Nottingham Now 9

Issue. 9 - April 2019 0115 6972670 | www.nottingham-now.co.uk | sales@nottingham-now.co.uk

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Where sold

Inside this issue: Looking good feeling great - what’s on

Council looks at another CCTV car to tackle parking outside schools

Plan in place to

transform Sutton Town Centre see page 4..

Please use

999 responsibly

see page 7..

Enquiries About

Council Tax Bandings

A third CCTV car could soon be patrolling the roads outside Nottinghamshire’s schools looking for parents who are parking illegally.

see page 7..

see page 11..

New Care Home

Brings UK First To Hucknall

see page 47..

Page 2.

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Investing in Nottinghamshire The report, Investing in Nottinghamshire, outlines how the County Council intends to use its £1 billion office and land estate to drive economic growth and regeneration across the county, improve accessibility and transform service provision for local people.

County Councillors will be asked to support plans to develop a new office building on existing County Council owned land at Top Wighay Farm, near Hucknall, to encourage additional private sector development including new housing and a new business park on the site.

The new office would

become a single base for the County Council’s Customer Service Centre, Adult Access Team and Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) for children’s and adult social care cases which are currently based at the Annesley Business Park in rented office accommodation. Police and Health partners who work alongside the County Council in these services, will also be based in the same building improving access to frontline services for local residents and greater efficiency by shared processes and systems.

The report sets out proposals for an iconic new building to be constructed on the County Hall campus in West Bridgford to accommodate the Council and its arms-length companies.

Consideration will also be given to providing conference facilities to develop a modern, flexible, multi-use venue for use by the Council and others. This will allow the Council to vacate Trent Bridge House to further reduce costs and realign its office estate.

The report also identifies options to vacate other costly leasehold office buildings and to sell older buildings which require major repairs and are expensive to run. The County Council proposes to exit and dispose of Sir John Robinson House in Arnold which

requires significant ongoing maintenance to operate as office accommodation but has attracted potential interest for conversion to residential use.

Local service provision for the Gedling District and areas surrounding the north of the City of Nottingham will be retained.

Three further offices at Retford (Chancery Lane), Ollerton (Bevercotes House, Sherwood Energy Village) and Beeston (Prospect House) would also be vacated to help to reduce the running costs of the County Council’s offices.

Appropriate local service provision will be retained; using existing Council buildings where possible.

The programme of work set out within the report includes other ways in which the Council is modernising how it works. This includes employees working more

flexibly and reducing travel and down time.

Councillor Kay Cutts MBE, Leader of the County Council said: “We’re ambitious for Nottinghamshire and we intend to use our assets to regenerate the local economy by opening up land we already own to new and exciting development opportunities.

“Our approach will make sure we spend taxpayers’ money wisely on the services people expect delivered from modern, efficient buildings local to where people live. “Our plans mean that we will vacate buildings we rent and move into fit for purpose buildings that we own, reducing our overheads and annual running costs by using the latest green technology.

“Building new office accommodation at Top Wighay Farm and at County Hall means that we can use our own land assets to unlock new opportunities for jobs, growth and regeneration as part of our commitment to invest in Nottinghamshire.”

Subject to approval by County Councillors, further work will be undertaken by the Arc Partnership, a joint venture company between the County Council and Scape Group based in Nottingham, to evaluate the options agreed by Members.

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Restaurant left with £7,500 bill for rat infestation

A West Bridgford restaurant has been left with a bill close to £7,500 after an investigation found its kitchen was infested with rats and left in filthy conditions to prepare food for customers.

The Taj Lounge on Radcliffe Road was inspected in May last year by Rushcliffe Borough Council’s environmental health team who were alarmed to witness the visible presence of rodents in its kitchen, storage and food preparation areas, accompanied by facilities thick in dirt.

The authority prosecuted TR & Sons at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (March 13) after poor practices were observed at the restaurant where dirty flooring, handles, taps and food containers all posed a risk of contamination to food.

Mr Singh, one of the owners, and the chef were both unsure on safe procedures

for cleaning and disinfection, meaning food areas and chopping boards were dirty, with continued poor levels of cleanliness evident throughout the premises.

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Deputy Leader Cllr Debbie Mason said the fine should serve as an important warning for businesses who fail to prioritise their food hygiene responsibilities appropriately.

She said: “Running a food

business in this unhygienic manner is completely unacceptable and needlessly places customers, residents and other businesses at risk.

“We will not hesitate in prosecuting those who allow their establishments to operate with a disregard for their customer’s health and such poor standards of food and safety hygiene.”

The restaurant received a 0 rating, meaning that urgent improvement was required, after environmental health officers noted rodent droppings and gnawed newspapers which had provided nesting materials for rats. Following a subsequent inspection a month later, Mr Singh admitted all of the offences and his mistakes and conceded they should not have happened after significant

Make sure you’re registered to vote in time for the local elections this May On Thursday 2 May residents in Ashfield will go to the polls to have their say on who represents them at a local level.

Local government elections select councillors, who are responsible for making decisions on running services in your local area. These i n c l u d e housing, planning, p a r k s , leisure, public safety and waste management.

In order

to vote in this important election, residents must be on the electoral register.

The deadline to register to vote in local elections is fast approaching. With only five weeks to go until the deadline to register to vote in local elections, Ashfield is urging residents who have not

registered at their current address to make sure they are registered in time.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Friday 12 April. Anyone can apply online at gov.uk/registerto-vote. It takes just five minutes.

and similar issues were still apparent. Mr Singh also explained that he had not received formal training since 2013 but claimed he had trained using videos on YouTube before the inspection.

TR & Sons pleaded guilty to seven counts of contravening The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, was fined £6,000, ordered to pay £1,324.60 towards prosecution costs and given a victim’s surcharge of £170, leaving a bill of £7,494.60.

The business has since introduced measures to improve its hygiene standard, rising to a three rating of satisfactory, two under the top five rating available for establishments providing food.

Since the inspection, they stated that they make checks every day and train their staff accordingly.

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Consultation Draft Street Trading Policy

We are seeking residents views on a draft Street Trading policy.

At present the Council has 15 “adopted” Street Trading locations, which has resulted in a limited number of opportunities for those looking to operate a business.

Street Trading is not permitted anywhere within the District, except for 15 adopted locations. This has resulted in a number of unlicensed traders who have operated without Street Trading Consent (either from private land or public land) for quite some time.

The Council hopes that the draft Policy will ensure that there is an even playing field for all Traders. That Traders can apply for locations they want to trade from rather than prescribed locations. In turn this will result in a wider choice of goods and services on offer to the general public.

Full details of the policy and how you can respond can be found on our website. https://www.ashfield.gov.uk/business/ licensing/street-trading-consents/ consultation-draft-street-trading-policy/

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Plan in place to transform Sutton Town Centre Following a successful consultation period, Ashfield District Council’s cabinet has approved a new spatial masterplan for Sutton Town Centre.

The Spatial Masterplan will be a valuable document to underpin future investment into Sutton. This includes a multi-million pound bid to the Government’s Future High Street Fund to help make Sutton a 21st Century Town Centre. Town Centres up and down the country are undergoing fundamental change and it is important that the Council, together with its partners leads Sutton into a more prosperous future.

The public consultation, held over four weeks, received overwhelmingly positive feedback from residents and businesses. Representatives from Discover Ashfield, Idlewells Shopping Centre and Sutton Community Academy students all responded to the draft Masterplan that was published in January.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny, Leader of the Council, said: “The regeneration of

Sutton Town Centre is a top priority for our Council. We are ambitious for Sutton’s future and need to build on the current success of the indoor market. Working with Discover Ashfield and other partners, we are determined to improve both the daytime and night time economy in the town centre.”

Ashfield’s Cabinet agreed to adopt the Masterplan document as a basis for future action in Sutton, they were joined by students from Sutton Community Academy who illustrated their ambitions and aspirations for the future of the town centre.

One student said: “I would like to see improved leisure activities, we come out of school and there is nothing to do.

I would like to see something like a cinema near Portland Square that we could go to, and activities that families from the local area will come into town to do.”

At the meeting, Cabinet agreed to adopt the masterplan and approved recommendations to submit an Expression of

Interest for the Government’s multi-million pound Future High Streets Fund. The Future High Streets Fund is a £675 million national fund which will support local area plans to make their high streets and town centres fit for the future and more resilient to change.

As well as this, the government have announced £1.6 billion for a Stronger Towns Fund to

boost towns in England. This will be available to places that have not shared in the proceeds of growth in the same way as more prosperous parts of the country. Councillor Helen-Ann Smith, Councillor for Stanton Hill and Teversal said: “This is a fantastic

opportunity for the Council to get support on its mission to regenerate Sutton.

We are extremely ambitious for our future and will do everything to deliver better funding for our Town Centres.

It’s the very least our local residents deserve!”

The

Council is still looking for residents’ feedback and would love to hear from you. As part of the Council’s bid for funding, we want to hear your opinions on Sutton and how it can be improved. Please ‘back the bid’ by emailing place@ ashfield.gov.uk.

Interview dodging fly tipper picks up £600 bill A fly tipper who dumped domestic waste under a bush in Daybrook and repeatedly avoided speaking to the council, has pleaded guilty to the offence and been ordered to pay a total of £639 in fines and costs.

On 26 July 2018, Gedling Borough Council received a complaint of fly tipping in an alley way off Sherbrook Road, Daybrook.

Neighbourhood Warden, Shelley Webster,

attended the site the same day and found the fly tip, a large cardboard box filled with domestic rubbish, discarded under a bush.

CCTV footage showed a grey Ford vehicle park up and the passenger of the vehicle take rubbish from the back of the vehicle down the alleyway.

After reviewing the CCTV footage, Neighbourhood Wardens found the vehicle belonged to a Mr Mark Williams, who was contacted by the council and requested to attend an interview under caution to discuss the allegation.

For several weeks, Williams did not come to the council to speak to the wardens, providing different reasons for not attending. Due to his non-appearance at the council he was issued with a fixed penalty notice and given 14 days to pay. No payment was made and, despite several attempts by the council to contact Williams, he was issued with a notice to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.

Williams pleaded guilty at Nottingham Magistrates Court and received a £320 fine and was ordered to pay a £32 victim surcharge and Prosecution Costs of £287.

Portfolio Holder for Public Protection, Councillor David Ellis said; “There’s absolutely no reason for Mr Williams to have dumped this waste, he didn’t think he would get caught and now has to pay over £600 in fines and costs. We are pleased with the court’s decision and this should ask as a warning to anyone who considers fly tipping that if we catch you, it will cost you.”

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Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth Ashfield District Council once again held a Flag Raising Ceremony, for ‘Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth’ at the Council Offices, Urban Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield. The Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth initiative, now in its fifth year, catches the imagination of thousands of participants from all walks of life, inspiring them to join with others throughout the Commonwealth.

As a collective public expression of commitment to the Commonwealth, it enables participants to show appreciation for the values opportunities offered for young and old citizens Commonwealth can address the Commonwealth upholds. friendship and cooperation around the world. This year’s global challenges and work It also acknowledges the with fellow Commonwealth theme explores how the to create a better future for all citizens based on foundations of sustainability, safety, prosperity and fairness, in accordance with the priorities Ashfield District Council’s income generation Ashfield “We have worked extra of the 2018 Commonwealth Council Tax will be frozen District Council is able to hard to ensure no cuts to Heads of Government for 2019/20 following a propose a freeze its Council services or staffing. We Meeting held in London. have increased services for recommendation being Tax for the next 12 months.

The Leader of Ashfield approved at Council this A Band B property will our residents including the District Council Cllr Jason week. The decision sees the continue to pay £144.25, Spring Clean, investments Zadrozny and Vice Chairman, District Council’s portion of Band C £164.85 and a Band in play areas and our Councillor Anthony Brewer Protection the Council Tax frozen for D £185.46. Ashfield District Community the first time in a number of Council receives just 9.5% of Officers. We are delivering the Council Tax you pay and this through smart savings years.

Local Government has provides services in all areas and with no additional pressure on Council seen unprecedented cuts to of the district. the level of funding from Coun Jason Zadrozny, Leader services, including not central Government since of Ashfield District Council reducing the Council’s 2010 and this will continue said “We are absolutely general reserve.” delighted to be able to offer Nottinghamshire County into 2019/20 and beyond.

Despite these significant this Council Tax freeze to the Council, Nottinghamshire cuts in funding Ashfield residents of Ashfield. Since we Police and Nottinghamshire District Council has a took over the administration Fire & Rescue Authority proven track record of of the Council last spring, have all increased their setting its annual budget and we have been determined to share of Council Tax, and delivering services within freeze the district council’s therefore residents will see the budget set. Through portion of the Council Tax for an increase in their overall bill. savings, efficiencies and this year.

The Big Freeze Hits Ashfield

were joined by other dignitaries and representatives from the Kirkby in Ashfield Royal British Legion, Merchant Navy Association, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service and Commandery of King Offa.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny, Leader of the Council said: “The Commonwealth aims to create strong links between rich and poor countries bringing together lots of

different religious faiths and cultures with a common goal of promoting democracy and human rights. “It is wonderful to see so many taking part in this celebration and thinking about different cultures and communities all over the world.” Once the flag had been raised, prayers for the Commonwealth were delivered by Reverend Kevin Charles of St Wilfrids’ Church, Kirkby-in-Ashfield.

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Please use 999 responsibly Nottinghamshire Police has released details of another of the misplaced emergency calls it has received – and issued a fresh plea for the public to use 99 responsibly.

Nottinghamshire Police's busy Control Room handles thousands of 999 emergency calls each month and while the majority of emergency calls are made to request police support in genuine emergencies, 999 call handlers still receive a number of spurious and misplaced calls which delay them from dealing with the most urgent calls.

'Please use 999 responsibly' Superintendent Paul Burrows, from Nottinghamshire Police’s Contact Management department, said: “The vast majority of the public understand that 999 is only for emergency calls but, despite the work we regularly do in the media, online and over-the-phone

to explain to people how to use 999 responsibly, we do still receive a high number of misplaced calls to our emergency number.

“While some of the misplaced calls we receive range from honest errors of judgement to the more unusual, there is a serious point to be made here as every misplaced call our emergency call handlers receive has the potential to delay us from responding to genuine emergencies.

“All we’re asking is that people only call 999 in genuine emergencies and remember that there are other ways to contact us for less urgent enquiries, with the Nottinghamshire Police website - www. nottinghamshire.police.uk/ advice - offering advice on hundreds of policing and non-policing issues and the 101 non-emergency number also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Our advice for using 999 responsibly Please think before dialling and only call 999 when life is in danger, someone is seriously injured, someone is using or threatening to use violence, a crime is in progress, there is serious damage being caused to property or whenever else an immediate police response is required.

For all other nonemergency policing matters, please call 101 or visit the Nottinghamshire Police website – www. nottinghamshire.police.uk/ advice – for advice on how to deal with hundreds of policing and non-policing matters.

By not calling 999 when it’s anything less than an emergency, you can help to ensure Nottinghamshire Police’s team of emergency call handlers can be on-hand for when people really do need them. https://goo.gl/ o1WrUJ

Council looks at another CCTV

car to tackle parking outside schools A third CCTV car could soon be patrolling the roads outside Nottinghamshire’s schools looking for parents who are parking illegally.

The county council already operates two camera enforcement cars and will be stepping up their efforts to keep children safe at drop off and pick up times as parents continue to ignore ‘School Keep Clear’ road markings.

The CCTV cars record illegal parking so they have the evidence to hand out £70 fines to drivers.

Last year more than 600 drivers were caught out and handed Penalty Charge Notices.

Councillor Philip Owen, chairman of the Children and Young People’s committee, said he was delighted that a third CCTV car would now be considered for approval at the council’s Policy committee in April.

Councillor Owen said: “Pupil numbers have increased over the past five years, and changes in pupil placement policies have resulted in some pupils travelling greater distances to schools usually by car.

“Illegal and bad parking

outside schools is an issue that head teachers, school governors and local residents regularly express concerns about.

“Parking outside schools is a perceived danger rather than it actually resulting in child casualties. It is important, however, that parents and pupils crossing outside schools have a clear safe space to do so (School Keep Clear road markings) and this designated area is kept clear of parking through effective traffic management.”

The county council’s first camera enforcement car was introduced in March 2016, and the second in May 2018.

During 2018 more than 600

Penalty Charge Notices were issued by the council to cars parked on ‘School Keep Clear’ markings. The £70 penalty is reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.

The council already uses other road safety measures such as advance school warning signs for motorists, 20mph speed limits outside school entrances, and school crossing patrol services.

The CCTV cars run at a slight loss but are cross-subsidised by income from other parking enforcement areas.

Schools can request the car to be outside the premises, and they are given information about the scheme to include in school newsletters.

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Researchers hunt for sustainable

alternatives to shark compound used in vaccines With an estimated 100 million sharks killed globally each year, concerns are growing over the long-term survival of the deep-sea predators.

Sharks are valued for squalene, a compound found in shark liver and used in health supplements and cosmetics. Squalene is also used in formulations of human vaccine adjuvants, which boost the body’s immune system. The University of Nottingham has been selected to partner with the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) and biotech company, Amyris Inc. to find sustainable alternatives to shark squalene to use as vaccine adjuvants.

The project is funded by a $4.4m, five-year grant (#R01A I135673) to IDRI from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health). The objective of the project is to discover and evaluate n o v e l biosynthetic molecules produced by bioeng-

ineering and chemical engineering approaches for vaccine adjuvant applications.

The funding comes from a special bioengineering research grant aimed at enabling engineering expertise to tackle a biomedical problem and ultimately develop a new solution. IDRI has selected Amyris and the University of Nottingham as partners because of their individual successes in engineering pure molecules from sustainable sources at low cost. Nottingham project lead, Professor Derek Irvine, from the Faculty of Engineering, said: “While shark liver oil is the world’s richest natural source of squalene, frequently used as an ingredient by pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, the supply is unsustainable and of great environmental concern. This project to find synthetic alternatives to squalene is a fantastic opportunity to use controlled polymerisation to deliver real social impact.”

The Nottingham-based research will examine the molecular properties and structures of monomers and the polymers made from them to make a vaccine that boosts immune responses to proteins known as antigens and to understand what role adjuvants, such as squalene,

play in that process.

The aim is to build polymers from a broad range of monomers which can now be either manufactured from sustainable starting materials using “green chemistry” approaches (e.g. isoprene) or extracted from agricultural and forestry waste products such as tree bark or fruit peel (e.g. terpenes).

“It will not only deliver a step chain in the security of supply for essential vaccines but will also significantly reduce the environmental footprint of vaccine manufacture,” adds Professor Irvine, a materials chemistry specialist.

While one of the goals of this project is to find a replacement for the pharmaceutical squalene derived from sharks, there are other key drivers. “We want to understand how squalene formulations actually work as adjuvants,” said Christopher Fox, PhD, Vice President of Formulations at IDRI and principal investigator for the project. “By generating compounds with various structural alterations, we can study the structure-function relationship of squalene-like molecules and shine a light on their mechanisms of action.”

Fox added that key attributes of adjuvants in vaccines are the ability to improve an immune response and minimize the dose of vaccine necessary to confer immunity, which is particularly important where there is a disease outbreak that results in a vaccine shortage.

“Development of this technology could enable formulations that effectively increase the number of vaccine doses available in the event of an influenza pandemic,” Fox said.

Council receives powers

to crush Fly Tippers’ Vehicles Ashfield District Council has received vital powers which enable the authority to seize, retain and destroy vehicles involved in fly-tipping.

The new powers mean vans and other vehicles that have been used by unlicensed waste carriers can be taken by the Council and destroyed, in partnership with MotorGreen Group Ltd. This follows on from the success of the BIG Ashfield Spring Clean, during which the Council collected a huge amount of waste and

supported community litter picks across the district.

New camouflaged cameras are also being deployed at fly tipping hot spots across the district to assist in catching those who think it is acceptable to dump their waste illegally.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny, Leader of the Council, said: “We have proven as an authority that we take fly tipping very seriously.

This measure is just part of the work the Council is carrying out to reduce fly tipping in the district, as we want to build on our number of successful prosecutions. If we catch you, your vehicle will be destroyed, so why risk it.

“The BIG Ashfield Spring Clean 2019 has been a huge

success but it doesn’t end now; we will continue our fight against environmental crime all year round.”

Dragan Vavan, Managing Director of MotorGreen Group Ltd, said: “We have invested heavily in modern facilities and have qualified for status as an Authorised Treatment Facility from the Department of the Environment.

“We are pleased that when disposing of vehicles involved in this type of crime, Ashfield District Council has considered the environmental consequences and selected an Authorised Treatment Facility such as us.”

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Sales E: sales@nottingham-now.co.uk | T: 0115 6972670

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County Council’s £43.3m highways investment continues to tackle local residents’ priorities Committee chairman Councillor John Cottee said: “The proposed schemes to enhance our highways network will help improve access to jobs, local centres and visitor attractions; and make our roads safer for all road users.

“We listened to local communities across the county and propose that the additional £20m funding is allocated to schemes which reflect local priorities – so predominantly residential road maintenance as well as tackling delays in local journey times and helping to reduce the number of road traffic accidents that result in injuries. Our plans for 2019/20 aim to help address these priorities.

“The additional funding for highways maintenance will primarily be used to deliver improvements to unclassified roads, including roads prioritised by local councillors, and will be concentrated on roads we know are going to deteriorate in the next few years. It’s about making the ‘right repair at the right time’ with the use of a range of repair techniques

to avoid larger repair bills in years to come.

Council Cottee added: “We have another busy year coming up which demonstrates this administration’s commitment to investing and improving our 2,600 miles of highways and transport infrastructure.

“Only last month, the council announced that it would be investing £1.75m buying new equipment which will speed up and increase the range of options to repair roads in the county.” Carriageway maintenance schemes The programme names over 200 roads where repairs are planned to be undertaken in 2019/20 including: • A surface dressing scheme on the B6139 Coxmoor Road, Kirkby in Ashfield following a highly successful structural patching works carried out

by Via Operations this year, a road which was deemed to be prohibitively expensive to resurface due to its condition and length, has now been rescued to the point it can now be prepared, surface dressed and saved from further deterioration • Resurfacing works on the A638 London Road, Retford

• Resurfacing works on the section of the A6005 Queens Road West, Beeston on the section which crosses the Station Road traffic lights • Resurfacing works on the A60 Mansfield Road, Redhill, Arnold (in the area of the Redhill Road traffic lights); the C213 Papplewick Lane (on the section from the Ashfield Boundary to Moor Road); and the B6003 Toton Lane, Stapleford/Toton (from the A52 to Westerlands) • Resurfacing on the A6191 Chesterfield Road South, Mansfield and surface dressing on the A6191 Rock Hill, Mansfield to prevent further deterioration of this road and thereby avoid very expensive resurfacing repairs in the future • Works on Westbrook Drive, Rainworth and Larkfield Road, Nuthall, continuing the work targeting those roads which form the ‘spine’ of housing estates • Structural patching on Tollerton Lane, Tollerton and Lower Kirklington Road, Southwell to restore the surface condition ahead of surface dressing in a future year's programme.

Road safety improvements As well as the education delivered by the county council for all road users, a programme of safety engineering schemes are being developed to help address reported road traffic injury accidents. In 2019/20 these include: • Surfacing treatments at the B6019 Kirkby Lane, Pinxton; Town Street, Bramcote; Baulker Lane, Farnsfield; and the A60 Bunny Hill • Signing/lining improvements at B6021 Low Moor Road (north of Southwell Lane), Kirkby-in-Ashfield; A614 / A638 Hawks Nest gyratory, Bawtry; B684 Mapperley Plains / Coppice Rd, Arnold; and the A606 Melton Road / Station Road, Widmerpool • Speed management measures at A638 London Road (south of Elm Walk), Retford; Church Street, Eastwood; and Sherbrook Road, Arnold • Junction improvements at Leeming Street and Clumber Street, Mansfield.

Improving local journey time delays The County Council develops a co-ordinated package of measures to address journey

time delays that includes pedestrian, public transport and cycling improvements as well as capacity improvements. In 2019/20, these improvements include: • Traffic signal improvements to reduce delays for drivers at the A60 Sir John Robinson Way junction, Daybrook and at the A60 Larch Farm crossroads (A60 Nottingham Road/B6020 Kirkby Road/ B6020 Main Road junction) in Ravenshead • More than 10 pedestrian crossings to help people walk to local shops and other services, including new crossings in Arnold, Gedling, Jacksdale, Tuxford, and Worksop • Targeted bus improvements to increase bus patronage by improving journey times and reliability of services, including bus stop clearway programmes in Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Gedling, Mansfield and Rushcliffe districts • Department for Transport funded travel planning advice for residents, workers, jobseekers and school leavers in Mansfield and Newark to make them more aware of their travel choices.

Coun Cottee added: “As well as the continued focus on these key areas outlined, we have some major infrastructure projects in progress over the next 12 months and it will be exciting to see how these schemes - which will bring vital benefits to the communities they serve – progress over this period.”

Among the main infrastructure projects are: • Continuation of the £40m Gedling Access Road project.

The GAR will be a 3.8km stretch of road linking the existing A612 Trent Valley Road/ Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains (B684). The GAR is being delivered by the County Council and Via East Midlands in partnership with Homes England (HE), Gedling Borough Council and Keepmoat Homes, housing developer for the Chase Farm site, which are all helping to fund the new road.

• Plans to transform Southwell’s flood defences as part of a £5m Flood Alleviation Scheme are continuing and are expected to be completed by spring 2021, benefiting around 240 properties and 60 businesses.

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Enquiries About Council Tax Bandings Local council’s have received a number of calls from people who've watched the recent edition that have been placed in the of The Martin Lewis Money Show, which talked about reclaiming Council Tax for properties wrong Council Tax Band.

If you believe your property is in the wrong Council Tax Band, please contact the

CORE celebrates 25 years as a community charity CORE was delighted to attend the Pride of Gedling Awards 2019 hosted by Gedling Borough Council at the Civic Centre on 13 March.

We had been nominated for the Outstanding Community Project Award sponsored by Gedling Homes. We reached the shortlisted three finalists and, although we didn’t win, we were presented with a framed certificate as runner up. This is particularly exciting and relevant for us as this year CORE celebrates 25 years as a community charity helping to retain and improve the social cohesion and community spirit of a village that still suffers deprivations as a result of the pit closure. Don’t forget we are here to address the needs of the community whether it is helping people into work, supporting local businesses or running activities that relieve loneliness and isolation. Do pop in and see what we can offer you. In response to requests we are offering three new opportunities for you to get out and about, be with people, exercise your brains/ bodies/voices and have some fun! Come and join us for Games, Quizzes and a Cuppa on Monday afternoons 1.30 – 3.30, Bingo and a Brew Wednesdays 1.30 – 3.30.

We’d love to see you all on Wednesday, 15 May 2.30 – 3.30 when we will be Singing

Along for Fun. Additionally, we are offering a brand new, full-day Taster, “Exploring Relaxation”, on Thursday, May 23. As we know life today can be very stressful as we try to fulfil many different roles at work and home. Stress can cause sleep problems, bad temper, anxiety, depression, reliance on alcohol, eating disorders and much more.

Having the ability to let go, relax and have a bit of “me time” can seem like a luxury.

However, this one-day course will give you the techniques to do just that.

It will explore and practise v a r i o u s relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, visualisa t i o n s , mindfulness, massage and oils, being creative and sleep management.

The tutor is very experienced and will adapt the day

to learners’ requirements.

Armed with these strategies to integrate into your everyday lives you will be amazed at the difference even a few minutes using relaxation techniques can make. You will finish the day feeling good about yourself and with the means to improve your quality of life. Follow on days can be arranged to go into subjects in more depth, depending on the interests of the group.

Valuation Office Agency. will inform us of the change.

The Valuation Office Agency We will then automatically will consider if you are able to provide you with a refund. appeal your property's band.

If you are successful they

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Free bike security marking session at Rushcliffe Arena Cyclists can get their bikes securely marked with their postcode for free at a security event at Rushcliffe Arena.

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Community Safety team and Nottinghamshire Police will host the session at the centre on Rugby Road in West Bridgford on Saturday March 30 from 10am to 12pm.

Security marking or registering a bike is a permanent way to mark a bike’s property and ensure it is returned to the rightful owner if it is stolen.

The session will also advise bike users on how to further protect their cycles from thieves with the use of stronger locks and how bikes should always be locked up in a public and well-lit area.

Cyclists will also be able to swap weaker locks for a ‘D’ lock at the event, whilst stocks last.

£15,000 Funding For Beeston Pocket Park A £15,000 grant has been secured to create a pocket park at Redwood Crescent thanks to a bid by Redwood Crescent Residents Association, with support from Broxtowe Borough Council.

A total of £15,280 has been awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of its Pocket Parks Plus programme, with a match funding amount of £7500 from Broxtowe Borough Council.

The existing grass and tarmac area at the centre of Redwood Crescent has been inaccessible to residents since January 2018, following a failed housing development at either end of the space.

However, the development has since been taken over by another company and a portion of the original open space is due to be returned to the community.

The funding will allow this area to be transformed once again into a focal point for the local community, providing an accessible area for socialising, children to

play and gentle exercise, whilst bringing nature into the neighbourhood.

The park will include decorative railings with selfclosing gates, a connecting path with seating area and a plinth for community barbecues, all illuminated with sustainable solar powered lighting. Native hedging and trees will be planted to benefit wildlife and in addition to areas of regular mown grass the community group will create wildflower meadow areas to help honey bees and other pollinators.

Kris Poole from the Redwood Crescent Residents Association said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this funding.

The loss of the open space at the centre of our street was a real blow, and it has been sorely missed by the community.

Although the area being returned is not as large as we had before, we plan to use this funding to ensure that we maximise what we do have.

The result will hopefully be something that will benefit

the community and wildlife for generations to come.”

Leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, Councillor Richard Jackson said: “I am delighted that this funding has been awarded to support a pocket park at Redwood Crescent.

The Council is deeply sorry for the failings that took place and I hope that this new community facility will enable to us to move forward, ensuring that an area of open space remains in the public ownership for the local community.”

Work is expected to start early summer, with an anticipated completion and opening event before the nights draw in.

Upon completion, Broxtowe Borough Council have committed to applying for Village Green status for the land.

The Pocket Parks Plus programme supports communities and their partners to establish new pocket parks and refurbish existing parks where people can public spaces where people can relax, exercise, socialise and play.

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Continue to shop local with the help of the West Bridgford Way The West Bridgford Growth Board has launched the West Bridgford Way, a newly developed place-marketing website to help residents and visitors alike to locate businesses, places to eat and events in the town. With shopping trends constantly changing, the nature of the high street also has to change to encourage consumers to keep shopping locally. Now, the new site at www. westbridgfordwa y.co.uk aims to drive further footfall to local businesses in the area.

For retailers in West Bridgford Town Centre and on Melton Road, the website and its new social media channels allow consumers to quickly and easily locate retail outlets and services, places for a bite to eat or drink, or the latest events in and around the town.

Developed in conjunction with the Rushcliffe Business Partnership, it builds on one of the recommendations of the West Bridgford Commissioners’ report that suggested development of a brand identity for the town to be one of the ways to further enhance its economy. Chairman of the West

Bridgford Growth Board Roger Upton said the news is a significant step in bringing a more cohesive link across the town’s different retail areas whilst raising their profiles.

He said: “We have so many wonderful businesses in West Bridgford, we wished to address how we could signpost consumers to one place and encourage all to continue to shop local.

“We wish to grow and develop the site in line with the Commissioners’ recommendations and we will work with businesses and retail groups to see where it can evolve and adapt to benefit businesses even more.”

The website launch comes ahead of this summer’s Cricket World Cup and England international cricket schedule that is expected to bring a further 200,000 people to Trent Bridge and the

town’s businesses. Rushcliffe Business Partnership Chairman John Collins welcomed the initiative to boost business in the town ahead of a busy spring and summer that will see it again host the successful Proms in the Park, Taste of Rushcliffe and Lark in the Park events.

He said: “Our members have been key to help shape the look and feel of this new site and over time it can only help attract further footfall to support local retailers.

“It’s heartening to see the local authority and business partnership working collaboratively to further explore ways to keep our high streets vibrant.”

Retailer Rachel Hyman, one of the owners of the Fruit Basket and No 8 Deli on Gordon Road in the town, also welcomed the news. She said: “It’s good to be supported

by the Borough Council in initiatives such as this, in a very challenging retail environment.

“We need as much support as possible. By shopping locally you are not just supporting the shops, you are supporting a whole community.”

Other key themes from the Commissioners’ report which the Board are focussing on include ways to enhance the town centre’s retail and leisure offer through a more integrated and future proofed approach.

It has included consultation earlier this year on proposals to improve the appearance and accessibility of Tudor Square in the town centre.

Visit the website www. westbridgfordway.co.uk for more information and follow @westbway on twitter or @westbridgfordway on facebook.

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investment in Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire County Council has now finalised the outright purchase of Via East Midlands, which provides the county’s highways and fleet services. Via started operating in July 2016 as a partnership between Nottinghamshire County Council and Corserv, a company owned by Cornwall Council.

Nottinghamshire County Council has now

bought out Corserv’s shares worth £5m. Nottinghamshire County Council Leader, Councillor Kay Cutts said: “Following a successful partnership between Via and Corserv, we have now agreed to go our separate ways in order to develop different models of service delivery. “We are investing in Nottinghamshire in buying these shares. It

in Nottinghamshire for the benefit of local residents.

“We have ambitious plans and want to ensure that Via grows and diversifies its business across the whole of East Midlands. This will increase the money flowing back into our county for the benefit of local people.” Doug Coutts, Managing Director at Via East Midlands, said: “Nottinghamshire County Council’s purchase is a huge vote of confidence in Via and a testament to what we’ve delivered to date.

“For residents of Nottinghamshire, our customers, employees and suppliers, it is very much business as usual and we look forward to further developing means our highways and fleet All profits generated by the services we deliver across management services are now Via through its commercial the county.” wholly-owned and controlled work will be re-invested Cornwall Council’s portfolio

by Nottinghamshire County Council so we can be sure our road network continues to meet the needs of local people and businesses. “Via will operate from our purposebuilt building in Bilsthorpe, employing local people and supporting the local economy.

Scrap dealer left with £2,500 bill for dumping fridges on A52 lay-by A scrap metal dealer was left with a bill of almost £2,500 for fly-tipping six fridges on a lay-by near Wheatcroft Island in Edwalton.

Rushcliffe Borough Council prosecuted Remus Marin, 42, at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (March 13) for illegally dumping the fridges.

The incident was captured on CCTV which caught three individuals in the act on the eastbound carriageway.

Deputy Leader Cllr Debbie Mason said: “This successful prosecution once again demonstrates the hard work of our Environmental Health team who were able to identify individuals involved with fly-tipping and bring them to justice.

“Fly-tipping is an unacceptable and selfish crime, blighting our community’s landscapes especially on a busy road such as the A52.

“As this case shows, we will use all of our enforcement powers wherever we can and seek to prosecute anyone who fly-tips carelessly damaging the environment in this way.”

The white Ford van which Marin used to carry out the fly-tip was seized by the Council in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police on January 11 and when interviewed under caution

Marin admitted the offences.

Marin pleaded guilty to the offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for dumping the items on December 7 last year, was fined £916, ordered to pay £1464 towards prosecution costs and given a victim’s surcharge of £91, leaving a bill of £2,471.

holder for customers, and chairman of the shareholder board Mike Eathorne Gibbons said: “The sale of Via East Midlands represents a significant success for the Corserv Group.

The joint venture business has delivered beyond expectations, creating a sustainable business that will serve Nottinghamshire well into the future.” Cath Robinson, Group Managing Director of Corserv, said: “We are pleased to have assisted in the development of Via into a successful highways business, which Nottinghamshire County Council will now wholly own. The Via joint venture is testament to the Corserv Group’s ability to deliver successful solutions for complex, local authority requirements.”

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Kirkby Leisure Centre receives backing from Partners Ashfield District Council’s plans to bring a swimming pool to Kirkby have received backing from both Sport England and local swimming hero Ollie Hynd MBE. Sport England’s vision is for everyone in England, regardless of age, background or level of ability to feel able to engage in sport and physical activity. They recognise that some will be young, fit and talented, but most will not. They want to further develop a sport sector that welcomes everyone, meets their needs, treats them as individuals and values them as customers.

To achieve this Sport England are focusing more money and resources on tackling

inactivity because this is where the gains for the individual and for society are greatest. Investing more in children and young people from the age of five builds positive attitudes to sport and activity as the foundations of an active life.

Charles Johnston, Property Director at Sport England, said, "We are delighted to offer £10,000 of National Lottery funding to help Ashfield District Council to undertake

a strategic outcomes planning review of their sport and physical activity offer across the district. This funding will provide support to the Local Authority to make the most effective investment decisions to achieve local outcomes which benefit the communities served."

Local Paralympic swimming gold medallist Ollie Hynd MBE has also backed the plans for the project and its two swimming pools.

Hynd won two gold medals in the 2016 games in Rio to go with his gold, silver and bronze medals from London in 2012.

Following the recent release of the artist’s impressions for the planned leisure centre in Kirkby, Hynd cannot wait to see the plans come to life.

He said: “With excellent swimming facilities available in Hucknall and Sutton, it’s brilliant that we’re now going to have state-of-theart water space in my home town of Kirkby. The artist’s impressions are fantastic, I can’t wait to see construction get underway and see them come to life.

“I’m very proud of what I have achieved in my sport and I’m sure excellent facilities like this will help produce the next generation of world champion swimmers from Kirkby.”

Leader of Ashfield District Council, Councillor Jason

Zadrozny, said: “We are very excited to be bringing long-awaited swimming facilities to Kirkby. To receive the support of Sport England is fantastic news and we look forward to working alongside them throughout the project. “Ollie’s sporting achievements speak for themselves so to have his backing is a real bonus for us as an authority.”

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Pedalling the Parks Peak District manager tackles epic

1600-mile cycle ride across the UK’s most treasured landscapes Intrepid Lorna Fisher is gearing up for an epic 1658-mile cycle ride – taking in all 15 UK national parks in just two weeks.

Lorna – a Peak District National Park engagement manager who leads a team of rangers - begins her challenge in the

Cairngorms on 13th April.

She will pedal through national parks in Scotland, Wales and England, ending in the Norfolk Broads National Park on 27th April. She

will cycle through the Peak District on Friday 19th April.

The punishing route is about twice the distance as cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats.

Lorna’s marathon bike ride coincides with National Parks Fortnight (6th-21st April), reflecting on the 70th anniversary of legislation which ultimately led to the Peak District becoming the UK’s original national park in 1951. Throughout her challenge, Lorna will be raising funds for #70kfor70 – the first campaign of the newly-launched Peak District National Park Foundation. The Foundation has been set up to grow support and raise funds to care for the Peak District National Park. This year, it is working to raise £70,000 for a range of high impact projects that care for the landscapes, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Peak District – and enable more people to enjoy the National Park. During her cycle challenge, Lorna hopes to meet people from as many local communities

as possible, inspiring people about the UK’s National Parks – which attract millions of local and international visitors

each year. She also plans to raise awareness of 2019 as the ‘Year of Green Action’, urging people to say #iWill to new challenges that help contribute to sustainable lifestyles.

Lorna has been a keen cyclist for seven years, but this will be by far her greatest challenge.

She says: “I’m an explorer at heart who loves being outside. I am at my happiest when walking in the hills, whizzing along country lanes, simply exploring.

“I’ve previously taken part in 400km and 600km audaxes (time-limited distance rides), but at around 2,500km over two weeks this will be like nothing else I’ve attempted before.”

She adds: “In my role at the Peak District National Park I’m incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to inspire and engage others, sharing my passion for the natural world.

“There’ll certainly be plenty of time to tune in to the landscapes and meet some of those who live and work in our national parks throughout the challenge. Seeing the world from two wheels always brings a new perspective.” A full map of Lorna’s route can be found at www. peakdistrict.gov.uk/pedallingtheparks.

You can follow Lorna’s progress on social media on @peakdistrict on Twitter and Facebook, and with the hashtag #PedaltheParks.

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Celebrating Nottinghamshire's

Charms - Robin Hood

We’re celebrating all things unique to Nottinghamshire!

So it would be crazy not to talk about our original outlaw hero, Robin Hood wouldn’t it? No one knows quite how far back in history the legendary tales started, or who the very first Robin Hood was, but we do know that the ballads of this loveable rogue first appeared in manuscript towards the end of the 1400s.

Originally, they were six tales, all written in simple four-line rhyme. They tell stories of Robin’s tricks against the Sheriff of Nottingham, his friendship with the ever-

loyal Little John, testing the honesty of travellers to see if they were worthy of his help, his trusted band of Merry Men, and more. Fast forward several hundred years and we’ve now many film and television adaptations (some better than others but we’ll leave that there!), a worldrenowned, much-loved hero and plenty of pretty awesome things to do in Nottingham to enjoy an authentic Robin Hood experience. For the full works, we’d like to sign post you to our fabulous two-day Robin Hood itinerary, which will see you galivant across

the city and county just as Robin did, experiencing the delights of Sherwood Forest, learning archery and visiting the awesome Robin Hood statue, just by Nottingham Castle. There is however something, or should we say someone, that we’d like to draw your attention to today, during English Tourism Week; the ever-popular Robin Hood Town Tour. Join multi-awardwinning tour guide Ezekial Bone, as Robin Hood, for this fantastically entertaining and super informative tour of Nottingham city. Follow a trail of historical facts, visiting places associated with our legendary hero, and discover how simple ballads over 700 years old grew into one of the greatest stories ever told. You will also see the city's key sites of interest and learn about its past, present and future.

Robin will also point out the best places to eat, drink and make merry so you can make the most of your stay. So visit Nottinghamshire, the stomping ground of our mysterious hooded hero. Whether you explore the city or head out into the county and deep into Sherwood Forest, one thing is for sure – Robin Hood will live on in your heart and mind long after your visit.

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It's another bumper month of things to do in and around Nottingham this April The big event of the month taking place around the city is Cave City, yes, your chance to explore the underground parts of Nottingham you never normally get to see.

This year, Cave City invites you to explore what lies beneath your feet with an extended five-day festival crammed full of fun and interesting events through a series of tours, talks, activities and experiences.

Discover more about our hidden landscape including some of the city's lesser known cave locations which have never before been explored by the public.

Back by popular demand are the Peel Street Cave Tours. The Rock Cemetery Catacombs are included in this year’s line-up and are already a sell out, but keep an eye out for further dates. There are also a number of unique events being held, such as Cave Yoga in the Park Tunnel. Visit Cave City 2019 : Nottingham Underground Festival - Visit Nottinghamshire for the full itinerary and use #cavecity on your social.

If you prefer your feet firmly above ground then there is still lots going on. If you're a fan of the outdoors, why not join the Wildlife Watch at Wollaton Park. With George the Gorilla and co safely indoors, join Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's experienced Watch Leaders to discover wildlife and meet some of the furry residents of the grounds (6 April) Alternatively, join the rangers of Sherwood Pines as they take you and the family on a bush craft adventure through the forest (16 April) or if you'd rather photograph the action then join a relaxed Photo Walk at Thoresby Park with Di Fisher of The Photo Den. Suitable for photo lovers and keen

photographers of ages, pick up some ideas, hints and tips to help you make better photos (14 April) or bring a blanket and a picnic and simply relax in the stunning ground of Newstead Abbey for an outdoor showing of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (14 April).

How often do we go on tours on holiday yet never do it at home? There's history galore right here on our doorsteps and you can learn all about it while taking one of the many tours around the city, such as the Robin Hood Town Tour, the Nutty Nottingham tour and the Book Lovers Walk.

There's loads of entertainment indoors too this month. For music lovers, the Royal Concert Hall welcomes UB40 as they bring their 'Real Labour of Love' tour to Nottingham(1 April) marking 40 years since the legendary reggae group first performed live.

They toured together as a duo last year, but this year classical singer Alfie Boe brings his As Time Goes By tour to the Royal Concert Hall (10 April) celebrating the golden era of music from the 30s and 40s.

While Michael Ball follows in support of his new album, Coming Home To You, on the 20th Celebrate the hits of Neil Diamond with tribute show 'Hello Again' (13 April) and there's another tribute, this time to Simon & Garfunkel, as Through the Years visits on 26th.

Hit musical Rock of Ages brings rock n' roll debauchery to the Theatre Royal (2 - 6 April) and you can experience blockbuster films as you've never seen them before at the Royal Concert Hall as the iconic score to Back to the Future is played live by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (17 April) and

you can Sing-a-long to The Greatest Showman with onscreen lyrics on 8th.

There's also entertainment in the Market Square (2028 April) as those dazzling Divas, the Ladyboys of Bangkok visit with “The Greatest Shows girls Tour”.

Brighten up your week with comedy. Rhod Gilbert is back with his first tour in six years as The Book of John visits the Royal Concert Hall on 4th April.

The Last Minute Comedy Show takes place on 4th April at the New Art Exchange, and the £1 Comedy Night takes place at The Canal House 10th & 24th April.

On the food scene, Trent River Cruises are offering several different events this month. The Girls Night Out includes a 3 hour cruise and galley griddle (BBQ style) meal (6, 13, 26 April) or for something more relaxed, a two hour cruise along the River Trent might be more your preference for afternoon tea. Enjoy a selection of mouth-watering freshly cut sandwiches, a giant cream cake and bottomless tea and coffee.(6, 13, 26 April).

There's a Vegan Taster Evening at Budby Antiques at Thoresby Park (26 April) and The School of Artisan Food invites budding young bakers, aged 10-14, to join them for a day of hands-on baking (6 April) with Cordon Bleu trained chef Justine Kanter. The session is a great way for youngsters to develop their love for food, gain new practical skills and build their confidence in the kitchen.

And finally, it's Easter of course, which means there's a whole host of activities and events taking place across the county. Egg-scuse any egg puns which follow...but you stand an egg-cellent chance

of finding an egg this month with hunts at Sundowner Adventure Land in Retford (622 April), hunt for the Golden Egg hidden within i-Tots trampoline park in Mansfield Woodhouse for your chance to WIN a prize! (15th to 22nd April) Clumber Park has teamed up with Cadbury to offer you the ultimate day out.

Discover the signs of spring and win a chocolate prize when you’ve finished, or eggs-plore G r e e n ’s Windmill and the community garden for their hidden eggs during Easter week and win a bumper prize pack. (17-21)

Meanwhile, White Post Farm are offering cuddles with newborn lambs, craft activities and an Easter stamp hunt (6-22), Sherwood Forest have challenges around the Major Oak Trail (6-28 April), head to Thoresby Park and help Thoresbunny find out which eggs are laid by which of his feathered woodland friends (6-22 April) or join the Adventure Club at Holme

Pierrepont and try your hand at kayaking, canoeing, mini golf, raft building to name a few (8-18) I'll be back next month with more eggs-citing things to do around Notts...and less egg puns. *Always check with the venue ahead and book if necessary. There is usually a cost or entrance fee unless stated otherwise

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Nottinghamshire County Show 2019 Experience a great traditional family day out this Spring at Nottinghamshire County Show. New for this year are three HOYS Qualifiers, including British Ridden Heavy Horse of the Year and, following on from the success of the dedicated ‘Heavies Ring’ in 2018, our Heavy Horse ‘Village’ will have even more to entertain, including ‘working horse’ demonstrations on both days.

These working horses will also be taking part in the Heritage Harvesting parade in the Main Ring. This first show

of the season showcases the best cattle, sheep, goats and pigs alongside superb equine events, including majestic ‘heavies’ and first-class showjumping.

Classes and competitions run all day both days. In addition to the usual farmyard favourites, will be gun dogs, hunting hounds, giant tortoises, and birds of prey.

Children will particularly enjoy the antics of the animals in the Countryside Area and alongside old favourites like the Sheep Show will be fascinating demonstrations of

heritage crafts such as coracle making and fashioning traditional hats from straw.

A welcome sight will be the return of last year’s very popular 8ft stilted animatronic character, Froojamaflip, and his hilarious sidekick, Fred the Gardener. New for this year is a ‘Magic Wand Making Workshop’ run by Amerton Arts and suitable for children from around 4 years old.

The courses run all day and are a drop-in format with around 20 places for each course.

Featuring as the Main Ring attraction is Dzhigitovka, an exciting Cossack trickriding spectacular, straight from Russia, with fabulously costumed riders and dare-devil horses, performing to crowdpleasing music and bringing a flavour of the legendary warriors on horseback, masters of sword, archery and outstanding gymnastic skills.

Visitors can look forward to visiting the Farriery Competition marquee where they can watch experienced and apprentice-level farriers getting very hot under the collar as they demonstrate their horseshoe making skills to compete for prizes.

The marquee will be located near the Heavy Horse Village.

Visit the recently rejuvenated Food Experience area to sample and buy tasty locallymade produce and where youngsters are encouraged to check out the NFU Discovery Barn. Then step next door to admire the gorgeous floral art displays in the Lady Eastwood Centre and those with small

children in tow may want to let them try their hand at floral crafts in the ‘Have A Go’ children’s corner. With ample opportunity to shop for crafts, gifts and clothing, many items on sale will not be available in the high street stores.

The Show benefits from plenty of food outlets, with inside or outdoor seating, where tasty snacks, two-courses lunches, hot and cold drinks, including beers and wine, can be bought and enjoyed. Offering a fun-packed weekend of family entertainment, the Show successfully combines tradition with modernday life – from discovery and adventure to hands-on experiences and learning while you watch – there really is something for everyone.

See www. nottingamshirecountyshow. com for further details and Membership information.

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Taking a step inside Handicentre the perfect hardware store on your doorstep!

Customers of the Handicentre hardware & DIY stores in Bingham and Southwell will be familiar with their amazing product range and competitive pricing. The high street stores, found at Market Street, Bingham and

Queen Street, Southwell are famed for their Aladdin’s Cave reputation, and the determination to never let the customer down. Add to this

free local delivery, plus the 2 builders merchants, situated just on the outskirts of each town, for timber, fencing, bulk items and, very importantly,

easy parking, it is no wonder that Handicentre is the go to shop for many in the South Notts area.

Another feature of

Handicentre is the knowledge and helpfulness of their staff. Several of the staff, in all branches, have worked there for many years, enabling them to build up a wealth of experience and product knowledge that is so necessary to the customer.

One of these long serving members of Staff is Ronnie Wightman, the assistant manager at the iconic Market Street, Bingham shop, who has recently celebrated 25yrs service – pictured below receiving a token of appreciation from Manager Martyn Harwwod, who celebrated 40 yrs at Handicentre himself back in 2016! A big part of Ronnie’s job is sourcing and buying many of the thousands products to be found in the four branches, and he is often the first port of call for anyone struggling to locate a particularly hard to find item. In addition to this, he is tasked with keeping on top of all the new gardening products, which includes finding alternatives for all the old favourites that are no longer available.

At this time of year, when all of your gardening projects are becoming imminent, the free local delivery service offered by all four stores is invaluable. For all of those bulky items, such as composts, manure, bark and much much more, let the Handicentre van take the strain. This includes all of your landscaping needs, from fencing to sleepers, and sand to purple slate -just one of the decorative stones available from the builders merchants at Moorbridge Road, Bingham & Crew lane, Southwell.

If interior design is more your thing than gardening, Dulux Colour Matching is just one of the decorating services available at the 2 high street branches, with trained staff available to mix the perfect paint for your colour scheme – plus every tool for you to achieve the perfect finish.

We were amazed at what we found behind the classic blue & white stores fronts of Handicentre, so if you haven’t had a look inside lately we can highly recommend you do so this spring. We don’t think you will be disappointed!

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Walkers to enjoy new 16 mile public path in Lincolnshire Natural England as opened the latest stretch of the England Coast Path with a new 16mile route from Skegness to Mablethorpe.

Encompassing the tourist hotspot of Skegness, wild sand dunes and the world’s first official cloud spotting area, Lincolnshire’s first open stretch of the England Coast Path will enable people to explore the route’s natural and diverse wildlife that have made the area their home.

Home to a long-established coastal tourism industry, the new Lincolnshire route will benefit from improved access and signposting to allow visitors and locals alike to enjoy the diversity of the coast, with a new boardwalk at Chapel Point improving access to the North Sea Observatory.

• First Lincolnshire stretch of England Coast Path opens • National trail stretches from Skegness to Mablethorpe • New Chapel Point boardwalk improves access during Year of Green Action Rural Minister Lord Gardiner, said: “England’s beautiful coastline is a sight to behold, and I am delighted that more people than ever before will be able to enjoy its striking scenery during this Year of Green Action. “With Lincolnshire home to some of our most precious coastal habitats, the new stretch of path announced today will open up access while boosting valuable tourism for rural communities and businesses”.

Interim Chief Executive of Natural England Marian Spain, who is attending today’s event at the North Sea Observatory, said: “The England Coast Path plays a key role in helping people connect with and access nature and it is a privilege to open the first Lincolnshire stretch. “From wild dunes to sandy beaches, the public will now be able to easily enjoy the countless beautiful habitats between Skegness and Mablethorpe”.

The new route takes into account the area’s important coastal habitats, including the seascapes and unique habitats of Anderby Marsh, Chapel Pit and Wolla Bank Reedbed.

Walkers will be able to enjoy the adjacent sand dunes, clay pits and beaches, where a range of bird species such as the bearded tit and reed bunting thrive.

Users will also enjoy views of Woola Bank Site of Scientific Special Interest (SSSI) at very low tides - a submerged forest dating from the Neolithic Period - and access to the world’s first official cloud spotting area at the Anderby Creek Cloud Bar. Natural England is currently establishing a 2,700-mile path around the entire English coastline, with today’s stretch the eleventh to open.

When completed, it will be the longest continuous coastal walking route in the world. It will also become a National Trail - the nation’s finest and most popular long-distance paths.

Launch comes during the government’s Year of Green Action, a commitment outlined in the 25-Year Environment

Plan to inspire more people to engage with the natural world. Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for economic development at Lincolnshire County Council, said “I’m delighted that the England

Coastal path now runs from Skegness to Mablethorpe, through our beautiful Coastal Country Park. We have such a spectacular coastline with amazing wildlife, Blue Flag beaches and ‘excellent’

bathing waters - perfect for people to explore.

“Tourism is vital to our county’s economy and our coastal strip attracts millions of visitors each year. I’m sure the new coastal path will encourage many more people to visit Lincolnshire and explore our brilliant coastline.”

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10 tips for healthy eating out Whether it’s lunch with work colleagues or an evening celebrating with friends, most of us tend to eat less healthily when we eat in restaurants, pubs and cafes. Senior Dietitian Victoria Taylor offers her tips for eating out without overdoing it.Believe it or not, it is possible to eat, drink and be merry without overdoing it. Here are my tips for having a good time while keeping an eye on your waistline and good health.

1. How often are you eating out?.

A one-off meal out probably won’t make any difference to your health in the grand scheme of things, so enjoy it.

However, if it’s one of many, consider carefully how it fits into your overall diet. This could mean having a lighter meal in the evening, like soup or a sandwich, if you had a big meal earlier in the day. Or you could choose the healthiest menu options to make the meal fit into your normal diet, rather than just going for your favourites.

2. Check what’s on the menu Don’t be afraid to ask the restaurant to adapt dishes One of the best ways to ensure you make healthy choices when eating out is to check the menu before you arrive, whether online or in person. It means you can choose your meal without others influencing you. Many larger restaurant chains offer nutritional information online.

3. How many courses?

The tendency when we eat out is to have more than we would at home. Sticking to just one course once you see what everyone else is having is hard. Decide before you begin if you are going to have a starter or a dessert, and which one you’ll find easier to decline. Having a coffee or cup of tea while others have a pudding is a good way to round off a meal, or you could share a pudding with others.

4. Adapt your dishes Don’t be afraid to ask the restaurant to adapt dishes.

It’s not usually a problem to replace chips with a jacket potato, salad or vegetables.

You can also ask for no extra cheese, butter or oil, and to put sauces in a dish on the side.

5. Portion control. A small portion of saladIt can be easy to eat more than you intended when eating out.

If you don’t want to feel too stuffed, consider a starter (perhaps with a side order of vegetables), instead of a main course, or ask for a smaller portion.

6. Keep it lean. Choose dishes which are based on lean proteins like chicken or turkey (where you can remove the skin) or lean red meats like fillet of pork or beef. Avoid fattier cuts of meat like belly pork or rump steak and remove any visible fat like the fat around the edge of a chop. Watch out for battered and deep fried dishes - even if the contents are lean (like chicken, fish, tofu or vegetables) the coating means they will come with lots of extra fat and calories.

7. A bit on the side Having a coffee or cup of tea while others have a pudding is a good way to round off a meal.

Having a good helping of vegetables with your meal will add vitamins, minerals and fibre and help you towards your five a day, but beware vegetables that come with added butter, cheese sauce or salt. Ask the

server for more information and see if there are any healthier alternatives.

8. Be drink aware. Keeping alcoholic drinks within the guidelines is important, particularly if you are going to be socialising more than usual. Try not to exceed the recommended 2–3 units a day for women and 3–4 for men.

Don’t forget the calories that drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, can add. If you can, choose sugar-free drinks or water, and alternate these with any alcoholic drinks you are having.

9. Entertain at home. A dinner partyWe all enjoy eating out sometimes, but have you considered inviting family or friends round for a meal? That way you can control what’s on the menu, and it’s often cheaper, too. Ask your guests to bring a dish if you don’t want to be overwhelmed by cooking, although don’t forget to let them know if you want them to bring a healthier option.

10. Fancy a nibble?

Nibbles are always a very tempting option. It’s fine to indulge in a shortbread biscuit, or a chocolate sweet, but sticking to a regular pattern of meals and snacks will help to make sure you aren’t hungry between meals and help maintain your willpower.

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Yoga for Everyone We cannot open a magazine these days without reading about yoga; but why all the fuss and what’s it all about?

Yoga is an Indian philosophy that dates back thousands of years. The Sanskrit word yoga means unite and it was practised to create the

union of the physical body, mind and spirit in order to reach enlightenment.

Different paths of yoga were created in order to reach this state. One of these paths was called Hatha yoga and its purpose was to develop the body in preparation for further spiritual practice.

These days, particularly in the west, we practice Hatha yoga.

Classes largely focus on health and fitness but still with attention on how we feel in both our bodies and minds.

This is achieved using physical exercises (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation and relaxation.

Yoga really is for everyone and teachers are taught to be inclusive and modify postures to suit the needs of individuals.

However, classes are available for different abilities. If you have mobility issues, you can try yoga in a chair or a gentle yoga class. Some classes specialise in teaching children and also senior citizens. At the other end of the scale, Ashtanga yoga is a more physically challenging, fast flowing yoga. Yoga is also not meant to be competitive a n d students are encouraged

to listen to their bodies.

The benefits of yoga are immense. It helps us to relax, release tension from our bodies and to deal with stress.

It gives us energy, makes us stronger and more supple.

It can also complement other forms of exercise, by using the muscles in a different way.

Yoga is often recommended to alleviate physical symptoms of certain health conditions.

If you are looking for a class suitable for your needs, local publications and websites such as www.localyogaclasse. co.uk, list classes in your area.

For further information contact Jackie Hart at jemyoga7@gmail Tel 0781 667 9919.

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Smart Wearable Fitness Device Market Analysis 2018-2025: Key Findings, Regional Analysis, Key Players Profiles and Future Prospects The Smart Wearable Fitness Device Market report aims to provide a 360-degree view of the market in terms of cutting-edge technology, key developments, drivers, restraints and future trends with impact analysis of these trends on the market for shortterm, mid-term and long-term during the forecast period.

Further, the report also covers key players profiling with detailed SWOT analysis, financial facts and key developments of products/ service from the past three years. Smart Wearable Fitness Devices are devices through which user can track there health and fitness every time.

These devices produce data that, often enabled with analytics, can be used by consumers to manage their health and by healthcare organizations to improve care and potentially reduce costs through systems such as remote patient monitoring.

Major Smart Wearable Fitness Device market Players: • Apple • Fitbit • Garmin • Huawei • Motorola • Misfit, Inc. • Samsung • TomTom NV • Moov Inc.• Jawbone Smart Wearable Fitness Device Market - Global Analysis to 2025 is an expert compiled study which provides a holistic view of the market covering current

trends and future scope with respect to product/service, the report also covers competitive analysis to understand the presence of key vendors in the companies by analyzing their product/services, key financial facts, details SWOT analysis and key development in last three years. Further chapter such as industry landscape and competitive landscape provides the reader with recent company level insights covering mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, collaborations, new product developments/ strategies taking place across the ecosystem. The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information.

It provides overview and forecast of the global Smart Wearable Fitness Device market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Smart Wearable Fitness Device market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, AsiaPacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments.

The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast

period i.e., drivers, restraints, 2025 is provided to determine of the global Smart Wearable buyers and suppliers in the Device industry Smart Wearable Fitness opportunities, and future trend its financial competency.- Fitness and provides exhaustive PEST Porter’s five forces analysis illustrates the potency of Device industry. analysis for all five regions.

Key Benefits: - This study provides the analytical depiction of the global Smart Wearable Fitness Device market along with the trends and future estimations to depict the imminent investment pockets.

- The overall Smart Wearable Fitness Device market potential is determined to understand the profitable trends to gain stronger coverage in the market. - The report presents information regarding key drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with detailed impact analyses.

Quantitative analysis of the Smart Wearable Fitness Device market for the period of 2018 -

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Caterpillars could hold the secret to new treatment for Osteoarthritis A substance from a fungus that infects caterpillars could offer new treatment hope for sufferers of osteoarthritis according to new research.

Cordycepin is an active compound isolated from the caterpillar fungus Cordyceps militaris and has proved to be effective in treating osteoarthritis by blocking inflammation in a new way, through reducing a process called polyadenylation. The research was undertaken by scientists from the University of Nottingham and supported by funding from Versus Arthritis. The findings have been published today in Scientific Reports.

Dr Cornelia De Moor from the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy led the study and said: “The natural compound cordycepin is derived from a caterpillar fungus which is famous in the Far East for its medicinal properties. In this paper we show that orally administrated cordycepin reduces pain and halts disease progression in animal models of osteoarthritis. Intriguingly, it does this by a different mechanism than any other known anti-inflammatory painkiller, through affecting the last step of making a messenger RNA, polyadenylation. This means that medicines

derived from cordycepin may help patients for whom other treatments have failed. We hope that cordycepin will prove to be the founder of a new class of pain killer, the polyadenylation inhibitors.

There is a long way to go before a cordycepin derived medicine reaches patients, but our work is very promising we are very excited about the prospects.”

Reducing pain and damage Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic agerelated joint disease, with approximately a third of people over the age of 45 seeking treatment for the disease. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage becomes flaky and rough and small pieces break off to form loose bodies in the fluid that lubricates the joint called synovial fluid.

This causes irritation and inflammation of the synovial membrane.

The loss of cartilage

leaves bones unprotected and vulnerable to damage. In this new study it was found that there is an increased expression of polyadenylation factor CPSF4 associated with synovial inflammation in osteoarthritis. CPSF4 and another polyadenylation factor are required for the activation the key inflammatory cells, the macrophages. Administering cordycepin represses the activity of the polyadenylation factors and suppresses inflammation in macrophages.

Cordycepin treatment reduced pain behaviour and structural damage in rats and mice with osteoarthritis, supporting a role of polyadenylation in osteoarthritis progression, inflammatory gene expression and pain.

Possible new treatment options. Treatment options for this painful and debilitating disease are largely limited to lifestyle changes and reducing pain with non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs [NSAIDS] or opioids which have limited efficacy and come with problematic side

effects.

As a result, joint replacement surgery is a common outcome. The results from this new research provides the possibility of a more effective treatment for osteoarthritis suffers that is less toxic, so will have reduced side effects for patients. Dr Stephen Simpson from Versus Arthritis said: “Persistent pain is life changing for people with arthritis. This is not good enough and so we are delighted to support this research that has led to these fascinating findings.

Previous work by this group has shown this compound has anti-inflammatory effects and in the latest studies support understanding of how this works on cells responsible for inflammation.

Although in its early stages, the study has great potential for helping people suffering pain of musculoskeletal conditions and demonstrates the high value and impact of novel discovery-led research on understanding and treating diseases.”

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Make your best day last forever with Trollbeads

Your wedding is the beginning of a journey. With hope and love, laughter and happiness.

With something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

Let romance in and keep it with you forever.

The Trollbeads Tiara takes a revolutionary approach to jewellery design and is a wonderful way to make the day last forever. The Trollbeads jewellery concept allows the bride to create her own unique tiara for the best day of her life. Also, necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings can be created to match the style of the bride.

is something to match all bridesmaids. And maybe there should be a similar bead on both bride’s and bridesmaids’ jewellery?! Share the story.

Make the day last forever Create spectacular bangles, necklaces and bracelets of the jewellery from the wedding.

This way the day will last forever.

All jewellery and beads from the Trollbeads collection can be mixed and matched in endless ways.

Also for the groom People are made of stories – Jewellery is not only for the some are defining, and some bride. The day is also of great are just for fun. A wedding is emotions to the groom, and it definitely defining. Wear it for is important to wear just the right clothes and accessories.

Within recent years, an increasing number of men have started to wear jewellery.

This is one of the most trending tendencies in fashion – and nothing indicates this to change soon. Many women think that jewellery for men is stylish and sexy. And it radiates self-confidence.

What about the bridesmaids?

With Trollbeads it is possible to combine any kind of jewellery and colour, so there

the rest of your life.

Trollbeads, a Danish familyowned jewellery brand, was established in 1976.

Trollbeads is the original bead-on-bracelet concept.

At the core of the brand lies self-expression through 600 different beads in sterling silver, 18 karat gold, Murano glass, freshwater pearls, amber and gemstones.

Trollbeads jewellery is available in more than 30 countries through the company’s own flagship stores, independent retailers, and online at www.trollbeads. com

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Planning for your Wedding Day 2019 As couples plan for their big organizing for what will be earlier enough. You want to day for 2019 now is the time the best day of their lives. arrive at the alter looking to get into shape. and start For the bride, you can’t start vibrant with health and beauty, so what better excuse do you need to invest a little bit of time, money and energy in getting you there?

Whether it is planning a few pampering trips to some spas or joining a gym, not only can you trim your figure, you’ll do wonders for your

complexion and overall energy levels. Shopping for the wedding dress is probably the part of the wedding plans you are looking forward to more than any other aspect.

The majority of bridal gowns bought in the UK are classed as ‘off the peg.’ You try on a sample of the gown in the shop; they take your measurements and order the most appropriate size for you which is then delivered to the shop for alterations to fit your exact shape and size.

Don’t panic, there may be a huge amount to do but here is a handy checklist with some of the main points to take into consideration in the build up to the big day!

12 months before…

Choose a wedding date

Decide on a budget Make a list of guests and decide on numbers Book your Church/Ceremony location Book your reception venue/ caterers Choose your Bridesmaids, Ushers and Best Man Start looking for The Dress!

Choose and book your photographer 8 months before…

Choose bridesmaids’ dresses Book entertainment Choose and order your wedding cake.

Make an appointment with your chosen florist 6 months before...

Give Notice of Marriage Purchase or hire menswear Select your wedding rings 4 months before...

Send out your wedding invitations Arrange fittings for the wedding dress and menswear 1 month before...

Arrange a final fitting of your wedding dress your bridesmaids, ushers and best man. Enjoy your hen and stag parties!

2 weeks before...

Confirm the date and time of the rehearsal to the relevant people 1 week before...

Arrange to collect your wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses and the menswear Have all your beauty treatments. Drink plenty of water and have some early nights. Relax and enjoy this time – all your hard work is about to come to completion!

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Get ready for the Great Big Read at Norfolk’s libraries Readers across Norfolk are being encouraged to rediscover their love of libraries and reading for the Great Big Read 2019 with the help of the World Book Night book list.

The reading promotion for adults launches on 18 March and will run until World

Book Night on 23 April. The 23 titles will be available at libraries across the county throughout the month and can be reserved online or at your local library, with some also available as e-books and e-audio.

The list includes crime thrillers, film tie-ins (Juliet

Naked and War of the Worlds), some of the best new novels written for young people (The hate u give and Turtles all the way down) and even a book set in Norfolk by the popular crime writer Elly Griffiths (The Chalk Pit).

Readers can add a review or star rating by logging into

Fakenham to be the first location for extra care housing A new 66-unit extra care housing development for older people based in Fakenham has been awarded funding and planning permission.

Norfolk County Council’s Policy and Resources Committee will be asked to approve £212,500 of capital contribution funding for the 2.32 acre extra care site in Fakenham which will be located next to the Fakenham Medical Centre.

This investment is match funding in partnership with North Norfolk District Council. Construction of the Living Well Homes could begin as soon as spring 2019.

This is part of the County Council’s £29m capital investment scheme to deliver 3,000 extra homes for older people in Norfolk over the

next ten years.

Extra care housing (ECH) schemes are made up of flats that are rented or owned by individuals. At present, these homes are available for people over the age of 55 whose current home no longer meets their needs, enabling them to remain independent in their local community.

Research has shown that Norfolk requires 2,842 extra care units by 2028.

Registered provider Housing 21 will run and manage the scheme comprising 39 twobedroom flats and 27 onebedroom flats.

Thirty of these units will be for affordable rent with Norfolk County Council and North Norfolk District Council sharing the responsibility for nomination rights. Priority

for tenancies will be given to residents of the local district.

Andrew Proctor, Leader of Norfolk County Council said: “I am delighted that we are investing in this programme, working closely with developers, housing providers and district, borough and city councils to address future housing demand.

“It’s important that we can offer alternatives to residential care enabling people to stay close to their family and friends. Living Well Homes will provide an effective way for people to live independently for longer with the reassurance that, should you need care, this can be provided.”

Increasing the provision of extra care housing to match future demand will deliver approximately £4m gross revenue saving per year.

Despite a challenging f i n a n c i a l environment for Adult Social Services, significant savings have already been made through its Promoting Independence strategy.

With preventative initiatives to keep people independent for longer, savings are currently forecast to achieve £0.581m.

These include home support and shortterm residential support for people discharged from hospital, known as reablement.

their online library account once they have read a book.

They can also comment, share a selfie with their favourite read or recommend a book to others on the new Norfolk Borrowers Facebook group, or on the Norfolk Libraries Facebook and Twitter accounts, using the hashtags #NorfolkGBR and #WorldBookNight.

Councillor Margaret Dewsbury, Chairman of Communities Committee at Norfolk County Council, said: “We’re hoping for this year’s Great Big Read to be the best and greatest yet, and the list of books is fantastic.

It also helps to remind people of the brilliant service delivered by our libraries, and all for free.” The titles on this year’s list are: Fiction • Margaret Atwood Handmaid's Tale • Nadine Dorries - Shadows in Heaven

• Elly Griffiths - The Chalk Pit • Nick Hornby - Juliet Naked • Jess Kidd - Himself • Dorothy Koomson - The Icecream Girls • Ann Leary - The Children • Colleen Oakley - Close Enough to Touch • Tony Parsons - Die Last • Lucinda Riley - Seven Sisters • Graeme Simsion - Rosie Project • Mahsuda Snaith - The Things We Thought We Knew • Andy Weir - Artemis • H G Wells - War of the Worlds Non-fiction • Marina Cantacuzino - The Forgiveness Project • Rio Ferdinand - Thinking Out Loud • Bryony Gordon - Mad Girl Teen fiction • Tomi Adeyemi - Children of Blood and Bone • Mel Darbon - Rosie Loves Jack • Malcolm Duffy - Me Mam,

Me Dad, Me • John Green - Turtles All the Way Down • Matt Killeen - Orphan Monster Spy • Angie Thomas - The Hate u Give It is free to join Norfolk Library and Information Service and free to borrow up to 15 books at a time.

There are also a range of regular events for all ages at libraries across the county along with free Wi-Fi, computer access and DVDs for hire.

The service also offers a range of e-books through its Libby App and e-magazines.

New Chief Fire Officer for Norfolk Stuart Ruff has been appointed Norfolk’s new Chief Fire Officer.

He has worked for Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service as Deputy Chief Fire Officer since last May. Prior to that, he has decades of experience in the sector, most recently as Assistant Chief Fire Officer in Lincolnshire, before he made the move to Norfolk.

Stuart said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this role and would like to thank my predecessor David Ashworth for his strong work in moving the service forward.

“Since arriving in Norfolk, colleagues in the service and at Norfolk County Council have been welcoming and supportive. It is a great fire and rescue service and I am proud to be leading it as we continue to build on our work to keep our communities as safe as possible.”

Norfolk County Council Leader, Councillor Andrew Proctor, said: “Stuart has demonstrated through both his experience and the interview process that he is the perfect person to lead our fire and

rescue service and we look forward to working with him in his new role.” CFO Ruff also chairs the multi-agency Norfolk Resilience Forum.

CFO Ruff’s previous roles

have also included being a member of the national Chief Fire & Rescue Advisory Unit in London and working for Hereford and Worcester Fire & Rescue Service.

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Extra parking spaces and improved disabled parking planned for Newnham Street as East Cambs extend free parking offer Improvements to Newnham Street Car Park are set to continue with an upgrade in parking spaces. In January, it was announced that eight overhanging trees have been removed following a public consultation issued by East Cambridgeshire District Council and replaced with Hazel hedge. The next step of developments includes the creation of at least six additional parking spaces and the relocation of disabled parking bays. Following discussions with the East Cambridgeshire Access Group, the current disabled

parking bays will be upgraded and moved closer to the city centre and the Paradise Centre for more ease of access.

Newnham Street Car Park benefits from having both free short and long stay spaces available.

Chairman of the Asset Development Committee, Councillor Bill Hunt, said: “Newnham Street is a popular parking destination with a lot of amenities close by and we’re excited to be extending our free parking offer.

“We are proud to offer district residents and visitors over a thousand free parking spaces

in the city centre. “This is just one of the ways we aim to make East Cambridgeshire a great place to work, live and visit."

A popular tourist destination, the free car parking spaces will only increase visitors to the city. Local businesses will also see the benefits of more footfall to their premises from both residents and tourists alike.

“Having free parking in Ely is an important feature of our district.” Councillor Hunt says.

“Even in the parks near the station where we do charge, we charge £3 per day and NCP at the Station charge £7! “It’s hugely important to us that car parks are affordable to both residents and visitors to the district.” The planned work is set to start after the May local elections.

For more information on free car parking, visit: https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/parking/ car-parks-ely

£200k Town Centre Improvements set to begin in Haverhill A £200,000 scheme to upgrade the pavements in Haverhill Town Centre will start as part of plans to improve town centres in key Suffolk towns.

The extensive maintenance and improvement works will include repairing broken and raised paving slabs throughout the High Street and Market Hill. The scheme will also include the replacement and installation of new cast iron bollards, to restrict vehicular access.

The work is being funded

from the £9.67million extra funding allocated to Suffolk Highways by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, in the Budget last October. This extra money has enabled Suffolk Highways to add the Haverhill Town centre improvements to its original programme.

The works started on Monday 25 March 2019, with the first nine weeks working on the High Street, followed by a

further five weeks on Market Hill.

For the full duration of the works, access to the businesses and properties will be available at all times.

Barriers and signs will be used to guide members of the public safely around the various sites where works will be undertaken.

The aim of scheme is to upgrade and develop the area and make the town centre a more welcoming place for residents and visitors, therefore, benefiting local traders and retailers.

Mark Stevens, Assistant Director Operational Highways for Suffolk Highways, said: “I am extremely pleased that Haverhill will soon see some highway improvements to their Town Centre.

“This additional funding received from Government last year has allowed us to carry out some much-needed improvements in towns such as Haverhill, to bolster the condition of footways and lessen the requirement for remedial works in future.

“We’re working closely with town and parish councils to determine those areas in Suffolk where repairs are needed most, whilst ensuring that the additional money is allocated most effectively.”

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Ensure your pets board with licensed premises this Easter Pet owners are being advised to ensure they check the licences of kennels and catteries when making plans for their pets, ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

As many residents prepare for their holidays and look for somewhere to board their beloved pets, Rushcliffe Borough Council is reminding owners that licensed premises are the safest option for those wanting to book their animals an insured and stress-free stay.

Residents can check whether boarding services, breeding facilities, day care centres and riding stables hold the necessary licence by using the public register available on the council’s website at https://bit.ly/2HShCeX The animal welfare section of the register provides the details of all licensed premises alongside a rating system that reflects the quality of the accommodation and procedures carried out by the

establishment whilst pets are in their care.

Rushcliffe Borough Council Executive Manager for Neighbourhoods Dave Banks is stressing the importance of owners verifying a premises’ licence before allowing pets to stay there.

He said: “All establishments providing boarding for cats and dogs should hold an Animal Welfare Licence to verify the quality of care pets receive.

“To ensure your pet is safe whilst you are away on holiday, always check that the boarding service you use is appropriately licensed before booking your pet’s stay.

“Any pets injured in unlicensed premises’ care may not be covered by the establishment’s insurance policy.

“Competent, fully insured and licensed premises across Rushcliffe can be found with just a quick check on the public register, giving you further piece of mind the service you

choose is inspected by our officers.”

The Animal Welfare Act 2018 states that any premises selling animals as pets, providing or arranging for the provision of boarding for cats and dogs, hiring out horses, breeding dogs and keeping or training

animals for exhibition should hold an Animal Welfare Licence.

Premises found to be unlicensed can be prosecuted.

For more information on licensing queries, email licensing@rushcliffe.gov.uk or call 0115 981 9911.

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How far afield do you cover for repairs/servicing?

As we truly understand and appreciate the importance of being able to respond to our customers quickly and efficiently, we try to work within an hour travel/radius of any enquiries. We prefer the local, customer focussed service rather than working with customers who are based further afield simply to get a sale. Many people making enquiries are grateful of our honesty when we explain why we aren’t able to carry out a survey due to their location.

Do you have much experience with stairlifts?

We certainly do. As a husband and wife team with personally selected engineers, there’s no stairlift we haven’t worked on. Our senior engineer, Jon, has worked on all types of

stairlifts for over 20 years and has repaired almost every make and model. All engineers are fully trained on the installation and repair and double check every feature for our customers’ full peace of mind. We also install outside stairlifts and for the more immobile customers, through the floor lifts which take customers from the living room directly to their bedroom.

Are your stairlifts guaranteed?

Absolutely. Our stairlifts are British made and conform to the highest safety checks

and standards. All our stairlifts come with a oneyear warranty. The warranty covers all call outs, repairs and parts. In addition, after six months we carry out a full free service of the stairlift for that extra peace of mind.

How long have you been established?

We will shortly be celebrating our four year anniversary and are proud to have helped over 350 customers with their mobility needs. Setting up our own stairlift company was a big decision but one we have absolutely no regrets over – it honestly is one of the

most rewarding jobs we have ever done. We are looking forward to many more years of supporting and meeting more wonderful customers.

You have lots and lots of positive reviews, what is your secret regarding keeping your customers happy?

Simply put – we care. I know that sounds like a cliché but we really do. Every single customer is treated like one of our own extended family members.

My background is customer care – I genuinely know what that means. We don’t make empty promises, we turn up when we say we will, we return calls when we say we will and we always go the extra mile. With the majority

of our customers being referred by existing customers, it’s a great feeling knowing we are being recognised for our trustworthiness, level of customer care and overall outstanding service.

What separates you from similar businesses?

As a family-run business, we don’t have huge overheads which means we can keep costs down. Our prices are relatively lower in comparison to the majority of larger stairlift providers.

Costs aside, our reputation is incredibly important to us – we strive for excellence and have a no-pushy sales policy. We simply listen to your needs, leave you a price and leave you to decide.

Customers and their families appreciate our genuine, honest and friendly approach. In addition, all our stairlifts are installed within 3-5 working days with minimal inconvenience on the day of installation.

Do you install a range of different stairlifts?

Absolutely – our stairlifts come in three main categories. Straight, curved or outdoor. Straight stairlifts are suitable if a customer’s staircase consists of a complete flight of stairs leading to a top landing or hallway with no middle landing or bends. Curved stairlifts are for staircases with turns, intermediate landings or limited space at the top or bottom and finally outdoor stairlifts which are fully weather-proof ideal for garden lovers or customers with stairs leading up to their house. We also offer heavy-duty stairlifts and stairlifts with powered features such as powered swivel seat and powered hinged rail.

Are you guys available to help customers any time after they make a purchase?

Of course – our after-sales care is an essential part of our business.

All customers will receive a personal visit from myself on the day of installation with follow up calls on a regular basis. I’m often popping back to see customers if they have forgotten how to use it or need a little more guidance. We have a few customers who just fancy a chat over a cuppa.

Nothing is ever too much trouble.

Are you available 24/7 should a problem arise?

We certainly are. At all times we offer not just a 24/7 service but a 365 days of the year service. Customers and their families can be assured of our commitment to this promise.

Are you a member of Checkatrade or similar organisations?

Yes, we are extremely proud to be members of not only Checkatrade but also Age UK, Which Trusted Trader, Derbyshire County Council Trusted Trader and The Erewash Partnership.

There are lots of reviews from existing customers on both Checkatrade and Derbyshire County Trusted Trader websites – we would encourage any potential customers to have a read through and we welcome any enquiries or questions. We are always more than happy to help.

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Priority Lift Services Ltd Local Stairlift Company Based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire we are a family run company specialising in the installation, repair and servicing of stairlifts across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. The decision to install a stairlift is often a very difficult one to make, but when compared

with the alternative of moving, or only living on one level of their home, many people have found a stairlift to be their preferred solution. The idea of deciding which stairlift is right for you, and having it fitted, can be a daunting one, however they can usually be

fitted in a couple of hours and we promise to help and guide you every step of the way.

Having gone through rigorous checks to become members of Checkatrade, Age UK and Which Trusted Trader means you are putting your worries in safe hands. We are a husband

and wife team with hundreds of very happy customers.

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5 Reasons children should learn to dance We all have an inbuilt rhythmic response to music. If you doubt this then put on your favourite music and see how it makes you feel and how you respond to it. Do you find yourself tapping your foot, swaying in your seat to the rhythm, maybe singing along, or do you get up and move and dance in any style that makes you feel good? Children particularly will exhibit their inner feelings through movement and usually without the inhibitions of an adult.

1. Dance improves co-ordination It may take a little practice but dance certainly helps to create and improve co-ordination in children. First, practice the steps and they will begin to feel confident with the pattern their steps are making. After that the arm movements are added and when they’ve got the hang of that then maybe some head movements and turns.

2. Dance develops confidence and self esteem When children enjoy the music they are much more willing to express themselves and this in turn sparks the interest to learn the steps that they have seen their peers dance. They will ask ‘will I be able to dance like that?’ or ‘can you show me that routine?’ As they start to master the basics their confidence grows, they feel proud of themselves and urge the teacher to show them more.

3. Dance is an excellent form of exercise and can help to combat obesity We hear quite regularly that children (and adults) should take more exercise, figures are often quoted regarding how many hours of exercise a week we should all be doing. Some children are less interested in sports and therefore might struggle to find an engaging activity. Dance is fun, it can be a way of exercising without really realising it.

They can start really young (approx 4 years of age) and can carry on into their adult life. For some teenagers who don’t choose P.E. at GCSE level it helps to fill that gap.

4. Dance develops musical understanding and timing Without realising it children start to develop their musical ability. They learn to ‘count the timing’ of the music they are dancing to. More importantly they learn to dance the steps ‘in time’ with the music. This can be quite tricky for some people, young and old alike. As they progress they hear how the music is phrased, they can tell you when a new phrase is about to start. This is all by listening to the music and

starting to dance the steps, it can be passed on quite effortlessly and the children will learn without any pressure.

5. Learning to dance is also a social skill In addition, learning to dance is an activity that can be enjoyed at any social event.

It could be an evening on holiday, at a Christmas party, a family celebration like a wedding etc. These are the times that people say ‘Oh I wish I could dance!’ Then they promise themselves they will take lessons before the next upcoming event – but quite often never do! Learning to dance when you are young is so important.

But best of all learning to dance is FUN, you make NEW FRIENDS and develop a SOCIAL SKILL that will last a lifetime!

and sympathetic way – we 100% promise no pushy sales talk. Together we work hard to maintain our reputation for quality, reliability and safety and pride ourselves on our levels of after-sales care. Our commitment to your safety and needs coupled with our

outstanding customer service and 24hr response line means that we’ll have you moving again in no time. If you want to find out more, please give us a call on 0115 8492386 or visit our website www. priorityliftservices.co.uk – we would love to hear from you.

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Outstanding nursery school praised for ‘inspiring awe and wonder’

Nottingham Nursery School has been praised for the way it inspires ‘awe and wonder’ among children. Ofsted inspectors said the nursery in Radford fosters curiosity, celebrates inclusivity and nurtures children. They have awarded it the highest ‘Outstanding’ judgment. Following an inspection visit in February, the education watchdog said the school’s vision was to ‘give children the keys to their future’. Inspectors found this vision was shared by staff and governors alike and formed the backbone of everything they do. A new report published into the nursery school in Denman Street West said: “There is a real sense of teamwork at the school. Parents and carers are guaranteed a warm welcome. Every parent would recommend the school to others. All said their children are safe and cared for well.”

In particular, the inspectors highlighted: • Adults throughout the school show genuine care for the children. Relationships are warm and nurturing

• Leaders have a very clear understanding of the progress children make during their time at the school. Regular meetings to discuss the progress children are making focus sharply on evaluating both the progress that groups of children and individuals make.

• While most children join the school with skills, knowledge and understanding often below those typical for their age, the majority make strong progress and are well prepared for primary school • A key feature of the school is the extensive facilities available for outdoor learning.

The forest garden provides opportunities for children to explore willow structures and find out about minicreatures. There is a real sense of adventure and purpose as children learn and play together • The strong culture of safeguarding permeates the day-to-day provision Nottingham Nursery School

is the only Local Authority maintained nursery school in Nottingham and has no defined catchment, admitting up to 126 children aged three to four and up to 40 eligible two year olds. An integrated training centre also operates from the school, which supports the development and collaborative working of education and early years’ professionals. The school was previously rated as Outstanding. Head Teacher Mary Prest said: “We are enormously pleased that Ofsted have recognised the unique and special nursery provision that we work so hard to provide. Their judgement is a testament to the dedicated team and fantastic families we have here at the nursery, who are all committed to the same goal of working together to build strong foundations that all future learning can rest upon. “We have an innovative approach to learning, informed by the principles and approaches of

Froebels, Reggio Emilia & the Danish Forest Schools.

“We work closely with families to nurture the children who come here and strive to foster independence, resilience, creativity and curiosity and to celebrate our diversity. Learning outdoors and connecting with nature is key to our provision and we have fantastic learning spaces including our natural woodland which is an oasis in the city.” Cllr Neghat Khan, Portfolio Holder for Education and Skills in Nottingham, said: “This is clearly an Outstanding nursery school – it’s the gold standard that everyone should be aiming for. “This is clearly down to hard work from staff, pupils and governors. They should all be so proud of their hard work and dedication.

“The council is working closely with partners from across the city to ensure that every child can go to a school that is rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’.”

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Play boost for Bilsthorpe kids The village of Bilsthorpe will come together to celebrate major improvements at two local parks on Saturday 13th April.

More than £60,000 has been invested in new play equipment at the Maid Marian Avenue and Crompton Road parks, including a £30,000 Nottinghamshire County Council Local Improvement

Scheme grant, as part of a rejuvenation programme led

by Bilsthorpe Parish Council.

The new play equipment is specifically aimed at toddlers and younger children and is in both addition to and in replacement of existing pieces.

It will be officially opened at a community fun day at Maid Marian Park on Saturday 13th April (10.30am to 12.30pm).

The event will include free children’s entertainment, two bouncy castles, candyfloss, face-painting, football game and much more!

The Women’s Institute will be selling homemade cakes and St John’s Ambulance, who will be selling bacon cobs.

The Scouts and the Heritage Museum will also be in attendance, along with clowns

from the local circus and a VIP guest to help officially open the park. Councillor John Handley, ViceChairman of Communities and Place Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Our Local Improvement Scheme capital fund is a great example of how the County Council is helping local communities to help

Murifield Play Area A popular play area in Arnold will have a £100,000 refurbishment and extension thanks to external funding. The Muirfield Road Recreation Ground in Arnold will be improved thanks to funding from WREN, a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, conservation and heritage projects from funds donated by waste and resource management company FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund. WREN will be providing a grant total of £89,250 and the Warren Action Group will providing the required match funding of £10,750 making a total of £100,000.

The funding bid was made jointly by Gedling Borough Council and the Warren Action Group, a local residents group. The group have been working to revitalise the playground area and previously received £48,000 from WREN for a multi-use games area which was opened in 2017. Cheryl Raynor, WREN’s local grant manager said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Muirfield Road Recreation Ground Development project and pleased that our funding will provide such a fantastic facility for young people. WREN is always

happy to consider grant applications for projects that make a difference to local communities and we’re really looking forward to seeing this one take shape soon.”

Sue Jablonskas, from the Warren Action Group said: “It’s fantastic that WREN has awarded us this money and we’re really looking forward to our new play facilities taking shape over the next few months. It will encourage children and young people in the area to be physically active. This is the third and final phase of our project to improve the facilities available

on the Muirfield Road Recreation Ground and will provide a real boost to the people in the area. We are grateful to the officers of Gedling Borough Council who have supported us with this joint application and we are continuing to work closely with them to achieve the best value possible for the money that has been awarded.” Gedling Borough Council Parks Development Officer, Jane Richardson said: “This is fantastic news and I’d like to thank the Warren Action Group for all the work they’ve done alongside the council officers to get this funding and, of course, to WREN who have granted the funding. The money will make a huge difference to the place and the refurbishment and extension will be fantastic for the people using the park and we hope it will encourage more people to use the facilities and improve their fitness and health.”

themselves by contributing towards projects identified as priorities by local groups across the county. “I've visited a number of successful projects funded the length and breadth of Nottinghamshire

and seen first-hand how important and highly valued projects like these are to local people and the difference they can make. I am sure the new play equipment in Bilsthorpe will be no exception.”

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Most common reasons for why your house isn’t selling Hello, and welcome to the April property column from www.webuynghouse.com This month, I am going to explore a regular question I am asked when speaking

to sellers of houses in Nottingham. Why isn’t my house selling!? I believe there are seven main reasons why houses can take a while to sell and have listed them below.

1.The photos on your property's online listing aren't up to scratch 2. Your property isn't being properly promoted 3. Your asking price is

unrealistic 4. Buyers aren't being given the best first impression 5. Your estate agent isn't working hard enough 6. It's the wrong time to sell 7. Buyers aren't aware of the property's potential With all the problems above, there are solutions. Kelly and I can help to find solutions for you.

We have a unique model and can assist you in a range of situations including financial/debt problems, negative equity, separation or divorce, bereavement/probate property, relocation, tired landlord, if you need to sell your house fast, no joy with estate agents, broken chains, facing repossession, behind on mortgage payments, problems with repairs or vacant property.

We consider houses in all areas of Nottinghamshire. Our approach is confidential, there are no legal fees, no estate agent fees, no obligation, we offer up to 110% of mortgage value, offer within 48 hours, potentially able to complete within 4 weeks, provide a unique solution for you based on your circumstances and wants/needs, have an open and honest approach and we assist you through every step of the process.

Our core values are easy to summarise. We listen, we aim to solve problems and provide win-win solutions.

Kelly and I have undergone extensive training with a property education programme, giving us access to over 6000 property professionals who regularly share their wealth of

knowledge and contacts. This enables us to approach every deal in a professional, efficient and effective manner.

In most cases, we will make you a no obligation offer for your home based on market conditions and location.

Our service is totally free of charge, and there are no hidden charges.

We believe that everyone should be able to choose when and how to sell their house. We offer an alternative to the traditional estate agency methods and can potentially make you an offer to by your house quickly, regardless of the property condition or your financial situation.

You can contact us at 0115 824 74 01 or via www. webuynghouse.com We look forward to helping you find the right solution.

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Proposed new partnership agreement for the management of Nottingham’s council houses A new proposed partnership agreement between Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes (NCH) will be discussed at the council’s Executive Board on 19 March, which intends to continue to put tenants fully at the heart of services. The city’s housing stock has been managed on behalf of the council by NCH since 2005.

NCH is what is known as an ‘arm’s length management organisation’, or ‘ALMO’ for short. NCH is a not for profit company wholly owned by the City Council. The current Partnership Agreement, which was signed in 2011, is due to expire in 2021. However, the current agreement is now outdated and does not reflect how the relationship between the council and NCH has grown and changed over the past eight years; it also doesn’t take into account the increased range of activities which NCH now carries out on behalf of the council such as

building new council houses.

Nottingham City Homes, which was named Landlord of the Year at the UK Housing Awards in 2018 not only manages and maintains the City Council’s housing stock but also helps to deliver the council’s housing objectives by providing high quality homes and services which meet the needs of Nottingham people.

If approved, the new agreement will last for up to 30 years, with reviews every three years. Many local authorities are entering into agreements of this length with their ALMOs as it fits with the term of the 30-year business plans which they have in place setting out how the stock will be managed, maintained and invested in over that time.

If approved, the new terms will: • Recognise the wider activities carried out by NCH such as house building, housing management and

property services for other organisations.

• Ensure that the safety and wellbeing of residents and visitors to homes and estates managed by NCH remain a top priority.

• Ensure a seamless, accountable service is provided to tenants and council estates, irrespective of whether they are delivered by NCH or the council.

• Provide a process for monitoring performance to ensure tenants are receiving high quality services, which represent good value for the rent they pay.

• Ensure NCH continue to act as a voice on behalf of tenants through effective consultations and engagement.

Overall, the new agreement is designed to put tenants at the heart of services, and this is very much in tune with the Government’s Social Housing Green Paper, published in August last year. Nick Murphy, Chief Executive at

Nottingham City Homes, said: “The proposed Partnership Agreement with Nottingham City Council is important because it helps us to deliver our vision of providing homes and places where people want to live.”

“Throughout the term of our current agreement with the Council, we have managed to deliver the decent homes programme – transforming the quality of homes for our tenants, we have delivered more than 500 new council houses within Nottingham – the first new build programme of council houses in a generation and at the same time we have increased our tenant satisfaction from 61% to 91% – a record high.

“With the council’s support we are determined to build more affordable housing for people on our waiting list and we will continue to put tenants at the heart of what we do” Cllr Linda Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Planning

and Housing at the City Council, said: “This agreement shows the commitment both the City Council and NCH have to working in partnership to provide great housing and repairs services for City Council tenants, and providing good quality homes and successful communities where people want to live.

“The council will continue to support Nottingham City Homes in being the leader in housing management in the city, by providing high quality housing services for its tenants”. SaritaMarie Rehman-Wall, NCH tenant and Vice Chair of the Nottingham City Homes Board, said: “As tenants and Board members we fully support the proposed extension to the Partnership Agreement, and we wish for NCH to continue doing what they do best, which

is managing our homes and estates on behalf of the Council. We support NCH building new Council houses to help people on the waiting list.

We wholeheartedly welcome the certainty of a longer-term agreement.

NCH not only gives tenants a platform and a voice, it also genuinely listens to what we have to say. “NCH puts its tenants at the heart of everything it does, and initiatives such as the Tenant Academy, the Responsible Tenant Reward Scheme and the Tenant Fun Day evidently reflect that. We look forward to continuing our excellent partnership and to having NCH managing our homes for many more years to come.”

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New affordable homes for Rushcliffe

New affordable homes for local people have been officially opened as part of a phased garage redevelopment programme.

The site at Boundary Road is the latest in a series of successful redevelopments of former garage sites.

Lisbeth Banner, Development Manager from Metropolitan Thames Valley said: “This has been a fantastic partnership with the Council and it was great to have Cllr Upton along to formerly open the next phase, which is helping local people afford some beautiful new homes.”

Cllr Roger Upton, Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing, Planning and Waste Management said: “It is great to be collaborating with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and by working together, we are securing good quality affordable housing to meet local housing need, sustain jobs and improve the economy.

“The scheme at Boundary Road consisting of two three bedroom bungalows available for shared ownership is designed to help residents with small deposits and lower incomes to get on the property ladder.

“It is one of six sites of a phased garage redevelopment programme which will deliver 23 homes for affordable rent and shared ownership in Aslockton, East Bridgford, Cotgrave, Radcliffe on Trent and West Bridgford.”

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What is a funeral plan?

A funeral plan helps you to plan and pay towards a funeral in advance. It helps to lessen the financial weight of a funeral and reduces the stress and worry for your loved ones. Why should you take out a funeral plan? Organising a funeral at an already difficult time can be both emotionally and financially challenging.

In 2017, the average cost of a funeral was £4,078. This is projected to rise to £4,944 by 2022.** By taking out a funeral plan, you can ensure that some of these costs are covered in advance. Exactly how much of your costs are covered depends on which plan provider you choose, but most providers guarantee

to cover the funeral directors costs for arranging and conducting the funeral. This means you can ‘lock in’ these costs at today’s prices, meaning the sooner you take out a funeral plan, the more money you are likely to save.

There are also additional costs associated with a funeral, such as cremation or burial

fees. Different plan providers treat them in various ways.

For instance, some providers only offer a contribution towards costs associated with cremation and for Burial a contribution that doesn’t rise in line with the Retail Price Index. Likewise, some providers can guarantee to cover these costs, while others

exclude them completely.

Planning ahead also helps save your friends and family additional worry when you die. A funeral presents a large amount of money for your loved ones to find when you’re gone. With a prepaid funeral plan, you can rest assured knowing that you are helping to reduce the financial

burden on your loved ones.

It also relieves your family from having to make many of the difficult decisions about your final send off. Your family can avoid painful conversations over what your last wishes were and you can avoid them overspending because you “would’ve wanted it that way”.

Most people grieve when they lose something or someone important to them.

The way grief affects you depends on lots of things, including what kind of loss you have suffered, your upbringing, your beliefs or religion, your age, your relationships, and your physical and mental health.

How does grief affect you?

People react in different ways to loss. Anxiety and helplessness often come first. Anger is also common, including feeling angry at someone who has died for "leaving you behind". Sadness often comes later.

Feelings like these are a natural part of the grieving process. Knowing that they are common may help them seem more normal. It's also

important to know that they will pass. Some people take a lot longer than others to recover. Some need help from a counsellor or therapist or their GP. But you will eventually come to terms with your loss, and the intense feelings will subside.

How to cope with grief and loss. There's no instant fix.

You might feel affected every day for about a year to 18 months after a major loss.

But after this time the grief is less likely to be at the forefront of your mind.

There are practical things you can do to get through a time of bereavement or loss: Express yourself. Talking is often a good way to soothe painful emotions. Talking to a friend, family member, health professional or counsellor can

begin the healing process.

Allow yourself to feel sad. It's a healthy part of the grieving process.

Keep your routine up.

Keeping up simple things like doing the housework can help.

Sleep. Emotional strain can make you very tired. If you're having trouble sleeping, see your GP. Eat healthily. A healthy, wellbalanced diet will help you cope. Avoid things that "numb" the pain, such as alcohol. It will make you feel worse once the numbness wears off. Go to counselling if it feels right for you. Counselling may be more useful after a couple of weeks or months. Only you will know when you're ready.

Grieving when you have children When you have children, you

may not want to show your feelings. Sometimes this is a good thing. For example, showing anger towards their other parent during a separation can be painful for a child to see.

Reassure your child that the separation isn't their fault.

Keep their routine as normal as possible, and tell them what's happening so they're

less confused by it all.

However, if both parents are grieving for a loved one, it's sometimes good for children to see that it's normal to sometimes feel sad and cry.

Pay attention if your child wants to share their feelings, whether it's through talking, drawing or games.

Children need to feel they are listened to, so include

them in decisions and events if it feels right. Your GP is a good place to start. They can give you advice about other support services, refer you to a counsellor, or prescribe medication if needed.

Or you can contact support organisations directly, such as Cruse Bereavement Care (0808 808 1677) or Samaritans (116 123).

Dealing with grief and loss

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New Care Home Brings UK First To Hucknall “We have started implementing the Montessori methods in our group and we’ve already been able to change the day to day quality of life by enabling and giving people purpose. For example, we’ve been able to support a gentleman with dementia to become independent in using the bathroom through unique design, signage and Lynne Phair, Montessori Consultant for the UK and Lorraine support which has given Poundall Care Home Manager, Buddleia House and Hazelgrove him back his dignity and control. “A lady had lost the Opening in April, Buddleia and nutrition, and methods to engage in daily living ability to eat independently House will be one of the first enable the person to feel like in Buddleia House. Our and by supporting her with care homes in the UK to adopt they belong, have purpose, community has an indoor techniques and Montessori the Montessori approach to feel part of their community garden area, a pub, library dementia care – a unique and and to be fulfilled. area, a pantry, sweet shop, innovative approach to person The Montessori approach to creative art and music areas, centred care which has already care aims to enable individuals and lots of other engaging seen success in Australia and to live as independently as facilities. A therapeutic garden Canada. possible and have a place in has been designed to give Buddleia House will be the their community to contribute residents the opportunity to sixth care home under the and thrive. Its key principles pot plants in the green house, Milford Care Group family, focus on enhancing the home feed the chickens, have a game who currently boast five environment, improving the of bowling on the specially homes all rated ‘Good’ by the quality of life of residents and made bowling green, enjoy a CQC. It will be the second giving their lives purpose. drink in the beer garden or the home located in Hucknall, Residents can enjoy and tea house, and much more. alongside Hazelgrove Care Home, which is the only care home in Hucknall to have been awarded the highest Band 5 Quality Award and the Dementia Quality Mark

by Nottinghamshire County Council, as well as the ‘Good’ rating by the CQC. “People living with dementia, and their loved ones, face immense challenges” explains Lorraine Poundall, Home Manager of both Hazelgrove and Buddleia House.

“Standard care homes do not always specifically aim to address these challenges in the way that Buddleia House will. In fact, a ‘typical’ care home environment can often exacerbate and further confuse a person with dementia.”

Buddleia House has been created for the person living with dementia, using best practice in care, design, food

approaches she was able to re-learn the skill of using a spoon, which has helped her to regain her independence in eating. This has given her a new lease of life and the family is so grateful.

“Other residents have roles and purpose by helping their community. Examples include hanging out washing, folding laundry, helping in the garden and laying the tables. Other residents who were thought to have lost the ability to read are now taking part in the book club with specially written books for people with

dementia. This has given them a purpose in their daily life and also helps to reduce some of the challenges that dementia can cause.”

Buddleia House has just opened for enquiries and will be holding an open day for the public on Saturday 6th April at 2pm, which will give people an opportunity to find out more about both the home and this unique approach to care which is being introduced to the UK. For more information, please visit www.buddleia-house. co.uk

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A fifth of drivers have ignored smart motorway ‘red X’ signs

With hundreds of miles of smart motorways across England now using the hard shoulder as either a permanent or part-time running lane, new RAC research has found more than a fifth of motorists have driven in a lane closed by the red X sign in the past year, potentially putting lives at risk.

Twenty-three per cent of drivers surveyed by the RAC admitted to having broken this new rule of the road by disregarding the red X, either occasionally accidentally (19%), often accidentally (1%) or occasionally on purpose (3%).

The survey of 2,093 members of the RAC Opinion Panel* who had driven on a motorway in the last year confirmed more than eight in 10 drivers (84%) had seen a red X appear on the verge-mounted or overhead gantry electronic variable message signs.

And among those, there is no doubt whatsoever as to the meaning of the red X with 99% saying that it signifies the lane is closed.

For 87% their first action is to move, when safe to do so, into another lane which is

not closed while the remainder (13%) say they change lanes as soon as they possibly can but admit they might pass one or two red X signs b e f o r e doing so.

But the research h a s worryingly revealed that the sight of drivers disobeying red X smart motorway signs is all too common with nearly half (48%) of those questioned saying they frequently see this and more than a third (36%) claiming to see it occasionally.

Only 7% said they do not see drivers ignoring red X signs.

Opinions of those who commit this offence are very clear with 61% deeming them to be ‘irresponsible’, 54% saying they are at risk of being involved in a serious accident, 45% saying they have made an innocent but potentially dangerous mistake, and more than a third (37%) claim they are unobservant and perhaps shouldn't be driving.

Highways England has been working since 2016 to improve compliance with red X signs and has issued more than 160,000 warning letters to drivers who had either used sections of hard shoulder when not designated as a running lane or had failed to comply with a red X. In 2017 the Government amended the Road Traffic Offenders Act to enable red X offences to be captured by a remote or automated device, but legislation still has to be completed before

the technology can be used in enforcement.

Those surveyed by the RAC were very much in favour of cameras being used to catch people who drive under red Xs with two-thirds (66%) supporting the idea and only a third (34%) against.

RAC spokesperson Simon Williams said: “Smart motorways are now very much part of the fabric of England’s motorway network and will become even more commonplace in years to come with more being opened all the time.

“Red X signs, which denote when lanes are closed, are paramount in safety terms as any stricken driver who has not managed to reach an SOS area is at tremendous risk of being involved in a collision with vehicles that ignore them.

“It is also extremely dangerous if road workers or emergency service staff are attending to incident in the road.

Highway Code rule 258 is explicit: ‘if red lights on the overhead signals flash above your lane and a red X is showing, you must not go beyond the signal in that lane’.

“Our research found drivers understand very clearly what red Xs mean, yet worryingly far too many appear to have driven under one, dramatically putting themselves at risk of encountering a stationary vehicle or a worker in their path, and all the horrific consequences that could have.

“Highways England has been working hard to get the message across to drivers that they should not drive in lanes closed by red Xs, but there is still some way to go to ensure near total compliance.

“Regarding enforcement, we know Highways England is working with the Home Office to get the required legislation to allow cameras to catch those who break the rules of smart motorway driving in this way.”

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Want to advertise here?

call: 0115 6972670

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Want to advertise here? call: 0115 6972670

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6 Must Play Golf Courses in England

WHEN people think about golf in the United Kingdom, they usually dream about playing St Andrews and the other fabulous courses in Scotland. If that is you, perhaps the time has come to consider what England has to offer.

There is much else to enjoy.

In the northeast you will enjoy spectacular countryside and meet some of the friendliest people on earth. Head to the northwest and visit two of the most vibrant cities in Europe in Liverpool and Manchester, or head to Blackpool and its all-year-round holiday season, pleasure beach and tower. Or travel to the Midlands and

take in Shakespeare country or the hustle and bustle of cities such as Birmingham, Coventry and Leicester. The locals call Yorkshire 'God's country' - spend a day or two there and you will quickly realise why as much of the countryside is breathtaking.

If you think that Pebble Beach is special, try standing on the clifftops in Cornwall and watch the waves crash in, then go and sample a Cornish pastie and a pint of cider.

Taste the clotted cream and walk along the sandy beaches of Devon, complete with its palm trees.

Or head to London, arguably the best capital city anywhere

on the planet. Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, museums and parks galore, Soho, the West End and its theatres, bars, clubs and restaurants galore – no matter what you are looking for, you will find it in London.

And no matter which part of England you choose to visit, you will know that you are never far from a world-class golf course. Here, we offer you 10 must play courses, but there are many, many more.

Sunningdale Golf Club Green fee £205; November 1-March 31, £125 Par 70, 6,627 yards, heathland The Old Course at Sunningdale is the Mona Lisa

of heathland golf courses. It is a work of art. You will be open-mouthed at the beauty of the place if you have never played here before. The greens are among the best you will ever find. Always in fantastic condition, they feature lots of borrows and slopes and many wonderfully-crafted bunkers.

The heather gives the course a glorious purple hue. It has held many, many top tournaments and is a favourite among the world’s best players. One glance at the place and you will know why. The finishing stretch is terrific. The 15th is a 239-yard par three, that will need a driver for most people to reach the green. There are bunkers left and right and a heather-filled bank on the right. The 16th is a par four measuring 434 yards, with the second shot played uphill - a cross bunker short of a well-bunkered green is to be avoided. The 17th, measuring 425 yards, features a downhill tee shot with a copse on the left and a bunker on the right that can’t be seen from the tee. The approach is played to a sloping green. The final hole measures 423 yards, with a

fairway that slopes from left to right, where a bunker awaits.

Avoid that and you have to clear another cross bunker.

There is an interesting story about the bunkers protecting the final green - they were created when the Luftwaffe bombed the area during the Second World War and were left because they improved the hole!

Woodhall Spa Green fee £76, November 1-March 31, £53 Par 73, 7,080 yards, heathland Home of the English Golf Union, Woodhall Spa has two courses, the Hotchkin and the Bracken. They are both excellent examples of heathland golf at its best, but the Hotchkin is something special and features high on every ‘best of’ list. It is set among glorious woodland and is famous for its bunkers, some of which you may go into and never be seen again. You are going to have to accept that somewhere along the line you are going to end up in the sand, so make sure you know how to get out. Keeping the ball in play is essential – trees, gorse and heather lie in wait.

Get in the heather and you will be happy just to get the ball back in play. Do not miss the greens on the wrong side.

The second hole, measuring 442 yards, can be played two ways - hit your drive to the wide part of the fairway and you face a long approach, or try to drive between the bunkers and go in with a short to medium iron. The green slopes from front to back. The eighth is a challenging par three of 209 yards played to an elevated green. There are three bunkers to the left but you must at all costs avoid the huge trap to the right.

The 18th is a magnificent par five measuring 540 yards and usually played into the wind.

The tee shot is extremely demanding and ideally needs to be hit long and left. Do not go right or you will be blocked out by a giant oak tree. There are lots of bunkers on both sides of the fairway. For most of a us, a great three-shot hole.

Walton Heath GC Green fee: £150; December 1-February 28, £75 Par 72, 7,420 yards, parkland There are two courses at Walton Heath, the most famous of which is the Old Course, which is 7,420 yards long from the back tees. It hosted the Ryder Cup in 1981, and the European Open has also been played here. It is a stunning heathland layout.

James Braid, the five-time Open champion, was club professional until 1950 – and it is little wonder that he didn’t want to move anywhere else. It is not far from the centre of London, but you would never know it as the course is so tranquil. Most of the bunkers are surrounded by heather – it may look pretty but if it swallows up your golf ball then the strength of your wrists is going to be tested to the full. The fairways consistently provide tight lies – hit the ball properly and it will stop quickly enough on the magnificent greens. The second hole is a magnificent 475-yard par four - drive into a valley and you will be left with an approach of about 200 yards played uphill. It requires

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Carlton town reach cup final two splendid hits. The 16th is a par five measuring 535 yards framed by trees and featuring a couple of bunkers that you don’t want to visit, especially the one slap bang in the middle of the fairway. The 18th is a 479-yard par four, with bunkers on the left to be avoided. There is also a cross bunker short of the green.

Aldeburgh GC Par 68, 6,603 yards, heathland Green fee: £80 (twilight offers); December 1-February 28, £55 This is the best golf course in Suffolk – bar none. It is ‘only’ a par 68 but it is a really stern test, and anybody who is a member here will stroll round any other course they play comfortably below their handicap. It has a wonderful old clubhouse with wood panels and leather seats and an artisan membership who have their own separate facilities.

Fourballs are discouraged in an effort to speed up play. The fairways are tight and well bunkered and most of the par fours require tee shots to be struck with pinpoint accuracy in order to provide the right lines to the greens. The four par threes are glorious and there isn’t a single ‘gimme’ hole on this wonderful course.

The third is 429 yards long and

plays uphill. The second shot is blind, played to a marker post, with a bunker waiting on the right of the green. The fourth hole is only 119 yards long. Easy, right? Erm, no.

In the first place, the green is large - and it slopes severely from left to right. Oh yes, and the bunkers feature sleepers.

The 16th, at 478 yards, is the longest hole at Aldeburgh.

Cross bunkers are to be avoided on this hole, which features a sloping fairway and is normally played into the wind. The closing hole is 435 yards and, again, plays uphill.

Once more, you will usually have to deal with the wind blowing in your face. There are bunkers left and right at driving distance before an approach played to a long, narrow, undulating green - it measures 30 yards and is well protected by bunkers.

Hillside Golf Club. Green fee £150, November 1-February 29, £65. Par 72, 7,029 yards, links. One of many great courses in and around Southport, near Liverpool, and, in your correspondent’s humble opinion, the best of the lot – and that includes Royal Birkdale. A fabulous clubhouse, built in the 1930s and looking more like a large house, overlooks the first tee

and 18th green. From the back tees it measures just over 7,000 yards. Greg Norman once described the back nine as the best in Britain. High praise indeed. The first hole measures just under 400 yards, with the railway line on the left side of the fairway and plenty of well-placed bunkers. It is a terrific golf course, requiring accuracy from the tee, and includes some great, testing par threes.

Gorse and pine trees feature in abundance. The fifth is a wonderful par five. It is 562 yards long with a stream on the left, trees, plenty of bunkers and land sloping from right to left. The seventh is a memorable 170-yard par three played to a raised green which will hold a well-struck shot, but go left and you can run up a cricket score. The 15th is 425 yards long. It is a dogleg, with bunkers to be avoided - you will need to hit your tee shot 250 yards to carry them. The green is surrounded by sand dunes. The closing hole is 439 yards but is played from an elevated tee - leave your drive short of the fairway bunkers and then avoid the deep traps protecting the green. The club likes to boast that the bar is just 25 yards from the 18th green.

Royal West Norfolk Green fee £85 singles, £60 pp greensomes; winter, £65 singles, greensomes £50 Par 71, 6,457 yards, links No fourball play is allowed at Royal Norfolk. The club does this to keep play moving and to ensure that visitors get the most from their experience on this fabulous course, in Brancaster. Uniquely, you have to cross the beach to get to the first tee. There are also double fairways and sleepered bunkers – trust me, you don’t want your ball to finish at the base of the sleepers.

Royal West Norfolk has a charm all of its own and has good links with local hotels and bread and breakfast establishments. It is a par 71 and measures 6,457 yards.

The front nine is 400 yards shorter than the inward nine, but it is the home holes that represent the biggest challenge, with the holes running alongside the sea and usually played into the wind.

The final three holes measure just 337, 392 and 381 yards.

It sounds simple enough, but throw in the wind, narrow fairways, rough and some ferocious bunkers and if you walk off having parred all three then you are going to be a very happy golfer indeed!

Win a photo with the iconic ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Rushcliffe residents can win an exclusive opportunity to have their photo taken with the world famous ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy at Trent Bridge cricket ground ahead of this summer’s fantastic tournament.

The renowned trophy will visit the home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club next month and one extremely lucky competition winner will receive the chance for them and, or their family and friends to be pictured as part of its county-wide tour on Monday April 22.

Mayor Mrs Maureen Stockwood will greet the winner in the backdrop of 55 junior members of the club participating in cricket activities on its hallowed turf and there will be chance to also meet members of

the club’s first XI. Those available to attend from 11am at Trent Bridge on Monday eager to attend the exclusive to 12.30pm for the photoshoot April 22. photoshoot must correctly answer the following question to be in with a chance of winning this exciting prize: What is the name the England and Nottinghamshire bowler who has starred in multiple Cricket World Cups and famously took 8 wickets for 15 runs against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015?

Entries should be emailed to media@rushcliffe.gov.uk, or submitted via letter or postcard to: Cricket World Cup Trophy Competition, Media Team, Rushcliffe Arena, Rugby Road, NG2 7YG. All entries must be received no later than 5pm on Thursday April 18.

The winner will be selected at random from the correct submissions and should be

Carlton Town 2 – 1 Kimberley MW And so onto the long awaited cup semi-final and what more incentive could the team have to book a place in the final round with a game at Field Mill the home of Mansfield Town.

Carlton started brightly and pressed the opposition with good integrity and will.

They worked with a purpose and some desire but would still find the opposition to be hard working and awkward to break through.

It would take a penalty from Hutchinson half-way through the first period to break the deadlock and give the millers a slender lead at the interval, but despite this Kimberley would still have the better of the exchanges for most of the half and would rue missing chances that they had to take from distance. The second period started brightly for the away side and they were also awarded a penalty three minutes into the half.

Steggles made a fine save diving to his right , but soon after the visitors were rewarded for their endeavour with the equaliser.

The visitors worked tirelessly and caused many issues for Carlton to deal with ,but this was all to no avail as the ever reliable Bartram would show up to score at the far post with fifteen minutes left.

A nervy final fifteen minutes left the millers defending stoutly and keep the away side at bay to ensure their passage to the final.

Cleethorpes Town 4 – 2 Carlton Town Three days on from the cup success brought an away day at the coast and the hope that the win in midweek would revitalise the team’s confidence.

Article by Phil Jennings

It did exactly this. With the home team looking to impact on their play-off hopes they would start with a sharp work-rate and press Carlton early on, but the millers were resilient and were to produce probably some of their best football all season hence turning the tide as to say.

A nice little interchange of paases after only ten minutes would see Blake hit the net low in the corner to give the visitors the lead.

Carlton pressed and pursued the home side all the way through the remainder of the half and Blake again was to score with a similar strike to his first to put the millers two-up just before half-time.

The home side came out after the break and within seven minutes of the restart score twice to bring the game level.

Carlton never really came out of the dressing room in the second half and would succumb to a deflected effort by Lowe nine minutes from the end after a long period of intense pressure.

The home side would score again with three minutes left and send the millers home with an empty bucket.

Forthcoming Fixtures 30th March Morpeth Town (h) 6th April Frickley Athletic (a) 9th April Basford United (Field Mill) Notts Senior Cup Final 13th April - Stocksbridge Park Steels (h) 16th April Loughborough Dynamo (a) 20th April Brighouse Town (a) 22nd April AFC Mansfield (h) 27th April Marske United (a)

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Tribute to the New Generation of Forest Supporters May 1999; a month that shaped the foreseeable future for two iconic football clubs, and for their respective supporters it was a sliding doors moment as Nottingham Forest and Manchester City set off on very different trajectories.

For City it was the beginning of what might just become the most unprecedented trophy haul in world football, but for the Reds it triggered a twentyyear nightmare from which they are only just awakening.

However, amid the misery and malaise emerged a brave new generation of Nottingham Forest supporters. And it’s to these loyal, young hopefuls that I dedicate this article.

I wanted to hear from lifelong Forest fans who’d barely seen NFFC in the Premier League but continued to follow the club through thick and thin.

So, without further ado, let’s hear from the supporters themselves as to how and why they pledged their allegiance to the Reds. Gareth Roberts, Age 27 – “I was born weeks before Des Walker’s own goal gave Spurs the only trophy that Brian Clough never won.

I’ll hold up my hands, as a 7/8-year-old I had a soft spot for Man U when they won the treble in the year that I really got into football. It was my cousin Nathan who constantly ribbed me about not following my local team. And when we sadly lost him in 2002, I decided that Forest was going to be the way I chose to remember him.

My first game was a 3-2 win for Forest over Palace in 2004 and I became a season ticket holder in the League One campaign of 04/05. I’ve been a season ticket holder ever since so I must really enjoy pain! My worst memory was the crushing home defeat to Yeovil in the play offs but ironically the same opposition played a supporting role in my favourite moment too. Julian Bennett’s crunching tackle and subsequent thunderbolt (Championship promotion) summed up exactly why I love football, especially when the man himself was born just a stone’s throw from the City Ground.

Good times are on the horizon for Forest, the new regime have provided actions as opposed to tweets. I believe Mr Marinakis is aiming to welcome the likes of Manchester United to a new 38,000-seater stadium pretty soon, he seems like the guy who knows how to get what he wants.”

Gary Page, Age 27 - “My first game was in August 2000, so I’ve never seen Forest in the top flight, Jon-Olav Hjelde scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory. I didn’t choose a Premier League club because my dad gave me the choice of supporting Forest or being grounded until I decided to support them! I wasn’t

bothered about the trophies but wanted to support a club from the City in which I was born, my late grandfather was a Notts County fan and a friend of jimmy Sirrel, so I had options.

My worst moment (excluding any Derby defeat) was the 0-3 defeat to Plymouth in 2005 and my favourite was the victory over Yeovil that took promoted us to the Championship. I lost my voice for a good few days after that one!

I love what the new regime is doing regarding fan consideration and ground development.

My only concern is that the managerial merry go round hasn’t ended. I’m optimistic about returning to the Prem and feel the club are moving in the right direction. I had similar thoughts ten years ago but I’m hoping for better this time around!” Josh Goodwin, Age 26 – “I’ve been a season ticket holder at Forest since I was eight, and it really was my own choice. I grew up in Mansfield but as a 6/7-year-old I had no idea of Nottingham Forest’s past successes, I just remember feeling at home at the City Ground. My first real disappointment was the Play off loss to Sheffield United, but I’ve seen plenty of bad moments down the years; relegation to League one and of course the Fawaz era. In recent times, the crucial six pointer versus Blackburn which we lost made me think that a return to League One was our destiny. There have been cracking moments too, for the older generation they won’t compare but for me they’re brilliant. That 3-1 away win at WBA, the 5-2 victory over Derby and that 7-3 win at Leeds, which is my favourite.

Life at Forest certainly seems to be looking up under the ownership of Evangelos Marinakis, we’ve gone from a laughing stock to a wellrun club. The goals have been raised as Aitor karanka

Written by Steve Corry found out in what seemed a successful season for us, however, the future is bright.

If we can keep the likes of Colback, Carvalho and Lolley and press on with good recruitment, who knows what the future may hold?

One thing’s for sure, I’ve not been this optimistic for years and I wouldn’t change these times or my club for anything!”

Finally, I received a brilliant e mail from a gentleman called Peter Abrahart. Pete has conducted vastly extensive research from a plethora of Forest fans for his own fanzine. I simply cannot do it justice to publish even one tenth of the amazing content he provided me with.

Pete had similar thoughts to myself regarding the DNA of NFFC supporters, therefore, rather than regurgitate his words as my own, I recommend that our readers search him out and indulge upon his findings.

Pete can be found on Twitter under the following handle @PeterAbrahart. There are some wonderful testimonies from Nottingham Forest supporters within, and a few famous names among them too!

The demographic of our great football club is a beautiful mixture of young and old, spoiled and starved but most importantly, unified. When the good times return, which will be very soon indeed, it will be a fitting reward for the likes of Gareth, Gary and Josh who’ve stuck by Nottingham Forest through thick and thin.

Each Edition of the Nottingham Now has a print run of 10,000 copies. Published by Wilcop Media Ltd, Unit 8, The Glade Business Centre, Forum Road, Nottingham. NG5 9RW.