POLICE CATCH  ASHES  PARK SPEEDERS 6.02.08
This afternoon , the police had speed guns out on Ashes Park Avenue. A lot of drivers were advised that they were in a 30mph zone.Quite a number were reported for prosecution.Readers of this News site will be the first to know that the police intend to catch more drivers speeding through the estate on Thursday and Friday this week.  A GRA spokesman said"We are pleased that the police have taken notice of our requests to clamp down on stopping Ashes Park Avenue from continuing to be a rat-run racetrack."

RE-CYCLING OF BATTERIES 30.01.08
The new waste disposal site is now taking car batteries and ordinary torch batteries.The bins are on the left as you enter.

 CRIME IN GATEFORD DOWN 24.01.08
Police have reported took the last community meeting on the 21st of January that crime overall in Gateford was dthe own  since last November's community meeting .Gateford South did better overall than Gateford North (Ashes Park) where 8 burglaries have happened.

POST OFFICE TO CLOSE 24.01.08
In spite of considerable public opposition, including from Gatesford Residents Association the Raines Avenue Post Office will close on February 4, 2008

MISSING ROAD SIGNS 24.01.08
Ashes Park Avenue signs have been stolen again in the area of Fairfax roundabout.These have been reported.

ADULTS ALCHOHOL BUYING FOR KIDS? 24.01.08
FOURTEEN recent Police tests using children to go into outlets in the Gateford area that are selling alchohol to try to buy some have all proved that they were refused. Now police are setting up surveilance to watch adults who may be buying for children who are still obtaining it.

 SMARTER DELIVERY 19.01.08
Some things in Worksop do get better. On this estate at the moment a pilot project has been introduced for the delivery of letters . You will see post persons driving bright red Smart cars . This enables the post person to carry all their delivery round with them instead of having a separate man come and deliver bags to holding stations around the streets . It ought to improve on the speed of delivery and van delivery drivers can be used by the Post Office for other work .

What they will do with all the lovely red bicycles we don't know !

"BANK" SCAMS 19.01.08
Some people in this area have been targeted by so-called credit card companies who will ring them and give all of the information to them about their credit card ,with the exception of the three security numbers on the back of the card.  They state that they are doing a security check as an illegal payment has been taken on your card.  Because people believe that the caller knows all about their card they are willingly giving away the essential last three security numbers on the back of the card. One resident has lost over £400. Never give any information to any caller over the phone about your personal banking numbers.  If you get a call like this ring the bank back immediately and ask for the security or fraud department.

GARAGE BREAK-INS
House holders are warned to take extra care with the security of their Garages after four houses have been burgled in the area of Manston Way.On Tuesday January 15th.the police knocked on doors in the area.Three squad cars and two unmarked police cars arrived in Manston Way at 7 a.m. A group of men were observed were observed trying to force some garage doors.  One was broken into in Swinderby Close. 

"BIRDS" ESTATE WEIR REMOVED 14.01.08
Following permission by BDC, Taylor-Wimpey have removed the hydrobbrake system in the existing holding drainage tanks so that the water flow will be less constricted after heavy rain has soaked the open space grassland. Heavy rain is expected in the next few days.Emergency numbers and pumpng arrangements have been sent to all houses around the green.

TW are now submitting a package of plans to Severn Trent which has to approve them for water calculations. If you have any points to make please write to Severn Trent. In particular ask how the prevention of children from drowning is being dealt with if  a 3 ponds solution has been put forward. The GRA has not been sent a copy.Severn Trent is expected to respond in late February

POO-OOO-OOOOO! 10.01.08
Many dog owners are taking a plastic bag with them on their walks locally. However, too many are throwing the tied-up bag down,rather than take it home or putting  the excrement in a dog bin.

The Chairman of GRA has asked Bassetlaw Council to provide another one at the end of Montford Rd. where it joins the bridleway-a choice spot for dog walkers and their.....  If you know of a place where dog notices and a bin would be useful e-mail the Chair,via this site.Make it a New Year Resolution to PICK  UP PLEASE.

UNKNOWN GATEFORD MAN IN CRASH 06-0108
Many Gateford commuters were forced to find an alternative way to Sheffieild from 7.45 am last Wednesday.A 25 year old Gateford man was taken to Bassetlaw Hospitalwith serious head injuries  after his Ford Fiesta collided with a Ford Aveco Box car near the entrance to the Lindrick Golf Club on the A57.The 39 year old driver of the van was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and bailed later.

GATEFORD GIRL GETS PRIZE 06-01-08
Ten year old Millie Gascoyne of Wavell Close won £100 in M&S Gift Vouchers for nameing correctly 3 vof the stores in the new part of the Worksop Priory Centre.The result was given just before Jan 4th,her eleventh birthday.

GATEFORD FOOTPATHS 06-01-08
We have a number of Public footpaths into surrounding countryside in Gateford. If you value them for a walk, please help. Reprt broken or missing signs or gates. Or you could invite others to know of Gateford walks.Write to Steve Jones Head of the Countryside access team or review online at nottinghamshire.gov.uk/routexchange

CREDIT CARD SCAM - BE AWARE!!!!! 04-01-08
Please see the latest Forum news item http://www.gateford-residents.org.uk/graforum/viewtopic.php?t=180&highlight=
This details a highly effective credit card scam that is going around on the telephone and one that would be easy to fall prey to.

HAPPY AND PLAYFUL NEW YEAR TO GATEFORD CHILDREN 31.12.07
Gateford children will get a cut of the Big Lottery Fund's  grant to Bassetlaw District Council of £254,000 in 2008. The money will be split between Worksop,Ranskill, Manton,Tuxford  and Gateford.It has been given to provide local children with play areas.To this sum Gateford children should add further money from the builders of the Celtic Park and Raymouth Lane developments.

POLICE EXPLANATION RE COMPLAINTS 30.12.07
Inspector Andrew Burton from the Nottinghamshire Police Control Room has responded to complaints from the GRA Chairman. Larry Read had taken up residents' complaints re delays and non answering of call from the public. The explanation given was that there had been instances of Worksop station not picking up calls from Nottinghamshire when they were patched through. Staff in the Control Room had not checked to see if Worksop had answered. He promised to see that calls were monitored for take-up in future by Worksop.

Mr Read also requested that the Reception area at Worksop Station should be more user  friendly. There was no bell to draw attention when no-one was at the desk and no notice to tell customers what to do. Inspector Burton also promised to look int this, We shall see! Meanwhile continue calling 500999 and see if you get a better response.

NEW ROAD NAME 22.12.07
Following our request for suggested names on 20th Nov. for the unamed road off the second roundabout on Ashes Park Avenue,leading to Greenwood Close and Holme Way, we received a large number of suggestions. The Committee gave them preference points and then the top three were sent to BDC. The Council has accepted CHURCHILL WAY. A sign will now be ordered and installed so that residents around that area can now guide people to their houses. The name is in line with famous 2nd World War Leaders that are opposite.

THE NEW REFUSE SITE OPENS 15.12.07
Claylands tip site will shut at 4pm on Dec 16th. The new site at ShireOaks Rd opens on Monday 17th Dec. not far from Sainsburys.

BURGLARY IN GATEFORD 15.12.07
Chris and Rachet Lavin of  had their garage opened with a remote door opener which Rachel had left in her  car (understandably) They forced her car to get it. Nine expensive De Watt power tools, a       Claude Butler mountain bike and several sports bags and kits went missing.This happened at 21 Carrion View on 12th Dec. between 0100 and 0600. Report anything re this to the police on 500999.

MORE HOUSES ON ASHES PARK 08.12.07
Local millionaire R.V.Machin has submitted a Planning Application to the Bassetlaw District Council (Ref.02/07/645) He wants to see the woodland near Somerton Road developed over 2.4 acres with 10 properties (2 semi's and 8 four bed houses) This is on the site of a former engineeering works ,now desolate that lies behind Ivy Cottage off Old Gateford Road. Because of waste from forging the ground will need to be thoroughly investigated for contamination. A further consideration is the additional flow of traffic to the site both during and after development as this is near the already busy exit onto Gateford Road from Ashes Park Avenue.

HAVE YOU VOTED? 01.12.07  We lost the vote!
If you think that £15 million coming into this immediate area would be a worthwhile thing to have, please register your vote as soon as possible for the National lottery bid to build a major Robin Hood Centre only a few miles from Gateford.  If it is successful the money will bring extra employment and leisure facilities into this area and attract tourists from all over the country.  However obtaining the lottery grant very much depends on how many people support it from the locality.  Online voting has already started at www.thepeoples50million.org.uk

DANGER ON EDDISON PARK AVE. 26.11.07
On Nov. 22nd evening a crash between vehicles occurred once again at the junction with Lancaster Walk. This is a dangerous corner. There has been an accident here before.Cars start to speed down the Avenue and motorists cannot see clearly out of the junction because of overgrown bushes which Bassetlaw Council is being asked to cut back.

LAMP STANDARDS REPORTED 26.11.07
Chairman Larry Read has reported 9 faulty lamp standards on the estates to the County Council Technical Services. These will be rectified by them or the developers in the case of unadopted roads. Residents who notice that a light needs attention please e-mail the Chairman via his contact e-mail on the Contacts page.

STRONG TURNOUT AS NOV.COMMUNITY MEETING.20. 11. 07.
The Gateford Park Primary School hall was almost full for the November 12th community meeting. 17 people came from the Gateford South because of their interest in the flooding issue. However Taylor Wimpey failed to show up with any new proposals. At the last meeting anger had been expressed at the proposal to put two large deep ponds (with a pathway between them)on the existing green open space off Fulmar Way. However, some of the residents present felt that they wanted to get a solution as soon as possible as they had been living in alternative property for months because their own were still flood damaged. The Chairman reported on the latest developments. His statement is under the September minutes on this website (About GRA.)

Bassetlaw district Council, he said ,had agreed to the removal of the underground weir in the existing holding chamber underneath the green area. Previously the weir had slowed down the rate of discharge of flood water. This removal could improve the flow by 50%.
The two ponds solution from Taylor Wimpey were , it was said to be a cheaper option than the building chambers underground. Again there were expressions of concern about how children would lose their playing area and there may be danger to them from the construction of theponds. One resident stated that she had been in contact withthe developerwho had said that the water table level was too high to build effectively underground. A planning permission application will probably go to Bassetlaw District Council in the next few weeks. It will be up to the residents of Gateford South to raise objections if they have any. On the Forum page of this website there is a vote for a YES or NO to the two large ponds for a soakaway solution.

David Larder, the Communications Officer, reported on the success of the website and appealed for more distributors of the newsletter. As Treasurer he reported that there were 1458 GB Pounds in the GRA account.

There was also a discussion of the Safer Neighbourhoods project which the Chairman and Secretary had attended. These related to North and South Gateford. The police had said that other areas showed less antisocial behaviour. Main concerns however ,were speedingcars ,cycling by children in the road as they played and the breaking of bollards.

Councillor Sibyl Fielding said that she had submitted a letter of objection to the closure of the Reins Road Post Office.The Chairmanalso stated that he had requested for some considerable time for the roundabouts on Ashes Park Avenue to be cleaned up and all missing signs to be replaced .

Thefull minutes of the meeting will be published under the minutes page and the next community meeting will be on the 21st of January 2008.

HAZELWOOD DEVELOPMENTS APPEAL UPHELD 20.11.07
The government Inspector has up held the Planning Appeal by Hazelwood Developments to build 13 houses on the plot of land off Kingfisher Drive on the"Birds"estate.

The company must have the approval of the local authority before to their proposals for the disposal of surface water and sewage. The chairman of GRA Mr Larry Read objected at the hearing to the development and produced photographs of the summer flooding. The houses must be built within three years . The land was originally set aside for community use buildings.

THINK OF A NAME 20.11.07
Bassetlaw District Council has requested the Gateshead Residents Association to come up with a name for a roadwhich was unnamed. It is off the second roundabout in Ashes Park Avenue and leads to Greenwood Close and Holme Way. The Road extendsto a spur into the next field. Your suggestions can be put on the Forum under this news topic. Please do this by the end of November.

PROPERTY PRICES ARE DROPPING IN GATEFORD AREA 15.11.07
A leading proprty site for the sale of houses shows that there are currently 51 price drops in Gateford area.The falls are between 4 and 10%. 0f the houses shown 22 have been on the market for over 100 days.

LETTERS WORKSOP GUARDIAN 9.11.07
See this week's letter page in the Worksop Guardian.There have been a number of letters to and fro with our Communications Officer, David Larder, responding to statements by a Gateford resident, Mr Lambert of Lindrick Close. The last distorted statement by Mr Lambert concerned a resolution (passed by one vote) at a small Community Meeting on 13th Nov. 2006. He inferred that the GRA was "undemocratic" in not observing this resolution that the green areas on Ashes Park Ave be kept untouched, without children's play equipment.

Before this motion was taken for debate, the Chairman made it clear that whatever its outcome, the GRA would be conducting a referendum on the playground issue (supervised and counted by bassetlaw District Council) at the request of BDC.This was to allow all families to vote. The referendum then returned a 3 to one majority in favour of having play facilities and out of the two options provided by the BDC,the majority favoured the end of Ashes Park Avenue, where the house of Mr Lambert overlooks the current goal posts that he and some people near him opposed.

After the referendum a group of residents, which did not include Mr Lambert, collected signatures on a petition against the use of the land opposite their houses. The petition did not achieve the voting numbers in the referendum.Mr Larder was told that there was pressure to sign in some cases, but this cannot now be substantiated with people prepared to come forward. He therefore has withdrawn all of these remarks and states that it was not correct that Mr Lambert was involved , other than in his personal signing of the petition. It was not the intention tomisrepresent him or his colleagues.

GATEFORD FRIENDS RACE 9.11.07
Two former Valley School friend who love running fulfilled a dream to race last weekend in the New York Marathon.47-year-old Shirley Gascoyne and Jill Davies, both of Gateford were raising money for four charities. They were watched by 90,000., and a TV audience of over 300 million. They joined some 36000 other runners.They have already raced in the London Marathon and raised considerable sums for charity.

MP JOHN MANN REPORTS START OF FLOODS LEGAL ACTION 02.11.07
John Mann MP has advised that test cases which will have national implications if successessful have begun against developers regarding flooding on the "Birds" estate.

CYCLE DANGER 01.11.07
Around the time when motorists are coming home through the estates, children,without cycle lights are riding in the dark in the middle of roads. Some have lights but will not put them on, endangering themselves and car drivers. Take a moment to tell them. If they refuse to cycle on the path and put lights on ring 500999.

BANG! BANG!BANG! 29.10.07
Yes-it's that time of year again! Just to remind you about the law and FIREWORKS.
It is illegal to sell them to Under-18 year olds. It is illegal to let them off in any publicplace, like a park (unless a supervised activity) or on a street. FINE UP TO £1000 It is illegal for anyone to be carrying fireworks unless over 18 years old. It is illegal to set off fireworks after 11pm until 7am , except on Bonfire Night 5th.Nov.when the explosions can go on until midnight. The same laws apply to New Year, Diwali, but Chinese New Year can blow up until 1am.

If you or any of your pets are troubled by illegal fires or fireworks or rowdy behaviour, ring the RSPCA(0870 5555 999) or 500999 for the POLICE. Insist on a patrol car if you see an illegal act or possession by young or old.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS NEEDED 29.10.07
Maxine Coates and her family are leaving Gateford for New Zealand from their home in Lancaster Walk. She designed our letter head. George Boggie is also leaving the "Birds" Estate and the area. They both will be greatly missed from our Committee.
Our Chairman is urging anyone with community spirit who is interested in improving Gateford to come forward to fill these vacancies.
He says "Committee Meetings are once every six weeks and last two hours so it is not arduous."Meetings are friendly and informal at his home. More reps from the Birds estate are needed , particularly now that Taylor Wimpey are bringing new proposals forward for flood control. Please contact Larry via his e-mail on the CONTACTS page of our website with your interest and contact details.

CAN YOU HELP? 29.10.07
We have some dedicated volunteers who don't mind a pleasant walk near where they live.They drop off a GRA Newsletter to their neighbours and in some cases to more. This happens about every three months. Currently , we need more distributors to lighten the load ,as we aim to cover the 1981 households in our area. Please- if you go for a walk and like it,- get in touch today with our Chairman

Larry Read by e-mailing him your e-mail address or phone no. Use the CONTACTS Page on this website. We would much appreciate your help. Thank you.

LATEST CRIME STATISTICS 24.10.07
The latest crime statistics have been made available to us for North & South Gateford. Please visit the forum news page to show the graphs and figures:-
http://www.gateford-residents.org.uk/graforum/viewtopic.php?p=874#874

POSTAL DELIVERY SCAM 20.10.07
The Gateford estates could be an easy target for this scam Can you circulate this around especially as Xmas is fast approaching ? It has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:
A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize. If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed 5 for the phone call.
If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 239 6655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk

"AMAZING" FLOOD RELIEF PROPOSALS.18.10.07
Next Monday the GRA Committee hopes to hear of new proposals from Taylor-Wimpey(the amalgamated builder)who are responsible for the "Birds" estate, where severe flooding appeared again this year. At the September Community Meeting people were "amazed" at the proposals for flood relief put forward by the Chief Engineer.He put a sketch drawing before the meeting that showed a plan for the large grassland recreational area off Fulmar Way. On it would be two large lake ponds with a path between them which he said would soak up excess water.

David Larder(Communications Officer for GRA) asked how deep the ponds would be and was told that in the middle each one would go down one and a half metres."How many children do you think they will drown ?"he asked. They would be unfenced. Even fences would be broken. In any case , residents objected to the loss of the only recreational space on the estate. Mr Read (Chair) said that such a scheme would be opposed. Mr Larder suggested that even with light rain, the ponds would be a "mudbath" for cyclists riding down their banks. He asked the company to spend some of the large profits they had made by building houses on roads that led into "a pudding basin" He thought that, although costly, a large under ground resevoir with a re-inforced roof that could have the grass put back on it for play space, could be the answer.

GRA CHAIRMAN FIGHTS FOR COMMUNITY LAND
Our Chair, Larry Read, attended on the 11th and 12th September a Planning Appeal Hearing at the Worksop Town Hall. Hazelwood Developments were wanting to build 13 houses on the small parcel of land off Kingfisher Walk. The Bassetlaw District Council's case was that Planning Permission on the Gateford South site was to have included setting aside half a hectare for community use. This had been reduced to 0.4 of a hectare. Their Barrister said the PP should keep this condition until 2014. Mr. Read ( Chair) showed the Hearing photos of the flooding on the estate,saying that the sewers were inadequate already in that area, without adding more housing.He also pointed to the lack of community space overall. The result of the Hearing is expected on October 24th.

OUR WEBPAGE IS A ROARING SUCCESS ! 31/08/07
Considering that this website has only been active for two months,it has been very successful and well appreciated. That is the report that the Communications Officer will give to the COMMUNITY MEETING at 7pm NEXT MONDAY 10th September. David Larder says, "As websites go, we have a relatively small population of some 3,200 houses to draw upon.Not eveyone on our 3 estates will have a a link to the web.Yet our figures are amazing"

Since July 1st until end of Aug, 1,371 unique visitors have visited www.gateford-residents.org.uk on 3,426 separate occasions. The total number of "hits" in that short period and 48,030 pages have been viewed "The Forum has been regularly used and it has brought together many residents who have posted their opinions on a wide range of topics.", said David. Neighbourhood Watch issues are popular, but comparative views on the sevice at local pubs also features as does car sharing or appeals for lost cats.

The site contains Minutes and Agendas for meetings and the Business pages have attracted local advertising.

UNDERAGE DRINKERS VANDALISE AGAIN 23.08.07
Behind the substation just off the top of Edison Park Avenue is a drinking den for young teenagers. A huge pile of empty strong white cider 2 Ltr bottles has been accumulating and thrown there. Nearby is evidence of eating sweets and snacks and crisps. On the other side of the road in the bushes some of the bottles have been set on fire and an empty aerosol of lighter fuel (which can be used for solvent sniffing) was found among wine bottles and an empty can of black spray.

The police and Bassetlaw District Council have been informed. Earlier this year BDC
cleared the area of similar rubbish and graffiti. It is back again. Nearby young trees have been snapped off again by the side of the road at the entrance to the estate. One resident has said that in the woods she had seen small fires have been started which had been surrounded by foil wraps for the taking of crack or heroin. There has also been a return of graffiti nearby the den.

"There must be the zero tolerance of under age drinking and substance abuse on this estate", said David Larder, the GRA Communications Officer. "All residents are requested to use their mobile phones to telephone the police if they see anything suspicious. It is only by extreme vigilance that the vast majority of good youngsters on the estates will be kept from being infected by a tiny sad minority whose parents don't care where their children are or what they do. At the end of Ashes Park Ave. a CCTV camera was re-introduced at the end of July.

GOOD NEWS FROM TESCO re BENCH 23.08.07
A further request was made to Tesco to increase their grant towards a bench to place on one of the pathways in the parkland on Ashes Park Avenue.They have kindly responded with a cheque for £300.The GRA has written to all of the local councillors requesting that they request the council to provide this 'top up' money so that the seat of may be installed.

HAZELWOOD PROPERTIES APPEAL 23.08/07
The Chairman of the GRA Larry Read will represent the association's opposition to the appeal by Hazelwood properties on September 11th. at the Worksop Town Hall.There have been two decisions by Bassetlaw District Council not to allow further housing on a piece of land Hazelwood owns on the 'Birds'estate,off Lady Walk. This land was originally designated for community use and is ideally suited for the development of a small community Centre, to include a doctor's surgery and pharmacist.

TEMPORARY ANTI-FLOODING MEASURES ON BIRDS 03/08/07
Contractors are diverting the gulley drains in Lady Walk and Lark Spinney away from the underground tank on the green(which disperses surface water)into a 6" pipe that joins the main drain on Lady Walk. This will then run into the drains in Claylands Avenue which were used by firemen when they pumped floodwater uphill to reach them at the time of the last flood. Our GRA Chairman has written to Taylor -Wimpey to ask the Chief Executive to provide a spokespeson for the 10th Sept Community Meeting.Our GRA Chairman has written to Taylor -Wimpey to ask the Chief Executive to provide a spokespeson for the 10th Sept Community Meeting.

Gateford votes for children's play facilities 24-07-2007
The children of the Gateford estates can look forward to enjoying playground equipment that could be provided by Bassetlaw District Council. This is because of a decisive vote in favour, resulting from a referendum carried out by the Gateford Residents Association of over 2000 properties in the three Gateford estates. The GRA Chairman Larry Read said, "I am delighted. We have had a 10% return of votes which, for referenda such as these, is very high." Communications officer, David Larder, commented "This has been a victory for democracy and common sense"

The election process had being devised by Esther Watt of Bassetlaw District Council Scrutiny Department, which also supervised the count that closed after a two-week voting period on the 18th of July. Numbered voting papers were returned to both the local primary school and the council offices. The voting paper made it clear that if people did not return them, it would show that they were happy with the result. 160 residents voted for play facilities to be provided with

52 against 126 votes were in favour of play facilities for both the under twelves and the over twelves. There were 5 spoilt ballot papers and 3 rejected photo copies. It is therefore clear that the majority of people want both types of play facilities to be provided. With regard to the choice of site, the most popular area was at the far end of Ashes Park Avenue, site A, as shown in the plan provided by the BDC.

BUILDERS PROMISE FLOOD PREVENTION 24.07.07
In order to stop future flooding on the Birds estate Taylor Wimpey (developers) are starting remedial work on road drainage.There will be temporary traffic lights put at the junction of Lark Spinney and Lady Walk on the 30th of July up to 3rd. August 2007. The company has stated that it is taking positive steps as soon as possible towards a consensus review of drainage provision in conjunction with other authorities. The company has still not given an undertaking that they will give a progress report via the presence of a representative at the September community meeting of the GRA. The GRA urges all residents who have received letters from the company to write back to them demanding that they do attend along with Seven Trent and the MP

CRAZY BEHAVIOUR IN LOCAL COMMERCIAL CAR PARKS 24.07.07
It is unbelievable how some young people are risking their lives late at night in cars. Can you imagine surfing around the B&Q car park at high speed, lying on top of a van and gripping the open windows to hang on? This is videod and shown on YouTube.  Sainsburys off the A57 Gateford by-pass have recently installed a barrier gate to prevent entry to boy racers after shopping hours. If you are being disturbed in the early hours by idiotic driving on the Gateford bypass, please call the police immediately. See the telephone numbers on this website.

THE TRAVELLERS HAVE GONE! 13-07-07
At 7.30pm on Friday 13th July, the travelling caravans lined up in Scampton Way and processed off the estate via Ashes Park Ave. They left voluntarily. "Many of the vans were spray covered with mud from where they had churned up the grass with their spinning wheels in the very wet ground ", said David Larder,Communications Officer for the GRA.He thought they had realised that there was a real danger of them all being bogged down.He added that the site where they had been was
covered with rubbish, in spite of the skip provided by BDC being only part full.

The GRA is urgently contacting the BDC to put the parkland back to normal as soon as possible.  David commented,"The entry to this area could easily happen again. Some residents may need to ask themselves if the travellers would have got on if there had been proper protective railings there ,enclosing a well designed play area for children on the estate. He urged all residents to vote for or against the play area proposals and return their questionnaires to the school after this weekend, if they had not already done so.

MOVING HOUSE ON WATERY GATEFORD 15-06-07
The occupants of Number One Lark Spinney had a day to remember on Friday 15th of June. Not only were they moving house on that day, but it was flooded as they did so. The heavy rain caused  flooding on the Birds estate. Many drivers had to cut across the large green area in the middle because the flood water was deep on all the roads nearby. The fire service were called and they opened some of the drain covers.The rush of the water knocked over a number of green bins which were being collected , leaving rubbish littering the estate. The flooding was not quite as bad as earlier in the year. GRA Chairman Larry Read reported the matter to County Councillor Sybil Fielding and District Councillor Alan Rhodes. Within a short space of time the road sweepers were out and once the flooding had subsided only mud stains remained. "However this drainage of the

Birds estate has to be dealt with properly by the Water Authority and the developers Taylor Woodrow ,in this case," said Larry Read .The GRA is on the case! ". UPDATE - At 8pm after several hours of continuous rain , the two roads once again flooded. Craig Stevens managed to catch some of the incredible sights as cars were stranded and 4x4's used the Green as makeshift roads -

MORE FLOODING ON "BIRDS" ESTATE 20-06-07
At 2am on 20th June a magnetic storm broke into the power supply. This triggred many burglar alarms to go off. Heavy rain went on until 3.30 am. fountants of water blew drain inspection covers 18 inches high into the air. Worried residents ran out with torches to in Redwing Close and Lady Walk to check on levels. A 7.30 am yellow flood relief lorries were on the scene an water started to subside.

ALL ROADS TO BE ADOPTED SOON -"HOUSE PRICES TO RISE IN VALUE BY THOUSANDS"
As a result of campaigning and pressure by GRA, and the hard work by County Councillor Sybil Fielding and John Mann MP, the value of many houses on Gateford estates will jump by between10,000 pounds and 25,000 pounds in about three months time. This is because all roads are going to be adopted by the Notts CC at their risk legally for maintenance and street lighting.  Over 50 roads have not been adopted, some going back 14 years on the Birds estate. Normally, County Councils do not have to adopt roads where developers have not brought everything up to
national standards. Mr. Mann has called the County move "bold".There still will be problems to be sorted out. But the County has decided that the legal burden to pay for these on unadopted roads will no longer fall on householders, if developers cannot or won't pay up.

HAVE YOUR SAY ON CHILDRENS PLAY ! 20-06-07
After many months of consultation between GRA and the Council it is now your chance as residents to have a say as to what and where you would like these. A consultation document will be delivered with the latest newsletter so please make your views count by completing the questionaire, and sending it back by 18th JULY. Our Young people need a safe and stimulating environment to play and grow. To achieve this, we need your support.. DO NOT LET THIS OPPORTUNITY GO BY. VOTE FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE. If people do not take advantage of this opportunity to vote then no money will be spent on the children and the estate will be without any facilities at all. At the Community Meeting on the 10th September an official of Bassetlaw District Council will announce the results of the referendum.

PUFFINS come to Gateford this summer 26-06-07
They will help children and cyclists cross from Kingfisher Walk to Raymoth Lane across the Gateford Road. The advantage of puffin crossings is that they are at the height of children and can be controlled by them. The red and green men will be easily recognisable. The scheme will have a controlled area on each side, marked with zigzags within which no parking or loading will be allowed. The Gateford Residents Association has urged, for a considerable time, to make the crossing over the road law safer.

New Councillors for Gateford
The May 3rd Local Eleections for Bassetlaw Council resulted in these Councillors either being elected or continuing to represent Gateford.  A new Labour Councillor , Bill Barker won the vacant Worksop North seat with 981 votes. He joins Steve Burton and Allan Makeman to cover Celtic Park and The Ashes Park roads. The Lady Walk and Kingfisher side (Worksop North West) councilors are: Ivor Jones, David Pressley and Alan Rhode. Your County Councillor is Sybil Fielding

Next Year's School Holidays Announced
Plan your holidays well in advance
Autumn Term 2008 starts Sept 3rd
Oct Half Term Oct 27-Oct 31
AutumnTerm end: Dec-22 - Jan 2nd
Feb.Half Term 2009 Feb.16-Feb 20.
Easter Holiday April 6-april17
Whit Half Term May 25-May29
Summer Holiday July 22 Sept 2nd 2009