An old tree facing removal to make way for a new road crossing in Calverton could now be spared the axe.
Residents had voiced concerns about the tree being removed if plans to build a crossing on Main Street near the village square next year were approved.
But today, MP Mark Spencer and local county councillors Boyd Elliott and Jane Walker revealed in a video to residents that they had found a solution to save the tree and also go ahead with the crossing.
PICTURED: Boyd Elliott, right.
As well as announcing the tree would remain, Mr Spencer said the crossing had been given the go ahead and work would begin next year.
Mr Spencer said: “As you may know, we’ve been trying to get a crossing sorted across Main Street in Calverton to improve the safety of the village there. However, there were also concerns from some local residents about wanting to save the big tree on the site of the proposed crossing.
“Local county councillor Boyd Elliott has been working hard on this, and I’m very pleased to say that we’ve managed to get a situation where not only will the crossing be built, but we’ve also managed to save the tree as well! This is great news for local residents.”
PICTURED: MP Mark Spencer with Gedling Borough councillor Jane Walker
Two previous attempts have been made to build a crossing at the site, on Main Street, but there were urgent calls to get something put in place quickly following the death of 88-year-old Lilian Hamblin, who was fatally injured in a traffic collision just yards from the spot back in May.
Work on the new crossing is expected to be completed by February 2020.
People in Gedling borough are being urged to stay alert for a new scam email doing the rounds offering ‘a year of free TV’.
The email – which claims to be from TV Licensing – urges people to complete a form via a link which makes them eligible for the free TV offer.
Those who click on the link are prompted for personal details and also financial information like credit and debit card numbers.
Scambusters Action Fraud has confirmed the email is a scam designed by crooks to steal personal and financial details.
A spokesman said: “The links provided in this email lead to genuine looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial details.
“Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails and never respond to messages that ask you for personal or financial details.”
A TV Licensing spokesperson said: “We’re continuing to work closely with Action Fraud to raise awareness of the scam emails circulating to the public, posing as genuine TV Licensing communications.
“TV Licensing will never email customers, unprompted, to ask for bank details, or personal information.”
A number of readers have contacted us after receiving the scam in their inboxes.
Peter Collins, from Mapperley, was one of the people who alerted Gedling Eye to the con.
He said: “I’d never seen an offer like this so was curious. I did find it odd when they asked for my card details as I already have an account set up with TV Licensing because I pay monthly. I ended up deleting the email, but I hope others aren’t caught out by it.”
You should report fraudulent emails to Action Fraud
A building supplies and plant and tool hire company based in Arnold has donated more than £2,000 to help students at a local school complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expedition in Snowdonia.
Frank Key Group in Daybook is owned by Robert Sansom – a long term supporter of Arnold Hill Academy.
He pledged £200 per student to cover part of the cost of taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh expedition. The whole expedition process costs £525 per person.
Twelve students planned and completed a four-day expedition across Snowdonia National Park. The expedition is a vital component of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Roger Smith is Arnold Hill’s DofE Centre Manager. He said: “The generous contribution that the school received from Frank Key went a long way to making this expedition a reality.
PICTURED: (L-R)Ben C, Kat, Elodie, Ellie, Nina, Angus, Ben H, Zoe, Leo, James & Jonathan at Dolgam, Snowdonia.
“During the expedition, our students faced a real challenge that pushed them to the limit, both physically and mentally. The skills they learned will benefit them greatly in years to come.
“The Duke of Edinburgh award is of huge value to young people in the jobs market. It provides a real point of difference, helping them to develop skills that will be useful in the workplace. It’s fantastic to see Frank Key investing in the future of our students.”
Frank Key owner, Robert Sansom said: “It is a pleasure to continue our support with Arnold Hill School and its Duke of Edinburgh programme.
“Helping the students take part in such a life-changing scheme is truly rewarding. We take great pride in investing in our local community and helping young people succeed.
“A massive well done to all of those who took part; we are sure you have all developed valuable skills and made memories for life.”
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading achievement award for young people. To achieve an award, students take part in a host of activities including volunteering, learning a skill, getting fit, taking part in a week-long residential and planning and undertaking an expedition in wild country. www.dofe.org.
Frank Key is an independent family-owned company with its HQ in the Daybrook. It has an ongoing programme of charitable donations and supports many local community groups and campaigns.
Bridle Lodge care home in Burton Joyce has been awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission following a recent inspection.
The care home which provides accommodation for people with learning disabilities was judged by the CQC on how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led it is.
Bridle Lodge has been given an overall rating of outstanding after the assessment in July
A spokesman for Creative Care, who run Bridle Lodge, said: “The home, which is managed by Louise Jones, has a brilliant staff team who go the extra mile to support the young people there.
PICTURED: Bridle Lodge in Burton Joyce (IMAGE: Creative Care)
“As well as outstanding compliance to our four core principles: Safe, Trusted, Effective and People First, they have also been praised for helping the residents in their engagement with the community through organising coffee mornings, a Vintage Afternoon Tea, an Easter Fun day, Supporting the local community market and fundraising for Seed To Feed project.
“Well done to a very busy Louise and her team.”
Trent Valley councillors Michael Adams and Sam Smith praised the home in a tweet after the new rating was revealed.
They said: “This is fantastic news and well deserved! Congratulations to the outstanding team”
Christopher Hemsley, 36, was reported missing from the Ravenshead area at around 5.10pm yesterday (September 19, 2019).
MISSING: Christopher Hemsley
Christopher is white, of stocky build and is around 6ft tall. He has light brown shortly cropped hair and was last seen wearing black waterproof trousers, black boots, a high visibility vest, a black coat and a baseball cap.
If you have seen Christopher or have any information about his whereabouts, please contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 782 of 19 September 2019.
A fund which the Government says is designed to improve struggling high streets was given out to the most marginal seats for electoral reasons, according to senior figures in the Labour Party at Gedling Borough Council.
Earlier this month, it was announced 100 towns would receive up to £25 million each, including five in Nottinghamshire, as part of the Towns Fund.
This
came after a separate fund – the Future High Street Fund – also announced 100
towns would receive money following a bidding process.
Some
towns were included on both lists, but many town centres – including Arnold –
were on neither.
Gedling
Labour say the areas Towns Fund list were chosen by the Government for purely
political reasons, and deprived areas which badly need the money missed out
because they were in safe Labour seats.
The
Government said the towns were chosen for a range of reasons, but has not
disclosed the methodology it used, despite requests.
In
Ashfield, Nottinghamshire’s most-marginal seat, two towns have been promised
the money – Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield.
PICTURED: Arnold town centre
Labour
currently hold this seat by 441 votes.
In
the second-most marginal seat in the county – Broxtowe – Stapleford received
money.
Mansfield
– the seat with the third-closest margin and currently held by the
Conservatives – also received money.
Gedling
is the fourth-most marginal seat, and did not receive any money.
In
total, 94 of the 100 towns in the Town Fund voted for Brexit. Of the 17 top
Conservative target seats at the next general election, 11 received funds.
The
Government said a methodology was used to select the towns, using qualitative
and quantitative data, which included “deprivation, exposure to Brexit,
productivity, economic resilience and investment opportunities”.
However
a request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service to see a copy of the
methodology was declined.
Labour
figures at Gedling Borough Council claimed the methodology does not exist at
all, and that the funds were used for “blatant electioneering” ahead of an
expected election.
Last
night, at a meeting of Gedling Borough Council, Labour voted through a motion
calling for the Government to “immediately publish” the criteria used to choose
the 100 towns.
PICTURED: Cllr Michael Payne
The
Conservatives at Gedling proposed an amendment to the motion so it didn’t
criticise the Government, but this was defeated.
Councillor
Michael Payne, the deputy leader of the council who represents the Redhill ward
for Labour, said: “What’s disappointing, and hugely disingenuous,
bordering on naked political electioneering about the New Towns Fund, is that
it was a series of hand-picked 100 towns, chosen by Government ministers.
“No
criteria published, no application process, and no publication about how they
chose those 100 towns.
“I
don’t decry those towns receiving £25 million, but what I find reprehensible is
the Government hand-picking towns where there’s not a jot of transparency about
how that decision was made, who made that decision, and why that decision was
made.
“We
are saying it’s not acceptable for the Government to turn its back on our
towns. We’re not asking them to deprive other towns of the opportunity, we are
simply saying ‘give us out fair share of a slice of the cake’.”
Conservative
councillor Sam Smith represents the Trent Valley ward, and told the meeting:
“Councillor Payne says the government has rejected Gedling. But the fact is the
expression of interest put forward by this council for a share of these funds
(The Future High Street Fund) failed to score higher than 100 councils, which I
am just as disappointed in as he is.
“Not
all are Conservative run, Ashfield is run by the Independents and Doncaster is
run by Labour.
“To
say the Government has turned its back on Gedling is simply not true. Since
2010 thanks to the proud Conservative Government policies, there are 370 more
businesses thriving in Gedling, there are 677 fewer people claiming
unemployment benefits and there are 685 first-time buyers in Gedling owning
their own home.”
A spokeswoman from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “All 100 towns were chosen according to the same selection methodology.
“This
included analysis of deprivation, exposure to Brexit, productivity, economic
resilience and investment opportunities.”
The
head of a retail consultancy firm which looked into how the money had been
allocated said it was “little surprise” the money had gone to marginal seats.
Jonathan
De Mello, head of retail consultancy at Harper Dennis Hobbs, said: “With
an election looking likely, it is little surprise that the Prime Minister has
signposted investment towards marginal seats, largely in Brexit-supporting
regions.
“These
marginal seats will shape the make-up of the next Parliament, and Government
investment in their high streets will arm the Conservatives with powerful local
campaign messaging.
“Of
the ten English local authorities we have identified as having the worst
performing retail centres, just one has been shortlisted for funding.
“It
is disappointing that some of the local authorities most in need of further
rejuvenation – such as Gedling in Nottinghamshire, Salford in Greater
Manchester and Knowsley in Merseyside, are likely to miss out, possibly due to
political decisions.”
Police officers from Nottinghamshire and council teams have been carrying out a weapons sweep at a park in Carlton as part of an ongoing operation to tackle knife crime.
Police officers and Gedling Borough Council warden used metal detectors to search the undergrowth at King George Recreation Ground on Standhill Road for concealed weapons as part of an ongoing operation to keep communities safe.
Police said that weapons sweeps are carried out regularly in public spaces across Gedling.
A thorough search of the undergrowth was completed and no weapons were found.
The activity took place as part of Operation Sceptre, a national week of action against knife crime including a knife amnesty, which runs until midnight on Sunday (September 22).
People can get rid of their unwanted knives without fear of prosecution at 25 amnesty bin locations across Nottinghamshire, including police stations and partner agency buildings, for the duration of the amnesty. The participating locations in the Gedling borough include Gedling Borough Council’s Civic Centre in Arnold and Carlton fire station.
Sergeant Helen Walker, of the Gedling North Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This weapons sweep is just one tactic we use to try to prevent knife crime and ensure that open spaces are safe places for our communities.
“By removing weapons it helps reduce the risk of them being used to harm or threaten people. Today we were very pleased to not find any weapons. We will continue to search open spaces within the Gedling area as there is no place for the use of knives in public places in Nottinghamshire and we would urge anyone who is aware of people carrying or concealing knives to report it, even if it is anonymously, because you could be saving a life.”
If you need to report knife crime, call 999 in an emergency, 101 in a non-emergency, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Motorists face disruption this weekend with a number of roads in the borough closing for resurfacing and engineering work.
Closure of Chaworth Rd and Meadow Rd in Netherfield
Chaworth Road, and Meadow Road in Netherfield will be closed
for the whole of Sunday (September 22) and won’t be open to motorists.
The Red 44 bus service will be affected during the closure.
Instead of using Chaworth and Victoria Road, the bus will operate along Vale
Road before turning on to Private Road No 1, then Colwick Loop Road and entering Netherfield
from Victoria Road. Stops on Meadow Road and Chaworth Road will not be served.
The Red 44 towards Nottingham City will operate along
Gedling Road, turning left onto Burton Road, then right onto Colwick Loop Road,
right onto Private Road No 1 and then normal route onto Vale Road. All stops along the diversion route will be
observed.
PICTURED: Charworth Road
Stops closed due to Chaworth Road closure: Elm Drive, SE-bound, Netherfield, Victoria
Road, S-bound, Knight Street, SW-bound, Chaworth Road, SW-bound, Chaworth Road,
NE-bound and Knight Street, NE-bound.
Closure of Main Street, Burton Joyce.
Severn Trent Water are working along Main Street in Burton
Joyce between 8am and 6pm on Sunday, September 22.
During this time, the road will be closed to motorists. The
26 bus service will also be affected.
While the works take place, the Pathfinder 26 will remain on
the A612. No temporary stops will be in place, and buses will pick up and set
down close to the junctions of Chestnut Grove and Shaftesbury Avenue. Passengers
are being asked to request the bus to stop in plenty of time for the driver to
stop safely.
Moore Road in Mapperley
Moore Road will be closed over the weekend as part of two-week-long
resurfacing works take place. The road was closed on September 16 and is
expected to reopen on September 27.
The 39 bus service will be affected during this time. During
this time, Blue 39 will divert at the junction of Marshall Hill Drive/Hallam
Road/Valley Road. Buses will turn left onto Valley Road, right onto Ernest Road
and right onto Prospect Road, continuing onto Morley Road and back to normal
route.Marshall Road, NW-bound
Lees Road, NW-bound, Hickling
Road, NW-bound, Moore Road, SE-bound, Lees Road Top, SE-bound, Porchester Rd
and Longbeck Ave, S-bound bus stops won’t be served during the closure of Moore
Road.
That’s the message from the parents of Mapperley schoolgirl Isobel Somerton, who are organising a stem cell donor drive next week in the hope of finding a match for their daughter and cure her life-threatening condition.
Her parents Kevin and Sue have organised the donor event with the support of charity DKMS and Gedling Borough Council.
It will take place at the Civic Centre in Arnot Hill Park on September 26, between 12pm and 4.30pm.
Isobel was just 13 when she was diagnosed with Griscelli – an auto-immune illness of the blood.
The inherited genetic condition leaves those affected with unusually light (hypopigmented) skin and light silvery-grey hair. Griscelli is normally considered life threatening but Isobel’s condition is classed as ‘uncharacteristic’ due to her symptoms being less severe.
PICTURED: Isobel during a hospital visit
In Isobel’s case, the inflammation caused by the illness is
in her brain which affects her balance and also her vision – which is
permanently doubled. Drugs are now available to keep the teenager’s symptoms
under control, but the only hope of a cure is chemotherapy and a bone marrow
transplant.
Isobel and her family are now holding regular donor drives
across the borough to encourage more people to join the donor register and help
find more matches for Isobel and others who need a transplant.
You can register at the donor event in Arnold by filling
out a form and having a swab taken of the inside of your cheeks to collect cells
to be analysed.
If you’re a suitable match you could be asked to donate either
through peripheral blood stem cell donation or by bone marrow donation. More
information can be provided on the day or found online at www.dkms.org.uk
Isobel’s mum, Sue Chivers said:“We want to encourage people to get on the bone
marrow donor register and help Isobel and everyone in her position.”
A spokesperson for the DKMS charity said: “Every 20 minutes
someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma
and myeloma. Often, a blood stem cell donation represents their best chance of
survival. Register at the event and you could save the life of someone like
Isobel.”
If you can’t attend the event, you can still help by requesting
a swab kit from the DKMS website
Motorists in Gedling borough will now have to familiarise themselves with a new fuel labelling system being introduced at petrol stations as part of an environmental campaign.
The Department for Transport launched their new Know Your Fuel initiative back in June which aims to educate drivers on the impact of their car journeys.
Fuel stations have been slowly rolling out the changes to the labelling system on petrol and diesel pumps since – though they are now compulsory as the campaign became mandatory from September 1.
The labels will be on all fuel dispensers and nozzles at all petrol stations, and on the fuel cap of new vehicles.
On new vehicles you can match the label on the pump with a label near the fuel cap.
And whilst the fuel remain the same, it’s important to understand the new labels to prevent using the incorrect pump the next time you fill up your car.
Here’s what the new labels mean…
The scheme will mean that petrol is now labelled as E5, whilst diesel features the label B7.
And whilst the code may seem slightly bizarre, the letter, number and new shapes actually reveal a lot about the pump’s content.
For example, motorists can easily distinguish between petrol (circle) and diesel (square) as a result of universally introduced shapes.
Whilst the letter and number instead depict the type of renewable energy and the maximum percentage contained.
The previously mentioned examples therefore identify ethanol up to 5% (‘E5’) and biodiesel up to 7% (‘B7’).
Transport Minister Michael Ellis said that drivers “should be aware of the environment impact of their travel choices,” with the labels acting as a reminder of the importance of decarbonising transport.
He added: “Biofuels are a key way of achieving the emissions reductions the UK needs, and their use reduced CO2 emissions by 2.7 million tonnes last year alone – the equivalent of taking around 1.2 million cars off the road.
“Our new campaign will help drivers understand the role of biofuels, while also choosing the right fuel for their vehicle at home and abroad.”
