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Nottingham News

A pioneering Nottinghamshire business centre is going from strength to strength as the post-pandemic economic recovery in the county continues to gather pace. For little more than a few months after the country fully re-opened for business following the easing of lockdown measures, it’s full steam ahead at Worksop Turbine where it currently boasts an impressive 97 per cent occupancy rate and has a waiting list for office space.

Based at the Shireoaks Triangle Business Park on the outskirts of Worksop, The Turbine has been home to some of the area’s creative and entrepreneurial talent since April 2006. It is a purpose-built, Nottinghamshire County Council-serviced business and innovation centre which is managed by Claire Gregory together with assistant centre manager Adele Davies and centre support assistants Katy Sanderson and Fran Thornton.

Claire joined The Turbine eight years ago as a part-time receptionist and enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks before being appointed manager in 2016. Adele started as a receptionist in July 2017 and her development, overseen by Claire, led to her being appointed assistant manager two years later. The Turbine is an innovation centre designed to help entrepreneurs ‘grow into their own and make a business for themselves’.

It offers firms, especially fledgling start-up businesses, a range of services to flourish and establish themselves with a helping hand from Claire and her team. Claire said: “We offer a virtual floor to get them off the ground and to give them a professional image for their business, once they are more established they are encouraged to grow into the centre as their company thrives.” The Turbine boasts 59 offices and workshops ranging in a variety of different sizes to cater for the needs of individual companies – some of whom have been at the centre since it first opened. It is home to a diverse range of sectors, all of whom complement and collaborate with one another.

One of the businesses which has thrived since it moved into The Turbine a decade ago is the Ortus Group, a successful technology company that provides industry-leading medical and telematics solutions to the emergency services and other specialist industries across the UK. It began life at the centre with a single office but today occupies multiple offices reconfigured to include engineering rooms, a warehouse, photography studio and general office space – all of which are required to operate successfully to serve various NHS trusts and other critical sectors throughout the UK.
However, the company’s chief executive Craig Hall says it was during the Covid-19 pandemic that the support of The Turbine proved crucial.

At the height of the crisis, the Ortus Group continued with its vital work servicing and delivering defibrillators to ambulance services on the frontline – while it also answered the Government’s call to provide ventilators.
Craig said: “The Turbine has remained flexible with our requirements throughout the pandemic.
“When most of the UK was informed to work from home, we had to continue our vital operations servicing defibrillators and procuring additional ventilators, and having access to our offices and workshops was imperative to be able to service the need for the critical situation everyone faced.

“We established a dedicated number of staff who needed to be in our engineering department to service and dispatch the medical equipment. We were able to access our office space at all hours and adapt the environment to meet Government guidelines to ensure we were operating safely. “Our staff and The Turbine really pulled together, it was a great team effort from all involved and I am immensely proud of the role our business has played throughout these challenging times.” However, The Turbine experienced a significant drop in occupancy rates shortly after the country was plunged into lockdown in the spring of 2020 – falling from 93.6 per cent at the beginning of the pandemic to 70.6 per cent shortly afterwards.

Claire said: “Over an eight-week period, 12 businesses handed in their notice, we dropped around 26 per cent in occupancy – (which equates to) around £8,500 in revenue per month. “It was just sheer panic at first because nobody knew what to say, nobody knew what to do. We were in limbo. “Using our experience and knowledge as a team, we put things into place that meant we could continue offering the services required and as restrictions eased we managed to safely welcome back all of our customers.

“I have a huge passion for the centre and our customers and knowing that we needed to remain open for those critical businesses was the most important thing, our business community had been rocked and were experiencing individual pressures so the help and support was more crucial than ever. “Safe to say, it was a challenge we certainly learned a lot from and from a personal aspect it was quite scary not knowing what was going to happen.” The centre has been unable to hold its usual networking events during the pandemic but it’s fair to say with an occupancy rate of 97 per cent, the future is once again looking brighter.

It has also recently benefitted from a significant cash injection to install the latest digital connectivity, which Claire says has been ‘long overdue’. She said: “It has now given us full access around the centre for new connectivity in terms of WiFi, improved customer internet and a VOIP (telephone) system which is the way these kind of places need to be now, as things are always moving forward.”

But how has the centre successfully attracted new occupants?
“The service we offer, and I might be biased, is second to none,” said Claire.
“We’ve built a reputation on the quality of service that we provide.
“We’ve got a good social media following, we’ve got a good marketing network, we’ve got a good reputation and we’ve got companies from within the centre that didn’t want to work from home coming out of Covid so expanded themselves – freeing up smaller space for people who needed a small office and couldn’t work at home. “So, the moving around of companies that wanted to remain here but needed more space provided that little bit of extra room for other people to then step into us.

“I’m also a massive advocate of word of mouth and it’s recommendation from people, who know who we are and what we offer, that aids our success. “Every day is a new day and every day is different at The Turbine, it always has been, and I am almost certain it always will be!”

For more information about The Turbine and how it could support you or your business, visit https://worksopturbine.nottinghamshire.gov.uk.

Nottingham News

Residents and businesses have another chance to view plans for Rushcliffe’s new crematorium, Rushcliffe Oaks.
Further information about the new facility and community space in Stragglethorpe near Cotgrave can now be found on its dedicated website www.rushcliffeoaks.co.uk or by picking up a leaflet from the Cotgrave Hub, NG12 3UQ, during operating hours.

Many residents and stakeholders, including local funeral directors, attended the recent information event on September 23 hosted by Rushcliffe Borough Council to learn more about the project and share their thoughts.
The Council is seeking to be carbon neutral in its operations by 2030 and this is reflected at the heart of the design and thought process for the new facility.

An extensive landscape management plan has been developed for the project which focuses on retaining and enhancing boundary planting and a living roof on the single-storey building aims to reduce the visual impact from the surrounding area. Rushcliffe Oaks development will focus on reflecting a connection back to nature and wildlife.
Through the use of innovative technologies and renewable energy sources, there are plans for a greener electric powered cremator rather than the more traditional use of gas, lowering CO2 emissions by up to 90 per cent. Rushcliffe Oaks will be one of the first in the country to invest in this new technology. Development is due to commence on site soon and it is anticipated it could open in Autumn 2022.

Rushcliffe Oaks will be operated and managed directly by the Council with potential opening hours of 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

Nottingham News

Nottinghamshire County Council is to take part in a wide-ranging consultation process with the British Deaf Association (BDA) to help understand the group’s needs and shape its services for individuals. The audit will highlight what the County Council has achieved since signing and adopting the British Sign Language Charter and map the improvements it has made to ensure access to services is available for the deaf community. County Council officers will work with the BDA in the coming weeks to identify any areas where deaf people still have barriers in accessing services – as well as celebrating the good work the authority has carried out and sharing best practice.

Councillor Gordon Wheeler, Chairman of the Personnel Committee, says the County Council is committed in its support of the charter and highlighted the importance of engaging with the deaf community as part of the audit to ensure the correct processes are in place. He said: “Having this audit and communicating with people from the deaf community will allow us to understand their needs and ultimately create better services for individuals and, where needed, make changes to achieve the standard we strive to achieve.

“I am really looking forward to engaging with our Equalities Officer and the British Deaf Association to look at practical ways of developing our services further and making sure people from the deaf community feel they can access Nottinghamshire County Council without any barriers. “We need to understand the issues they have experienced which can help us shape our services and identify solutions going forward. Together, we can create inclusivity for people from the deaf community.”

The BDA works closely with the deaf community and those who use British Sign Language (BSL). It campaigns to empower people who use BSL and works to improve access to services for the deaf community as well as encouraging them to feedback and take part in local services. The organisation also carries out training and advocacy and encourages local authorities, health service providers and other local services to adopt the BDA’s BSL Charter to improve access and rights for deaf people who use sign language.

Lancashire News

The work to create a new fit-for-purpose home for Penkford School is under way. Staff and pupils from the school had the chance to see the work for themselves when they paid a visit to the school’s new home at the former Red Bank Education Unit in Newton-le-Willows with members of St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet.

Contractor Galliford Try will complete the transformation of the site so that the maintained special school can continue to support young people from across the borough. The council approved the £7.6m project in September 2020 which will see the vacant site brought back to life with the extension of the existing building to create a more therapeutic learning environment, incorporating new learning spaces as well as a dining and multipurpose sports hall.

The works also include a new playing field, sports pitch, car park, fencing and amended access from Winwick Road.
As part of the contract Galliford Try will also deliver more than 20 projects aimed at supporting the wider community and delivering social value for the area. Among those is an exciting community project with Wargrave Special Educational Needs School to create an outdoor classroom and community café. Councillor Kate Groucutt, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Business, said: “It’s fantastic to finally see work starting on this exciting project that will support young people across our borough who need the specialist care and education that Penkford provides. We are committed to make sure every child in our borough gets the best start in life so now it’s great to see ideas we have been talking about coming to life.

“We’re also delighted that Galliford Try are connecting with the wider community in Newton-le-Willows and are delivering a range of projects to support other schools and groups in the area.” Darren Parker, Managing Director for Galliford Try Building North West, commented: “Social value is one of the key elements of Galliford Try’s Sustainable Growth Strategy and we are excited to be able to implement such a fantastic programme alongside the Penkford School. Not only will that value provide a lasting benefit to the local community going forward, but the new school is set to be a high-quality facility that will help provide the welcoming educational environment these students deserve.”

Anne Kyle, Head Teacher at Penkford School added: “The Special Educational Needs children of St Helens deserve the best facilities to learn in, as they already have so many barriers to learning to overcome. The whole school community, but especially the pupils are so excited and grateful to St Helens Borough Council for investing in them and their futures. We cannot wait to start our learning journey in our brand new school.”

Lancashire News

Autumn 2021 brings a fresh start. Improved growing conditions for current autumn and spring drilled crops, fresh seed stocks across the board and grain values rising due to high demand. Wheat and barley are still regarded as the best performing and most important crops on farm. Popular crops such as wheat and barley benefit from being versatile together with breeding developments to improve yield and disease resistance. Milling wheat, used in food products from biscuits to bread continues to do well on these shores, where we consistently produce a high-quality milling product.

Diverse uses for malt see the annual output of nearly 2m tonnes simply increasing. More uses for cereals in animal feed and Food and Drink manufacturers are finding that wheat can provide a rich source of starch and glucose. Not forgetting the increasing demand in Bioethanol markets, which continues to evolve, with plant-based ethanol being used as a petrol alternative. The increasing markets for Linseed may just interest a greater number of farmers, with increasing demand to grow this under contract. This is proving a popular replacement for oilseed rape with its early sowing and harvesting benefits.

It goes without saying that close attention should be made of the recommended list of winter cereals for your particular region. The AHDB Recommended list (RL) provides an expansive list of varieties by region, that are proven in terms of performance and disease resistance. For a more detailed list of recommended varieties in Scotland, take a look the Scottish Recommended Lit for Cereals 2021/22 from pure.SRUC.ac.uk

On heavy soils, the most profitable (and sustainable) rotation will be two wheats after a break crop, followed by spring barley. Others may even return to continuous wheat/cereals, but caution must be taken to avoid the Take-All effects on rooting and yield. It is perhaps more challenging on lighter soils where second cereals tend not to perform so well. The key to minimising the financial impact is to look at the gross margin across the whole rotation rather than direct crop replacements. Farm businesses may be considering whole-field stewardship options as one of their replacement break crop alternatives. A two-year legume fallow is an example of an option under the current English Countryside Stewardship which may, in some situations, act as the break crop. As a rule, this will only work for average performers, or poorer land, where the risk vs reward ratio remains higher.

For top performers, and good soils, continuing with ‘full’ cropping is likely to be the best way forward. Productivity remains one of the key differences between business performance, certainly not scale. It is simply understanding land capability and having excellent attention to detail. These are often the result of multiple small improvements which when combined deliver large changes to the bottom line. Productivity remains the basic principle if businesses are to thrive.

Drilling dates
Factors affecting drilling dates are varied and are dependent on the geographic region. These factors can include:

Soil condition
A good seed-to-soil contact helps to ensure rapid seed germination and excellent conditions for residual herbicides to work effectively.

Control grass weed
In some seasons, of low dormancy and moist soils, delaying drilling can allow early glyphosate treatments, but this will not work with dry autumns with high dormancy.

Geographical region
In particular interest to Scottish farmers, with colder field aspecst and located further north, earlier crops can be drilled with less danger of early problems associated with pests. Early September drilling is achievable in Northern regions, while late drillings can be slow to emerge and in cold winters, crops will stop growing sooner, with a potential knock-on effect and late harvest. In Scotland, it is recognised that the harvest date of the previous crop can certainly have an influence, with the opportunity for stale seed beds being really quite narrow compared to southern England.

Risk of diseases and pests
The risk of disease in highly affected varieties can increase if drilled early. Mid-September plantings may have substantially higher levels of septoria and yellow rust than those drilled in October. Wheat bulb fly may be problem for crops drilled later on so use of an insecticidal treatment is certainly advised.

Early drilling
Ideally, varieties drilled in early September should be slow developing, disease resistant and have good resistance to lodging.

Drilling window
Nearly all varieties can be drilled from 20th September through to mid-October. If a range of varieties is on farm, it’s advisable to segregate by speed of early development and straw strength.

Late drilling
Characteristics for later drilling should include fast early development and good tillering scope to ensure best ground cover going into winter.

Second wheat
Many varieties function as they would in the first drilling. Identify varieties that have good resistance to eyespot, but this is not always reflected in final yield. Quality wheats are often drilled in this slot, as the reduced yield potential can help maintain grain protein content.

Lancashire News

An innovative supported living scheme providing new accommodation for adults with learning disabilities has opened in Heywood.

The £1.8 million new build at Cherwell Avenue contains 17 modern self-contained homes and has been delivered in partnership by Rochdale Borough Council and social enterprise PossAbilities. Each apartment compromises a living room, kitchen, walk-in showers and bedroom with on-site staff providing 24-hour help and support. Rooms are also fitted with modern assistive technology to help support independent living. The project ensures residents living with learning disabilities have their own home and ‘front door’ for the first time, with 36-year-old Rochdale borough resident Ryan Banks the first person to be handed the keys for his new apartment. Ryan said: “I am pleased to have my own place to live, it’s very exciting to be moving in to my new home with my own front door. I have done it up nice, the old fashioned way. The rooms are absolutely great and I am really happy with everything.”

Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed, cabinet member for adult care, said: “The moment I set foot in the new accommodation I could tell what a superb scheme it was, expertly designed to ensure residents’ have high quality independent living. It delivers another part of our supported living vision, which will see more and more people with learning disabilities get their own front door for the first time.”

He added: “I would like to thank everyone who has played their part in delivering this fantastic project, it is something we can all be proud of I know from speaking with residents and their families how pleased they are with the new accommodation.

It showcases the borough’s caring side at its very best.”
Rachel Law, chief executive of PossAbilities, said: “To see our first resident handed their keys was a really moving moment for me and opens the door to a powerful new future of hope and independence. We had a dream to deliver this project and it has now turned into a reality.

It is the culmination of a lot of hard work. This is about providing the opportunity for 17 residents to have a place that, for the first time in their lives, they can call home. That is a really powerful message to portray and is just the start of our journey to providing even more services for some of our borough’s most vulnerable residents.”
Award-winning PossAbilities also runs the adjacent Cherwell Centre, which offers a range of services and facilities for those who have physical and learning disabilities.

Lancashire News, Lancs Health & Care

Top health experts commit to new Oldham Tobacco Alliance and making the borough Smoke Free by 2030. On Wednesday 29 September a panel event was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham, the event was based around one question – how can we make smoking history?
Organised by Oldham Council, Oldham Cares and Your Health Oldham and hosted by the BBC’s Kevin Fitzpatrick, audience members heard from an expert panel about what challenges we face in ending smoking and how much progress has been made so far.

The panel was made up of:
• Kevin Fitzpatrick (host) who has worked as a reporter, newsreader and producer for the BBC for 15 years.
He’s reported for Radio 5 Live and Radio 4 and currently works for BBC North West Tonight and the Sunday Politics programme.
• Professor Peter Hajek, Professor Peter Hajek is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Health and Lifestyle Research Unit at the Wolfsen Institute of Preventative Medicine.
• Dr Alex Bobak a GP in Wandsworth, South London. He started running Specialist Stop Smoking Clinics in 2001 and became the first GPSI in smoking cessation in the UK.
• Louise Ross who managed the Leicester City Stop Smoking Service, the first e-cigarette friendly service in the world. She is also a trustee of the New Tobacco Alliance.
• Elizabeth Woodworth, Head of Smoking Cessation Services for ABL Health.
Director of Public Health in Oldham, Katrina Stephens said: “It was great to see so many passionate people coming together to contribute their thoughts and suggestions on how we can make smoking history in Oldham.
“There’s a long way to go but we have made some progress to date: smoking prevalence amongst adults has come down from 24.2% in 2012 to 17.9% in 2019. We have made all council owned properties, vehicles, parks and open spaces smoke free to protect others from the harms of second-hand smoke, discouraged young people from starting to smoke and offered support for people thinking about stopping smoking.”
One of the main issues talked about was the fact that smoking is the biggest preventable cause of health inequalities. Oldham Council Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care Zahid Chauhan had this to say:
“We know that smoking is far more common among routine and manual workers, people with a mental health condition, prisoners, looked-after children and the LGBTQ+ community, and the more disadvantaged someone is, the more likely they are to smoke and suffer from smoking-related disease and premature death.

“We must act now in order to improve health outcomes and tackle the inequality we are seeing. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far but we still have more to do to make smoking history in Oldham and achieve the ambition of being smoke free by 2030.” The Oldham Tobacco Alliance will help realise this ambition and coordinate and contribute to tobacco control work in order to:
• Make smoking less accessible, acceptable and desirable
• Empower successful quitting
• Stop young people from starting to smoke in the first place
• Improve the health and wellbeing of Oldham’s population and reduce the health inequalities experienced by some of our communities due to smoking and tobacco-related harm.
Raz Mohammed, Head of Communities for ABL Health said:
“Quitting is the single most important thing you can do for your health. It’s often not easy to quit, but with the right advice and support, any smoker can do it. If you want help to quit smoking, there is support available to help you.”
For all the details on how to stop smoking:
• Smoking cessation – Specialist stop smoking service from Your Health Oldham for Oldham residents and those registered with an Oldham GP.
• Stop smoking guidance – Oldham Council website for further information and resources.

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

Nottingham Forest’s procurement of Steve Cooper as manager is the most positive news for years at City Ground. His appointment ends a long list of aging, household names that invariably relied on the 4-2-3-1 formation and a worryingly familiar mantra of “avoid defeat rather than attempt to win a football match.” Seven points from his first three games in charge certainly constitutes an immediate effect and more importantly the goals for column looks wonderful in comparison.

Chris Hughton’s last game in charge prompted some furious fan reaction across the social media platforms which is no surprise these days, let’s face it, the vitriol and distain sometimes expressed after a solitary defeat is enough to break the resolve of the most ardent of manager and supporter alike.

The comments alluding to his playing style and the results it manifested were completely justified in my opinion, but as usual, the necessity to target certain players for hate wasn’t too far behind. Perhaps the most controversial angle of attack from the fan base was that channelled toward the Greek owners of the club. It’s fair to say that the tenure of Evangelos Marinakis and Sokratis Kominakis hasn’t been a bed of roses. Since taking over at Nottingham Forest, which was in a horrendous state, on and off the field of play, they have failed to win over the NFFC supporters by relying on a perpetual string of average, overseas imports, and an unconvincing link to Marinakis’s main club Olympiacos. So, when things reached rock bottom following the defeat to Middlesbrough, I wasn’t surprised to see Twitter erupt like the volcano on La Palma. I read several comments requesting a protest against the owners, to hopefully be spearheaded by a flag and banner brigade of the Forest supporters. Whilst I sympathized with a handful of valid points, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between our rivals down the A52. Derby County are in an unbelievable mess and face a realistic possibility of going out of business like Bury FC; a situation which certainly puts things into perspective when our owners, despite their misgivings, are pumping around twenty million pounds a year into the club.

In an article I wrote shortly after the capitulation versus Middlesbrough I asked for change as opposed to replacement.
I used the term insanity to describe the Modus Operandi of our club given the regurgitation of the same behaviours time after time. But as I alluded to, I pleaded for change of direction as opposed to a Bolshevik revolution. In layman’s terms, end the baffling transfers of highly paid nobodies and hire a manager who wants to attack the opposition and who will dare to deviate from the monotony of 4-2-3-1!

Written by Steve Corry

Well, it seems to all and sundry that the hierarchy at Nottingham Forest are willing to adapt and throw caution to the wind having appointed Steve Cooper. Interestingly too, the club have retained the services of Steven Reid on the coaching staff, another indication that communication between the players, staff and owners is positive. Reid gave Forest their first Championship win of the season when he deployed a 3-4-3 formation and humbled Huddersfield Town in their own back yard; interestingly, that very formation has been the preferred choice of Cooper since his arrival, coincidence? One can only assume, and I use the word assume carefully, that the employment of Dane Murphy has impacted things behind the scenes prior to the arrival of Steve Cooper. Much has been made of the loan recruitment of both Max Lowe and Djed Spence in the last transfer window, whilst Hughton was still in charge.
Many NFFC supporters were quick to notice the potential for wing back duties by the aforementioned players should we ever dare to change the shape.

At this point it would be easy to get carried away, seven points from three games and lots of goals to regale upon. However, as the new gaffer touched upon, there is still a lot of work to be done, especially at the back, comments he made shortly after the Birmingham victory in which we could well have conceded as many as we scored to be honest. I speak for thousands when I say that I’m delighted to have Steve Cooper at Forest, a man who knows how to attack, a man who’s achieved back-to-back play-off qualification and a man who’s won a World Cup with England; quite simply, a breath of fresh air.

Lancashire News, Lancs Sport

Under-21s to play November qualifier at Burnley

International football is returning to Turf Moor, with the Clarets chosen to host an England Under-21 fixture in November. Burnley will stage England’s European Championship qualifier against the Czech Republic on Thursday, 11 November (KO 7pm). The fixture will be England’s fourth game in Group B as the U21 side – now under the management of former Republic of Ireland international midfielder Lee Carsley – bids to reach the 2023 finals in Romania and Georgia. Burnley chairman Alan Pace said: “We are honoured to be hosting England U21s and bringing international football back to Burnley. “As a club with a passion for developing young homegrown talent, I am sure our supporters will welcome the opportunity to see the country’s most exciting players at Turf Moor and get behind England in this important UEFA Under 21 Championship qualifier.”

England kick off their qualifying campaign at home to Kosovo at Stadium mk on Tuesday, 7 September as they begin their quest to reach their ninth successive appearance in the finals of the competition.

Clarets’ winger Dwight McNeil – who is too old to be eligible this time around – helped England reach the 2021 finals in Hungary and Slovenia before Aidy Boothroyd’s squad missed out on a place in the knock-out stages. Turf Moor was due to host a European U21 qualifier between England and Turkey in March, 2020 before the pandemic forced the game to be postponed but now gets the chance to stage a third international at this level following games in 2014 and 1995.

TICKET PRICES
Tickets for this game are on sale now in the Upper and Lower North Stand initially, from the Turf Moor ticket office and online.

GENERAL ADMISSION
• ADULTS: £15
• CHILDREN/CONCESSION: £5

2021/2022 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS
• ADULTS: £7.50
• CHILDREN/CONCESSIONS: £2.50

BUY ONLINE NOW
GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE (Please contact ticket office direct)
• ADULTS: £7.50
• CHILDREN/CONCESSIONS: £2.50

Alternatively contact the Turf Moor Ticket Office via ticketoffice@burnleyfc.com or call 01282 446800 (Option 2)
“We are honoured to be hosting England U21s and bringing international football back to Burnley. As a club with a passion for developing young homegrown talent, I am sure our supporters will welcome the opportunity to see the country’s most exciting players at Turf Moor and get behind England in this important UEFA Under 21 Championship qualifier

Nottingham News

Nottinghamshire Travel Choice will continue with new funding. Nottinghamshire County Council has won further funding from the Department for Transport to continue the Travel Choice programme. Travel Choice has provided information and advice to thousands of people on different ways to travel in Nottinghamshire, promoting more environmentally friendly transport choices since 2018. The programme has successfully:

• Developed 47 travel action plans for businesses in Nottinghamshire, helping them to reduce single occupancy car journeys, encouraging active and sustainable travel, improving the health and wellbeing of employees, and improving their impact on the environment
• Provided paper and digital travel packs to over 6,000 employees
• Given ten grants to businesses to help with the cost of facilities like bicycle shelters, Electrical Vehicle charging, and installing showers
• Worked with Job Centre Plus staff to help people looking for work get to job and training opportunities. This includes helping jobseekers get to their first pay day by providing:
• 339 public transport tickets
• 42 bicycle loans and 31 moped loans to help those going to work where suitable public transport isn’t available, for example, shift work. The mopeds were provided by RCAN (Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire).
The new funding will mean that we can:
• Continue to promote active travel to more businesses across Nottinghamshire, with more grant money available
• Continue to provide free ‘Dr Bike’ cycle maintenance sessions for employees at their workplaces
• Continue and expand our work with Jobcentre Plus centres in Ashfield, Mansfield, and Worksop, helping jobseekers as they look for work and training opportunities
• Start working with ten primary schools to promote more walking, cycling, and travelling by scooter to school, building on the development of our School Travel Toolkit.
• Work with ten health centres in a pilot project to encourage greater use of active travel by patients by providing electric bike and push bike loans, as well as and Fitbit activity trackers and walking / cycle travel information packs.

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Transport and Environment Committee, said: “I’m very pleased that the Travel Choice project is continuing in Nottinghamshire. It’s great news for the county and it means that we can continue helping local people and businesses, by supporting them with more sustainable travel. The team have helped reduce the number of single occupancy car journeys in our county, easing traffic congestion, and promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly options.

I’d like to congratulate the team for winning this extra funding. It’s a stamp of approval from the Government and a recognition of the good work that the team have been doing.” The programme has had very positive feedback from residents, employees, and businesses across the county: “The service we have received from the team has been fantastic. We have always received positive feedback from staff who have accessed the information and services. Thank you for coming along to the college to raise awareness.” Nottinghamshire College

“The welfare, wellbeing and safety of our Team Knowhow colleagues – in work, travelling to work, or at home – is incredibly important and something we take very seriously here at our Newark Campus. We appreciate the support and work the Travel Choice team do and look forward to welcoming them back again.” Glenn Hawksworth, Head of Supply Chain Operations at Team Knowhow.

“The NHS and social care are busy, pressurised environments to work in and many of us have long commutes to work. But irrespective of the distance, as a large employer I think Travel Choice is a great opportunity to support colleagues with their physical and mental health.”

Richard Mitchell, Chief Executive at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
For more information about Travel Choice please visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/travelchoice or email travelchoice@nottscc.gov.uk