A Nottingham businessman has called on more people to do “something daring” after he completed his first-ever skydive for a Mapperley-based charity at the age of 64.
Graham Shaw, chief operating officer of SMS Electronics in Beeston, took the leap into the unknown last month in order to raise money for Nottinghamshire Hospice.
He has raised £1,500 by completing his tandem skydive, after agreeing to sign up in order to do something different for a good cause – the hospice is SMS’s chosen charity of the year – and inspire others at the company to take on a personal challenge.
The skydive took place amid beautiful weather when Graham boarded a light plane at Langar Airfield and reached an altitude of 12,500ft, at which point the plane’s door opened and he and his instructor launched themselves into thin air.
After freefalling for 50 seconds, Graham’s instructor pulled the ripcord and it took them a further six minutes to parachute back down to the airfield.
The event was one of many charity skydives taking place in aid of the hospice this year, which is now looking for people to take part in another skydive in September.
PICTURED: Nottinghamshire Hospice in MapperleyPICTURED: Graham Shaw
He said: “The reality of what I was doing kicked in when I was sitting on the edge of the plane ready to fall out, but I told myself that it was going to happen and I should just try to enjoy it.
“It was an amazing experience. You could see the patchwork of fields far below and I was struck by how loud the air rushing past me was when we were freefalling, and how quiet it was after the parachute was deployed and we drifted down to earth.
“I have been in a hot air balloon but had never done anything like this before. I signed up because it’s a great charity but also because I wanted to show our employees what you can achieve if you put yourself forward.
“Loads of people have said they could never do a skydive, but I say that if I can do one at my age then there is always something daring people can do to take themselves out of their comfort zone.”
Nottinghamshire Hospice is funded purely by donations and it needs £2.7m every year to carry out its work caring for patients and their families across the county.
This year it wants to raise £50,000 by hosting a series of charity challenges and is looking for more daredevils like Graham to take part in a host of events, including the September skydive, running events and treks up Kilimanjaro and along the Great Wall of China.
Police have issued CCTV images of a man they want to speak to after a knifepoint robbery at a Carlton petrol station
At around 8pm on June 12, a man entered the service station in Carlton Road and demanded goods, before making off with an amount of cash and ten packets of cigarettes.
Officers said they think the man they want to speak to was wearing a grey Adidas tracksuit with the hood up and black Air Max trainers.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: “We appreciate that the CCTV doesn’t clearly show his face, but if you recognise the clothing, was in the area at the time, or have any other information, please call us.”
You can contact police on 101, quoting incident number 829 of 12 June 2018.
NETHERFIELD: Throughout the summer the 08.51 to Skegness (08.48 Saturdays) will depart at 08.53 on Mondays and Fridays only.
Less people have been joining the 08.33 Liverpool recently, the average being 5 on and 4 off. However on Tues. 15th May, 14 joined.
Netherfield is cited as an alternative to Carlton, but people do not want to walk an extra quarter of a mile, and there is no disabled access or parking. Now if the 07.36 from Lincoln called at Carlton, people would use it. Poor old Netherfield station. People say “I thought Netherfield station was closed!” Even taxi drivers turn up at Carlton station when they should be at Netherfield. –
CARLTON — On Wednesday, May 9, I had an early start and saw all the trains between 06.01 and 09.05. Total of 9 trains and 99 passengers (85 on and 14 off). 7 joined the 06.01, and I have never seen more than three on this train at Carlton in past years. There were 21 on the 07.11 and 32 on the 08.08. The 09.05 is popular, as many as 26 joined this train on Tuesday, May 29 and most days numbers are in double figures. On Tuesday, May 22, I saw seven evening trains from the 16.55 to 18.23 and 83 passengers (65 off and 18 on). incidentally 76 passengers joined the 09.05 between Monday, June 11 and Friday, June 15.
DERBY STATION- UPGRADE OF TRACK AND SIGNALLING: This work takes place between July 22 and October 7. The clock is ticking!’ and this will affect anyone travelling to or via Derby during the above dates. Birmingham and Cardiff services from Nottingham will us a diversionary route, rejoining the usual route before Burton-upon-Trent. North East to South West services via Derby will also be diverted between Burton-upon-Trent and Chesterfield. For details see dby2018.co.uk Revised timetables for EMT trains have orange covers.
This is how the Newark to Matlock via Carlton service is affected
Replacement buses will run every 15 minutes between Nottingham and Derby and every 30 minutes between Derby and Matlock, when replacing trains. Between August 13. (3 weeks) and September 1 there will be no direct service from Carlton to Beeston except for the Lincoln to Leicester and Leicester to Lincoln trains which are unaffected. Trains from Nottingham to Beeston depart at 35 minutes past the hour (Leicester service) and between 7 and 12 minutes past from Beeston to Nottingham. 11.24 (Sat.), 16.19 (Sat.) 17.23 (Mon.- Fri.), 18.21 (Sat.) 18.23 (Mon.- Fri.) and 19.23 (Mon.- Fri.)are direct services Carlton to Beeston. 16.19 and 17.23 also call at Attenborough.
NEW EAST MIDLANDS FRANCHISE:The invitation to tender for this franchise, due to commence in August 2019, was released by the Government on June 7. There are three bidders: Stagecoach which currently runs the franchise, Abellio and Arriva. Trenitalia had previously withdrawn. The Department for Transport set out what they expect the new franchise holder to provide. This is usually increases in train services, speeding up of services and im-improvements for passengers at stations and on trains. RAIL Magazine issue 855, just published, gives a list which includes the Nottingham to London services having 20 minutes cut from the journey time, introduction of bi-mode trains (diesel and electric) by 2022, provide WiFi, improve seating and luggage on trains and improve Delay Repay by extending it to trains delayed by 15 mins. As regards our local services, not much is mentioned apart from the insistence that Lincoln to Leicester and Leicester to Lincoln trains are timed to pass each other at the flat crossing at Newark, to reduce the times when trains are unable to cross on the East Coast Main Line. The problem of this crossing was mentioned in the previously last month. The winning bidder will also be asked to write a business case for returning passenger services to the line from Shirebrook to Ollerrton.
Train tickets, fare rise
In December 2021 it is proposed to run the Norwich to Liverpool service in two parts. The new franchise would run Norwich to Nottingham and either Northern or TransPennine from Nottingham to Liverpool. However the new franchise holder could look at running a service from Sheffield to Norwich via Nottingham. I have heard, but not seen it in print, that some Leicester to Lincoln services could run to Grimsby, giving an hourly Lincoln to Grimsby service, and also provide an hourly Lincoln to Doncaster service. There is a campaign to provide a station at Finningley on this line, to serve Robin Hood Airport. The winning bidder should be announced in April 2019.
NEWS IN BRIEF: Four of the single car class 153s are due to be transferred from Great Western to EMT. They may retain their green livery for a while, but will help the shortage we have whilst class 156 units are being refurbished. The 158s have also been refurbished. Some 153s are to be fitted with Wheel Slide Protection which will reduce the problem of ‘wheel flats’ caused by greasy rails in the leaf fall season, and thereby eliminating the time spent out of service having their wheels re-profiled
Repairs to fire damage at Nottingham station is due to be completed in July and all facilities reopened.
I have a copy of ‘Today’s Railways UK’ Magazine Rover Ticket Guide to Britain and Ireland. This runs to 32 pages and also includes Light Rail (trams) and Metro systems. Some Rovers qualify for reductions with a Rail Card. many of these Rover tickets are not shown on websites, but I will always have a copy with me
Gedling Station: The desire to make this into a community asset appears to be progressing satisfactorily and a new committee has been formed.
Carlton station car park: Work to improve the surface is still pending, but should go ahead soon
The centre of the flower bed will be given over to perennial flowers, which have deeper roots and so do not need watering every other day. This is a problem when we have a drought like at present (end of June). Incidentally, a couple of geraniums in the planters ‘disappeared’, so the remaining one is now in the main flower bed
New Derbyshire Connect Bus Service from Cromford Station. Bookable bus service available for anyone to travel within the Wirksworth and Ashbourne area, and enabling visits to the Southern Peak District including Carsington Water. derbyshire.gov.uk/derbyshireconnect
Sunday, August 19 is Ladies Day at Southwell Racecourse.southwell-racecourse.co.uk
AND FINALLY… Q: Can you break your journey with an Off Peak Day Return?
A. The National Guide to tickets says “In most cases you may break your journey at any point, or more than once if you wish. Where this is not the case it will be stated in the restrictions shown for that ticket, available at the time of purchase.” On the Derby to Matlock trains you can hop on and off at stations, but must resume your journey in the same direction. Book a ticket to your final destination.
A summit is to be held with leaders of all seven district and borough councils to discuss plans which could see their authorities scrapped.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Cllr John Clarke has already said that they will “resist any plans for a takeover”.
Councillor Kay Cutts, who is the Conservative leader of the county council, said she wants to “get on with” a plan to abolish all seven councils.
It is understood that she has not been invited to the meeting, but has been made aware of it.
The meeting is set to take place behind closed doors at Bassetlaw District Council on Monday, July 9.
No public agenda has yet been released for the meeting, but a spokesman for Bassetlaw council said items to be discussed are likely to include “devolution and the local enterprise partnership, the metro strategy and recent announcements from the leader of the County Council on local government reorganisation in Nottinghamshire”.
PROPOSALS: Cllr Kay Cutts wants to scrap borough and district councils
There has been criticism from several district council leaders about the lack of debate, and the fact they were not informed of the proposals before they were made public.
Councillor Simon Greaves, the leader of Bassetlaw District Council, said: “What we’ve got now is the leader of the county council trying to create a mega-council for Notts in order to bail out the county’s finances.
“This would undermine local democracy, with decisions on growth, planning and housing taken remotely from the communities that we serve.
“Councillor Cutts is out on her own on this and she’s pursuing a long held personal agenda that has nothing to do with the best interests of residents.
“If she really cares about what is best for the people of Nottinghamshire then her time and energy would be better spent helping to create a D2N2 LEP that genuinely works for the whole area.
“What we need is a focus on jobs and investment instead of wasting time agonising over structures and boundaries.”
Councillor Cutts declined to comment on the meeting, but previously said she thinks there could be a host of benefits from abolishing some of the councils, including cost savings and efficiencies of scale.
A former Netherfield man been sentenced to 18 years for raping a child.
Bryan Austin Fairweather, 56, formerly of Meadow Road, Netherfield, was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of sexual touching on May 21, 2018 at Nottingham Crown Court.
During the trial, the jury heard how he had first raped the victim in 2008 when she was four-years-old.
The attacks happened multiple times over a two year period and the court also heard how Fairweather would threaten to kill her and her family if she ever told anyone.
Fairweather was first arrested in October 2017 and denied all of the allegations when questioned by officers.
Fairweather was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court today (29 June 2018). He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Constable Dan Akehurst said: “The victim has shown immense courage and bravery in coming forward and reporting this to us. I’m really pleased with the result today and I hope it can act as some form of closure for the victim and her family.
“Nottinghamshire Police is committed to bringing people who commit sexual offences to justice. No matter how much time has passed, we will always investigate any reports of sexual abuse fully and be there to support you throughout the investigation.”
Plans for a new pet cremation service run by Gedling Borough Council have been approved.
It means those who lose their beloved pets will now be able to have them cremated in the local area.
Rather than at a human crematorium, where a service is held, the new council-run service will instead collect pets from people’s houses and take them away, before bringing back the ashes.
Council bosses said market research has shown that pet ownership is particularly high in the East Midlands.
They said 31 percent of households own a dog (with an average of 1.5 dogs per dog-owning household), and 20 percent of households own a cat (with an average of 1.8 cats per cat-owning household).
The new scheme, which was formally approved at a meeting yesterday (June 28), is believed to be the first such service run by a local authority in the East Midlands.
The leader of the Labour-run council, Councillor John Clarke, says the service will be “dignified and respectful”.
He also called the project “innovative”, saying the council was finding new ways to generate income and protect front-line services.
The scheme also had the support of the Conservative representative at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, Councillor Kevin Doyle, who represents the Trent Valley ward.
Initially, the cremations will be run just for people in Gedling, but if it is a success, the council hopes to expand to other areas.
A total of £89,000 is being spent setting the scheme up, but the council has predicted it will generate £88,000 in its first full financial year.
The crematorium itself will be run from the Jubilee Road council depot, and the council is in the process of applying for the special licenses needed.
It will also buy refrigerated vehicles in which to carry the dead animals.
They aim to start the scheme on or before April 1, 2019.
A Rainbow Girl Guide group in Gedling are in desperate need for new volunteers.
Work commitments mean that one of the leaders at 1st Gedling Rainbows has to leave at the end of the summer term, so the group are hoping that a new volunteer can be found to help run the unit from September onwards.
Currently with nine members, all aged between 5 and 7 – and with a waiting list – the Rainbows meet at Gedling’s Scout & Guide HQ on Willow Lane each term-time Tuesday from 5.00pm to 6.00pm.
Their recent adventures have included running a bake sale to raise funds for Nottingham Children’s Hospital, doing brass rubbings at their local church and joining in a day of outdoor activities at Girlguiding Nottinghamshire’s Elton campsite.
Guider Ann Douglas said: ‘We’ve an exciting programme starting in September and already have lots of new projects planned, but to make it all happen we need another adult volunteer who is prepared to get involved. If you’d like to come along to meet the team, or just have a chat about the role, then please do get in touch.”
Anyone interested in helping to run 1st Gedling Rainbows is invited to contact Helen Norton, Girlguiding Nottinghamshire’s Commissioner for Porchester District, via porchesterDistrictGuides@outlook.com or call Girlguiding Nottinghamshire’s county office on 0115 987 7220.
Elsewhere in the county, enquiries about volunteering with Girlguiding in Nottinghamshire at all levels are always welcome.
County Commissioner Jackie Brocklehurst said: ‘To put it bluntly, more adult supporters are vital if units are to continue offering such a breadth of activities to so many youngsters.
“As well as enjoying the company of like-minded adults and helping young people get the most out of life, our volunteers benefit from training, mentoring and invaluable experience – all of which come in very useful in other contexts.”
People in Gedling borough are being asked to take part in a consultation on whether the NHS should stop offering gluten-free foods on prescription.
Health commissioners from the four Greater Nottingham Clinical Commissioning Groups state that £176,488 is spent on prescribed gluten-free foods each year across the areas they serve.
The six-week consultation will run until Thursday, July 26 and commissioners are asking people to complete a short survey to help them to understand what they think about the different options.
Some gluten-free foods like bread and flour are currently available on prescription for people who have coeliac disease – a common digestive condition triggered by the protein gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye.
Prescriptions for gluten free foods have been available on the NHS for more than 30 years. Over the past few years, the availability of gluten-free foods has increased dramatically and at much more competitive prices compared to 30 years ago when choice was limited.
A spokesman for Demand for NHS services continues to increase. Therefore we need to look at everything we do to ensure the NHS locally uses its funding appropriately and fairly. To make sure that we are making the best use of NHS money, we are reviewing some of the services we provide. This means sometimes we need to make difficult decisions about what services can be funded.
Dr Hugh Porter, GP and clinical lead for NHS Nottingham City CCG said: “Gluten is not essential to people’s diets and many basic foods such as vegetables, potatoes, meat and rice are naturally free from gluten. Many gluten free alternatives are also now widely available to buy in supermarkets and health food shops.
“Given the ever-growing pressures on NHS services and budget, we must ensure we get the best value for taxpayers’ money. We do understand the proposals to limit, or withdraw, gluten free foods on prescription may have an impact on some patients with coeliac disease and that’s why we are keen to hear as many views as possible to help inform our decision.”
Patients registered with a GP in areas served by Nottingham City, Nottingham North and East CCG, Rushcliffe CCG and Nottingham West CCG are being asked to give their views about the options being proposed by health commissioners, which are:
1) Limit prescribing for all patients in Greater Nottingham to four units of long life bread and/or flour per month. This will mean that the same prescribing model is in place across the south of the county, including the city. It is the closest model to the national guidance and provides savings for the CCGs while still enabling gluten-free food to be available on prescription.
2) All Greater Nottingham CCGs to stop all gluten-free prescribing, with the exception of for children, who will be able to receive up to four units of long life bread and/or flour per month. This would provide a more significant saving for the CCGs while still allowing gluten-free prescribing for children.
3) All Greater Nottingham CCGs to stop all gluten-free prescribing. This would mean the same restrictions will be in place across Nottinghamshire (except Bassetlaw). It provides the greatest financial saving for the CCGs.
People can have their say online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/GN-gluten-free or by calling 0115 883 1709 for a printed copy or to complete over the phone
A council leader in Nottinghamshire has called for a debate over proposals revealed last week which would see Gedling Borough Council and other local district and borough authorities scrapped
The Conservative leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, Simon Robinson, has said there has not been any debate or discussions about a plan to scrap district and borough councils.
Mr Robinson said he is not opposed to the idea in principle, but the districts need to be better informed about the proposals.
He said he had met the minister for local government, James Brokenshire, last week, who had stressed that a consensus would be needed between district councils and the county council for any plan to be taken forward.
It is believed Councillor Robinson is the first Nottinghamshire council boss to speak to the newly-appointed minister about the plans. The minister is understood to be ‘considering’ a letter from the county council requesting a meeting.
Councillor Robinson also said ‘there has not been any dialogue’ between districts and the county about the plans.
He was speaking after the Conservative leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Kay Cutts, said she wanted to ‘get on with’ plans to dissolve the smaller district councils and create one, larger council – known as a unitary authority.
She said it was needed to remove duplication, save taxpayers’ money, and plug the financial demand caused by ever-increasing social care bills.
Speaking about meeting the Government minister, Mr Robinson said: “He would need an agreed solution between districts and the county, because there just isn’t the time or appetite to deal with a feud between districts and the county.
FIGHT: Gedling Borough Council leader John Clarke is against plans to scrap borough and district councils
“The other big issue is that any unitary solution would require parliamentary time, and with Brexit that is in very short supply.”
Mr Robinson said he favours looking again at how local government is set up.
He added: “My view is that local Government does need re-organisation, but there needs to be planning and debate.
“I’m not saying that what would come out of that wouldn’t be some sort of unitary system, but you don’t start with the solution and work backwards, and I think that is what Kay Cutts is doing.
“My starting point is always going to be what is in the best interests for the 120,000 people who live in Rushcliffe.
“There are significant challenges both at district and at the county, and there needs to be much closer working between councils.
“That could be unitary or the metro strategy which the city and Gedling are talking about.”
Another scheme which has been put forward by Nottinghamshire leader Kay Cutts is for four East Midlands counties and three East Midlands cities to work closer together in a ‘strategic alliance’.
Speaking about this plan, Mr Robinson, who represents the Edwalton Ward for the Conservatives, said: “I’m absolutely in favour of the whole area getting together. I think it’s key for the investment in the big ticket items, and for infrastructure, and I absolutely support that.”
A spokesman for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We welcome authorities working together to boost the economy and improve services for people.
“We will consider all proposals once they have been submitted by local authorities.”
A community has been left without access to a popular play area and park in Carlton -thanks to mindless vandals.
Gedling Borough Council has today announced that they have been forced to temporarily close Carnarvon Grove Play Area and Cavendish Road Recreation Ground until the damage to safety flooring is repaired.
The parks will remain closed until repairs can be carried out.
A spokesman for Gedling Borough Council said: “Unfortunately, due to over £20k worth of vandalism to safety flooring at Carnarvon Grove Play Area and Cavendish Road Recreation Ground we’ve had to close the two parks temporarily.
“We are very sorry to have to do this but we had no choice due to the damage caused.”
If anyone has any information about who did this, please contact the Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
