The Beestonian 75 by The Beestonian

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r in g ! T i m e f or e s a fr

issue No. 75

t! r a t hs

April 2021

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Beestonian The

hen it is dark for such a long time, it’s hard to remember what light is like. In the middle of winter I sometimes look at my shorts and sun hats and shake my head, finding it hard to imagine ever needing to use them again. Yet I always do. Time passes and the summer arrives, and it becomes time for the gloves and big coats to take a back seat.. We’ve hurtled through the arse-end of winter into the spring months, and it feels as if Beeston is going through its own spring regeneration. Covid restrictions permitting, the new cinema will be opening before long, and we expect it will draw in lots of people to the town. Looking back in years to come, we may define periods of time as ‘before cinema’ and ‘after cinema’, perhaps even more so than BC (before Covid). There is lots of pent-up demand for people to socialise, so the timing of the opening to coincide with the easing of lockdown restriction is very fortunate for the cinema. However, we expect that the initial rush to experience big-screen entertainment again will be sustained. Certainly, the many businesses investing in new openings in the town expect a lasting success. As the days of high-street retail look increasingly short, Beeston is already ahead of the game when it comes to adapting and offering eating/drinking and leisure experiences that can’t be done in cyberspace. If Covid has taught us anything, it is that humans are still a very social species, and the need for interaction is massive. I’ve had many a ‘virtual pub’ drink with friends over Zoom, but it is nothing like sitting in or outside The Crown, Pottle or Commercial or any of the other fantastic pubs we have on our doorstep. Hopefully this issue reflects the optimism of the longer, warmer days, further freedoms, more connections and increased hope. Keep looking after yourselves and each other – we are not out of the woods yet but we are getting there. JC

John Cooper Editorial

beeston l a n o s r e p + e s o l c p U Beeston evolving

Whilst many similar-sized towns have really hit the skids recently, Beeston continues to ride the wave of change. It is great to see so many empty units in different stages of renewal. Whilst there are no shoe shops on the horizon, the presumably bare-footed residents of the town who bemoan the lack of one will no doubt still be pleased with the progress.

White Rose Super-cool retro/vintage outlet White Rose chose Beeston as the location for their newest store ahead of plenty of other Notts suburbs.

Anatolia A very welcome addition to the already amazing restaurant choices in the town centre, we can’t wait for a Turkish feast.

Brilliant Burgers? Currently being used for storage by fantastic local charity Operation Orphan, rumour has it that this unit between Meat 4 U and BetFred will soon be host to a quality burger restaurant.

Pudding Pantry Another superb food offering will soon be occupying the long-empty former pub and one-time house of ill repute The Durham Ox. Owners Emma and Anthony Quinn cite the tram and forthcoming cinema as making Beeston a very attractive destination.

Dawson’s Deli Top butchers Craig Dawson have just opened their Deli just a couple of doors along from their existing shop.

Beeston Showcase You may well have noticed the formerly empty Argos now resplendent with plenty of work from local artists. The Beeston Showcase is the brainchild of Beeston jazz singer and street art organiser Jeanie Barton. It promises to look even better when Covid restrictions lift and allow Jeanie to access the building, to arrange and add more artworks to what is already a terrific display. The initiative hopes to expand to utilise more empty shop space to exhibit local art and information until they are re-let.

beeston speaks i am

Barbara Green: Charity Champion

lived in the Meadows until I was seven years old. My family and I then moved to Clifton and I lived there until 2014. My late husband had passed away, so I moved to the Rylands to be with my son, who already lived here. We found this house had a ‘granny flat’ and had a good feeling about it, so we bought it, and I have been very happy living here ever since. It was a big wrench to leave Clifton and my friends after living there for so long, but it was the right decision for me. I then got a job at Boots D6 building”.

“I was nominated by the City Council for my voluntary work to carry the Olympic Torch in 2012. .” “Although living in the Rylands was daunting at first, I realised what a supportive community it is. This was clearly demonstrated at Owen Jenkins’ funeral. All the community came out and showed their respects. Everyone is friendly and I’ve never felt alone, or like an outsider. I remember when I came out of hospital after an op, people from the Trent Vale Community Church brought me dinners. I do enjoy working with the youngsters at Trent Vale School. I miss seeing them, due to the current situation and am very sad that I can’t help the community as much as I’d like to at the moment. But I enjoy reading The Beestonian magazine, which is delivered to me in a sandwich bag, and finding out what’s going on”.

“I’m a member of the Friday Club at the Rylands Community Centre. It’s a great opportunity for a get together and a chat. I’ve learnt so much history about the area from listening to people’s stories. I’m a real fan of history. I’d love to go back in time to see what Wollaton Hall was like in its heyday. I really enjoy visiting the Canalside Heritage Centre. I keep meaning to go on the Blue Plaque walk around Beeston. I will when it's safe to do so”. “When I lived in Clifton, I was a Teaching Assistant at Farnborough School. I was also a Duke of Edinburgh leader and used to work with disadvantaged youngsters, so they could get a holiday, and I also used to rescue ferrets. At one time, I was looking after 36, and was affectionately known as the ‘Ferret Lady’. I was nominated by the City Council for my voluntary work to carry the Olympic Torch in 2012. I was the first person to carry it out from the castle. I had the opportunity to buy it afterwards, which I did. I took it to the Boathouse Cafe and Tony was so enthusiastic to see it. I’ve visited lots of places in Beeston with my torch, and everyone is so interested to see it”. “I have a funny story of when I first moved to Beeston. I was walking down the High Road and saw a man sitting on a bench. I thought I’d go and say hello to him, as he was sitting all alone. When I got nearer, I realised that it was the statue of the Beeman!” CF

Tim Pollard This issue: I'm Feeling Appy!

t’s been a funny old time in the world of Robin Hood. One minute I’m assiduously staying inside for the best part of a year, juggling home-schooling, seeing no-one and trying to keep myself and my daughter sane and the next minute I’m being splashed over global media - for something entirely unconnected with me! It was around this time last year that a lot of events started being cancelled. The big one for me was losing the already rescheduled Robin Hood Pageant followed by every other booking I had - so along with so many other people it’s been a very worrying and significantly less lucrative year. I got to do a few things online including an appearance in a virtual pantomime (with the great Bernie Clifton) for Treetops Hospice and that was fine; mainly Scarlett and I just stayed in and enjoyed the online learning that her school provided. I learned a lot too (like what a ‘fronted adverb’ is) and can only marvel at the incredible dedication and endless enthusiasm of her school’s teachers, staff and Head. Thank you, Round Hill (and every other school that did the same); you’re truly awesome. But at the beginning of February something odd happened. Far away in America a group of financial speculators decided that an ailing American company called GameStop (terribly afflicted by the pandemic as well as general poor trading) was likely to go under, so several large hedge-funds bet an eyewateringly large amount of money that its share-price would drop. This was noticed by an online group of individuals (just normal folks, not big traders), who decided to save the company by buying a lot of GameStop shares to push the price up, not down. This meant that the market traders would lose *billions* of dollars and (they hoped) send a message that betting on companies failing is wrong. And the name of the trading app they used to do this…‘Robinhood’. It’s a *great* story (at least if you just deal with the broad headline); a group of plucky individuals group together to give a bloody nose to the otherwise untouchable elite on Wall Street, all under the name Robin Hood. They did well too, initially – one hedge

fund was wiped out and others suffered very badly. But then the owners of the app stopped any further trading and some of the small investors began to worry they’d lose their money, so started contacting Robinhood on social media. Except a *lot* of them contacted the wrong Robin Hood organisation – they began to message Nottingham’s World Wide Robin Hood Society (@RobinHood on Twitter) in their *thousands*, asking for trading information or help with their money. The Society’s three volunteer organisers (Bob, Lisa and Mike) were overwhelmed and put out a press release pointing out they had nothing to do with the app - and at that point the media began to take a real interest in it. To be fair it was a *perfect* fun story in an otherwise pretty gloomy news cycle and the Society asked me to help represent them in press interviews and online. So from the soporific ‘what day/week/month is it now?’ routine of lockdown, I suddenly had to turn my office into a studio for Zoom and phone interviews. I even had to head out to the Robin Hood statue to do an hour’s filming with an American TV crew who’d driven all the way up from London to interview me (in full kit and mask) about the story itself and what effect it might have on tourism in the future – and that interview itself had over 20 million viewers! I even ended up being interviewed by and featured in a story by the prestigious The Wall Street Journal. By this point the story really had begun to feed on itself – I was doing press interviews about having done other press interviews and the story was being told in the UK, Europe, The US and even Russia. To be honest it was all a bit weird and wild – but at least I found out that my costume still fits me (a genuine worry after my lockdown life of sedentary snacking) and I’m starting to feel like life might actually be showing signs of returning to normal. …as if what I do is ever normal! And please remember: be like an outlaw – stay in your hideout when you can but if you do go out, wear a mask! Stay safe! TP

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WHATTHE FU ZZ ? By Lucy Morrow

Can you guess the Fuzzy Felt Formations? (Answers below)

To view Lucy's online gallery or to make a request, visit @capturedbythefuzz on Instagram. Greetings cards are available at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/capturedbythefuzz

Fuzzy Felt Answers: 1. 2001 A Space Odyssey 2. Alien

3. Banksy Nottingham 4. King Kong

5. Labyrinth 6. The Wicker Man

TIME, PLEASE P

ubs. Remember pubs? They’re those fantastic places you can have a sit down and have a drink and see what happens. Secular churches for a community, there is often no better measure of a town than its density and quality of pubs. By this metric, Beeston is an astoundingly fine place, with much to spoil us. Well, they will be when once again we are free to drop back in them, order a drink and slip into that collective joy. Yet some pubs are less missed than others, and one that dropped out of the local crawl well before it actually shut its doors for good and became an Indian restaurant was the notorious Royal Oak.

This pariah of local pubs eventually called time for the final time over a decade ago, and wasn’t much missed. I recall only once visiting in all my years of Beeston boozing, and left after a swiftly-necked pint. Sitting squat on Villa Street, it reincarnated as the fine Nimboo Restaurant, until that fell victim to the vicissitudes of the restaurant business. Yet all pubs have a life story: The Royal Oak’s goes back much longer than my own memories. Usually these are stories that are told, with sparkly-eyed nostalgia and increasing volume, by regulars of a ruddy complexion as they lean on the bar-top. They mostly exist there, and exclusively there, and as the storytellers pass, so do the memories. Few pubs ever have the honour of their story, or at least a significant chapter of their story, being committed to print, let alone one that is written by a master of both prose and poetry such as long-time Beestonian, publisher, poet and jazz musician John Lucas. Closing Time at the Royal Oak is a book that chronicles 20 years of Lucas’s love affair with the pub, beginning in 1969 through to 1989. No mere tap-room whimsy here though: in telling the tale (split over four chapters representing the four managements of the pub over that time) Lucas tells the tale of our town: the decline of the industry that once fuelled the local economy; the changing social mores; the very idea of what a ‘pub’ means. He references Orwell’s panegyric

‘Moon Under the Water’ essay on the pub as Platonic Form, and it’s clear why: Lucas also sees pubs as a reflection on society, the very essence of what a town is. Just as those navigating cities and towns will use pubs as waymarkers, social historians can read much into an area and and an era through the fortunes and nature of its pubs. That is not to give the impression that this is an over-intellectualism of the boozer: far from it. Lucas tells the stories of former locals - some you will recognise to this day, waiting for the Great Reopening to resume their life of beer and chat - with much detailed fascination and an eye for the humorous tidbit: he tells how that famous local ale ‘Shipstones’ was often anagrammed into ‘Honest Piss’; and the local branch of CND went by the name ‘Beeston Anti-Nuclear Group’, aka ‘BANG’. Such delicacies are glorious invigorating chasers to the beer of the main text.

"Lucas also sees pubs as a reflection on society, the very essence of what a town is...” The Royal Oak is set to disappear soon, much like the many other pubs we’ve lost over the years: The Prince of Wales, The Durham Ox, The Queens, The Cow et al. It is a sorry husk on Villa street. But all pubs ARE essentially husks: it is the community that animate them, the spirit that burns within. The Royal Oak may soon be but rubble, but no matter, with Lucas’s book there is a pitch to immortality, a slice of its story forever preserved in print; and, should you wish to treat yourself to one of the finest books about our town that I’ve ever read, your bookshelf. To make that happen, order now from fiveleavesbookshop. co.uk/product/closingtime-at-the-royal-oak MT

Matt Turpin On John Lucas' fantastic new book...

Scott Bennett This issue: “Techno Techno TechNO!”

et me just start by saying the last year has been tough, but I think it was the best era for a pandemic like this to happen.

Netflix, Deliveroo, the internet, can you imagine trying to get through this nightmare twenty years ago? Sitting there for eight hours a day, with terrestrial television, a box set of Bergerac on DVD and snake on a Nokia 3410, it would have been agony. That’s not a lockdown that’s a wet caravanning holiday to Rhyl. Technology has helped us keep in touch with family. I’ve been stunned my how quickly my parents have adapted to this new online world. My father is called “Roy”, which is the perfect name for a working class, Yorkshire luddite. You don’t get many baby Roys these days, do you? That’s not a baby, that’s the name of a sixty-year-old bloke with a moustache and a smoker’s cough. Babies called Roy would come out of the womb already able to grout a bathroom. I reckon my dad was already a tradesman before he even took his first breath. Apparently, he was born by caesarian section, I imagine he probably used his first words to give his mother a quote for the damage. “We can plaster over that love, no worries, two hundred quid, see you Tuesday.” He got this iPad so he could Facetime my children. He never got the hang of it, because he used to ring us first, half an hour before, to see if we were “prepared for the Facetime.” What did he think it was? Live Aid or something? Just be spontaneous Dad! He couldn’t use the camera either. For weeks we were being Facetimed by a Fridge Freezer. There was nothing there. Then all of a sudden accompanied by some heavy breathing, this eye would come creeping into view. “Here’s Grandad!” The kids didn’t sleep for weeks! Now he’s setting up WhatsApp groups, video calls, Skype sessions. He’s learnt new words like “bandwidth” and “emoji”, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he goes viral on Tik Tok. Technology is incredible, but it does make our lives more complicated. I feel like we have to remember more passwords than an MI5 agent these days. I’m running out of options now. I’ve used the children’s names, birthdays, old teachers. I’ve been through the cast of Neighbours, including Bouncer the dog, I’m really struggling now. Everything is encrypted now too, which just causes more stress. I hate the person who invented that Captcha system. I think we

should find them and take them hostage, and only let them go if they manage to spot three fire hydrants, a zebra crossing and seven bicycles out of a window. I’m obviously not a robot. As if a robot would be online at two in the morning, googling “What is MC Hammer’s real name?” I’ve signed up for so much stuff online and I can say with some confidence that I’ve never read those terms and conditions either. Who has time for that? No one knows what is written in that small print? I could have just agreed to donate a kidney if I miss a payment, but I want that phone more than I want to be thorough, so I’ll instantly click accept. During lockdown I’ve been in a toxic relationship too. With my inkjet printer. It’s the year 2021, we’ve put people on the moon and yet we still can’t design a printer that isn’t an absolute arsehole. I know there’ll be people reading this who have an inkjet printer, I just want to ask how many times, today alone, have you sworn at it and threatened to sling it through the window? I bet it’s at least fifty. Mine is possessed. HP, which stands for “Higher Power” I swear it’s trying to break me down. Once, I got so angry with it, I pulled the power cord out of the back, the light stayed on, that defies physics. There is only one thing powering that, resentment. Having that printer is like having a teenage boy in the house. This thing just sits in the corner all day, just grunting, there’s a light on but nothing’s happening, I’m always feeding it and it’s costing me a fortune. I got that printer for thirty quid, an absolute bargain. I remember having to do a double take in the shop. “They must be making a loss; they couldn’t manufacture it for that price?” This is because they know that they will get you on the ink. That’s not a printer, that’s a gateway drug! That printer cost me thirty pounds; the ink is costing me over six hundred pounds a year! That’s like someone selling you a car for five hundred quid and you then find out that it only runs on Unicorn wee! It’s a scandal, people would march against these companies, but they can’t afford to print the placards. I’ve got an idea for a new Terminator film - I’m going to email James Cameron this week. It’s the perfect concept, something that pitches man against machine in the ultimate battle to the death. But they’ll be no guns, no gadgets, no time travel, it’d just be one man trying to print a Ryan Air boarding pass for three hours!

We are obsessed with putting technology into things now too. Everything has to be internet ready and it’s getting out of hand. I got bought a video doorbell for Christmas, it connects to the internet and you can tell you who is at your door when you’re away from home. When you’ve been in lockdown for over a year that’s just what you need. They may as well have got me vouchers for British Airways. I’ve had a cheaper version of this gadget that has been working well for over fifteen years now, it’s called the front room window. It’s cheap, it’s low maintenance and doesn’t text me like a needy girlfriend every time some stranger looks through it. I have enough stress to deal with in my life without my doorbell being able to contact me. I’ve got two kids, a cat and a mortgage, now I’ve got a doorbell to look after, I can’t deal with that! If you’re already an anxious person, this is the last you need in your life. Imagine being sat on a beach in Greece (when we are allowed) on your holidays, trying to relax. Then your phone flags up a notification and you have to watch in real-time, someone trying to burgle your house, whilst you’re sat on a sun lounger, powerless and panicking, holding a Cornetto. You can buy a slow cooker that connects to the internet now. Just in case you want to monitor a casserole remotely. How boring is your life if part of your day is to check in on your slow cooker?!

child. Very embarrassing, particularly if the midwife is there.

I was all charged up, foaming at the mouth, ready to give these clowns both barrels.

Sometimes our baby monitor would pick up the radio from the local taxi rank. Either that or our youngest was trying to book a minibus to the airport. It was really weird, you’d be listening to the sound of her breathing, a lullaby being played on the mobile, then it would just get interrupted by Darren at Cable Cars.

But what I’ve noticed is that some of these companies have what seems to be, a secret Nanna department. It’s so clever. I was expecting to get some seventeen year old idiot called Gavin who I could have happily unloaded both barrels on. But instead, I got Dorothy, a softly spoken Scottish woman with a voice like Mrs Doubtfire, and it totally threw me.

“Tony, pick up at Oceana night club mate, you nearby?” “Can do mate, Roger that!” Can I just say at this point, I’m ashamed of the way I speak to my Alexa. It’s appalling. I’m just barking orders at that poor woman all day long. “Alexa, play Radio 2”, “Alexa, set the timer for my eggs, Alexa what happened to Zammo from Grange Hill?” I can just see her at the other end, just running round all stressed and flustered. I never give her a break. If I spoke to my wife like I speak to my Alexa she’d hit me with a frying pan. The worst thing is sometimes Alexa gets told off for stuff that isn’t even her fault. She gets caught in the cross fire during our marital arguments. She’ll be playing the radio as I’ve told her to do, my wife will be annoyed with me for some reason and when she walks into the kitchen who does she shout at first? Not me, poor old Alexa! She turns to that blue light and with venom and hatred she yells.

“Everything okay Pete, you’ve gone pale” “I’ve had an emergency at home” “Oh no, is it the kids are they okay?” “It’s worse than that, the slow cooker has got stuck on simmer!”

I swear sometimes, in the early hours, I’ve actually that poor smart speaker sobbing.

You can buy a Pepper Spray with a Bluetooth connection, camera and 4G. So, you can spray the assailant whilst sending a photo of them to the police. Imagine trying to do that? “Mate, I know I’m terrified and you’ve got a knife, but can we do another one, I had my finger over the lens!” “Sure, I didn’t like that one anyway, my chin looked a bit fat.”

We should have an adoption agency for mistreated appliances like this. Kindles who haven’t been charged for years, old I-phones that have been discarded in drawers and Fitbits that were worn once and then slung angrily into the corner of the room, after the owner realized that running was yet another thing in life that they’ve failed miserably at.

You can buy an internet ready onesie so you can put your baby online too. With an accompanying app that monitors the heart rate and oxygen levels.

I think technology has changed arguments forever. They aren’t as much fun as they used to be, are they? It used to be an angry shouting match, people screaming down telephones, tears, maybe even actual violence. Now, just one sentence sends us into a panic, “David has left the WhatsApp group!” “On no!” “What have we done to David!”

The perfect gadget for those parents on the edge who are already terrified of leaving their kid alone. Having a baby is nerve wracking enough without having it wired into the grid. It’s bad enough having a baby monitor. That’s meant to bring you peace of mind, but all that happens is you’ll be sat in the front room having a cup of tea listening to your exhausted partner swearing at your

“ALEXA……..OFF!” “SHUT YER FACE ALEXA!”

When technology lets you down, there is nothing worse. We’re in a constant battle with our broadband at the moment. It’s become an essential service and ours is appalling. I rang up to complain to my service provider,

I reckon it wasn’t a call centre at all. Just a care home, with a load of lovely old ladies sat in rows with headsets on and a tartan blanket on their knees. Taking calls in between Countdown and Homes under the Hammer. So, I tried to put my complaint to her. “Listen, this broadband isn’t good enough Dorothy, I’m trying to work from home at the moment, we’ve got the children being homeschooled, it’s slow, expensive and unreliable and frankly I’ve had enough of it” She paused and then her little gentle voice piped up. “Ahhh, two wee girls, what are their names?” “Olivia and Sophia” “Beautiful names, I’ve got two wee girls myself. They’ve grown up and left home now, one of them is in Canada, I rarely see her. They all leave dear; I suppose you’re going to do the same are you?” “Errr…right okay, sorry about that. No, I don’t want to leave but it’s the upload speed that’s the problem Dorothy, Its useless” “I know my dear, and that’s the one thing we don’t guarantee, I’m so sorry” “Where I live is the same, my little cottage here on the isle of Skye, we have to make do dear. There are people dying in this pandemic, but I know that a little bit of buffering whilst you’re trying to watch Bridgerton is more than anyone should have to deal with.” “If I could I would come down there with some cable, a shovel and a wheelbarrow and put in that fibre myself. I would my dear, but I can’t do that poppet, I’m 83, my best installation days are behind me now!” So, I rang up to complain and all I did was have a chat with an old lady for twenty minutes. Worse thing is, she was so good, I’ve not even left, I’ve signed a contract for another three years. Scott Bennett Comedian www.scottbennettcomedy.co.uk Twitter - @scottbcomedyuk Instagram - @scottbcomedyuk Stand up from the shed – Live stream Every Week Live – www.facebook.com/scottybcomedy Podcast – Search “Stand up from the shed” on Apple and Soundcloud Twitter - @standupinashed

65 Only £ A3 for an or print A4 r £55 fo

Prints now available

Rendered in pen and watercolour, our expanding collection of Beeston's spectacular pubs and restaurants are now available as limited edition, signed Giclee prints.

• • • •

High quality Giclee prints, on thick A3, textured paper. Each print is individually signed and numbered by the artist £65 for A3, £55 for A4 (plus £5 postage if outside Beeston) Postcard sets coming soon...

Interested? Drop us a line at: thebeestonian@gmail.com and we'll arrange payment and delivery.

All p ro go to fits supp help o Bees rt the tonia n

t s e e B Mini The

t s e e B i in M o t e m Welco Goodbarton, Created by Helen

llen

Graphics by Dan Cu

Now we’ve hit April and the weather is warming up, nature is blooming all around us, so we’re encouraging you to have a look around you and enjoy it, with our Spring-themed puzzles and activities. We've also got 4 lovely Spring-themed poems, sent in by our young readers!

Picture Soduku

Can you fill in the grid so there is only ONE of each picture in each row and ONE of each picture in each column?

pathfinder

Can you find a path through this grid that includes all the listed words connected to Spring? You can move up, down or sideways but not diagonally, and every square is used. BIRDSONG

BLOSSOM

SPARROW

SUNSHINE

TULIP

CROCUS GARDENING FROGSPAWN LAMBS

Green Fingers If you have a flower-pot or two, or a small patch of earth to dig at, and fancy your hand at a bit of gardening, here are few easy to grow flowers and foods to have a go with. With anything you’re planning on planting, make sure you dig over and weed the soil well first.

Sweet pea - Sweet peas need a small cane or two to climb up and will give you lots of beautiful smelling flowers through summer. Sow seeds outdoors in March or April. Encourage the plants’ tendrils to curl around the cane as it grows. Lettuce - Lettuces can be grown all year round. If you choose different varieties you will have some for every season. Seeds, once sown, should begin to sprout within 12 days, so you’ll have tasty, fresh leaves for your salad within no time. Nasturtium – Great as it both looks lovely and tastes good too! Sow seeds in pots in spring, then make a colourful salad from the beautiful, peppery orange, red or yellow flowers. Marigolds – Sow seeds directly into the ground from March to May for beautiful yellow and orange blooms until autumn. Radish - A great starter vegetable because as well as being easy to grow, the colourful roots are ready for eating within a month of sowing.

BULB SHADOWS

All these flowers are commonly found flowering in Spring. They are all flowers grown from bulbs. Can you match the shadows with their names? SNOWDROP TULIP DAFFODIL CROCUS BLUEBELL

Spring poems

The fresh Spring rain falls On the squishy, squelchy mud. A single flower grows, It was once a little bud. As leaves begin to re-grow From a long Winter's snow. As the trees whisper quietly And the bunnies hop so slow.

The Easter bunny’s busy, He’s packing up his eggs. Which part of your chocolate bunny do you eat first, Its head or its legs? Now Winter’s finally over, And Spring has sprung again. And pitter-patter, pitter-patter, Goes the pouring rain. Although Spring has rain, It also has sun. It doesn't matter if you get muddy, So, go and have some fun. By Imogen, age 8 And Eleanor, age 4, Both from Chilwell

Leaves grow in the new spring breeze, Dogs get wowed at the new leaves,

Footprints melt as the air gets warmer, “The little chicks have hatched,” we must inform her. Flowers blossom while the birds sing, And they have their chicks right under their wing. By Libby, age 9 from Beeston Bye-bye winter, hello Spring. Time to hear the birds sing. Cheep, cheep! New life now begins. By Nessa Ramtohul, age 8 from Beeston Spring, spring, it’s coming Once more it’s blossoming Re-birthing the leaves so green I’m excited for a nice spring clean! By From Eleanor, age 9 from Beeston Rylands

Springwatch I-spy There are all sorts of things springing to life, in March. Can you keep your eyes peeled on your walks out and find any of these, below? Tick the box next to something when you have spied it. Can you spy all ten? Some of these can be spotted in most suburban areas, for others you may need to head to Attenborough Nature Reserve. Birds Robin – You can’t miss a Robin, with its bright red breast. They can be spotted in woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens. Great Tit - The distinct yellow breast and black and white face markings should help you spot this bird in woodland, parks, or gardens. Coot – This black water bird with a white beak can be found swimming around Attenborough, or Highfields! Red Crested Pochard – This breed of Pochard has a wonderful chestnut coloured head and bright red beak. A rarer water bird, but they do like to hang around Attenborough. Tufted Duck – Another one to head to Attenborough to spot, the little black tuft at the back of this duck’s head it it’s distinguishing feature. Mediterranean gull – This gull is in its winter plumage. Look out from them around water.

Flowers Daffodils – A firm favourite in Spring, daffodils come in many shades of yellow from pale cream to a sunset orange. Tick it if you spot any kind. These here are the lovely common yellow kind. Cherry Blossom - These beautiful pink blooms cover trees in the Spring. You can’t miss them! Tulips – Tulips come in many colours but can be easily identified by their cup like flower heads. They pop up a little later than other Spring bulbs, so don’t despair if you don’t spot them straight away. Grape Hyacinth – These are small flowers, which grow wild in hedgerows, and also in gardens. Wood Anemone - Wood anemones can be found in mature deciduous woodlands across the UK, as well as by hedgerows and meadows. Rose – A classic flower! Some start flowering in Spring, can you spot any?

Survive & thrive

iving in Britain makes us good at adapting! We do it four times a year as the seasons change, we adapt our routines and clothing to suit. Our dog walks get muddier and those walks get squeezed into a smaller window of daylight hours. Our footwear changes and we get out our big coats. We also have to adapt to less expected situations that happen throughout our lives. Working within the community, we’ve observed over the last year that the elder residents that seem to be faring best are those that understand that adapting to change is not giving in, it’s embracing new situations and making the most of things.

Whilst the amount of adaptation has varied across generations, there is no question that our younger residents have also had to come to terms with the predictable being less so. The inevitable replaced instead by new and possibly challenging forms of connection and progression. Over the winter lockdown Beeston Rylands Youth Club has moved to an online delivery. Open to all young people in Beeston aged 11-15, they spend an hour a week chatting, listening to music, doing quizzes or competitions, and recently making pancakes. All resources and equipment are provided by the Beeston Rylands Community Association (BRCA) and dropped at doorsteps prior to the session. There’s no doubt that young people have been greatly affected by the isolation and disruption that Covid-19 has inflicted, so the familiarity of fun and

silliness can be a much-welcomed relief from homeschooling and restrictions. It can also create a safe space to discuss those more pertinent worries or anxieties that may be troubling young people. BRCA are also partnering with Freedom Foundation and offering a fantastic opportunity for young people to take part in a programme called 'Freedom Factory'. The course aims to empower children and young people to explore their individuality, learn to value themselves and build their confidence using creative expression. It’s about nurturing young people’s natural optimism to best support them through these challenging times so they continue to have happy, productive and safe childhoods.

Community Matters This issue: The Importance of Adaptation.

BRCA also plans to provide support to adults who want to get back into the workplace, and to develop an arts programme for young people. The aim is to bring back a full program of activities run at the community centre as soon as restrictions allow, and they can be delivered safely. So spring is in the air, a new season, and hopefully a new stage in the journey out of lockdown. BRCA is embracing this fresh hope and are poised and prepared to once again adapt and respond to the needs of the community as they arise. Watch this space! (BRCA is a local charity serving the needs of Beeston Rylands and beyond. Please contact Amanda-Claire with any ideas and suggestions as to how they can best support the community. email: acemillington@gmail). Janet Barnes and Naomi Robinson

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t’s a turbulent time for everyone, none more so than for the thousands of students currently studying at our city’s universities who are nowhere near our city. Most students have gone back home, wherever home might be. It could be abroad, or hundreds of miles down the road to the coastal parts of our country, but they’re still part of this broken and haphazard group we call the student body. As a university student myself, this year has been the most difficult so far, completing all our lectures, seminars and assignments from the dining room table, whilst the rest of your family bustle around you and try and find the small piece of normality they still have left. It’s been hard to remain positive for many, with social interaction with other students confined to a fortnightly Zoom quiz and Netflix party. It’s been a shock to the system, and a change that many weren’t prepared for. But there are a few ways that students are keeping their spirits high during these unprecedented times. Olivia Stock, 21, an English student at the University of Nottingham, has found refuge in her extracurricular opportunities that have found a way to continue throughout the pandemic. She said: “Student media has been a lifeline for me during the pandemic. When things were unsettled, it offered a real sense of purpose and constancy. Having the time to indulge in creative projects has been brilliant and for students who often feel anxious or overwhelmed by small-group study sessions, the online learning environment has made for a more comfortable and reassuring experience.” Olivia also noted how moving back in with her parents helped prepare her for her life after she finishes at university as she fully expects to have to live with them for a while again whilst searching for a job. She added: “For me, living at home for periods of time during the pandemic has helped eliminate that irrational student fear about moving back in with parents postgraduating. I think there’s a real stigma about not walking straight into a job after university, so the pandemic has really shown me that it isn’t all bad!” Lewis Tibbs, 22, a Broadcast Journalism student at Nottingham Trent University also

admitted that he has found it more difficult to concentrate during the current lockdown but has found small ways to stay motivated. He said: “This third lockdown has been particularly tough, being stuck inside all day during the winter months can be really tolling at times. But there has been a lot of positivity to come out of it as well. I’ve used lockdown to recuperate and refocus and to really think about what I want to achieve and what I want to do with my life. I’ve thrown myself into my work, and tried my best to prepare myself for my life postgraduation. It’s given me a purpose every day and something to wake up for.”

Faith Pring This issue: The Staggering Optimism of Students

Lewis also added that the changes to his university degree have been significant, but he managed to find the positives in those as well. He admitted: “University isn’t the same in the slightest of course, it isn’t how I expected to be finishing my degree at all, but the staff work really hard to provide a good quality learning experience, so it’s been okay. I try and talk to my friends as much as possible because it does help. Despite the obvious challenges, I’m doing good.” Lilith Hudson, 22, an English and Philosophy student at the University of Nottingham, has also found these last few months more difficult than previous lockdowns. However she has found spending time outdoors as the key to keeping her spirits high. She said: “There’s no denying that the last few months have been a struggle. Life has become routinely boring in the absence of any spontaneity. As a final year student it’s easy to think that because there’s nothing better to do you should spend your time studying, but this approach won’t do you or your grades any favours.” “As contrived as it may be, I’ve been trying to spice up drab days with impromptu jaunts; mid-mornings spent meandering along the Trent and afternoons plodding along the canal. When exercise doesn’t appeal, I do some impulsive baking or randomly call a friend. It’s the little things like this that help you to find something positive in every day.” She added: “The faint possibility that I’ll actually have a graduation was the motive I needed to keep me going, so I’m holding onto hope!” FP

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Creative Debra Urbacz This month: Painting with Nature

Anjana Cawdell (this issue’s featured artist) The delicate watercolours Anjana paints have captivated me for many years now. As I gaze at the light watercolour strokes she has made on paper, I often catch my breath for fear of dislodging the delicate flower petals or disturbing a resting bee. Her judicious nature studies capture the very essence of the non-permanence of natural plant forms so well in colours as translucent as they are intense. You can read more about Anjana’s work via the link:

he first ‘lockdown’ felt so much easier to navigate for most of us. We had warm weather, sunshine and bright green spaces to occupy for much of it. We relied on our close proximity to nature to help keep us sane and socially connected and we didn’t have to wrap ourselves up in a winter duvet to have a doorstep conversation with our nearest and dearest.

All the signs are there! Vivid dabs of yellow crocuses sit on top of emerald grass, made lush by a wet winter and longer, lighter days. Breeding season has brought a concerto of chirruping and twittering birds in the woodlands again. New beginnings, renewed hope. And brand new inspiration for some of our local artists. In the spirit of all things creative, I caught up with a couple of painters to chat with them about how nature stirs them into action.

Beeston Tim Sexton

A stark contrast to the rainbow of vivid colours that Anjana favours, Tim’s nature studies are entirely monochromatic. Equally painted with just the right amount of brushstrokes, the fragile forms of the fungi he is recreating give the impression they could be picked right off the page. What is particularly interesting about Tim’s paintings though, is the way they are produced. You might know Tim better through his sterling work at Attenborough Nature Reserve, where he was one of the managers of the visitor’s centre for almost 15 years. Having been first furloughed, then made redundant due to the pandemic, Tim made the most of the good weather during the first lockdown. A keen photographer, Tim had perfected his skills in macro photography in his spare time whilst working for the Wildlife Trust and has become well known for the images often used in publicity materials for Attenborough Nature Reserve. Tim describes macro photography as ‘a useful tool for recording and identifying wildlife’ and loves to photograph species that may otherwise be overlooked - in particular invertebrates which he has discovered and which make up more than 90% of all living animal species. There are around thirty stunning captures on his website. His passion for photography blossomed due to an undergraduate course in Graphic Design Tim undertook on leaving school. But as an early creative Tim had always painted in his spare time and enjoyed ‘the way you can lose yourself in the picture’ as it takes shape. Shelved in favour of photography for a number of years, he returned to painting as a medium for recording his wildlife observations during ‘lockdown.’ Having possessed an interest in the natural world for as long as he can remember, Tim has been a keen forager for years, making use of the bounty in his natural surroundings. It was this, and an article that he read about a man who had starting painting with the ink from a certain type of wild mushroom, that led Tim to experiment with a different medium for his art. Shaggy inkcaps are abundant in autumn and harvesting enough to provide a sufficient amount of ink was easy enough. Sealed in a Ziplock bag, the ink had already started to bleed out by the time he arrived home – the mushrooms decay rapidly one they are picked.

Tim’s son accompanies him on his nature walks, and it was he that suggested Tim paint mushrooms with the stored ink. This seemed satisfyingly poetic. Tim used photographs that he had taken of the inkcaps as a source for his paintings, adding tea tree oil to the jar of ink to make the odour that bit more palatable. The ink itself is quite watery so it takes many careful layers to build up the lines on the page, though it dries quickly so this is not as painstaking as it sounds. The resulting images bear a striking similarity to the anatomical and botanical illustrations of the Victorian age, which I have always found fascinating. I always imagined that creating those illustrations in ink was incredibly time-consuming and required a very steady hand. I love that Tim’s work forges links with traditional dyeing methods where wool and cloth would be tinted with a variety of plants, invertebrates or minerals long before the manufacture of synthetic dyes. There is something honest and pure about these paintings, something that keeps them firmly connected with the natural environment they originated from. And curiously, as there are spores contained in the ink, should the paintings be exposed to a dark, damp atmosphere there is a possibility that the fungus will emerge from the paper.

" There is something honest and pure about these paintings...” At time of writing Tim is now three weeks into his new job as species and recording officer at Rutland Water. The large deer population have been relishing the lack of people at the reserve and are getting much more relaxed. He expresses how peaceful this is - ‘just me and the wildlife.’ And with painting as his escape, I’d say Tim is navigating this pandemic pretty well by all accounts. www.sextonbeetle.com DU

TREES OF Dr Jo Norcup Buds, Blooms and Church Street’s mini Spring glade.

have been longing for spring and its first signs. The sighting of the first snowdrop. The small green unfurling leaves of the wild garlic. In my own back garden, the catkins now hang from the Hazel trees, and buds of new leaves begin to take form on the Cherry Plum. The hedgerow begins to show signs of new life, coinciding with the joyful return of the songs of the Blackbirds and the chattering flitting of the Sparrows who have returned to my back garden to make preparations for their new nests. Indoors, potatoes chit and small seed trays filled with peas, peppers and herbs begin to shoot. The sap is rising, spring is springing, and life is returning to the gardens, streets, verges and fields, and it feels like something to truly celebrate. Winter is a good time to consider what buds, blooms and new green shoots are the hope the plant world gift humans. After the dark winter months, the capacity to be hopeful that longer daylight hours will return, and with it the potential for new life and hopeful prospects. Anyone who has passed either on foot or in a vehicle may notice that at this time of year there is a bright spot across the road from the war memorial, at the junction of Middle Street and the top of Dovecote Lane. A small verge next to The Crown pub that always feels like a miniature spring glade. First the crocus, then the Daffodils and one or two Mascari. Yellows, whites, purple and blue flowers emerge and dance on the early March breeze. Watching on, on the opposite side of Church Lane, behind a wall and hedge in the grounds of the old Manor Lodge, stands a majestic Tulip Magnolia tree. It will be the first tree on the

corner to flower, its large white purple tinged tulip-shaped blooms appearing before its leaves fully take form, a reminder to the bare branches to bring forth their leaves. If you time it right, between the Magnolia on one side of Church Street and the verge next to the pub, you can be transported to a hopeful botanical space. Lockdown last year meant I missed the Magnolia in full bloom, but with the prospect of vaccines and lowering R numbers, I have the smallest of dreams that this year I will be able to go walking and get to linger to pay my respects to the tree and the verge in all its blooming glory. Magnolia trees are one of the first trees to bloom in the spring (notwithstanding the Witch Hazels and Winter Sweets that, as I type, are coming to the end of their whispery displays having provided pollen for overwintering pollinating insects such as bees). The Chinese Tulip Magnolia (Magnolia Soulangeana) as with its sister, the Star Magnolia (the Japanese Magnolia Stellata) bear names indicating the shape of the flowers that bloom before these trees the put on any leaves. In China, the Magnolia is not only symbolic of beauty, but also of independent thinking and perseverance, of gathering of facts before making decisions, of standing firm and keeping going. It is an ancient breed of tree that has a large and ancient genus going back 100 million years. The mature Magnolia is profound company to stand near and revere, a reminder when it blooms that spring is come, and that this tree and this genus have seen many suns, many springs, that life goes onwards.

BEESTON "I have the smallest of dreams that this year I will be able to go walking and get to linger to pay my respects to the tree and the verge in all its blooming glory...”

On a bright early March morning, when the air is cool, the sun is out and the sky blue, the Magnolia alongside the verge of spring bulbs flowering is a beautiful arresting sight, a gift of hopeful prospect, of fertile abundance for the months to come. A reminder to celebrate the perseverance of nature and the respite, recovery and renewal the natural world gifts life on Earth. In particular, for humanity to be mindful that for us to persevere and prosper, we need to cultivate a careful and sustainable approach to the plant and animals lives on the verges, streets and gardens of Beeston, for it through such flora and fauna where we too gain our sustenance. My own springtime act of renewal is to take up learning something new. My knowledge of buds and blooms is always up for improvement. There are many websites and books that can be referenced to find out more about the plant lives growing in the pavement cracks, out of walls, in gardens, along the towpaths and railway tracks. Treeguideuk. co.uk is one of many such websites, and there are apps for smartphones that also help to identify plants (the RSPB Give Nature a Home is one such example, especially if you are new to gardening or have members of your household who want to make their garden and surroundings more welcoming to wildlife). So as daylight hours increase and the

temperature becomes milder, why not plan a small trip with the company of a natureidentifying guidebook app or (e)book (Beeston library has a number that can be click and collected or downloaded) and take a wander to marvel and learn about the springtime plants. Dr JN

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We are determined to ensure that anyone who wants to read The Beestonian is able to, in times of lockdown or otherwise. Lockdown, with the temporary closure of lots of place we’d usually distribute from, has made this very difficult. Our current stockists include Hallams, Out Of This World, Broadgate Post Office, Gill’s Fish and Chips, The Cycle Inn, Dessert Haven, The Circle Eatery, John Flynn Opticians, and The Doughmother. For those unable to get to any of these places, we have set up a subscription service – for just £15 you can have the next 8 copies of The Beestonian delivered direct to your door (for those living outside NG9 it is a little more, as they will be sent by first class post). Simply visit our Ko-Fi page (ko-fi.com/thebeestonian) and check out at our shop. Every subscription includes a free A5 postcard of a locally drawn Beeston landmark delivered with each issue. If you’d like to support The Beestonian anyway, you can also make a donation through the Ko-Fi page. We’re a community-led, non-profit making, and reinvest all funds into getting The Beestonian to as many people as possible.

Beeston through the

Lockdown

Gorsi, Dessert Haven: Covid has had a huge impact on our business, like most restaurants. We’ve had to change to being open for takeaway and delivery only, which has meant less business. We have managed to increase our brand awareness online through social media, which wasn’t easy. We’ve been here for over 3 years, and have seats for over 30 people, so normally we would have a wide range of customers from university

students to families coming in regularly. Most orders are now for delivery only, with just a few people coming to collect. Not being able to see people and interact with them has been very hard, as that is the best part of the job. We’re really looking forward to when we can welcome people back to eat in, and have big plans to expand the menu, including a lunch time tea and cake special!

Ron Manager Want More Business? Advertise in The Beestonian magazine for as little as £50 per issue, and reach over 1,500 Beestonians.* *This magazine is currently available in several essential retailers around Beeston, including Hallams, Out Of This World, Broadgate Post Office and The Cycle Inn. We also have a growing subscriber base. When lockdown restrictions permit, it will be available in pubs, cafes, restaurants and takeaways throughout the town with a much higher print run than the current 1,500. We can design your ad if required. For more information email us: thebeestonian@gmail.com

Ah. In a shop no bigger than a silken handkerchief, you started a dapper clothing empire that conquered the world, with some of your shirts selling for more than twenty quid. Now you're a gazillionaire - not bad for what my Marjorie calls a seamstress. Marvellous!

Lulu Davenport Beeston Beats Meets: Benjamin Howard AKA The Kingdom Rapper

ey, hey lovely people, the theme for this issue is optimism and I’m not gonna lie, I quite simply wasn’t feeling it in any way shape or form. The days have been short and cold, there has been miserable moods to much worse weather, I am bored of Netflix, my own company, and I am even bored of cosy nights in.

Notts TV, The Guardian, Kemet FM, Affinity Xtra to name a few places. The album release date is actually the same date as my daughter’s due date (my first) so the 24th of Feb will pretty much be a very special day! After getting married in lockdown, (eventually) moving house, starting a new job and completing this project, stopping smoking...it’s definitely been a roller coaster of a year!”

Then just as I was thinking about faking positivity, I woke up early to see an amazing sunrise. Suddenly I could see the long hazy summer evenings, I could almost smell the barbeques and taste the bubbles in that cold pint. Optimism had at last come to find me, and it has been long overdue.

Wow you certainly have been busy! Tell me more about the album!

The person I interview in this issue exudes optimism. His life story could have been a completely different tale, as his early involvement with gangs could have taken him on a very different path. Benjamin Howard AKA The Kingdom Rapper takes a break from teaching inmates at HMP Nottingham and working for charity Switch Up (deterring kids from crime) to have a chat. I’d best stick kettle on... Hi Benjie, how’s it going? Tell me what’s happening in the world of you? “I’m releasing my first album on the 24th of this month titled ‘The Changing Room’, a 10 track project with a couple of features (Dave Ellis & 11). Dave is a pastor at Trent Vineyard church and 11 is a good friend who has also heavily invested in the project financially. It’s a journey and I like to think a well-rounded project filled with songs about my life, moving forward, lockdown, testimonies and inclusion! It’s been mixed ‘n’ mastered by Jae Rhi, who does a lot of work for a lot of other hip hop artists in the city. I’ve been making the album for a couple of years and finished it on the 2nd lockdown finally. I’m giving it a heavy promo push and it will be featured in Notts live, BBC Introducing,

“So it has a lot of different vibes on it. A bit of drill (Neymar), an old school garage vibe on it (A Million Miles featuring Dave Ellis & Sam and Rosie Malians), song dedicated to my wife (Let’s Have Some Fun), a song about inclusion and not judging books by their cover (On The Side Featuring 11), honest incomes (Money Mind), stripped back life stories (Playground, Only God Knows Feat 11). I really think it’s a coming of age project. For the last 4 years I’ve given my music away and just wanted people on the journey, participated in a lot of community projects (and will continue to do so) but with this I’ve invested heavily. Paid for all the production, mixing and mastering. The artwork, the features, the videos, the PRS, the copyrights, you name it, it’s been covered! Definitely was the right time for an official release through all the major online platforms .I’ll be shooting 5 videos out of the 10, with the lead single being on the side featuring 11.The album has been plugged to loads of radio stations and for the last 3 months I’ve basically just been constantly emailing, on the phone, screaming from the rooftops that my best project I’ve ever made has arrived!” Fabulous! Ooo go on tell us something exclusive because we are awesome! “I’ll be talking to Dean Jackson and the BBC Team all about it in a couple of weeks. Notts TV & Evening Post are getting behind it as I said, and every day I’m getting emails

and calls from new radio stations wanting the tracks (I think people are sending it on as they get it). It’s a very honest production and like I think I said when I make music I don’t mind being vulnerable and stripping things back in order to help people connect and feel what I’m trying to get across! We are trying to bring a community recording studio to Beeston to serve the community, the schools, just generally the people, so I’ve been banging on a lot of doors trying to get a space to set one up (we’ve already invested in all the equipment) and I’ve just started with the NG9 news team.” Wow that's amazing! I think last time we caught up was while you were at Beeston Nursery and recording ‘NG9 All The Time’, it certainly seems like you have been a busy bee, tell us about the studio space in Beeston? “Yep, I’ve been on the phone to many different people - from the council to the estate agents to community leaders, community centres etc, trying to find the right space.”

Your catchy Beeston song captured many places that have changed. If you recorded it now, what places, shops or hang outs would you add in? “Definitely Beeston street art, I love it!!! The cinema is finally arriving!! The secret bar on Chilwell High Road next to the Berliner!! I actually ate at the Frustrated Chef for the first time just before lockdown which was lovely, and didn’t feature in any of the songs (I know it’s not new) and would probably make reference to the tattoo shop (Beast On Ink) not being around anymore .To be honest I think if I did something about Beeston it would be the effects of this lockdown on businesses in our area but also the hope that we are a resilient town that club together and make a way.”

"We are trying to bring a community recording studio to Beeston to serve the community...”

That's awesome thank you, the best of luck am looking forward to having a listen. “Big love my friend! Thank you for your time and thank you also for accommodating me.” LD

Ooo that's fabulous news and very exciting, be sure to keep us posted.

The Beestonian is... Editor in Chief / Lord Beestonian:

Matt Turpin Co-founder /Resident Don: Prof J Editor / Ad Sales : John Cooper Deputy Editor /Community Editor: Christopher Frost Design & The Beest: Dan Cullen Creative Editor: Debra Urbacz Sports Editor/ Digital Wizardry: Isaac Seelochan Uni Editor: Faith Pring All Things Rylands: Janet Barnes / Naomi Robinson Finance/ Belper ambassador: Jade Moore

Stockists: (Subject to Lockdown ruling updates)

Fred Hallams, Out Of This World, Cycle Inn, Broadgate Post Office, John Flynn Opticians, The Circle Eatery, The Doughmother, Gill’s Fish & Chips, Dessert Haven, events at the Bartons Garage. Soon to be available in lots more retailers, pubs, restaurants, cafes etc as lockdown restrictions allow.

contributors this issue: Scott Bennett, Jo Norcup, Tim Pollard, Lulu Davenport and Helen Goodbarton

Thanks to all who help us get the issue sustainable and available to all who want to read. If you’d like to help out - by advertising, promoting or writing with us, then drop us a line at thebeestonian@gmail.com. We are an absolutely independent, grassroots nonprofit community magazine with the sole intention of making Beeston a wonderful place to live, work and visit.

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