WIDE SELECTION: Each year donated books fill the entire property on Vernon Road, in Carlton
An charity book sale held last weekend in Carlton raised a record amount for local good causes.
Organisers behind the ExLibris book sale, which took place over ten days at a property in Carlton, announced today that the sale brought in a total of £2376. The cash will now be donated to charities in the region. They also rescued over 5,000 books from landfill.
Last year’s event raised over £2,000 for local charities, and volunteers, who famously all have to wear masks while selling the books, were hoping this year’s extended ten-day celebratory sale, which began on April 29, would raise even more money.
The book sale was opened by Mayor Meredith Lawrence, who also wore a mask during the event to honour the group’s tradition.
The cream of Notts talent has reached the next stage of Future Sound of Nottingham, the annual contest which gives one lucky act the opportunity to perform at Splendour in front of 20,000 people.
Opening the main stage at Wollaton Park on Saturday,July 23, the winning act will join headliners Grammy Award winner Jess Glynne and legendary bands The Human League and UB40.
Organised by community project NUSIC and supported by Nottinghamshire Music Hub, a total of 12 semi-finalists have been selected by a panel of industry experts and cover a variety of genres, from Acoustic Pop to Hip Hop and Rock.
After securing the most points in round one, eclectic rapper Ski and soul artist Oscar Speed will go straight through to the final held at Rock City on Sunday,June 19.
The other successful semi-finalists are: Babe Punch, Homesick, Alice Short, Katie Lyle, Lisa Hendricks and the Project-Us Band, Wolf Club, One Giant Causeway, Megan Kelsey, The Young, Sonder, Indian Summer and Super Furniture.
The FSN champ will add to an already huge Splendour lineup and an impressive roster of Nottingham talent, including a debut from local rising star Ady Suleiman. Across the park, home-grown talent will flourish on the Acoustic Rooms Stage as well as vibrant fringe acts entertaining the 20,000 crowds expected at the summer festival.
Mark Del, of NUSIC, said: “Three acoustic singer-songwriters, one Reggae band, two Indie bands, one Punk band, one MC, one alternative band, one electronic artist plus two Pop Rock bands, I’m proper happy with the musical diversity in this year’s semi-finalists.
“And remember an MC plus a Soul artist are already straight through to the Final. Plus the ladies are taking over. Eight of the twelve semi-finalists are either female, or female led groups. I’m hopeful the people of Notts feel FSN is doing a decent job of representing our wondrously diverse music scene. It should be a great final on June 19.”
Anton Lockwood, Director of Promotions at DHP Family, added: “Splendour offers a great opportunity for local talent to play alongside some truly legendary names. The Notts music scene is alive with recognisable names, from Jake Bugg, Indiana and Ady Suleiman who’s playing at Splendour this year, and the array of FSN contestants is proof of the quality and diversity the county has to offer.”
The public vote is open now at www.nusic.org.uk/fsn until 11.59pm Wednesday 18th May 2016 with a live poll showing the number of votes cast for each artist. The finalists will be announced on Monday 23rd May 2016 via the New Music Podcast.
FIGHTING: Fans from Nottingham Forest and Notts County were involved in fighting at The Major Oak pub in the city centre
FOUR men from Carlton and Arnold are among seventeen who were today charged with affray following a city centre fight involving Nottingham Forest and Notts County fans.
The men are alleged to have been involved in the fight at The Major Oak pub in Pelham Street, on Saturday, March 19.
Jake Bramley, 27, of Valley Road, Carlton; Andrew Fuller, 23, of The Beeches, Carlton; Harry Nicholson, 20, of Cranston Avenue, Arnold; and Craig Sisson, 23, of Honeywood Drive, Carlton, were all charged with affray.
They were arrested in an early morning operation in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire on Tuesday ( May 10).
All are currently due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ court on Thursday 9 June
A car dealer from Bestwood has been jailed for “clocking” over one million miles off car odometers he was selling.
Marcin Kaminski, of Pavior Road, Bestwood and brother-in-law Meti Zielinski, of Sandon Street, Basford went on to sell the cars with fake MOT certificates and service histories,
They were both sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay £20,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act after admitting the offences at Nottingham Crown Court.
Over an 18 month period between 2013 and 2015, the men tampered with 17 vehicles, cutting the mileage on 13 of them by around half and reducing the total by 1,159,743 miles. All the vehicles were then sold with false documents.
After a complaint from a consumer, Nottingham City Council Trading Standards Service, working closely with Gumtree, Autotrader, British Car Auctions and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, made two test purchases and searched homes and business addresses.
They found cash, false service stamps and paperwork for more than 70 vehicles that had been bought, advertised and sold on to victims across the country, using various phone numbers, email accounts and names. Seized laptops and iPads showed fake documents created for the sales.
Jane Bailey, Nottingham City Council’s Trading Standards Manager, said: “We are pleased that the defendants have been given significant sentences for these crimes, which have left numerous citizens out of pocket.
“Cars were sold with false service histories, suggesting to the buyers that the vehicles had been regularly serviced. This was not the case. Advisory notes on MOT tests had been removed, including tyres with low tread and brake discs corroded. This could have meant that the vehicles were sold in an unsafe condition and that purchasers were unaware they might be at risk.
“I would urge anyone buying a second hand car to make as many checks as they possibly can to ensure that the vehicle is showing its true mileage.
The website https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history will allow potential buyers to check the genuine mileage of any vehicle they are considering buying.”
Cllr Nicola Heaton, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio holder for Community Safety, said: “This crime required intense investigation by Trading Standards and the result will protect people across the country from the organised criminality committed within a family unit.
“Buying a car is large part of anyone’s budget and to find out that your new vehicle has a false mileage and fake documents and so is worth a lot less – and in a poorer state of repair than expected – must have been a shock and concern for many victims. Pursuing compensation for the victims involved in this investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act may mean that some of the losses are repaid from the car dealers’ profits.”
FIGHTING: Fans from Nottingham Forest and Notts County were involved in fighting at The Major Oak pub in the city centre
Four men from Arnold and Carlton were among seventeen arrested this morning in connection with violent disorder involving football fans from Nottingham’s two football teams.
Groups of Nottingham Forest and Notts County fans fought each other in The Major Oak pub, in Pelham Street, on the evening of Saturday 19th March.
Both teams had been defeated in their respective matches on that day, but Nottinghamshire Police officers are investigating whether the fight had been organised between the two groups.
Officers carried out arrests across the city and also Derbyshire early this morning (May 10).
A total of 17 men, 11 Forest supporters and six Notts County fans, aged between 19 and 28, have been taken to separate custody suites in the city and the county, where they will be questioned by detectives throughout the day about their involvement in the disorder.
Chief Superintendent Mark Holland said: “This is a very significant operation as we investigate the circumstances of a very disturbing violent incident allegedly involving rival groups of so-called football supporters in Nottingham.
“This incident occurred in a pub that was busy with people who were there to enjoy a night out and suddenly found themselves in the midst of a terrifying situation such as this.
“One of the lines of enquiry we are looking it is that this was a pre-arranged fight and not a spontaneous coming together of rival groups. It is only by sheer good fortune that no one was seriously injured.”
He added: “We have always had a very direct and robust approach to football-related violence and disorder. Only last week, three Notts County fans were dealt with at court for the disorder that occurred in the recent game at Mansfield Town. Two of those individuals were banned from all football grounds in the country for three years.
“Football does not provide any acceptable excuse for violence and we will continue to use the CCTV and witness evidence at our disposal to identify and arrest those suspected of taking part in this disorder, with the aim of bringing them before the courts to be dealt with appropriately.
If anyone saw the incident or was in the pub at the time of incident and has not yet come forward and spoken to police, please call us on 101 and quote incident number 682 of 19 March.
DISCUSSION: People in Gedling have the chance to decide the fate of the former youth centre building
Around 40 residents attended a meeting last week to have their say on the fate of a building that used to house a popular youth club.
The meeting was called last week to discuss future uses for the old Gedling Youth Centre building in Gedling village.
Attendees suggested using the site as a future tram station if a line was put through Gedling, and also selling the building to raise cash for existing youth groups in the area.
A steering group has now been set up to investigate all possible options and will meet again at the beginning of June.
A Facebook site and a mailing list may also be set up to keep local people informed about the possible uses for the site.
Rick Wilson, who helped organise the meeting, said: “We will be holding a further public consultation when all options have been formalised.
“Anyone who wishes to receive a note of the comments made at the meeting can contact me via email”
WARNING: Trading Standards are urging residents to be cautious of a driveway conman calling at homes in the area.
A council is urging Gedling borough residents to be cautious of a conman posing as a council highway contractor and offering to resurface their driveway on the cheap.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards team say they have received reports of a man approaching local people and falsely claiming to be working for Nottinghamshire County Council’s Highways Department.
Tim Watson, from Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards team, said: “Nottinghamshire County Council would never approach individual homes offering to carry out driveway maintenance work
“Trading standards never recommend employing a trader based on a cold call.
“We would advise that any householder who is considering having work done to their property should get quotes from at least three companies before agreeing to go ahead with any work. Also speak to friends and relatives for recommendations.
“If you need work carrying out contact Checkatrade for details of trades people who have demonstrated their commitment to fair and honest trading.”
To report suspicious traders in the area, phone Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06. If possible, please note any registrations or details of vehicles.
CRASH: Cows find debris from the planes that collided in the skies above Woodborough in 1966
Residents in Woodborough are putting together plans to commemorate the anniversary of a plane crash that took place in the skies above the village 50 years ago this month.
Two Provost jets collided above Woodborough while taking part in a training exercise on the morning of Thursday, May 26, 1966.
Debris showered down over the village, but was mainly confined to several locations along Main Street, Governors’ field and the playing fields on Lingwood Lane.
One plane cartwheeled across the sky and landed in the orchard at the top of Roe Lane and burst into flames. A wing from the second aircraft fell into the Manor House garden near the road and the tail section ended up in the dyke behind the old vicarage.
Luckily, both pilots survived the crash and no-one was killed in the village below.
TV crews are now planning to visit the village in the weeks leading up to the anniversary to visit crash sites, interview eyewitnesses and talk to both surviving pilots.
The village will also be marking the anniversary with a display of photographs and memorabilia. These will be on display in the Nags Head.
Anyone who would like to be involved in the event can contact Steve Derry on 0115 9654014 or 07930 289302.
Two more people have been charged with the murder of Carlton man Tony Fisher..
The 58-year-old was found dead at his home in Coningswath Road on January 9 this year.
On Friday (May 6, 2015), Jaydon Robert Barton, aged 22, of Curzon Gardens, St Ann’s, and Nathan Barton, also 22, of Heathfield Avenue, Basford, were charged with murder.
Vincent Hawkins, aged 32, of Handel Street, Nottingham, has also been charged with assisting an offender.
All three will appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Saturday (May 7).
Marcus Barton, 41, of Raymede Drive, Bestwood, was charged with Mr Fisher’s murder in January and remains in custody. He is due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 13 May.
A total of 18 people have been arrested during the course of this investigation. Aside from the four people now charged, one 42-year-old man remains on bail pending further enquiries.
All others have been released from their police bail without charge
A Colwick woman and her partner were today jailed after sexually assaulting a vulnerable young female on a Nottingham street.
Michelle Cooper, 50, of Stratford Close, Colwick, and her accomplice Joseph Pendado, 52, from St Anns, were both found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced at Nottingham Crown’ Court earlier today.
Penado also subsequently admitted a charge of possession of an offensive weapon with regards the same incident.
The court heard how Cooper targeted the victim, a woman in her early 20s, in the early hours of July 29, 2015 whilst she was walking alone up Woodborough Road, Nottingham.
The victim had spent the evening in the city centre enjoying a night out with friends and was on her way home when Cooper approached her. Cooper initially acted in a friendly manner, showing concern for her welfare. However, Cooper then told the victim that her husband was coming and a short time later Penado arrived and carried out a sexual assault.
Penado and Cooper then lured the victim into their car and began to drive her around the St Ann’s area before stopping on Manning Street, off Woodborough Road, where all three stepped back out onto the street.
Penado subjected the victim to a further sexual assault and Cooper forced the victim to hand over her mobile phone, before again luring her back into the car and driving off. The scene had drawn the attention of a CCTV operator who had concerns for the young girl and alerted police officers.
Officers quickly attended and the car was stopped close to Woodborough Road. A knife with an eight-inch blade was also later recovered from the boot of the vehicle.
Penado and Cooper denied the sexual assault offences and theft of the victim’s mobile phone but the pair were convicted following a trial in January 2016. Penado subsequently admitted a further charge of possession of a bladed article.
Penado was today sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison and Michelle Cooper to three years in prison.
Det Insp Yvonne Dales said: “This is a concerning case where the two defendants appear to have identified an intoxicated and thereby extremely vulnerable victim to prey on.
“Penado and Cooper will have been fully aware that the victim was in no position to give any consent to anything which was happening to her that night.
“It is distressing to know that there are people out there who will look to take advantage of a lone woman in a vulnerable position.
“We are extremely grateful to the alert and quick-thinking CCTV operator who was able to identify a situation which required police action and quickly inform our officers. As a result, we were able to swiftly make an arrest whilst the offences were taking place.”
Det Con Rebecca Butler paid tribute to the victim for her bravery throughout the court proceedings.
She said: “This case has been particularly harrowing for the victim, not only to have been subjected to such a horrific sexual assault but then to have to re-live it by being shown the CCTV of it happening during the trial.
