Family and friends of Dylan Barker gathered this morning (June 20) at Gedling Country Park to witness the unveiling of a new bench which has been dedicated to him.
Family members wore Nottingham Forest shirts with the number 97 on the back – commemorating the year the huge Reds fan was born – during the ceremony.
Dylan, who hailed from Arnold, bravely battled cancer for several years before finally losing his battle in October 2017.
TRIBUTE: Family members wore ’97’ Forest shirts which commemorated the year Dylan was born (IMAGE: GBC)
His bravery was recognised with a ‘Young Achiever’ Pride of Gedling Award, which has since been named in his honour after his death.
The family today gathered for a group photo around the bench where they were joined by new Mayor of Gedling Sandra Barnes and Cllr Peter Barnes from Gedling Borough Council, – who also helped with the unveiling.
GATHERING: Members of Dylan’s Family with The Mayor of Gedling, Councillor Sandra Barnes and Councillor Peter Barnes (IMAGE: GBC)
Cllr Gary Gregory, Portfolio Holder for Community Development, who helped organise today’s event, earlier paid tribute to Dylan.
He said: “Dylan made a huge impact on everyone he met, he was a well-loved and brave young man, and this memorial bench, installed thanks to funds raised by the fantastic Foxhill Court Residents Association, is just one of the ways we will keep his memory alive.
“I’d like to thank everyone who helped make this happen. I’m sure the memorial is something Dylan’s family, friends and community will all be able to enjoy, and remember Dylan whenever they see it.”
A new bench is to be installed in a prominent Gedling borough beauty spot in memory of a popular young resident who sadly passed away from cancer.
A bench in the memory of Dylan Barker, who passed away aged just 20, will be installed opposite the children’s play area at Gedling County Park following donations from local residents.
The new bench will be unveiled for the first time after a short service by the Vicar of St Paul’s Church Of England Church in Carlton which is being held tomorrow (June 20) at 9.15am.
Dylan Barker won a Pride of Gedling Young Achiever Award which, after he passed away, was renamed the Dylan Barker Award in his memory.
Dylan was described as someone who “captured the hearts of everyone he met” by Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke.
The
money to buy and install the bench was raised by Foxhill Court Residents
Association who raised £1,200 through fundraising events and will be attending
the ceremony on Thursday.
The Mayor of Gedling, Cllr Sandra Barnes, will be attending the event alongside members of Dylan’s family and friends and residents from Foxhill Court.
Cllr Gary Gregory, Portfolio Holder for Community Development, who helped organise the event said: “Dylan made a huge impact on everyone he met, he was a well-loved and brave young man, and this memorial bench, installed thanks to funds raised by the fantastic Foxhill Court Residents Association, is just one of the ways we will keep his memory alive.
“I’d like to thank everyone who helped make this happen. I’m sure the memorial is something Dylan’s family, friends and community will all be able to enjoy, and remember Dylan whenever they see it.”
A spokesperson for the Foxhill Court Residents Association said: “We organise events each year to raise money for charities in the community and this year our local Councillor, Gary Gregory, asked if we would help raise money for a memorial for Dylan.
“We held our most successful fundraiser to date with a table top sale, and we’re really pleased the money has gone on to help remember Dylan.”
A former caterer from Gedling has set up a new business offering classes designed to teach the borough’s youngsters that cooking healthy food can be easy, tasty and affordable.
Nottinghamshire Cookery School has been set up by Naomi
Woodfield and offers fun interactive cooking classes at schools and also
privately.
They are designed to inspire youngsters to become interested
and passionate about nutritious foods and to support them in making healthier
food choices, as well as giving them the kind of cooking skills that will set
them up for life.
The sessions are aimed at 3-19 year olds and parents and
schools in the area are already signing up so their children can take part.
Naomi thinks classes like this are essential as these important
life skills are no longer being taught to children in schools or their homes.
PICTURED: Nottinghamshire Cookery School owner Naomi Woodfield
She said: “Successive changes to the education system have wrought devastation on pupils’ ability to make a life for themselves.
“With all of the emphasis given to SATS, GCSE, targets and academic respectability, life skills are losing out.
“With the emphasis on academic respectability, practical
subjects are being devalued.
“In the past, girls used to be taught life skills in the
home by their mothers, who didn’t have to go out to work to supplement the
family income. Boys who wanted to go into practical jobs would be taught
woodwork and metalwork at school. Technical colleges would supplement
apprenticeships to give our plumbers, engineers etc the skills that they
needed.
“Now, with women needing and demanding to have jobs, home life has suffered. Old domestic habits are disappearing. Life for adults revolves around work and children have become the targets for advertising.
“Convenience is the order of the day: ready meals for the adults and snacks for the kids. Evening meals, with the family seated around the table, are a thing of the past.”
School should be much more than an academic factory for
turning out winners and losers. It should adopt a holistic approach to
education that includes health and well-being as a foundation stone for future
personal growth. Mealtimes and ‘breaks’ should be given the same consideration
as the rest of the curriculum. The school cook and her staff should be given
the same respect as the teachers.
Naomi added: “My ambition is twofold: I want to create a
situation where children enjoy school meals and are encouraged to abandon
unhealthy snacking in favour of balanced and unfussy food and enable parents to
support their children’s development by providing out-of-school cookery
workshops.”
A Calverton mum is planning to launch a new green scheme in the village to help ‘protect the future’ for her young daughter.
Jessica Feargrieve wants to encourage people in the village to recycle more and also promote the efforts of local businesses who are attempting to go plastic-free.
As part of the scheme, Jessica intends to set up a drop-off point for items which can’t be recycled by the council and send them to Terracycle – a firm which says it can collect and recycle almost any form of waste.
PICTURED: Young mum Jessica Feargrieve with her 15-month-old daughter
The young mum will also campaign to reduce the use of single-use plastics in the village and also launch a pop-up shop to promote local firms who are making the effort to go plastic free.
A leaflet is also currently being produced -on recycled paper of course- and will soon be distributed to help get local people on board with the scheme.
Local MP Mark Spencer has also committed to help promote the project.
Jessica is now hoping people will support the scheme.
She told Gedling Eye: “It is early days and I’m still in the planning stages for the project, but I am trying to spread the word.
“We have to do something now about the plastic problem and also encourage more recycling. There is no longer enough time to say ‘we’ll do it tomorrow’ if we want to help save our planet”
“My little girl is the reason behind why I want to take up this cause as I want to protect her future.”
Residents whose homes were hit by flooding in Arnold over the past few days are being offered help to clean up their properties by the local council.
Gedling Borough Council are sending teams to the town to help those who need help removing damaged items from their gardens and properties.
A number of staff and crew will be on the two main roads were the damaged was caused, Bentwell Avenue and Bonington Drive tomorrow (Wednesday, 19) from 9am to offer assistance.
Several properties were damaged by the rainfall that occurred on Wednesday 12 causing large scale damage to gardens and severe flooding in a handful of properties.
Sandbags were used to help protect properties from flooding (IMAGE:GBC)
Six
large skips will be provided by the council as part of its responsibility to
help support clear up operations after flooding incidents.
The
council officers will help move large, heavy items that can be moved safely,
assist with dismantling of garden sheds, remove broken glass and stack fence
posts. All homeowners are advised to talk to their insurers before moving any
items.
Deputy Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Cllr Michael Payne said: “A number of households have been affected by the floods and we want to do what we can to try and alleviate the task of getting their homes and gardens back to normal.
“We will be there from tomorrow morning to help lift heavy items, remove damaged goods and get the clear up started.
“We are doing everything we can to support the families dealing with this terrible situation and we are calling on any residents who want to offer their support to come along tomorrow morning and help out.”
Two rare insects have been discovered at a nature reserve in Netherfield.
A rare Black Colonel Soldier Fly, Odontomyia tigrina,has been found at the Netherfield Lagoons Local Nature Reserve.
Local
experts say this is probably the first record of this patchily distributed fly
species for Nottinghamshire.
This
important find follows the discovery of a rare moth, the Light Knot-grass, at
the site.
PICTURED: The Light Knot-grass
This moth has not been recorded in
Nottinghamshire since before 1916. The only official Notts record being of 2
larvae found amongst heather at Sherwood Forest in 1858 and another of 7 larvae
near Edwinstowe in 1897.
PICTURED: The Black Colonel Soldier Fly
Mark Glover, Chair of the Gedling Conservation Trust, that owns and manages the Netherfield Lagoons said the finds underline the huge importance of the nature reserve.
He said: “The
site is Gedling’s most important site for wildlife and one of the best habitats
in the County.
“More than
1000 invertebrates have been recorded at the reserve so far, as well as
hundreds of plants, birds, mammals and amphibians.’
For more
information please contact Mark Glover 0n 07850 768337
Police incidents in Arnold and Carlton will feature in tonight’s
latest instalment of Cops UK: Bodycam Squad.
Broxtowe officers PCs Keith Parkes and Joe Tennyson are in
pursuit but the driver isn’t stopping, What happens next? You’ll have to tune
into the Really Channel at 9pm on Monday (17 June 2019) to find out.
PCs James Gill and Richard Elliott are called to a crash
involving five cars in Carlton
Officers are also called to a pub in Arnold to make arrests
after reports of a disturbance
Cops are also called out to a domestic-related disturbance
in Carlton.
Tune in at 9pm tonight Monday (June 17) to the Really
Channel (on Sky 142 or Freeview 17) to catch the new episode.
The rainy weather didn’t stop the crowds from getting in the carnival spirit as the town of Arnold was brought to life at the weekend.
Families from all over Gedling borough gathered to enjoy the carnival, despite the cold and wet weather.
Gedling Borough Council remained steadfast and refused to let the rain and wind put a dampener on the three-day event, which included live music, fairground rides, food stalls and craft tents.
Liz Banks from Carlton said: “We’re so glad it’s on. We come every year and thought it might be off due to the rain. Luckily it’s not a mudbath like the Download Festival.
Crowds brave the rain to watch live entertainment (PIC: Gedling Eye)The event was plastic free
Brian Simpson from Lowdham said: “As good as ever. Good music and a nice pint of Guinness. What a great way to spend a weekend.”
Tony Phillips from Netherfield didn’t think the event would take place.
“We thought it would be off, he said.
“But we were really glad it was on. The kids love it and can go on the park afterwards. They’ve all had ice creams and loved the fair. Nice food too.
“It was nice to see Vernon Coaker the MP here too. I said ‘hello’. It’s good he supported the event.”
Lucy Jones from Mapperley thought the weather had put people off.
She said: “I don’t think they are as many stalls or people as last time. It’s probably the poor weather.
The year’s event, for the first time, was plastic clever.
The aim was to reduce the big plastic polluters – plastic stirrers, drinking straws, cutlery and single use plastic cups.
This includes using a returnable cup deposit scheme for the bar and asking all catering teams to consider suitable replacements such as wooden straws, cutlery and food containers.
This scheme is part of Gedling Borough Council’s plastic clever council initiative.
Police are appealing to the public for help in tracking down three men broke into a house in Burton Joyce and attacked the occupant with a stick when he confronted them.
Officers are investigating the burglary, which happened in Church Road at about 7.30pm on Friday (June 14, 2019), and are appealing for anyone who saw anything or who has any information to get in touch.
The victim was awoken by some banging noises coming from downstairs. He was then confronted in the house by three men in the house, one of whom hit him with a wooden stick, causing minor injuries.
The occupant then shut his bedroom door, climbed out of his window onto the garage and alerted a neighbour.
The offenders, whose faces were covered, then ran out the property through the front door, taking a walking stick with them. No other items were taken.
The offenders are believed to be white and aged in their early 20s.
Detective Sergeant Matt Scott, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Our enquiries are ongoing, including carrying out house-to-house enquiries and checking any CCTV opportunities, and we’re asking anyone who saw anything suspicious around the time of the incident to get in contact with us.
“Did you see or hear anything? Did you see a group of men running from the scene? If you have any information please come forward as it could be crucial to our investigation.
“This was a distressing incident for the victim. Thankfully he wasn’t seriously injured but he has been left very shaken by what happened.
“We’d like to reassure people that officers are working very hard on this investigation and we are doing everything we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice.”
Anyone who has any information about the burglary is asked to contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 859 of 14 June 2019, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
