Nottingham Now 5

Issue. 5 - December 2018 0115 6972670 | www.nottingham-now.co.uk | sales@nottingham-now.co.uk

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Inside this issue: Health & Wellbeing - cHRISTMAS - what’s on

Joint Emergency Service's Christmas Carol Service

This year’s Nottinghamshire joint emergency service’s family Christmas carol service takes place on Monday 17 December 2018 at 7pm. The service is an annual tradition held at Southwell Minster when the three services, Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Serice and East Mdlands Ambulance Service, come together to start Christmas celebrations and take part in a traditional carol service. This year the Cantamus Girls Choir will join the Nottinghamshire Police Band and the Nottinghamshire Police Pipe Band to lead festive carols and Christmas melodies. The service will include readings and prayers telling the story of the Nativity at this very special time of year. Service members, their families and the general public are all welcome to attend.

Becky Adlington signs up for Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham page 12...

Green and edible cling film and food packaging made from plants

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Christmas comes early as council starts its free bulky waste collection service this week Due to popular demand, Gedling Borough Council has extended its annual free bulky waste collection and it will begin this week instead of in January. Gedling Borough Council is offering a free collection of large household items to all residents, subject to availability and on a first come, first served basis. The first collections will initially be collected on Saturdays only until January when residents can choose weekday collections up until the scheme ends in February.

To take advantage of this limited offer, residents need

to visit www.gedling.gov.uk/ bulkywaste enter their address and details of the items to be collected. The system will then tell them when the next free collection is available.

This scheme is an extension of the council’s annual bulky waste amnesty which normally starts in January however, the council have decided to bring it forward and offer more collections between now and February.

The aim of the free service is to reduce fly tipping and to allow residents the opportunity to get rid of unwanted large items which would normally be chargeable. Collection dates are limited and residents must book in advance on a first come, first served basis and any collection is subject to availability. To book a collection visit www.gedling.

gov.uk/bulkywaste or call Customer Services on 0115 901 3901.

Deputy Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor Michael Payne said; “I’m delighted to announce that we’re starting our popular free bulky waste collection

service earlier this year and residents can book slots now. We think it’s important to offer residents the chance to dispose of large items that can’t go in their household bin. This can reduce fly tipping and give residents a chance to get rid of unwanted large items easily and for no extra cost at a time when it can be financially challenging due to Christmas demands.”

Geopace Training Most have experienced it. A doctor says you need some blood tests and a half a dozen stabs and prods later – sometimes more – the doctor has your blood sample and the patient has a sore arm that resembles a pincushion.

Many healthcare institutions such as GP surgeries and hospitals now employ phlebotomists to perform the role of collecting blood from their in-patients and out-patients.

Skilled phlebotomists – the healthcare professionals who take your blood – are the experts who have been gradually replacing nurses and doctors and who specialise in just collecting blood samples. Phlebotomy posts are usually very flexible and can vary from full and part-time hospital posts to part time

work in surgeries and clinics.

Geopace Training has built a nationwide reputation for teaching phlebotomy the right way and Geopace tutors travel from across country and even internationally to be train phlebotomy students.

Each Geopace class lasts two full days and at the end of the course students will have attained an accredited certificate in phlebotomy.

Students need no prior experience in healthcare and come from all walks of life and all ages. The Introduction to Phlebotomy Course provides a very thorough grounding in both theory and practical elements and prepares students up to the point of ‘live blood draws’. “It’s also a lot of fun” says Amy, admin manager at Geopace Training.

“Many students email us after completing the course to say how enjoyable it was whilst others email us to let us know that they have been accepted for phlebotomy jobs”.

Geopace instructors are some of the most elite in the industry and the training programme is constantly updated to keep up with new developments and changes, so students receive the most current information and training available.

Students attending the course

are very hands-on, practicing on artificial arms which pump fake blood, with a choice of veins to perform and practise on. There is also a theory element to complete although there are no exams at the end.

Students complete modules as they process through the course and it’s almost impossible for anyone to fail.

Once completed the course awards a nationally recognised and accredited certificate in phlebotomy (accredited at Level 5 in Ireland).

If you like the idea of working in the healthcare profession then why not visit the Geopace Training website for more information at: www. geopace.com Courses are running in Nottingham on 2nd and 3rd February 2018

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Land agreement paves the way for

new secondary school in Bramcote County Councillors have agreed to enter into a partnership with the White Hills Park Federation Trust which will see the construction of a new secondary school in Bramcote.

Nottinghamshire County Council's Policy Committee gave the go ahead to the proposals for a new school at its meeting on 14 November., which will be funded through the sale of nearby land for new housing.

The new school, which will be built on the same site as the current Bramcote College at Moor Lane, will have provision for 600 places initially with capacity to expand by a further 150 places, depending on future demand.

A new 200-place sixth form college will also be built as part of the development.

It is anticipated that the sale of the housing land will generate a substantial capital receipt which will be reinvested into the construction of the new school and other infrastructure improvements across Nottinghamshire, through the County Council's capital programme.

The land off Coventry Lane, to the north of Bramcote

College, has been earmarked for housing in Broxtowe Borough Council's local plan.

Proposals for 500 new homes, which will incorporate green access and views for local residents, will be brought forward after councillors agreed to commit £500,000 for planning and land preparation.

Many of the current Bramcote College school buildings are in a poor condition and the Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Councillor Kay Cutts said a new secondary school for Bramcote was much needed.

Councillor Cutts said: "Providing a high-quality learning environment for children can have a hugely positive impact on attainment levels, so this is fantastic news for teachers, parents and children at Bramcote College who have performed valiantly in conditions which are not ideal.

"Working in partnership with White Hills Park Federation Trust, I am delighted that we have been able to reach an agreement which will see the construction of a muchneeded new school and housing, as well as funding for

other infrastructure projects."

Councillor Philip Owen, Chairman of the Children and Young People's Committee at the County Council, added: "The redevelopment of Bramcote College is part of our ambitious countywide schools building and improvement programme, which will see the creation of hundreds of school places and improvements to school buildings across Nottinghamshire.

"Educational standards in Nottinghamshire are improving and we are

Fly-tipper left with £1,000 bill for dumping household waste A householder was left with a bill of close to £1,000 for dumping bags of household waste just half a mile from her home in her village.

Rushcliffe Borough Council prosecuted Alison Munsey, 51, for irresponsibly throwing away the purple bin bags of rubbish and a piece of garden furniture on Gypsum Way in Gotham.

Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard on November 9 that Munsey claimed she intended to dispose of the waste at a Loughborough Household Waste Recycling Centre.

However she claimed when informed her vehicle would need to be registered to use the facility, she dumped the waste under half a mile from her property. The vehicle

she used to dump the items was spotted at the scene by a member of the public who alerted the Council within 20 minutes of the incident.

Deputy Leader Cllr Debbie Mason said: “This was an exceptionally selfish act by a resident dumping rubbish in her own community where her neighbours would be among those having to suffer the unsightly scene of her plastic bags and furniture dumped on a busy road. “The message is clear, always lawfully dispose of your household waste responsibly or you will face punishment. “We have a zero tolerance policy on fly-tippers and we will always consider prosecution when evidence is found on those who commit these crimes. “Fly-tipping anywhere in Rushcliffe is

completely unacceptable and we will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who blights our communities in this fashion.”

Munsey pleaded guilty to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for dumping the items on October 31 last year, was fined £480, ordered to pay £450 towards prosecution costs and given a victim’s surcharge of £48, leaving a bill of £978.

determined to ensure county children are giving the best possible opportunity to realise their potential at school. Our vision is to make Nottinghamshire a great place to bring up a family and a place to fulfil your ambition."

Paul Heery, Executive Head Teacher at Bramcote College, said: "We are delighted to be working with the County Council to provide a new school for Bramcote that the whole community can be proud of. "The school has made great strides in recent years, with record levels of attainment and a Good rating from Ofsted, and this news gives us the opportunity to look forward to a very bright future. Our vision is of a school at the centre of its

community, and we will work with students, parents and the local community to ensure that this is what we deliver."

A copy of the report, approved

by Policy Committee on

14 November, is available to download from the Nottinghamshire County Council website. http://www. n o t t i n g h a m s h i r e . g o v. u k / DMS/

Page 4.

Pedal Power raises

£1,700 for Aurora

A Bassetlaw Councillor and his wife have raised more than £1,700 for the Aurora Wellbeing Centre in Worksop thanks to an epic 1,200mile cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Cllr John Shephard, who is Ward Member for Worksop South East, and his wife Gill set off on their journey from the southern-most point in the UK - Land’s End, Cornwall on 31st August reached their destination, John O’Groats at the North tip of Scotland on 20th September. The couple

raised a total of £1,700 with £850 being generated by public donations and £850 from councillor community grants. John said: “We really enjoyed the ride and cycled an average of 60 miles a day following the quiet roads and off-road cycle trails on the Sustrans National Cycle Network.

It’s not the quickest route, but very scenic and it was great to see the changing and wonderful landscape of Britain and meet many helpful and interesting people on the journey, the highlight of which was the amazing scenery in the North of Scotland.

“I’d like to thank everyone who generously d o n a t e d money as the Aurora c h a r i t y does some fantastic work in Bassetlaw and it’s great

that the historic Old Library building is being put to such good use. But they need lots of donations to keep the centre running and we’re thrilled that we are able to help out in a small way.”

The Aurora Wellbeing Centre provides a range of support services and therapies for cancer patients and their families and General Manager, Debra Fores, said: “Thank you to John and Gill for raising funds for Aurora.

This funding is excellent news for Aurora and will enable us to continue to offer free packages of treatments for local people with a cancer diagnosis and their carers in our Centre.” The Bassetlaw District Councillors who contributed to the total fund through their Community Grants are: Cliff Entwistle, Gill Freeman, Michael Gray, Debbie Merryweather, David Potts, Josie Potts, Sue Shaw, John Shephard and Clayton Tindle. You can still donate to John and Gill’s fundraising page, which will remain live until 21 December, via https:// mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/ johnshephard7

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County's broadband partnership makes national award shortlist Nottinghamshire County Council has been shortlisted for a 'local government oscar' for its work to rollout superfast broadband to all corners of the county.

The County Councilled Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (BBfN) programme, delivered in partnership with Openreach, Broadband Delivery UK and a range of other organisations, is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the county.

BBfN has invested more than £30m in the area's digital infrastructure over the last five years, helping ensure that 98% of homes and businesses have access to superfast broadband and making Nottinghamshire one of the best connected counties in the country.

Now the project has been shortlisted for a prestigious Local Government Chronicle award in the Best Public/ Private Partnership category, alongside entries from Barnet Council and PA Consulting, Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Cheshire East Council, Cornwall Council, Dorset County Council, Glasgow City Council, Hull City Council and Lincolnshire County Council.

Councillor Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "I am thrilled that the success of the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire programme is being recognised at a national level, which is testament to the hard work and expertise of all the partners involved.

"The fact that Nottinghamshire has one

of the most comprehensive superfast broadband networks in the country is a major selling point for the county when we are competing with other areas to attract new jobs and investment. According to independent estimates, BBfN will be worth £302m to the local economy over a 15 year period, representing a return £11 for every £1 of public and private investment made.

"We know that access to good quality broadband is rated by many residents and businesses to be as important as other utilities like gas, electricity and water - which is reflected in the high takeup of broadband services in the hundreds of communities where BBfN has provided access."

Carl Sproston, Openreach’s Partnership Director for the East Midlands, said: “We are delighted our partnership with the county council has been recognised as one of the best in the country.

"From the outset, we’ve worked well together, combining our efforts to improve the online fortunes for the people of Nottinghamshire. The results have been outstanding, with tens of thousands of homes and businesses now with access to superfast broadband, mostly for the first time.

"We were also delighted that our council colleagues supported us recently when we announced Nottingham as the latest area to benefit from our Fibre First programme.”

The winners of the LGC Awards will be announced at a prestigious ceremony

on 13 March 2019. Local Government Chronicle editor, Nick Golding said: “The councils that have been shortlisted for an LGC Award are among the most innovative – and their innovation is providing the best services for residents, despite local government facing enormous budget cuts.

“The officers and councillors of shortlisted councils deserve enormous credit for thinking of new ways to deliver the best services, ensuring vital services thrive in the era of austerity.”

BBfN Key facts • Independent modelling showed that BBfN will lead to the creation of 8,080 new FTE jobs.

• Over 227,000 metres of fibre has been laid though the BBfN rollout - the length of more than 2,100 football pitches.

• More than half a million homes and businesses in in Nottinghamshire now have access to superfast broadband, including over 80,000 premises directly as a result of the BBfN programme since its launch in 2015.

• More than 50% of homes and businesses have already taken up access to superfast broadband services in the BBfN rollout areas. The high take-up has meant that £2.7m has been returned to the programme by suppliers in 'gainshare' payments and reinvested in expanding the rollout further.

Further information about BBfN and broadband in Nottinghamshire is available at www.nottinghamshire.gov. uk/broadband

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Shops in Arnold to get new state of the art radio systems to help tackle shop theft and anti-social behaviour The Arnold Shop Watch Radio Scheme, which has been in operation for nearly 15 years, will have new digital radios thanks to funding granted to Gedling Borough Council. Large chain stores Asda and Sainsbury’s, shops and licensed premises are all signed up to the scheme which lets them to communicate with each other and to the council’s CCTV control room to report any anti-social behaviour or suspicious activity.

Gedling Borough Council bid for funding from the office of the Police and Crime

Commissioner and received £10,000 towards the radios as part of its Community Safety Service. The new digital radio system, replacing the current analogue system, will increase the quality of communications between shops, promoting the sharing of information within the business community.

The radios will be distributed in known hot spot areas on Front Street, Arnold and in licensed premises in the town centre. At present, 35 radios will be distributed to the shops and licensed premises. The radios will feed directly to the

council’s control room where they can monitor CCTV and update the store owners. The radios are also an opportunity for shops to exchange information and improve general communications on the high street.

The radios are being upgraded at the same time as new CCTV cameras have been installed on Smithy Crescent, Arnold in response to a recent increase in crime and antisocial behaviour in the area.

Security Team Leader at Asda better, we can hear everything clearly now.

Arnold, Martin Holmes said; The old analogue radios were not working and “The new radios are much most of the time we couldn’t use them, the new radios will make it much easier for us to talk to other shops if any incidents occur.”

Deputy Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor Michael Payne said; “The new radios will be a welcome upgrade learn can make them perfect and will give shop owners a much improved candidates for roles in any way of communicating with each other if they sector but given the public see any anti-social behaviour or suspicious element of the services activity. The Police and Gedling Borough we provide, they may be Council rely on the eyes and ears of the people a great fit for roles in the on the ground in our town centres and this will organisation. give them the tools they need to be one step “We will actively look for ahead and, along with the new CCTV, will suitable candidates from give residents confidence that we’re doing military backgrounds when considering our vacancies and look to build on this award with further work with armed forces personnel in our communities.

“I have attended the Covenant’s forces Breakfast Club at Gamston for example and seen first hand the benefit support frameworks like this can have in place for those from a military background. Long may this work continue.”

Rushcliffe acknowledged for further commitment to support Armed Forces members Rushcliffe Borough Council’s commitment to supporting serving and former Armed Forces personnel and their families in the Borough has been further recognised at an awards ceremony.

The authority was awarded a silver award from the The Armed Forces Covenant Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme on November 15 that acknowledges the Council’s awareness of the variety of transferable skills reservists, veterans and current personnel can bring to the civilian workplace.

It means the Council proactively demonstrate that service personnel or those in the armed forces community

are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruiting and selection processes.

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Covenant Champion Cllr Debbie Mason collected the accolade with the Council’s Executive Manager for Communities Dave Mitchell and in conjunction with Melton and Charnwood Borough Councils who have also been awarded silver status.

Cllr Mason said: “We’re very proud to have this further recognition following earning bronze status last year.

“We’re committed to exploring what those who serve in the forces can bring to our organisation.

“The skills, aptitudes and values those in the forces

everything we can to make our streets safer for them.” For more information about the scheme or if you are a shop owner interested in signing up to the scheme, contact our Community Team on 0115 901 3845.

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Permanent measures to improve pedestrian safety planned for iconic sporting venues Plans to introduce permanent measures to improve the safety of pedestrians on highways around key sporting venues in West Bridgford will be considered

by Nottinghamshire County Council next week.

Its Communities and Place Committee will discuss the proposals to install permanent precautionary traffic bollards and protective features around Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and will consider similar safety measures around Nottingham Forest’s Ground at its last meeting before Christmas on Thursday (6

December). Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and Nottingham Forest Football Club are already planning on putting in place a range of their own safety measures, working closely with their respective safety advisory groups. However, routes and areas outside the ground don’t normally fall within the responsibility of ground management. In these cases, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority advises that a coordinated approach should be used with input from all agencies that do have responsibility for those areas.

The County Council has been working closely with the police, Trent Bridge Cricket Club, Nottingham Forest Football Club, landowners and Via East Midlands on the proposals and the safety features will be located on and near pavement areas where large numbers of people are expected. They will be designed to allow easy pedestrian access.

Committee vice-chairman Councillor John Handley who covers community safety said: “Events at these sporting venues generate huge pedestrian traffic and, at times, congestion on the pavements in the surrounding area. International cricket matches can attract up to 17,000 spectators several times a year. And the City Ground sees gates of over 20,000 for home games.

The proposed permanent bollards and protective features around Trent Bridge will help with crowd control and serve the same purpose as the temporary barriers which were installed outside the Ground in July this year.

“Once installed, the proposed safety features - and the measures implemented by the grounds themselves - will provide a significant boost to pedestrian safety at two of Nottinghamshire’s most iconic places.”

The total cost for the scheme is estimated to be in the region of £850,000, which is subject to final agreement by the council’s Finance and Major Contracts Committee.

If agreed work will start in the new year.

University of Nottingham researchers have developed 100 percent biodegradable and edible food packaging made from plant carbohydrates and proteins to replace polluting plastic materials and improve storage, safety and shelf life.

The Sino-UK project is led by Professor Saffa Riffat, from the Faculty of Engineering, whose research group is world-renown for innovations in sustainable materials, energy and building technologies. This includes their investigations into the structure and functionality of sustainable natural materials such as plant polysaccharides (carbohydrates) and proteins to develop advanced materials for applications in buildings, energy technologies, packaging and beyond. Using a special technical approach, the team is working on plastic films derived from konjac flour and starch, cellulose or proteins that are fully edible and harmless if accidentally eaten by people or animals unlike health issues associated with microplastics and other plastic waste that make their way into the food chain.

The researchers have found that plant carbohydrate and protein macromolecules bond together into a special network structure during the film-

forming process. The network structure provides the film with a required mechanical strength and transparent appearance for the film to be used as packaging materials.

The project is jointly investigated by Marie Curie Research Fellow, Professor Fatang Jiang, an expert in biodegradable polysaccharide materials for moisture control, thermal insulation and infiltration. He recently joined the University of Nottingham from Hubei University of Technology in China, where part of the study is being worked on. Prof Riffat, also a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and President of World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies, said: “While plastic materials have been in use for around a century, their poor degradability is now known to cause serious environmental harm. This has led to more stringent recycling targets and even bans coming into force. “Queen Elizabeth, for example, banned plastic straws and bottles from the royal estates in February 2018, and the EU plans to make all plastic packaging recyclable or reusable by 2030. We need to find degradable solutions to tackle plastic pollution, and this is what we are working on

now.”

Fully-biodegradable bags could not only solve the safety and pollution issues of food packaging materials, but also efficiently lengthen the shelf life of fruit and vegetables and other fresh produce. “In addition to being edible, degradable, strong and transparent, the packaging materials we are working on have low gas permeability, making them more air tight.

This feature cuts moisture loss, which slows down spoilage, and seals in the flavour. This is of great importance for the quality, preservation, storage and safety of foods,” Professor Riffat adds. The primary market for these plant-based packaging materials will be superstores and food supply chains. The research team is also aiming to advance the technology for general packaging in construction, express delivery and magazines, etc. The project, currently supported by the £220K Horizon 2020 Marie Curie fellowship, will last two years with the potential to extend for another three to five years if further funding is secured.

Green and edible cling film and food packaging made from plants

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Page 9.

WIN an Evening Spa Experience for Two at Ragdale Hall Spa

Question:

How many luxurious and unique heat and water experiences are offered in the multi-million-pound Thermal Spa? Combining state-of-the-art facilities with the charm of traditional Victorian architecture, Ragdale Hall Spa offers luxurious and extensive spa facilities.

The NEW Rooftop Infinity Pool (Ragdale Hall’s sixth

pool) is heated to 35°C and offers stunning views across the rolling Leicestershire countryside.

Awarded ‘UK's Best Destination Spa’ by the Good Spa Guide and renowned for outstanding customer service,

Ragdale Hall Spa is offering the chance for some welldeserved ‘me-time’ for one lucky winner and their guest!

The prize includes use of all facilities, including the multi-million-pound Thermal Spa offering 12 luxurious

and unique heat and water experiences, including the atmospherically lit underground candle pool and outdoor waterfall pool with colour-changing lights; plus a two-course evening meal in the Verandah Bar. All you’ll

need to do is switch off and relax. Why not give the gift of ‘me-time’ to friends, loved ones and family (or even drop a few hints yourself!) — Ragdale Hall vouchers make perfect Christmas gifts and start from just £25.

For more information visit www.ragdalehall.co.uk or call 01664 433030 to purchase your gift vouchers today!

Send your answer along with your name, address, email and contact number to competitions@nottingham-now.co.uk or via post to Nottingham Now Competitions, Unit 8 The Glade Business centre, Forum Road, Nottingham, NG5 9RW. The competition closes on Monday 31st December 2018. The competition winners details will be passed onto Ragdale Hall. All unsuccessful entrants details will be destroyed.

T&C's The prize is subject to availability. Over-16s only. Travel is not included. Prize must be taken within six months of the winner being notified between Monday – Thursday and is non-transferable. Arrival 6.30pm and depart at 9.30pm *Good Spa Awards

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Page 10.

meeting Lewis Hamilto

Adam Suswillo from Arnold went from racing on his PS4 on his homemade racing rig to qualifying for the Gran Turismo world championships in Monaco and meeting his hero... Lewis Hamilton.

Background I’ve played Gran Turismo since the age of 6, first playing GT1 on the first PlayStation.

I always considered myself quick, but decided to join an

online forum (GTPlanet.net) when I was 17 to compare my lap times to others. I was competing against some of the best, still using a controller, and 6 months later I’d been tempted by others to take the plunge into buying a wheel and it was the best decision I’d ever made. Soon came round 2013 where I entered GT Academy, a driver to racer competition with the ultimate prize being a full-time r a c i n g contract with Nissan.

I qualified in the top 10 in the UK to get invited to Silverstone

for the National final that involved racing on Gran Turismo against others as well as some real life driving and fitness tests.

I won the national final outright and a month later was invited to the European Final where I would compete against 41 others. After week of intense time trials, races and various of other tests I finished 2nd overall, narrowly missing out on being crowned Champion.

5 years later and Gran Turismo Sport provided me with an opportunity to win another huge competition, but this time on global scale.

Qualifying and Run-up to Monaco The official online seasons of Gran Turismo Sport started in

July and races were held every Wednesday and Saturday.

GT Sport works on a driver rating system; win races and perform well against drivers with higher driver ratings and your rating will increase.

Matchmaking is then based on this rating in addition to a safety rating to ensure clean, fair driving. I won races in 5 out of the 10 rounds possible, including the last 3 which were streamed live on Gran Turismo’s Youtube channel, solidifying myself as Europe’s number one driver heading into the European Final held in Madrid in October. I would practice between 2-3 hours most days to make sure I had my strategy pinned down which involved picking the right car in the category being used and deciding on tyre and fuel strategies.

There are 2 competitions running simultaneously, a Manufacturer’s cup where you represent one Manufacturer and race only their cars and a Nation’s Cup where you represent your nation and sometimes the race the exact same cars as other drivers.

I participated only in the Nation’s cup, out of choice to give myself the best chance of doing well. Only 10 drivers out of the 30 invited would go through to the World Finals to compete against the top 10 drivers from the other 2 regions within GT Sport; Asia-Oceania (e.g. Japan, Australia) and the Americas (North and South America).

Having finished 2nd overall, myself and the 9 others were told we would be heading to Monaco.

Summary of Monaco We arrived in Monaco on the Wednesday where we provided with all the clothes and equipment we would need for the week; t-shirts, jackets, drinks bottles, Gran Turismo branded towels and even proper racing boots and gloves. We headed to lunch and after paying 36 euros for

a Coke Zero and a chicken club sandwich, you realise the statement Polyphony Digital and Gran Turismo were trying to make hosting the inaugural season of GT Sport in such an exclusive venue like Monaco, hoping to showcase the eSports genre to the mainstream.

On the Thursday we had a bit of practice and then thrown straight into our qualifying session which would prove absolutely vital in doing well.

It would not only decide your starting position for your block race on Friday, but also for the Repechage race if you didn’t get through into the top 6 and finally starting position for the first race on the final day, Sunday, providing you were successful in qualifying into the top 16. I qualified 8th overall out of the 30, which I was pretty pleased with, meaning I would start 4th in my block race.

1st to 6th from each go through automatically. 7th to 14th go through to Repechage race. 15th is knocked out.

1st to 4th go through to make up the 16 drivers for the Sunday. Just before our first race, we were treated to a VIP appearance and Q&A session with none other than 5-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

He had actually visited the

Gran Turismo offices in Japan to provide his thoughts and feedback, on a game in which he had played as a kid and even today. His 2017 F1 car is also available to drive in the game, which is mind-blowingly fast. The insight and answers he provided in the session was amazing, and even more interesting than I could have ever anticipated being the massive Hamilton fan than I am. It was a unique and incredible experience to be able to meet my hero and the person I draw inspiration from most in life.

You had to use 3 different tyre compounds in the race, hard, medium and soft, all providing different levels of grip and varying rates of degradation. The top 6 all started on the soft tyres but some inconsistent driving and a few guys battling for position rather than making the most of the faster tyre meant we were left vulnerable to other drivers saving the soft tyre for the end of the race. The race didn’t really fall well for me and it meant I was overtaken on the last half of the last lap, falling into 7th position and narrowly missing out on automatic qualification to the top 16.

The repechage race followed and I was involved in one the biggest on-track battles with a driver from Portugal which lasted the last 5 laps.

Despite not having the quickest car on the straights, I used all my experience to defend my position, clinching the last qualification spot.

On to the last day and I was starting 8th out of the 16 drivers for the first race. The following 3 races’ grids would be based on the previous race’s

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n in Monaco results with the final race also giving double points.

The first race we were in road cars in the N500 category, all providing around 500 bhp and all balanced so that their lap times are similar. I was driving a Chevrolet Corvette and competing against cars like Porsches and McLarens. The track was a fictional track but created around the actual streets of Tokyo and this as well as the car selection was the best way to showcase what Gran Turismo is about.

After all, this is an eSports racing competition but also a massive marketing tool. The track was actually new to the game, meaning none of us had ever seen or driven it before in-game, so quickly adapting was really important here. Unfortunately I dropped a few positions in this race, finished 11th. The second race was Group 3 cars, similar to the FIA GT3 category of cars around the real life track Interlagos. It was a 9 lap race, and sticking on the soft tyres on lap 5 meant I ‘undercut’ the drivers in front me finally finished 7th.

Unfortunately for the 3rd race at Monza in Group 1 cars which largely uses LMP1 machinery, I ended up in the gravel on the first lap after contact with another car finally crossing the line in 14th.

The final race was on Circuit De La Sarthe, the track used for the famous 24 hours of Le Mans and all drivers had to use the same car – a fictional single seater car designed by Red

Bull and Adrian Newey. I had found some extra pace in practice since the qualifying session on the Thursday so was feeling optimistic for the race. The same tyre rules applied for this race with drivers needing to use all 3 compounds of tyres. I opted to start on the hard tyres as did a few others around me and we were setting great laps, making use of the slipstream of the cars in front down the long straights who were using softer tyre compounds. The final stint I was catching up to a Canadian driver, who was on the exact same strategy as me, but with 2 laps to go he made contact with a driver on worn tyres at the fastest corner of the track. Unfortunately for me one of them came spinning off the barrier onto the racing line and I had nowhere to go.

I lost a lot of time and tyre life in this incident meaning a top 10 finish was no longer in sight. If that hadn’t have happened, I think I could have finished as high as 6th, earning myself some good points. In the end 14th position was not the result I’d hoped for but finishing in the top 16 in the world was a real challenge and an accomplishment I’m proud of. The same competition will be held again next year

and I’m hoping to come back stronger.

The great thing about Gran Turismo is it’s so accessible, so you can pick up a Playstation 4 and a copy of the game and start competing straight away. It’s probably one of the reasons the whole competition, but especially the Monaco World Final was such a success, with over 3 million individual views across all social media and streaming platforms over the 3 days of racing.

The future for eSports is huge, and racing games is the fastest growing sector within it. To give some insight, most of the top drivers have contracts with teams, some with real life pedigree. I was provided with an amazing opportunity to sign for Williams Esports, who are part of the Williams F1 Team. Although most F1 teams have drivers in the F1 eSports, Williams are the only team to have teams in other games too, including Gran Turismo. I’ve already visited the Williams F1 factory since Monaco and I can’t wait to see what other opportunities arise not only for me, but for Gran Turismo and racing eSports as a collective.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Adamsuswillo

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Becky Adlington signs up for Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham (L-R) – triathlete James Hodgson, Rebecca Adlington, Jodie Stimpson Images courtesy of Ben Lumley Double Olympic Swimming Champion, Becky Adlington, has been named as Official Ambassador for the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham and will take on the event when it returns to the city for the second consecutive year in 2019. The Nottinghamshireborn swimming star will be donning not only her goggles, but her bike and trainers too, as she pledges to take on her very first triathlon on Nottingham’s Victoria Embankment on Saturday 15 June 2019. Not only that, she’s inviting the public to join her. British Triathlon is giving the opportunity for 50 aspiring participants to be part of Becky’s Wave; a unique chance to join the Olympic hero on the start line of one of Britain’s newest and most exciting events and compete alongside her in the sprint distance triathlon. The lucky 50 will also have the chance to meet and greet Becky ahead of the event to share their final race tips before setting off.

Adlington took to the River Trent when she competed as part of a relay team at the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham earlier this year. Swimming 750m, she then handed over to her teammates to complete the 18km bike ride and 4.5km run around the compact course; welcoming them as they were cheered home in front of the city’s iconic War Memorial.

This year, she intends to complete the same challenge solo.

Becky Adlington, Double Olympic Swimming Champion, said: “I got my taste for triathlon earlier this year when I teamed up and

took on the sprint distance relay, but now I’m ready for the full swim, bike, run experience. I’m really excited to get going with my training and seeing who will join me on the start line next June to be part of my wave!” Andy Salmon, British Triathlon CEO, said: “We’re thrilled that Becky has returned to take on the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham for the second time, progressing from the world-class swimmer we know her as to making her full triathlon debut. “We hope the triathlon community will take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to swim, bike and run alongside one of Britain’s top Olympians, whether they be experienced triathletes, or tri-ing for the first time like Becky.” Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Localities at Nottingham City Council, said: “We are always happy to welcome Becky back to the city, where she spent such a phenomenal amount of time training to achieve her enormous success.

“It is fantastic that somebody with Olympic medals is still ready to take up further sporting challenges and we look forward to seeing her compete in June next year. I am sure she will be an inspiration to the many club triathletes in and around the area and that she will also have a few words of advice and encouragement for those taking up their first tri-challenge.” Kris Gemmell, Head of Commercial & Marketing ITU, said: “It’s impressive to see a world-class athlete like Becky enjoying triathlon like so many around the world. The Accenture

World Triathlon Mixed Relay will be a fantastic atmosphere for her to make her individual debut. The city of Nottingham was alive last year, and no doubt will surround her with great support as she takes on this latest sporting challenge. To join Becky on 15 June 2019, simply select Becky Adlington’s Wave when entering the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham sprint distance triathlon event. Entries are now open to all, whether you’re taking your first steps in the sport and are making GO TRI your challenge, wanting to team up and take on the relay or, indeed, you’re looking for the full sprint distance experience. To book your spot, visit nottingham. triathlon.org/becky And that’s only the start. With non-stop mass participation racing taking place throughout the morning, come late afternoon and it’s time for the action to well and truly begin.

In little over an hour, the world’s best triathlon nations will be pushing themselves to the limit to be crowned Mixed Relay Champions, with crucial Tokyo 2020 qualification points at stake.

The event is one certainly not to miss; grandstand tickets, offering you a premium seat to witness everything from start to finish, are now on sale.

Tickets are limited and are all priced under £19. Purchase today at http://bit.ly/wtsnottm The Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham is organised by British Triathlon, in partnership with Triathlon England, Accenture, Nottingham City Council, UK Sport and OSB Events.

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Safeguarding training given to pub landlords and staff thanks to joint initiative More training has been provided to pub landlords and their staff in safeguarding vulnerable people, including safeguarding children from child sexual exploitation and County Lines, thanks to a joint initiative supported

by Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping. This is part of ongoing safeguarding training taking place all over the county and being given to licensed premises and staff. To date 200 staff within licensed premises have been trained.

The county initiative has received funding from Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Paddy Tipping, after a Local Alcohol Action Area programme received support for the second year running. Among the aims of

the programme are to prevent alcohol-related crime and disorder and to reduce alcoholrelated harm to people.

Local Alcohol Action Area Two covers areas of the county including Mansfield, Ashfield, Broxtowe, Gedling, Rushcliffe, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood. This initiative will run until March 2019. Nottinghamshire Police Licensing Enforcement Officer Paul Horton and Broxtowe Borough Council Licensing Manager John Miley presented safeguarding training to landlords and their staff at The Foresters Arms in Newthorpe, Nottinghamshire, on Thursday (22 November 2018). Mr Horton said: "Safeguarding is everybody's business. This awareness training is aimed at the licensed trade and covers

safeguarding, child sexual exploitation and County Lines issues. "We all have a responsibility to safeguard customers in licensed premises and under the Licensing Act 2003, premise licence holders and designated premise supervisors have a legal responsibility to make sure this is done, particularly in relation to children and young people, and that they are protected from harm."

Mr Miley said: "Licensing officers across the county are working in partnership with the police to deliver the training to licensees and staff of licensed premises.

"The training will assist them in recognising and dealing with the issues arising from safeguarding, both for adults and children. "The Licensing Team at Broxtowe Borough Council is delighted to be at the forefront of delivering this training initiative.

Feedback from those who have attended the training has been extremely positive and we look forward to ensuring that licensed premises in the borough and across the county are a safer place for

New Year sees Leisure Transformation in Selston From January Selston Leisure Centre, currently operated by Everyone Active, will transfer its operation to Selston High School through Two Counties Trust. The leisure centre is part of the High School campus, which is already owned by Two Counties Trust, who have experience in operating leisure centres within the community.

When Everyone Active cease operations on Christmas Eve it marks the latest stage in a district wide leisure transformation programme, showing the importance of working in partnership with community/sporting facilities, to ensure that they are affordable, accessible and creating sustainable communities.

A spokesperson for The Two Counties Trust said “We are committed to the future of Selston Leisure Centre and excited about the opportunities this venture brings for the local community. We are working

with Everyone Active and Ashfield District Council to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible” Cllr Tom Hollis, Cabinet Member for Communities & Health says, “The Council remains committed to providing high quality sports and leisure facilities across the district. Selston Leisure Centre will continue to offer leisure facilities to the local community, and this is a great opportunity to empower the High School to take on the running of the on campus sports facilities.” All teams are working hard to ensure that customers are not unduly affected by the transfer, with fees and charges remaining the same throughout and fitness customers

having options to continue with their membership at Selston Leisure Centre Richard Chatwin, Contract Manager for Ashfield said, “Everyone Active has successfully managed Selston Leisure Centre together with the Council’s other leisure sites for over 16 years. We fully support Ashfield DC’s Leisure transformation strategy and feel this is a great opportunity for the local community to continue using the centre now and in the future.” Customers will be contacted directly.

all." Nottinghamshire's Police night out with access to prevent problems before they and Crime Commissioner support if needed and I believe happen. I’m pleased to have Paddy Tipping said: "Over that this training will help to been able to fund it." the last few years we have strengthened the work to tackle alcoholrelated harm and I think we are seeing real progress.

"At the end of the day, people simply want to go out and enjoy themselves in safety.

That’s why we’re doing everything we can to ensure that young people, particularly those who may be vulnerable, have a safe

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Park to get nature

reserve status

Gedling Country Park is set to be declared as a Local Nature Reserve to reflect the work being done to protect the wildlife and natural habitat on the former colliery site.

The Local Nature Reserve status is given to parks by Natural England, a public body set up to help protect nature and landscapes for people to enjoy.

The awarding of the status will be the icing on the cake for the work done by the council and the Friends of Gedling Country Park to turn the former colliery site into one of the best country parks in the region thanks to its unique landscapes, natural habitat and wildlife.

The status will increase public awareness of the importance of conservation of the park and will potentially improve the amount of funding for the upkeep of the park from funding providers such as Heritage Lottery Fund, WREN and DEFRA. For more information visit the Gedling Country Park page https://www.gedling. gov.uk/gedlingcountrypark/

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Start the year with fun and adventure at YMCA childcare!

Nottinghamshire YMCA’s childcare clubs provide children with positive role models, core values, and crucial STEAM learning.

The Core Values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility shape young people into healthy, confident adults and valued members of the community.

YMCA childcare serves families across Nottinghamshire at a number of schools and community sites.

This fantastic programme is built around the charity’s four core values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Before and After School Clubs will run in schools across the city during the 2019 Spring Term, alongside Wollaton Holiday Club at Middleton Primary and Nursery School every halfterm. At YMCA childcare Before and After School Clubs, children get involved with sports, crafts, and STEAM activities (science,

technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics). STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics to guide critical thinking and creativity. The end results are children who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, and work together as a team to solve problems.

These are the innovators, educators, leaders, and learners of the 21st century!

At Wollaton Holiday Club, children get involved with loads of interactive projects over the course of a week, including STEAM activities, arts and crafts, a variety of indoor and outdoor sports, and swimming. Think science experiments, dodgeball, archery, outdoor adventures, group games, camp rallies and more!

Mel Rooney, Childcare Service Manager, said: “Our belief is that young people with access to YMCA

childcare and our role model team will make healthier choices as they grow into adults. The clubs are action packed, adventure driven and experience focused, and really engage with young people in a way they might not experience anywhere else.

Our committed, enthusiastic and fully qualified childcare team work hard to make sure your children enjoy and look forward to spending time

with us.” Parents can book now for Wollaton Holiday Club on 18th – 22nd February and receive a free YMCA childcare bundle including crayons, runners, pens, badges and t-shirt. See printed ad for details.

Find out more about Wollaton Holiday Club and YMCA childcare during term-time here: https://nottsymca.com/childcare/ To book for Newark Camp, Camp Williams, or Wollaton Holiday Club call 0115 711 7006 / email ymcadaycamps@nottsymca. org for Newark Camp and Camp Williams or childcare@nottsynca.org for Wollaton Holiday Club

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THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD AND STICKMAN with the Orchestra of Opera North

Sunday 23 December 2018 at 6pm, relaxed performance 3pm. Royal Concert Hall Nottingham. Who will the Gruffalo's Child encounter as she sets out into the wood one snowy night? And will the Stick Man make it home in time for Christmas?

These beautiful animated films, based on the books

by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, will be screened with live orchestral accompaniment at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Sunday 23 December in two very special Christmas events for families.

The Orchestra of Opera North, and guitarist Huw Davies, will perform René Aubry’s inspired scores,

under the baton of conductor Terry Davies. Neil Bennison, Music Programme Manager at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, said: “We’ve recently had some very successful cine-concerts here at the venue, with films like Jurassic Park and Love Actually screened with live orchestral accompaniment.

It’s great to be able to offer this kind of concert to families, especially around Christmas time, and with two such magical movies. This kind of event is the perfect introduction to a classical concert setting, so children can get used to what it is like to feel surrounded by sound in ways that only a live orchestra can produce.”

Both concert performances on Sunday 23 December will have an informal, familyfriendly atmosphere.

The relaxed performance at 3pm will be specially adapted for customers with a wide range of disabilities, those on the

autistic spectrum, and people living with dementia. It is also ideal for families bringing very young children to their first music concert.

The relaxed performance will have slightly increased lighting levels inside the auditorium and the doors to the foyers will be left open so customers can come and go should they need to. If they wish, they are also free to move around in the auditorium during the performance. There will be a chill-out zone on Level 2 foyer with beanbags to sit on and relax if anyone needs to take a break.

LISTIINGS INFORMATION: THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD AND STICKMAN with the Orchestra of Opera North Royal Concert Hall Nottingham.

Sunday 23 December 2018 6pm. £22.50 - £15.50 plus discounts for Under 16s, and Groups.

Relaxed Performance at 3pm – all tickets £13. www.trch. co.uk 0115 989 5555

Christmas cheer at

Brooke Farm festive event

Nottinghamshire residents can get into the festive spirit at Brooke Farm’s annual Christmas event on Saturday 8 December.

The free Linby event takes place 10am to 3pm and visitors can enjoy mince pies whilst browsing the crafts, gifts and jewellery stalls.

Santa will be arriving on his sleight and children can visit him in his winter wonderland for £5 including a gift and turn their hand at bauble decorating in his workshop.

Locally grown Christmas trees are also for sale at the farm shop, including five to

seven foot spruce trees priced at £25 and Nordmann fir tree for sale at £40, along with homemade cakes, mince pies and Christmas hampers.

Councillor Stuart Wallace, Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee, said: “This fun filled event has something for everyone and Santa will be making an appearance to light up the faces of the children attending.” The farm is run

by Nottinghamshire County Council and employs staff with mixed abilities and

offers training to people with disabilities. The farm shop offers a range of home-grown produce for sale, including free range eggs, seasonal vegetables, salad and fruit, flowers and plants along with locally-sourced products such as bread, milk, preserves, pickles, cakes and biscuits.

It is located on Main Street, Linby, and is open Monday to Thursday 8am to 3.45pm, Friday 8am to 3.15pm and Saturday 8am to 3pm. For further information on the shop call 0115 963 2638 or visit www.nottinghamshire. gov.uk

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Top 12 Christmas Gifts from Nottingham Independents Small Business Saturday is quickly approaching and with such an amazing array of Independent shops in Nottingham it’s easier than ever to shop local this Christmas. Here are 12 of our top picks for Christmas gifting this year.

1. The Comic Book Story of Beer£14.99 Page 45, Market Street Shoppers come from far and wide to visit the famous Page 45 on Market Street, winners of our independent of the year competition not once but twice. The expertise and service really goes above and beyond here and with such a variety in store you can find something for everyone, including yourself of course!

2. Delilah Favourites Hamper- From £50 Delilah, Victoria Street The epitome of the foodie festive feasting gift has to be a hamper and you can choose delicious, ready selected favourites at Delilah for the foodie in your life.

3. Sterling Silver and Enamel Stags Head Cufflinks- £135 Carolyn Codd,

Trinity Square For the gentleman in your life whether that be partner, father, son or self - these sophisticated sterling silver cufflinks are a sublime way to share that festive feeling.

4. Tatty Devine Gin Purse- £15.99 The Tokenhouse, Bridlesmith Gate Glitter and Gin! What could be more festive? This beautiful Tatty Devine purse is ideal for a night out on the town and perfect as a gift or a Christmas treat for you.

5. Robin Hood T-Shirt- £20 Dukki Gifts, St James’ Street

Ay up Mi Duck! Dukki Gifts have an abundance of great gifts celebrating the unique dialect of Nottingham and for the Nottingham lovers out there this Robin Hood T-shirt is an absolute must have.

6. Baking Jars- £9.95 The Treat Kitchen, Wheeler Gate

Christmas is the perfect time for baking with family and friends always around to wow. The Treat Kitchen have made baking even more fun

with their all-in-one baking jars, with Belgian Millionaire Brownies as just one of the many options our mouths are already watering.

7. Sebastian Professional Hydre Gift Set- £29.90 Zullo and Holland, Upper Parliament Street

Award winning salon Zullo and Holland are renowned for keeping Nottingham’s tresses in check and with this gorgeous gift set you can cultivate perfect locks at home too.

8. Bespoke hampers made to order- From £20 The Cheese Shop, Flying Horse Walk With an astounding variety of cheeses and other treats you can knock together a bespoke hamper, perfectly curated to the tastes of the giftee, in no time at The Cheese Shop.

9. KATANA Shoulder Bag- From £7 Bag Company, Wheeler Gate This stunning genuine cowhide leather shoulder bag just shouts sophistication. Treat the lady in your life to this or one of many other fashionable bags from Bag Company.

10. Locally roasted fresh coffee- From £7 200 Degrees, Poultry Coffee lovers rejoice! 200 Degrees coffee is all roasted locally and bursting with flavour, plus the simple packaging gives it a brilliant independent aesthetic, you won’t be able to find a better gift for a caffeine lover.

11. Valentino 100mm Pumps- £620 Gigi Botegga, Flying Horse Walk Located in the beautiful Flying Horse Walk, Gigi Bottega is the place for high end fashion in the city. With designers like Valentino and Versace it’ll be hard to choose which bag to get to go with these stunning Valentino pumps.

12. Belgian Chocolate truffles- £7.99 Andersons of Nottingham, King Street And last but my no means least you can never go wrong with a box of delicious, decadent chocolates from Andersons, an eternal staple of Christmas gifting for a very good reason!

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Top Tips on Toys this Christmas With Christmas rapidly approaching and published their list of the range of gifts for children of children already circling their must-have top toys for Christmas 2018. all ages, from old classics like gifts this year, Smyths Toys Catalogue has Smyths reveal their broad LEGO to the newest plush toy collections.

Paw Patrol Sea Patroller PAW Patrol returns to the top toys list with this year’s Sea Patroller. Kids will love saving the day with Ryder with the land-to-sea rescue vehicle featuring flashing lights and a working crane for all rescue missions. Also includes a Ryder figure and his Rescue ATV. PJ Masks Deluxe Talking Figure 4-Pack The PJ Masks Deluxe Talking Figure 4-Pack is the perfect gift for little superheroes.

Smyth’s set features Catboy, Owlette, Gekko and Romeo as 15cm poseable figures. Hear iconic phrases from the show by pressing the characters’ amulets!

Luvabella Doll The unique Luvabella is making an impact this year! Luvabella is a lifelike interactive doll who responds affectionately to love by changing her expression just like a real baby.

Luvabella is capable of over 100 words and phrase, giggles when tickled, plays peek-a-boo and responds to her accessories.

Cozmo by Anki Cozmo is an intelligent little robot with a mind of its own and a oneof-a-kind personality that grows the more it is played with. Cozmo responds to its environment and will nudge you when it wants

to play! Drag and drop blocks help to make coding Cozmo’s functions accessible and fun for all children and adults alike.

Imaginext DC Super Friends Batbot Xtreme The Batbot Xtreme is over 2 feet tall and packed with several epic features!

The Batbot Xtreme boasts projectile launchers, extendable wings, a hidden Batcycle, a lift for the included Batman figure and an awesome voice changer.

Squeeze the trigger to unleash a super-charged one-two punch!

Fur Real Roarin’ Tyler the Playful Tiger

FurReal’s adorable Roarin’ Tyler the Playful Tiger loves to play—as much so that when kids roar, he roars back! With over 100 sound and motion responses, he’s incredible play value. The soft plush fur makes Tyler a super huggable friend for your child.

Bush Baby World Dream Tree Bush Babies is the newest line of collectible plush toys.

The toys wiggle their ears, waggle their eyes, and come in their individual delightful hanging sleepy pods, and the Dream Tree helps kids give Bush Babies a home for their collection.

The Dream Tree playset has seating for 5 Bush Babies and hanging loops for even more.

It also has a basket lift, swing seat and light up flower crown for your inhabitant Bush Babies! The Bush Baby World Dream Tree comes with exclusive Bush Baby Niki in her sleepy pod.

Toilet Trouble Game A new family board game which is a game filled with suspense… Hasbro’s Toilet Trouble allows players to take turns s pinning the toilet paper

roll, flushing the toilet handle in the hope that they don’t get sprayed with water from the game’s loo! Who doesn’t love toilet humour?!

Our Generation Healthy Paws Vet Clinic Our Generation’s take on a classic veterinary clinic is a stunning, high quality playset for your children’s favourite dolls. The Our Generation Healthy Paws Vet Clinic features a waiting room, an exam table, and an X-ray light box that really lights up! It contains over 50 accessories, leaving the kids enjoying hours of imaginative role play fun.

Sky Viper Stunt Drone Drones are at the top of every techie’s wish list.

The Sky Viper Stunt Drone is a high-quality model which is able to perform 8 breathtaking stunts at the touch of a button! Flight assist features include auto take-off, hover and land, while the included guardrails protect the drone whilst learning to fly it.

Thomas & Friends Super Station Thomas & Friends impresses once again with their Super Station, featuring over 10 metres of track, as well as iconic Sodor locations such as Tidmouth Sheds, Brendam Docks, Knapford Station and the Search and Rescue Centre, all in one set.

With endless opportunities for different routes and, with room for over 100 engines and a new track design that will work with any Thomas engine, the Super Station is sure to impress!

L.O.L. Surprise Big Surprise The L.O.L. Surprise Big Surprise is a gift in which kids can discover 50 layers of surprises as they unbox their L.O.L. Surprise, uncovering new accessories and clues at every layer. The glittery outer container can act as a purse or a display case once the gift has been unraveled, while the exclusive (or maybe rare) dolls inside have secret features, for even more surprise fun!

NERF Modulus Regulator NERF blasters allow children to create a blaster for any mission with the fully motorised Regulator. Three different firing modes can be chosen due to the SwitchFire Technology, while the included swivel handle and the 2 versatile barrel-scopes allow for blastercustomisation.

Laser X Laser-tag… at home! Laser X contains a 2 player pack which has everything needed for the first head to head match.

The receiver vests will gradually change colour as they are hit… Get hit ten times and you’re out! This high-tech gaming experience comes with 2 Laser X blasters and 2 receiver vests.

LEGO Ninjago Movie Destiny’s Bounty Based on the LEGO Ninjago Movie, Destiny’s bounty, Master Wu’s flying ninja training base, is able to be the new platform for your children’s adventures.

With 7 minifigures, weapons and accessories this LEGO ship allows kids to either recreate their favourite scenes from the movie or imagine brand new adventures of their own!

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Christmas Gifts for the Hard to Buy For Shopping for Christmas gifts is stressful enough, let alone when you're trying to find the right gift for that picky someone.

Whether it's someone who has everything or a boss who you don't know well, having a few helpful ideas can help you start your search for the perfect present.

Gifts for Picky Teenagers The young adults in your life might enjoy the following.

• Portable charger: Few things frustrate a teenager more than when their laptop, tablet, or cell phone loses power and there's no charger in sight.

This portable charger is small enough to keep in a purse or glove compartment. Several colors are available for around £12 plus shipping.

• Wireless earbuds: Earbuds are practically a body part on teenagers, so they'll love wireless earbuds from Dr. Dre Powerbeats. They work with any blue-tooth enabled device from up to 30 feet. The cost is about £140. Shipping is free if you purchase from Best Buy. • Portable speaker: Most teenagers are less than thrilled to listen to their tunes or a

movie through their phone's speaker. The speakers are bluetooth compatible up to 32 feet away. They also feature a mute option. The speakers are available in several colours and cost about £20 plus shipping.

Gifts for the Man Who Has Everything Men will get a kick out of these items.

• Glove box car jump starter: He won't ever have to search for someone with jumper cables again with this portable car jump starter. The rechargeable starter plugs into a car's cigarette lighter and transfers power to the car's battery. It costs about £40 plus shipping.

• Guitar pick punch: Have a guitar player on your gift list?

This fun, eco-friendly gift turns old credit cards, hotel keys, and old gift cards into functional guitar picks. The pick punch costs about £25 plus shipping.

• Driving experience: Give the man in your life a memory he'll never forget with the gift of a Driving adventure. From driving a Ferrari to taking a few laps around Donnington

DNA membership – is a multi-site membership offer of gym, swim, group exercise, nutrition & virtual exercise instruction.

Offering the personal touch with no hidden charges.

Includes, gym programmes & Motiv8 sessions, use of 25 metre swimming pools including the wearable fitness tracker SwimTag, 200 group exercise classes, free swimming for members children 5 yrs. and under. Offering reduced pricing for unemployed, disabled, young and older members. The gym areas have new equipment including plate loaded, lifting platforms, functional training rigs and web browsing cardio equipment.

Give the gift of health this Christmas and purchase 30 days DNA membership for a friend or loved one for just £25. Visit your nearest leisure centre now to take out the offer.

Park, there's a wide selection of experience gifts to choose from. Prices start at about £99.

• Beard grooming kit: Give any bearded man in your life what he needs to keep his beard clean and wellgroomed. This all natural beard care kit contains beard wash, beard oil, beard balm, and a cruelty-free beard brush.

The cost is around £38 plus shipping.

Gifts for the Woman Who Has Everything Pick up something pleasing for the woman who has it all.

• Bath caddy: Give the gift of pampering with this caddy.

The teak wood caddy will hold a glass of her favourite beverage and prop up a book to help her make the most of her bathtub time.

The caddy costs about £40.

Shipping is free from Bed Bath & Beyond.

• KindNotes Jar of Messages Jar of messages: Make any special lady feel cherished with a jar of personalized messages. Choose from preprinted themes or create your own custom jar and sentiments. These cost about £35 and up, plus shipping.

• Personalized silver journal with pen: This silver plated journal comes with a matching ballpoint pen. The journal can be personalized with a name or special message. Cost is around £25, plus shipping.

• Champagne truffles: Jacques Torres’ champagne truffles are a step far above traditional chocolates and treats. They’ll melt any woman’s heart and tantalize her taste buds. Each box of 10 truffles is a blend of rich cream and Taittinger Champagne and costs around £20, plus shipping.

Gifts for Seniors Add a little something special under the tree for your favorite senior.

• Flameless candles: Flameless candles make beautiful and practical gifts. Not only do they add ambience to a room, they serve as a night light.

They’re also safe for seniors who may forget to blow out a traditional candle. Try this flameless candle in an 8” brocade vase for about £28, plus shipping.

• Wireless Key Finder Library of classic literature: For seniors who don’t have a lot of room to store books and

music or for those who have failing eyesight, this MP3 player is a great gift. It’s preloaded with 100 literature classics such as Little Women, Moby Dick, and Pride and Prejudice, as well as 50 classical music arrangements.

The player costs about £100, plus shipping.

• Wireless key finder: This is a wonderful gift for anyone who frequently loses their keys. To use, they’ll attach an alarmed key fob to their keys. When the keys disappear, they’ll simply press a button on the remote transmitter to activate an alarm. Cost is around £35, plus shipping.

• Adjustable tray table: The possibilities are endless with this handy portable table. It can be used as a meal table, a place to do paperwork, or as a laptop desk or nightstand. The table folds away for simple storage and costs about £20, plus shipping.

Gifts for the In-Laws Earn points with the in-laws by giving them these lovely gifts.

Family Name Print from SeniorStore.com • Family name print: This gift

includes the history of almost any family name beautifully framed in oak. The framed print costs around £30, plus shipping.

• Dinner of the Month Club: Send your in-laws out to dinner each month with this gift.

You choose the restaurant, the dollar amount, and the number of months, and they receive gift cards for each restaurant you choose. Three, six, nine, and 12 month options are available. The cost varies depending on the amount you choose.

• Home portrait: Your in-laws will love receiving a beautiful portrait of their home in either watercolor or sketch mediums. An artist draws the portrait from any picture image you provide. The cost starts at around £70, plus shipping.

• Digital frame: A digital frame pre-loaded with family pictures makes a thoughtful gift. Frames are available in a large variety of sizes and colors. This frame plays a slide show of hi-resolution photos and videos. It costs about £60 and shipping is free.

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Lincoln Christmas Market 2018 Stalls, performers, and festive cheer take over Lincoln's Cathedral Quarter for four days of festive entertainment, shopping, and food and drink.

Visitors to the famous Lincoln Christmas Market will be sure to soak up the festive atmosphere across this large market site, with more than 280 stalls nestled in and around Lincoln Castle, Lincoln Cathedral, and many other venues and streets along the way.

There is something for everyone, from unusual gifts to food and drink from near and far, not to mention a whole host of entertainment for all the family to enjoy.

Enjoy the scents of mulled wine and freshly cooked food, the sounds of entertainment,

music and merriment and the folded, is slightly thinner than A2 size, and costs just £1 available from Lincoln Visitor around the market, and on sights of this market in this A5, and folds out to almost (plus P&P). It will also be Information Centre, vendors arrival at the Park & Ride. stunning, historic city.

Shops across the city will also stay open late for the duration of the Market, and the Artists' Christmas Village offers goods from local artists and crafters too.

Find more inspiration to make the most of your visit with our 10 Top Tips for Lincoln Christmas Market.

Official Lincoln Christmas Market 2018 Map & Guide For a map of the market, a guide to the different areas, details of what else is on around the city, how to get around Lincoln during the market, and more, order the official souvenir guide and map from the Visit Lincoln shop. The guide & map, when

Victorian Tea Rooms ake a festive break in the Museum of Take the weight off your restful refreshment stop. With Lincolnshire Life's pop-up Victorian tea room feet in a Victorian Christmas traditional cakes and hot Tearoom for a warm and drinks, relax and soak up the during Lincoln Christmas Market.

Victorian atmosphere.

The Museum of Lincolnshire Life is a former army barracks

and offers a rich and varied social history collection, reflecting and celebrating the culture of Lincolnshire and its people from 1750 to the present day.

Exhibits illustrate commercial, domestic, agricultural, industrial and community life.

The museum is also home to an authentic First World War tank named “Daphne” and houses interactive galleries of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment.

Bransby Horses Christmas Fayre A great day out for the whole family including Christmas shopping, the chance to meet horses, ponies, and donkeys, and even Santa himself.

There will be great Christmas shopping opportunities with a wide variety of stalls on the day and the charity’s Gift Shop with this year’s Christmas gifts inside.

You can sing along with the choir in the courtyard, who will be providing the festive entertainment for you to enjoy.

There will of course be a special appearance from Santa himself and you can meet him in the grotto throughout the afternoon.

Warm up and enjoy some deliciously hearty food in the Feedroom Café, including the much-loved homemade cakes. There will also be mulled wine for adults and

homemade mince pies for all to buy and enjoy.

Bransby Horses is a rescue centre which is home to more than 400 horses, ponies, and donkeys ready for you to

meet. All funds raised from the Christmas Fayre go directly back to helping to care for the equines living at the charity. It will also allow the dedicated and knowledgeable staff to continue their vital work to help horses in need and improve their welfare.

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United against Dementia in Nottingham Dementia is the 21st century’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes, yet a few years ago we didn’t talk about the condition with the frankness and openness that we do today.

To find out more, we spoke to Scott Smith, Alzheimer’s Society Services Manager for Nottinghamshire.

What is dementia? Is it the same as Alzheimer’s?

Dementia is a condition which describes a set of symptoms which might include memory loss, mood changes or problems with communication and reasoning. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease, which is a disease of the brain.

However, there are dozens of other types of dementia such as Vascular Dementia or Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Alzheimer’s Society is committed to ensuring the rights of people affected by dementia are recognised and until the day we find a cure, we will be here to support anyone affected by any type of the condition.

We’ve come a long way but too many are still facing dementia alone without adequate support. In Nottingham there are about 3000 people with dementia. We urgently need to find a cure, improve care and

offer help and understanding for people affected.

How can I avoid getting dementia?

Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain and it isn’t an inevitable part of ageing. There are more than 40,000 people with dementia in the UK are under 65.

However, there are steps we can all take to reduce our risk of developing the condition.

Research has shown that your risk of developing dementia increases significantly if you smoke, are obese, have high blood pressure or have high cholesterol. Regular exercise has been shown to lower the risk of developing dementia, as well as reducing the amount of salt in your diet. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables provides your body with high levels of antioxidants which may help to protect against some of the damage to brain cells associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.

What help is available to people with dementia and carers?

We want everyone affected by dementia to know that whoever you are, whatever you are going through, you can turn to Alzheimer’s Society for support, help and advice.

Locally, we have Dementia Support Workers who can

offer valuable information and guidance.

We also provide local support groups and can point you in the direction of groups provided by other organisations. You can contact the Nottinghamshire office of Alzheimer’s Society on 0115 934 3800 or our national helpline on 0300 222 11 22 or via alzheimers.org.uk What can I do to help?

Alzheimer’s Society is

Give the greatest gift of all this Christmas,

time together to make precious memories.

We’re inviting businesses and others to turn our historic cupola tower into a beacon of hope that will shine a light across the city every night in December to raise vital funds as the annual ‘Light Up a Night’ campaign returns.

Whether it be a family member, colleague, friend, it provides a beautiful opportunity to come together and remember those we love. You can light up the night by donating £350 – the cost of providing a nurse to care for a patient overnight in their own home.

In recognition of your donation, we will light

the tower at our hospice on Woodborough Road to remind people across the community that our nurses are available around the clock and we’ll also feature your company on

our social media channels and our website.

To light up a night, please call us on 0115 910 1008 ext 205 or email partnerships@ nottshospice.org

urging everyone to unite against dementia. We rely on thousands of volunteers, who give their time to provide

local support. We are always keen to hear from people who might be able to spare a few hours on a regular basis,

join our Dementia Friends programme or fundraise. You can find out more by calling 0115 934 3800.

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Ruth’s Story – Park House, Super Carer

Ruth is from Bulwell, Nottingham and has worked for Eastgate Care, at Park House, for over 20 years, completing all her care training with the company.

Care work started as a child minder, to fit in with raising a family, nurturing and helping individuals came naturally and although Ruth has qualification for senior

care positions she prefers to stay with the rudimentary care that she loves. Working for Eastgate has meant a secure, stable income for two decades, with consistent training and updates over the years.

What matters to Ruth, in the home, is that the residents are given quality daily care and understanding by their carer.

‘I enjoy my job, especially

end of life care and making a difference to my residents, who become as important to me as my own family – remember I often spend more time with my residents, than my family. In the early days the flexible hours helped me as a parent and I have not wanted a change of career since then as I enjoy my job.’

Ruth has known many

residents over her career at Park House, some of whom come to stay for what they believe will be a short time and who are still happily with us many years later.

One such resident is Ian who has lived at Park House now for 12 years; when he first arrived, he would only drink water and lie in bed, special attention from Ruth and the other team members meant that Ian very gradually ate a little more, they helped him build up strength, helped healing sores, so that he was eventually able to sit up in bed and subsequently use a wheelchair to get out into the Park House garden, where he enjoys at all times of year.

Ruth said, ‘I consider Park House my home and the people here are my extended family. I help prepare a clean room for my residents, so they feel at home and loved and I help new employees by sharing my experience with

them.’ Who wouldn’t want Ruth to look after themselves or their family?

For anyone wondering about

a career in care it really can offer you flexibility, stability and a rewarding job, for those who care.

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Page 24.

6 Top Tips to Help the Elderly This Christmas 1. Christmas Decorations Everyone who enjoys celebrating Christmas, likes to get the decorations and a Christmas tree up. Older people or people with a health condition may struggle with this.

It's always nice to offer help, although never make assumptions on what someone can and can't do.

Elderly or less mobile people may struggle to get the Christmas tree out of the loft, or getting out to buy one, then moving it from the car to the house. Also, getting decorations up on the walls, they might still want to do it but it may be unsafe for them to do so themselves. Simply offering to help with these things can make a huge difference don't forget to offer help with getting them down again too.

2. Christmas Cards Writing and sending Christmas cards can be a difficult task if your hands are less

stable and sight is decreasing.

It can be nice to offer to help write and send an cards with them. It's also nice if you can also read the cards they receive out to them if needed.

If you have a crafty elderly friend or relative, you could have a creative activity session of making your own Christmas cards. This can be great with someone who is living with dementia as you could combine this activity with using reminiscent Christmas images from old magazines or printed from the internet.

3. Attending Local Christmas Events It can be harder to get out and about when you have less energy or mobility, getting to the Christmas Bazaar, a Church service, a community Christmas lunch, coffee morning etc. might seem like a huge task, and dangerous if it is icy outside. Ask if the person has

seen any events they would like to attend and offer your help.

If you know of someone who is unable to get out or see what is happening locally, it is a nice idea to have a look and let them know too. An outing, even for an hour or so can make all the difference.

4. Helping with Christmas Shopping Christmas gift or food shopping can be hard for someone who is older a may have less mobility. It might help to show an older person you know how to use the internet for shopping - they could find more bargains online too.

Alternatively, you can offer to accompany them on a trip to the shops, or help them to grocery shop. This also means you can help to carry shopping.

5. Preparing for Guests Having guests over around Christmas time is all part of

the Christmas cheer - if you know someone who is alone though, it will be really nice to ask if you can visit and spend some time with them.

If you know someone who could perhaps appreciate a helping hand around the home

to ensure all is prepared for receiving guests, it is a nice gesture to offer. It might be that you can help by doing a quick hoover, or moving some furniture.

6. Christmas Day Meal Christmas day can be lonely if

there is no family to stay with for the day, or friends nearby.

If you know someone who may be lonely and you can do a spare setting at the table this year, that's a wonderful way of helping spread the Christmas joy.

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Christmas in the city Nottingham Christmas officially kicked off on Thursday 15 November, when Nottingham’s famous Winter Wonderland opened its doors and the city’s festive lights are switched on. Over the past eight years, Nottingham Winter Wonderland has brought Christmas cheer right into the heart of the city, with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to enjoy the experience once again and for the first time. This year, as well as the traditional market, ice bar and rink, organisers, Mellors Group Events plan to bring a few exciting new additions to the attraction.

While kids whizz down King Street in a brand-new 30m toboggan slide, adults can enjoy a brand-new venue for

2018 – Bar Altitude – which quite literally builds on the success of last year’s hugely popular double-deck, ski lodge-style bar, Sur La Piste.

Bar Altitude is an all-glass chalet, perched up high, offering panoramic views of the Christmas crowds below.

With cocktails, table service and a private DJ, the space will also be available for party bookings. Downstairs in Sur La Piste, expect a fantastic range of live performances – from Christmas classics during the daytimes to live music on Friday and Saturday evenings – plus, enjoy a merry Sunday brunch, with lots of alternative entertainment on hand. On top of all this, one of the city’s best restaurants and Nottingham Post’s current

‘Restaurant of the Year’, Bar Iberico will be serving some of its favourites from the Sur La Piste kitchen. Edward Mellors of Mellors Group Events said: ‘In 2017, Sur La Piste really raised the bar, and I’m sure the people of Nottingham are looking forward to another amazing Christmas in the city.

We’re very proud of the fact we’re a Nottingham company working with Nottingham City Council to deliver this important event to the city, and I’d say to anyone who hasn’t visited yet: they don’t know what they’re missing!’

The market opens from 11am on Thursday 15 November.

From 6.30pm, there’ll be live entertainment in and around Old Market Square, leading up to the switch-on moment

at 7.45pm; lighting up the city’s 60ft grand fir Christmas tree, decked out with 4,000 red and white lights, as well as a bespoke display on the Council House façade.

This year, the Lord Mayor and Sherriff of Nottingham, Councillors Liaqat Ali and Catharine Arnold will press the plunger with help from Buddy the Elf, the star of Elf: A Christmas Spectacular from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 December at Motorpoint Arena. Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Localities at Nottingham City Council said: ‘Christmas is always an exciting time of year in Nottingham, but this year’s celebrations are set to really put us on the map. Whether you’re wanting to check out

Winter Wonderland or take advantage of the big-name city-centre shops’ late-night opening hours – full details of which can be found at www.itsinnottingham.com/ christmas – it’s easier than ever to get into Nottingham over the festive period. £5 Group Tickets for the tram are available after 4pm and at weekends in November and December, as well as all day from 24 December to 4 January. Trams will be running throughout the festive period with the exception of Christmas Day. Alternatively, motorists can park for five hours for £5 at Lace Market Car Park, when they enter between 3pm and 5pm on any day of the week, or for £6 all day on a Sunday. Plus, on the first three Wednesdays

in December (5, 12 and 19 December), park in NCP St James Street for just £4 if entering between 4pm and 7pm and leaving before midnight. Similarly, on the last two Sundays before Christmas (8 and 15 December), park in either NCP St James Street or NCP Stoney Street for just £4 if entering between 10am and 3pm and leaving before midnight. Find out more about Nottingham Winter Wonderland, pre-book your ice bar and skating tickets and reserve your table in Bar Altitude and Sur La Piste at www.nottinghamwinter wonderland.co.uk or via www.whatsonnottingham. com where you’ll also find a full range of other seasonal events happening in and around the city.

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Get closer to nature with the BEESTON WILDLIFE GROUP Who is the Beeston Wildlife Group? We are a group of wildlife enthusiasts; our passion is to reveal wildlife that is all around and to further the knowledge and experiences of those who already have a keen interest What do we do? We run FREE monthly walks around Attenborough Nature Reserve. We organise monthly illustrated talks on a wide range of subjects, by expert speakers. We organise Field trips to places of known wildlife interest. We participate in conservation projects at Attenborough Nature Reserve.

We organise and support local School educational visits to Attenborough Nature Reserve We participate in Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust activities. WALKS: Meet Attenborough Nature Reserve Car park, Meadow Lane, NG9 6DY. 10.00am1.00pm. 2019: Jan 26 th, Feb 23rd, See website for more dates. TALKS: Meet Trent Vale Infants School, Trent Road, Beeston Rylands NG9 1LP. 7.30-9.30pm. £3 on door children FREE. Includes refreshments. 2019 Talks are: 21 st Jan. Subterranean Safari.

25 th Feb. The Grey Seal 18 th March Scotland’s Northern and Western Isles.

29th April The Best of

British Wildlife. We have been around for over twenty years. Our indoor meetings attract over 70 people; the last talk on Wollaton Park attracted 135 people. Our monthly walks attract about 30 people. For the keener participants we travel further afield to seek out exotic plants, rare birds and animals.. Chris Packham has been to speak twice, selling out each time! Why are we successful? We like to attribute our success to our friendly and committed attitude to people and a desire to show people wildlife, leaving them wanting to see more! We don’t have a membership scheme, we find if people enjoy what we offer, they come back and they do! Our committee strives to change with the times and technology. For example we have recently purchased a microscope that we use in the field to show extreme close up images of insects etc. these are truly amazing.

Then we can explain what we are looking at. Our indoor meeting have a huge screen; we assist with wheelchairs and have a Hearing aid Loop. We are always open to suggestions on how we can improve our participants’ experiences.

What expertise do we have? We have a thorough knowledge of Birds, Butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies, Wild flowers, gardening for wildlife and photography.

Our committee are well travelled and have contacts with Attenborough Nature Reserve and Nottingham University. Not For Profit.

We don’t aim to raise money, but any we do, we put back into wildlife projects, usually at Attenborough Nature Reserve or Schools, but we are open to help good wildlife causes.

Contact or join us? We welcome newcomers please get in touch or just come along .EVERYONE IS WELCOME no need to book Nigel Slater 0115 9166518. Martin Butler 07847 015151.

Beestonwildlifegroup@ hotmail.co.uk.

Website http://www. spanglefish.com/. beestonwildlifegroup/

It's beginning to look a OK, well it has for the last few weeks in the City, but now we're well and truly on the run up to the big day, TANYA LOUISE brings you her guide to the festive season with ideas for something to do everyday this festive season here in Notts.

Saturday 1st December - Finished decorating the tree? You might want to pick up a few presents. Shop local this Christmas and support your local craftspeople and makers at Nottingham Trent University Student's Union as The Nottingham Etsy Team will be hosting Etsy Made Local Nottingham, a market full of handmade gifts, tasty treats and vintage goods.

Free entry 10.30-5.00 Spend the evening enjoying some festive entertainment at this years Nottingham Playhouse pantomime, Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood. Expect plenty of songs, dance, laughter and good old Nottingham folklore in this traditional family-friendly panto by Kenneth Alan Taylor (Running until 19 Jan ) Sunday 2nd December - Head to Kelham Hall in Newark today for their Christmas Fair in the magnificent Victorian house. Collect your free Hot Chocolate and wander through the decorated stands with a diverse range of festive merchandise, whilst soaking up the sound of Christmas carols.

Make your way over to Beeston Square for the Light Switch On at 5.30pm. Fireworks follow at 6.30pm.There'll be children's rides, a variety of stalls, food and drink, street performers and live entertainment.

Finish your evening at the Nottingham Arts Theatre this Christmas for their family pantomime, Beauty and the Beast. Meet the beautiful bookworm Belle who finds herself trapped inside an enchanted chateau by a mysterious beast! (Running until 16th December) Monday 3rd December - 'SANTA, I KNOW HIM!' But how well do you know the classic film the line came from? Test your knowledge of 'Elf' in this special fun Christmas Quiz at the Bierkeller on Frair Lane from 7pm (Also on 4th December) Tuesday 4th December - Take a visit to the Royal Concert Hall where you can enjoy the wonderful choir of The Sixteen, which returns with a typically rich mix of traditional carols and seasonal choral classics. 7pm Wednesday 5th December - Get into the festive spirit and join the NTU Music ensembles, in-

cluding the NTU Brass Band, Concert Band and Choir, as they perform a selection of uplifting Christmas favourites for everyone to enjoy. This popular Christmas Concert is a great way to celebrate the festive season, and the end of term, in style at Nottingham Trent University. 7.30pm Thursday 6th December Spend your evening at the Nottingham Arts Theatre this Christmas for their family pantomime, Beauty and the Beast. Meet the beautiful bookworm Belle who finds herself trapped inside an enchanted chateau by a mysterious beast! (Running until 16th December) Friday 7th December- Join Holme Pierrepont Hall for a festive evening in the secluded splendour of the 16th century Tudor house and home of The Brackenbury Family. The evening includes a delicious 3 course festive dinner with all the trimmings, prepared by Chef Karl Tyler followed by dancing in the Ball Room until midnight. (7pm - Booking essential) Saturday 8th December Book in for Tom Brown's wonderful Afternoon Tea with a festive twist! Think edible Christmas baubles, chocolate snow, cinnamon scones with cranberry jam and other festive surprises! (12pm - Booking essential - available every Saturday throughout December ) Head over to St.Marys Church in Lowdham in the evening and join multi award winning Scottish singer Emily Smith with her popular Christmas show 'Songs For Christmas'.

8pm Sunday 9th December - Pap-

plewick Pumping Station will be in steam and hosting a Christmas Fair.

The event will include all their engines in steam, plus over 25 Christmas Craft Stalls, performances by the Dave Straker Jazz Band, Santa's Grotto, Underground Reservoir Tours plus the Tea Rooms will be open for Snacks and Light refreshments. 11am (Also on Saturday 8th) In the evening join the Carol Concert with Sinfonia Chorale at Patchings Farm Art Centre. Directed by Richard Roddis, the evening’s programme will include favourites and classics.

7.30pm.

Or take a fairy tale flight to Neverland this Christmas in the swashbuckling family adventure Peter Pan at the Theatre Royal. Join the high-flying hero as he transports the Darlings on an adventure they will never forget full of evil pirates, the lost boys, a very hungry crocodile and the meanest man in Neverland, Captain Hook. Comedian and actor Joe Pasquale leads the cast.

(Running 8 Dec - 13 January) Monday 10th December -The Malt Cross Beer & Carols sing-along is back by popular demand. Wear your best Christmas jumper, have a pint, sing in your finest voices and have a merry old time. Free entry. 7pm Tuesday 11th December - Maggie's Christmas Carol Concert. Have a fabulous festive evening while supporting an amazing charity at St. Barnabas Cathedral. A Christmas raffle will also be held.

Wednesday 12th December - Soak up the festive atmosphere while you browse over 70 traditional, Bavarian-style stalls at Nottingham's Winter Wonderland. Search for the perfect gift among handmade jewellery, woolly winter wear and wooden crafts, as well as sampling the delicious homemade and artisan cheeses, chutneys and chocolates on offer. (Running until 31 December) Thursday 13th December - Impress your guests at Christmas dinner this year - Take a one-day hands-on course

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Afternoon Parking lot like Christmas... Free for Christmas Shoppers at The School of Artisan Food which will give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to make your own delicious pates and terrines.

Guided by tutor and butchery expert Chris Moorby, you’ll learn about the importance of ingredients and explore basic butchery skills including curing and smoking.

Friday 14th December - Visit the fantastic Woodthorpe Park Plant Shop which will be transformed into a magical winter wonderland once again this Christmas. Pick up Christmas trees, home-grown cyclamen and poinsettia, and all your holiday greenery, from holly to mistletoe, plus Christmas gift baskets and decorations too.

Saturday 15th December - Santa Paws is coming to town for our four-legged friends! Treat your dog this Christmas with a special visit to Santa Paws in his doggy Grotto at Wollaton Hall. All proceeds will go towards Jerry Green Dog Rescue. Receive a gift from Santa's little helper (This event can be attended by a minimun donation of £2 and the normal car parking charges apply 11am – 12.30pm and 1pm – 3pm - also on Sunday 16th) Then head over to Green's Windmill Christmas Carol event. A Yuletide treat for all the family, complete with a lantern-lit mill yard, homemade mince pies and mulled wine. Carols will be performed by the Nottingham Ukulele Club and the Salvation Army. (Free entry, small charge for refreshments.)

Sunday 16th December - Get in the festive spirit at the annual Christmas event at the Arboretum where the trees will be lit up and festive music will be performed in the bandstand. There will be children’s activities and mince pies and non alcoholic mulled wine.

Have your photo taken with stilt walking festive characters and enjoy a visit from Santa! (Free Entry) Monday 17th December - Enjoy an Afternoon Tea of scrumptious sweet and savoury treats, all with a festive twist at Debbie Bryan in Nottingham's Lace Market (served between 11am

and 3pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 2pm Sundays | Booking essential) Tuesday 18th December - After packing them in for his first Hallé Christmas Concert in 2016, American tenor Noah Stewart returns for another seasonal spectacular. at the Royal Concert Hall. Enjoy a lively mix of orchestral classics, from Bach to Prokofiev.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is back to spread some Christmas cheer and there's some spooky spice from Danny Elfman's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Gets the party started in grand style. 7.30pm Wednesday 19th December There is nothing like singing carols to get you in the Christmas spirit. With Christmas only days away, add some sparkle to your festive season by joining the Nottingham Harmonic Choir for their Family Carol Concert with Thoresby Colliery Band with the very best of traditional and modern Christmas music.

7pm (also 22nd Dec) Thursday 20th December Back by popular demand at the Royal Concert Hall, all your West End favourites, from The Phantom of the Opera to Wicked, Les Misérables to Chicago, 42nd Street to Jersey Boys. Stars of the London stage join the West End Theatre Orchestra for a glitzy night of show tunes, plus a little something extra to put you in the Christmas spirit.

7.30pm Friday 21st December - Kate Rusby's Christmas tour has for many, become as much a part of the festivities as Christmas pudding itself!

Warm and inviting, spicy and sparkly she and her marvel-

lous band embody the sounds and joyous spirit of the best Christmases ever! This festive concert at the Royal Concert Hall will feature tracks from her four festive albums; Sweet Bells, While Mortals Sleep, The Frost is All Over and her most recent album Angels and Men. 7.30pm Saturday 22nd December - GCRN's “Santa” services have become one of the museum's most popular features.

Join a steam-hauled special service, through some of the best countryside, accompanied by Santa! Children receive an age-appropriate gift, confectionary and drink, while Adults receive seasonal refreshments. Santa provides an at-seat service at GCRN and provides a last chance for children to get their present requests in before the big day! (pre-booking essential) Sunday 23rd December Join Santa and his elves for a yummy bespoke breakfast experience at Wheelgate Park.

Heaps of fun and if you’ve been good all year a special gift to take home! PLUS exclusive entry to The Christmas Experience! (also 1 Dec - booking essential) Later catch Sleeping Beauty at Thoresby Riding Hall. A funfilled extravaganza for whole family, packed with songs, slapstick and plenty of audience participation. (3pm - also 30th Dec - Booking essential) Monday 24th December Ditch the last minute shopping and join Southbank Bar City's Christmas Eve singalong and festive party 1-7pm Always check with the venue ahead and book if necessary.

There is cost or entrance fee unless stated otherwise

Shoppers in Worksop and Retford will be able to take advantage of free parking again this year in all Bassetlaw District Council Car Parks in the run up to Christmas and New Year.

Parking will be free after 2pm each day from Monday 3rd December 2018 until Tuesday 1st January 2019 and the Council hope this will encourage more people to shop local and support local businesses.

People will also be able to take advantage of the free parking when visiting our first ever Stocking Filler Markets that are taking place in Worksop on Thursday 29th November, 6th and 13th December and in Retford on Tuesday 4th, 11th and 18th of December.

Councillor S i m o n Greaves, Leader of Bassetlaw District Council, said: “I am pleased that we are offering free parking in Wo r k s o p and Retford from 2pm once again and hope that this will encourage even more people to visit our town centres for their Christmas Shopping. As always we remain committed to supporting local businesses and hope that the free parking

will increase trade for them over the festive period.”

Stickers advising of the free parking times and conditions will be placed on all parking meters within Council Car Parks.

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Alcohol harm focus of Health and Wellbeing Board in Nottingham

Ways to reduce alcohol harm has been discussed at a meeting of Nottingham City’s Health and Wellbeing Board on (28 November).

Making sure people have the right information and advice and having ‘alcohol champions’ are being suggested as part of an eight-point plan to reduce the number of people whose lives are affected alcohol. Alcohol harm represents a huge public health burden in Nottingham, with more people having poor health conditions, road accidents and hospital admissions due to alcohol than the national average in England.

A report to the Health and Wellbeing Board shows: • More people are dependent on alcohol in Nottingham (2.2% compared to 1.4% in England) • More years of life are lost in Nottingham due to alcohol-related conditions (843 per 100,000

compared to 624 per 100,000 in England) • There are more alcoholrelated road traffic accidents (51.6 per 1,000 compared to 26.5 per 1,000 in England) • More people are admitted to hospital for alcohol-related conditions in Nottingham (1,000 per 100,000 compared to 647 per 100,000 for England) Members of the Board will discuss whether there could be a more systematic approach to Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice and consider who could work as ‘alcohol champions’ within the city.

Cllr Sam Webster, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Heath in Nottingham and Chair of the Nottingham City Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “The facts make for stark reading. Tackling alcohol harm should be a major priority for our city.

“Drinking excessive alcohol is leading to earlier deaths, poorer health and more people being admitted to hospital.

“But it’s really important when we talk about alcohol harm that we move past the stereotypical image of ‘hardened drinkers’ or alcoholics – this is also about ‘normal’ people drinking too much alcohol every week in their 30s, 40s and 50s and becoming unwell many years earlier than they would otherwise have done. This has a huge impact on their ability to live well, independently for longer. What people don’t realise is that alcohol harm doesn’t necessarily mean less life expectancy, but it

means living longer with serious health conditions and illnesses. “We have to take action – but a problem on this scale needs a city-wide response. All members of the Health and Wellbeing Board need to get behind the eightpoint plan of action.”

The eight-point plan of action to reduce alcohol harm is: • Increase people’s understanding of the risk and harm • Advocate for changes to national and local policy (such as minimum pricing) • A more consistent approach to Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice • Identify ‘alcohol champions’ across the health and social care system • Include alcohol as a priority for employee health and wellbeing • Better communication between partners • Identifying and working with people regularly attending A&E

• Agreeing and embedding pathways for people with both mental health and substance misuse issues Dr Hugh Porter, GP and Vice Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “We’re seeing more and more people suffering from the effects of excessive alcohol – and, in particular, a lack of knowledge about what is a safe level of alcohol for a person to drink each week. “People need to know the facts, however stark, about what alcohol can do to long-term health. I’m pleased that the Health and Wellbeing Board is discussing how to take forward this plan of action.”

Alcohol guidelines suggest men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week – the equivalent of six pints of average strength beer or seven glasses of wine – in order to keep their health risks low. Alcohol advice in Nottingham is available from the Nottingham Recovery Network (www. nottinghamrecoverynetwork.com), a service funded by Nottingham City Council that provides a single point of advice, support and treatment for anyone in Nottingham City who wishes to change their relationship with alcohol or drugs.

The full Health and Wellbeing Board Report on alcohol harm can be found here at http://committee.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/ ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=7475&x=1.

Good eating habits are one of the keystones of health and wellbeing. If you are eating a well-balanced diet that is right for your age and lifestyle you are more likely to avoid problems with your health. CityCare runs a number of projects in Nottingham City to help people learn how a healthy diet can benefit them and their family.

A healthy diet. When it comes to a healthy diet, balance is the key to getting it right. The Eatwell Plate highlights the different types of food that make up our diet, and shows how much you should eat from each food group to have a well-balanced and healthy diet. The Eatwell Plate.

(Department of Health in association with the Welsh Government, the Scottish

Government and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland ©Crown copyright) Fruit and vegetables. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables - try and aim for at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day.

Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods.

Include some starchy carbohydrate at each meal as this is a good source of energy but watch your portion size if you are trying to lose weight.

Choose wholegrain varieties whenever possible as these contain more fibre and will help you to feel full for longer.

Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein. These foods are all good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals. Try to eat lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry whenever possible and use healthier

cooking methods, such as grilling or poaching instead of frying, to cut down on fat. Oily fish is particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids which can help to keep your heart healthy. Aim for at least two portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish.

Eggs and pulses (including beans, nuts and seeds) are also great sources of protein.

Milk and dairy foods. Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are good sources of protein and also calcium which helps to keep bones healthy.

To keep the fat content down, choose semiskimmed, 1% or skimmed milk and low fat yogurt. Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar. These foods tend to be high in calories and some are high in saturated fat and salt which can be bad for your heart.

Think about your portion size and watch how often you eat or drink these foods during the day. The Eatwell Plate doesn’t apply to children under the age of two because they have different nutritional needs. Between the ages of two and five, children should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of the family, in the proportions shown on the Eatwell Plate.

Health & Wellbeing

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£200,000 boost for Nottingham businesses

More than a dozen Nottingham businesses have benefited from grants totalling around £200,000 in the first year of the City Council’s Workplace Travel Service.

Launched in November 2017, the service aims to transform businesses through smarter travel – helping them to save time and money, with the added bonuses of tackling congestion and reducing air pollution. Whether they want to try low emission vehicles, save money or make the commute easier for staff, help is at hand – along with grants of up to £25,000. In the last

12 months, workplace travel advisors have worked with 84 businesses, providing a range of services, from fully funded fleet reviews to electric vehicle loans, bike servicing to employee travel planning.

They’ve also given out more than £200,000 in grants, paying for electric vehicle charge points, cycle shelters, showers and ebikes. With this the businesses have installed: • 72 electric vehicle charge points • 13 cycle shelters • Seven electric bikes • Four shower facilities Nottinghamshire Fire and

Rescue Service was the first business to receive a grant for charge points to support six ultra low emission vehicles.

Kevin Shuttlewood, Head of Engineering at the fire service, said: “With the infrastructure that’s being placed into Nottinghamshire

by Nottingham City Council I think local businesses within the county need to look at how we can maintain and add to the electric vehicles that we’ve currently got.

“It’s a positive for everybody.

It cuts down emissions, it cuts down on fuel and provides a clean system of travelling to work.” YESSS Electrical, a supplies retailer based in Clarke Road, is another of 16 organisations to have benefited so far. They received more than £10,000 to install two twin chargers to power two vehicles, and for customers to use. Branch Manager Jim Hewitt said: “Since installing the charge

When it comes to starting a new business, you just need the best business start-up ideas to use. Best start-up business ideas means a lot to your start-up business growth. People today follow their dreams and choose their passion over money. They are always in search of best start-up business ideas which can feed their passion. They don’t want to be get retired at the age of 60. They seek for happiness index instead of earning a high salary while living in big cities. So, it is not always about making money but to live freely with a higher quality of life. That’s why new business ideas come in for top start-up business. In fact, it is easy to start with new business ideas but it can cost you a lot if you fail to achieve success for your top start-up business.

Therefore, the best start-up business ideas can help you with this.

1. Social Media Management Social media is extensively used by companies for their business deals get done. It has

become a reliable platform for best start-up business ideas now. But companies do not have the time or knowledge to manage them. However, they realize that this is one of the most important aspects of marketing too, and by mastering this individual area, you can add tons of value to local businesses and, at the same time, get the proverbial cash. In fact, all companies are willing to spend a lot of money on the management of their social networks. If you can help boost leads and sales through this medium, then your client list will skyrocket over the time. You can also follow other influential people in social networks and advanced users to discover their best strategies and models after them. This would surely help your top start-up ideas for business grow in this time.

2. Flipping Websites You can turn to the website flipping if you want to earn fast cash. All it does is buy and sell sites on existing

platforms. It is actually an art and involves some research, but if you turn it around, it is a simple and direct way to make you money. There are many sites dedicated to this. You can either auction domains or sell entire websites. The latter will help you earn money and you can use a platform like FreeMarket.com or Flippa. com in order to buy and sell domains and full-blown websites. Hence, we can say, flipping a website is the best start-up business ideas for online businesses.

3. Gadgets Repairing It can be one of the best start-up ideas since a number of devices like tablets and smartphones are in the hands of almost everyone these days. It does not matter what location we’re talking about, everyone is using them.

They trust them. They even use them to surf the internet, communicate, and even do an e-commerce business. Then, when those devices break or fall into disrepair, those people need someone to help

points, we’ve already seen reduced fuel costs for the fleet and have even seen more customers who have been attracted by the facility to charge while they shop.”

Councillor Dave Liversidge, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport, said: “It’s great to hear the benefits being seen by organisations across the city.

Grants are still available and we would encourage businesses to get in touch to see how we can help. “In addition, we can offer fully funded fleet reviews, Ultra Low Emission Vehicle loans, and active travel services – such as cycle training and personal travel planning– to help staff travel to work more efficiently.

“The council is continuing to invest in an ultra low emission fleet and enhanced citywide cycling provision. If we all do our bit to use greener transport, walk or cycle we could see a

significant reduction in both congestion and air pollution.”

The Workplace Travel Service will work with any business, public sector or voluntary organisation either based in Nottingham or operating in the city. What’s on offer?

• ULEV Experience – fleet reviews, electric vehicle loans and events to find out more about the benefits of ultra low emission transport

them solve them. So, you can repair smart devices and turn it into a thriving business no matter where you are in the world. You can place an order for its parts and instruction kits from gadgets repairing companies in order to repair any type of electronic smart device. Once you get really good at this process, you can then easily fix things like phones with water, broken screens and failed batteries in minutes. Hence, gadgets repairing is one of the best and top startup business idea in 2019. 4. Tourism Guidance Tourism guidance is one of the best start-up business ideas if they live in a tourist area. You can rely on a series of sites to advertise your services and the cost to put it into operation is nothing apart from establishing a simple legal or commercial structure.

To implement this, you can advertise your guided tours on sites such as TripAdvisor or Viator to reach the largest potential audience. Make a live presentation of Facebook

to present the part of your tour and share it with your friends and post images, videos of your journey on Instagram and use the correct hashtags so that people can find it easily. It leads to more engagement and thus makes your top start-up business grow in less time.

5. Monthly Box Service Today, we are blessed with a ton of monthly “box” services springing up in all kinds of verticals. Hence, you can easily build your own premium or non-premium box service and have a big business with continuous recurring revenue. In this process, every month, you would send from a single unique box handselected pieces that apply to your industry by utilizing these new business ideas.

You can also do box services with wines, cosmetics, gourmet foods, toys and many more. This is an excellent start-up ideas to create a continuity program and, at the same time, have a recurring membership base that can increase other unique offers

• Active Travel Services – information events, employee travel planning, drop-in bike servicing, led rides and cyclist awareness courses for professional drivers • Grants of up to £25,000 to provide facilities that will enable and encourage more sustainable travel Find out more at www. transportnottingham.com/ workplacetravel

6 Top Business Start-up Ideas For 2019

and other auxiliary products or services. Hence, this can be considered as the top start-up business idea as of now.

6.

Online Educational Courses. It is an amazing thing to create educational content for online courses and learning’s. People always seek to learn and expand their skills using the internet these days and if you provide them excellent instructional material, they get a great support for their courses. In this way, this can be one of the top start-up business ideas and can earn you a lot of money.

However, we are already surrounded by a large number of websites where you can sell your educational courses.

You can use a various major platform like Udemy (although you will be subject to its often on going promotional discounts where you lose all the prices of your courses) or you can use Coursera, Lynda. com, Teachable or even create your own membership-based software course based on the cloud.

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Hair and Beauty If you have a creative flair and want to make your mark within the hair and beauty industry, we have the skills, abilities and knowledge to help bring your dreams to life.

You are in safe hands at Nottingham College, as we have a dedicated, passionate and award-winning team of hair and beauty experts with years of industry experience.

During your time with us, you will train within our on-site salons, with paying customers and clients, using the very best in luxury products.

Our high quality state-of-the-art facilities are specially designed to prepare all our students for the hair and beauty world. We have a range of salons and a nail bar on campus, where you’ll be able to put everything you’ve learned into practice with real clients.

Plus, we have a commercial salons around Nottingham called Your Look.

On top of all this, you’ll get the opportunity to take part in national competitions and complete exciting work experience placements. In 2017 alone, students had their work featured in national magazines, exhibited their creations at a phenomenal catwalk

show and were make-up artists at the Broadway production of My Fair Lady at The Theatre Royal in Nottingham. We’re all geared towards giving all our students a great start to their careers - offering you continual professional development in your chosen field and the opportunity to work with premiere partners and brands. Our industry links include Eden Hall, Center Parcs, Ragdale Hall, Steiner and city centre salons. Product companies include L’Oreal, Balmain, Avalon, Spa Find, Dermalogica, Grafton’s, Cuccio, Rendevous and Dennis Willimas, Well and Winzamax.

Courses at Nottingham College range from Level 1 to Level 3 and Apprenticeships in hairdressing and barbering, beauty therapy, make-up, nail enhancement and massage.

Nottingham College has an amazing track record in delivering training in hair and

beauty - making sure you are equipped with the skills and experience needed to succeed in industry.

All of our salons are open to the public, so you’ll be actively involved in delivering our extensive range of professional hairdressing, beauty therapy, barbering and/or make-up artistry services to people in and around Nottingham City Centre.

There are a vast number of career options in the industry – whether you would like to be an Aesthetic Therapist, a Barber, a Beauty Therapist, a Body Piercer, a Bridal & Theme Consultant, an Image Consultant, a Hair Stylist, a Holistic Therapist, a Make-Up Artist, a Massage Therapist, a Nail Technician, a Product Technician, a Salon Manager/Owner, a Skin Care Therapist, a Spa Therapist – there are many choices available to you.

• There are just over 40,000 hairdressing, barbering and beauty businesses in the UK. • Up to 270,000 people work in the hairdressing, barbering and beauty industry.

• Hairdressing is the 10th most popular apprenticeship in England.

• Personal Grooming Businesses (barbering and beauty) are the fastest growing independent retailers.

Over half the people working in hair and beauty are aged 16 to 34.

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Christmas activities to do with the kids while they wait for Santa Keep the kids busy with these fun activities for snowy mornings and restless evenings If they haven’t finished already, your kids will be out of school soon and will be restlessly waiting for Santa and his reindeers to arrive.

With our fun, festive activity guide time will fly and before you know it Christmas will be here.

Here are a few activities that won’t break the bank but keep kids from clock watching…

Bake some Christmas goodies. It may get messy and it may take twice as long, but cooking with kids at Christmas is certainly entertaining!

After cookie dough is splattered over the pantry and a dusting of icing sugar smothers the work surfaces, all that remains are beautiful gingerbread houses, charming Christmas cakes and delicious chocolate bites.

Make handmade decorations. Allow kids to decorate their own bedrooms

and playrooms with bunting, angel paper chains and more glitter than Tinkerbell can sneeze at. Crafts will keep them entertained and add a fun twist alongside elegant decorations so why not get out the clay and make priceless handprint tree ornaments too?

Go ice-skating. An activity loved by everyone from parents to children, there is nothing more festive than getting the family on the ice in front of an imposing tree and a beautiful building

backdrop. Winter Wonderland at Nottingham’s Old Market Square makes the perfect setting for a family skate together.

Create Christmas cards. You may have already posted your Christmas cards, but kids will love making their own before posting them to all their school friends. Set up a craft station including multi coloured card, sequins and badges and invite your children’s friends over to join in the creative card fun.

Play Christmas games

Baby, it’s cold outside (and rainy, sleety and windy) so curl up with the family beside the fire and engage in a board game of round of charades.

A little healthy competition (we advise staying away from Monopoly a n d Scrabble) will help time fly by and entertain children u n t i l bedtime.

Enjoy a Christmas movie marathon Our recommendations are to start with Deck The Halls moving onto Jingle All The Way, Polar Express and finally Home Alone.

By embarking on a Nottinghamshire coaching course, your child will get active, become versed in the fundamental movement skills for children and - most importantly - have lots of fun.

They'll learn the cricketing skills of the stars and also gain a first-hand education in teamwork, fair play, leadership and the spirit of the game.

With beginners to the sports every bit as welcome as experts, we'll make sure sessions are tailored and relevant to the youngsters on the course.

All Stars Cricket - School Years 1-4 All Stars Cricket is a brandnew initiative from the England and Wales Cricket Board aimed at providing children aged five to eight with a great first experience in cricket.

Programme features: • For all children aged five to eight • 11 weeks • Emphasis on fun and being active • Focus on developing your child's movement skills • Great first introduction to cricket • Safe and fully accredited • Valuable time with your kids – mums and dads are encouraged to take part too • Easy online registration Every child that registers will receive a backpack full of goodies including a cricket bat, ball, water bottle, personalised shirt and cap all sent straight to your door.

Please register your interest for new courses coming in 2018/19 by emailing claire. page@nottsccc.co.uk Junior Cricket Coaching (School Years 3-10) Sessions will be held inside

at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and cover technical and tactical skills for batting, bowling, wicket keeping and fielding, through a variety of fixed, variable and games based practices.

Coaching is split into 3 different age groups based on school years (school year from 1st September 2018): Group 1 - School years 3 & 4 Hardballs will not be used for this age group. Kwik and soft balls will be used.

Group 2 - School years 5,6 & 7 Some of the coaching may involve using hard balls, children must provide all their own protective equipment including a helmet. Many of the drills will still be done without hard balls and their use will be assessed on the ability of the whole group.

Group 3 - School years 8, 9 & 10

Some of the coaching will involve using hard balls, children must provide all their own protective equipment including a helmet. Many of the drills will still be done

without hard balls and their use will be assessed on the ability of the whole group.

You can book onto our current courses by selecting the option from the menu at

the top left of the page. For more information about any of our junior cricket coaching contact claire.page@nottsccc. co.uk or 0115 982 3000 (ext 227).

Get into Cricket nice and early

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Demand for school places in Huthwaite Proposals for a new primary school in Huthwaite are one step closer after councillors agreed to consult on a change of age range for All Saints

Church of England Infant School for it to become a one form entry primary school.

Members of the Children and Young People’s Committee

also agreed on (Nov 16) to consult on changing the admission arrangements which formally link All Saints CE Infant School and

Woodland View Primary School.

The demand for more school places in the Huthwaite area will see a growing shortage of

places from September 2020 which becomes acute from September 2021.

As a result it has become clear that this demand cannot be supported by the existing schools, All Saints Infants and Woodland View Primary.

The proposal which has been given the green light will see a change to the age range of All Saints CE Infant School, reconfigure the existing provision at this school and at the All Saints Centre and consult on modifying the admissions arrangements with respect to All Saints CE Infant and Woodland View Primary schools.

The resultant school would be All Saints Primary School with the County Council providing land adjacent to the school to provide playing fields and car parking facilities.

Councillor Philip Owen, chairman of the Children and Young People’s Committee said: “To begin with the infant school would grow incrementally such that after

four years it would have all seven primary year groups which would create 120 additional places.

“All Saints also currently feeds Woodland View at infant to junior transfer and this arrangement would stop subject to consultation approval.”

Councillor Owen also commented that although modifications to existing facilities would need to be carried out at All Saints, Woodland View and the All Saints Centre, these would be considerably below the costs of building from new.

He added: “The main benefits with this proposal are the creation of urgently needed school places and that the area around Huthwaite will retain a valuable community facility at the All Saints Centre.”

The proposal has the support of the governing bodies of both schools, the management committee of the All Saints Centre and the Southwell Doicese.

apprentice- ship. The second has a job or apprentice-ship that is guaranteed. Then the third has nothing planned for their next steps, and is either undecided or has decided to wait until results day.

All of these are interchangeable.

Group one could be fine until results day; grades could be lower/ higher than expected; conditional place removed or you have the chance to get on a different course you may prefer. Group two may have rushed into the decision, and not really be enjoying what they’re doing, or on results day consider aiming higher as they achieved better than

anticipated. Group three may find that few options are open to them, as all of the places have been taken.

While still under the legal requirement to be in education, you could be pushed into something you aren’t even interested in.

Evidence shows this can lead to either dropping out of the course/apprenticeship or not achieving your full potential.

The importance of specialist Careers Guidance is to help people make well informed realistic decisions.

Particularly at what feels like such a big part of your life and often the first big challenge you have faced.

Career Guidance Help Career Guidance covers a whole spectrum of areas; from Labour Market Information; to Employability Skills; to name a few. It can also be required at different times in our life. Currently it is quite prominent for most young people that have just left year 11, 12, 13, or 14.

This can be a really scary and stressful time, as you are leaving the security of the school community and the routine you have been used to for a large part of your life so far. Young people at this stage could be separated into three categories. One has secured a conditional place at further/higher education or an

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Court issues fine over unauthorised kennels OWNERS of dog kennels which were built without planning permission have been ordered to pay out more than £1,900 by a court following legal action taken

by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

The structure, in the grounds of Barfield House in Greaves Lane, Edingley, was the subject of an enforcement notice in March 2017. It was issued after a retrospective planning application was refused.

The notice, served under section 172 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, stated that the kennels were a

breach of planning control as they were erected on a section of land at Barfield House where development was not permitted. The enforcement notice required that by June 5, 2017, the defendants: Cease the use of that section of land for residential purposes.

Remove from that section of land, the kennels and all associated and enabling works including the concrete base, any enclosure and all wiring, plumbing and electrical cables.

An appeal to the Planning Inspectorate by the defendants, Mr Harvey Sidney Sharpstone and Mrs Sharon

Floretta Sharpstone, was later dismissed and the enforcement notice upheld in full, save for the date of compliance, which was amended from June 5 to November 14, 2017.

The Sharpstones, who pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to comply with an enforcement notice at Nottingham Magistrates, were fined £650 and ordered to pay costs of £1,200 and a victim surcharge of £65. The initial planning application was refused by the council as an ‘inappropriate encroachment of domestic use and activity into the open countryside’.

The inspector, in dismissing

the appeal, referred to the harm caused by the kennels to the character and appearance of the area and the rural setting of the village and that the structure was contrary to the district council’s development plan. On August 20, 2018, a council planning officer attended Barfield House to check compliance but noted that the defendants

had failed to comply with the enforcement notice and the kennels remained in place.

The defendants have recently applied for a ‘certificate of lawfulness’ which would allow them to move the kennels to an area of land close by, where the development would be permitted. This was initially refused by the council but the defendants have since

appealed and the outcome is currently being awaited.

Matt Lamb, district council business manager – development, said: “Even small scale developments can encroach into the countryside and we have a duty to take action to protect it and ensure that these sorts of incidents do not become the thin end of the wedge.”

Going away This Christmas? Need pet care?

We want to make sure we know your pet inside out.

That’s why during our check in process we will complete a boarding contract.

This ensures we have all of the information to hand to make your pets stay as enjoyable as possible and as care free as possible for you.

We will even provide you with the managers e-mail address so you can keep in touch for regular update’s on your pets stay.

Daily Health Checks. Your pet will receive a daily health check every single day of their stay with us. The records of the daily health checks will be kept in your dog’s apartment along with

details of when they were last walked, fed and given any medication.

Morning Walk and Afternoon Activity. It’s vital that your dog gets out for regular walks, so each morning (and whatever the weather) your dog will get taken out on the lead for a morning stroll around the paddock or woodland area.

Then for the afternoon, you can decide which activity you’d like them to take part in. We have a wide range for you to choose from and for them to enjoy. Of course, you can book as many additional walks as you like. We don’t mind – we could probably do with the exercise ourselves!

Check out the video below

which shows some of our outdoor areas for your dog to stretch their legs.

One-to-one time. Your dog will get some quality oneto-one time tailored to their personality every day of their stay. So if they’re a laze-around-might-get-upfor-a-stretch kind of dog, we’ll give them a cuddle.

And if they’re a chargearound-with-more-energythan-a-Tazmanian-Devil kind of dog, that’s fine by us too!

Want to advertise here? call: 0115 6972670

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Five Home Improvement Trends To Watch In 2019 Do you follow the home improvement industry? If so, the Home Improvement Research Institute thinks you should pay attention to these key trends in 2019. The nonprofit trade association is comprised of global building product manufacturers, national retail chains and allied organizations on the media and information side.

These five takeaways were among the key points industry experts shared at HIRI’s 2018 Industry Insights Conference.

Millennials are more apt to DIY their home improvements, using technology to help them do so. (Credit: Getty Royalty Free) 1. DIYers are more likely to be Millennials.

Nearly a quarter of the UK population made home improvements in the last year and only 7% of them worked with a professional.

“DIYers spend more than 60 hours per week on TV and digital devices, including computers and smartphones,” Peter Katsingris, senior

vice president of insights at Nielsen, told conference attendees. “The technology and the choices it provides make DIY a realistic option for people.” (A quick search of YouTube shows 252,000 results for home improvement DIY videos, potentially a useful albeit cluttered marketing platform for reaching this massive demographic – or figuring out how to wire your new smart home security system.)

2. Over-inspiration is a key factor in home improvement regret. More than a third of homeowners who completed a home improvement project in the past year regret not spending more on the project, according to The Regret Factor Study. “Regretters are more likely to have used a wide range of inspirational sources, especially television, magazines and social media,” observed declared Brenda Bryan of RICKI, the Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence, who led the study with Leslie Gillock,

vice president, director of insights at Wray Ward.

(FOMO, the fear of missing out, has apparently migrated from vacation and party video envy on Facebook to real world remodeling projects.

That’s worth considering when planning a remodeling project at the right investment level for your property, or supplying products or services for a client’s.)

3. The rental housing market is on the rise. A wave of growth since 2004 has increased the number and share of rental households in the UK especially higherend rentals in urban areas.

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies, 40% of recent additions to the rental stock charge £1,500 or more per month. (This insight could lead to greater interest in “portable” home improvement products that tenants can take with them when they move, such as hand-held massaging shower heads and freestanding wine refrigerators.)

More people than ever are choosing to improve their existing property instead of moving to a new home, but what are the financial considerations? Should you stay or should you go? It’s the question on the minds of many homeowners as we enter the busiest time of year for home improvement loans and mortgage applications, according to Freedom Finance. This is when Brits turn their attention to their homes, but should you look for somewhere new or improve on what you’ve got?

Andy Fisher, managing director of the lending platform, said: “For some people, simple renovations can add a huge amount of value to their property, while others will be best to look for something new. However, it is not always easy to know which is the right path to take.

“There are many things to consider and it’s important to arm yourself with the relevant

facts to ensure you make an informed choice.” Freedom Finance has listed the key considerations when making this big decision. The case for moving.

If you need a change of location – whether you need to be in a better school catchment area, or be within commuting distance of a new job, this is a clear-cut case.

If you can’t cope with the disruption – remember that significant renovations can take a long time and can be extremely inconvenient, which means they’re not for everyone! If there is not enough space and no opportunity to add more – if you are looking for space and there is no option to extend then this is an obvious deal breaker.

If you could take a significant step up – with mortgage rates remaining so low, you might be able to afford a bigger or better home that you think.

It is worth speaking to an

adviser about your situation and doing some serious sums.

The benefits of improving. If there is room for improvement – adding space will generally add value to your home, so consider staying if you have the option to add some significant square footage.

If you don’t have a lot of equity in your home – this will make it harder to afford a new property, especially when you consider the cost of moving. Don’t forget about solicitor’s fees, estate agent’s fees and stamp duty. If the improvements will add value – while a bar in the lounge might be something

4. Remodeling activity isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

The steady increase in remodeling activity will continue through 2021, HIRI experts predict. (With home prices increasing, new construction harder to find in some areas of the country, and homeowners aging in place, people are staying put and remodeling.) “With the existing house stock averaging 38 years old, much

of the inventory is in need of updating,” noted Mark Boud, senior vice president and chief economist at Hanley Wood/ Metrostudy.

5. With home wellness on the rise, the lighting industry is leading the way.

“Circadian rhythm lighting is a hot topic,” declared Jie Zhao, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and development at wellness real estate and technology firm

Delos. (This new technology, also called human centric or tunable lighting, produces indoor illumination that more closely matches natural light in its warmth and, paired with home automation, shifts through the day with the sun to ease the impact of artificial light on the human body.)

“It’s changing the landscape of the smart home and lighting in general,” added Zhao.

you have always wanted, it won’t be for everyone!

Stick to neutral and modern renovations that will have mass appeal and will make the biggest difference – think kitchens and bathrooms!

If your existing mortgage isn’t portable – check the terms on

your current mortgage. If you have agreed a fixed rate on your current home for a set period, there may be a hefty charge if you have to pay it off early to move home.

If you can renovate for next to nothing – do your research on what value you might be able

to add. Consider similar homes in your area and speak to local estate agents. If you think your proposed renovations will add more to the value of your home than it will cost you to complete them, then you can be confident this is the right decision!

Homeowners: Should you move or improve?

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

Page 38.

4 of the Best Stay and Play Venues in Scotland with Two Courses

One aspect of golf that is ever present is the demand for stay and play breaks, and rightly so. There are few better ways to spend some time away from the reality of everyday life than a relaxing couple of days at a great golfing venue.

At Golfshake, we love to do everything we can to provide you with all the best reviews and information about a plethora of venues, to help you get the most out of your

golf trip. Using the interactive map on the Golfshake website users can search for golf clubs and resorts using a range of filters. This article will give you a taste of some of the best stay and play venues in Scotland which have two courses.

Turnberry Resort Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire is an outstanding stay and play venue featuring two luxurious 18-hole courses

and a magnificent hotel.

The resort has the very best facilities on and off the golf courses and the Ailsa Course has been the host of four Open Championships and has seen legends such as Tom Watson and Greg Norman lift the Claret Jug. The par 71 track is just less than 6,500 yards long and features some of Scotland’s best links golf holes. Its sister course, the King Robert the Bruce is

equally as great and features many spectacular views of the Ayrshire coast. The striking hotel is the very definition of luxury and is home to many beautiful rooms and suites as well as lovely spa and dining facilities. This resort is definitely one for the bucket list.

Monifieth Golf Club Monifieth Golf Club is a great stay and play venue in the East of Scotland. With two very different courses, the club offers enjoyable variation between rounds.

The Medal Course is the longer of the two tracks and stretches over just more than 6500 yards whilst its sister course, the Ashludie is 5,123 yards long. Both courses feature a range of hole types making for a brilliant test of golf and is ideal for golfers of all abilities. When it comes to accommodation, there are plenty of great options in the area. The Woodlands Hotel and Invercarse Hotel are recommended by the club and

are bot ideal bases for a stay and play break at Monifieth.

Murrayshall Hotel and Golf Club Murrayshall is home to two fantastic 18-hole courses which require slightly different approaches but both make for thoroughly enjoyable rounds.

The Murrayshall Championship Course will suit those who like to channel their inner Phil Mickelson’s and let rip with the driver.

The wide fairways mean that a straight tee shot is not always the necessary play.

The Lynedoch Course is more tree lined and features much narrower fairways.

This course will test your ball striking and requires golfers to keep the ball in play. With 40 rooms and suites on offer, the Murrayshall House Hotel is a luxurious base and is perfect for relaxation after a long day on the course.

Kinross Golf Courses Kinross Golf Courses is formed of two parkland

courses named ‘The Montgomery’ and ‘The Bruce Course’. The former is the oldest course at the venue and features plenty of well-placed bunkers and water hazards to ensure that golf isn’t too straightforward.

This course is ideal for all levels of golfers and will prove good challenge even to low handicappers.

The Bruce Course is seen a slightly simpler task whilst still requiring golfers to draw on all aspects of their game.

There are five par-5 holes on the course, meaning if you can hit a long, straight tee shot, you may well be in with a chance of a birdie or two.

There are two hotels just a stones’ throw away from the courses as Kinross.

The Green hotel and the Windlestrae Hotel both boast a comfortable atmosphere and are perfect for a golfing trip to Kinross.

For more information on golf breaks to Scotland, visit https://www.golfbreaks.com/

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

Page 39.

CARLTON TOWN CLUB HISTORY The Club was founded in 1904 under the name of Sneinton FC and for much of the 20th century played its football in the Nottinghamshire Football Alliance. Sneinton won the league in 1905-06 and picked up three titles in succession between 1907-08 and 190910.

The League thrived over the course of the century with its stronger clubs resisting Notts FA attempts to move them onto stronger regional leagues and a second tier was added in 1927-28 with a third tier being created in 1958-59.

Sneinton had to wait some time for further success, winning the Second Division title (third tier) in 1984-85 and the First Division title (second tier) in 1992-93.

The club had led somewhat of a nomadic existence, playing at various grounds, and only settled at its current location of Stoke Lane, Gedling, in the early 1990s.

This move coincided with the ambition from within the Club to progress beyond the confines of County football and, following a third place finish in the Senior Division (top tier) in 1994-94, the club joined the Central Midlands Football League, a move that at that stage had only been undertaken by two other Notts Alliance sides.

The first season in the CML was reasonable, but at the start of the 1996-97 campaign the Club was left with just three players and no manager.

In a desperate quandary, chairman Bill Stokeld turned to former players Tommy Brookbanks and Neil Cooper who agreed to take over the managerial reigns at Sneinton, and there began a period of outstanding success.

Brookbanks led the club brilliantly for 14 years from 1996 – 2010 with the club gaining four promotions under his stewardship. He took just two years to gain promotion from the Premier Division to the Supreme Division of the CML, and three years later

only ground grading issues prevented elevation into the Northern Counties (East) League.

Chairman Mick Garton of local company MSR Newsgroup took over the hot seat at Stoke Lane in 2002 and with his financial input (well over £200,000 has been spent during his tenure) the ground was brought up to Step 4 standard to ensure ground grading would never again deprive the team of the fruits of its labours.

Also in 2002 the club changed its name to Carlton Town and in its first season under its new name it duly won the CML title and gained promotion to the First Division of the NCEL. The Millers spent three years in this division before winning the league in 200506 and gaining promotion to the NCEL Premier Division.

However, by this stage the club was without club President and legend Bill Stokeld, who passed away watching the Millers on 23 October 2004.

Bill had been involved with the Club for over 50 years and a player, secretary, chairman and president and without his financial assistance and sheer effort, the Club simply wouldn't exist today.

It is fitting that his name lives on through the name of the

stadium itself. Having taken three years to rise one level within the NCEL it took only 12 months to gain yet another promotion and join the Northern Premier League at step 4 of the pyramid.

The club had begun the 200607 season with no ground, as a new link road was being built through the middle of the old ground and the new site, adjacent to the old one, wasn’t ready in time.

Nonetheless, despite starting the season with a run of away games, the team enjoyed an excellent campaign and travelled to Garforth on the last day of the season in a winner-takes-all game for the final promotion spot.

Dean Gent was Carlton’s hero, scoring a 94th minute winner to secure a 2-1 win in front of 560 to secure Brookbanks’s fourth promotion in 11 years into the NPL First Division South, where the Millers have remained ever since, switching to the East division following the reorganisation in 2018.

Carlton’s first season at this level saw them finish a creditable 10th, and in 200809 they finished fourth and made the play-offs, where a certain Jamie Vardy was amongst the scorers as Stocksbridge Park Steels won 5-2 in South Yorkshire.

Another top half finish followed in 2009-10 before Brookbanks decided to move on to Premier Division Hucknall Town. He took with him most of the players and the Academy set-up so when new manager Les McJannet arrived, he had to recruit an entire squad of players.

None of the starting eleven in the first match of the 2010-11 season had been at the club the previous season.

With most Carlton fans expecting a relegation battle McJannet’s side made a fantastic start to the campaign, losing just one of the opening 15 games and finishing in eighth place. The club also made it to the final of the Notts Senior Cup for the first time before being well beaten by Conference North Eastwood Town.

If Carlton fans thought that was impressive, the next three seasons brought even more success. 2011-12 saw the Millers finish second in the table, their highest pyramid finish to date, score 101 league goals and only go out of the play-offs after a penalty shoot-out defeat against Leek Town.

The league form dipped in 2012-13 but McJannet brought silverware to the Club in the form of a first ever Notts Senior Cup success, beating

his former club Sutton Town 5-2 in the final, even though centre-half Grant Brindley had to play in goal due to an injury crisis.

The club also made it through the third round qualifying of the FA Cup for the first time before going out to Bradford (Park Avenue).

The Millers made a great start to 2013-14, winning their opening five matches without conceding a goal.

However, McJannet struggled to put out a settled side and results suffered, with Carlton eventually finishing tenth in the table.

Once again, the team save its best performances for the cup competitions, with another third round qualifying appearance in the FA Cup and a best-ever semi-final showing in the League Cup in a run which saw Carlton beat three Premier Division sides including a memorable quarter-final win at home to FC United of Manchester.

The Millers also retained the Notts Senior Cup in some style, beating Rainworth MW 6-2 in the final.

2014-15 was a huge disappointment. The Millers opened with three defeats and never really recovered, spending far too much of the season flirting uncomfortably with relegation, eventually

finishing in 18th position and failing to win any of their last 13 matches.

Early exits were made in all cup competitions and at the end of the campaign McJannet decided to call it a day.

He was replaced by his assistant Wayne Scott who had led the under 21s to an impressive second place in their division in McJannet’s final year. Scott’s first two seasons in charge were almost identical, with Carlton starting poorly and hovering around the relegation zone for the first six months of the season before hitting their stride in February or March, putting together excellent winning runs, and pulling well clear of the drop in points terms at least.

Those seasons saw 18th and 19th placed finishes in the league but Scott’s second season at the helm ended in spectacular style with the manager leading the club to its third win in the Notts Senior Cup, beating local rivals Basford Utd 4-1 at Notts County’s Meadow Lane.

2017-18 saw an excellent start, with 10 points from the first five games and 20 points reached by mid-November.

However, a horrendous run of postponements allied to a habit of conceding late goals saw the Millers slip down the table, albeit with games in hand.

The postponements plainly had an effect with Carlton having to play their final 12 matches in the last 24 days of the season, and without a win in the last 10 they once again finished 19th.

With the side venturing into new territory in the Evo-Stik East division, the challenge for Scott’s team is to maintain the early season form of the last campaign over an entire season, as well as try and put together a run in one of the FA competitions, not enjoyed by Millers fans for some seasons now.

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

Page 40.

From World War Fixtures to the 5-5 Draw with Villa

Having watched Nottingham Forest record their first ever 5-5 draw at Aston Villa, you’d be forgiven for saying that you’ve seen it all. But for 84 year old Reds supporter Alf Jones, it’s just the latest memory in a chronology that includes world war bombing, fire, floods and goalkeepers arrested after the final whistle at the City Ground.

Alf began his love affair with Forest as a 9 year old boy in 1943, taking in his

first ever game during the wartime fixtures, despite the fact that the Football league had suspended their calendar, non competitive games still went ahead on the banks of the River Trent. “I can’t remember exactly who the opposition were that day, but I think it was a West Midlands side, possibly Walsall?” said Alf. His father returned from the second world war in 1945 and the pair made themselves a

permanent fixture in the Trent End as competitive football returned. “If I remember rightly, we played a handful of games at Trent bridge Cricket Ground following the WW2 bombing at the City Ground, you just got on with things back then you see.”

As Alf and I delved deeper into his archive, we came across a chance meeting with the manager that would provide Nottingham Forest with only their second major honour in

94 years of existence, Mr Billy Walker. As a self employed decorator, Alf received a call from the then Forest manager to provide a quote at his house on Clifton Lane. Alf chuckled as he went into the finer details of the encounter; “I put in a ridiculously low price, because I loved Forest and it was the chance of a lifetime to work at Billy’s house”.

Aside from the personal connection, Alf Jones explained why Billy Walker was so well revered by the supporters. Obviously, he brought the FA Cup back to Nottingham for the first time since 1898, a feat that not even Brian Clough had managed to accomplish, but it was his innovative recruitment style that set him apart from other managers.

“Walker was very astute and saw the Channel Islands as something of an untapped resource, he brought players like Bill Whare and Dick Le Flem to the City Ground when most other managers were scouting on the mainland.”

Whare helped the Reds lift the FA Cup in 59 whilst Le Flem was one of the first in a long line of iconic wingers at the club. Alf recalled with some humour how Billy Walker described Le Flem, “he (Billy) told me that the only thing preventing Dick Le Flem from running straight out of the ground was the perimeter wall!”

Forest Gump immediately springs to mind. Billy Walker also had a touch of Alex Ferguson about him, Alf told me that Walker would send his Physio Bob Davis to spy on any NFFC players entering the Palias night club and subsequently fine them as a result.

As we moved on through the decades I asked Alf

about the various Garibaldi greats, touching on the FA Cup winners of 1959, the nearly men of 1967 and of course Brian Clough and the conquering of Europe, twice!

I asked Mr Jones what he considered to be his most memorable season as a Nottingham Forest supporter?

Obviously, the 79 and 80 European Cup finals came to the fore, but surprisingly Alf spoke with real sentiment and endearment regarding the 1951 Division 3 South League Championship win. “we scored four away from home at one of the Sheffield clubs on route to the title, it was a really special day, owing much to the performance of our winger Colin Collindrige, that season really stands out for me.”

As for favourite players, Alf reeled off a plethora of names from past and present, who had all etched their names within his phenomenal memory. Wally Ardron, Le Flem, Eddie Bailey, Jeff Whitefoot, Tommy Capel (Then record signing 14K), Ian Storey Moore, Frank Wignall, Joe baker, Stuart Imlach, John Robertson, Stan Collymore, Stuart Pearce to name but a handful.

As we attempted to bring the interview to a close, I asked Alf to try and condense his 75 years of supporting Nottingham Forest into a bite sized account for the readers.

The following montage from the man himself is simply breath taking; “I’ve witnessed the aftermath of bombs at the City Ground, being forced to play at Meadow Lane after the floods of 1947, where we couldn’t buy a win!

Then came the main Stand Fire in 1968. I saw the smoke coming from behind me but like everyone else I paid little

Written by Steve Corry

attention to it, it crackled and banged before finally bursting into flames.

We all went to the ground the following morning to help with the clean up, Johnny Carey (Forest manager at the time) initially allowed us to help before sending us all home when the numbers became too big.

Alf produced a wry smile as he recalled an FA Cup win over Man United in 1948, “our keeper Larry Platt played a blinder and was then arrested at the final whistle by the military police for going AWOL, you couldn’t make it up!”

So, what does 84 year old Alf Jones make of Nottingham Forest of 2018? “For the first time in a long time I’m really confident, we have strength in depth and a real star in the form of Joe Lolley.

He really excites me, he’s like an old fashioned winger who gets the ball and looks to beat his man at every opportunity.

He was brilliant in the 5-5 draw at Villa, and as for the game itself it was an absolute cracker wasn’t it?”

Alf still watches his team at the City Ground, which is beyond comprehension when you think about it. Then, now and forever more, super fans like Alf Jones are what make Nottingham Forest so magical.

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.