A £100k new play park has been unveiled in Woodborough after several years of hard work and efforts by a dedicated group of volunteers.
Crowds gathered to watch the official opening of new park on The Governors’ Field by multi-gold-winning paralympian Richard Whitehead MBE.
Mark Spencer MP, Councillor Boyd Elliott and Councillor Helen Greensmith were also in attendance.
The completed park was the result of two years of hard work by Woodborough GREAT – an action group made up of volunteers from the local community with the aim of finding the funds to get the project off the ground.
HAVING FUN: Children enjoying the park pose with members of the GREAT team at the opening event
The majority of the funding for the new play area came from WREN – a not-for-profit organisation that awards grants for community projects using funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund.
The GREAT team also made some personal donations and money was also raised in the community at the village street market and a Christmas Quiz.
Anthony Scarborough, a member of the GREAT group hailed the day as a fantastic success.
He said: “We had over 300 visitors at the opening event and handed out over 200 goodie bags which were donated by HAGS – the park play equipment provider.”
Fraudsters are setting up fake job adverts online in order to lure in unsuspecting jobseekers from across the borough, experts have warned.
Action Fraud has received intelligence that suggests fraudsters are advertising fake sales roles on job vacancy websites in the hope of attracting unsuspecting jobseekers.
Once a jobseeker has shown interest, the fraudsters tell them they will be selling goods on the company’s behalf; often the goods are cars or machinery but they could be anything. Jobseekers are instructed that they must use their own personal pre-existing bank accounts and payment methods, as well as their own online marketplace accounts.
The fraudsters usually give a vague excuse as to why a business account or login is not available. Jobseekers are then sent photos and information of the products they will be selling (which do not exist) in order to create an attractive advert to entice the primary victim; the buyer of the goods.
JOBSEEKERS: Fraudsters are targeting those looking for work
Once the victim has transferred their money to a bogus escrow provider, no goods are ever received and all contact is broken off.
This leads to a financial loss for the buyer of the goods as nothing is ever received. Likewise, the recruited jobseeker receives none of the promised payment for their work as originally detailed in the bogus advert.
How can jobseekers protect themselves?
Don’t assume advertised vacancies have been verified by the website or classified advertisement sites upon which they feature. If you suspect a job vacancy to be fraudulent, be sure to notify the website via their reporting/flag functions. Doing so prevents others from becoming victims of fraud and helps organisations and law enforcement tackle and disrupt fraudulent activity.
Although many legitimate job vacancies are internet based sales roles, those which are vague about the business, product type, sales method or sales platform to be used should be approached with caution. It is always good practice to conduct further enquiries about an advertised role.
Genuine businesses would never ask you to use your personal bank or online payment accounts to facilitate business transactions, nor would they ask to utilise your personal online marketplace account in order to sell their products. If someone claiming to represent the organisation suggests you do this or asks for your personal details so they can use your account(s) themselves, sever contact
‘Folks always ask us how we get artists like this to a village hall,’ commented promoter Mike Hoare when introducing the John Illsley Band. ‘Well on this occasion I can tell you it was down to Andy Fairweather Low’s tour manager who told John he should do it.’ A fine recommendation, with Illsley himself later affirming, ‘You must be one of the best audiences we’ve played to!’
Illsley being a co-founder of Dire Straits alongside Mark Knopfler and with the group not reforming any time soon, the John Illsley Band is the next best thing. Launching into Strait’s classics Walk Of Life and Espresso Love, the band immediately had fans onside.
This was very much an authentic reproduction of Dire Straits music rather than tribute. Looking regal and resplendent, centre stage in his crisp white shirt, Illsley exuded charisma as he led the ensemble through a raft of Straits numbers: Private Investigations, Romeo And Juliet, Lady Writer, and, Tunnel Of Love. With Paul Stacey and Robbie McIntosh sharing duties on guitar recreating the unique Straits sound, Jess Greenfield both added presence and an extra dimension with her backing vocals. The line up was completed by Steve Smith (keyboards) and Stuart Ross (drums) and what a tight unit it was.
To the adulation of the crowd, the hits just kept coming. Sultans Of Swing closing the first half saw a standing ovation. Something previous unseen in a Lowdham Village Hall gig. However, when Money For Nothing closed the show, the roof really was raised! There was no way that Illsley and co would get away without returning to the stage for an encore.
The show wasn’t all about Dire Straits. Illsley has his own catalogue. Streets Of Heaven, a love song written for his wife, contrasted with politically inspired Ship Of Fools commenting on Blair’s and Bush’s legacy to world peace (or not). Railway Tracks illustrated how life isn’t always straight forwards and when the band played Long Shadow, Illsley emphasised that, whilst he relished having been in Dire Straits and still loved to play their songs, he was always looking to move forwards and create new material.
The Illsley Band encore was worth the entry fee in itself lasting over 20 minutes. The atmospheric Brothers In Arms, ‘a very important song for the band,’ was followed by The Bug, and, Where Do You Think You’re Going. The group doesn’t usually do village halls but from this reception here I think they may well be back!
A selection of Netherfield’s most colourful characters are to appear in a Nottingham art exhibition next month after being captured on canvas by a talented artist.
Local artist Dominick Cuming has spent the past two years painting the portraits of people living in Lily Avenue.
And now after competing a staggering 28 portraits of people living on the street, Dominick is now planning to showcase them together for the first time this November at Nottingham Society of Artists Gallery in Nottingham.
As well as their portraits, a short biography about each of the residents featured will also be displayed at the exhibition to help bring the community alive to those living outside the area.
TALENT: A selection of some of the portraits of people living in Lily Avenue
Dominick told Gedling Eye that he’d never originally planned to paint everyone in the street.
“It was just something that seems to have grown and grown by itself,” he said.
“I first painted the portraits of a family who live on the street and was then asked to paint one for a neighbour for her birthday. The neighbour’s friend then saw it and asked me to do one for her and then also one for her friend; I’ve now painted a portrait for everyone in the whole street.
“I think it’s great that we’re holding an exhibition of jolly old ‘Nevo’ in such a good gallery in the middle of the City.”
ON DISPLAY: Some of the portraits of Netherfield residents featured in the exhibition
When asked to name his favourite portrait that will be on show, Dominick chose the portrait of ‘Eileen’, as he thinks it’s the most fun.
FAVOURITE: Eileen is pictured with a cigarette
The exhibition will open to the public on Tuesday, November 14, but local residents from Lily Avenue can get a sneak peek at the collection between 6pm-8pm on the same night at a private viewing where free wine will also be on offer.
The exhibition runs from Tuesday, November 14 to Sunday 19th and will be open between 12pm-5pm Tuesday to Saturday and 10am-12.30pm on the Sunday
Council cabinet members are expected to recommend the full council approves plans to purchase the town’s market and help maximise its impact.
Talks between the owner and the council have been ongoing since the early part of the year and have advanced to the point that councillors will be asked to approve the purchase of the market at the next Full Council meeting on 15 November.
PLANS: The market as it stands today in Arnold town centre
The council’s future plans for the market will include improving 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.
Leader of the Council, Councillor John Clarke said: “We have had some very positive discussions with the land owner and we are near to an agreement to purchase the market and bring it into council ownership. The owners share our vision to maximise the impact of the market and are as committed as we are to improving it for the benefit of Arnold.
We will have more details in the coming months but this is great news, another significant step forward and will be welcomed by residents, businesses and existing market traders. We look forward to making this a real success for Arnold and for the borough.”
People in Gedling borough planning bonfires next month are being reminded it’s illegal to burn many types of waste.
Those caught burning illegal waste like treated wood, tyres, plastics, rubber and oil could face a fine of up to £50,000, the Environment Agency has today warned.
Organisers are now being asked to be vigilant about the materials deposited on their bonfire, while preventing others from dumping illegal waste on them by keeping the location secure.
People will also use Bonfire night as an excuse to burn old furniture, mattresses or even household rubbish.
Organisers and households should only burn clean, non-commercial waste, so if you’re organising a bonfire night make sure you know where the bonfire material has come from and that it is suitable.
People face a fine of up to £50,000 for illegally managing waste. More information and guidance on materials which are safe to burn on a bonfire and further information for organisers of bonfire and firework events can be found on the GOV.UK website.
If the Environment Agency suspects illegal waste is to be burnt at an event, or there is a harm to the environment, they are able to issue a stop notice which will prevent an event from taking place.
Marc Lidderth, Environment Manager in the West Midlands, said: “We want people to enjoy themselves but the uncontrolled and excessive burning of the wrong waste can cause pollution and damage people’s health.
“We encourage people to make sure they dispose of their waste legally and safely, and be aware that their community bonfire could be targeted by unscrupulous waste businesses who want to find somewhere to dispose of waste, resulting in the illegal burning of commercial waste.
Organisers should ensure that they know where the bonfire material has come from and it is suitable. If anyone sees any suspicious activities they should contact us on 0800 807060 or report it anonymously to Crimestoppers.
Hallowe’en is generally a ‘spooktacular’ time for all but a few bad apples can spoil the fun.
So what can you do if someone chooses to play a trick and damages your property? And can you intervene to stop property damage? Are you responsible if a child is allergic to the sweets you gave them?
Simon Roberts of DAS Law has the answers to these questions and others to avoid making this Halloween a truly blood-curdling event.
If a child damages your property with a ‘trick’, can you recover repair costs from the parents?
Damage to property is potentially a criminal offence as well as a civil matter. Halloween is a busy time for the police and they may receive a high volume of calls, so before contacting them consider whether the matter can be resolved amicably. However, if you are harassed and concerned about your safety then you should contact the police.
Generally speaking, parents are responsible for supervising their children but are not liable for the acts of their children and cannot be directly responsible for damage they may cause to your property. So you would ordinarily have to take civil action against the child as there is no minimum age at which a child can be held to be negligent – this would entirely depend on the circumstances and their understanding. But this may not be a realistic way forward as a child is unlikely to have assets to pursue for damages, so it would be preferable to hold the parents responsible if possible.
Parents are responsible for ensuring their children are supervised in certain circumstances, although this will vary depending their age i.e. older children are less likely to require supervision as they will have a greater responsibility for their own actions. Therefore, the other option is to consider would be whether it may be possible to sue the parents in negligence for failing to supervise or, if they did supervise at the time, for failing to control their children. This, of course, would be dependent on proving the elements of negligence.
EXPERT: Simon Roberts from DAS Law
How far are you allowed to go to stop a child from playing ‘tricks’ on you and your property?
A landowner is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of their land and to protection from any unlawful interference with their use or enjoyment of it. If you are in fear for your safety and/or harassed, then you should contact the police as these are criminal matters. From a civil point of view, it could be argued that a regular stream of people invading your property whilst ‘trick or treating’ would amount to a legal nuisance.
Normally, you could look at legal action and remedies such as damages and an injunction. If nuisance is proved, a key question would be who could an injunction be taken out against? Due to the transient nature of the nuisance, it would be difficult to bring a claim against a one-time offender as would be the case with Halloween. However, if someone persistently posed a nuisance, then it would be more likely to succeed in a claim against them for trespass or nuisance.
I would advise against any physical interactions and, as above, if the situation escalates you should report the matter to the police.
What can you threaten or can you physically intervene if an act of vandalism is taking place on your property by a minor?
Any damage to property is potentially a criminal offence and you could threaten to report the perpetrator to the police. Further, you could also seek to take a civil claim for damages to compensate you and put you back in the position you were before the damage.
I would advise against any physical interactions as the situation could escalate. If you assault a child, this could be reported to the police and it may be difficult to justify whether this response was reasonable in the circumstances and you could risk criminal sanctions.
If you give a child sweets for Hallowe’en and they choke or have an allergic reaction, are you responsible?
This would of course depend on the circumstances. Assuming the sweets have not been interfered with, a claimant would have to prove you have been negligent in order to hold you responsible for any injuries. To establish negligence the court will look at whether the defendant owed the claimant a duty of care, there has been a breach of that duty and this has caused the claimant loss. The loss must also be foreseeable.
In practical terms it may be difficult to establish negligence if you simply gave a child a sweet and they choked as this could be down to any number of reasons, for example, the child’s own behaviour contributing to the incident. The child would be assuming a certain level of risk and therefore, if any claims were brought, you would look to argue either a voluntary assumption of risk and/or contributory negligence as a defence. However, the circumstances may be different if you gave a baby or toddler sweets as they may be less likely to detect certain dangers so extra care should be taken
Local police officers have shared a warning about a latest scam which involves fraudsters trying to dupe people around the borough into believing they are recruiting models.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and Action Fraud have recently noticed that scammers have been setting up fake adverts on social media platforms – including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – as well as job browsing websites.
Once victims show an interest in the job, the fraudsters contactthem on the false promise of a modelling career and subsequently advise the victims to come in for a test shoot.
The fraud can then potentially be carried out in two ways.
Firstly, the fraudsters can pressurise the victims in sending an upfront fee to book a slot for the test shoot. Once they have received the upfront fee, the victim will never hear from the fraudsters again.
The second possible method is that the fraudsters will take the advance fee that the victim sends for a photo shoot and arrange a photo shoot with the victim. After the photo shoot, the fraudsters will contact the victim after a few days and convince them that their shoot was successful and offer them a job as a model. The victim will then be asked to sign a contract and pay another upfront fee, usually to secure the modelling contract.
Fraudsters are also creating fake adverts for supposed modelling opportunities for children which do not exist. Fraudsters will inform parents or guardians that a potential career in modelling awaits their child. This tactic convinces the parent or guardian to sign up their child and send an advance fee.
The suspects will also convince the victim that in order to become a model, they will need to have a portfolio. The fraudsters will recommend a number of packages and stress that if a package is not paid for in advance, the process of becoming a model cannot continue.
Over a two year period (September 2015 – August 2017), an average of 28 reports of advance fee modelling frauds have been received per month by the NFIB. In August 2017, 49 Action Fraud reports of this fraud type were received and may continue to rise. The total loss in August 2017 alone was over £71,000. Tips for staying safe:
Carry out your own research prior to paying any type of advance or upfront fee.
Be wary if you are asked to pay for a portfolio, as many legitimate agencies will cover that cost.
Don’t give your bank account details or sensitive information to anyone without carrying out your own research on the relevant agency.
If you have been affected by this, or any other type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Residents in Netherfield are being invited to have their say on plans to introduce new new powers to make privately rented homes better for people to live in.
Gedling Borough Council is asking people in the town for their thoughts on plans to make it mandatory for landlords to have licences for each of their private rented properties in the Netherfield area.
The licence means that the landlord has to provide minimum standards of accommodation for residents. The council will work with landlords and residents to improve the area but where necessary use the licensing conditions and enforcement powers to bring about improvements.
The power, known as Selective Licencing, can be applied in areas where there is deprivation, high levels of antisocial behaviour, high levels of crime and poor housing conditions. The licencing will gives the Council’s Environmental Health team powers to do more when landlords are not taking steps to deal with issues relating to properties. Each licence will cost around £675 per property for a five year licence, the equivalent of £2.50 per week for each property.
The proposals are being welcomed by Think Big Developments, a local landlord and construction firm who have recently transformed a run-down property in the Netherfield area into a liveable dwelling. They also provide training and employment through the renovation of affordable homes.
Think Big Development owners Louchavan Lemard and Ryan Jeffers said: “We believe that the introduction of the licencing will help prevent exploitation of low income tenants and improve the quality of housing that is available to residents of Netherfield.
“The system will help regulate what’s going on in the private sector and we fully support Gedling Borough Council’s proposals. Our vision is to provide employment, high quality and affordable housing.”
Portfolio Holder for Public Protection, Cllr David Ellis said: “This is a very important consultation and could make a really important difference to this community.
“Residents have a right to live in properties that are fit for purpose. Asking landlords to meet our standards acts as way of improving housing conditions and property management and also it can have a longer term effect of reducing anti-social behaviour and crime which can be linked to areas with deprivation and poor living conditions.”
Consultation on the proposals to introduce mandatory licencing in Netherfield is open until 5 January and residents and business owners can have their say by visiting www.gedling.gov.uk/haveyoursay.
There will be two consultation events, the first one will be for residents on Thursday, November 2 at St George’s Centre, Netherfield at 6pm and on Tuesday, November 21, Landlords will be able to have their say at an event at Gedling Borough Council at 6pm.
The win, Carlton’s first at home since the first week of September, extended the Millers winning run against the Greenbacks to six matches in succession home and away, writes Alan Murphy.
Playing with a strong wind at their backs Carlton put the visitors under pressure from the start. Wilson headed just wide at the near post from a Danny Gordon corner on nine minutes before Gordon passed up an excellent opportunity two minutes later.
Wilson’s cross from the right found Gordon unmarked six yards out at the far post but the wide man fired wide of the target.
With Drayton under constant pressure a goal looked inevitable and it duly arrived on 14 minutes. Hooton did well to keep the ball in play on the left. He knocked it back to Mutibvu who played it to Gordon. Gordon played a lovely ball back into Hooton’s path on the left corner of the penalty area and the striker curled the ball around Hadyn Whitcombe and into the corner of the net.
The worry for Carlton at half-time was that playing into the wind they would struggle as Market Drayton had in the first half and the one goal lead would prove insufficient.
The Millers dispelled those concerns in the best possible way with a second goal three minutes into the half. They were awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal on the right hand side. Gordon sent the ball into the six yard box where Whitcombe came to claim it. However, with the swirling wind causing the ball to move in the air, he dropped it and Hooton was on hand to fire home from a narrow angle.
Drayton had a chance to score on 68 minutes when Roberts headed wide from Bowerman’s cross.
The Millers confirmed their victory on 73 minutes with a third goal. Kyle Stovell, who looked lively when brought on, slipped the ball through to Wilson who held off his marker before slipping the ball past Whitcombe via the keeper’s outstretched leg. It was Wilson’s fifth successive match on the scoresheet as he continues his fine goalscoring run.
Think Big Development owners Louchavan Lemard and Ryan Jeffers said: “We believe that the introduction of the licencing will help prevent exploitation of low income tenants and improve the quality of housing that is available to residents of Netherfield.
