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March 2008

Clearing the way

in Sneinton
Spending plans
for this year
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A winning formula
It was a win/win situation for the volunteers from
the Handel Street Restoration Team and pupils at
Sneinton C of E School who worked together on a
clean-up at the school recently.
As a result, the children now have a new allotment to grow
their own fruit and veg and the volunteers from Framework’s
Handel Street Day Centre have gained vital work experience.
The project is part of ongoing work by Framework to help
homeless and vulnerable people get back into work while
making a positive contribution to society. The Restoration
Team has also been working with the local Park Ranger on a
number of projects in parks and green spaces as well as a
regular arrangement with Notts County who send them free
tickets to watch home matches in return for clearing out the
stands afterwards.
For more information on framework visit:
http://www.frameworkha.org

Fitness for all

The St Ann’s and Dales Area Committee has
awarded a £3000 grant to boost fitness levels
in the area.
The Jesse Boot Community Basketball & Sport Trust will use
the cash for a project aiming to engage more local people,
of all ages and abilities, in sports and fitness activities.
The project will be based at the Nottingham Wildcat Arena
in Greenwood Road - one of the largest indoor arenas in
Nottingham - which offers a wide range of leisure facilities
including a fitness suite and basketball courts, a dance
studio, kickboxing and yoga. The centre is used mainly by
local residents with 82 percent of its membership living
within a mile of the centre, but the project aims to boost this
figure within the next year.
For more information on the centre
call Pauline or Jez on 915 0108.
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 City rides high
This month’s front page picture was taken from
the Nottingham Eye, the massive 60-metre high
big-wheel that arrived in the Old Market Square
at the beginning of February.
The Eye, taller than the Council House and giving
breathtaking panoramic views of the city formed a
spectacular centrepiece for the city’s Light Night event
which included concerts and performances; special offers
at entertainment venues; fireworks; painted lanterns and
illuminations. The Eye is the latest attraction to make the
most of Nottingham’s open-plan Market Square.
Picture courtesy of Gary Hope Photography
A message from
Nottingham City Council Leader,
Councillor Jon Collins
Welcome to the March edition of the Nottingham Arrow,
the City Council’s magazine for residents.
On pages 2 and 19 you can find out what’s happening in
the area of the city where you live, while the rest of the
Arrow includes the usual mix of stories about the wide
range of services provided by the Council. This month
there are special features on enjoying the city’s parks and
open spaces and, importantly, our spending plans for
services in 2008/09, which include an extra £600,000 for
play areas and parks; an extra £900,000 on street cleaning
and recycling; and £4 million on free bus travel for older
and less mobile people. These were proposed for approval
by the City Council at its meeting on March 3, 2008.
Also in the pack along with the Arrow magazine, you’ll find
a 16-page update to the Council’s award-winning Services
Directory and a Guide to Health Services provided by
Nottingham Primary Care Trust. All in all, an Arrow that
will help you make the most of council and health services
in the city.
Councillor Jon Collins is the Leader of Nottingham City Council.
He can be contacted by writing to The Council House, Old Market
Square, Nottingham NG1 2DT; by telephone on 915 5636
or email jon.collins@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
The Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council is
Michael Frater. He can be contacted by writing to
The Guildhall, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BT;
by telephone on 915 4500 or email
michael.frater@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Nottingham Arrow
Communications and Marketing
Nottingham City Council
Guildhall, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BT
915 5555
email: communications@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
visit: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/arrow
Enjoy
Did you know that 20 percent of the city is
made up of accessible green and open spaces?
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With the promise of longer and brighter days on the way this is the time of year when more
of us feel like getting out more – and we could have just the place for you.

your green city

Getting out into the city’s parks is a
great way to keep fit, and you could
discover more about local history
and wildlife while you are there.
A series of walks have been mapped
out in four of Nottingham’s parks – the
Arboretum, Lenton Recreation Ground,
Melbourne Park and Southglade Park.
They range from easy, short walks to
more difficult and strenuous ones.
Information available from the ‘Walk in
the Park’ initiative includes details of
each route and points of interest along
the way and can be downloaded from
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/enjoy.
Leaflets are also available from leisure
centres, libraries and museums or by
phoning 915 2733.
If you prefer to walk as part of an
organised group, the Best Foot Forward
programme holds regular guided health
walks. Walking groups visit a variety of
parks and nature reserves throughout
For more information about Parks and Open Spaces,
visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/parks or call 915 2733.
the week. For more information visit
www.whi.org.uk or contact Christine
Adams on 942 0323.
Nottingham’s new team of Park Rangers
are also encouraging more local people
to enjoy parks by running events and
educational activities throughout the
year. They are keen to work with
‘friends’ groups on the parks and set up
new ones, so get in touch on 915 2733
if you would like to get involved.
The city is renowned for spectacular
floral displays which use half a million
plants each year, grown at Nottingham
City Council’s Nursery at Woodthorpe
Grange. In May there will be a chance for
members of the public to have a look
behind the scenes, so watch out for
details soon. The Tropical House
adjoining the Nursery welcomes visitors
Tuesday - Friday and Saturday mornings
all year.
Over the next five years, Nottingham
City Council aims to make parks even
more of an asset for the city and local
people. This year, the city aims to fly
a total of nine Green Flags and each of
the sites will benefit from the involvement
of local people who enjoy helping with
planting and maintenance.
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 Getting warmer!
In January we ran an article called
Stay Warm, Stay Well informing older
people about free or discounted energy
saving measures available to them.
As a result the Council’s Energy Team received
over 132 calls. Now many of these callers are on
the way to paying lower energy bills and keeping
their homes nice and warm thanks to free
insulation - like the residents of W H Hirst
Memorial Homes in Wollaton, pictured here.
At one time it was only people on benefits who
qualified for free insulation – now homeowners
and private tenants who are 70 or over and
receive no benefits qualify too! So whether you
are on benefits or not you can get your house
ready for next winter by calling our energy team.

Contact the energy team

on 876 2349 or visit
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/energy
Quids in
Over £1 million is being spent to revamp sports
facilities at Vernon Park in Old Basford.
More than £600,000 comes from the Football Foundation,
£400,000 from Nottingham City Council and £100,000 from
the Lawn Tennis Association. Work includes demolishing the
old changing block and public toilets and replacing them
with a new modern pavilion including fully accessible public
toilets, changing areas and a community room. The tennis
courts are being resurfaced and fitted with floodlights, and
the senior football pitch is being upgraded. In addition, a
new car park will be created and landscaping improved.
Building work began on January 7 and improvements are
expected to take 32 weeks. During this time there will be no
access to the park through the Vernon Avenue gate, but all
other entrances will stay open.

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 Speak up!
Got something to get off your chest? Are ideas
important to you? Want to share your views with
the public or hear what other people have to
say? Well you now have the ideal opportunity.
Nottingham has become the first British city outside London
to have its very own Speakers’ Corner. Based on the famous
Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park – where illustrious
speakers over the last 150 years have included Emmeline
Pankhurst, Marcus Garvey, George Orwell and even Lenin -
Nottingham’s Speakers’ Corner will offer members of the
public the chance to air their views in public.
The Nottingham Speakers’ Corner Committee has chosen
the space at the bottom of King Street, which is in the
process of being developed anyway, as its proposed site.
Consultation is taking place with local businesses and others
to ensure it is carefully designed and developed.
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It will share a space with a new bronze statue of Brian
Clough – someone well known for speaking his mind! The
initiative was launched at the end of last month with a
programme including: a video from comedian Eddie Izzard
and live speeches from Council Leader, Jon Collins, Sheriff of
Nottingham, Jeannie Packer and Bulwell community activist,
Jackie Morris. There were also a number of debates held at
venues around the City to set the scene for free speech and
constructive debate.
Until the permanent site is ready there will
be a temporary Speakers’ Corner in the
Old Market Square.
Pictured above is Adrian Lunga,
Zimbabwean Human Rights Campaigner,
who spoke at the launch
For more information visit
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/speakerscorner
 Feel good factor
is growing

Fifty-eight percent of city residents now feel so positive about Nottingham that they
consider themselves advocates of the city and ‘speak highly’ of it to people they meet,
according to a MORI survey of residents.
The MORI 2007 survey shows a feel good factor amongst a Areas where people highlighted a need for improvement
growing number of residents about Nottingham as a whole, included parks and open spaces, kerbside recycling and
the neighbourhoods they live in and the services provided by children’s services, all of which are getting increased funding
Nottingham City Council. in this year’s budget to ensure improvements. See more on
the Council’s spending plans on the following three pages.
Last year 68% of residents were satisfied with Nottingham as
a place to live, this has risen to 71% while 70% are satisfied Councillor Eunice Campbell, Portfolio holder for Customer
with their neighbourhoods, up from 66%. Over three times as Services, Consultation and Area Working, said: “It is pleasing
many Nottingham residents are satisfied with Nottingham to receive such positive feedback from residents. Key issues
City Council (56%) than are dissatisfied (17%), the number of for us and residents such as tackling anti-social behaviour,
satisfied customers has risen by 5% from last year while investment in local neighbourhoods and clean streets are all
residents who think the Council provides good value for heading in the right direction. The outcomes of the survey
money has also increased, from 31% to 39%. will help us shape the services we provide in the future.”

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Spending
to support local people
More households on the kerbside recycling scheme,
better parks and cleaner streets – these are just
some of the initiatives receiving a boost under the
City Council’s spending plans for the coming year.*
There will also be more support to help older the Government: £4 million of this will go to
people keep their independence, a 4.1% rise support a national scheme to provide free bus
in spending on all city school pupils to travel for older and less mobile travellers; £4
increase educational achievement, more million to help children in our care and £3.5
money to support city foster children and million to continue to meet other Government
carers and cash to ensure that older people and national expectations such as
and those with disabilities get free bus travel transforming neighbourhoods. £11 million will
beyond the city boundary. be provided through greater City Council
efficiencies plus a small rise in local taxes.
Cash to fund the City Council’s spending
plans comes from an extra £12 million from

Over the next couple of pages are just some of the

things we will be injecting extra cash into in 2008.

* At the time of going to print, the Council budget for 2008/09 was due
to go before Full Council for approval on March 3.
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Local care for
local children
Over £4 million will be invested
in the city’s fostering services
over the coming year to
ensure that cared-for children
from Nottingham can stay
in the city.
The cash will go to recruit and train
new carers and to provide support
for existing carers. The drive will
aim to keep more foster children in
the city and in touch with their
support networks such as family
members and friends. Cash will also
go towards providing assistance for
those children who cannot continue
to live locally and will help make
sure that children in care receive the
services they need to help them
develop into successful adults.
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Greener and
even cleaner
An additional £900,000 will
be spent on keeping the
city clean and getting us
recycling more.
There are currently 73,000
homes on the kerbside recycling
service - for paper, card, plastics
and garden waste - with another
12,000 to be added this year. Pilot
schemes are also being developed for
11,000 homes in the Sneinton and
Arboretum areas where new materials
such as food waste and glass will be
collected with a view to introducing these
to the recycling collection service. Residents
of flats and other places where recycling is
more difficult are also being asked how we
can improve their opportunities to recycle.
Local recycling centres will be improved with
better signage and additional materials – such as
textiles, food cartons and shoes being added to
materials that can be recycled. To make the streets
cleaner six additional neighbourhood environmental
action teams (NEAT) will be established. This will
allow graffiti, fly-tipping and other enviro-crimes to be
tackled more quickly.
Getting on board
a national scheme
The City Council is spending
up to £4 million to provide free
bus travel for older and less
mobile people as part of a
national scheme.
From April 1 eligible disabled
people and anyone aged sixty or
over will be able to enjoy free, off-
peak bus travel anywhere in
England. This means Nottingham's
Senior Citycard and Mobility
Citycard holders will be able to use
local buses in Leicester, Birming-
ham or further afield without having
to pay a thing. And thanks to the
City Council, these travellers can
also catch Nottingham's buses in
peak hours and ride on the city's
tram for free - for full details visit
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/citycard
or call 950 60 70. New passes
will be sent to all Senior and
Mobility Citycard holders
throughout March.
Playing it safe
Play areas and parks are
about to become better
and safer with a £600,000
cash boost.
The money will be used to improve
a range of services including parks,
which will be getting improved
maintenance - with gardeners
based on site, new equipment and
more safety inspections for play
areas and allotments which are to
become more accessible to all.
Help to stay
at Home
Over £400,000 is to be
invested in supporting older
people at home.
This includes: An extra £120,000 for
the Integrated Community
Equipment Service for equipment to
adapt homes so that people can
continue to live independently;
£200,000 for the Telecare initiative
which provides older people with
pendant alarms and sensors that
alert a response centre for help if
there is a problem, such as a fall;
£80,000 has been earmarked to
provide an increase in breaks for
carers and £50,000 to extend a
successful night-sitting service
which provides emergency support For more information on
to people who would otherwise be the budget and other
admitted to hospital. Over £800,000
Council news visit
is to go towards a local Fair Price
for Care initiative to help sustain
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk
and improve care homes in the City /news_page
so that local people can remain
close to their families and friends if
they need residential care.
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Champion day out
Help Nottingham launch its bid to win the Britain in
Bloom ‘Champion of Champions’ in the Old Market
Square on Thursday March 27 from 10am to 4pm.
Come rain or shine you can enjoy: a plant swap; a chance
to enter the Nottingham in Bloom Garden Competition 2008
– with free pots of bulbs for the first 50 entries; hanging
basket demonstrations; advice from our team of experts;
children’s craft activities; competitions and giveaways;
meet the Park Rangers; advice on composting and
recycling; information about renting an allotment; meet the
groups who support us – and get more involved yourself.
Nottingham has been invited to compete for the top
Britain in Bloom title after winning the ‘Best Large City’
category last year.
For more information call 915 2745
or visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/bloom

Central library on the telly

A Nottingham book club made it onto the telly
last month as it reviewed a book for the
Richard and Judy Show.
Members of the Central Library Book Club – which has
been running for eight years – were interviewed for their
opinions of ‘The Visible World’ by Mark Slouka, a tale about
a New Yorker discovering his Czech history. The
programme was screened on February 20 on Channel 4.
There are book clubs at libraries across the City including
general interest groups, a crime reading group, a book
chain for people using talking books and groups where
Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Gujarati are spoken. We are also
planning to start a group for Bengali speakers. If people
prefer to talk about books from the comfort of their own
home, there is also an online reading group.
To find out more about reading clubs
visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/libraries
City scores again
The city is to host the FA Women's Cup Final
at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground again this year.
Nottingham hosted the event for the first time last year and
What’s on?
attracted a record crowd – 25,000 spectators. Once again
the match will be the pinnacle of the Nottingham Festival of
Women's Football, a three day event from 3-5 May which
unites clubs, players and fans of the women's game:
Saturday 3 Girls' Football Challange in the Old Market
Square: enjoy football freestylers, bands and dancers.
Sunday 4 Nottinghamshire Girls' and Ladies' League Cup
Finals and the Victoria Trophy at Victoria Embankment
Sunday 5 FA Women's Cup Final at the City Ground
Tickets for the FA Women's Cup Final can be purchased
from the Nottingham Forest hotline 0871 226 1980.
For further information please call
our Sports Development Team on 915 2782.

Here’s just some of the highlights happening

in the City over the next couple of months:
Robin Hood up Close – LAST CHANCE TO SEE
Nottingham Castle until April 20
Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Yard Gallery, Wollaton Park until April 20
Fine Food Markets Old Market Square April 18/19
Newstead Abbey Re-opens April 1
Visit the picturesque ancestral home of the poet Lord Byron
High School Musical Royal Concert Hall April 14-19
A spectacular live production of Disney’s latest phenomenon
Torvill and Dean’s Dancing on Ice LIVE
Nottingham Arena April 18/19
St George’s Day Celebration
Nottingham Castle April 20, 11am-4pm
For information about what’s on visit:
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/whatson
or call 0844 477 5678. 15
A remodelled Hadden Park High School

Building Schoo s
for the Future – with Inspiredspaces
Proposals to build new 21st century secondary schools in Nottingham
under the £90 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF)
programme has reached a major milestone with the announcement
of Inspiredspaces as our proposed Private Sector Partner.

A new Big Wood School in Top Valley

A new special school, Centre of Excellence,
on the Harvey Hadden Campus
Inspiredspaces will be a partner with
Nottingham City Council in the Local
Education Partnership (LEP) which
will be formed in June 2008.
The LEP will build eight schools through
the BSF programme. The first three are:
• a new Big Wood School in Top Valley;
• the remodelling and refurbishment of
Hadden Park High School; and
• a new special school (Centre of
Excellence) on the Harvey Hadden
Campus in Bilborough to replace Aspley
Wood and Shepherd Special Schools.
Building work is on track to start in early
Summer 2008 with opening planned for
Autumn 2009. The other five schools are
due to be complete by 2010/11. It is also
proposed that the LEP will build three new
Academies in Bulwell, Bilborough and the
east of the city.
The BSF programme will also bring
other benefits to the neighbourhoods
in which the new schools are built:
• High standards of sustainable
development contributing to our
ambition to become a carbon-
neutral council by 2016 and a
carbon neutral city by 2100.
• A commitment to the Transforming
Nottingham’s Neighbourhoods by
encouraging communities
surrounding each of the schools to
use the new school facilities
including cafés, multi-use games
area and adult education facilities.
• An Information and Communi-
cations Technology (ICT) service
which will provide a virtual learning
environment that can be accessed
by the community and encourage
‘anytime, anywhere learning’.

What is BSF?
The BSF programme is a 10-15 year Government initiative aimed at improving every
aspect of teaching and learning, as well as providing integrated services to families
and pupils so they can take full advantage of the educational opportunities available.
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picture this
We’ve had a great response to our new
readers’ photos feature.
Here’s one from reader Claire Bristow, of the water feature in
the Square. Claire says: “This picture was taken in the Old
Market Square not long after it was finished. I think it shows
how much pleasure the people of Nottingham get from the
new square and what a success it has been. Every time I
walk through the square I feel proud to live in the city.”
Got a picture of Nottingham you’re proud of? Just send it
to the email/address on page 2 marked ‘Picture This’ with
a brief description of your picture and why it makes you
proud of the city.

To see all the pictures visit:

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/picturethis

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 Competition time
Win a pair of tickets to see The Blue Planet Live
at the Nottingham Arena on April 19.
This stunning concert, based on the award-winning BBC
documentary, includes footage projected onto one of the
largest screens ever used in the UK accompanied by
beautiful and atmospheric music by the magnificent full
scale orchestra, Manchester Camerata. For a chance to
win a pair of tickets answer the following question:
Which famous naturalist presented the
groundbreaking BBC documentary?
Send your answer by April 14 – marked Planet – along with
your name, address and daytime telephone number to the
Arrow address on page 3.
For more information on The Blue Planet
visit: www.nottingham-arena.com

Your Arrow
If you want the Arrow in an alternative
language, Braille, large print or on audio tape
phone customer services on 915 4950 or email
customer.services@nottinghamcity.gov.uk –
they will be happy to help. You can also get
the arrow emailed to you by subscribing at:
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/arrowbyemail

If you no longer wish to receive the Arrow through

the post let us know by phoning 915 4376, emailing
us at communications@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or
writing to us at the address on page 2.

Nottingham Arrow is printed on 50% recycled paper. The polywrap

used to deliver your Arrow is made of biodegradable plastic.
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Home ranger
Meet Steve Doughty, he’s your local Park Ranger.
Steve is working with ‘friends’ groups, community groups,
schools and individuals in St Ann’s and Sneinton to get
people using local parks, green spaces and community
gardens; caring about the environment and improving open
spaces to support wildlife. Steve has been working with
children from Blue Bell Hill on a number of educational
projects and will be working with Greenwood Junior School
during their Eco Week. He’s worked with volunteers on
pruning and clearing at King Edward’s Park and in the
pipeline are all sorts of events including bird and bat box
making events to improve wildlife habitats in parks and
organising environmental events like litter picks. Like all
City Park Rangers, Steve organises a number of events
that everyone can join in.
To find out about Park Ranger events
call 915 2733.

Come rain or shine

Even if summer gets rained-off again youngsters
in Sneinton will still be able to get out and play
sport without wading knee high in mud!
Thanks to the City Council, King Edward Park in Sneinton is
getting an up-to-the-minute, multi use all-weather games
pitch featuring five-a-side football, basketball and cricket.
The pitch is due to open in April.

Down in the woods today

St Ann’s and Dales Area Committee has given
£2,700 to the Friends of Colwick Woods to help
create a wheelchair accessible path.
The group runs a range of activities including fungi forays,
bat walks, guided walks and an annual gala in July, all of
which will now be accessible to wheelchair users.
The new path will be laid over the coming months.
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Talk To Your Kids

About Relationships
And Sex As a parent or carer there are many difficult conversations
you have to have with your son or daughter!
Research has shown that the earlier parents and carers talk with their children about relationships and sex, and the more
open and honest the parents and carers are, the more likely the young people are to delay their first sexual activity.
National charity Parentline Plus offers parents/carers support for talking to their kids via a website:
www.parentlineplus.org.uk, by email: parentsupport@parentlineplus.org.uk or freephone: 0808 800 2222.

Parentline Plus’ top tips include:

Introduce the subjects early and develop them as
your child grows
Ask your child what they think and already know
and give advice and answers they can understand
Talk about feelings and relationships, not just the
biology
Use everyday media such as storylines in TV
programmes, adverts and magazines as a way of
raising the issues - talking about other people can
often make it easier to start with
Let your child know what you think and believe
Let your child know about the importance of
considering the needs, feelings and wishes of
others in relationships
Ask your teenager what they think about waiting
to have sex with someone they care about and who
will share the responsibility for contraception and
safer sex
Find out when Sex and Relationships Education (SRE)
is being taught at school and ask your child what they
thought of the lessons as a way of opening up the
conversation
Talk when you are doing everyday things together
such as washing up, walking somewhere or setting the
table so that it becomes a part of everyday life
Talk to other parents and carers about how they
answer difficult questions and how they feel about
difficult issues