Tel: 01623 707017
February 2015
Council boost for growth Mansfield District Council has announced a £658,000 package aimed at boosting jobs creation and businesses growth, including a £100,000 boost for the town’s market. p See page 11.
Showtime for youngsters
Star meeting
Portland College students hit the back of the net when they got to watch a Premier League match in an executive box and meet World Cup winner Mesut Ozil. The students — Mitchell Gosling, Mathew Rayson, Sam Crowther and volunteer Neel Attwood — watched Ozil’s Arsenal play Newcastle United as part of the college’s hopes to team up with the Mesut Ozil Foundation for its new £2m inclusive sports academy project. The academy will be designed to enable disabled students to access top-class facilities for training, competition and education. The college also aims to engage with the community by linking with disability clubs, sports clubs and enabling the facilities to be hired outside of college hours. To get involved in fundraising for the academy, call 01623 499181.
AN institution in Mansfield is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month. Mansfield Rotary Club’s Junior Showtime has been a stepping stone into showbusiness for some performers and will be holding its heats and final in February. p See page 2.
What scared local MP?
FIND out what Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero rates as the most scariest thing she has done in our Quick Interview feature. Gloria also reveals what she can’t live without and what has been her proudest moment as a Member of Parliament. p See page 2.
Award for school
Abbey Hill Primary School’s parents, staff and children are celebrating gaining the national Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) award for the Kirkby school’s work with parents. The school said building good relationships with parents was crucial to helping children learn. As part of the award, parents were asked what they wanted from the school and a series of events was put together. This included events for children and parents to learn and have fun together as (Continued on page 8)
Health team Building an interest in construction In memory of Thomas best in world
THE Stroke Unit at King’s Mill Hospital has been hailed as delivering the fastest lifesaving treatment in the world, 27 minutes opposed to one hour nationally. Dr Martin Cooper said: “This is great news for patients and their families.” p See page 15.
A 13-year-old Mansfield schoolboy, who died after a bone marrow transplant, has inspired fundraisers to collect almost £2,500 for the charity that helped him in the last 18 months of his life. Thomas Burton was a student at the Samworth Church Academy. p See page 18.
COMMUNITY choir Our Voice, for people with disabilities and impairments, is to be set up by Mansfield-based charity Disability Nottinghamshire, thanks to a grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery. p See page 4.
A GROUP of 11 women from Mansfield, Illinois, USA, have been on a mercy mission to an orphanage in Haiti. A third trip is planned this summer by the women, who were inspired by the She Said Project. p See page 17.
New project in har-money Top praise for school
Schools minister David Laws has praised Ashfield School as outstanding on a visit to see how his brainchild, Pupil Premium, is working. p See page 8.
Mercy trip to Haiti
Schoolchildren visited a construction site to see the work that regeneration specialist Keepmoat is carrying out for Mansfield District Council. Year six pupils from Wynndale Primary School made the short trip to the site, on Brownlow Road, to find out more about life on a building site. The children donned mini high-visibility vests and hard hats for a tour around the perimeter of the site, before taking part in a question-and-answer session with Keepmoat project manager Gerry Doherty.
Mr Doherty said: “By encouraging local children to visit our sites, to find out what it’s like to work on a building site and to ask any questions they might have about the work taking place, we can help to inspire the students to become the next generation of construction professionals.” Keepmoat is working at Brownlow Road to build a 64-home Extra Care development. The £8.4m scheme, a mixture of bungalows, houses and apartments, will enable people over 55, who may have additional care needs, to live as independently as possible with care staff on site.
Cleaning up around globe
THE countdown is under way to International Clean-up Mansfield Day, which has been backed in recent years by several Mansfields around the globe. p See page 11.