Dear readers, welcome to our first edition of the week.

Today we have news of a consultation on where new housing will go across the borough, a petition to save a bank from closure in Arnold and NCT offering cheaper travel to bus passengers during the summer nights.

We here at Gedling Eye want to do everything we can to keep our news offering free. Our contributors and suppliers will still want payment so we have to find ways to bring in cash. This is why we are introducing a new premium newsletter celebrating the history and heritage of our borough. For just £3 a month you will get two newsletters a week full of memories, stories and old photos featuring our people and places in the past. We hope you sign up and help support us. More details below.

Best wishes and see you tomorrow.

David Bratton - Editor

Petition launched to stop Arnold Lloyds branch from shutting

A Lloyds branch in Arnold has been earmarked for closure as the banking giant announces yet another wave of cuts to its high‑street network.

Lloyds Banking Group confirmed 79 more branches will disappear over the next year — 31 Lloyds sites and 48 Halifax branches — leaving the group with just 531 across the UK if all closures go ahead.

The Arnold branch at 76, Front Street is among those set to go, prompting Gedling MP Michael Payne to launch a petition in a bid to save it.

The politician has also written directly to the Chief Executive of Lloyds demanding an urgent meeting.

Payne said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision, warning the move would leave a “significant gap” in local banking services and hit residents who rely on face‑to‑face support.

He said the pace of closures risks leaving elderly and vulnerable customers behind, adding: “The closure of this branch will reduce access to essential financial services, increase isolation for vulnerable residents, and undermine the vitality of the local high street.”

The MP accused Lloyds of abandoning its commitment to community banking, urging the group to rethink the decision: “Stand with me in supporting our local bank branches by signing this petition. Together, let’s show Lloyds the vital role they play in Arnold.”

Lloyds defended the cuts, insisting customers still have “more choice and convenience than ever”, pointing to its apps, 24/7 messaging, Post Office services and Community Bankers.

The petition can be signed here: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-lloyds-bank-on-front-street-in-arnold?recruiter=1419056998&recruited_by_id=11626c20-64e4-11f1-82b8-a1d7c39e2adc&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=1bb75950757e4f4daee654df6932e436&utm_medium=copylink&share_id=Dp65NNWDys

NCT launches £2 evening bus fares as summer nights heat up

Summer’s here, the evenings are stretching out, and getting around Notts at night just got cheaper for everyone in Gedling borough.

NCT is rolling out a brand new £2 Evening Single fare — meaning heading out after work or making last‑minute plans won’t hit your wallet quite so hard.

Launching Sunday 21 June, the new ticket cuts the cost of a standard single from £3 to £2 during evening hours, knocking a third off the usual price. It’s designed to make spontaneous nights out, meet‑ups and after‑dark exploring easier than ever.

The fare is valid from 7pm until the last bus, every night, and can be bought with cash, contactless, or through the NCTX Buses app. It covers the entire NCT network, so whether you’re off for dinner, catching a show, or just fancy a wander while the sun hangs around a bit longer, you’re sorted.

NCT says the move aims to boost evening travel and support Nottingham’s bars, restaurants and venues at a time when many are feeling the pinch.

“We’re slashing the price of an evening journey by a third,” said Anthony Carver‑Smith, NCT’s Head of Marketing & Projects. “It’s ideal for making the most of the lighter summer nights, especially as the hospitality sector faces cost pressures.”

He added that a return trip after 7pm will now cost just £4 — a tidy saving compared to an all‑day ticket — and hopes the lower fare will encourage more people to hop on board.

Alex Flint, CEO of It’s in Nottingham, welcomed the move: “Nottingham is known for its vibrant nightlife and brilliant city centre venues. But with people cutting back on socialising, businesses are feeling it. Affordable, reliable public transport is key to keeping the city buzzing.”

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Knife‑wielding dealer locked up after brutal 1am Daybrook street attack

A Nottingham drug dealer has been locked up after stabbing a man in the chest during a late‑night row in Daybrook over a debt.

Police raced to Cornwall Road at around 1.45am on April 3, 2025 after reports of a street fight. They found a man in his 20s bleeding from a stab wound and suffering a collapsed lung. He was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.

Detectives quickly identified 21‑year‑old Marshall Williams‑Handley as the knifeman.

When officers raided a property in Daybrook the next day, they seized the clothes he’d worn during the attack — along with wraps of Class A drugs and a dealer’s list stuffed inside a bag.

Williams‑Handley, of Taylor Way, Nottingham, was later arrested and charged. He denied stabbing the victim but was convicted of wounding with intent and possessing a knife after a trial in December. He also admitted dealing heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.

At Nottingham Crown Court last week (11), he was handed an extended sentence of ten‑and‑a‑half years.

Detective Constable Michaela Williams said the violence erupted after a fallout “about drugs”.

She added: “The incident escalated when Williams‑Handley produced a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest. He required emergency surgery and continues to suffer both physically and psychologically.

“Williams‑Handley was dealing drugs on the street and carrying a weapon he was clearly prepared to use. As we so often see, the presence of a knife turned this into something far more serious.

“The offender is fortunate his victim wasn’t even more seriously hurt. We know people in the area witnessed the incident and were understandably concerned. I hope this sentence shows how seriously we treat violent crime.”

Residents to have their say about where hundreds of homes could be built near their villages

Hundreds of homes could soon be built in leafy and rural areas across Gedling borough – and residents can have their say.

Gedling Borough Council passed through its evolving draft local development plan on Wednesday, June 10, which will now be sent off for examination by the government.

The plan has outlined areas that could be used for thousands of properties.

All local authorities responsible for providing housing, or land for housing, use something called the ‘standard method’ for calculating the need in their areas.

Residents are invited to have their say during a six-week consultation period from June 22 to August 3.

Read more HERE

🌦️ Weather Update

🌧️ Any early showery outbreaks will fade and it will then become generally dry with some hazy sunshine developing through the morning. Cloud will increase into the evening with a risk of some showery rain, perhaps giving the odd heavier burst. Light or gentle winds. Maximum temperature 21 °C. Tonight any showery outbreaks of rain at first will gradually weaken overnight to leave a rather cloudy, but mainly dry start to Tuesday.

⛅ Tuesday will be generally dry with variable cloud but warm, bright spells developing. However, thicker cloud and rain arriving from the west through the evening. Turning breezier later.