. September 2019 - Page 4 of 4 - Wilcop Media

September 2019

Lancashire News, Lancs Sport

The EFL Board met on Tuesday 27th August and, after a long and detailed discussion, determined that Bury FC’s membership of the English Football League be withdrawn after the deadline passed at 5pm without a successful resolution. Despite repeated requests to its owner Mr Dale over a sustained period of time, the necessary evidence in respect of how the Club would meet its financial commitments, has simply not been provided and, as a result, attentions turned to securing new ownership at the Club.

At its meeting on 24 August 2019, the Board agreed a short extension to 5pm Tuesday 27 August to enable Mr Dale and the Club to explore the possibility of a proposed sale with C&N Sporting Risk Limited, with Mr Dale having accepted their offer. Following due diligence, C&N Sporting Risk Limited opted not to pursue its interest. Therefore, having fully considered all available options, including a number of late expressions of interest provided to the EFL, the EFL Board has unanimously determined with enormous regret that Bury’s membership be withdrawn.

The EFL Board had maintained that there could be no further suspensions to the fixture list and that these ongoing concerns and the integrity of the competition were a significant factor in the decision. Recent events have highlighted how decisions taken at Bury FC over the last few seasons have caused the Club and individuals close to it significant financial distress and there are a number of matters which, in our view, will require further investigation.

League One will now comprise of 23 Clubs for the remainder of the campaign and relegation places in the division reduced to three, which will result in a full complement of 24 Clubs in 2020/21. A discussion will take place with EFL Clubs on the consequential impact in League Two when Clubs next meet in September 2019.

Debbie Jevans CBE, EFL Executive Chair, said: “Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the League’s recent history. The EFL has worked determinedly and tirelessly to avoid this outcome and it is with a heavy heart that this situation has been forced upon us.

“The EFL has to place the integrity of our competitions at the heart of every decision we make, and we simply cannot allow this unacceptable situation to continue or countenance the prospect of postponing further fixtures.
“I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury’s players, staff, supporters and the wider community.

There is no doubt today’s news will be felt across the entire football family.
“No one wanted to be in this position but following repeated missed deadlines, the suspension of five League fixtures, in addition to not receiving the evidence we required in regard to financial commitments and a possible takeover not materialising; the EFL Board has been forced to take the most difficult of decisions.”

Lancashire News, Lancs Sport

Following the news that the Bolton Wanderers takeover has been completed, the EFL has released the following statement.
Debbie Jevans CBE, Executive Chair, said:

“On behalf of the EFL Board, I am pleased that the administrators appointed in respect of Bolton Wanderers Football Club have today concluded the transfer of assets with Football Ventures to place the Club under new ownership and out of administration.

“Having worked closely with the administrators since their appointment in May, the EFL has been focused on working through this difficult and complex period of uncertainty with all parties. “Following the completion of the sale, the Club is no longer in administration and the notice of withdrawal issued as per the EFL’s insolvency policy has been cancelled.
“These past few months have undoubtedly been challenging and, at times fraught – never more so in the past few days – and I would like to thank all parties for their efforts in achieving the desired outcome.

“I would also like to place on record my grateful appreciation and thanks to the players, former and present management, staff and supporters for their patience and understanding in allowing us to get to this point. “Everyone at the EFL is now looking forward to working with the new ownership during the 2019/20 campaign and beyond.”

Lancashire News

Burnley Council has bought two electric bikes for its parks staff to use as part of its commitment to help protect the environment. The e-bikes will be used to allow staff to travel from site to site as well as being able to access the local parks to carry out their general duties. Councillor Ivor Emo, the council’s executive member housing and leisure, said: “The electric bikes are an ideal way for staff to get about. They’re quiet, so they don’t spoil the peace and tranquility of the parks; they’re practical because they can get to areas bigger vehicles can access; and they help cut down on pollution and help promote a healthier, more environmentally-friendly approach.

“The council is committed to cutting its carbon footprint and these e-bikes make a contribution towards that; they’re definitely the way ahead. “The electric motors make life easier for staff and means they can get around faster and cover a much larger area than if they were on foot. It also means they can easily stop and interact with other park users.” The e-bikes were purchased from local company OnYerBike.

The bikes were officially handed over at Thompson Park which hosts regular cycling events in and around the park organised by Burnley Leisure.

Lancashire News

A group of young people who are taking part in the Youth Ambassador programme have begun to plan their next steps – planning two community events that will support young people at risk of getting involved in crime.
The young people, aged 12 to 16 years, started to shape their plans for the event during a three night residential at Kentmere Residential Centre.
11 young people spent three days away from home, developing their skills in teamwork, communication, decision making and problem solving. They also got the chance to try outdoor activities such as kayaking and orienteering – for the first time for some.

Cole who is taking part in the project said:
The project has helped me build confidence in talking to new people and have a better understanding of other cultures. The residential was great fun and we can’t wait to deliver our social action plan.

Since June the youngsters have been meeting weekly, taking part in Youth Ambassador sessions at Blackburn Youth Zone. Part of the Our Community, Our Future social integration programme, these sessions have brought young people from different parts of the borough together to explore topics around identity and culture and to develop new skills.

Dean Edwards from Blackburn Youth Zone commented:
The residential gave these young people a fantastic opportunity to develop their independence. They were brilliant at supporting one another and did a great job of developing their own rota for roles and responsibilities for the trip and really bonded as a team. It was really encouraging to see them work together on their idea for a social action project – they’ve got bags of enthusiasm! We’ll support them to develop their plan over the next few weeks, involving those Youth Ambassadors who weren’t able to attend the residential too. More young people in the borough have the chance to get involved in the Youth Ambassadors programme – the next two groups start on Thursday 26 September at Blackburn Youth Zone and Saturday 5 October at Blackburn Rovers Community Trust. Open to all 12 to 16 year olds in Blackburn with Darwen, the Youth Ambassador programme aims to provide young people with the opportunity and skills to make a difference in their community by working with others on local projects. To find out more about Youth Ambassadors, email enquiries@blackburnyz.org or call 01254 292000.

Youth Ambassadors is delivered by a broad range of partners from across the borough bringing together a range of skills, knowledge and expertise: Blackburn Youth Zone, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, BwD Young People’s Services, Healthy Living, IMO, One Voice Blackburn and Child Action North West.

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

Nottingham Forest produced a solid start to the new season under Sabri Lamouchi, prompting a lot of love for the Frenchman from the club’s supporters. When the head coach was officially unveiled, just 19 minutes after the departure of Martin O’Neill, many fans, including myself, uttered the words “who’s he?”

Social media endured its usual meltdown as the ITK’s (In the know) frantically scrambled to google the relatively unknown 47-year-old. His playing career was impressive to say the least, having starred for the likes of Monaco, Inter Milan, Marseille and Parma. However, regarding the coaching side of things, Lamouchi has limited experience.

Since landing the Forest job in late June he’s had a baptism of fire as far as fixtures are concerned. The likes of West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and Leeds United are all well fancied to feature within the Championship’s top six come season’s end. Not only that, the enormity of the squad was enough to boggle the mind of a veteran, never mind a guy that’s only been around for eight weeks.

But Sabri Lamouchi has wasted no time in enforcing his system of choice and his players of preference to facilitate it going forward. His decision play with a solitary holding midfielder as opposed to a pairing, favoured by previous managers at the club, is already paying dividends further up the field of play.

The fact that Forest have scored eight league goals in five matches would suggest that Sabri is not content to negate and stifle the opposition in the pursuit of safety. Fear not, before I get carried away and announce imminent promotion to the Premier League, it’s a good time to remind one’s self that Stuart Pearce had the Reds top of the Championship approaching October of 2014. In my opinion, it’s better to be in the hunt and have something to aim for at such an early juncture in the season. When you’re at the top there’s only one way to go!

Luck has played a part in the achievement of the impressive results thus far it must be said, even the most biased Forest fan will admit that we could and should have been three goals down before snatching a point at Leeds. And Charlton too, at times it looked like a training exercise of defence versus attack. But, to Lamouchi’s credit he addressed the situation in both of those matches by utilising his subs bench and tweaking the formation. The man clearly has a plan B. As for luck, every successful team in history has received it on the route to glory. Cast your minds back to the European Cup semi final of 1979, had Cologne’s Roger Van Gool scored and not hit the post when his side were already two nil to the good at the City Ground, the Forest badge may never have sported a solitary star, let alone two.

Going forward, I’ve seen enough to suggest that the former Rennes coach has enough about him to keep Nottingham Forest in the promotion hunt, and perhaps more importantly, to still be in charge by the end of the season. There is plenty of work to do and his preferred starting eleven is not yet nailed down, but the framework looks good. For the first time in years the team have a bit of midfield muscle in the form of Bostock, Semedo and Samba Sow; finally casting off the tag as Championship lightweights.
Throw into the mix a certain Joao Carvalho and you can certainly see room for improvement. Even the record signing now has competition for his place in the form of Tiago Silva which indicates another facet that has eluded the club in recent years, strength in depth.

All over the park, except for strikers, Nottingham Forest have two decent players fighting for just the one shirt. This will be key to the long season ahead in league and cup competitions.

I’ve often said that winning over the Forest fans is one of the toughest gigs in football, but it seems as though they’ve really taken to Lamouchi. In reference to the idiosyncratic chant of “What is love? Sabri Lamouchi, j’adore,” bellowing from the terraces, it couldn’t be more apt at this moment in time. (written prior to the NFFC v PNE game)

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

Carlton Town 4-0 Belper United
The final warm-up game for the team would see Belper United travel to Stoke lane as late replacements for Gresley who had to pull out of the fixture due to their season having to commence only a few days later. The Millers again would show that they were organised and disciplined with their work on the pitch and end their pre-season with a convincing four-nil victory in this one.

Barton United 3-2 Carlton Town
A week later and after an unbeaten pre-season the team would travel north to Hull and Barton United in an F.A. Cup fixture. The game would prove to be a tight encounter with both teams applying themselves vigorously to progress to the next round. It was always going to be a close affair with Carlton finding the home side very difficult to break down for many periods of the game. The Millers were always chasing the game and weren’t allowed to be as fluent as they had been in pre-season and would eventually succumb to a disappointing defeat in a game where the home side were always ahead with the scoring.

Lincoln United 0-2 Carlton Town
With players returning from injury Carlton would travel the following week to Lincoln United for their first league fixture of the newly sponsored Betvictor Northern Premier League. Wanting to put behind them the disappointing result from the previous week The Millers were looking to start off the new campaign as we mean to finish it, and thus we did. For the first thirty minutes the game was tight with very few opportunities for either side until Opoku would open the scoring for Carlton. Not long after this Elliott was dismissed very harshly as The Millers continued to press the home side and try to increase their lead. We would play nearly sixty minutes of the game with only ten men on the field and Lincoln would be kept mainly to long distance efforts on goal as they tried in vain to take advantage of their extra player. The Millers would increase their lead just before the hour mark with Ollie Clarke scoring a far post header to send The millers home with all three points.

Carlton Town 1-0 Sutton Coldfield Town
Four days on and we are now ready for the next task with Sutton Coldfield being the next visitors to Stoke Lane. Another hard-working performance from the team against a very capable and tough opposition would see this one concluded by Tom Maddison from the penalty spot ten minutes into the second half. It was again another game where The millers had to dig deep and show character to obtain the result and continue the good work that has prevailed from the summer.

Kidsgrove 0-1 Carlton Town
Up next would be a trip westward and across to Kidsgrove near Stoke and opposition that we had not encountered in over a year due to last season’s restructuring of the leagues. Again this fixture was to be a close knit affair and again it would take another penalty from Maddo to conclude this one in the dying embers of a game where both teams had many opportunites in a game that was well worthy of the entrance fee.

So, with three games in and plenty more to happen the season is well and truly under way. A promising start from a new group of players and staff has increased the hope for the remainder of the season and with more people showing interest in the club the expectancy also. Obviously there is a still a long way to go and a lot of hard work to be put in, but with everyone’s commitment and endeavour the rewards will be very fulfilling in ensuring this great club’s future success. Tom Maddison scoring from the spot at Kidsgrove.

Forthcoming Fixtures
Tues 10th Sept Stamford (a) 745pm
Sat 14th Sept Newcastle Town (h)
Sat 21st Sept Leek Town (a)
Wed 25th Sept Spalding Utd (h) 745pm
Sat 28th Sept St Neots Town (h) FA Trophy
All fixtures kick-off at 3pm unless stated.

Nottingham News

Businesses across Rushcliffe have transformed their appearance on the high street and made essential improvements to their shop fronts thanks to funding available from Rushcliffe Borough Council. Business owners across the Borough have received support from the Shop Front Improvement Grant, which assists businesses to match contributions to improvements, up to the value of £5,000.

Recipients of the grant include Cut N Curl in East Leake who installed a new door and double-glazing and Scissor Happy in Bingham who invested in new signage.

White Rabbit Teahouse in West Bridgford also benefited, using artificial flowers to create a floral frontage for their Tudor Square property.
Any high street businesses based anywhere in Rushcliffe can now apply for the grant. Find out more about eligibility via the authority’s website: https://www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/business/supportingbusiness/businesssupport/

Piano Radcliffe in Radcliffe on Trent are also among those who have benefitted from the grant, installing a new awning along the shop front to allow visitors to embrace alfresco dining in the summer months.
Manager of Piano Radcliffe Katie Shaw said: “The Shop Front Improvement Grant contribution has enabled our valued customers to return to Piano time and again to enjoy surroundings as high quality as our food and service.

“The grant has helped us transform the area at the front of the business, really setting us apart as an attractive place to eat and drink.
“We would thoroughly recommend that any business making changes to their shop front consider applying for the support the grant can provide.” Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation Cllr Andy Edyvean said: “I am thrilled that so many businesses have already taken advantage of this brilliant scheme that can assist with the renovation, re-design or general improvement of their shop front.

“The grant not only enables businesses to make necessary changes, but also offers the potential to rejuvenate their shop front and improve experiences for their customers.”

Nottingham News, Notts What's On

The Robin Hood Pageant, now in its 38th year, has been completely re-imagined for 2019 and will be staged in a forest setting close to the historic Newstead Abbey for the first time ever while the Nottingham Castle is undergoing its £30m redevelopment. This spectacular event will be themed around the power struggle between Nottingham’s best-loved outlaw and his arch-nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham (#ChooseYourSide).

It will offer a diverse programme of entertainment including dramatic medieval re-enactments, a wealth of costumed period characters, historic demonstrations, hands-on activities, theatre and much more. The Pageant takes place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October 2019 (11am – 4pm).

This unique and highly immersive experience will see the grounds of the historic Newstead Abbey transformed into a recreation of 12th century Nottingham, filled with the sights, sounds and smells of Robin Hood’s time and offering the chance to come face-to-face with medieval minstrels, artisans and colourful characters, including the legendary Robin Hood himself. The aim is to depict the life and times of Nottingham’s iconic hero and some of the real historical figures of the time in a captivating and historically accurate manner, celebrating the legend and keeping it alive for future generations.

A diverse range of medieval characters will be wandering the grounds; visitors can get an audience with the great King Richard I and learn about 11th century cures from medieval field hospitaler Fra Justin, while avoiding less savoury characters such as the King’s Executioner and even the Medieval Gong Farmer, complete with cess bucket.

Dramatic re-enactments and combat demonstrations will include The Knights of Nottingham clashing on horseback and on foot, falconry shows and displays from the UK’s leading 12th century re-enactment society, Historia Normannis, which will depict the lives of the Saxon outlaws and their Norman Overlords at the event in a number of interactive camps.
There will also be a wealth of theatre, storytelling and music to entertain visitors, with several bands of wandering Medieval Minstrels, storytelling from the Bard from the Bower and the tale of Robin Hood and the Monk performed by No Strings Puppet Theatre.

With plenty of demonstrations and hands-on arts and crafts activities to get involved with, from candle dipping to arrow making and from pottery to smithing, the event will be showcasing the various crafts and trades of the medieval era in a highly memorable and enjoyable way.

Visitors are also encouraged to eat, drink and be merry, with a variety of food stalls and a licensed bar provided by local brewery Castle Rock Brewery.

Cllr Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “We’re so glad to be able to host the Pageant at Newstead Abbey while Nottingham Castle undergoes transformation. We know that people from the city and beyond love to come and live the legend of Robin Hood! It’s going to be a great family day out with lots of exciting action to watch as well as activities to take part in and characters to meet. Grab the great Early Bird saving and have your half term plans on the calendar all ready for October.”

Stephen Jackson, interim Chief Executive at Visit Nottinghamshire, said: “This year’s Robin Hood Pageant is set to be a truly enchanting and spectacular event. One of the most engaging ways to learn about a historical period is to experience the sights and sounds for yourself, and what better way to learn about Robin Hood than by stepping into his world? We’re confident that this event will inspire an interest in Robin Hood and his time in future generations as well as helping to keep the legend alive for years to come. This highly immersive and entertaining Pageant is expected to draw huge crowds, and is a great way for visitors to experience the legend of Robin Hood ahead of the Nottingham Castle reopening in 2020.”