Category: Walking

Ruddington’s Railway Celebrates 125 Years

Graham Wright

Did you realise that 2024 marks 125 years since the opening of the Great Central Railway ‘London Extension’? That included the two sections of line now preserved by heritage railway groups between Ruddington and Birstall in Leicester – which are soon to be reconnected in Loughborough, if all goes to plan. Meantime this weekend those two groups, Great Central Railway (Nottingham) and Great Central Railway (Loughborough), are holding a joint celebration for the first time, and encouraging visitors to enjoy what’s on offer at their sites. On both Saturday 16th March…

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£336k of Ruddington Schools’ Cash to Expand Edwalton Academy!

Graham Wright

Late last year we reported how Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) had indicated the expansion of Rosecliffe Spencer Academy in Edwalton (top photo) would be the focus of its efforts to accommodate an increasing population of Ruddington children, rather than creating more school places here. This has now been confirmed in a ‘response’ from NCC to last summer’s petition by village resident Katie Santana on behalf of aggrieved parents in Ruddington. To their surprise and dismay at the time, a number of families living here found their children couldn’t get a place…

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New Crossing Plans Revealed

Graham Wright

Eagle-eyed villagers who’ve ventured down Clifton Road during the past couple of days may have wondered why men in fluorescent jackets were digging up a perfectly good pavement!? Well, we can reveal it’s part of ‘exploratory’ excavation work to determine the depth of utility services there for ‘design purposes’ for the installation of a proposed ‘Toucan’ pedestrian crossing.  As well as workers digging up the pavement area outside ‘Victoria Court’ (see photos) they’re also digging on the opposite side of Clifton Road in the grass verge and on the pavement adjacent…

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Kids’ Fun Run Turns Ten

Graham Wright

It’s hard to believe that Ruddington’s free, weekly park run for children aged 4 to 14 and their families is now a decade old! When Rushcliffe Junior Parkrun was launched in Rushcliffe Country Park, at 9am on Sunday 2nd February 2014, it was only the eighth junior event to be set up in the world – and yet it managed to attract 118 participants and 20 volunteers for the very first one. This 2k ‘fun run’ was set up to encourage kids, families and friends to enjoy exercising in open spaces,…

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Historic Footbridge Closes Again

Graham Wright

Less than five years since it was last closed for repairs, one of Ruddington’s railway landmarks is currently undergoing a little more TLC following new safety concerns raised by the increased number of pedestrians who now use it. ‘Fifty Steps Bridge’ over the Great Central Railway line was constructed well over a century ago (circa 1899) and still survives as a functioning footbridge to this day. This is despite the passenger line beneath it becoming a victim of Dr Richard Beeching’s cuts in 1963, and nearby Ruddington Station subsequently being…

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Junction Works to Last Until October!

Graham Wright

After another short period back on the old traffic lights, following the timely completion of cable re-routing work by Virgin Media, potentially disruptive work resumes at the Kirk Lane/Loughborough Road/Flawforth Lane crossroads this week. Since this major highways project began in July 2023 – to improve the layout and install or reconfigure utility connections at the busy Ruddington junction – it has caused major frustration due to long, peak-time delays for drivers and bus passengers, and had a significant impact on nearby residents. The latest bombshell from Via East Midlands is that it now anticipates…

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‘Have Your Say’ on New Development Design

Graham Wright

Ruddington’s green spaces have seen significant shrinkage over the past few years as a result of infill housing within our village and, most recently, because of the ‘Rushcliffe Local Plan Part 2’. Not only was planning permission granted by Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) in 2020 for hundreds of new homes on four large areas of our village’s former Green Belt, developers are also continuing to benefit from ‘windfall’ land which wasn’t originally included but had its ‘protected’ status removed at the same time. So far this has allowed a significant…

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Will You Open YOUR Garden for Charity?

Graham Wright

After returning post-pandemic in 2022, it’s been confirmed the (usually) biennial ‘Ruddington Open Gardens’ event is being staged again this summer. In fact, planning is already underway for Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd June 2024, when gardens and allotments in our village will be opening in aid of two charities from 2.00pm to 6.00pm on both days. As previously, all proceeds from the event will be split between Save the Children and Action for Children. Residents willing to participate in this year’s two-day horticultural feast are now being invited to get in touch.…

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New Ruddington Defibrillator

Graham Wright

As our village population continues to grow, so does the need for potentially life-saving yellow and green boxes in close proximity which are available to our community 24 hours a day. In the past few years, as well as inside various Ruddington premises and on standby for public events, several publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed at locations around our village. Now there’s another one – on the wall of the Old Chapel belonging to The Framework Knitters’ Museum down Chapel Street. It’s just been unveiled by electrician David Selby…

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Traditional Hedge Laying at our Country Park

Graham Wright

Visitors to Ruddington’s top tourist attraction may have noticed a time-honoured hedge laying technique to help manage its hedgerows sustainably, which aims to provide a valuable habitat and food source for wildlife. Further winter work is being undertaken at Rushcliffe Country Park by its Park Rangers and Friends of Rushcliffe Country Park (FoRCP) volunteers using a traditional, manual technique which involves cutting the hedge tree thinly at the base and lying them on their side, as can be seen above. It’s an annual practice they have used for decades in certain…

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