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Pony tale will bring Bestwood Country Park’s mining heritage to life for youngsters

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Pony tale will bring Bestwood Country Park’s mining heritage to life for youngsters

A new interactive outdoor trail educating youngsters about the mining heritage of Bestwood Country Park is being launched next week.

Youngsters aged between two and eight can read the story of Peter the Pit Pony and then follow his trail using the sheet around the park to learn about its rich history in a fun and accessible way.

QR codes and items mentioned in the story are dotted about the trail and help bring the park’s incredible story to life.

Bestwood Country Park started out as a medieval hunting ground for royalty, but from 1872 to 1967, was home to a coal mine where miners dug up as much as 400 tonnes of coal an hour.

Peter the Pit Pony was a joint project between Nottinghamshire County Council, the Friends of Bestwood Country Park, Sandford Cascade project and Gedling Borough Council.

Winding-house-Bestwood-Park
PICTURED: The winding house at Bestwood Country Park

Laura Simpson, heritage tourism officer at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Places like this deserve to be remembered as a valued piece of local history.

“I used to see a lot of parents out with their children around the park and they had no idea what used to be here or even what a coal mine was.  Hopefully the new ‘Peter the Pit Pony’ resource will educate them in an engaging, enjoyable and accessible way.”

Councillor John Cottee, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Place Committee said he hopes the project will help bring the county’s industrial heritage and bring it to life for our younger generation. 

He said: “Our heritage is important and this project fits perfectly with the County Council’s aspirations to make even more of Nottinghamshire’s fascinating past and encourage even more visitors to our area, staying longer and enjoying  our sites and scenery. ”

“Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors and contributes £1.8 billion per year to the Nottinghamshire economy.”

Construction projects in Gedling borough make shortlist for prestigious industry awards

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Construction projects in Gedling borough make shortlist for prestigious industry awards

Construction projects in Gedling, Arnold and Lambley have been shortlisted for prizes at this year’s Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Excellence Awards.

Gedling Borough Council has submitted six construction projects to the awards, which recognise Local Authorities who work with developers, follow good practices and work to provide high quality projects.

All six of the projects were shortlisted for the regional finals which take place tomorrow in Leicester.

The largest business to business awards in the building control sector, the LABC Regional Building Excellence Awards recognise quality in all types of building project.

The six projects shortlisted for the awards include the large scale housing project at Chase Farm, Gedling where over 1,000 new homes are being built, and there’s nominations for two housing sites in Arnold, Hawksley Court and Bestwood Lodge Drive, for best social or affordable new housing developments.

There’s also a nomination for a recently constructed early years classroom at Robert Mellors Academy. 

The following projects have been shortlisted for awards:

Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conversion – Spring Lane, Lambley (Spencer Homes)

Best High Volume New Housing Development – Hawksley Court, Daybrook (Geda Construction)

Best High Volume New Housing Development – Chase Farm, Gedling (Keepmoat Homes)

Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development – Hawksley Court, Daybrook (Geda Construction)

Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development – Bestwood Lodge Drive, Arnold (Tanbry Construction)

Best Educational Building – Robert Mellors Academy (Arc Partnership)

The awards take place in Leicester on Friday 17 May, with the winners being invited to attend The LABC National Awards in June.

Gedling Borough Council’s Building Control Department is responsible for ensuring compliance with national building regulations to ensure health and safety standards are applied to building work, energy saving provisions are achieved and premises are fully accessible for use. This year, the team have been involved in over 400 projects across the Borough.

Chief executive of Gedling Borough Council, Karen Bradford said: “We’re very proud to see six finalists in this year’s awards and it’s a great example of how working together can produce excellent results.

“We have worked closely with all of the contractors to make sure they provide the best possible developments for our residents and I’d like to wish the nominees the best of luck at the awards tomorrow night.”

‘Spine of the county’: A614 upgrade planned with ‘pinch points’ being created to cut congestion

Gedling Eye Reporter
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One of the busiest routes in Nottinghamshire will see six key pinch points upgraded in a multi-million pound scheme.

Last year, the Government announced £18 million would be spent on the A614 and the A6097.

Described as the “spine of the county” the routes jointly go from the south to the north of Nottinghamshire.

New details have been revealed for how the funding will be spent, with the majority going on six junctions and islands which cause the worst snarl-ups.

From south to north, the junctions are: Lowdham Roundabout; Warren Hill Junction (where the A6097 and A614 join); White Post Roundabout; Mickledale Lane Junction and Deerdale Lane Junction (both near Bilsthorpe) and Ollerton Roundabout.

The latter of these has been well-known to cause lengthy tailbacks, and there have been repeated calls for decades for much-needed improvements.

The upgrades are at a very early stage, with planning permission and land acquisition yet to get underway.

It is not yet known exactly what the junction improvements will entail.

While the funding comes from the Department for Transport, the scheme will be run by Conservative-led Nottinghamshire County Council, which is responsible for most roads in the area.

Initial plans have now been released by the council, and are expected to be approved after a vote next week.

The council declined to comment ahead of the vote.

However when the £18 million was announced, the leader of the council, Conservative Kay Cutts, who represents Radcliffe-on-Trent, said: “We are delighted with the announcement as it shows what we can do as a local council, punching above our weight in partnership with the Government.  

“This funding will open up fantastic new opportunities for the county, bringing new jobs, housing and infrastructure to local communities and businesses.

“The A614 corridor is the spine of the county with new housing developments planned in Bilsthorpe, Ollerton and Blidworth so this investment is crucial to help meet these increasing demands as these are areas where even more of our residents what to live and work.

“The improvements will also give better access to key tourism sites such as the Nottinghamshire County Council-owned Rufford Abbey and Sherwood Forest Country Park.”

Two teenagers arrested in connection with arson attack on play equipment which was ‘damaged beyond repair’ in Arnot Hill Park

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Two teenagers arrested in connection with arson attack on play equipment which was ‘damaged beyond repair’ in Arnot Hill Park

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of arson after play equipment was ‘damaged beyond repair’ at Arnot Hill Park

Nottinghamshire Police say the two 17-year-olds are under arrest following the incident that is believed to have happened on Monday evening (May 13).

It was reported that the main tower of the slide had been damaged beyond repair.

The main tower was the only area of the play park which sustained heavy damage.

£124,000 was invested in the play park as part of its refurbishment in June 2018, following a successful bid for funding from the WREN community action fund by Gedling Borough Council and the Friends of Arnot Hill Park group.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police today said: “Officers have worked with Gedling Borough Council this week and reviewed CCTV footage of the incident.”

Gedling charity booksale brings in £3,619 for good causes

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Gedling charity booksale brings in £3,619 for good causes

An annual charity booksale held in Gedling has this year collected £3,619 for good causes in the region – smashing last year’s total.

For the past 13 years Bob and Chris Cann have hosted the Masked Charity Booksale at their home in Vernon Avenue.

Over two weekends in April and May their property was again crammed full of 15,000 second-hand books from as little as 10p, which the fees collected being donated to a number of charities.

The organisers – masked, of course – recently met with Zephrys, a charity based at Nottingham City Hospital which offers support to families who have lost a child, and handed over a cheque for £904 – a share of teh total raised.

A similar amount was also handed over to Morton Hall Detainees Visitors Group

Other causes set to benefit include a local refugee charity and food bank in Netherfield.

In total the annual sales have raised £20,000 for local good charities over the past 13 years..

Burntstump primary school choir in fine tune to win competition

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Burntstump primary school choir in fine tune to win competition

Young choristers from Burntstump Seely C of E Primary Academy were in fine voice as they won the ‘Key Stage 2 Own Choice’ class at the annual Mansfield Music and Drama Festival which took place at the Palace Theatre Mansfield.

Following their success, the Arnold school choir were invited to return with winners from other categories to perform at a winner’s concert the following week, and scooped the Pamela Cook Award for the best school choir!

Pupil Connie Newman (age 11) from Hucknall, is a member of the school choir and said she was a little bit nervous before performing on stage. “On the day we sang ‘The Rose’, ‘Let’s go fly a kite’, and ‘Let there be peace on Earth’.

She said: “It helps knowing all of your friends are singing with you, and it actually went well because we came first! I really like being in the choir and singing with my friends at school.”

Joni Clare (age 10) from Sherwood said she had a special task at the festival. “I had to introduce the first song and I got scared that I would forget what I had to say. That was nerve-wracking!”

Fellow pupil Sienna Wilson (age 11) from Mapperley said she had loved taking part.   “The best bit was when we found out we had won. Everyone started to get really excited and jumping up and down. We went with Mrs Gabb and she was really excited too!”

Sophie Goodridge (age 10) and Florence Whittington (age 10) both live in Papplewick and said they enjoyed the experience. Sophie said, “At the end my family said they were proud of me. I was shocked that we came first because all of the choirs were so good.” Florence said, “I was pleased when we finished first. I was nervous before each performance, but I am so glad we did it!”

Head teacher at Burntstump Seely Church of England Primary Academy, Heather Gabb, said the children were a credit to her school.

She said: “The choir are really strong this year and we were fairly confident, but we know it’s a challenging competition and you never know how it is going to go on the day. The choirs we were up against were stunning and I was possibly more nervous than the children were!

“We performed one song in the morning, which we didn’t do so well at. Then we had to perform two more songs in the afternoon.  By then we were raring to go and had listened carefully to what the adjudicator had said to us in the morning in the feedback. That time we did much better and won the class.”

Heather says that despite their careful preparations, the win still came as a surprise.

She added: “We couldn’t believe it when we won because the competition standards were so high. When they announced the winners, they did it in reverse order, so it was all very exciting. I am very, very proud of them all!”

Daybrook and Redhill residents get doorstep advice on greener travel choices available in the area

Emily Sanchez
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Daybrook and Redhill residents get doorstep advice on greener travel choices available in the area

Residents in Daybrook and Redhill will soon have the chance to access free environmentally-friendly travel advice, information and incentives right on their doorstep as part of a new green scheme.

Travel Choice is a Nottinghamshire County Council scheme being funded by the Department for Transport which will see travel advisors visiting approximately 5,000 Daybrook households that have opted in to find out more about their travel options, between Friday, May 10 and Saturday, June 1, 2019.

The scheme’s Personalised travel planning advisor, Ross Paradise, said: “Talking to residents on their doorstep is a really great way to engage people who have opted in to find out more about their local travel options.

“We’re giving out information about greener travel as well as discussing the benefits to their general wellbeing.

“We’re finding that people are really engaging in these conversations as looking after the environment is a really key subject in the public eye at the moment, so discussing how residents can reduce their own carbon footprint is being really well received.”

The travel advisors are offering personalised travel plans based on conversations they have with each Daybrook resident, offering a travel pack full of tailored information including local bus and cycle maps, car sharing information, and other environmentally friendly travel tips which enable people to do their bit to improve the air quality in the Daybrook area.

Cllr John Cottee, committee chairman for Communities and Place said: “While many residents are already doing their bit for the environment, this free advice and information could help make a positive impact on residents’ health through active travel like walking and cycling. “

Ahead of the door-to-door visits by travel advisors, residents will have received a postcard with a brief overview of what to expect, with an option to opt-out or to request a specific piece of travel information.

Phone, pay-TV and broadband customers in Gedling borough will soon get alerts from providers as contracts come to an end

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Phone, pay-TV and broadband customers in Gedling borough will soon get alerts from providers as contracts come to an end

The days of overpaying a broadband, pay-tv or mobile provider when out of contract will soon be over, thanks to new rules being introduced by watchdog Ofcom.

From next year, providers will have to send out alerts to customers and also make them aware of alternative deals under the new rules to help prevent them continuing to pay beyond their contract lock-in date.

The watchdog first announced its plan to help people secure end-of-contract deals in July 2018.

Relevant companies have nine months to update their systems and must begin sending out the notifications from February 15, 2020.

Service providers will need to text, email or send a letter to their consumers between 10 to 40 days before their contracts come to an end.

These alerts must include: 

  • The contract end date.
  • The price customers are currently paying and the price they will pay after their contract ends, as well as any changes to the service after this date.
  • Information about notice periods if the customer wants to end their contract.
  • The best deals offered by the provider, including prices available to new customers.

A spokesman for Ofcom said: “Our proposals will benefit consumers by protecting them against unexpected and unwelcome changes, such as higher prices, and ensuring that they get the right information at the right time, enabling them to make informed decisions and exercise choice.

“Our plans will also benefit consumers by increasing competition in the market, and reducing the time and effort required for consumers to monitor and seek out information

But Citizens Advice Burau think the new rules don’t not go far enough.

During the consultation, Citizens Advice had told Ofcom that it believed providers should be made to send out more than one notification to each customer.

“Almost nine in 10 people think that charging loyal customers more is unfair, and we agree,” said Gillian Guy, Citizens Advice’s chief executive.

“We look forward to hearing about the concrete actions Ofcom will take to end this systematic scam.”

We’ll soon know how safe it is to take a dip at Colwick Country Park over the summer

Emily Sanchez
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We’ll soon know how safe it is to take a dip at Colwick Country Park over the summer

Planning to take a dip in the lake at Colwick Country Park this summer? Well, soon you’ll know how safe it is to do so.

The Environment Agency has resumed seasonal water quality testing across the UK – including at the park’s West Lake.

The stretch of water was last year given the thumbs-up by the Environment Agency ahead of the 2018 bathing water season.

Last year, water quality remained high across England with 97.9% of bathing waters meeting the tough standards. 92.4% of these locations achieved the top rating of Excellent or Good, meaning visitors to the seaside have 388 top-rated coastal and inland bathing waters to choose from.

The Environment Agency tests water quality at every official bathing water to ensure it is maintained and improved.

Colwick_Country_Park
Colwick Country Park

Beach-goers and outdoor swimmers can check the water quality at their nearest bathing water spot by visiting the Environment Agency’s Bathing Water Data Explorer website.

The Environment Agency say they are continuing to work with water companies, councils and local communities to keep our beaches and lakes clean, reduce pollution and protect our environment.

Helen Wakeham, head of Water Quality at the Environment Agency, said: “Water quality has improved at English beaches over the last two decades giving locals and tourists a better experience as well as benefiting the environment.

“Improving water quality at our beaches and lakes is a fantastic achievement and is a testament to the work of Environment Agency staff, water companies, local authorities, farmers, volunteers and NGOs.

“It shows what energy and commitment can achieve for the environment and people.”

“Water quality test data is published on the Environment Agency’s website and notifications of water quality issues for over 350 locations in the UK are available via the Safer Seas Service app, so we urge people to check as part of planning your trip to the beach or lake.”

Over the last twenty years water quality has improved. In the early 1990’s, just 28 per cent of bathing waters would have met the highest standards and last year 92.4% achieved Excellent or Good.

All members of the public can help keep water clean by taking all rubbish with them after visits to the lake and beach, not leaving dog mess on the beach and never flushing wet wipes or pouring fats down drains.

Pollution from sewage and pollution from agriculture are generally recognised as the two most significant sources but there are some local variations.

At some beaches pollution from farm run-off has an impact on water quality. Surveys have shown that around a third of bathing water pollution is caused by agriculture. In 2018 new farming rules for water were brought in.

The weather often has the greatest short-term influence on water quality. Heavy rain washes pollution off urban areas and rural land into rivers and the sea which causes a temporary dip in water quality.

The Bathing Water Data Explorer website may advise against swimming and the water quality app from Surfers Against Sewage includes EA pollution alerts in addition to data from water companies providing the public with up to date information before deciding where to swim.

In addition to information being made available online, signs are displayed at beaches with the bathing water classifications.

Meet Lloyd the tree frog who was discovered 5,000 miles from home in a Netherfield supermarket

David Bratton
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Meet Lloyd the tree frog who was discovered 5,000 miles from home in a Netherfield supermarket

This is the tiny little tree frog who travelled more than 5,000 miles before being found on a bunch of bananas in Lidl supermarket in Netherfield

He was discovered in the store on Great Northern Way by supermarket workers as they unpacked fruit.

Unsure of what to do with the amphibian discovery, they called the RSPCA.

Animal Collection Officer (ACO) Hayley Day was sent to the scene on Sunday (12).

Lidl supermarket on Great Northern Way in Netherfield

She said: “The little tree frog was sat on top of some of bananas which staff had started to unload and put on the shelves.

“I managed to get him inside a box with wet tissue paper inside to keep him moist.

“Staff seemed quite taken with him and called him Lloyd – he must have also had quite the shock when he emerged in a Nottinghamshire supermarket considering he’s used to more tropical climates usually!”

ACO Day took the tree frog to a specialist keeper who will now look after him and he confirmed Lloyd originates from Costa Rica – more than 5,000 miles away from Netherfield.

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