pandemic – RUDDINGTON.info

Ruddington Bus Service Goes ‘On Demand’ Only

15th July 202418th July 2024 Graham Wright

Following the announcement last November that Ruddington’s only timetabled bus service to Keyworth (via Wysall, Willoughy and Widmerpool) was under threat, Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) has confirmed it’s being axed even sooner than envisaged – at the end of this week! After Saturday 20th July our current, six-day-a-week 863 NottsBus Connect scheduled service is being scrapped by NCC, along with the 850, 852 and 853 routes, in favour of ‘DRT’ – Demand Responsive Transport. From Monday 22nd July, prospective passengers from Ruddington and elsewhere will need to pre-book each journey they wish…

Permanent Coral Closure Confirmed

11th May 202419th May 2024 Graham Wright

The owners of Ruddington’s only betting shop say it has shut for good. Villagers noticed late last month that Coral Bookmakers at Unit 2 High Street was dark and empty – after previously being open for business throughout the year, seven days a week, other than on Christmas Day. The only exception was during a couple of months in the summer of 2019 when a fire at the premises forced the branch to close for a major refurbishment. When it reopened – six months before ‘lockdown’ – the future was looking…

Further Ruddington Bus Cuts Revealed

26th November 202328th November 2023 Graham Wright

With Ruddington’s population continuing to grow substantially, largely as a result of significant recent housebuilding on our former Green Belt, you might think there’d actually be the demand for more bus services to and from our busy village? Yet the cutbacks to NCT’s Navy 3 timetable, and the axing of CT4N’s number 22 and 23 services, tell a different story – one where increasing numbers of residents and village workers are choosing to hop into their cars and drive instead – or even to book a taxi – rather than take…

Ruddington Shops Update

25th February 202330th August 2023 Graham Wright

Earlier this month we revealed how a new ‘Farm Shop’ has opened at The White Horse Inn on Wednesdays to Saturdays. There are now further, exciting Ruddington shop changes to report – and some still to come. Firstly, ‘ASDA On The Move’ which RUDDINGTON.info reported a year ago would be coming to Euro Garages’ expanded Ruddington Service Station premises along Loughborough Road, has finally arrived! It stocks up to 2,500 ASDA own brand, premium own-label ‘Extra Special’ and branded products – including bakery, fresh, chilled and ‘ambient’ groceries – along…

Digital Recovery Grants Still Available

21st November 202223rd November 2022 Graham Wright

Ruddington’s high street businesses and established village centre business groups are being reminded they may still be able to receive support for their online presence from Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC). It’s thanks to the ‘High Street Businesses Covid Digital Recovery Grant’ which aims to help eligible traders to adapt further to improve their online profile or sales. Small to medium sized retail, hospitality, personal care, leisure, tourism and other enterprises here in Ruddington and elsewhere in the Borough can now access up to £1,000 – over and above other pandemic-related central government grant…

A Plethora of New Village Businesses

20th October 202225th February 2023 Graham Wright

Whilst many high streets up and down the country continue to struggle in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and people’s changing shopping habits, it seems Ruddington is coping better than many. Although there have been shop closures here, generally our retail units in the village centre don’t stay empty for long. Currently there are plenty of new arrivals. In fact the opening of ‘The Courtyard’ two years ago – an attractive new shopping precinct where mainly derelict old buildings used to be – plus the redevelopment of the former Barclay & Cook site…

Ruddington Ally’s Grand Designs

4th October 20224th October 2022 Graham Wright

A village resident who lost her job in graphic design during the Coronavirus pandemic has literally carved out a brand new career – which has proved so successful she’s been invited to showcase it to a national audience! Ruddington’s Ally Booker is over at the Birmingham NEC from this Wednesday to Sunday (5th – 9th October) for Channel 4 TV’s ‘Grand Designs – Live’ doing demonstrations in their ‘Sustainable Future Theatre’. Organisers found out about Ally and her upcycled furniture business Restoration Hut from her linked Instagram account. “They are really invested in discovering and promoting…

The Bottle Top – Café, Beer & Eco Shop

23rd September 20224th April 2023 Featured Content

When Glyn Thomas’s much loved Greengrocers closed its doors in 2018, locals feared the heart and been ripped out of Ruddington and that our village centre would never be the same again. It was clear that a shop dedicated solely to selling fresh fruit and vegetables may no longer be viable, nevertheless 2, High Street has now become a new hub of the community thanks to the vision of husband and wife team Anthony and Alex Preston. Together they brought to Ruddington a brand new business called The Bottle Top, which opened on May…

COVID Is Not Over, Ruddington

20th September 202222nd September 2022 Graham Wright

Whilst it’s no longer a cause for alarm for most of us, villagers may still be interested to see this latest Government map – indicating a surge in COVID-19 cases detected in Ruddington this month. The latest statistics from the official Coronavirus website show our village went ‘purple’ again for the 7-day period ending 10th September 2022 – recording a case rate of 442.3 people per 100,000 of population – making Ruddington rather an unexpected UK ‘hotspot’ for current infections. Now that there’s so little testing done, it’s likely actual…

Surgery Opening Hours Cuts Planned

2nd August 20222nd August 2022 Graham Wright

Following an earlier consultation in January for patients registered at Ruddington’s Church House Surgery, it’s been revealed the next, proposed stage is to make our village practice part-time permanently. Pre-pandemic, the Shaw Street doctors was open from 8.30am to 6.30pm weekdays – except on Thursdays when it was 7am to 12.30pm. The latest plans from The Village Health Group (VHG) would see its hours halved to 8am until 1.00pm on weekdays on a permanent basis. A letter sent to VHG patients and stakeholders explains: “General practice has remained open throughout the pandemic and patients…