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Flood text alert service launched by Environment Agency

Nick Salt
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Flood text alert service launched by Environment Agency

Some people in the borough living in high-risk flooding areas have been automatically signed up to a flood alert text service – giving them vital time to prepare.

People on the 02 network will receive an automated text message from the Environment Agency informing them that they have been signed up, with a link to let them know what they should do if they receive a flood warning, and the option to opt out.

Once registered, people will receive a message directly to their mobile if a flood warning is issued for their area in the future – giving them vital time to prepare.

Paul Lockhart, area flood risk manager at the Environment Agency said: “Being registered for flood warnings can give people advance notice of flooding and some crucial time to prepare.

If you get the text, it is because you live in an area at risk of flooding, so we would urge people to stay registered to the service and learn what to do if you receive a warning by viewing a free flood guide at https://floodsdestroy.campaign.gov.uk/”

Throughout December the Environment Agency will be registering around 375,000 people across England on the O2 mobile network to its flood warning service.

It has been automatically adding those who live in high flood risk areas to the flood warning service since 2010, beginning with BT landlines and then moving to provide warnings to mobile phones in 2014, with the EE network.

The agency plans to add a customers on Vodafone and the Three network in due course.

Customers who are not on the O2 network can still receive free flood warnings –visit www.floodsdestroy.campaign.gov.uk to check if your home is at risk of flooding and sign up for free flood warnings.

Arnold supermarket shows support for pensioners’ seating campaign

Gedling Eye
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Arnold supermarket shows support for pensioners’ seating campaign

A supermarket in Arnold has now signed up to support a campaign aimed at encouraging retailers to maintain in-store seating for pensioners. 

Staff and residents at Challond Court in Wendling Gardens in Arnold have welcomed the news that the Sainsbury’s store on St John Robinson Way will now be backing their Standing Up 4 Sitting Down (su4sd) campaign.

The store is now one of 600 stores across the UK who have signed up to support the campaign which is calling for retailers to maintain the amount of seating available in-store so older and disabled people and pregnant women can rest mid-shop.

Anchor, who runs Challond Court, launched the campaign after research found that 69% of over 70s said the amount of seating in public places across the country is falling with 66% believing the lack of seating in shopping areas is a problem.

Shoppers visiting Sainsbury’s in Sir John Robinson Way, which will be displaying the su4sd sticker, are being encouraged to use the seating by the tills.

Michelle Hart, manager of Challond Court, said: “It is great that 600 Sainsbury’s branches across the country, including the one in Arnold, will support the Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign.

“Older people are often cut off from the online world, so it’s crucial we enable them to connect in other ways.

“Anchor’s campaign calls for change that benefits everyone. For shops, providing seating is a great opportunity to boost footfall and spending. For older people, it offers the opportunity for important social contact to tackle loneliness, encourages physical exercise, and allows a generation the chance to live later life to its fullest.”

Clare Muscutt, Head of Customer Experience at Sainsbury’s, said: “We work hard to make our supermarkets an inclusive and welcoming environment for customers.

“We provide chairs at the back of our checkouts for anyone that would find them useful, as well as offering assistance at all times to customers who may need additional help shopping in store with us. We fully support the Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign and hope customers will make use of this seating when they visit our supermarkets.”

The su4sd campaign has also been supported by Debenhams, Hotter, and more than 200 independent retailers across England. More than 15 charities and several MPs and the former Chancellor George Osborne have supported the campaign.

Michelle Hart said that if any other retailers wanted to join the campaign, pledging to maintain the number of seats they have available for shoppers to use ,they can contact the su4sd team at communications.team@anchor.org.uk.

Former Mapperley care home worker jailed for abusing 13-year-old boy

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Former Mapperley care home worker jailed for abusing 13-year-old boy

A former Mapperley children’s care home worker has been jailed for six years for abusing a 13-year-old boy.

Barrie Pick, 74, of Peveril Drive, The Park, was found guilty of indecent assault and indecency with a child.

Pick worked at Beechwood Children’s Home in Nottinghamshire at the time of the offences in the 1970s.

He denied the offences, but was found guilty by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court today (December 6) of two charges of indecent assault on a child and two charges of indecency with a child. The convictions relate to the same victim – a boy under the age of 14.

Pick was found not guilty of one charge of indecency with a child.

JAILED: Barrie Pick

He had previously admitted six charges of possessing indecent photographs of children. He today received a six-month prison sentence for each of those offences, all of which will run concurrently with the six-year sentence.

Operation Equinox is the force’s dedicated team investigating allegations of historical abuse of children at children’s homes and other institutions in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Detective Constable Richard Jones from Operation Equinox said: “Pick abused his position of authority at the children’s home to target this boy. He should have been ensuring the children under his care were given the best possible start in life, instead he subjected this boy to these horrendous offences.

“I want to praise the survivor for showing real bravery in coming forward to talk about what happened to him.”

Chief Superintendent Rob Griffin, strategic lead for Operation Equinox, said: “Thirteen people have now been charged in connection with Operation Equinox, and so far six of these have been convicted. There are a number of other investigations ongoing into allegations of historical abuse of children and we are determined to seek justice for anyone who has been affected.

“This case demonstrates that we take this issue extremely seriously and even though these offences happened many years ago our dedicated team’s meticulous investigations can lead to prison sentences for those responsible.”

Borough firms help fund gymnast group’s trip of a lifetime

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Borough firms help fund gymnast group’s trip of a lifetime

A group of talented young gymnasts will soon be making their way to Belgium to compete in one of the world’s biggest gymnastics events after receiving backing from a number of businesses in the borough.

Gedling Homes and Arnold-based heating firm T&S Heating were among the firms contributing cash to enable Nottingham City Gymnastics Community attend Eurogym, which takes place in Belgium next year.

Keepmoat Homes, who recently began work on the Chase Farm development in Gedling, have also contributed to the funding drive.

The cash will contribute towards the cost of sending 36 gymnasts to the event which provides a platform for 11-18 year olds to showcase their gymnastics skills.

David Perry, club manager at Nottingham City Gymnastics Community, said: “A massive thank you to the organisations who have supported the EuroGym fundraising efforts. We are going to use the funds to purchase performance outfits, EuroGym hoodies for the gymnasts to travel in and to perform in over in Belgium. We really appreciate your help!”

Tracey Fertaki, customer services manager at Keepmoat Regeneration said: “Gymnastics offers so many health and well-being benefits, so we’re glad to have been able to support a club that offers these sessions. We hope the gymnasts have a great time in Belgium and wish them all the best with their performance.”

Jason Cannon, director at Gedling Homes said: “When the gymnastics club approached us for sponsorship, we were more than happy to support them. At Gedling Homes, we encourage the wellbeing of young people and promote active lifestyles, so it was important for us to use part of our EEM Community Grant funding to support a club that offers such a great service to local people.”

Train fare rise for passengers in Gedling borough to be lower than recommended

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Train fare rise for passengers in Gedling borough to be lower than recommended

A train operator running services in Gedling borough has today announced their fare increase will be below that recommended by the government

The Government set the fares for all regulated fares, which include season tickets, in line with July’s Retail Price Index (RPI) of 3.6% East Midlands Trains has today confirmed that the average increase across all of its fares will be below the RPI rate at 3.3%.

As well as paying for the running of the day-to-day rail network, fares are helping government to support the biggest investment in railway since Victorian times.

East Midlands Trains, the UK’s most punctual long-distance train operator for over eight years, is continuing to invest in improvements for customers.

Jake Kelly, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, said: “As well as helping to fund the biggest national investment in the railways since Victorian times through increased payments to Government, the money from fares is also helping to drive many real improvements for customers across the East Midlands Trains network.”

Rail customers travelling with East Midlands Trains can check new ticket prices for 2018 from today (December 5) online at National Rail Enquiries, www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Train passengers could face steepest rise in rail fares for five years

Gedling Eye
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Train passengers could face steepest rise in rail fares for five years

Rail passengers using services in Gedling borough could be hit by the biggest rise in fares for five years.

Passengers will see the price of regulated rail fares rise by up to 3.6% in January 2018.

The permitted increase – which is taken from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation measure for July – will be the highest rise in fares since January 2013.

The fare rises will affect “anytime” and some off-peak fares as well as season tickets in England and Wales.

Bob Talbot is a regular passenger at Netherfield Station. He called the latest rise a “disgrace”.

“The service here is a joke,” he said.

“The train each morning tends to be one carriage instead of two and is late most days. We are packed on an old clapped out wagon and end up resembling sardines. Cattle travel in better conditions.

“You can complain, but you mostly get a token response from the train companies about it ‘not being their fault’. Some of these trains are around 40 years old and break down a lot now.

“We are paying more, yet the standard of service continues to slip. Only in Britain would we tolerate such a shambolic service. I’ve traveled in often on Europe on trains and you don’t get any problems there.”

  • What do you think about the latest ticket price rise? Let us know in the comments section below.

Top spot for parking fines in borough revealed

Gedling Eye
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Top spot for parking fines in borough revealed

A car park in Arnold has been revealed as one of the top locations in the East Midlands for receiving parking fines (Penalty Charge Notice).

A total of 1,191 Penalty Charge Notices were dished out at the High Street car park in Arnold, according to a new Freedom of Information request by comparethemarket.com.

Mansfield’s Westfield Lane topped the list with a total of 1,923 Penalty Charge Notices being issued, which accumulated a revenue of over £41.7k in the last three months alone.

Coming a close second was East Lindsey, which slapped 1,898 Penalty Charge Notices on motorists vehicles and generated a revenue of over £36.6k. Arcadia Car Park was the fining hotspot.

Then came the Rushcliffe region, which issued 1,475 fines with a revenue of just over £37.2k – the hotspot for fines the Bridgford Road Car Park in West Brigford.

Paying on average up to £70 per ticket, over 11,490 tickets have been issued in the last three months* across the top ten fining councils.

parking-ticket

Top 10 PCN Hotspots

RankingCity/TownNo. of Fines issuedNo.1 Hotspot
1Mansfield1,923Westfield Lane
2East Lindsey1,898Arcadia Car Park
3Rushcliffe1,475Bridgford Road Car Park, West Bridgford
4Gedling1,191High Street (Arnold Leisure Centre) Car Park in Arnold
5Newark and Sherwood1,020London Road Car Park
6Chesterfield966Holywell Cross Car Park
7South Kesteven925Wharf Road Car Park in Stamford
8Kettering540London Road Car Park
9Blaby814Enderby Road, Blaby
10High Peak738Spring Gardens Car Park

 

Simon McCulloch, Director at comparethemarket.com said: “Our parking fines hotspots have revealed that motorists need to be extra vigilant when it comes to something as simple as parking their vehicle correctly if they want to avoid a hefty fine.

“With Christmas on the horizon, £70 would go further in a gift for a loved one than it would in a parking ticket!

“Penalty Charge Notices can be issued for a number of reasons. It can be quite simply for parking somewhere you shouldn’t, failing to show a valid parking ticket, or displaying an expired ticket.

He added: “If you do find yourself with a PCN, it’s worth checking your ticket, as you can often reduce the fee by half, simply by paying it within 7 or 14 days, depending on your local council.”

To see where the rest of the UK fared, the no. 1 fining street in each city, and the revenue generated for the council, you can view this interactive map: https://www.comparethemarket.com/car-insurance/content/parking-fines/

comparethemarket.com issued FOIs to every council in the UK requesting the number of fines issued, the revenue generated, and the most popular street or carpark where fines are issued. Data was compiled based on 265 responses, looking at a period of three months.

MATCH REPORT: Carlton Town 2 – 4 Chasetown

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MATCH REPORT: Carlton Town 2 – 4 Chasetown

Chasetown took the spoils in a match that was only ever going to the away side, writes Josh Hodgson.

Chasetown started well and were rewarded in the 8th minute when James O Reilly met the end of William Wheildon’s cross to put them a goal to the good.

Jacob Lovatt went close straight after, Jack Steggles making two brilliant saves for Carlton. The Millers found a way back into the game when Danny Gordon was bought down in the area, and Ben Hutchinson slotted home the penalty.

Wheildon responded straight after on the counter, restoring the lead with a shot into the corner post and rebounding in. Muzzy Nduna made it 3-1 just before half time, confusion between the Carlton keeper and defender Jake Carlisle gifting the away side an opportunity.

Yet again Carlton came back, beginning the second half well, Aaron Hooton drawing a second penalty and slotting home comfortably. Jacob Lovett was instrumental throughout for Chasetown and gave them their final goal to seal their points.

Another lapse in concentration allowed Lovett through and Steggles was unable to stop a powerful drive. The scoreline may sound exciting, but only Chasetown looked like taking the three points.

Entertainment factor: 4/5

MOTM: Jacob Lovett

Gedling MP hails Mapperley traders on Small Business Saturday

Gedling Eye
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Gedling MP hails Mapperley traders on Small Business Saturday

Gedling MP Vernon Coaker has championed the borough’s high street traders as they celebrated Small Business Saturday.

The annual event promotes shops, restaurants and businesses in a bid to ensure they thrive, not just at Christmas time, but all year round.

The Gedling MP backed the initiative by spending the day visiting businesses on Mapperley Top.

Mr Coaker said: “Gedling has so many great small businesses and they are all contributing to our local economy. I believe, that here in Gedling, our high streets are often the heartbeat of our communities. I want to thank all small businesses in Gedling for the vital contribution they make to the local economy, for what they add to our local communities and for boosting diversity on our high streets.

“In the run-up to Christmas, it would be great if local people were able to support their local high street when they can, more local people, shopping local, would be great for Gedling and our communities.”

One of the businesses Mr Coaker visited was Deli-lcious on Mapperley Top which has now been in operation for 14 years.

The owner Louise said Small Business Saturday highlighted how important local businesses are to the community.

She said: “It has been challenging at times and very hard work but we are a business that has grown and we are proud of the high quality products and services we offer.

“We have always received great support from local people. We are not just a business, we are a hub within our community and our customers are our friends.

“Small business Saturday is important to businesses like ours, as it highlights how invaluable it is for the local economy when local people, shop local.”

Mr Coaker said he hopes to visit as many businesses as possible across the whole of Gedling.

Carlton man donates kidney to best friend

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Carlton man donates kidney to best friend

A man from Carlton has given his best friend of over ten years the ultimate gift – his kidney. 

Nicola Rose, 39, was diagnosed with kidney disease five years ago. At first she was able to continue to live a relatively ordinary life but, over time, her kidney function declined and she became dependent on dialysis.

When it became clear that a kidney transplant was her only option her best friend Scott Christian, who has known her since they met at work ten years ago, offered her one of his.

The Carlton man said: “I said I would do it without any hesitation really. I wanted to see her better and back to the way she was. It was horrible to see her so poorly.”

The operations took place on October 18 at Nottingham City Hospital and the pair, who describe themselves as “like brother and sister” are recovering well.

Consultant Transplant Surgeon Sam Dutta, who performed the operation on Scott, said: “Friend to friend donations are rare but perhaps not as difficult as people may think.

“To donate a kidney to another person you only need to be fit and well and have two good working kidneys. You do not have to be a tissue match or have the same blood group. It is an excellent option when there are no suitable family members to donate a kidney.”

Nicola said: “It still feels very surreal not to have to be hooked up to dialysis every night.

I can’t describe how it feels that Scott has been willing to do this. I will never be able to thank him enough.”

BEST FRIENDS: Scott Christian and Nicola Rose

After being diagnosed with kidney disease in 2012 Nicola’s health gradually declined and in January last year she was placed on the organ donor register. From March onwards her health declined rapidly and she went on to dialysis in July.

She spent months on dialysis – trying two different kinds before finding one that suited her, but it meant being hooked up to machinery for seven hours every night.

She said: “It was a very difficult time. You’re very much tied to the house and you feel like you’re just existing, not really living.”

Scott, 31, said: “Seeing the difference in her just emphasised why I wanted to do it.

“We have vowed that we are going to celebrate October 18 for the rest of our lives.”

The pair have even given the kidney a name. Scott said: “We’ve called it Bertha. When Nicola sent me a birthday card she signed it from her, her dog Molly and Bertha!”

Mr Dutta added: “At Nottingham City Hospital we have been performing transplants across blood group barriers for many years with excellent results. Our Transplant Coordinators, Karen Stopper and Anne Theakstone work tirelessly to make such complex operations take place.

“Karen organised weeks of rigorous treatment for Nicola in preparation for the transplant, as directed by Consultant Nephrologist Dr Gavin McHaffie . The whole process of removing Scott’s kidney with a keyhole operation and attaching it into Nicola is a technically complex process with lots of surgical and medical challenges. I am pleased that it has gone smoothly.

“It is fantastic to see them both doing so well.”

Anyone who is interested in knowing more about donating a kidney to a friend or a family member can call our Transplant Coordinators on 0115 9691169 ext 59405.

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