Construction work is set to start on Gedling Access Road, which were put on hold last month due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Works on a new traffic signalled junction with the A612 were paused back in March due to the uncertainties of the coronavirus outbreak but are now set to begin on May 11.
The works will require the closure of a section of Burton Road for approximately seven months to allow for the new junction to be constructed.
This closure will see a diversion route in place via the A612 Trent Valley Road and the A6211 Colwick Loop Road to Sheering Hill, with only buses able to use Stoke Lane as a through route to maintain journey times.
PICTURED: Visualisation of how Gedling Access Road will look once completed
While works on the Burton Road closure and junction construction were paused, other works on site have remained ongoing including earthworks and drainage along the 3.8km route of the GAR.
Councillor John Cottee, Committee Chair for Communities and Place at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “We are pleased that we are now able to move forward with this key stage in the construction of the Gedling Access Road.
“The decision was taken to pause works in March to ensure the safety of staff and residents, and this will be closely monitored once works begin.
“The dry weather throughout April allowed us to make significant progress on other areas of the construction which are crucial to the project timeline.
“We appreciate that the closure of Burton Road will cause some disruption to motorists and local residents and we would like to assure that every effort to minimise disruption throughout the project is being made.
Sometimes I fear for my life, not because of the virus, but due to the demands of my brood.
I’ve turned into a mid-19th century maid, bowing my head and tilting my imaginary cap, muttering under my breath ‘yes master, yes miss’ in fear of the repercussions if I don’t fulfil their demands within a matter of seconds.
The repetitiveness of each day is taking its toll. Little things are becoming big issues.
I’ve learnt cheese is no longer acceptable cut into cubes, it has to be slices, I dare not overcook pizza or chips – a stable diet of ours at the moment, quick easy and ‘fresh’ from the freezer. I am literally a snack servant for five mini-humans, and when I say snack, it roughly translates as 24 hours of constant munching.
Thank God for Joe Wicks the online PE guru who puts us through our paces every morning at 9am. A good looking body coach, who makes us all feel very unfit and inadequate. We, as a family, managed to join this live online phenomenon, er, twice.
After the first week or so on lockdown, we have all become tired and lazy. My dressing gown has become my best friend – simple.
Joe Wicks would be lucky if we even had one eye open at 9am, let alone up, all dressed in lycra, jumping around the living room, tearing muscles we didn’t know we had while trying to not knock ourselves out on the far too close furniture.
My oldest two offspring are the worse: Cov19 has turned them into slugs, only coming out of their dark hole for food, barely seeing the light of day, up all night leaving a trail of crumbs, empty crisp packets and abandoned half-drunk cups of tea around the house for me to discover in the morning after cavorting online all night with other types of said nocturnal teen age beings.
And the home schooling…don’t get me started.
All I can say is, I tried, I tried again, and again, and again…and I failed. It’s safe to say I certainly did not miss my calling as a Teacher; my father was one for around 30 years and I have a new found respect for you, Dad! Trying to motivate five kids to sit down and ‘work’ from five varying year groups, I’d rather have a root canal.
Supermarket shopping is another stressful time
I must have had around 357 texts and e-mails about what to do, what platform to access, how to show the work on line, log on here, then attach this, please join our class, show my homework, here’s you new user ID, TT rockstars, class dojo, purple mash, remote learning, online support for parents.. and so I go on.
I am only just coping with the amount of laundry and housework the brood create being home 24/7, let alone having to ‘teach them’. I’m pulling my hair out, I never sit down, (who needs Joe to stay fit when you have five kids) there is always hoovering to do, tantrums to calm, arguments to level, soggy biscuits to scrape off the floor, piles of discarded towels or undergarments to be carefully picked up and washed.
Shopping, another stressful time. Seeing as I’m not in the vulnerable category, I can’t get a delivery slot until August 3rd 2025! When I do need to venture out into the unknown, it’s like getting ready to go into outta space or off to perform a frontal lobotomy: I don my mask, gloves, hand gel, bank card and four bags for life, folded into perfect squares – which is a new talent of mine I didn’t know I had. Pre-lockdown, bags were just shoved in a box, now they are all neatly folded,
Also shops don’t like cash as I discovered when handing over a £20 note two weeks ago. The cashier looked at me like I was the devil – a look I never want to see again.
While out shopping I remembered my roots are showing – a lot! I don’t remember what my natural hair colour actually is; I was surprised to see that’s its actually an acceptable shade of light brown, none the less. I broke the rules and purchased a hair dye, non-essential shopping that makes me a bad person. I happily dyed away the real me once again, along with my neck and parts of my ears, which are now a nice shade of mahogany red; my skin will shed soon, it’s not a problem.
My children’s hair is also growing. For the girls it’s not a problem but for the boys, it is. They have a certain barber they used to regularly visit and they love their barber and how he does it. They do not love their mum when she shouts, “I’ve found the clippers, boys, come on downstairs for a hair cut”. They arrive at the bottom of the stairs, pale and shaking a little from what I remember. It was a bit of a blur of panic, a million questions and instructions on how ‘Jake’ does it.. Well, I’m not Jake, I’m not trained, and I’m as nervous as they are. After a couple of youtube tutorials, I did their hair, and, as I’m able to write this, you will see I am still alive. So the outcome was acceptable..ish.
As much as this situation has made me find a new love for my children, seeing tiny things in them I’ve never noticed before, it has also taught me I really have no patience at all. It is ok to not like your children sometimes; it is ok to cook the same dinner three times in a week, as it’s all you’ve got in the freezer.
Its taught me that we actually only use one toilet roll a day, in a house of 6, not bad going that!! It has taught me I do have an imagination, entertaining a three and four-year old all day, everyday.
I take comfort in knowing I’m not the only mum struggling with, well, everything. I get up feeling positive, plan to do lots around the house, then spend most of the day, telling my kids to ‘not do that, please, we cant go to hospital at the moment’, or I follow them around tidying up the trail of devastation they leave. My house is not my home; it’s a four-walled bundle of mess and stress.
It’s tough, we are all in the same storm, but sailing it differently. Some are in a boat on their own lonely, some are in a boat that’s overcrowded, some swim to shore to risk their lives on a daily basis, then return to their safe boat each night… this storm will pass. Stay strong and support one another.
Our kids future will not be defined nor affected if we cannot complete the schooling tasks. Eating chocolate for breakfast, as Mummy was only allowed to buy two milks and they’ve gone, is ok too.
We are in this together. Stay safe. Stay home. Save lives.
Residents in Mapperley have been showing their creativity during lockdown by making some brilliant scarecrows.
The creations are part of the new Mapperley Scarecrow Festival, which is now in full swing and has been put in place to give the community ‘a positive way to come together during lockdown for COVID-19,’ said organisers.
The organisers are three Mapperley-based mums: Maria Narducci, Natasha Williams and Natalie Hallam.
Maria, who is also a Co-op member pioneer for Mapperley Co-op, told Gedling Eye: “We’re encouraging members of our community to use their imagination and create a scarecrow with things they have in the house, then display it in their front garden or window.
“Our community can enjoy them whilst on exercise walks or journeys to work or shopping. People who are shielding can also enjoy the scarecrows via social media as we’ll be sharing photographs on Facebook.
PICTURED: Entrants in te Mapperley Scarecrow Festival
“We also hope it will be enjoyable for key workers such as post and delivery people and the refuse collection teams who are working on our streets.”
The festival was also created to enable local businesses who are currently closed to join in and display a scarecrow in their window.
A number of businesses have now joined in by placing scarecrows in their windows and many others have also donated generous prizes to enable the competition to have a variety of prize winning categories – Best Dressed, Best Use of Recycled Household Items and Most ‘Likes’.
The Fruit Bowl on Mapperley Top is also handing out and displaying colouring sheets to support the Festival.
There is also a downloadable Mapperley Scarecrow Festival colouring sheet created by local illustrator Evie Warren. This can be downloaded from social media, coloured in and displayed in windows or taken to the CO-OP on Mapperley Top or the CO-OP on Westdale Lane (Mapperley end) where they will display it in their window.
Maria added: “We thought this would be a fun way to bring together the local community in such a difficult time. It’s important to see positive stories on our social media feeds and to see things that make us smile on the occasions we do leave home.”
A community has rallied round to fund a replacement for a memorial statue stolen from a pensioner’s garden in Burton Joyce.
The statue of a stag, which was bolted into a cement platform, was stolen from the garden of resident Dorothy Pinkett and was part of a memorial to her late husband.
Local resident Tony Bryan decided to set up a crowdfunding page and fund a replacement and villagers quickly chipped in, raising over £900 for a replacement statue in just eight hours.
They also fitted CCTV at the pensioner’s home to help prevent further thefts in the future.
Trent Valley councillors Sam Smith and Michael Adams, who cover Burton Joyce, have been raising publicity for the campaign after being alerted to the theft and the pair also joined residents this morning to see the replacement statue being fitted.
Councillors Michael Adams and Sam Smith join residents to watch on as the replacement statue is fitted in the garden
Cllr Smith said “The stag is more than just a garden ornament, it had irreplaceable sentimental value and all three deer are a part of the village and popular with local children and adults alike.
PICTURED: Local resident Tony Bryan, left, who launched the fundraising efforts, with the new stag and Dorothy Pinkett. (PHOTO: Photo credit: DAYS PHOTOGRAPH, Sue Toseland)
“It is often dressed up to mark special occasions with residents across Trent Valley regularly walking past to admire them.”
The new stag was fitted today, after being delivered all the way from Stanstead, where the original was purchased.
Residents lined the street, observing social distance rules, to see the statue delivered.
In a joint statement, Cllrs Smith and Adams thanked residents for setting up the campaign.
They said: “Thanks to the amazing contributions and support of Burton Joyce residents, a new stag and memorial is back in the garden and our village.
“Despite this awful theft, it’s been lovely to see the support for this from across the village.
“We thank everyone who helped make this happen and look forward to seeing the stags VE75 outfit.
They said the crime was reported at around 9am on April 30, 2020 after the life sized garden ornament was taken.
Neighbourhood Inspector Chris Pearson said: “We were saddened to hear that the memorial statue was taken and we are working hard to try and track down the offenders.
“We believe the statue was taken on the night of 29 April 2020 from the garden on Main Road in Burton Joyce.
“At the moment, we have no suspects, so we need the public’s help to try and find out who took the statue.
“Were you in the area that night? Did you see anything suspicious?
“You may have seen the statue for sale or been offered the item?
“Please call 101, quoting incident number 129 of 30 April 2020 with any information.”
Mealtimes will undoubtedly be a highlight of the day for many Gedling borough residents during the coronavirus lockdown.
Choosing what dishes to create can be very exciting, but charity chiefs at the Stroke Association, are asking everyone to consider one particular ingredient – the amount and type of salt you use.
The charity has issued the warning because the sodium in salt can cause high blood pressure which is believed to triple the risk of stroke.
The Stroke Association chief executive Juliet Bouverie, said: “Reducing our salt intake will reduce incidence of high blood pressure and therefore stroke. In Nottinghamshire more than 190,000 adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
“Cutting out salt as much as possible must be a priority. But, I know how hard it is and if you find it difficult to cut out salt completely, there is an alternative to regular salt called LoSalt. LoSalt has two thirds less sodium than regular table, sea and rock salts without any taste compromise.
We’re partnering with LoSalt to encourage a #HealthierUK and share tips and ideas for small changes which can make a big difference to our health – including trying LoSalt in your cooking and baking.
“To launch our #HealthierUK partnership we have put some really scrumptious recipes on our website www.stroke.org.uk/healthierUK
Juliet added: “Please do note that if you take some types of medication that affect potassium levels, LoSal and other reduced sodium salt alternatives may not be suitable for you. This includes people receiving medication for diabetes, heart or kidney disorders. Check with your GP for advice.”
A man who forced his way into a property in Arnold and assaulted the occupants has been jailed.
Leo Commons, of Collyer Road, Calverton had been part of a group that took more than £250 from the victims as well as an iPhone before fleeing the scene.
Officers were called to the incident at around 1am on 23 February 2020 to the report that two people had been assaulted as part of burglary in Rolleston Drive.
PICTURED: Rolleston Drive in Arnold (IMAGE: Google)
When one of the occupants was assaulted, they pulled a hat from one of the offenders, DNA taken from the hat was found to match that of Commons, who was subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.
He was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday (May 1, 2020) at Nottingham Crown Court.
He was also sentenced to eight months in prison for actual bodily harm to run concurrently.
Detective Sergeant Jamie Moore, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Burglary can be a terrifying experience for victims and we investigate all reports thoroughly.
“Our officers worked incredibly hard to identify Commons and I am pleased with today’s result.
“I’d like to congratulate the team for their hard work and tenacity to locate Commons and bring him to justice.”
A book written by an author from Linby has been selected by the BBC to help thousands of children across the country beat the boredom of lockdown.
Kim Slater’s young adult novel ‘A Seven-Letter Word’ will feature in one of the BBC’s online lockdown Bitesize lesson next Thursday, May 7.
The story, which is set in Nottingham, features a boy called Finlay who struggles with speaking due to a bad stammer but is a whizz at the word game, Scrabble.
The cover to Kim’s book A Seven Letter Word’
The BBC have introduced daily lessons in all subjects to assist the nation’s parents in homeschooling their children. Lessons are available to watch on BBC iPlayer or can be accessed through the Red Button.
Mrs Slater told Gedling Eye: “It’s great news that the book, which is set in Nottingham, will highlight our region and hopefully help parents during this challenging time.
A new interactive map shows how many people have died from coronavirus across Gedling borough
By entering your postcode in the interactive map below, you will be able to see how many covid-19 deaths have occurred in the borough between March 1 and April 17.
The map reveals there has been 9 confirmed deaths in Gedling, 2 in Arnold, 4 in Calverton, 9 in Woodthorpe and 1 in Carlton.
The map above, created by the ONS shows all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales which were registered before April 18.
The green dots marking the number of deaths in each area are placed at the centre of the local area they represent – and do not mark the exact spot where those deaths occurred.
A number of businesses in the borough that are eligible to receive funding from the government are yet to apply for grants, Gedling Borough Council has revealed.
The council said it has identified over 1,400 businesses in the area who are eligible for a grant payment and so far, 75% of eligible businesses have applied for but there are many businesses who have not yet responded to contact from the council.
In March, the Government announced that grants of £10,000 and £25,000 would be made available to eligible businesses, with around 1,200 businesses in Gedling in line for the £10,000 grant and around 180 businesses qualifying for the £25,000 grant. The verification process is needed to ensure the payments are made to the correct bank details to reduce fraudulent claims.
This is not a loan scheme and none of the grants are required to be paid back to the Government.
Gedling Borough Council is responsible for distributing these grants and has paid out over £12.3 million so far to over 1,100 businesses. The council has contacted all businesses eligible for the grant by post, text message, email or phone but there are still hundreds who have not responded to the council’s contact.
The grants available include:
small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief
£10,000 grant per business in the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Sector with rateable value of 15,000 or less
grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between 15,001 and 50,999
Businesses eligible for the grants have already been identified by the Council and do not need to fill out a lengthy application form but they are required to verify their details in order to receive the grant, which is not required to be paid back to the Government. The verification process is needed to ensure the payments are made to the correct bank details to reduce fraudulent claims.
One of the businesses to benefit from the grant was Patchings Art Centre at Calverton.
Liz Wood, Co-Proprietor of Patchings Art Centre said: “The process was really straight forward and easy, we had to verify our business name and provide proof of bank details and the process for payment was cleared.
“This money has made a considerable difference to us and will help us through a very difficult and challenging time. I would urge any businesses who have been contacted by the council to get in touch and claim this grant.”
Deputy Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor Michael Payne said: “Our council officers have been working around the clock to administer and pay out over £12.3 million in grants to help our local businesses but there are still hundreds who have not responded.
“Businesses like Patchings Art Centre have seen how quick the process is to get the payments and we are urging any businesses who have been contacted by Gedling Borough Council to get in touch, all we need to do is verify a few details and we can process the payment.
He added: This is not a loan, it’s a grant and you do not need to pay it back. If you’ve not received anything from the council but you think you are eligible, please visit our website or call us to check.”
