottingham City Transport revises their timetables for the summer.

The bus firm say the new timetables reflect driver availability and passenger levels over the summer period, ensuring they advertise a level of service that customers can rely on and matches current demand.

NCT say that passenger numbers are currently at around 80% of their pre-pandemic levels.

The following changes to timetables in the borough have now been introduced:

Lilac 24, 25, 27

Revised Monday to Saturday daytime timetable.

Lilac 25 and 27 will each operate every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes, providing a combined 7/8 minute frequency between City and Carlton Square. 

A small number of journeys will operate to/from Westdale Lane as the 24.

Red 44

Revised Sunday daytime timetable for buses towards City, with buses still every 20 minutes.

Sky Blue 45

Revised Saturday daytime timetable, with buses every 12 minutes.

New timetables can be viewed in the NCTX Buses app and at www.nctx.co.uk/services with printed timetable leaflets now available from regular outlets.