A talented young athlete from Gedling is to hold a fundraiser later this month to help fund kits and transport for his team representing the region at the forthcoming Special Olympics.
Miles Green is part of the 27-strong team from Special Olympics East Midlands who will be competing against other teams in athletic events, football, badminton and table tennis at the Special Olympics GB Anniversary Games in Stirling from August 13.
The Anniversary Games will celebrate both Special Olympics GB’s 40th birthday (SOGB was founded in 1978) and also the 50th birthday of the worldwide Special Olympics global movement, set up in 1968 by President Kennedy’s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
The Games will involve approximately 1,000 athletes and 400 coaches and officials. As well as athletes from all GB Regions, a number of European countries will be invited to take part in the Games.
Miles has now planned a fundraiser to help the region’s side fund a team coach and kits for all the athletes from the East Midlands taking part.
PICTURED: Stirling University will be hosting the Anniversary Games in August
Miles Green will be part of a team of 27 from Special Olympics East Midlands with athletes representing football, badminton and table tennis, the cost of the games is £300 per person.
Miles’ mum Shirley Green said: “Miles is very excited about being invited to take part in the competition. It’s a massive opportunity for him.
“We need to get them all there hopefully on the same coach wearing their team kits, but this is going to cost the families a large amount of money, so let’s hope we can raise as much funding as possible.
She added: “To see Miles happy and positive and being proud of his achievements is so important to our family.”
To help raise funds, Miles has planned a family barbecue evening at the Greyfriars Club in St Ann’s on June 22.
The event takes place from 7pm and there will also be a disco and three vocal artists covering the likes of Adele and songs of Swing. Tickets are £3 pp.
To help boost funds, there will also be a raffle being held on the night, with a number of great prizes on offer. Donations for raffle prizes are still needed and it’s hoped local businesses may want to make a contribution to help the cause.
Donations for the raffle can be sent to 23 Tennyson Avenue, Gedling Nottingham NG43HJ.
For tickets and more information about the barbecue evening, email s.green93@ntlworld.com
Film lovers across Gedling borough will be able to enjoy a series of great movies under the stars in a Mapperley park this summer.
Locals are being invited to gather their blankets and head to Haywood Road Green, the old Bowling Green Space on Haywood Road, at Sunset – perched high up on Mapperley Top with clear views over the Trent Valley to the East.
Back by popular demand, following a successful season on the site last year, screenings will take place each month over the summer, when up to 200 people are expected to head outdoors for an evening of classic films under the stars.
Sunset Cinema Club – who organise Pop-Up outdoor screens in creative, hidden and under-used outdoor spaces – will screen 1996 hit Romeo + Juliet on Friday July 6, and Oscar-winning La La Land will be shown on Saturday, July, 7
This is the second year that the site has been chosen as a venue for a pop-up outdoor cinema by Sunset Cinema Club.
And follows a successful campaign by local residents which secured the future of the old bowling green site, which lies next to Haywood Road Community Centre, now as a permanent park space.
Louise Darby, founder of Sunset Cinema Club said: “We are delighted to be working on Haywood Road again. After a wonderful welcome last year, we couldn’t resist coming back and with its fantastic position, we hope to provide great local outdoor film experiences for many years to come.”
Film goers are invited to bring a picnic to settle in, and can expect a licensed pop-up bar (with profits helping to maintain the Community Centre) too.
Tickets, which must be bought in advance, cost £8–£11 and are still available here: www.sunsetcinemaclub.co.uk
Plans which could see a new train operator running services in Gedling borough will bring about significant improvements for passengers, according to a leading transport pressure group.
The government is in the process of selecting a new contractor to run trains from stations on the East Midland Rail Franchise, which includes Netherfield, Carlton and Burton Joyce stations.
Today, the government released details of the invitation to tender, which the winning bidder will be obliged to meet.
The new contract is expected to come into effect from late 2019 and will last around eight years. It is currently run by Stagecoach under the name of East Midlands Trains.
Three companies, including Scotland-based Stagecoach, are in the running to win the franchise.
Abellio, which is a Dutch company, and Arriva, German-owned company, are also expected to bid for the contract.
A decision is expected from the government early next year.
Now, Transport for the East Midlands and East Midlands Councils have said the new deal will bring about a host of benefits, regardless of which firm wins.
They have worked with the Department for Transport for two years to draw up a list of priorities for East Midlands commuters, companies, and leisure passengers, and several of these have been included in the contract.
It means that whichever firm wins the bid, a list of improvements will be expected by the Government.
These include;
A roll out of smart-tickets
Incentives for faster and more efficient trains
Improved early/late evening services
Sunday service improvements throughout the network
High-speed Wi-Fi on trains,
£2.5m for improvements to accessibility at medium-sized stations
In addition, passengers who are delayed by 15 minutes or more will be entitled to compensation – compared to 30 minutes now.
Details of the new tender were released today by rail minister Jo Johnson.
The Conservative MP, who is the brother of Boris Johnson, said: “We are investing in the biggest upgrade to the Midland Main Line since it was completed in 1870.
“We have listened carefully to what thousands of passengers and stakeholders have said they want to see in the next East Midlands franchise.”
“We expect the next operator to unlock the unrealised potential while building on its stable foundations.”
Sir Peter Soulsby is the chairman of Transport for the East Midlands (TfEM), which works with East Midlands Councils.
He said: “Through TfEM, councils have been working in partnership with the DfT to ensure we get the best result for passengers, businesses and local communities out of the franchise process. The franchise invitation to tender provides a real opportunity to transform rail services across the East Midlands.
“We are a growing and prosperous region – and we need rail services comparable to the best elsewhere in England to fulfil our economic potential.”
A 15-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of a knife in a public place after appearing at Nottingham Youth Court today (Wednesday 6 June 2018).
The boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, committed the offences in St Ann’s on Monday (4 June 2018) and in Mapperley on December 27 2017.
He also pleaded guilty to being in possession of a Class B controlled drug in St Ann’s and two charges of robbery in Mapperley.
He was remanded in youth detention accommodation until June 27 when he will next appear at Nottingham Youth Court.
A diamond couple from Arnold who have taken over 200 coach trips during their married life are planning to spend their 60th wedding anniversary doing just that!
Albert (82) and Kathleen (81) North from Arnold, Nottingham have long been avid fans of a coach holiday, taking approximately 200 trips throughout their 60 years of wedded bliss.
The duo are now ready to board their celebration trip away to the Rhine Valley with the staff at Skills, many who they consider friends. After already celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary on board a special coach trip, this was the obvious choice to mark another 20 years.
The five-day trip in June to the family ran Hotel Wagner, where the couple are already well known, includes excursions to Rudesheim, Cochem and Boppard and even wine tasting. The couple have been on this trip several times and can’t wait to have a celebratory drink with Andreas Wagner, who now runs the hotel but was only a young man starting his career when the couple first took a Skills coach trip to the Rhine Valley almost 40 years ago.
“We love travelling with Skills and not just because of the value of the trips.” explained Albert, “We love the places they go, the staff are all so welcoming and helpful, in fact I’m now good friends with many of the drivers and even some of the locals, it’s like one big family.”
“This was obvious when we were on an overnight trip to see the ‘Sound of Music’ in Austria to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, on the morning before we left, Bill Richard, the coach driver, and now friend of mine said he had a presentation to make.
Albert and Kathleen North from Arnold
“He told everyone we were celebrating 40 years of marriage and presented us with a box and card, signed by the management and staff at Skills. Everyone on the coach clapped, it was really lovely for them to acknowledge it.”
“I remember, before we set off Bill asked what was in the box.” added Albert, “I showed him the two beautiful large cut glass brandy glasses and he joked ‘well that’s my bonus gone’!”
“We still don’t know how they found out it was our anniversary.” said Kathleen, “but we were very touched by the gift.”
Albert and Kathleen have become regular passengers on Skills trips, in the UK and abroad. Albert recalls their first ever holiday with them was to Holland in the early 80’s but they have travelled all over, from the Chelsea Garden Show to Christmas markets.
“We do like to get abroad” said Kathleen, “Croatia is excellent, probably one of our favourite trips, we’ve been twice now and it is one of the best holidays we have ever had with Skills.”
Natalie Legge, senior sales and marketing manager at Skills said, “It’s fantastic to hear these kinds of stories from our passengers who travel with us over and over again – although I think these two could be record holders for the most trips!
“We are honoured that Albert and Kathleen have decided to take yet another trip with us, this time to celebrate such a special occasion. They really are a diamond a couple and it’s clear to see why they’ve had such a long marriage. We can’t wait to help them make the day that extra bit special.”
Two teams representing Gedling Southbank Girls came out on top at a tournament held in Newark over the weekend.
The U12s and U14s teams both came away winners of their groups at the Newark Referee’s Society tournament over at Newark Flowserve.
Southbank managed to field seven teams in the tournament, with all coming close to scooping rewards during the contest.
Andy Bates, who is head of the Girls’ Section for Gedling Southbank, said: “To get so many girls out playing at the same venue on the same day is a testament to hard work and commitment from our coaches and players, and demonstrates the unity that we’re trying to build across the whole section.
“Girls from our U10s, U11s (x2), U12s, U13s, U14 and U15s took to the field and gave their all on a stiflingly hot Sunday afternoon, with a massive support from assorted family and friends.
“It’s an incredible achievement that we got so many girls in the one spot, representing the red and white of GSB, far outnumbering any other club present and all interacting with one another demonstrating what a great family club this is.
He added: “Thank you all for your support and especially for making yesterday a really proud moment for me.”
We all have things, people, places or animals that make us a little anxious, nervous or just uncomfortable. I find that being high up is really nerve racking and causes me to show the classic signs of anxiety, beating heart, sweaty palms and butterflies in the stomach but, eventually I can do what I need to do.
This sounds a bit like a phobia but it isn’t.
When we have a phobia, we are overwhelmed and even debilitated by the fear. Phobias are really pronounced and massively exaggerated fears where the sense of danger is completely unrealistic. If it becomes severe enough we become unable to face the possibility of meeting up with the cause of our phobia by rearranging and restricting our lives to ensure we do not have to face that phobia. For some of us it can become really debilitating.
Phobias are one of the many anxiety disorders which some of us can be ok until we meet up with the subject of our phobia. While some of us will get anxious, if even we even think about the phobia, we will show much more exaggerated signs of anxiety, we are suffering from the anticipation anxiety of thinking about a phobia.
There are two types of phobia. One is a simple phobia centred around a particular object, animal, situation or activity. such as animals, sexual diseases, bodily functions (being sick is the most common), environments (heights etc), situations (doctor appointments). Then there are complex phobias like social phobia and agoraphobia. These are really debilitating and often lead to avoiding public transport, crowded places, being alone or being with people, public speaking and even going to work in certain situations (shop or office).
So where do phobias come from? Most phobias are developed in childhood; however, they can also develop when we are adults and these are the more complex phobias. There are several reasons why a phobia can develop.
PICTURED: Elaine Bond is a counsellor based in Gedling
Most phobias we develop are around certain objects, situations, or animals. For instance, many people like me are afraid of heights, whereas others are afraid of blood, enclosed spaces, rats or spiders. Some people believe, therefore, we have this genetically programmed into our brains as it is a response back to when we were in much more danger than we are now. So, at one point in history, if we were exposed to rats we could catch the plague.
We can learn a phobia early in life, so if a child fell from a height they can learn that all heights are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. We can also learn from others such as if someone close to us when we are growing up has a fear of phobia we will take that on board as our reality too and develop our own phobia.
If we have a phobia it is most likely that we will be very risk averse and overestimate the danger of any situation where we will encounter our phobia. This then develops a vicious circle as our over estimation feeds our wish to avoid, at all costs, that situation and we then just continue to increase our anticipatory anxiety about it, and the phobia gets bigger. If we must face our phobia, we develop some behaviours that have a ritualistic element and make us feel safe, like only getting on the train when it’s quiet (at a specific time) or with a friend (only one friend can do this role) to hold on to. So, we never face our phobia but we build ways to avoid it and again it just gets more control of our lives. Of course, the more we dodge the phobia the greater the relief, so the more we dodge the phobia and so it goes on.
Realistically if we have a phobia we overestimate the danger and underestimate our ability to cope with our anxiety. This destructive thought cycle will keep us wrapped up in the phobia until we get some help.
It is difficult to break free from a phobia without professional help. CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) is known to help us change our destructive thought processes.
There are a few things we can do to help ourselves –
Get real with your thoughts – is this realistically going to happen if I do ….? What is actually the worst thing that can happen? Am I really going to pass out if I…?
Check your thoughts – are you creating catastrophes? Are you looking in to a crystal ball and predicting? Are you based your thoughts on one incident?
Challenge your thoughts – What evidence contradicts your thoughts? If the situation did happen what could you do? What would you tell your friend to do in this situation?
What situations are you avoiding and what safety measures do you use? What makes the situation worse and what makes it better?
Learn some mindfulness or breathing techniques that will calm you down.
A driver from Bestwood was still over the drink-drive limit when he crashed into two parked cars the morning after he had been drinking.
Joseph Storey, of Larch Close, Bestwood, was disqualified from driving for 15 months after pleading guilty to drink driving at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (June 1 2018).
He was also given a £150 fine, ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £30 victim surcharge.
The 23-year-old was arrested shortly after 7.50am on Saturday 20 January when he crashed his car into two parked cars in Chesterfield Road North, Mansfield.
He escaped uninjured having provided a sample of 59ug when the legal limit is 35 (in 100ml of breath).
Police Sergeant Tony Rungay who attended the scene said: “This highlights the importance of drivers being incredibly cautious about getting behind the wheel the morning after a heavy night.
“The alcohol was still in Storey’s system and he was not fit to drive. It is so dangerous to take this risk, the entire windscreen of his car was forced out from the impact and he is lucky that his actions didn’t result in serious injury or worse.”
A new state-of-the-art £21m mental health services hub for children, young people and families, was opened to patients today in Woodthorpe.
Hopewood is Nottinghamshire Heathcare’s new 40-bed site on Mansfield Road in Nottingham which offers specialist inpatient care and support for adolescents and perinatal women experiencing acute mental health difficulties that can no longer be managed in the community.
It is also the base for the Trust’s community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and perinatal services.
Hopewood includes The Lookout Adolescent Unit, a 32 bed inpatient facility, which provides 20 more CAMHS beds than previously available. This includes a 12 bed specialist eating disorders ward and an eight-bed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), the first of their kind for young people in the East Midlands.
Also on site is The Lookout Education Centre, provided by Nottingham City Council, which supports young people to continue their education whilst admitted to the unit. The Pebble Bridge Community CAMHS Centre is also based at Hopewood.
Perinatal services are based in Green Haven at Hopewood, including inpatient and community perinatal services. The Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit, which has increased from 6 to 8 beds, provides vital support for mums who have serious mental health problems shortly before or after having a baby.
All inpatient wards have single ensuite bedrooms, providing privacy and dignity, and access to communal areas, day spaces, private gardens and additional green space set within Hopewood’s grounds.
The facilities also include new clinic and consultation rooms offering space for one to one or group therapy, with services delivered by a range of dedicated and highly skilled staff.
Ruth Hawkins, chief executive at Nottinghamshire Healthcare, said: “We are immensely proud to open Hopewood. This fantastic and incredibly important facility demonstrates our commitment to the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and perinatal mums. Providing this significant increase in beds means that more young people and women can be treated locally, staying close to their homes, families and communities.
“Hopewood has been developed with patients, their families and our dedicated staff to ensure the facilities meet their needs and to create an environment where people are able to receive support, inspire hope and help them on their journey to recovery. This is a major investment in local mental health services, which will have such a positive impact on the lives of so many.”
Hopewood is located on an existing Trust site on Mansfield Road in Nottingham. It replaces the Thorneywood Adolescent Unit on Porchester Road in Nottingham and the Mother and Baby Unit previously based at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
In the very near future Nottinghamshire Healthcare will be launching the Hopewood Appeal, in partnership with Nottingham Hospitals Charity, to raise funds to further enhance the environment and facilities for patients.
The chairman and manager of Carlton Town have heaped praise on a scheme running at the club for youngsters which combines football and education.
The Millers signed up to the Norther Premier League Football Academy (NPLFA) programme back in November 2016 and it has already produced four players for the first team.
The scheme, which is aimed at 16-19 year olds, gives players the opportunity to achieve a BTEC or NVQ during classroom sessions with teammates, train three-four days a week with an experienced UAFA qualified coach and also play for Carlton Town in the NPLFA league and FA Youth Cup.
The best players will then hopefully progress into The Millers’ first team.
The NPLFA programme is the brainchild of long-time former Radcliffe Borough boss Kevin Glendon, and runs in conjunction with the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League.
Carlton Town chairman, Mick Garton, said he is delighted to see the programme grow so rapidly in such a short space of time
He said: “The NPLFA programme has only brought positive affects to our club, from bringing the local community together, the extra financial income and attracting youngsters from the local area to the club and providing them with an education. The added bonus is producing players four our first team which is great for us.”
“We have been delighted to have four students make their first team debuts this season, the manager (Wayne Scott) works closely with the academy coach Evan Garnett and they communicate on a weekly basis.
“The more players we can get from the academy the better. We are not like a Premier League club in regards to the finances, which are tight, we want to develop our own players.”
Mr Garton added: “I believe this is a fantastic thing the NPLFA are doing, it’s what this level of football is crying out for. Opportunities are limited at the top clubs, so we are in more of a position to provide chances and create more opportunities. We’re the next step for them. As well as the football, for our local lads to be here at the club and gaining an education all the way up to degree level is great.”
First-team manager Wayne Scott also praised the scheme.
He said: “With UEFA qualified coaches, the quality of football is excellent but to get an education as well make it a fantastic programme and the work in the classroom is the most important aspect of the Academy.
“Young fifteen/sixteen year olds coming to us, now have a clear vision for up to five years with the degree course on offer which can only benefit themselves, our club and the NPL Football Academy.”
