Arnold‘s Bonington Cinema has announced it will reopen on Saturday (July 4) – although moviegoers can expect to see some changes.
The venue, which has been closed throughout lockdown, has revealed it will have a new-look seating plan and reduced capacity when it starts screening again this weekend.
There will be a reduced number of seats to accommodate customers so they can keep two metres apart.
Sofas, armchairs and tables have replaced the usual cascading seats and there are a number of measures in place to ensure people are safe.
Council leader John Clarke unveils the new seating layout inside The Bonington
Capacity will be reduced to just 24 seats per screening to allow people to have enough space.
Tickets must be booked in advance through the Bonington website or by telephone. No tickets are available to buy from the box office.
The venue has been thoroughly cleaned during the closure and there will be hand-sanitising stations available and extra cleaning will take place between each screening.
Leisure Officer, Nastarsia Smith helps prepare The Bonington for reopening on Saturday
A one-way system has also been introduced to reduce contact with others with signage situated throughout the cinema to give people clear directions about where to go.
The cinema will be showing a host of family films as well as some of the best national and international films including the winner of the Best Picture Award at the Oscars, Parasite.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said: “We’re delighted to be opening the Bonington Cinema. Our number one priority is the safety of our patrons and our team have been working very hard to get everything in place so people can come and watch a film and know they are safe.
“We have reduced the capacity significantly, to allow for the cinema to be open safely. We know it means we won’t be making much of a profit but this is more about getting us back open and to give our residents an opportunity to have some much needed distraction from the news and enjoy some great cinema on their doorsteps.”
Full details about the upcoming films and the measures in place to ensure the safety of customers is available at www.boningtontheatre.co.uk
Two schools in Gedling borough have been awarded a share of a £434 million pound government fund to improve facilities.
Carlton le Willows Academy and Burton Joyce Primary School will be able to use the cash to expand classrooms and upgrade facilities.
The money is part of the £1.4 billion of capital funding for 2020-21 announced in April and is provided through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).
The government has said the money will ‘ensure our schools and colleges can focus on teaching, with brand new buildings and better facilities so that every child gets the world-class education all our children deserve.’
Gedling MP Tom Randall MP welcomed the announcement that local schools had been selected to benefit from the scheme
Gedling MP Tom Randall welcomed the decision to award cash to local schools
He said: “Coronavirus has taken a toll on us all, not least our children, who have been kept from their friends, their teachers and their schools.
“As we exit lockdown we must focus on getting children back to school – and ensure that schools have the facilities and classrooms they need to support the high-quality education our children deserve.
“This funding will help ensure all children have the very best possible schools and education, enabling them to gain all the knowledge and skills they need for success.”
Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson said: “My number-one focus will always be to make sure every student has access to excellent education and training.
“Replacing and upgrading poor condition school and college buildings with modern, energy efficient designs will give our students and teachers the environment they deserve, and support them to maximise their potential.
“As we look forward to this September and all children returning to school, we can be assured that for years to come this country’s education system will drive opportunity and prosperity for all.”
A kind-hearted Carlton le Willows student has put her time in lockdown to good use making face masks – making money for charity in the process
Year 7 Academy student Megan Peckover has spent hours sewing face masks for friends and family – and after a social media shout out has now raised more than £400 for mental health charity Young Minds.
The 12-year-old’s fundraising began when Megan heard schools were starting to re-open to some pupils and decided to make face masks on her sewing machine – using video calls to get instructions from her Nan.
After a couple of friends used her masks and commented on how lovely they were she decided to advertise them – but asking for donations so that all the money could go to charity.
PICTURED: Megan Peckover with some of her completed face masks
Requests came flooding in and since the first social media post three weeks ago Megan has now made 90 masks for family, friends and friends of friends all over the country – raising £400 for Young Minds in the process.
She said: “I never expected to make a lot of money doing this. I just wanted donations for charity. I chose Young Minds as I wanted the money to go to a mental health charity and one that helps young people, so Young Minds seemed the perfect charity.”
Headteacher Craig Weaver said: “I know that Megan’s family are extremely proud of her – and rightly so. She has worked so hard since lockdown raising money for charity, but at the same time completing all her home learning assignments. She is a credit to Carlton le Willows and a perfect example of all those character traits our school community hold so dear.”
The support packs have been created as research revealed that during lockdown, young adults are almost three times more likely to experience loneliness.
Damien said: “One of the feelings millions of us are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic is loneliness. In our combined efforts to stay safe and save lives, our usual ways of seeing family, friends or familiar faces, no longer exist for many.”
PICTURED: Mr Randall delivers one of the Wolfpack Project wellbeing packs to a home in Netherfield (IMAGE: Tom Randall/Facebook)
“The Wolfpack Project have for the last year helped support 100+ young adults across Gedling & the wider Nottingham area through a Buddy Scheme of one-to-one and group support. Due to COVID-19, we are in unprecedented and challenging times that make it more difficult than ever to reach isolated young adults.”
“The Wolfpack Project have launched a campaign to provide 100’s of individuals who are most at risk, with their own ‘Wellbeing Wolf-Pack’; containing self-care items, puzzles, healthy drinks/snacks, tips around positive mental health/mindfulness and the means for those individuals to access added support.”
“We’re proud to continue to reduce loneliness and isolation for young adults across Nottingham!”
A local building contractor has been selected to construct the new £18.5m joint police and fire headquarters in Arnold.
The new building will be constructed on land behind the existing Nottinghamshire Police headquarters at Sherwood Lodge and is scheduled to open by the end of 2021.
Work on the new building, which will include a control room, training centre, changing rooms, gym, canteen and shared offices, is expected to begin next month.
Once complete it will form part of a wider joint campus that will also include all of the existing police headquarters. After a competitive tendering process Nottingham-based Henry Brothers Midlands has been chosen to construct the new three storey building. A formal contract was agreed yesterday (Monday, June 29).
Since planning permission was granted in December 2019, a considerable amount of work has already taken place on this multi-phase project under the direction of construction consultancy Gleeds.
The site, which will include a new access road, additional car parking and improvements to existing facilities, has already been levelled and cleared – ahead of time and below budget.
Ian Taylor, Managing Director of Henry Brothers Midlands, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to build this new joint headquarters building for Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“Henry Brothers has a wealth of experience when it comes to public sector buildings and we are proud to have been selected to work on such a high profile and important project for our local emergency services.”
The joint headquarters project is the next step in a series of collaboration projects between the two services, which already share premises at Highfields, West Bridgford and London Road fire stations, and at the new tri-service hub in Hucknall. The two organisations also jointly procure fuel, have a shared drone and incident welfare vehicle, and conduct joint safety and educational initiatives.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “This is a significant day in the history of this project and also a good time to reflect on the huge amount of work that has taken place since we began preparing the ground once we got the planning decision at the back end of last year.
PICTURED: Police and crime commissioner Paddy Tipping
“I want to thank all those involved in getting us to this point, ahead of schedule and under budget. It is great news to have been able to have formalised this partnership with a trusted local contractor. Their bid represents excellent value for money for taxpayers. I am delighted that we are able to support so many local jobs on site and in the wider supply chain in what I know is a very challenging time for local businesses.”
Chief Fire Officer John Buckley said: “The appointment of a local contractor marks a significant step in the joint headquarters programme and is the culmination of a great amount of joint working between the two organisations to co-ordinate a robust and effective competitive tendering process.
“Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and Nottinghamshire Police have collaborated on a number of projects in recent years; our new joint headquarters is the next step in our collaboration journey and will pave the way for future partnership working for the benefit of the communities we serve.”
Chair of the Fire Authority, Cllr Michael Payne, added: “This is fantastic news in what has, in recent months, undoubtedly been an extremely challenging time for our police and fire staff, the wider public sector and our communities across the whole of the city and county.
“The appointment of a local company to build our new joint headquarters reinforces our commitment to the people of Nottinghamshire, and I look forward to the next phase of the project where we will start to see the redevelopment of Sherwood Lodge taking shape, and the relationship between the two organisations going from strength to strength.”
Paddy Tipping, Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “This is another big step towards the completion of this latest and biggest partnership project to date between two key emergency services. It’s good news that a local company provided the best value for money in a very strict tender process as this means that local people will benefit. I’m also delighted that despite the challenges of the last few months, the work to date has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget. I am grateful to everyone who has worked hard to deliver this.
“The two organisations have been collaborating for some time to improve both financial and operational efficiency and experience has proved that they work well together. The new headquarters will bring numerous advantages, such as a better working environment for the workforce, eco-friendly elements and further development of the working relationship between the services. I’m looking forward to seeing the completed project.”
The NHS has today revealed what changes we can expect to see when we next see our GP in Gedling borough following the covid-19 pandemic.
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG has today given details about a number of changes GPs have made to surgeries for when patients start returning across the borough.
He said: “Health settings have had to adapt to the pandemic and we have seen a large shift in how patients are using our services.
“Our GPs have had to adapt and change the way they operate, and are currently experiencing a return to expected number of patient contacts, and managing them via a variety of different methods. We are now choosing which patients we should see in person based on individual health needs. In certain cases, we can carry out the same level of service over the phone or by video call and we think it is really important that this continues. It will mean our services don’t become overwhelmed and we can carry on caring for patients in a safe way.”
The new changes to healthcare settings mean seeing your GP will be different to normal and you may have to prepare before you go into your local medical centre.
PICTURED: How a surgery waiting room will look like
If a patient does have to go into their local medical practice for an appointment, they will see that a number of changes have been made.
These include:
· Barriers or floor markings around reception to make sure patients remain two metres away from staff and each other.
· No leaflets, self-service machines or any magazines to read in the waiting room.
· Plastic screens around the reception desk.
· Taped off chairs in the waiting room, or reduced chairs, to ensure social distancing is adhered to.
· Staff wearing PPE during appointments.
· Hand sanitizer available and patients encourage to wash hands more frequently.
· Patients should wear a face mask to appointments.
If you need to contact a GP, do not go into the surgery in person. Instead visit the GP surgery’s website, use an online service, or call your GP. You will then be given advice about what to do next.
Thieves have stolen plants from new flower beds placed outside a recently revamped social club in Arnold.
The plants were put in as part work to transform the former Arnold Labour Club on High Street.
The club has now been renamed The Bonington Club to honour Richard Parkes Bonington, a famous English landscape painter who was born in the town.
The venue has announced it will open its doors on July 4.
The plants were stolen just hours after being planted.
Plants have been removed from outside The Bonington Club in Arnold
Management at the venue are now hoping the public can now help them replace the stolen flowers .
The venue’s bar manager Paula Martin told Gedling Eye: “We do a lot for the community and elderly people and we’ve spent hours doing up the inside and outside. For someone to come along and destroy our hard work is soul destroying.
“Anyone who wants to donate flowers can contact our Facebook page. We will happily come and collect them.”
More pubs in Gedling borough have announced reopening plans over the coming days following the decision to lift lockdown restrictions affecting the hospitality industry on July 4.
Inn For A Penny, Carlton
The Inn For A Penny on Burton Road has announced it will be reopening from Saturday, July 4, with normal opening times, which are weekdays and Sunday 12pm-11pm and Friday-Saturday 12pm-12am.
In a post on their Facebook page they wrote: “People inside the pub must remain seated unless going to the toilet. Table service will be provided once ordered and paid at the bar inside the pub.
“We will have a specific area to collect drinks if you wish but you must not stand at the bar. Only time we will accept standing at the bar is to pay and collect a drink.
“Hand sanitising units will be placed around the pub in certain areas which we will advise customers to use often.
“We will no longer be giving out straws so please bring your own if necessary.
They added: “For people who are sitting outside we must let you know that if it rains and there are no seats left inside we will have to turn you away or you will have to wait until a table inside becomes free.
“Thank you in advance for helping to keep the pub safe, we hope this will all come to an end very soon. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to message the Inn For A Penny site.
PICTURED: Landlady Sophie Shepherd outside the Inn For A Penny in Carlton
Crossing Club, Netherfield
In a social media post the club wrote: “The committee have decided that the club will reopen from Friday, July 10 on a trial for two days a week with the following times Friday: 16.00pm – 23.00pm, Saturday 14.30pm – 12am.
“This trial will be reviewed on a fortnightly basis.”
Contact details will have to be provided for track and trace purposes. Those refusing to provide details will not be served.
It’s Inn The Bank, Netherfield
We talked to David Murphy, who runs the pub on Victoria Road, with wife Nicola.
He said they had planned to reopen the pub on July 4, but will now open their doors on Monday July 6.
In a post on Facebook they wrote: “We do not think it’s right to reopen on Saturday but look forward to opening our doors to you all on Monday, 6, with all safety procedures in place.”
The pub’s popular Thursday and Sunday lunch delivery service, which has operated during lockdown is set to continue. Details can be found at the pub’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thebankinn/
A village is facing disruption as one of its busy roads faces closure for just over a week.
There will be disruption on Vale Road for almost three weeks as work takes place to install a sewer and manhole.
The section of road between Sands Close and New Vale Road will be completely off-limits to traffic between 8am and midnight from Saturday, July 11 until July 19.
Temporary two-way traffic signals will be in place between July 4 and 10 and also July 20-24.
Traffic will be diverted via Vale Road, A612 Mile End Road and A612 Colwick Loop Road.
The closed section of Vale Road is shown in red and diversion in purple
The work is being carried out by Geda Construction LLP for Longhurst Group
A petition was set up last week by concerned parent Jodie van Alten, whose children attend Haddon Primary School in the area,
She started the petition calling for action as she feels that the crossing to get to the school on Westdale Lane was unsafe.
Mrs van Alten told us last week: “I approached Nottinghamshire County Council, who are responsible for the highways, and they told me they felt they had done all that was possible to that area
“I don’t understand why someone decided that this area does not warrant a crossing; it’s the worst part with the hill. There are cars dodging pot holes and speeding inbetween cameras.
“We should not have to wait for a death to occur. There will be blood on their hands if they take that attitude and someone dies.”
RESPONSE: Nottinghamshire County Council said ‘they look forward to receiving the petition’
480 people have now signed the petition, asking the council to install a crossing.
A school crossing patrol is currently in place but only currently operates in the morning due to staff shortages.
The council has now responded to Gedling Eye’s request for a response to the calls for a crossing.
Councillor John Cottee, Chairman of Communities and Place Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said:
“The safety of pedestrians and road users is a key priority, particularly close to our County’s schools.
“We look forward to receiving the petition at the County Council, which councillors will consider, debate and respond to.
“Haddon Primary School currently has a School Crossing Patrol on Westdale Lane each morning.
“We have been actively recruiting a school crossing patrol for afternoons at the site, however this has been unsuccessful to date.
“We would welcome any people interested in the role to contact our Safer Highways team at roadsafety@viaem.co.uk.”
