It’s a first for Stoke Bardolph this weekend as the village gets together and holds its first ever scarecrow festival.
Visitors are expected to flock to the village and see the creations on display during the festival, which runs from today (Saturday, 28) until Monday, August 30.
26 scarecrows are on show in total and can be seen outside the homes of villagers on almost every street in Stoke Bardolph.
The debut event has been organised by resident Susan Harte.
Those wanting to visit the festival can park in the village social club, which has opened up the car park throughout the festival to accommodate villagers.
Here’s a selection of scarecrows taking part in the festival as pictured by village resident Jim Bethell
From bank holiday Monday, Morrisons in Netherfield is slashing the price of its popular cooked breakfast and hungry locals can enjoy 50 per cent off.
The offer is set to run for four weeks, coming to an end on September 26, so get your teeth around a half-price hash brown while you can.
Customers will be able to get a fry up with sausage, bacon, fried egg, grilled tomato, baked beans and toast for just £1.87.
Those with bigger bellies can get mushrooms, black pudding and hashbrowns as well as extra sausages and bacon by choosing a Morrisons Full English Breakfast, which is now just £2.75 along with the Veggie or Vegan Breakfast options.
Ali Lyons, Head of Cafes at Morrisons, said: “A traditional cooked breakfast has long been a Great British treat. As the nation returns to work and school we wanted to offer our customers a hearty meal, at an unbeatable price, to ensure they are setting themselves up for the day.
“Many of our customers are key workers and don’t work traditional office hours, so we’ve made sure that the discount is valid all day so no matter what time you’re eating breakfast, customers can take advantage of the offer in our cafes.”
Morrisons breakfasts are available all day every day and the offer is valid in all 406 Morrisons cafes from Monday, August 30 until Sunday, September 26.
People are being asked to give their views on an ambitious project to plant thousands more trees at Bestwood Country Park in a bid to help improve the environment.
The proposals will see approximately 31,000 trees planted at the country park across 30 hectares of land in plans drawn up by Nottinghamshire County Council and Greenwood Community Forest, with planting planned to start in early 2022.
Local residents interested in the scheme can find out more and have their say at a drop-in open evening on Thursday, September 2, between 4pm and 8pm, at Bestwood Country Park’s Dynamo House situated just off Park Road.
Nick Crouch, Natural Environment Manager at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “The Greenwood Community Forest team is looking forward to meeting as many people as possible at the open evening to explain plans in more detail, and to hear the views of local people on the proposals.
“These exciting proposals will bring benefits for people and the landscape, as well as locking up hundreds of tonnes of carbon, and will allow valuable new wildlife habitats to develop.
“A good feeling of space will still be provided and viewpoints of features such as the Winding Engine House will remain. “
PICTURED: The winding house at Bestwood Country Park
The proposals for Bestwood Country Park are part of a wider national programme being delivered by England’s 12 Community Forests called Trees for Climate.
This programme is seeking to boost woodland creation across England and is supported by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Forestry Commission, and the Community Forest Trust, with funding coming from the government’s Nature for Climate fund.
Nottinghamshire County Council and Greenwood Community Forest plan to plant around 280,000 extra trees across the county in the next five years as part of the programme covering 250 hectares of land.
Cllr Mike Adams, vice chairman of the county council’s Transport and Environment Committee, said: “The county council is serious about improving our environment and tackling climate change and Trees for Climate is crucial to our ambitions.
“Our plan for over 30,000 trees at Bestwood Country Park is just part of a wider strategy from the county council and Greenwood Community Forest to plant 280,000 extra trees across Nottinghamshire in the next five years.
“The trees will absorb carbon dioxide and help the national effort to achieve 12% woodland cover and reach net zero carbon.
“I would urge residents near Bestwood Country Park to come to the drop-in evening, have your say and then get involved with the initiative.
“We’ll be creating new habitats for wildlife, improving air quality, and giving park users an improved experience. It is going to be fantastic.”On the weekend following the drop-in session there will be a guided walk at Bestwood Country Park to view where the proposed trees would be planted. It will take place on Sunday September 5th at 3pm, attendance must be booked beforehand.
One of the UK’s leading takeaway apps, Foodhub is offering 10% off on August Bank Holiday Monday (August 30) until Thursday, September 2, so customers in Gedling borough can enjoy a tasty takeaway treat at a discounted price.
Whether you are basking in the summer sun or making the most of extra family time, tuck into a delicious takeaway courtesy of Foodhub and indulge in a discounted bank holiday banquet!
Customers can choose from a range of local takeaway or restaurant suppliers, so if you’re craving Chinese, Indian, Fish ‘n’ Chips or a burger – Foodhub is the perfect recipe.
A discount of 10% is on offer to all customers who order via Foodhub, simply input the code: BHAUG21 at the checkout and enjoy a tasty treat at your feet.
More than 20,000 takeaway & restaurant partners currently featured online at www.foodhub.co.uk and through the apps available for iOS and Android.
Foodhub is unique in that it does not take a commission from the food establishments for each order placed, which enables them to offer better prices and deals to customers than other online food platforms.
Nat Watson’s first goal for Carlton Town saw the Millers through a hard-fought FA Cup replay with Maltby Main at Stoke Lane.
Watson struck in just the third minute to settle this Preliminary Round replay and earn the Millers a home game with Stratford Town in the next round. On balance, the Millers merited the win, but over two games this was a closely fought affair and the Miners more than demonstrated why they currently sit top of the Northern Counties East League.
Managers Tommy Brookbanks and Mark Harvey selected the same side which had drawn at Maltby three days earlier. The same five substitutes where also named and they were joined by Danny Elliott and Martin Ball given the seven allowed in the FA Cup.
Maltby made one change to their starting eleven with Bradley Morton replacing Jonathan Hill. That meant Liam Marsden made a return to the ground where he made four appearances in 2012-13.
Carlton made the perfect start and were ahead on three minutes. Watson slipped a ball through to Aaron Opoku that caught the visitors napping. Opoku went through on goal but was denied by an excellent save from Hugo Warhurst. The ball rebounded to the edge of the penalty area where Watson displayed some lovely control, adjusting his body and firing a half-volley into the roof of the net beyond the reach of Warhurst.
That goal should have settled any Carlton nerves and shortly afterwards Watson controlled a long Jack Steggles pass and crossed to Opoku, whose header was comfortably saved by Warhurst.
By this stage however the Miners had recovered their composure and started to enjoy more possession in midfield, moving the ball to wide positions without being able to seriously breach the Carlton defence. The nearest Maltby came to a goal in the first half was on 21 minutes when a long throw from the right bounced over everyone, arriving at the head of Connor Cutts at the far post but his header lacked power and Steggles saved easily.
Niall Davie saw one effort fly just wide and James Matthews hit an audacious 25-yard volley just over the bar as the game became somewhat of a midfield stalemate before half time.
Carlton brought on Khyle Sargent for Matthews at the interval and his introduction had an immediate effect. Within a minute of the restart he had won the ball in midfield and slipped a lovely pass to Opoku whose run on goal was well blocked.
Sargent then picked up the ball on the edge of the box and hit a powerful drive that beat Warhurst but crashed against the crossbar.
The Millers were then presented with a glorious chance to double the lead when they were awarded a penalty. Sargent darted onto what looked like an underhit pass in midfield, rounded Warhurst and looked set to score before being bundled over by the goalkeeper.
Opoku stepped up to take the spot kick, having fired wide from a penalty in the first game. He could only look on in anguish as Warhurst dived to his right and saved the penalty.
Opoku certainly didn’t let the miss get to him as he continued to cause problems for the Main defence. One run down the right hand side saw him cut into the area before unleashing a fierce drive that drew another excellent save from Warhurst.
Davie was then brought down cynically on the half way line as he was about to run clean through and the resultant free kick led to a Toby Moore header that was well-held by Warhurst.
Opoku then picked up a knock in a 50-50 challenge with Warhurst and seemed to be affected for the rest of the game. His importance to the team is such that there was no question of taking him off with the match so delicately poised.
As the game wore one Maltby pushed forward. The Millers defence held firm, with Moore and Dan Brown particularly impressive in the middle and Lawrence Gorman and Tyler Johal keeping the wide men at bay.
Most of Maltby’s attacks focussed on their right and it was from this position that they came desperately close to scoring with eight minutes remaining. Substitute Brandon Whitfield, scorer of their equaliser in the first game, advanced into the area and hit a powerful drive which produced a marvellous save from Steggles.
The loose ball looked set to be converted by Thomas Whiting but Steggles was able to get his body over the ball and block the effort. In a melee that ensued involving most of the 22 players on the pitch, Steggles was kicked in the arm, Toby Moore was pushed into the net and the referee showed a red card to Maltby’s Jamie Austin and a yellow card to Alex Hardwick.
Still Maltby didn’t give up and with the game in added time they won a corner. Warhurst went up for it and was close to scoring with a header that went just wide and may even have hit the post. The Millers though were able to see out the rest of the game and secure their place in the First Round Qualifying.
Carlton Town: J Steggles, L Gorman, T Johal, D Brown, T Moore, J Holmes (T Maddison 76), N Watson, J Matthews (K Sargent 46), A Opoku, T Blake, N Davie (L Czerwak 67). Unused substitutes: J Sturgess, D Thomas, M Ball, D Elliott
These restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways and pubs in Gedling borough have all been given a five star hygiene rating so far this year by the Food Standards Agency.
All these businesses were inspected in 2021.
Each business is given its hygiene rating when it is inspected by a food safety officer from the business’s local authority.
The inspection criteria include:
– How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
– The condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
– How the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe
At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings from 0-5.
Here’s a list of the restaurants, cafes, takeaways and pubs that received a five star rating so far this year…
Nottinghamshire Police will only reach the same number of officers it employed 10 years ago, despite a government uplift.
Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, said there is currently one police officer for every 500 residents across the county.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to recruit 20,000 new officers across England and Wales, which included £750m of funding set aside for 2020/2021.
Mr Guildford said the force was ahead of the game and had used the cash immediately.
Currently, there are around 2,270 serving police officers – with 2,300 expected to be in post by March 2022.
By March 2023, another 100 officers are set to be employed.
But despite the government uplift, this will only see the force reach the same number of officers it had 10 years ago.
Mr Guildford said “the complexity of the demand (on the force) has changed” during that decade.
This includes more reporting of online crime such as fraud, county lines and sexual exploitation.
In 2009/10, the force had 2,400 police officers and was determined to reach 2,500. But government cuts meant it never reached that goal.
Mr Guildford, who became chief constable in February 2017, has worked to ensure police numbers continue to rise across Nottinghamshire.
When he joined the force there were 1,824 police officers in post.
Mr Guildford has welcomed the government’s plans to look at the funding formula for police forces again in the Autumn.
The force receives around £232m, but Mr Guildford says the funding formula is around 15 years old and policing has changed during that time.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There is double the workload on an officer in Nottinghamshire compared to some other forces in the country.
“Our officers carry a higher level of demand than anywhere else in the region and often more serious demand such as crime of more threat and risk like violent crime.
“We have a core city, and we have significant pockets of deprivation which can be associated with high levels of criminality.
“The reality of the situation is the existing funding formula has never been fully implemented and applied a series of dampening measures, which result in Nottinghamshire not receiving a substantial amount of money.
“It is about £9m that we have never had. It is not like it has been taken away, it has never been given.”
He said any additional cash would be spent on police numbers.
Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry, said she has met the Minister for Policing, Kit Malthouse, at Downing Street.
She said: “I have asked him personally to review the funding formula. It is only right our police force in Nottinghamshire have the resources they need to carry out their duties and keep Nottinghamshire safe.
“As well as pushing to have the funding formula reviewed, I will also ensure as PCC I keep a tight control over our budget to make the money work.”
The uplift of extra officers by the government has meant the force can:
Expand its digital media investigation team from eight to 16. This team gathers intelligence from offenders such as drug dealers’ mobile phones and laptops. The police said this will speed up prosecution.
Expand its road policing team from 12 up to 21 officers. This will ensure Nottinghamshire’s roads are safe and to stop criminals using the network to bring drugs and weapons into the county.
More investigators in local policing and the CID.
Expanding the modern slavery and county lines team.
More officers in neighbourhood policing.
Officers in public protection, which includes domestic violence and sexual offences.
A colourful mural was recently revealed on the site of a changing room block celebrating the year in the life of Burton Road Jubilee Park in Carlton.
The new mural was painted by the Handmade Theatre Company, The Friends of Burton Road Park and young people from the Loco Youth Centre, Netherfield.
The design represents day and night, the four seasons, and has a huge clock face as the centre feature surrounded by silhouettes of park users.
Park supporter Peter Wood was one of the people involved in creating the mural.
He said: “The idea behind the mural is to capture the year-long happenings in the park.
“There is a large clock that depicts time and the changing of the four seasons .
Fifty-per-cent of the mural is also dedicated to the environmental aspects of the park like the trees, leaves and wild flowers like the rare, beautiful Fritillaries.
“The other part of the mural is dedicated to the sporting aspects of the park, like the cricket matches which really make such a visual impression on the park – especially to those in the thousands of cars pass by and dog walkers.
“There is a nod to other activities such as the park’s excellent skateboarding facility.”
Hundreds of people across Gedling borough have been advised to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app since it was launched in September 2020 – leaving employees worrying about whether they’ll get paid if they’re unable to work from home.
Laura Kearsley, partner and employment law solicitor at Nelsons, explains what the law says on workers’ wages after getting pinged.
“Adults who receive an alert from the NHS Covid-19 app are advised to self-isolate for up to ten days unless they have received both of their vaccinations, though this can be longer if someone goes on to develop symptoms themselves.
“Over the past few weeks, the number of people being ‘pinged’ by the app has reportedly resulted in staff shortages and disruption for some businesses. This is particularly challenging for those industries where people are unable to work from home, such as supermarkets and on transport networks.
“This has caused many workers across the country to be worried about whether they will still receive their usual wage if they are not fully vaccinated and, as a result, forced to self-isolate.
“Earlier in the pandemic, the government said those who aren’t displaying symptoms but have been told to stay away from work should be entitled to sick pay. However, strictly speaking, there is no right to sick pay for anyone in self-isolation as technically, it’s just a precaution and they are not considered ‘sick’.
“Statutory sick pay (SSP) is available to those who are employed, earning at least £118 a week and have been off work for four consecutive days. The current rate of SSP is £94.25 per week and can be paid for up to a maximum of 28 weeks for the days employees usually work. SSP is usually payable after three ‘waiting days’ of absence but these do not apply to most circumstances where an employee is self-isolating and they will be entitled to sick pay from day one. It’s up to your employer – and should be set out in your contract – as to whether you’re paid more than SSP.
“If SSP isn’t an option, a pinged employee could ask to be furloughed and receive 80% of their current salary up to £2,500, although the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is due to end on 30 September. Alternatively, workers can ask for annual or unpaid leave to self-isolate.
“Those who are required to self-isolate, are on low incomes and unable to work from home could be entitled to financial support through the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, which provides a one-off payment of £500.
“The self-employed could try and claim a payment from the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which pays up to 80% of average profits up to a maximum of £7,500 for three months. Like the CJRS, this is due to end on 30 September.
“While those who are pinged by the app are not guaranteed financial support if they cannot work, we would recommend employers be flexible and use discretion where possible.”
The leader made the appeal after a gazebo in Arnot Hill Park was covered in ‘obscene’ graffiti just two weeks after being repainted by council workers.
In a video posted on the council’s Facebook channel, he said: “We need help on this. It cost a lot of money to do and now we’ve got obscenities and all sorts of things that have been sprayed on the inside and we are in the process of having that removed.
It’s deep frustration that’s coming out now. It’s your money. It’s ratepayers’ money that’s been spent to provide a facility for young people, as we do for all age groups across the borough, and it’s being abused.
He asked those using the park who spot anything to contact the council.
Councillor Clarke added: “Get in touch with the council and tell us what you’ve seen, when you’ve seen it and the time.”
If you have details about this, or see anything else in the borough being vandalised then contact Gedling Borough Council with as much information as possible at enquiries@gedling.gov.uk
