Author: Graham Wright

A ‘Yarn Bomb’ Fit For a King

Graham Wright

It’s only a month since their last ‘Ruddington Yarn Bomb’ for Easter, but our local knitters, pom pom and tassle makers, crocheters and sewists from the ‘Handmade in Rudd’ Facebook group and beyond have been working flat out, before and since, to create their latest display in time for The King’s Coronation. The now famous ‘Ruddington Yarn Ninjas’ have created lots of brand new pieces to adorn the village centre, as well as an update to last year’s Queen’s Platinum Jubilee church railings ‘royal balcony’ tapestry to reflect the key Royal players this time around. Chief…

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Adopt a Flower Bed!

Graham Wright

An imaginative volunteering idea has been unveiled by a Ruddington tourist attraction aiming to get all generations involved at its village centre heritage site. The Framework Knitters’ Museum on Chapel Street has launched a campaign to find two ‘green fingered’ families over the summer holidays. Those chosen will adopt a flower bed, in the museum’s gardens, and be given British cottage flowers to tend to once a week throughout June, July and August. Families will also explore and identify the type of plants and flowers, how best to care for them, their…

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King’s Coronation Events in Ruddington

Graham Wright

Thanks to King Charles III, this year we’re getting no less than THREE Bank Holiday Mondays during May. For most villagers, the most significant of these is this coming weekend, 6th to 8th May 2023, when Ruddington will once again be pulling out all the stops to celebrate the Coronation of our new monarch. Village centre businesses such as The Honeycomb Christian Charity Shop (pictured top) are already decorated and stocked up for the occasion! Before that, this Friday (May 5th) children attending St Peter’s Junior School will will be…

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Ruddington’s First Rapid Chargers

Graham Wright

It’s been rather a long time coming, but our village is now offering rapid charging provision for use by the ever-increasing number of residents and visitors with electric vehicles (EVs). Two EV charging points have just been installed at the entrance to Rushcliffe Country Park, operating on the national BP Pulse network. These units offer up to 50kW charging speeds which, for a small car like the MINI Electric (pictured) means charging up from 20% to 80% will take only around 20 minutes. This compares with several hours to achieve the same…

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Ruddington School Places Crisis Deepens

Graham Wright

Just over a week ago, when Nottinghamshire County Council proudly announced that 96.3% of Nottinghamshire children had been offered their parents’ first preference school for a reception place in September 2023, that statistic simply didn’t ring true for many families here in Ruddington. A parents’ petition to the County Council has now been started. See the update below*. Since then, we’ve been made aware of at least nine village children not securing the expected place to begin their education at James Peacock School in Manor Park. That’s despite five of these…

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Calling Model Railway Buffs!

Graham Wright

A creative Ruddington-based group of train enthusiasts is putting out an invitation for anyone with a passion for railway modelling to join them. Ruddington Model Railway Club is currently looking for new members to add to its existing team, to help operate and maintain their impressive indoor and outdoor layouts for 2023 and beyond. Sam Moss says: “We’re a small club consisting of around 35 members and cater for OO, O and G scale, with further OO and N gauge in the process of being built. Membership of Ruddington MRC is only £30…

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Another Minister on the Move!

Graham Wright

After less than three years in the post, the minister of Ruddington Methodist Church has revealed she’s being moved almost 300 miles to another circuit in Cornwall! Reverend Nichola Jones arrived in Ruddington during the first ‘lockdown’ in September 2020 – to replace Revd Simon Rose as our Methodist Minister – and did expect to be here for the long term. “It was a bit of a shock to be told by the Methodist Church that they needed me elsewhere!” she admits. “We serve ‘under obedience’ and the Church is…

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Ruddington’s Local Election Candidates

Graham Wright

With just a fortnight left before we go to the polls on 4th May 2023, all the candidates standing for election here in Ruddington have now been revealed. Once again, villagers will not be asked to vote for any Ruddington Parish Councillors since, disappointingly, only 13 residents put themselves forward for the 16 available seats. These Councillors have already been ‘duly elected’ by the Returning Officer, without a contest. It’s hoped the vacant Parish Council seats – one in Flawford Ward and two in Manor Ward – can be filled by co-option…

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The Colts at County!

Graham Wright

A dozen budding Ruddington soccer stars of the future are still ‘buzzing’ after enjoying the experience of a lifetime at the weekend. Twelve members of Ruddington Village Colts Under 10s team played their own very special part at Meadow Lane on Saturday as Notts County inflicted a convincing National League defeat on visitors Woking – a club record 31st win of the season. The young village side was initially offered the chance to be part of the ‘Notts County Matchday Experience’ in late 2019. However, after COVID-19 struck, it’s only been this season…

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John’s Latest Ukraine Diary

Graham Wright

Just a year after their first expedition to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine, a big hearted duo from a Ruddington pub have recently returned from driving further donations into the war-torn country. After the partial Russian invasion there, early in 2022, with millions of Ukrainians displaced and fierce fighting from its military trying to defend their country from bombs and bullets ever since, there’s no sign of Vladimir Putin’s ambition to seize more of Ukraine waning just yet. Consequently, Dave Frankie and John Noble (pictured top), the manager and owner of The Frame Breakers…

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