Here is the latest traffic and travel report for Monday 2nd February.
There are currently no reports of any major delays across Nottinghamshire, but that may change as the morning goes on.
Motorists are still being reminded to be wary of icy roads following severe cold weather last week.
East Midlands Trains are also not reporting any delays on services.
Keep checking back for updates.
Ice and snow will hit Nottinghamshire again this week, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters have issued a Yellow Snow Warning for Wednesday 4th February - causing disruptions to services and putting vulnerable people at risk.
A Met Office spokesman said: “Overnight frosts will give icy stretches on untreated surfaces, with the possibility of widespread ice.”
Mobile speed camera units will be visiting the following locations during the week commencing Monday 9th February 2015:
A18 Carr House Road, Doncaster
A57 Worksop Road, South Anston
A6023 Doncaster Road, Mexborough
A6023 Low Road, Conisbrough
A61 Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, Sheffield
A61 Halifax Road, Grenoside, Sheffield
A61 Meadowhead, Sheffield
A61 Park Road, Worsbrough
A6101 Rivelin Valley Road, Sheffield
A6123 Herringthorpe Valley Road, Herringthorpe
A6135 Chapeltown Road, Sheffield
A614 Selby Road, Thorne
A621 Baslow Road, Totley, Sheffield
A628 Barnsley Road, Cudworth
A628 Barnsley Road, Silkstone
A628 Pontefract Road, Lundwood
A629 Burncross Road, Chapeltown, Sheffield
A629 Halifax Road, Wortley
A629 Upper Wortley Road, Thorpe Hesley
A630 Doncaster Road, Conisbrough
A630 Doncaster Road, Thrybergh
A630 Sheffield Road, Warmsworth
A630 Warmsworth Road, Balby
A630 Wheatley Hall Road, Doncaster
A631 Bawtry Road, Brecks
A631 Bawtry Road, Brinsworth
A631 Bawtry Road, Hellaby
A631 Bawtry Road, Wickersley
A631 Rotherham Road, Maltby
A633 Rotherham Road, Barnsley
A633 Wakefield Road, Barnsley
A633 Warren Vale Road, Swinton
A635 Doncaster Road, Ardsley
A638 Bawtry Road, Doncaster
A638 Great North Road, Doncaster
A638 York Road, Doncaster
B6059 Wales Road, Kiveton Park
B6082 Carlisle Street East, Sheffield
B6200 Handsworth Road, Sheffield
B6200 Retford Road, Sheffield
B6411 Houghton Road,Thurnscoe
Church Road, Stainforth
Doncaster Road, Wath
Fenton Road, Greasbrough
Hatfield Lane, Armthorpe
Melton Road, Sprotbrough
Middle Lane South, Rotherham
Mosborough Moor, Sheffield
Normanton Hill, Sheffield
Nutwell Lane, Armthorpe
Old Road, Conisbrough
Pogmoor Road, Barnsley
Pontefract Road, Brampton
Shirecliffe Road, Shirecliffe, Sheffield
Springwell Lane, Doncaster
Station Road, Stainforth
Thorne Road, Doncaster
Twentywell Lane, Sheffield
Vale Road, Thrybergh
Wheel Lane, Sheffield
Worksop Road, Aston
Heavy snowfall caused chaos across the region last week - but that didn’t stop Worksop Guardian readers from sending us their snaps.
We were inundated with pictures on social media and so we decided to publish them in a slideshow.
More snow could fall this week so don’t forget to keep sending them in!
Click to watch the Guardian’s slideshow.
A collection of memorabilia from the golden days of Britain’s railways is set to steam into Doncaster this week.
A haul of artefacts stretching back through the decades and which has remained hidden from public view for years will finally be put in the spotlight with a week long exhibition at the town’s Mansion House.
The Doncaster Grammar School collection was started in the 1930s when pupils and teachers at the school – now Hall Cross Academy – set up a railway society.
Over the years, members collected signs, nameplates, lamps, signal posts and thousands of other items of railwayana, building up an archive of items from the golden age of steam.
Now they are to see the light of day after decades in storage – and there are hopes the collection could be put on permanent view if a suitable base is found in Doncaster town centre.
Dave Rogerson, who is helping to put on the exhibition as part of Doncaster Rail Week, said: “It is an amazing collection, but has been hidden away for too long. It is now time it was brought into the public arena.
“It is only in the last few years people have started to become aware of it. It has been well-known among railway circles, but it is time it was brought to a much wider audience.”
The collection has its beginnings in 1937, when members received a signed photo of famed railway engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, the man responsible for the world famous Doncaster-built Mallard steam locomotive.
Over the following decades, they amassed a collection of rare and precious items, including the original nameplates of the Gresley-designed Cock O’ The North steam locomotive, a huge collection of miscellaneous items and the nameplates of other engines including Doncaster and Hush Hush.
A selection of some of the best items will be made open to the public for the first time from Thursday until Thursday, February 12.
The collection came to a wider attention a few years ago, when it featured on popular TV programme Michael Portillo’s Great Railway Journeys, but it has never been displayed to the public.
Mr Rogerson said: “It is a collection of national importance. We are hoping many people will come out to see the items at the Mansion House.”
If the display proves a success, there are hopes the entire collection could go on display permanently within the Mansion House, alongside the town’s Tourist Information office.
Mr Rogerson said: “Where it is kept now is not really accessible to the public.
“Only a few people have had a glimpse, so hopefully this will make people aware of what is within the archive.”
The exhibition will be open between 11am and 4pm each day. Entry is free.
Other events during Doncaster Rail Week include a fundraising dinner for the Cock O’ The North, the Doncaster locomotive a group of local enthusiasts are attempting to rebuild. Tickets, priced £47.50, are now on sale for Friday’s dinner, which takes place at the Mansion House.
The Mansion House will also hold the Doncaster Railway Convention, a series of talks on the Cock O’ The North project, on Saturday, February 7, from 11am to 4pm, while the Festival of British Railway Modelling will take place at Doncaster Exhibition Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
Councillors are likely to recommend a 39p per week increase on the average council tax bill in Nottinghamshire in a bid to stave off further cuts to vital services.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Finance and Property Committee will meet on 9th February to consider the response to its ‘Doing things differently’ budget consultation, the Government’s Autumn Statement and Local Government Settlement and their impact on the Council’s overall financial position.
It’s recommended that councillors propose a 1.99 per cent increase in council tax - the amount supported by the majority of residents who responded to the consultation and the maximum allowed without triggering a costly countywide referendum.
The 39p per week increase on the average bill in Nottinghamshire would raise £16.5m over the next three years. This would fund the equivalent cost of keeping the county’s 95,000 streetlights and traffic signals switched on until 2018, or; providing care for nearly 20,000 vulnerable children, or; providing care and support for 36,500 adults with learning difficulties.
An increase in council tax would put Nottinghamshire County Council in line with most county council authorities, all faced with the same challenge of meeting the additional costs of caring for an increasing older population whilst dealing with huge cuts in Government funding.
In a survey carried out by the Local Government Chronicle, three-quarters of county councils indicated that they would be likely to increase council tax this year by up to 2 per cent.
Coun David Kirkham, chairman of finance and property committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Freezing council tax would mean deeper cuts to vital services, especially those to the most vulnerable in our communities.
“The grant the council receives from the Government is being cut by £33m next year, with further reductions projected in 2016/17 and 2017/18. By 2018 the council will have had its Government grant slashed by £92m in four years - a cut of 64 per cent.
“We are faced with the perfect storm of substantial cuts to Government grants at a time of increasing demand for services and significant new duties under the Care Act.
“So, in common with most councils, the only way we can protect many of our services is to ask local people to contribute a little extra. An increase would also build extra income into the base budget for future years, where as the Government’s freeze grant - of just over half the amount - is not guaranteed to be there in years to come.”
The council syas it has no option but to cut £77m from its annual budget by 2017/18 if it is to balance its books.
A range of creative new ways of delivering services are being proposed as part of £30m in savings being considered, alongside the increase in council tax.
Changes could see services such as libraries and highways being provided through arms-length, not for profit organisations in the future and significant investment in new ways of enabling older people and people with disabilities to live independently in their own home for longer.
However, the scale of the financial challenge faced by the council means that reductions in some services are also inevitable.
The final budget proposals, including any proposed increase in tax and changes to the initial plans following the consultation will be decided by full council on 26th February.
Almost 1,000 complaints were recorded against Notts police in 2013-2014, according to figures from the Independent Police Complaints Commision.
A total of 960 complaints were made - an increase of 67 per cent from the previous year - when 576 were recorded.
The percentage rise was the third biggest out of all forces, with only Northumbria Police and City of London Police recording bigger rises.
Across England and Wales, there were 34,863 cases involving complaints - a 15 per cent increase on 2012-2013 - the highest since the IPCC was established in 2004.
The new document states: “These complaints are made by members of the public about the conduct of those serving with the police or about the direction and control of the police and are dealt with under the Police Reform Act 2002.”
There were 1.592 allegations made against Notts Police in 2013-2014, compared to 1.033 the year before, a rise of 54 per cent.
More than one allegation can be included in a complaint case and the police watchdog said some of the increase was due to the broadening of the definition of a complaint.
Police forces are expected to record complaints within 10 working days and Notts Police recorded 97 per cent of complains within that time period. This is compared to 94 per cent the previous year and 88 per cent in 2011-2012.
The highest number of complaints against forces across England and Wales were regarding neglect or failure in duty, followed by complaints about police being rude or intolerant.
Head of Professional Standards for Nottinghamshire Police, Detective Superintendent Jackie Alexander, said: “The IPCC report reflects the recent changes to the way many lower-level complaints are now required to be recorded by police forces up and down the country.”
“The increase in the number of complaints demonstrates the proactive work we have been doing to make the complaints process more accessible and we actively encourage people to let us know when they think we’ve got something wrong, as part of our commitment to being the best we can be for local people.”
“We are confident in the way we record and investigate complaints and have already been successful in improving the timeliness of our investigations, which we will continue to do while maintaining our focus on the transparency and quality of our investigations.”
Visit www.ipcc.gov.uk.
South Yorks teenager Tabitha Howe honoured her friend’s memory by ‘walking down the aisle’ in a wedding dress chosen from a Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice’s charity shop .
16-year-old Tabitha, a pupil at St Bernard’s Catholic High School in Rotherham, took part in a mock wedding ceremony at her school on Thursday 29th January.
She was nominated as ‘the bride’ by her classmates and then chose to make a donation to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, in South Anston, in order to borrow a wedding dress from the Rotherham shop’s vast collection of beautiful dresses.
Tabitha’s school friend Natalie Maw passed away at Bluebell Wood two years ago and so Tabitha chose to support the charity through the school event.
Tabitha’s mum, Natalie Howe, said: “It is amazing to be able to help Bluebell Wood in this way.”
“I’d heard about the Rotherham shop’s huge collection of prom dresses and wedding dresses, so it just felt right to be able to give something back in order to use a wedding dress.”
“The school always goes through a marriage ceremony with the pupils, each child has a role.”
“She looked fabulous and I’d like to thank Bluebell Wood’s shops for this opportunity.”
Mel Butterley, assistant shop manager at Bluebell Wood’s Rotherham shop, said: “We really pride ourselves on the range and quality of prom and wedding dresses we have here; we have some amazing donations of items, which all help to raise vital funds for our hospice.
“This event sounded like something a bit different and we’re pleased to be able to help in memory of Natalie.”
“The children we care for at Bluebell Wood are given the very best specialist care and our hospice is filled with love and laughter.”
“We are really well supported by our community and I am pleased that Tabitha enjoyed wearing the dress.”
Bluebell Wood has nine charity shops across the region and is planning to open a tenth this spring.
It takes over £3m to keep the hospice running.
Council bosses look set to pull the plug on swimming in Creswell - after a survey found public support for their plans to enhance facilities in Clowne.
Bolsover Council undertook a district-wide survey from 13th October until 8th November 2014 and figures revealed that 78.6 per cent of people either strongly agreed or agreed with the proposal to improve the facilities on offer at Clowne Sports Centre and cease the current pool operations at Creswell Leisure Centre.
The new facilities at Clowne Sports Centre would include a swimming pool with a smaller teaching pool, an enhanced fitness suite, food and drink options and a children’s soft play zone.
Bolsover Council’s cabinet member for social inclusion, coun Ann Syrett, said: “We asked for people’s opinions and the feedback and results we have received show that they agree with our proposal. We will now forge ahead with plans, based on the consultation, to improve the facilities and activities on offer at Clowne.”
The council say 3,795 households responded to the survey, a response rate of 10.8 per cent, with 35,100 questionnaires distributed.
Creswell Leisure Centre, which was built 90 years ago, has no room for expansion and needs significant investment, thought to be in excess of £300,000 over the next five years, just to maintain its current operations.
It is understood the leisure facility will continue to operate as normal until a decision is made on its future which could include operating it without a swimming pool or another organisation or body taking over the management and operation of the facility.
Coun Syrett added, “The reason behind this decision is that, in its current format, Creswell Leisure Centre is subsidised to the tune of £160,000 a year and with no room for expansion or increased income, then this figure is only likely to increase over time, meaning we would have to increase the Council Tax.”
“But with a new improved facility at Clowne, which has the land to expand its range of activities, we believe that we can make over £4m in savings over 22-years and create a facility that actually makes a profit.”
“We have, and continue to face huge cuts to our government grants, so we have to look at every service we provide to see where we can save money. We have to make decisions on what is best for the District as a whole and best for people living in the district.”
“Unfortunately we cannot continue to subsidise a leisure centre that has no means of attracting further income, that’s why we believe that an improved leisure centre at Clowne, that offers better facilities and more choice for users, is best for the District and will help to improve people’s choice and health.”
The full report on the consultation undertaken can be viewed at www.askderbyshire.gov.uk/.
Police have arrested nine people in connection with a rise in burglaries and thefts of bikes in the Creswell area.
Officers in Bolsover recently launched Operation Rainfall to target offenders following the spate of crimes.
Over recent weeks, police have arrested nine people in connection with recent incidents, leading to the charge of one suspect, as a result of investigations and cross border operations alongside Nottinghamshire Police.
Sometime between 9am on Sunday 1st November and 1pm on Sunday 9th, thieves broke into a garage on Linden Road in Creswell and stole a Rally Jago bike. Officers later received reports of an alleged male offender who was believed to be handling the stolen bike.
Adam Sutton, 25, of no fixed abode, was charged in connection with handling stolen goods and was set to appear at North East Derbyshire and Dales Magistrates’ Court on Monday 19th January.
Sergeant Mathew Winterbottom, who is leading the operation in Bolsover, said: “Our intention is to continue to carry out increased patrols and actively seek out criminals that are affecting the quality of life for local residents.”
“Following our investigations, we are aware of the suspects and will continue to identity others and deal with them effectively.”
“We do act on the intelligence provided by local residents so I would ask people to contact us with any information that they may have, no matter how insignificant they may feel that it is, as it could help us to bring those responsible to justice.”
Overnight between 10.30pm on Saturday 10th January and 8am on Sunday 11th January, offenders forced entry into a detached garage at a property on Skinner Street in Creswell. A Kawasaki ZX900 motorbike and tools were stolen from within.
Three youths, ages 17, 18 and 19-year-old were arrested by officers on suspicion of burglary and were later bailed pending further police enquiries.
Three men, aged 18, 35 and 38, were arrested on suspicion of burglary following a break-in at a disused building on Colliery Road in Creswell.
A 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft after he was stopped by officers last December and was believed to be riding a stolen bike.
Two men, aged 25 and 35, were arrested on suspicion of theft by Nottinghamshire Police in connection with recent thefts in Creswell.
To report suspicious activity in your community, call police on 101, the non-emergency number for Derbyshire police. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Nottinghamshire County Council would like views on new plans for how the Council commissions the NHS Health Check service across the county from April 2016, to widen the offering to target more people from harder to reach communities.
An NHS Health Check is a short risk assessment with a health professional that identifies people at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease or certain types of dementia, and helps them take action to avoid, reduce or manage their risk of developing a serious condition.
You can have your say by completing a short survey on the consultations section of the County Council website, or by returning a paper copy available in any County Council library.
People aged 40-74 are eligible to be offered an NHS Health Check every five years provided they do not have a previously diagnosed cardiovascular condition or are already in treatment for certain risk factors like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
The County Council is planning to continue to offer the mandatory NHS Health Check service through all GPs in the County, but also to provide additional services in workplaces and community venues to target sections of our community that statistically are at higher risk of developing potentially life threatening conditions, but who are also less likely to engage with GP practices.
Councillor Joyce Bosnjak, chair of the County Council’s Public Health committee said:“NHS Health Checks are based on the notion that prevention is better than cure, they help people pick up on things that could become an issue in the coming years, and helps them change their behaviour to avoid them from developing.
“We’re looking at new ways of engaging with more people that might be at higher risk of some of the conditions an NHS Health Check can flag up, and would welcome as many views as possible.”
Motorists and pedestrians in Nottinghamshire are still risking their lives and those of other road and rail users by routinely ignoring basic safety at level crossings.
That’s the message from British Transport Police (BTP) officers who are carrying out additional high-visibility patrols at crossings in a week of action.
BTP’s fleet of Mobile Safety Vehicles will be stationed at crossings across the county during the week. The vans utilise the latest in Automatic Number Plate Recognition, to monitor crossings more closely.
‘Operation Look’ will see BTP joined by Network Rail colleagues in an awareness campaign backed by the AA and the RAC. BTP have released a number of clips of incidents at level crossings to coincide with the week of action.
Between 1 April, 2014 and 1 January, 2015, 400 motorists were charged or summonsed for crossing misuse, a further 357 received fixed penalty notices, 16 were cautioned and 568 were sent on driver awareness courses.
In the same period, BTP officers dealt with drivers aged between 17 and 90 for crossing misuse.
Inspector Pete Kooper said: “All too often people get into the habit of taking risks at crossings. Our message is simple – use crossings safely.
“It may be tempting to jump a light to shave a minute or two off your journey, but every time you do, you endanger your life and the lives of other road and rail users.
“Fail to obey the signals and you may also end up with a driving ban or a criminal record. Is it really worth the risk?”
BTP’s fleet of Mobile Safety Vehicles will be stationed at crossings across the country during the week. The vans utilise the latest in Automatic Number Plate Recognition, allowing us to monitor crossings more closely than ever before.
Darren Furness, head of level crossings for Network Rail said: “Level crossings create a risk for people that we want to remove. Where possible we close them, and we have already closed more than 900 in the past five years.
“Those we cannot close we aim to make safer and awareness events like these mean we can meet and talk to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians about the dangers and how to stay safe.“We know waiting at crossings can sometimes be frustrating but it is really important that people do not get complacent or ignore warnings lights as this can put lives at risk.”
Network Rail’s Level Crossing Champion Tina Hughes said: “Having lost my 14-year-old daughter, Olivia, with her friend on a level crossing in 2005, I am delighted to see this nationwide week of action.”
“It brings BTP and Network Rail together to emphasise the importance of education and enforcement to help and encourage people to behave safely at level crossings.”
Edmund King, AA President, said: “There is absolutely no reason why a driver should ignore a level crossing signal; to do so is to gamble with their own lives and the lives of others.”
Police commissioner Paddy Tipping has come under fire for withdrawing constable roles within the force as a freeze on recruitment is put in place.
A group of internal workers on Nottinghamshire Police, who had been offered jobs as officers on, had the bombshell dropped after being summoned to a recent meeting.
The police recently announced that recruitment would be ‘put on hold’ for a year to help balance the budget.
But one unhappy worker, who contacted Chad but did not want to be named, hit out at the move.
He said: “The fact remains that most members of this group would in fact have to take a pay cut for the first couple of years as police constable as most had established roles with Nottinghamshire Police.
“So the excuse that further cuts were needed doesn’t appear to add up.
“Would the public prefer to have more cops who are able to arrest criminals for less money or continue to pay the rates they do for civilian staff?
“With that said would it not make sense to review the current roles of police and crime commissioners as their role already takes a large chunk of public money when this role could easily be fulfilled by the mayor of Nottingham or chief constable who actually understand the demands of his or her force?”
Mr Tipping has said the move was taken because the Government funding for the force had been slashed by £5.6m for the forthcoming financial year, which he says is equal to around £10m with inflation taken into account.
As well as a recruitment freeze, the police part of the council tax precept is set to rise by just under two per cent.
Mr Tipping said: “I understand that this is a big disappointment for those members of staff expecting to become warranted police officers.
“ The decision wasn’t taken lightly and is indicative of the very tough financial situation we are facing. We were informed that we need to save around £12m, on top of the £42m already achieved, which is a worse position than originally intimated.
“I’m continuing to cut the budget for my own office, which has seen us move to our offices in order to reduce our rent.”
On February 8th South Yorkshire based business owners Dan Cluderay and Andy Needham will face a panel of top entrepreneurs on BBC’s Dragons Den looking for investment in their company, Approved Food.
A former market trader, Approved Food’s founder Dan Cluderay abd Director Andy Needham will pitch for funds with a view to growth and expansion on the show, which will air at 9pm on BBC1.
An East Ferry resident will once again be opening up her home to be used as a polling station for this year’s election.
Andrea Pettit has volunteered for her conservatory to be used as a polling station, which will be one of 104 polling stations available across West Lindsey for May’s UK parliamentary, district, town and parish elections.
Andrea said: “We’ve opened up our conservatory for about five years, since the local pub closed.”
“We haven’t got a village hall in East Ferry so when the chance came up to host a polling station we took it on.”
“I am chair of the parish council and my husband Mark is the clerk so it seemed natural to help out.”
“It’s a great opportunity for the community to get together with more than 50 people casting their votes here at the last general election.”
“I try to remind people when it’s time to vote. We put something on Facebook and put our signs out in the street to make sure people know where we are.”
Other polling stations in the district include village halls and pubs but to be eligible you must be officially registered.
The quickest and easiest way to register is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or by contacting West Lindsey District Council elections office by the deadline of Monday 20th April.
Registered people can also apply for a postal by requesting an application form from the elections office or downloading one from the council’s website at www.west-lindsey.gov.uk.
Completed forms need to be returned by Tuesday 21st April.
West Stockwith’s first defibrillator outside the village hall was unveiled last month with a training session for local people.
Seventeen people were trained to use the defibrillator after the official launch and more than 100 people in the local villages have now been trained in the last eight months.
Five Villages First Responders is planning a further training session which will be open to residents of any of the local villages with a defibrillator.
It will be an evening session to accommodate those not available in the daytime. The date, time, and location are to be confirmed and will be publicised shortly.
Pictured at the launch of the life-saving initiative in West Stockwith are representatives of the organisations that helped to fund it; From left: Peter Ray (West Stockwith Parish Council), June Ray (West Stockwith Players), Michael Bird (Village Hall Committee), Colin Gibson and Martyn Johnson (Five Villages First Responders), Hazel Brand (Bassetlaw Council), and Jonathan Richardson (Village Hall Committee).
Businesses in Lincolnshire are invited to a special tourism conference to identify how they can boost visitor figures through the use of new technology.
The Transforming Tourism Conference will demonstrate ways local businesses can harness digital marketing skills and explore how social media can impact on attracting tourism.
The conference will take place on Wednesday 11th February at The Epic Centre at Lincolnshire Showground at 9.30am.
The conference is being run by West Lindsey District Council in association with Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council, Lincoln BIG, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, Natwest Bank, North Kesteven District Council and Visit Lincoln.
Tickets are £20 plus VAT.
To book email emily.foreman@lincs-chamber.co.uk or call 01522 523333.
The growing agri-food business in Lincolnshire is part of an £18b national economy, so a new council-led training programme is making sure that West Lindsey businesses have the relevant skills in place needed to meet demand in the future.
As part of the Agri-food Skills and Manufacturing Development programme West Lindsey District Council is working with a range of local and regional training providers to address training needs in areas that have been identified by local rural businesses as key to their growth and performance.
The council’s Growth Team is working with Kingsway Consulting Ltd (part of North Lindsey College) to deliver a programme of training workshops in Leadership and Management, accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).
Chair of the Prosperous Communities Committee, Coun Owen Bierley, said: “This is a real chance for those in this highly competitive and growing sector to pick up skills that will put them lengths ahead of the rest of the industry.”
“Gaining the necessary skills alongside the challenge of day-to-day business can be hard, so we encourage businesses to engage with this time-effective and interesting programme to gain that vital extra knowledge.”
“West Lindsey has many impressive Agri-food companies already, but those that want to excel will want to take part in this training in order to help realise their full potential.”
The programme will consist of five, day-long sessions run over February, March and April. It will cover topics as diverse as Leadership, Communication, Change Management, Skills Development and Succession Planning.
This programme is accredited by units from the ILM and involves classroom delivery, coursework and assignments. It all takes place at The White Heather, Caenby Corner and costs £395 plus VAT per person including qualification fees.
To find out more call Sarah Franklin on 01724 294040 or email kcinfo@northlindsey.ac.uk.
Her Majesty The Queen has appointed Toby Dennis as the next Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire as Tony Worth CVO is due to retire on 23rd February.
Toby Dennis, 60, has run a range of family businesses in Lincolnshire, including farming and land management, for the last 40 years.
He is Honorary Colonel of The Lincolnshire Army Cadet Force, a member of Lincoln Cathedral Fabric Fund Committee, a patron of the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network and a former member of the committee of the Lincolnshire Branch of Country Land and Business Association. He served as High Sheriff of the County in 2013-14.
An “intelligent” young man who threw away the advantage of an excellent background by importing drugs in the post from Pakistan was jailed for three years at Lincoln Crown Court.
James Ford, 24, was caught red handed after customs officials intercepted a parcel addressed to his home near Lincoln from the Pakistani city of Lahore.
When the parcel was opened and analysed by police experts it was found to contain just over 400 grams of ketamine with a street value of between £3,000 and £8,000.
Andrew Scott, prosecuting, said police arranged for the parcel to be redelivered to Ford’s home in Fen Road, Heighington, and then executed a search warrant at the property.
When officers arrived Ford admitted that he also had quantity of cocaine in an upstairs bedroom. The package was analysed and found to contain 58.64 grams of cocaine with a potential street value of £2,250. The parcel of ketamine was also recovered during the raid.
Gordon Aspden, mitigating, told the court Ford came from an “excellent background” with his father being a retired geography teacher and his mother an accountant.
“He attended the Priory School in Lincoln where he left with 12 GCSE’s between grades A and C. He then chose to go the vocational route and worked for an electrical engineering company in Market Rasen,” Mr Aspden said.
The court heard Ford became involved with drugs at the age of 18 while taking a college course in Lincoln. “It was a monumental error of judgement,” Mr Aspden added.
Mr Aspden told the court since the raid in October 2012, Ford had moved to the Newark area and stayed out of trouble.
Mr Aspen added: “He now lives in a one bedroom flat in Balderton.”
“He has been working five days a week without holidays in a variety of jobs including as a chef at a pub in the village of Fiskerton just outside Newark.”
Ford, now 24, pleaded guilty to importing ketamine and possessing cocaine with intent to supply during September and October, 2012.
Passing sentence Judge Sean Rafferty QC told him: “You come from an excellent background.”
“You had every advantage in life. You decided to throw that away and nobody else.”