A number of swimming baths across Gedling borough are launching Disney-inspired family fun swim sessions from next month.
The new sessions, which launch on June 1, are designed keep the kids healthy, happy and active over the summer.
Each 45 minute session provides endless family fun and kids learn a key life skill. The sessions are perfect for 3 – 11 year olds and will take place on Saturday mornings.
The sessions launch with Disney/Pixar’s most-loved characters from upcoming release of Toy Story 4 including Buzz and Woody and the rest of the gang.
Sessions will be available for 12 months and will include further releases from Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Friends in October 2019 and Disney’s Frozen 2 in February 2020.
The sessions will be delivered by a trained Activator and available at the following pools in Gedling borough:
Having played since his school days, Kevin is an avid cricketer and has been involved with Papplewick and Linby Cricket Club for the past 18 years, both coaching and playing and is still eager to put on his whites when called upon!
Councillor Rostance said: “It is an absolute honour to be going into bat as Chairman of the County Council and I am delighted to represent the county where I have lived and worked all my life.
PICTURED: New NCC chairman Cllr Kevin Rostance
“I am sure I will have to deal with the odd bouncer or two when I’m chairing Full Council meetings, but as long as everyone is shaking hands at the close of play, I will be happy!”
Kevin has been a county councillor since 2009, and a district councillor at Ashfield District Council since 2015.
Commenting on his selection of the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association as his chosen charity for the year, he said: “A family friend has been diagnosed with MND and I’ve seen at first hand the devastating impact the illness can have on someone and the people around them.
“The MND Association works tirelessly to improve care and support for all those impacted by what is an extremely cruel condition. I hope local people will help me raise some money and awareness of MND.”
A multi-million pound extension to Carlton Academy which will provide 300 new secondary school places in Gedling has been approved.
It will help take the extra pressure for school places expected from the new Teal Close and Chase Farm developments, which will see hundreds of homes built in the area.
In recent months, several politicians and community groups have raised concerns at what they see as a looming shortfall of school places in the Gedling area, particularly at secondary level.
But as the funds for the Carlton Academy extension were approved at a meeting on May 22, a leading Conservative politician said the move should “put to bed” what he called a “myth” which had been created about the lack of places.
“Over the last few months there’s been much hype in Gedling about the lack of school places in the Gedling area,” said Councillor Chris Barnfather, who is the leader of the Conservative Party in Gedling.
“By no coincidence, of course, on May 2 there were district council elections. Surprisingly in the run up to those elections we heard much from colleagues in Gedling about the potential lack of school places, which caused some alarm, distress and upset to parents with children who were approaching the secondary age transfer.
PICTURED: A recent meeting was held giving parents the chance to discuss the shortage of school places in Gedling borough
“This once and for all dispells that myth, although of course there isn’t an election imminent on a local level, so one would suspect that all that upset, all that hype, all that fear that was being propagated will now disappear.”
The money, a total of £2.9m, will be spent to increase capacity over the next five years, after the move was unanimously approved by Nottinghamshire County Council.
A council report said: “The Carlton Academy sits in the Carlton area of Gedling alongside Carlton le Willows which is a standalone secondary trust. These are high performing popular secondary academies in a densely populated area.
“At completion it is expected that these developments will contribute an additional two forms of entry (300 secondary students) over the next five academic years (by 2025) in the planning area.”
However, the council acknowledged the school was oversubscribed in the short term, and said “immediate work” was needed in time for the 2019/20 academic year.
The report said: “In the short term, Carlton Academy agreed to admit significantly over its Published Admission Number (PAN) of 170 in the 2018/19 academic year to admit 235 Year 7 pupils for September 2019.
“This has ensured that in September 2019, linked and catchment children who expressed a preference for The Carlton Academy have secured a school place.
“As a result, immediate work on the site is essential to provide the necessary classroom and specialist areas during the 2019/20 academic year and up to 2027.
“This would require revision should the pace of house building increase, or the base population figure also increases higher than currently projected.”
Plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds will be banned in
venues across Gedling borough from next April as the war against plastic
pollution ramps up.
Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, has confirmed a ban on the supply of the items from April 2020 after a recent consultation revealed “overwhelming” public support for the move.
Once the plastic straw ban comes into force, food and drink outlets will be unable to display them or provide them to customers.
The only exceptions include those who need to use plastic
straws for medical reasons or a disability will be able to buy them from
registered pharmacies or request them in restaurants, pubs and bars, and the
use of plastic-stemmed cotton buds for medical and scientific purposes.
Mr Gove said: “Urgent and decisive action is needed to
tackle plastic pollution and protect our environment.
“These items are often used for just a few minutes but
take hundreds of years to break down, ending up in our seas and oceans and
harming precious marine life.
As well as helping the environment, it is hoped that millions of pounds could be saved annually on clean-up efforts of used plastics.
A number of venues across the borough have already stopped offering plastic straws to customers.
FINAL STRAW: It’s Inn The Bank pub landlord David Murphy only offers biodegradable straws to customers
Wetherspoons venues like The Free Man in Carlton, The Woodthorpe Top in Mapperley and The Ernhale in Arnold have also stopped handing out plastic straws with drinks.
A disability charity has now praised the ban, saying the new laws clearly take into account the needs of disabled people.
Lauren West, from Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “Plastic straws are sometimes the only type of straw that work for disabled people due to their flexibility and ability to be used in hot and cold drinks.
“We’re pleased the government has recognised this in
its proposals put forward today.”
The memorial has been in place for well over 10 years and some of it now requires refurbishment.
Malcom Jarvis, who was involved when it was established, particularly with the bench, has offered to finance the renovation of the plaque on the seat.
Mr Jarvis is also keen to create a record of reminiscences of Calverton particularly of 50 or 60 years ago when many families moved to the village. Memories, not just of the colliery, but schools, shops, friends and neighbours, playgrounds, clubs, societies and any other recollections.
If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please phone 0115 9654843 or email pressoc@ntlworld.com
Folk museum
Situated on Main Street next to the Baptist Church and housed in a four-roomed, Grade II listed, 18th. Century cottage, the Museum opened in 1974 and has a variety of displays depicting local history and heritage.
PICTURED: Visitors to the Calverton Folk Museum
As well as a kitchen and bedroom from about 100 years ago and a variety of objects relating to local coalmining, farming and education, the principal display is devoted to William Lee. He lived in Calverton and invented the Hand Knitting Frame in 1589. This was the start of a world-wide hosiery industry in which today’s computer-controlled machines still make use of Lee’s technology.
The Museum is open on the last Sunday afternoon of every month April to September from 2:00 pm to 4:00pm. Admission is £2 for adults and 50p for children up to the age of 16.
New heritage tree register for Nottingham
St George’s Trust for Conservation believes any tree that forms an important part of the landscape, whether in towns or countryside, should receive special protection.
The trust is seeking entries from individual members of the public on behalf of old trees which hold a special place in people’s hearts or may be becoming rare or endangered. This may include trees in someone’s garden or on a verge, any information about all old trees and especially old fruit trees, which are becoming rare, would be welcomed.
Planning matters
At a recent Gedling Planning Committee
meeting, despite many concerns being submitted by the Pres Soc, Parish Council
and numerous local residents, Planning Officers recommended that Councillors
conditionally approve the application for the demolition of the existing
dwellings and outbuildings and the erection of up to 84 dwellings on land to
the west side of Flatts Lane.
Two proposals, one to build 20 dwellings on the former carpark at North Green and the other the demolition of an existing cottage and erection of 10 dwellings and 2 retail units next to the Library at 34 Main Street may be considered at a Planning Committee meeting in June.
In brief…
Apparently the road works (traffic lights and all) to lay a gas main which has been taking place from the west end of Main Street along Hollingwood Lane, Collyer Road, Park Road to Mansfield Lane looks likely to continue during the summer till August!
Further traffic disruption is possible in the village when Oxton Lane (B6386) is closed at various times for carriageway repairs during the period from the middle of May to the end of June.
An application made to Gedling BC for change of use of a business unit for a MOT test station and service centre at Daleside Park, Park Road, has been given conditional permission.
I love wildflowers, herbs, trees and meadows in a natural setting, or created in gardens, but it appears I’m in a minority.
It seems most people view wildflowers as ugly weeds that will take over the world, and in the case of one individual on Twitter, that they will release ‘spores’ and start moving.
Even at the bastion of stuffy old-fashioned middle-class gardening, the Chelsea Flower Show, several people on television have mentioned the beauty of wildflowers, natural looking gardens and that, heaven forbid, weeds may not be all that bad after all!
Worryingly, these natural looks and using plants that have not had the ability to self-seed bred out of them are seen by the presenters as this year’s “trend and style”. Don’t worry, next year we can go back to fertilisers, weedkillers and bonkers hybrids!
Unfortunately things are not helped when the leader of our local Gedling Borough Council berates Nottinghamshire County Council for not blasting all weeds with chemicals. It’s as if they are dangerous invaders from outer space. Hey, let’s just destroy all greenery and flowers unless someone has actually bought them from an expensive garden centre and planted them!
Of course, there is a multi-million pound gardening industry built on trying to grow plants in the wrong place, urge you to destroy others with weedkillers and sell you endless landfill-bound products you don’t really need to garden.
There is no excuse for councils setting a bad example by bowing to pressure from a few, overly fussy individuals.
There’s a lot of stuff on Twitter about less mowing and not using weedkillers. I use a manual lawnmower to mow around patches of wildflowers in my lawn, but most people get out an electric or petrol mower and try to produce a bowling green on their patch. I could do more – we all could – but I imagine the neighbours would then complain!
However, there is no excuse for councils setting a bad example by bowing to pressure from a few, overly fussy individuals. So maybe we all should start complaining to the council when we see a mower before the autumn on public land, other than picnic or sports areas.
I find it hard to believe that these people have not seen any press or television concerning the severe environmental problems we face. The council would also save money too.
Another concern is the use of weedkillers on public spaces such as parks and schools where children play. I have seen it with my own eyes: spraying weedkillers just before the children come out to play. Weedkillers should not be used unless to control invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed.
As part of the whole issue of climate emergency and loss of wildlife, it would seem an easy win to green up our urban environment, towns and public spaces with wildflower meadow verges and gardens, not mention hedgerows, orchards and trees. I don’t mean expensive bureaucratic schemes such as inert living walls run by private companies making lots of money either.
Unfortunately, near me trees are going to felled, affecting the local nature reserve in order to build 400 new houses.
I don’t have the answers, but doing something different in our own gardens may help change perceptions over time.
Arnold Leisure Centre is to close next month for repair work.
The work will be carried out to ‘protect the long term future of the building.
The pool will be shut from Monday, June 3 until Sunday, June 16 – and will reopen again On the morning of Monday, June 17 at 7am.
The details about the Arnold Leisure Centre refurbishment were shared earlier today on the Gedling Leisure twitter account.
Arnold Leisure Centre will be closing for essential repairs to be carried out to protect the long-term future of the building. The pool will be closed from Monday 3rd June to Sunday 16th June reopening on Monday 17th June at 7am. We apologise for any disruption during this time
Inspector Chris Pearson is responsible for Gedling’s neighbourhood policing team. His officers help uphold the law across the entire borough. Here he provides an update on policing activities that took place during April…
Staffing
We have now been joined by PS 2638 Andy Clarke who has moved from the City Division. Andy will now lead the Neighbourhood Policing team at Carlton. PCSO Tom Packer also joins us following a career break and will be based at Jubilee House in Arnold. Tom will join PC 3484 Groves working in the Killisick and St Mary’s area.
Priority
Updates
We are continuing to focus on burglary,
autocrime, violent crime and anti-social behaviour.
In terms of burglary we have seen a slight increase of two offences in April with hotspot areas of Carlton, Porchester, Colwick and Gedling. We are continuing to carry out patrols with response and neighbourhood officers involved and I would ask that you remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us.
As the
lighter nights and slightly warmer weather are now with us, I’d also ask that
you ensure that windows and doors are left closed and locked. We know that
offenders are targeting properties that are insecure.
Unfortunately
we had a report of an alleged burglary on April 1 in Castleton Avenue, Carlton
whereby a vulnerable female was targeted. This is still under investigation and
I’d like to thank everyone who shared our appeal.
In terms
of autocrime, we have seen slight reductions and two prolific autocrime
offenders from the Gedling area are now in prison.
We had two BMW’s stolen from the Mapperley area where it appears that a device has been used to compromise the ‘keyless entry’ system. I’d encourage owners of cars with keyless entry to consider purchasing a faraday bag which will help to stop the signal of the keys when not in use.
We have
seen some slight increases in anti-social behaviour particularly over the
Easter holidays. We will not tolerate anti-social behaviour and we will work
together with our partners at Gedling Borough Council to deal with any
identified individuals. I know that we are examining CCTV of some of the
reported incidents and where appropriate further is being taken.
In terms of violent crime we have
now charged three males with public order and weapons offences following an
incident of disorder on Flatts Lane in Calverton at the end of March. This
investigation is still ongoing and we are working with partner agencies to deal
with those involved.
Unfortunately on April 10 a serious assault took place outside Ben’s Barbers on Plains Road, Mapperley. A 51-year-old male out jogging was hit to the head before being stamped on and kicked whilst he was on the floor. We will simply not tolerate violence and I’d urge anyone with any information to contact us quoting incident 99 of 10th April or alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
Knife Crime
I know that knife and violent
crime continues to be a concern. This month I met with the Gedling Youth
Council where we discussed the topic of knife crime. It was a really useful to
get the feedback of young people and we are now looking at how this might help
us across the area.
Op Sceptre in March was a great success in Gedling. We carried out plain clothes and high visibility patrols across the area and visited individuals at risk of carrying knives. A knife test purchase operation was also carried out across the area as well as knife sweeps in some public spaces. We also carried out a number of stop searches following information from the public. We were assisted by partner agencies including the Gedling neighbourhood wardens.
I’ve also now taken delivery of two metal detecting arches and a number of metal detecting wands which will shortly be deployed in the community.
In other news…
I met with the Ravenshead
Neighbourhood Watch at their AGM recently. PCSO Kirsty Szeluk gave an update on
policing in the area and we discussed crime prevention advice. It is great to
see so many members of the community involved and I’m looking forward to
meeting other groups of the coming weeks.
I’ve also been looking at how we
interact with the community across the Gedling borough. We are now finalising a
refreshed plan of engagement in which I hope that the neighbourhood teams will
increase the number of events held such as beat surgeries. Please look out for
these advertised in the local media and on our social media pages.
I also met with colleagues from
local authority housing last week where we discussed how we can work more
closely together in order to effectively deal with anti-social behaviour. PS
Helen Walker is also working with colleagues from the council regarding a detached
youth work project. A pilot has already taken place in the Arnold area and we
are very much looking to extend this work over the coming months.
Finally, in terms of road safety
PCSO Szeluk joined volunteers in the Ravenshead area following complaints of
speeding. We are looking to repeat this work over the coming weeks. We also
spent time addressing speeding in Calverton following feedback from the
community. Five motorists were dealt with for offences. I have also met with
the Fire Service this week to discuss how we will jointly work together to
deliver a message around road safety over the summer.
A supermarket in Netherfield will become one of the first British stores to roll-out plastic free fruit and veg areas.
Customers will soon be able to pick up 127 varieties of fruit and veg either loose or in recyclable paper bags in Morrisons, with the grocer rolling out the new initiative shortly.
The loose fruit and veg areas will be rolled out in Morrisons stores during the course of 2019 – but customers will still have the option of buying packaged fruit and veg as well.
The chain’s new ‘buy bagless’ shelves are expected to save an estimated three tonnes of plastic a week – or around 156 tonnes a year.
Drew Kirk, Fruit and Veg Director at Morrisons said: “Many of our customers would like the option of buying their fruit and veg loose. So we’re creating an area of our greengrocery with no plastic where they can pick as much or as little as they like. We’re going back to using traditional greengrocery and we hope customers appreciate the choice.”
The latest initiative is just one of the many being introduced by the chain to reduce plastic. So far recent changes have led to over 9,000 tonnes of problematic plastic waste being removed from its production.
Morrisons has removed over 600 tonnes of unrecyclable polystyrene from branded food and drink products, and a further 1,300 tonnes of plastic will be removed following the launch of paper bags in stores this month.
When the scheme launches locally, the supermarket will sell paper bags alongside plastic reusable carrier bags.
It will start selling both types for 20p, having phased out 5p carrier bags in the past year.
Morrisons marketing director Andy Atkinson said: “We are taking another meaningful step that will remove an estimated 1,300 tonnes of plastic out of the environment each year.”
People in Gedling borough are being warned to ignore any emails claiming to be from HMRC stating that they have been issued a refund.
The emails, which have been doing the rounds across the area, contain a link which you are encouraged to click on, and you will then be asked to enter your credit/debit card details in order to ‘receive’ the refund.
These are not legitimate emails. HMRC will never contact you via email or text message regarding refunds. If you are due a refund, you will be notified via post.
Here are some things to look out for that will help you to identify whether or not an email is legitimate:
1) The email address that the email has been sent from will likely bare no relevance to the organisation, be spelt incorrectly, have additional letters/numbers, or be from an email provider that is available to the public e.g. Hotmail, Gmail etc.
2) The email will often contain spelling errors, grammatical errors, poor punctuation, or appear unprofessional.
3) The email will prompt you to enter your personal details such as bank account information.
If you receive an email or text message purporting to be from HMRC, do not click on any links, delete the message, and if in doubt contact HMRC directly using information from the government website.
Do not use the contact details provided in the email or text.
You should always contact Action Fraud if you are targeted by fraudsters
