The spring sky

1/05/2015| Galactic whirlpools from Richard Pearson on Vimeo.

Running time: 40m
Made with the help of the BBC

We begin with a tour of the spring sky followed by a look at galaxies.

The Whirlpool galaxy, like others of its kind, contains thousands of millions of stars, and it is impossible to doubt that many of these stars must be attended by inhabited planets. There must be astronomers, too, living in the midst of Messier 51 and using telescopes, and they will be able to see our Galaxy as a faint, blurred spiral of light in their sky.

Minor planets in focus

1/04/ 2015 | Dawn at Ceres from Richard Pearson on Vimeo.

Dr Who actor at the Trip to Jerusalem

Veteran actor Sylvester McCoy of Dr. Who fame, and who recently appeared in the film The Hobbit. breezed into the Trip to Jerusalem pub tonight at 11:30pm. I shown him around and had a chat. He once played the spoons along side Sir Patrick Moore on xylophone.

Actor James Cosman can be seen in the background.

The Navigation Inn

6 WILFORD STREET, CASTLE LOCK, NOTTINGHAM. NG2 1AA.

Party time at the Navigation this evening as one of the General Managers is leaving to take over a new pub in Newark. Buffet and good music marks this occasion. I have been invited along to make a film.

Ghost Hunting at the Salutation Inn

On Thursday 12 March, 2015, I joined a small team of ghost hunters in the caves below the Salutation Inn on Maid Marian Way, Nottingham.

Ye Olde Salutation Inn is a public house dating from around 1240 that lays claim to being one of the oldest in Nottingham. Address: 77A Maid Marian Way, City Centre, Nottingham NG1 6AJ  Phone: 0115 947 6580.

I made a film of the occasion:

Ghost Hunting Salutation Inn, Nottingham from Richard Pearson on Vimeo.

The Navigation Inn

6 WILFORD STREET, CASTLE LOCK, NOTTINGHAM. NG2 1AA.

Tel: 0115 8371930

Dave Bartrum - 'The Cockle man' - has been part of Nottingham's night life for more than 52 years. He sells seafood in city centre pubs and bars, and he is recognised world wide by tourists who remember him from past visits to the city.

 

Dave has been described as 'Legendary,' and an 'Icon' of the city of Nottingham, and recently pub landlords & regulars set up a campaign to give Dave Bartrum - 'The Cockle man' Freedom of the City.

Dave is now in need of sponsors to help support him transport wise, and with publicity as he promotes the last remaining pubs that allow him in to meet tourists and sell seafood.

If you can help The Cockle man with some sponsorship, please contact Dave directly on: Mobile 0787 6010 283

Thank you for your support.

 

The Legendary Cockle man from Richard Pearson on Vimeo.

Astronomy & Space | Voyager 1 at the edge of Space

© Richard Pearson

In September NASA officially confirmed that the Voyager 1 spacecraft entered interstellar space beyond our solar system in August 2012 when it became the furthest man made object to do so. In this program we take a look at what this actually means.

Please follow us on our video channels | YouTube | Science Stage | Twitter | Facebook

We also look at the highlights of the October night sky, and with Messier marathon season about to begin we pinpoint several deep sky objects for you to observe. Finally we have the latest news about comet ISON, and nova V339 DELPHINI which flared up in August, and is now getting brighter!

The BBC TV program 'The Sky at Night' is under threat of being axed after 56 years. The program was fronted by TV astronomer Sir Patrick Moore in all of that time. Please help save this magnificent astronomy program by signing Karen Barker's on line petition at Please do not axe the Sky at Night | Thank you for your support.

Full City Council Meeting 21 October

MOTION IN THE NAME OF COUNCILLOR BALL (Sherwood)

This Council notes that pubs are for many people a local facility and social hub that help facilitate community cohesion through interactions between people from different backgrounds. This Council also notes that Licensed premises may not be an appropriate location for building community cohesion for all sections of the community however, the right sort of pub run in the right way can be a great addition to a neighbourhood. This Council also notes that a significant number of pubs have closed in Nottingham’s neighbourhoods in the recent past.

This Council also notes that there are many changes of use for public houses that don’t require any sort of planning application and therefore the local community is denied a say on the future of their local pub.

Finally, it is noted that other Local Authorities have begun to draw up policies and plans to respond to these changes.

This Council Resolves To
- Create a promotional plan in association with partners to support our well-run and responsible local pubs and successful local brewing operations
- Continue to support the Robin Hood Beer Festival in Nottingham
- Invite the Minister for Pubs in Government to the Robin Hood Beer Festival and take them on a tour of Nottingham so they can experience first hand the vibrant brewing economy and pub culture in the city
- Work with Nottingham CAMRA and national CAMRA in their campaign against pub closures
- Work with GMB and other trade unions in their campaign against the beer-tie
- Continue to promote licensing policies that support responsible pub operations
- Promote responsible drinking through the continuation of action against the sale of strong alcohol and irresponsible licensing that encourages a binge drinking culture
- Include a policy within the emerging Local Plan which recognises the importance of pubs in the community, and seeks to ensure that they can continue to play that role wherever possible
- Offer support where appropriate to community organisations seeking to nominate pubs as Assets of Community Value
- Lobby Government for an alteration in the Use Classes Order so that changes from pubs to retail and office uses requires planning permission
- Explore the use of an Article 4 Direction to prevent pubs from changing to retail, financial/professional services and restaurant uses without planning permission being obtained on application.

St Ann’s Projects win ‘Golden Trowel’ award

People from 35 Nottingham neighbourhoods who have been working to make their area a greener, cleaner and friendlier place to live are celebrating their achievements with Britain in Bloom 'It's Your Neighbourhood' Awards.

The award for the Most Inspiring project amongst the 135 groups in the East Midlands was presented to St Ann's Projects, for their efforts in turning a forgotten patch of land in Moffat Close into the Zig Zag Community Garden. At least 40 local people attend each monthly gardening session, with more than 200 people involved overall.

Carly Williams and Martin Sommerville, who lead the group, said: "We're very proud of what everyone has made happen on the Zig Zags. We feel totally humbled and really excited to keep growing."

Thousands of residents across the city are involved in greening and cleaning up their own areas in liaison with Nottingham in Bloom. Many groups have their efforts recognised officially by entering the awards, which are run by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Assessors visited each group in July and awarded marks for horticulture, environmental responsibility and community participation. Certificates were presented at Wollaton Park Community Centre in Harrow Road in Wollaton by Jeff Bates, Chair of East Midlands in Bloom - with eight groups receiving the highest award of 'Outstanding.'

Councillor Malcolm Wood, Chair of the Nottingham in Bloom Working Group, said: "Congratulations to all the neighbourhood groups, who are doing so much to improve their own environment and instil a sense of pride and community spirit across the area. Many of these projects have sparked an interest amongst people who have never been involved in gardening before and we hope that many more will be inspired to get involved in the future."

The Neighbourhood Bloom groups also played an important part in Nottingham's Gold Medal winning entry into the East Midlands in Bloom competition, with 25% of the marks allocated for community participation.

Robin Hood Chase plans on exhibition today

A steady stream of St Ann’s tenants & residents came along to see the new plans for the Robin Hood Chase shopping precinct.

These two images show the proposals. The planning application is to be submitted in November, and if successful construction will begin next spring.

The Architect is BM3 of Birmingham who are being the Keepmoat Homes development on the nearby Stonebridge Park Estate, and Kingsthorpe Close in Mapperley.

Robin Hood Chase consultations begin

Updated On 30th September Councillor Dave Liversidge, who is a key officer of the City Council, made an executive decision to provide £1,132,350 from the Capital Fund for the demolition works to Digby Court, Cranwell Road
Crosswall Flats, Robin Hood Chase and Locksley House.

The new concept | Lose the present small car park area, bottom row of 4 shops & former housing office, and the former Wellspring health centre, which will be subject to demolition before Christmas. A new car park area will be introduced at the bottom of the Chase with access from St Ann’s Well Road. A new super market will be built that will be 40% larger than the former Co-op, with sheltered accommodation for the elderly above. Three new shop units will be constructed facing the St Ann’s Valley Centre.

• Proposed to build 45 sheltered units over 3 floors. 44 one bed and 1 two bed unit.
• There are 3 shop units shown on the plan, the supermarket at the front can be split into two units to make a total of  4 shops or kept as one big store (which will be more attractive to a retailer) with an option to include a retail unit within the larger store (e.g. a post office or sandwich shop).
• There are no plans to reopen Livingstone Street to Aster Road.

ASRA Housing Group will manage all of the accommodation once the scheme has been construction by Wilmot Dixon, and Asra will contribute £1m to the scheme.

By Gill Callingham (Project Manager)

Citizens in London & Nottingham win ‘Bedroom Tax’ appeals

A BLIND man who claims housing benefit has won an appeal against paying the so-called bedroom tax - the first of its kind in England.

Surinder Lall would have seen his benefits cut by £12 a week because his local council claimed he had a second bedroom.

But the barrister, who lives in Lon­don, successfully argued the space was used to store medical equipment and not as a bedroom, meaning his case was outside the scope of the tax.

In his decision notice, the judge wrote: 'The term "bedroom" is no­where defined. I apply the ordinary English meaning. The room in question cannot be so defined.'

About 80,000 London households are affected by the bedroom tax, of which more than 50,000 comprise or include disabled people.

The victory could pave the way for thousands more benefit claimants to take their local council to court. Mr Lall said his case should stop local housing departments from using the term 'bedroom' in their tenancy agreements to cut benefits.

Although Westminster council has said it will not appeal the decision, the Department for Work and Pen­sions has said it may do so.

A spokesman said Mr Lall may have won because the room was too small to qualify as a bedroom.

Left: Anna Whyman from St Ann’s, Nottingham, also won her appeal Yesterday.

The ruling comes as the £500-a-week benefit cap comes into place. Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: 'Out-of-work households know they can no longer claim more than the average family earns.'

Nottingham Tram Phase 2 | Photo Update

Toll Bridge works: 3 Oct 2013 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Works are continuing at the Toll Bridge crossing over the river Trent, which has been widened to except trams crossing over the bridge in both directions.

These photographs were taken a few days ago in poor weather when rain stopped work during the afternoon. However they do give you an idea of the progress at the site so far this year.

The new Phase 2 tram extension is expected to be finished an operational by January 2015.

Millennium Garden stroll

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEST FOOD FORWARD | Monday 30th September.

We joined the canal near Loxley House in the city centre and had a nice stroll along the canal towards Dunkirk. Then into the Millennium Garden at Nottingham University which was very nicely laid out and colourful with all of the plants. The weather was fine considering that we are now in autumn.

Best Foot Forward offers a number of short walks in the Nottingham City area. These free guided health walks offer you the opportunity to improve your health, make new friends, have fun and get to know your local environment. Everyone welcome!

For more information please contact:

Sarah Allen Best Foot Forward Co-coordinator 0115 9933397 sarah.allen@ageuknotts.org.uk
Carol Wilby 0115 8414474 carol.wilby@ageuknotts.org.uk

By Robert Battey

Promenade house – City Council enquiry after freak accident

An estate agent and potential buyer were injured when they plunged through the floor of a house during a viewing.

The man and woman were taken to hospital after falling into the cellar of the end terrace in Nottingham.

The Grade-II listed house, on Promenade, near Sneinton Market, is due to be auctioned on 10 October.

Nottingham City Council, which owns the house, said it was investigating how Saturday's "terrible freak accident" happened.

Savills, which is selling the property, said: "Our first concerns are with the two people hurt, one of whom is a Savills employee.

Emergency services parked nearby Emergency services were called to the house on Saturday evening
"We wish them a full and speedy recovery."

Ambulance crews were called to the scene shortly before 17:30 BST, to reports that two people had fallen through floorboards into the cellar.

An ambulance spokeswoman said the woman had head injuries and the man had back pain.

Both were taken to hospital for further assessment and treatment.

A Nottingham City Council spokesman said: "This appears to have been a terrible freak accident at a property we have been trying to sell which has been empty for a number of years.

"We're investigating how this happened and have secured the building until structural engineers have established what needs to be done to make sure the building is safe."

By Caroline Lowbridge (BBC)

Lovell’s Proposed site plan for Limmen Gardens

Astra Housing Group have planning permission to build 15 new homes in Limmen Gardens, St Ann’s, which is Phase 4 of the Stonebridge Park Regeneration Scheme. Construction work by Lovell Partnerships Ltd will begin soon. This is the proposed site plan as set out by Lovell’s which was received this afternoon by Friends of Stonebridge Park.

Two people hospitalised after 14ft fall into basement

Engines from Highfields and Central attended the scene and the two casualties were taken to hospital by the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

At 6:45pm on Saturday night a major incident was declared in Campbell Grove, off Robin Hood Street, St Ann’s. House No 1, the Promenade adjacent Victoria Park is up for sale and there have been people viewing the property over the last few days. There are unconfirmed reports that there were some people on the main stairs inside the building which suddenly collapsed without warning.

The Promenade St Ann’s is a row of large houses adjacent Victoria Park which were built around 1800, and are therefore over 200 years old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Richard Pearson

The Bedroom tax – 50,000 now face eviction

More than 50,000 people affected by the so-called bedroom tax have fallen behind on rent and face eviction, figures given to The Independent show.

The statistics reveal the scale of debt created by the Government’s under-occupancy charge, as one council house tenant in three has been pushed into rent arrears since it was introduced in April.

Figures provided by 114 local authorities across Britain after Freedom of Information requests by the campaign group False Economy show the impact of the bedroom tax over its first four months. The total number of affected council tenants across Britain is likely to be much higher than the 50,000 recorded in the sample of local authorities that responded to the request.

At least another 30,000 people living in housing association properties have also fallen behind on rent payments since the bedroom tax came in, with potentially tens of thousands more also affected, according to separate research by the National Housing Federation.

St Ann’s councillor Dave Liversidge (City Council portfolio holder for the social & the voluntary sector) said to day “I am hopeful that the Labour Party will announce at its upcoming conference that the Bedroom tax will be repealed after the next general election. Unions have a motion on this subject before the conference, specifically asking for this,” he said.

Report withdrawn by councillors as Nottingham City Homes ‘can’t add up’ !

The AREA CAPITAL FUND - 2013/15 Report presented to councillors at the recent Area 6 committee meeting (Dales, Mapperley, St Ann’s) on 10th September, written by Nottingham City Homes, has had to be withdrawn because it contained erroneous financial information. The main parts of the report affected are for Newark Crescent, and improvements at Sneinton Hermitage & Rest garden (The Dales).

A series of meeting are being held this week to resolve issues with the report. Councillors at the Area 6 meeting indicated that they had not read the report prior to the meeting, and they were not happy with its contents after reading through it. They therefore asked for it to be “pulled”.

The Area Capital Programme was established to improve the environment of the neighbourhoods and to create a sense of place for residents in order to improve the quality of life of local people. Since it was established in 2006 to meet the then corporate priority of “Transforming Neighbourhoods” the Area Capital Fund has included a total programme expenditure portfolio of £40 million. The improvements that have been carried out to date using this programmed have included footpath, fences, visual enhancements to public realm, refurbishment of parks and improvements to public buildings.

New Marriage Tax Allowance “patronising drivel”

Today The Times reports that: "Some senior Conservatives were angry at suggestions that the policy was a “quid pro quo” for the marriage tax allowance…The marriage tax allowance, to be announced by David Cameron at the Tory Party’s annual conference from 29th September, is expected to cost about £550 million.” The benefit which is due to start before the 2015 election “will be spelt out in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement."

The Tories promised a £150 tax break to married couples at the last general election, but, in a sign of how the issue could cause divisions in the coalition government, the proposal was ridiculed by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg as “patronising drivel that belongs in the Edwardian age”.

Plans for tax breaks for married couples are set to be brought forward in a move seen as an attempt to placate restless Conservative backbench MPs.

Prime Minister David Cameron has been under pressure to bring in the changes from members of his own party, but it is an issue likely to expose disagreements in the coalition. Liberal Democrats have a specific opt-out on the issue. Labour has already stated its opposition to the idea.

Mr Cameron said: “The point is that we are going to be putting in place the marriage tax proposal in law. We will be announcing plans for that in this parliament.”

Former Conservative minister Tim Loughton had moved to force a Commons vote on the issue with backbenchers feeling that work on the policy was moving too slowly. Mr Cameron said MPs should “let the government get on with it”.

Julianne Marriott, director of the Don’t Judge My Family campaign opposed to marriage being written into tax laws, said this week: “Today, Nick Clegg will announce to much applause that the government is going to bring in free school lunches for all children at primary school. But there’s no such thing as a free school lunch. It’s the deal the Liberal Democrats have done to let their Conservative colleagues implement marriage tax breaks, about which we expect to hear more from Mr Cameron at his party conference. Don’t forget – marriage tax breaks are not about helping children: they wouldn’t help the 1 in 4 children who grow up in a single parent family, and actually, most of the couples who will get it don’t have children living at home at all. They’re actually about judging our families and promoting an out of date view of family life where one person is a breadwinner and the other is a homemaker..”

Nick Clegg has announced free school meals for every 5- to 7-year-old...

Free school meals are to be extended to all infant pupils in England at a cost of £600million a year. Nick Clegg will announce today that from next September an extra 1.5million children will qualify for the meals, regardless of their parents’ income. Mr Clegg’s announcement at 5pm came only two hours after Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander had told the conference: ‘There’s no spending bonanza around the corner!’" - Daily Mail

By Richard Pearson