MORNING EDITION: Fight continues to save Arnold pub from closure

Good morning 🌅 Hello Thursday! Here's your daily email updating you on the latest news and information from across Gedling borough. See you tomorrow!

🪧 Is Arnold losing its ‘heart and soul’

Campaigners are continuing the fight to save a Wetherspoon pub in Arnold which they described as the ‘heart and soul’ of the community.

Community leaders and residents alike were left in shock in February after it was announced the town’s well-frequented Wetherspoon pub – The Ernehale – had gone up for sale.

The pub giant has put the spot in Nottingham Road on the market for offers in excess of £400,000.

However, the move has been met with widespread criticism and more than 1,200 signatures have been left on a petition set up by Gedling’s Labour MP Michael Payne, who has called on the pub company to reverse its decision.

Andrew Ludlow, secretary of the Nottingham branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said The Ernehale was a popular meeting place and that it offered affordability during the cost of living crisis.

He said: “While Wetherspoons are a business entity, they are often the heart and soul of communities.

“They offer facilities for such long periods of the day, with good value beer, wines, cider. In places like Arnold I doubt there’s many that can open and cover all those requirements.

“The amount of times I’ve been in there and there’s people sitting there having a beer and reading the paper – if the pub goes, where are they going to go?

“You’ve got company and warmth. These days we’re being bombarded by increased costs on everything. Sometimes it can be difficult to strike up acquaintances.

“You can sit there and have a good-value meal, coffee, have the advantage that it’s warm – during a bad winter you do worry about people living on their own who can’t get out and can’t afford to keep the heating on.”

Mr Ludlow called the popular chain a “magnet” for towns, helping boost the other pubs in the area and called it a “dreadful loss”.

Gedling Borough Council leader, John Clarke (Lab), said the sale of the Wetherspoon pub would be “another empty hole in the high street”.

He said: “I’m just baffled, it’s been pretty full every time I go past.

“The key thing is mental health, quality of life issues. When I was younger back [at home], every street corner had a pub or off licence on it.

“If you wanted to listen to what was going on [it was in a pub]. They’re great places for charities, family groups. It’s the way people can think and discuss things, it’s good, healthy debate and we’ll lose that – everyone’s now sat on their phones and taking things as gospel.”

“If you go into [The Ernehale] you feel safe and you actually get something to eat and if you need to use the facilities they’re excellent – a lot of people who use it are on a fixed income, that’s where it will have a great effect.”

Cllr Clarke says he would “encourage everybody” to get involved in the campaign to stop from it being sold.

He added: “[The closure] would probably be balanced out from the smaller bars but I wouldn’t want to see anything else go.”

Michael Payne wrote to Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, and the chief executive, John Hutson, asking them to reconsider the decision to sell the Arnold pub, telling them he would be willing to meet in person to discuss the sale.

Wetherspoon were contacted for an update on whether discussions had taken place on reversing its decision since the petition was set up.

In a statement, a Wetherspoon spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Wetherspoon has placed the pub on the market. We understand that staff and customers will be disappointed with the news.

“Wetherspoon does, on occasion, put some of its pubs up for sale and this is the case here. It is a commercial decision taken by the company. The pub will continue to operate as a Wetherspoon until it is sold.

“We have had discussions with a number of different pub operators who are interested, so it is likely that this site will continue as a pub for the local community.”

In the last two years Wetherspoon has sold off other Nottinghamshire pubs – including The Regent in Kirby-in-Ashfield and The Sir John Arderne in Newark.

Lauren Monaghan,
Local Democracy Reporter

🌤️ WEATHER UPDATE

Here's what's in store for today and over the weekend...

Today it will be cloudy throughout with an initial risk of low cloud and fog. Patchy light rain is possible early on, before becoming mostly dry from late morning. It will be mostly cloudy overnight with patches of drizzle. A few clear spells may develop later, where a frost along with some fog patches are possible.

On Saturday there will be some brightness initially once any fog patches clear, but otherwise a cloudy day with patches of rain and drizzle, along with light winds.

On Sunday it will be murky with low cloud and patchy drizzle. It will be dull but brighter spells will soon develop along with a risk of showers.

📷 IN PICTURES: Pothole protest

A dozen pothole protesters from across Gedling gathered outside County Hall yesterday (5) to draw attention to the condition of the roads in the borough.

The protesters were greeted by a number of county councillors upon their arrival, which led to a clash between council leader Mick Barton and opposition leader Sam Smith.

Barton accused Smith of coming to the protest to "make it political".

He told the BBC: "He's come out here just to cause a scene, I've come out here to speak to these people and have an adult conversation about the highways and how we're going to improve them," he said.

Smith denied he was trying to cause problems for the leader, and said Barton "just makes stuff up".

The route from Arnold to Nottingham has been confirmed as the UK’s most frustrating commute, with over 6 minutes of delay per mile.

By analysing traffic and congestion data across 200 towns serving the UK’s 20 largest cities, research by ChoiceQuote revealed Mansfield Road in Arnold to Nottingham is most affected by commuting disruption. Despite being situated just 3.7 miles from Nottingham’s city centre, there was an average delay of over six minutes per mile. Therefore, a journey which would take 12 minutes during quieter times, rises to 35 minutes during peak times. Figures showed the annual financial cost (time) to be £3,105.

The Belfast suburb of Dundonald takes 2nd place, with commuters losing 207 hours every year to delays, while commuters travelling from Prestwich face on average 19 minutes of delays per journey despite being situated just 4.4 miles from Manchester’s city centre.

🚫 Colwick Recreation Ground car park to close temporarily for resurfacing works

The car park at Colwick Recreation Ground will be temporarily closed from Monday, March 9 to Friday, April 3 2026 to allow for essential resurfacing and improvement works to take place.

Located on Mile End Road, Colwick, the car park will be fully closed throughout the four‑week period while contractors carry out upgrades that will significantly improve the usability and capacity of the site for visitors.

The works include a full resurfacing of the current car park to a more durable tarmac surface, as well as the introduction of marked parking bays. The council say these improvements will maximise the available space, improve safety and create a better experience for those accessing the recreation ground and car park. 

This project has received £81,000 from the Mayor of the East Midlands and East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) from funding provided by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Cllr Jenny Hollingsworth, Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth and Economy said: “We appreciate that this temporary closure may cause some inconvenience for regular visitors, but these improvements will provide long‑term benefits for everyone using the recreation ground.

Visitors are encouraged to consider alternative parking options during the four-week closure.