MORNING EDITION: Last-ditch attempt to save bowls club

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🖊️ Possible closure of bowls club in Gedling a ‘complete and utter travesty’

A last-ditch petition has been set up in an attempt to save an indoor bowls club heading for closure after the council confirmed its exclusion in new leisure centre plans.

The fate of Gedling Indoor Bowls Club has been in limbo since September 2025 after Gedling Borough Council decided to no longer include it in plans to replace Carlton Forum Leisure Centre and the Richard Herrod Centre with a new building.

The project would involve a new ‘Carlton Active’ leisure and community facility being built on the Richard Herrod site and could include an eight-lane swimming pool and teaching pool, a 100-station gym, community rooms and a café.

Members of the bowls club have been protesting for months to safeguard the club’s future but now council documents, released ahead of a meeting on Thursday (19), re-confirm the authority does not plan to retain indoor bowls in plans.

This, the authority says, is due to “significant affordability, design and deliverability risks”.

Councillor Darren Maltby (Con) branded the decision a “complete and utter travesty”.

In response to the council’s re-confirmed stance, Cllr Maltby started a petition on February 14 to include a bowls facility at the new centre. At the time of writing the petition had 197 signatures.

He said: “I come from a welfare background for over 20 years and I’ve seen the impact closing facilities have on vulnerable people – not just the elderly, but also disabled people.

“It’s an inclusive sport – one of the few in Gedling, if not the only one.

“We’ve come out of lockdown where it was big on social isolation – here we’re taking a backward step. It might be their only communication with another human being and it’s taking that lifeline away.”

The bowls club has around 320 members aged between 25 and 92 and runs 2,200 sessions each month, including sessions for disabled bowlers. Its lease expires at their existing site at the end of April 2026.

At the council’s September meeting the authority offered “non-financial support” to the bowls club to look at relocation options.

Following this, a petition signed by more than 1,000 people was presented to councillors in a November meeting calling on the authority to “reinstate, retain and protect” indoor bowling in plans – the authority’s response was later confirmed for Thursday’s cabinet meeting.

Cllr Maltby added he was worried about members’ mental wellbeing if the club closed for good and added: “It’s been such an integral part of that centre, they’ve been providing revenue, it’s not like they just sit there.

“They buy food and drinks there… these are people who have paid into the system all their lives – we live in a modern age now where we can have multi-purpose rooms.”

The authority says it has assessed a potential smaller-rink bowls option instead of a six-rink facility but that “the addition of a 3-rink, 4-rink or 6-rink facility would result in a level of cost that would render the scheme unaffordable” due to the building needed clear spans, high ceilings and environmental controls if included.

Documents continue that including the bowls would require a “significantly larger” footprint which could likely result in key “highest-demand” facilities such as the swimming pool or gym being removed or reduced.

Ian Summerscales, director of the bowls club, told us an application has been submitted to have the bowls hall regarded as an asset for community value.

He said: “The council keeps saying they’ve consulted on a four-rink option, we pressed them on that. All there are is some handwritten notes.

“We wrote to the council’s leadership over a month ago specifically about a feasibility study and them being obliged to find us alternative venues. We haven’t even had an acknowledgement, haven’t had a reply – we feel like we’re being stonewalled at the moment.

“We’re devastated. It isn’t a small club, it isn’t a private club. We’ve had people in tears, I’ve been in tears myself, but we’re getting lots of support and the staff in the centre are absolutely brilliant considering they’re at risk as well.”

Mr Summerscales previously said the council had identified 18 potential sites for relocation and were “not worth the paper it’s written on” and raising the money to move into such sites was a “pipe dream”.

Earlier council documents said both existing leisure centres faced more than £2 million in backlog works and require a yearly subsidy of around £545,000, making them “unsustainable in their current form”. 

Thursday’s cabinet is set to agree the closure of the Richard Herrod Centre from May 1, 2026.

The wider project is currently estimated to cost just under £30 million.

The council was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Lauren Monaghan,
Local Democracy Reporter

🚦 Roadworks and closures planned for Gedling borough this week

Take a look at the roadworks and closures scheduled for Gedling borough’s roads for the week beginning February 16.

Make sure to plan your journey and check before your travel as these planned works could affect you. 

Burton Road, Gedling
17 February - 18 February
Roadworks, Delays likely
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Carlton Hill, Carlton
20 February - 21 February
Roadworks, Delays likely
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Gedling Road, Woodthorpe
18 February - 20 February
Roadworks, Delays likely
Responsibility for works: Openreach Ltd

Gedling Road, Arnold
19 February
Roadworks, Delays likely
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

High Street, Arnold
18 February - 20 February
Roadworks, Delays likely
Responsibility for works: Vodafone

Lime Lane, Redhill
22 February
Roadworks, Delays likely
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Mansfield Road North, Ravenshead
18 February - 20 February
Roadworks, Delays likely from B6020 Kirkby Road/B6020 Main Road junction heading 800-metres in a Northerly direction.
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Station Road, Carlton
18 February - 19 February
Roadworks, Delays likely
Responsibility for works: Openreach Ltd

Westdale Lane West, Mapperley
21 February - 22 February
Roadworks, Delays likely due to lane closure
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Woodborough Road, Mapperley
22 February
Roadworks, Delays likely due to lane closure
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Adbolton Avenue, Gedling
18 February - 19 February
Roadworks, Delays possible for carriageway pothole repairs between the junction with Westdale Lane to Newcastle Avenue junction
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Bank Hill, Woodborough
18 February - 20 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Works location: C16 Bank Hill, Woodborough. From the 30-MPH speed limit change to the C39 Foxwood Lane/C16 Main Street junction.
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Church Lane, Linby
17 February - 18 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Churchmoor Lane, Redhill
18 February - 19 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Church Street, Carlton
17 February - 18 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water 

Foxwood Lane, Woodborough
18 February - 20 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Frederick Avenue, Carlton
18 February - 19 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Virgin Media Ltd

Furlong Street, Arnold
17 February - 19 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Virgin Media Ltd

Furlong Street, Arnold
20 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Hanworth Gardens, Arnold
20 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Howbeck Road, Arnold
17 February - 13 March
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Lambley Avenue, Mapperley
17 February - 18 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Lambley Lane, Gedling
18 February
Roadworks, Delays possible

Longue Drive, Calverton
19 February - 20 February
Roadworks, Delays possible from the junction with Jumelles Drive to the junction of Rowan Close

Main Street, Woodborough
18 February - 20 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Oakdale Road, Carlton
18 February - 19 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Shelford Road, Gedling
17 February - 18 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

Southdale Road, Carlton
17 February - 18 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water 

Spring Lane, Lambley
19 February - 26 February
Roadworks, Delays possible
Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council

💻 ‘It works well’: Reform council leader responds to Nigel Farage wanting end to working from home

The Reform leader of Nottinghamshire County Council says the authority’s working-from-home policy “works well”

Cllr Mick Barton, whose Reform group took control of the council last year, was responding to his party’s leader, Nigel Farage, who said he wanted an “attitudinal change to the idea of working from home” at a rally in Birmingham.

Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) currently has a hybrid working policy, meaning the work week for many staff is often split between office and home-based.

The authority is still advertising hybrid working roles on its website.

Cllr Barton said: “Here at Nottinghamshire County Council we have a working from home policy that works very well.

“We are encouraging working from the office. I totally agree with Nigel that staff are more productive working from the office. We are changing the culture.

“But the reality at NCC is that we literally do not have the desk space for everyone to be in five days a week.”

Recently, Mr Farage said: “You can’t go on the sick because you’ve got mild anxiety. But it is an attitudinal change that Britain needs.

“An attitudinal change to hard work, rather than work-life balance. An attitudinal change to the idea of working from home.

“People aren’t more productive working at home, it’s a load of nonsense. They’re more productive being with other fellow human beings, and working as part of a team.”

Cllr Sam Smith had been the leader of the council for the Conservatives before Reform took control.

Now speaking as leader of the opposition, he said his group would have encouraged more people to return to the office, arguing “no Teams message beats in-person office talking between colleagues.”

“Being in the office prevents silo working and duplication and increases productivity with better outcomes,” he said.

“Staffing working together in the office is more efficient than working from home.”

However he questioned Reform’s support for the current council policy based on a lack of office space.

“A large proportion of the council’s workforce are not deal workers and are instead out in the community supporting residents, including social care staff and youth workers,” he added.

“Both County Hall and Oak House have huge amounts of desk space and the county council has access to office space dotted around the county that can accommodate more office working than currently exists.”

Joe Locker,
Local Democracy Reporter

💷 Curtain call for community support as Colwick firm backs Robin Hood Theatre

The curtain is rising on a new chapter for the Robin Hood Theatre in Newark thanks to a generous donation from Colwick firm The Wilkins Group. 

Following the success of the company’s 12 Months of Giving initiative in 2025, which focused on nature and conservation, this latest campaign shines a spotlight on the arts and talent within the local community. 

Donating £1000 each month of the year to 12 different charities, The Wilkins' Group's first donation of 2026 was given to the Robin Hood Theatre near Newark to fund new stage drapes, which can cost in excess of £10,000 - helping ensure the theatre continues to host performances that delight audiences young and old.

Justin Wilkins of The Wilkins Group said: “"The Robin Hood Theatre has a story as colourful as any stage production and supporting the new stage drapes means the show can quite literally go on.

“Theatre is about passion, dedication and a little bit of magic. We are proud to play a part in keeping this historic venue alive and ensuring it continues to entertain and inspire for generations to come.”

Jean Baliol-Key, a trustee for The Robin Hood Theatre said: “We are thrilled to receive this support from The Wilkins Group. The new stage drapes will make a real difference to our productions, helping us maintain the character of our historic building while adding a touch of theatre magic. With this donation, we can keep welcoming performers, audiences and volunteers alike and ensure the show truly goes on.”

Geoff Morgan, Chairman, said: "Our plan is to replace our drapes and then move onto the seating. Support like this is invaluable and we would like to thank the team at The Wilkins Group." 

The Wilkins Group produces food packaging for Pukka Pies, Pizza Express, Harrods and Cadbury, and has also been recognised for bespoke products including eco-friendly coat hangers and the iconic M&S light-up glitter gin bottles.

🌤️ WEATHER UPDATE

Looking out the window so you don't have to...

Today it will be dry and cold with increasingly hazy sunny spells. There will be a risk of icy stretches at first. Maximum temperature 5 °C. Tonight it will be dry and cold with a widespread frost developing, with a risk of icy patches. Cloud gradually thickening overnight. Minimum temperature -2 °C.

On Wednesday it will be dry but mostly cloudy and cold to start. Any early brighter spells will disappear as a band of rain, sleet and snow moves in. Wind will strengthen.