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Golden boy Richard Whitehead to have Pathfinder 100 bus named in his honour after Paralympic heroics

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Golden boy Richard Whitehead to have Pathfinder 100 bus named in his honour after Paralympic heroics

Paralympic hero Richard Whitehead has been honoured for clinching his second gold medal at the recent games in Rio by having a bus named after him.

Nottingham City Transport yesterday unveiled their new Pathfinder 100 bus which will now be named after the Paralympian, who also added a silver medal to his haul during the competition.

The bus has been renamed to honour the remarkable achievements of Whitehead, who lives on the route between Nottingham, Burton Joyce, Lowdham and Southwell.

Richard is a world record holder in full and half marathons and the current Paralympic, World and European Champion in the T42 200m. Having successfully defended his T42 200m World and European titles in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Richard went on to win his second Paralympic Gold medal in the event at the Rio Games. Four days later Richard added Paralympic silver to his Rio medal haul, crossing the line joint second in a dramatic T42 100m final.

At the bus unveiling, Richard said: “It’s an honour to be recognised by my local community and hopefully will be a reminder that if you are determined then anything is possible.”

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Teachers in borough among first to get training to help tackle sexting in schools

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Teachers in borough among first to get training to help tackle sexting in schools

Secondary school teachers in Gedling borough will this week  become the first in England to receive the latest training to help them better manage incidents of sexting in school.

Nottinghamshire County Council will begin rolling out the training from tomorrow.

It aims to support schools in making effective decisions about how to manage incidents and when to refer incidents to external agencies like the police or social care. And the update also supports Government guidance around schools incorporating online safety into their safeguarding policies.

The new advice for schools is an update from the previous version – Sexting in Schools, what to do and how to handle it’, bringing it into line with national police advice.

The update also supports Government guidance around schools incorporating online safety into their safeguarding policies.

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Police appeal for witnesses after knifepoint robbery in Carlton

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Police appeal for witnesses after knifepoint robbery in Carlton

Police are appealing for witnesses after two males were arrested in connection with a knifepoint robbery on Westdale Lane in the early hours of this morning (October 17).

One man was arrested by officers at the scene while another male was tracked down by a police dog.

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Police want to speak to this man after accident in Mapperley

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Police want to speak to this man after accident in Mapperley

Officers want to speak to this man, pictured, above, following a road traffic accident in Mapperley.

The collision happened on Mapperley Road on Sunday, October 16, 2016.

If you recognise him or think you can help, please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting incident number 244 of 16 October.

Tony Cave Column: Battle for more trains at Netherfield Station continues

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Tony Cave Column: Battle for more trains at Netherfield Station continues

CARLTON  

Resignalling work is currently taking-place between Lowdham and Newark.

Over the weekend of October 1 and 2 the Lowdham signal box was abolished and trains were replaced by buses between Nottingham and Newark. On October 22 and 23 it is the turn of Fiskerton Junction and Fiskerton Station, so replacement buses will again operate. At Carlton coaches leave from the 44 bus stop in Netherfield, those for Nottingham depart on the hour for most of the time. Those for Newark will use the 44 bus stop for Gedling and leave around 2 minutes past the hour. It is expected the times will be the same as October 1 and 2. Finally on November 5 and 6, Staythorpe and Newark Castle signalboxes will close and again there will be no trains on those 2 days. Posters for the timings of the buses will be posted on the Nottingham side of the platform the week before, and are already available on the website. Coaches take much longer than the trains, so the 09.00 departure is a replacement for the 08.10 train to Nottingham. They are allowed 10 minutes from Netherfield to Station Street in Nottingham. You do not pay the driver and there are restrictions on what you can take, such as cycles and push chairs that do not fold. Trains will run between Newark and Lincoln and from Nottingham to Derby and Matlock and other destinations.

On Bank Holiday Monday, August 29, a team from East Midlands Trains (EMT) tidied up the car park, cutting back bushes and clearing weeds and rubbish. Further improvements could be in the pipeline.

There are no plans at present to install ticket machines as they are very costly, but if you book tickets online and have to collect them from a ticket machine. If you have booked from Carlton and have the paperwork, or details on your phone, then you can travel without tickets until you collect them from the nearest station with a ticket machine.

EMT are looking at whether it would be possible to install card readers for Robin Hood Cards, as they are aware that many journeys are being made without these being recorded on the train, incidentally pay-as-you-go cards are not valid on trains.

You might have missed the chalkboard  that I had outside the entrance to the Newark side platform when the weather was dry. This, along with other amateur notices, was banned for a short period, but I now have permission to continue using a chalked notice, but at the moment the board is used elsewhere. I hope to reinstate a board soon, and this time use rainproof chalk!

I haven’t been able to find any official figures as to how well the new train service to Newark is doing. However it is thought the increase in customers between Nottingham and Newark is around 27%. Carlton is doing very well and the increase in people using the trains is getting on for 200% from my observations. On Thursday, September 1 I saw all the trains from 06.01am to 12.00pm and counted 106 passengers getting on and off; it used to be around 80 all day. The 08.08 to Matlock on Wednesday 5th October 5 had 32 join and 5 alight.

NETHERFIELD  

On September 27 a meeting was held at St. George’s Centre, Netherfield, on the initiative of Gedling Borough Council to discuss the possibility of extra trains at Netherfield. Representatives from East Midlands Trains, Gedling Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council were present; 8 of us in total. This meeting went very well, and the overall consensus was that there should be more trains calling at the station. However, there is no quick fix, but things are moving. In May 2018 the current EMT franchise ends and submissions from stakeholders (anyone who has an interest in what is being proposed) are being formulated as to the level of service required from the new franchisee, which could still be EMT, so aspirations for both Netherfield and Radcliffe are for an hourly train service. Having talked to passengers I can see there is a demand there but of course EMT requires some positive feedback as obviously most stations want an hourly service. How can you help our case? Well, if you are a user or potential user if more trains were available then please send me an email or see me at the station, and I can forward this to Gedling Borough Council and EMT for the Poacher Line (Nottingham to Skegness line). Emails just sent to EMT might not reach the people working on this case more than trains.

NETHERFIELD AND CARLTON STATIONS

At present when you do an enquiry for a train from either station on the internet you only get what you ask for. This might sound obvious but if you want a train to Netherfield to Nottingham at 8.45am it will send you to Grantham and THEN to Nottingham where it should be programmed to say ‘try Carlton’ instead. I have been told this will soon be rectified so that you will be shown the route between the two stations. A lot of potential customers must be lost because of what they are currently told.

Better signage at the stations is being considered and we should be getting Platform 1 and 2 signs at Carlton soon. I have asked for the ‘this platform for Lincoln’ to be changed to ‘Newark’ as you can go to Lincoln from either platform (either change at Newark or Notts).

STATION ADOPTERS CONFERENCE

On Friday, September 23 Francis and I went to the annual station adopters conference at the Ipro Stadium in Derby. There were over 100 station adopters from all over the EMT area at the conference, where we were given updates on developments in the past year and also details about what is being planned in the future. Just launched is a new prospectus called ‘East Midlands: A Railway for Growth’ which outlines an exciting vision for rail services in the region through to 2019. This includes new bio-mode trains (electric and diesel) for London services. Improvements to local train services are also planned, but no additional trains for these services will be available for another year. Cycle facilities at all stations is being looked at.

There is the opportunity to talk to EMT managers and for them to listen to suggestions we put forward. In the question and answer session Francis was able to ask if we could have more trains at Netherfield and also highlighted the state of Carlton car park. We have since received an email to say these points have been passed to the relevant departments in EMT.

SIDELINES

There has been the odd question when the conductor on the 9.05am to Matlock has charged peak-time fares. I have checked with EMT and off-peak prices from Carlton on Monday to Friday start at 8.59am so off-peak tickets are valid.

At present there are no plans to have the 7.04am train to London St Pancras call at Carlton as the schedule does not allow the extra time required.

The East Midlands has had the lowest level of rail spending per head in every one of the past six years. In 2014/15 it was £34 compared to £353 in London. In the West Midlands it was £68.

1.7 billion rail passenger journeys were made in the financial year ending 31/3/2016  – an increase of 3.7% or 60 million journeys over the year.

Nottingham has just been awarded ‘Best Large Station’ award which is quite an achievement when you think how many large stations there are in the country.

The Robin Hood student year pas is now available for just £270 until 31/7/17. For details visit robinhoodnetwork.co.uk

I have heard that a steam train will pass through Netherfield on November 5. No details at present.

Aldi customers in Gedling borough warned about fake Facebook voucher scam

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Aldi customers in Gedling borough warned about fake Facebook voucher scam

Aldi customers in Gedling borough are being warned about a new scam which is being widely circulated on Facebook.

Facebook users in the borough have been falling for a hoax concerning fake Aldi vouchers, which claims to offer shoppers free coupons up to £85 to spend in Aldi stores.

The budget supermarket chain has confirmed that no such offer exists.

The aim of the fake offer is taking over the victim’s Facebook timeline.

Aldi-scam
SCAM: One of the fake vouchers doing the rounds on Facebook

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Police release images of man wanted in connection with burglary in Sherwood Rise

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Police release images of man wanted in connection with burglary in Sherwood Rise

Police have today released CCTV images of officers a man they want to speak to in connection with a burglary in Sherwood Rise.

Various items of property were stolen in the incident, in Herbert Road, between 7.50am and 5.50pm on Friday, September 23, 2016.

The man is described as black, in his 20s, with a black beard and what appears to be tattoos on the left side of his neck.

Anyone with information is urged to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 598 of 23 September, 2016.

Rail passengers using services in Gedling borough to get refund for delays over 15 minutes or more

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Rail passengers using services in Gedling borough to get refund for delays over 15 minutes or more

Rail passengers using trains at Carlton, Netherfield and Burton Joyce stations will soon be able to claim compensation when trains are more than 15 minutes late.

‘Delay Repay 15’ has today been announced by the Department for Transport, meaning even minor delays to trains could see passengers being compensated.

Currently passengers can only claim cash back when services are delayed by at least 30 minutes or more.

Once the new measures come into force, Passengers will be able to claim 25% of the cost of the single fare for delays between 15 and 29 minutes.

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New investment helps Bestwood data destruction firm double current output

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New investment helps Bestwood data destruction firm double current output

A shredding and data destruction firm based in Bestwood has invested in its future with a new £250,000 machine which will double its current output and enable it to take on more work.

Shredall – who are based on Bestwood Business Park– helps companies adhere to the Data Protection Act by confidentially getting rid of their paper waste, was working at full capacity before the installation of the new German-built shredding machine – capable of ‘cross cutting’ 6000kgs of paper per hour.

Founder Lloyd Williams said: “Businesses shred their sensitive documents, not just because it’s the law, but because it protects them and their customers from becoming victims of identity theft or fraud.

“They trust us to dispose of their waste as fast and securely as we can, which is why we always need to ensure that we have the best machinery possible that meets global standards.”

STATE-OF-THE-ART: New German-built shredding machine - capable of ‘cross cutting’ 6000kgs of paper per hour.
STATE-OF-THE-ART: New German-built shredding machine – capable of ‘cross cutting’ 6000kgs of paper per hour.

A recent report by Experian, PKF Littlejohn and the University of Portsmouth’s Centre for Counter Fraud Studies, suggests that the annual cost of fraud in the UK is £193 billion. Business fraud is estimated to account for £144 billion of that.

Items Shredall destroy includes paper documents and WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) such as hard drives, printers, laptops and USBs, CDs and DVDs. They can also shred X-rays, uniforms, ID cards, headed paper, business cards and other branded products. 100% of the firm’s bi-produced paper material is then recycled into tissue related products, including newspapers, magazines, cardboard, hand towels, loft insulation and animal bedding.

The company achieved a turnover in excess of £3.82 million last year – expected to grow by half a million in 2016/2017. It has four branches across the UK – one in Birmingham, one in London, one in Scotland and one in Nottinghamshire, where its headquarters are based.

Nik Williams, group sales director, added: “It’s been a great year for the business so far. We’ve won more than £400,000 in new contracts, have taken on a number of staff and will be launching another recruitment drive in the next few months. We’ve also recently passed our ISO 27001 audit for another year, in recognition of our commitment to information security.

“This new piece of machinery helps us remain at the forefront of our industry and gives us the capacity to take on more work and begin to forge relationships with more of the region’s top waste management and large paper user companies who are looking for a tried and trusted provider.”

Review: Hickman and Cassidy at The Old Ship Inn, Lowdham

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Review: Hickman and Cassidy at The Old Ship Inn, Lowdham

After their summer recess, Warthog Promotions kicked off their new concert season in The Old Ship Inn with the transatlantic folk duo James Hickman (vocals and guitar) and Dan Cassidy (fiddle), younger brother of Songbird, Eva, writes Mark Salter

The pair first met when Hickman was a child and Cassidy spent some time in the Hickman family home. Although Hickman initially resented the intrusion, over time the two have become not only musical collaborators but also great friends which shone through in the banter shared during this performance.

Whoever said Americans can’t do irony has clearly never met never met Dan Cassidy. The laid back American proved a perfect foil to his upbeat and sparky English musical partner, Hickman. Cassidy demonstrated the driest of wit in between numbers much to the audience’s amusement.

Hickman revealed that his formative years had been spent in a session club in Shrewsbury which specialised in bluegrass and this had informed both his musical development and song writing. This was evident from first number, Hickman penned, Nothing But Dreams bemoaning the banking crisis, through a standard bluegrass, Little Maggie, to Bill Munroe’s Wall Of Time which was particularly apt as Munroe is thought to be the first musician to coin the term ‘bluegrass’. Along the way Hickman introduced us to Little Leo (his clearly angelic young son), taught us about The Battlefields Of Shrewsbury, and entered troubadour mode with a couple of Dylan covers, Girl From The North Country, and Buckets Of Rain. Cassidy’s violin adding a soulful backing all the while.

Having flown into Edinburgh from his home in Iceland the previous day, Cassidy provided one of the highlights of the night, an Indian influenced fiddle accompaniment on The Happy Little Picture Of You. Hickman confided that the song harked back to the style of The Incredible String Band who had been a favourite band in his youth. However, lyrically, Picture Of You was totally contemporary, lampooning some of the absurdities of Facebook usage. What’s not to like?

Cassidy took the lead on tunes he had written: Lady Arabella’s Lament, The Painter’s Jig, and a reel, The Tempest. These derived from his Celtic ancestry. By contrast, Grappelli-esque, gypsy-jazz permeated Body and Soul, an American standard made famous by ‘sax player’, Coleman.

‘I hope we’ve given value for money as we’re only half the price of the Dylan Project and we are the real James Hickman and Dan Cassidy. I can’t see Bob himself turning up in December!’ drawled Cassidy, before the duo finished with a 1920s style whimsy, My Dearest Fling. Irony personified.

For details of other Warthog Promotions concerts visit: www.warthogpromotions.com.

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