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Arnold Market to host Easter events following revamp

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Arnold Market to host Easter events following revamp

Arnold Market will reopen in style this Easter once regeneration work is completed which aims to breathe new life into area.

The market will close for two weeks as new temporary stalls are installed and will reopen with a series of events.

Kids’ Easter egg hunts, the chance to reminisce on St George’s Day, local produce celebrations and street entertainers will all be part of a new series of events to promote the redevelopment of the market.

Once the new stalls are in place, a host of new food, craft and local history stalls will be introduced in the market, alongside the current stalls.

The new events will start from Friday, April 19 and will run until the end of April.

Arnold Market
PICTURED: Gedling Borough Council took ownership of Arnold Market last year

The first event will have an Easter theme with a children’s egg hunt, challenges and face painting. There will also be an event on Tuesday, April 23, St George’s Day, to mark the national patron Saint day with a live band and excerpts from local historians about the Arnold area.

On Friday, April 26, the market will host a special local produce market to celebrate local food and drink. There will be a chance to participate in live street entertainment and a children’s treasure hunt on the Saturday, April 27.

The new stalls and events are part of the council’s ongoing work to revitalise the market and Arnold town centre. The council acquired the market last summer and has been working to improve its appearance, increasing the use for community events and activities and working with market traders to widen and increase the choice of goods and services available.

The market improvement has been boosted by a bid for £1.25 million of funding from the N2 Town Centre Fund – part of the Local Growth Fund from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership that supports town centre improvements.

The council has also made a bid for £5 million to improve the high street. The bid was made to the government’s Future High Street Fund and, if successful, will go towards improving the access to the town centre, improve the appearance of the high street and create a more vibrant centre.

For more information about the market and events taking place, visit www.gedling.gov.uk/arnoldmarket

‘Poet from the Peaks’ pays visit to primary school in Arnold

Nick Salt
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‘Poet from the Peaks’ pays visit to primary school in Arnold

‘Poet from the Peaks’ Andy Tooze recently visited Burntstump Seely Church of England Primary Academy in Calverton to give a workshop on creative writing.

Known for his children’s books like ‘The Poetry Bug’, Andy, who lives in Buxton, Derbyshire, is often described as ‘the poet from the peaks’.

The popular poet said he had enjoyed his visit to the school in Calverton.

“I came to school today to work with the children, sharing some poems, and also getting them to write their own verse and present their work to the class.”

Andy helped every child to create their own poem about their favourite animals. “The poems the children wrote were absolutely fantastic,” he said. “It’s a lovely school with a great atmosphere and lots of freedom for self-expression. It’s been a brilliant day!”

andy-tooze-calverton-school-visit
PICTURED: Andy Tooze with pupils from Burntstump Seely C of E Primary Academy

Teacher at Burntstump Seely C of E Primary Academy, Sally Glover, said she was delighted with the response that Andy had elicited from the pupils. “I have been really surprised with the way the children have coped with writing their poems and then standing up in front of their classes and reading them aloud. They had fantastic expression when they were reading and even children who are usually reluctant to get up in front of class not only have done that, -but have done it incredibly well. It was such a pleasant surprise and they were all so supportive of each other.”

Though she is only in Year 1, talented pupil Ava wrote an excellent poem about a mythical creature. “It was really good because we got to write poems. Unicorns are my favourites, so I wrote about them. I liked today because a person we didn’t know yet came in to see us in class.”

People in Gedling borough help remove 635 bladed weapons from circulation around Notts

Gedling Eye Reporter
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People in Gedling borough help remove 635 bladed weapons from circulation around Notts

People across Gedling borough have shown support for the fight against knife crime – by helping to remove 635 bladed weapons from circulation around Notts.

Nottinghamshire Police and a growing number of partners held a seven-day knife amnesty from 11-17 March, as part of national Operation Sceptre, in a bid to prevent potentially deadly weapons falling into the wrong hands.

Police say the public response has been overwhelmingly and increasingly supportive, with over 200 more knives being handed in than during the previous amnesty in September 2018.

People could drop off the knives at 16 amnesty bins across the county, without fear of prosecution for the duration of the amnesty.

Bins were placed across Gedling borough, with chosen locations being the Civic Centre in Arnold, Carlton Fire Station and Oxclose Lane Police Station

The weapons handed in included swords, machetes, butterfly knives, flick knives, throwing knives, Bowie knives and bayonets.

Chief Superintendent Rob Griffin, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I would like to thank everyone in communities across Nottinghamshire who took the chance to dispose of bladed weapons during the amnesty.

“To take 635 weapons out of circulation is a phenomenal response and really shows the strength of feeling among the public and their desire to help tackle this issue.

“Some people question why we hold knife amnesties because criminals don’t engage with them. What I would say to that is just look at the weapons that have been handed in ­- some of these are incredibly dangerous weapons that are designed to cause harm. So every weapon handed in is one less that can fall into the hands of someone who would use it for that purpose.

PICTURED: Knives collected during the last amnesty (IMAGES: Notts Police)

“Police and partners have a range of tactics to tackle knife crime, from enforcement through the Knife Crime Team to education through Schools and Early Intervention Officers, but amnesties offer a very direct way for the public to play their own part.”

The weapons will now be destroyed.

Chief Inspector Donna Lawton, knife crime lead for Nottinghamshire Police, thanked the partner agencies who hosted amnesty bins.

She said: “The support of external agencies is also important because some people feel more comfortable handing them in at locations where there are no police officers and for some people it is just more convenient for them.

“We will continue to explore opportunities to work with even more partners in future amnesties and if there are any organisations who would like to find out more about getting involved please get in touch by calling 101.”

Paddy Tipping, Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Every knife that has been handed in is one less potential weapon and in that respect this operation was a great success. But the work doesn’t stop there.

“We are all working, each and every day, to prevent knife crime. That’s why I have budgeted for officers in our schools, it’s why I have applied for additional resources, it’s why I am funding community groups and partners to provide diversionary and awareness programmes. It’s why I have driven a county-wide knife crime strategy, it’s why I have funded a knife crime lead.

“We are tackling this scourge from all angles. But this is a national issue and it needs a national response backed by appropriate resources. The toll is appalling and it has to stop.”

New menopause workplace policy to help women working at Gedling Borough Council

Gedling Eye Reporter
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New menopause workplace policy to help women working at Gedling Borough Council

Women working at Gedling Borough Council experiencing the menopause will be aided by a new workplace policy.

It is thought the Labour-run council is the first in the region to adopt such a policy.

The policy came about after a suggestion box response was made by a member of staff.
Now, women will be offered flexible working, more comfortable clothing will be allowed, and office temperature will be considered.

In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51, but around one in 100 women experience menopause before 40 years of age.

Symptoms can include hot flushes, palpitations, night sweats and sleep disturbance, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, mood disturbance, and skin irritation.

As part of its new menopause-friendly policy, the council will launch an awareness campaign among managers, encouraging them to: “create an environment in which employees can discuss health matters or concerns including those relating to menopause.”

The council also plans to implement ‘appropriate changes’ to assist employees experiencing the symptoms, including: Adjusting working times; ‘Providing the flexibility to take breaks during the working day to accommodate personal need’ and; ‘Adjusting the office environment, for example, in relation to temperature particularly through the issue of things such as personal fans that do not have a substantial impact on the comfort of others in the office.’

Another change now agreed by the council is to implement: “Flexibility in terms of work clothing standards to ensure comfort. This may be particularly relevant if a uniform is required. It may be appropriate to issue more uniforms, particularly if the uniform is made from synthetic fibres which is less comfortable than natural fibres.”

Plans to implement the policy were unanimously approved today (Wednesday, April 3) by Labour and Conservative councillors

Labour’s Cllr Bob Collis represents Porchester, and said: “I think this is long overdue in some ways. Men never experience this, they may see the consequences of it, but they never experience it themselves, so they don’t really know what they are talking about, to be honest.

“I’m all in favour of it, I think we’re breaking new ground here.”

‘Malicious’ device discovered on train tracks at Netherfield connected to pro-Brexit protest

Gedling Eye Reporter
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‘Malicious’ device discovered on train tracks at Netherfield connected to pro-Brexit protest

Police have launched an investigation after a ‘malicious’ object was placed on the track near Netherfield Station and is believed to be connected to a pro-Brexit protest.

The device was discovered at the station on March 27.

The BBC has reported that notes were attached to the device saying “leave means leave”, with another saying it would “bring Britain to a standstill”.

Network Rail said the device on the rail track was only intended to cause disruption to railway services.

A spokesman said: “The items failed to disrupt services as intended. Detectives are now working closely with the rail industry to investigate these incidents.

A similar device was also discovered on the railway near Yaxley, Cambridgeshire on March 21.

ACC Sean O’Callaghan from British Transport Police, said: “This was a serious and deliberate attempt by someone to cause significant sabotage and disruption to Britain’s rail network.

“We are urgently investigating the circumstances behind both incidents and are working extremely closely with our national partners, including the rail industry.

“It is important to highlight that these acts were intended only to delay services and not cause damage to the infrastructure, however this failed on both occasions.

Netherfield-Station
PICTURED: Netherfield Station (IMAGE: Gedling Eye)

“The railway has a number of substantial safeguards in place to prevent and detect this type of sabotage and we are now working tirelessly to identify those responsible.

He added: “We’re are currently keeping an open mind on why someone would put their life at risk to place these items on a live railway, however our early assessment has led us to believe it relates to Britain’s exit from the European Union.

“We’ll continue to monitor this situation extremely closely and have circulated advice to rail operators and indeed Network Rail.

Anyone with information should contact British Transport Police by sending a text to 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40.”

Virgin Media scam email doing the rounds in Gedling borough threatens ‘automatic disconnection’

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Virgin Media scam email doing the rounds in Gedling borough threatens ‘automatic disconnection’

A Virgin Media scam email is doing the rounds in Gedling borough which threatens recipients with “automatic disconnection” due to “invalid billing information”.

Action Fraud has received reports about this fake email that claims to be from the popular broadband and digital television provider.

The convincing scam email has the distinctive Virgin Media logo and branding, and looks completely legitimate. It threatens customers they are facing “automatic disconnection” due to “invalid billing information” and asks that they take immediate action to prevent this by entering their username and password.

The links provided within the scam e-mail lead to genuine-looking phishing websites that are designed to steal Virgin Media account login details.

PICTURED: A copy of the scam email (IMAGE: Action Fraud)

A spokeswoman for Action Fraud said:“The people behind these scams will use a lot of different organisations, so this week the Virgin Media scam was the most reported, but recently there was a TV licensing scam, and they have also targeted BT, and other broadband companies, as well as banks and online businesses, in a similar way.

“It’s always the same M/O and the sites they use now are very convincing. The information they can access depends on what information people have uploaded, so if they get your Virgin Media log in and your bank details or other personal details are there, they will have access to all of that, and you could find they clone your bank card or you become a victim of identity fraud.”

A Virgin Media spokesperson said, “We are aware of a fraudulent email scam, designed to look like it’s from Virgin Media, which suggests customers are at risk of ‘automatic disconnection’ due to invalid billing information. Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious e-mails, and never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial details.”

Morrisons in Netherfield run ‘Quieter hour’ initiative every day during World Autism Awareness Week

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Morrisons in Netherfield run ‘Quieter hour’ initiative every day during World Autism Awareness Week

A store in Netherfield is to run its ‘Quieter Hour’ initiative every day this week as part of World Autism Awareness Week.

Morrisons currently operate a ‘Quieter Hour’ every Saturday between 9am and 10am to make shopping more comfortable for shoppers with autism, and children affected by the condition. But the supermarket giant – which has a store on Victoria Retail Park – will now run the initiative daily from Monday, April 1 until Sunday, April 7, between 9am-10am during the awareness week.

During Quieter Hours stores will:

  • Dim the lights
  • Turn music and radio off
  • Avoid making tannoy announcements
  • Reduce movement of trolleys and baskets
  • Turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down
  • Place a poster outside to tell customers it’s Quieter Hour

Joseph Clark-Bland, community specialist at Morrisons, said: “We want to do our bit to raise awareness of autism and help affected families and that’s why we’ll be offering the quieter hour every day. We know that many families appreciate the opportunity to shop in a quieter store,” .

Daniel Cadey, from the National Autistic Society said: “Around 700,000 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK. This means they see, hear and feel the world differently to other people, often in a more intense way. Morrisons’ ‘Quieter Hour’ is a step in the right direction for autistic people who find supermarket shopping a real struggle.”

Inspector Chris Pearson: Latest update from Gedling’s neighbourhood policing teams

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Inspector Chris Pearson: Latest update from Gedling’s neighbourhood policing teams

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 in the area…

Extra officers

Firstly I have been informed that an extra three police officers will shortly be joining the neighbourhood team at Gedling and along with the Special Constables and PCSOs that work across the area I hope that this
will make a real difference. I’m hoping to see the new officers arrive in the next few months.

Knife crime

We will be having a real focus on this issue in Gedling. We will be carrying out a number of additional policing activities such as high visibility patrols and targeted work around some of our known offenders. We will also be visiting some of our local academies and primary schools to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives.

I have also placed orders this for knife detecting wands and arches and I’m hoping that these will make a
difference across the Gedling borough.

Priority Updates

Burglary and autocrime continue to be a priority for us. We have seen reductions in overall burglary and autocrime offences in the last year however we want to reduce this further over the coming weeks and months.

We have continued to receive reports of individuals trying car and house doors in the early hours of the morning and we have made arrests following these incidents after the suspects were identified.

Arrests have also been made following garage/shed breaks in the Netherfield, Colwick and Gedling areas. Officers from neighbourhood policing and response have been involved in high visibility patrols
and the arrests of suspects.

Police-notepad

A joint ANPR operation has also taken place with colleagues from the City area known as ‘Operation Reacher’ and a male wanted for an aggravated burglary was arrested following the stop of a vehicle. We hope to repeat this work over the coming weeks.

I’d continue to ask that you ensure that vehicles and property are secure at night and use alarms/ appropriate lighting to deter offenders. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us.
Please ensure that vehicles are left locked and keys away from doors/letter boxes etc. We have seen vehicles taken whilst running on driveways so please ensure that you switch off the ignition and remove keys even if you are only leaving your vehicle for a few minutes.  I’d also point out that vehicles with keyless
entry have been targeted across the Country and advice is available online as to how to prevent the theft of vehicles with keyless entry.

Recently our response officers made an excellent arrest following a burglary on Arnold Lane whereby a motorbike and cycles were stolen. Following reports from the public we were able to identify a van involved in which a male was arrested following a short pursuit. The investigation is still ongoing. This was followed up by a number of arrests by operational support colleagues who sighted a stolen vehicle.

Our Special Constables have also been helping with patrolling Gedling on a Friday and Saturday evening. A team of around ten volunteers have been paying attention to Anti-social behaviour and criminal damage which we are determined to reduce. On the subject of our Special Constables I’d like to say thank you to our volunteers who give so much to the local community. They balance policing along with full time careers, studies, families etc and their commitment is really appreciated.

The Gedling neighbourhood team have also been involved in some excellent proactive work over the last month. Firstly they searched two addresses in Arnold following community intelligence. Drugs
and cash were seized and an arrest made. Two vehicles have also been stopped in Gedling Borough following proactive work and drugs, cash and a weapon have been seized.

Car_theft

On another note I have been involved in discussions around community engagement and I hope to increase the opportunities available for you to meet local Beat Managers and Community Support officers in order to get advice or discuss concerns. Some of these events will be in the evenings.

I recently met with residents in Ravenshead to discuss speeding and road safety. We are looking to support
community road safety schemes which are operated by volunteers and we will be working with colleagues from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue to provide advice around road safety.

You can find Inspector Chris Pearson’s blogs here

Urbanisation of Calverton continues as old cottage with character faces demolition

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Urbanisation of Calverton continues as old cottage with character faces demolition

A planning application has been submitted to GBC for the cottage and its garden to the east of St Wilfrid’s Square (34 Main Street).

The development scheme involves of the demolition of the cottage and its outbuildings and the construction of 2 blocks of dwellings, one of 2-storeys with 4 maisonettes and the other of 3-storeys containing 6 apartments. The 3-storey block would also include 2 retail units which would be accessed from St. Wilfrid’s Square near the public toilets.

The design is worrying, as it seems more in-keeping with the existing St Wilfrid’s Square precinct in terms of scale and building materials than with the character of the Conservation Area and the old cottages in the area.

The cottage garden would be almost completely lost to hard-surfacing, in order to provide the entrance road, near the existing bus stop on Main Street, to the new residences and the associated row of ten car parking spaces. The scheme would, however, do nothing to alleviate the existing parking issues in the village centre, as no provision appears to have been made for direct access to the proposed retail units.

With very little space left for any soft landscaping, the area would be completely transformed from a traditional cottage with garden, orchard and outbuildings to a very urban environment. This would not suit the setting of the Conservation Area or St Wilfrid’s Church. Back in the days of its former glory, before it suffered years of unoccupied neglect, this area made a positive contribution to the character of old Calverton. In planning terms, it should be viewed as a heritage asset. It is worth pointing out that allowing a heritage asset to be neglected and fall into a state of disrepair cannot be used as a justification for demolition.

Remembering Eileen Cupitt (1919-2009)

PICTURED: Eileen Cupitt MBE

Eileen was the person principally responsible for the establishment of the Calverton Preservation Society 40 years ago. The original aims of the Society not only included raising environmental awareness, but also encouraging interest in local heritage.  Again, Eileen played a part in this aspect of the Society by contributing to several publications about the village but particularly for organising and running the Calverton Folk Museum which opened in 1974. She spent countless hours tidying, cleaning and generally maintaining the Museum and its displays for the pleasure and information of visitors from many areas of the country as well as other parts of the world.

She made a considerable contribution to village life over many years, her commitment and enthusiasm has made Calverton a better place to live and was rightly recognised by the award of the MBE in 2007.

Pres clips

It’s good to see some of the road markings in the village being repainted especially at the zebra crossing on Crookdole Lane. Let’s hope other roads are also included.

The Folk Museum will again be taking part in the Radio Nottingham “Big Day Out” (BDO) event, when many heritage sites in the county are allowing FREE admission. This year the BDO is on Sunday April 28.

 

 

People urged to help fund New York dream for young dancers from Carlton

Emily Sanchez
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People urged to help fund New York dream for young dancers from Carlton

A teenage dancer is urging people to back her Carlton dance troupe and help fund their dream of attending a dance workshop in New York.

Anastasia Riccioletti is a member of Carlton-based Simply Dance Elite Company, which has been offered the chance to attend a seven-day workshop in the American city this August.

The six-strong troupe received a scholarship to attend Phoenix Fire 2019 NYC but need to raise an extra £10,000 to fund the workshop, plus flights and accommodation.

Anastasia said: “Going to this workshop would mean literally everything to us. We all want to be dancers or in the dance industry and this is just going to give us a really valuable glimpse into the industry.”

Anastasia (13), who is a pupil at Carlton le Willows Academy along with two other members of the troupe, has been a member of the Simply Dance school in Carlton since she was nine-years-old and became a part of the Simply Dance Elite Company when it was formed in September last year.

The group, which contains five girls and a boy, practise routines in a variety of styles from street dance to musical theatre and perform at events throughout the year, including carnivals at Arnold and Radcliffe and a health and wellbeing convention at Motorpoint Arena.

The group also auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent last year and have hopes of entering BBC One’s The Greatest Dancer in the future.

As well as holding charity events at the dance studio, Simply Dance company owner Charlotte Davis has set up a Go Fund Me page while Anastasia’s family have launched a Justgiving page in a bid to attract sponsors for the trip.

To get involved see https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/fundfornycsdn or https://www.gofundme.com/nyc-summer-dance-opportunity-for-local-school

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