Home Blog Page 749

People who love Gedling Country Park have nominated it as the best in the UK

Gedling Eye Reporter
-
0
People who love Gedling Country Park have nominated it as the best in the UK

Gedling Country Park is in the running for the title ‘UK’s Best Park 2019’ after being nominated by people who love to visit there.

The popular green space has been nominated by local people for a national award organised by park charity, Fields in Trust.

Gedling Country Park is one of 364 green spaces up for the public vote – and one of 17 up for the award in the East Midlands.

People can vote for the park at www.fieldsintrust.org/best-park/east-midlands until noon on Monday, August 19.

Chairman of Friends of Gedling Country Park, Terry Lock thinks the popular venue has a good chance of scooping the award.

He said: “The park is four-and-a-half years old and has already become a firm favourite with people for its great views and wildlife.  The Friends of Gedling Country Park are justifiably proud of the area and feel that this is simply the Jewel in the crown of Nottinghamshire’s parks

Award organisers Fields in Trust is a UK-wide charity that legally protects parks and green spaces in perpetuity.

The charity’s chief executive Helen Griffiths said: “Our parks and green spaces are a vital part of UK community infrastructure.

“We know that they provide benefits to the physical health, mental wellbeing and community connections for people that use them, so we are delighted to see a record number of nominations for the UK’s Best Park award and it is encouraging to see so many people organising picnics with neighbours to celebrate how much they love their local park. 

“Fields in Trust is committed to protecting these valuable and much-loved parks and green spaces for future generations to enjoy.”

Nominations for UK’s Best Park 2019 include small community gardens and large nature reserves, sports fields and playgrounds; each green space valued by its community and nominated by the regular park users who love to walk, run, cycle, relax, picnic and play with their children in the UK’s parks.

At the conclusion of voting the park with the most votes in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be shortlisted with the UK’s Best Park 2019 announced in mid-September. 

Student from Gedling scoops plastics innovation award for asthma aid

Emily Sanchez
-
0
Student from Gedling scoops plastics innovation award for asthma aid

A university student from Gedling has earned a highly commended award at the annual Design Innovation in Plastics (DIP) competition after creating an aid for asthmatics.

The results were announced at the final awards ceremony at Painters Hall, London, on Friday.

Louis Farnsworth, a third year Product Design student, who studies at De Montfort University, Leicester, came up with ‘Air’ a smart breathing aid for asthmatics to reduce the asthma flare up and irritation to the lungs and airway when exercising. 

He was among just five finalists from a total submission of 149 entries from all around the UK and Ireland and his success wins him a cash prize and a short placement with one of the competition sponsors: Brightworks; Innovate Product Design; PDD and RJG Technologies.

This year DIP set the students the challenging brief of ‘Healthy body – healthy world’ inviting ideas for improving health and wellbeing, with a product which could demonstrate longevity and sustainability.

Louis said: “Taking part in the competition has helped increase my knowledge of plastic design and manufacturing and to be more aware of the circular economy when designing a product.

 “In terms of my career, I love product design and the process of bringing an idea through a strategic development and into a finalised solution.  This result has boosted my confidence and I’m very grateful for the opportunity this has presented. I couldn’t be more thankful to the Design Innovation in Plastics competition.”

 DIP is the longest running student design competition of its type – inviting university students to produce a new product made primarily of plastics, while paying close attention to sustainability and recyclability. Sponsored by global polymers manufacturer, Covestro, it is organised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and the Worshipful Company of Horners.

CCTV image released after robbery at Co-op in Carrington

Gedling Eye
-
0
CCTV image released after robbery at Co-op in Carrington

Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to following a robbery of a Co-op store in Carrington.

The incident took place at the Co-op on Mansfield Road on June 16, 2019.

PICTURED: The suspect

Whilst the image has no facial shot, the jacket has bright yellow drawstrings which may be recognisable.

If you know anyone that owns a jacket like the one in the image, or know anything about the incident, please call 101 quoting incident number 880 of 16 June 2019.Offence Date: 

MP Mark Spencer cleans up as he joins litter pick in Woodborough

Gedling Eye Reporter
-
0
MP Mark Spencer cleans up as he joins litter pick in Woodborough

Local residents took to the streets of Woodborough last week for a litter pick organised by local MP Mark Spencer.

The MP was joined by local councillors Boyd Elliott and Helen Greensmith, as well as people from the community.

The MP said he was pleased by the turnout.

He said: “We had a really positive morning in Woodborough for my litter pick recently.

PICTURED: Rubbish found during the pick

“There was a good turnout of local residents, and we managed to get a good few bags of litter up off the streets.”

“I want to thank all the residents that turned out for the litter pick. They’re always really good events, and it’s always great to get out and about in the constituency.

Mr Spencer is now calling on other communities in his constituency to organise similar events.

He said: “If you think there’s a bit too much litter lying around, drop my office an email and we’ll see if we can get it sorted.”

The MP has previously organised and took part in litter picks across his constituency, including Calverton, Rainworth Hucknall, Bilsthorpe, Newstead, Halam, Farnsfield and Woodborough, and is keen to get as many community litter picks organised as possible.

To get in touch with Mark Spencer and his office, email mark.spencer.mp@parliament.uk.

Equally, to keep up to date with what Mark does on a day to day basis, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MarkSpencerSherwood.

Fatal fire in Arnold ‘not suspicious’

Gedling Eye Reporter
-
0
Fatal fire in Arnold ‘not suspicious’

Polive and fire crews investigating a house fire in Arnold said it is ‘not being treated as suspicious’.

Emergency services were called to the fire in Merton Close just after 8pm.

The house and two adjoining properties were evacuated as the incident was dealt with.

Sadly a body was recovered from the property. Formal identification has not yet taken place.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A file will be prepared for the Coroner and identification of the deceased will be a matter for the Coroner.　

Gedling MP backs breakfast scheme which ensures school pupils in borough are ‘never too hungry to learn’

David Bratton
-
0
Gedling MP backs breakfast scheme which ensures school pupils in borough are ‘never too hungry to learn’

MP for Gedling Vernon Coaker has called on the government to keep funding a school breakfast scheme which ensures pupils in the borough are never too ‘hungry to learn’.

Mr Coaker was amongst 35 MPs from across the House of Commons, to write to the Minister for Children and Families, Nadhim Zahawi to highlight the positive impact of the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) and ask for continued funding.

The MP for Gedling said the NSBP is currently providing free school breakfasts in 1 school in Gedling.

Across the whole Programme, an average of 153 children per school benefit from the breakfast provision.

The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), delivered by the charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast, is reaching over 1,775 schools in disadvantaged areas across England and is providing free and nutritious breakfasts to an estimated 280,000 children every school day, 115 000 of whom are eligible for Pupil Premium funding. 

Kelloggs_breakfast_main

Teachers surveyed reported that breakfast provision improved behaviour, alertness and concentration amongst pupils who might otherwise be missing out on a whole morning of learning. 

The NSBP is currently scheduled to close in March 2020 but funding can be extended under the current contract.

Vernon Coaker is calling on the Department for Education to make an early decision to continue funding the programme to maintain the momentum of this very successful programme.

He said: “Continued funding will help to build long term sustainability within the programme and will create new opportunities to provide nutritious free school breakfasts to more children in more schools, and in the meantime, will prevent hundreds of thousands of children from once again being at risk of hunger in the morning.”

The letter was spearheaded by Emma Hardy MP, a member of the Education Select Committee who said, “It is shocking that 1.8 million school age children in the UK are at risk of hunger each morning.

“As a former teacher, I know that hungry children cannot concentrate on lessons and end up missing out on hours of valuable learning. The National School Breakfast Programme is a positive step towards addressing this injustice. 

“Our letter has been signed by MPs across the House of Commons and across the country and I would urge the Minister to do everything in his power to ensure that this vital funding continues beyond March 2020’. 

£70,000 being awarded to tackle youth violence in Gedling borough

Gedling Eye
-
0
£70,000 being awarded to tackle youth violence in Gedling borough

Two councils are set to invest £70,000 to tackle youth crime across Gedling borough

Gedling Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council want to fund a youth worker post to support a new project aimed at tackling youth violence in the borough.

The Gedling Youth Intervention Project, funded by £50,000 from Nottinghamshire County Council and £20,000 from Gedling Borough Council, will develop a partnership approach to dealing with young people who have been identified by Nottinghamshire Police as being involved in violence, or who are becoming caught up in risky behaviour. 

A two-pronged approach is being developed which will involve working with young people who are already known to and have been identified by the Police, as well as engaging with other groups of young people who are on the fringes of the risky behaviour, to intervene and provide alternative positive activities for them to participate in, effectively diverting them away from violence. 

Cllr Philip Owen, Chairman of Children and Young People’s Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “This project is being developed to provide positive activities and support to steer young people away from involvement in violent crime.

“The additional youth work staff we hope to recruit will work with partner agencies to deliver targeted activities aimed at encouraging young people to develop interests which will lead to better outcomes and hopefully a brighter future.

“We are demonstrating our commitment to tackling this important issue by funding this project with Gedling Borough Council, at a time of increasing pressure on council budgets.”

Councillor David Ellis, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection at Gedling Borough Council said: “This programme is aimed at creating early engagement opportunities with young people who are potentially more likely to be involved in serious crimes further down the line.

“We have had incidents in Arnold last year that we don’t want to be repeated and this preventative approach will give us the chance to work with young people to reduce anti-social behaviour and also give them an opportunity to do something different which may inspire them towards a more positive path.” 

The project will run over 12 months

A report is due to go before Nottingham County Council’s Children and Young People’s Committee on July 15 for approval. 

Award-winning garden donated to hospice in Mapperley

Gedling Eye Reporter
-
1
Award-winning garden donated to hospice in Mapperley

A prize-winning garden has been donated to a hospice in Mapperley after scooping a gold medal at a prestigious country show.

The designer of ‘Bess of Hardwick Border’ Victoria Philpott came to Nottinghamshire Hospice this week to oversee plants from her award-winning show-garden being transferred the site on Woodborough Road.

The garden was awarded a gold medal and best long border award at last month’s Chatsworth Show.

Victoria was joined by volunteers from Shakespeare Martineau law firm to landscape and plant the garden.

The firm, which sponsored the border at Chatsworth, generously donated 140 plants to Nottinghamshire Hospice for patients to enjoy.

The team worked all day to plant shrubs, perennials, herbs and even a tree in the hospice garden. This involved breaking up hard, compacted soil to prepare the ground.

Victoria said: “it’s been a fantastic experience. The team from Shakespeare Martineau have been absolute troopers, digging through difficult ground.

Nottinghamshire_Hospice
PICTURED: Nottinghamshire Hospice

“We’ve created a lovely garden using the plants from my Chatsworth design. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s gone.”

Natasha Wibaut Corporate Social Responsibility lead at Shakespeare Martineau was among the gardening team. She said. “This is what being a responsible business is all about –  getting out in the community and giving something back. It’s been a fabulous day and an absolute pleasure to work with the hospice.”

The garden forms an important part of therapeutic activities at the hospice. Patients get involved in planting and gardening activities and enjoy being outdoors when weather permits.

The garden also plays host to events throughout the year so members of the public can also enjoy the space.

Janet Hatton, who leads garden activities at the hospice, said: “We’re thrilled to see this prize-winning garden transplanted in our beautiful grounds. It’s a stunning and fragrant border full of purples, whites and pale yellows. There are poppies, peonies, salvias, and foxgloves plus a dogwood tree interspersed with herbs, thistles and grasses.

“We’re very grateful to the team from Shakespeare Martineau for giving us the plants and to Victoria and the team for working so hard to recreate the border here.

This year Nottinghamshire Hospice has been chosen to take part in the National Garden Scheme for the second year running with an Open Garden Day on August, 4 so there will be a chance for members of the public to view the new ‘Bess’ border then

Council could get tougher with utility companies planning roadworks in Gedling borough

Gedling Eye Reporter
-
0
Council could get tougher with utility companies planning roadworks in Gedling borough

Utility companies could soon require council permits when carrying out roadworks across Gedling borough under proposals being considered to cut disruption.

Nottinghamshire County Council wants to introduce a permit scheme (under the Traffic Management Act 2004) so that any work taking place can be better co-ordinated.

Currently utility companies, which are responsible for maintaining the networks of pipes and cables, only have to give council notice about any work taking place.

A Streetworks Permit Scheme would mean utility companies have to request permission to carry out work and it would allow the Council to take a more active involvement in the planning and coordination of works from start to finish. 

Roadwork_Gedling

Cllr John Cottee, Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Communities and Place Committee, said: “We know residents get frustrated when they see work being done on a road by different organisations within short spaces of time.  Sometimes this is in response to an emergency and that will always take priority but sometimes it’s because the works aren’t coordinated.

“We would like to work more closely with utilities to try and schedule work more effectively and introducing a permit scheme could potentially give us the opportunity to do that.”

Evidence gathered from similar schemes around the country have reported reduced congestion, improved coordination of works and communication to road users, adherence to health and safety checks and minimised use of temporary traffic lights.

Fixed Penalty Notices have also be issued to organisations working without a permit or in breach of the permit conditions.

Cllr Cottee added: “Our duty as a Highway Authority is to ensure all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, can get from A to B as quickly and easily as possible.

“We also recognise that utility works are essential and cannot be done without some disruption.  There is strong evidence from the Department for Transport that other areas have benefitted significantly from similar schemes, but we will listen carefully to all feedback before making a decision on whether to proceed.”

A formal consultation on the proposed Streetworks Permit Scheme will now take place with utility companies and feedback will be carefully considered before reaching a final decision on whether to proceed with the scheme.  

Gedling Access Road hits ‘key milestone’

Gedling Eye Reporter
-
0
Gedling Access Road hits ‘key milestone’

A construction firm has been agreed for the new multi-million pound Gedling Access Road. 

The road, which runs past the new Chase Farm Development from the A612 Colwick Loop Road to the B684 Plains Road, has been an ambition for more than 50 years. 

But now the preparatory ground work has started, £40 million in funding has been approved, and a new contractor has been secured. 

Building giant Balfour Beatty has been selected as the building company to construct the new road, and is expected to be officially confirmed today (July 4) .

Planning permission for the new Chase Farm houses was partly dependent on the road being built. 

Only 315 of the 1,050 homes planned for the estate can be built until the new road is finished. New industrial units and a drive-through restaurant have also been given permission next to the road.

It had been hoped that the road  would be finished by Spring 2020, but at the time planning chiefs said this may have to be pushed back to Winter 2020. 

construction

This is because some delays were anticipated due to the complexity involved, and the large number of plots of land which needed to be built. The construction work is likely to take around 18 months.

Conservative councillor John Cottee is the chairman of the county council committee responsible for roads, and represents Keyworth. 

He said: “Entering into contract with Balfour Beatty to deliver the main construction of the Gedling Access Road is another key milestone in the project’s delivery.  

“It enables funding streams to be unlocked and provides the opportunity for the county council to work collaboratively with Via East Midlands, who are managing the project on behalf of NCC, and Balfour Beatty.  

“Working in partnership we can get contractor input into the design proposals, engage with key suppliers and sub-contractors at an early stage, carry out value engineering, all of which will assist in the management of risk and the overall programme.

“The regional framework we’re using has been successful in the delivery of other high-profile projects in the county, previous schemes include the £8.5m Hucknall Town Centre and the £3.1m Hucknall Rolls-Royce work.”

1...748749750...1,016Page 749 of 1,016