Play Area Refurbishment Plans Announced

Plans to refurbish the children’s play area in Ruddington’s country park have been revealed today by Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC). The authority says the changes at Rushcliffe Country Park will be made after the Easter holidays in April as part of its £175,000 of investment into local facilities. Works will include replacing the existing central space net with a new Kanope Tower multi-play unit featuring 14 different play elements and a new wooden trail. RBC  says this will offer panoramic views of the park, increase play opportunities with a new pendulum pod swing…

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It’s ‘Empty Homes Week’

Empty home owners in Ruddington are being urged to bring their property back into use with a range of assistance available from Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC). As part of National Empty Homes Week this week, the authority is again appealing to property owners to use the advice and help on offer in line with its ‘Empty Homes Strategy’. RBC reveals it lowered its empty homes numbers by 10% between 2019 and 2023 and so remains below the national average of long-term empty properties totalling 0.83% of dwellings in the Borough,…

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A Smoke-Free Ruddington?

Residents and businesses in the village are being invited to share our views on a proposal to expand an existing ‘Smoke Control Area’ to cover all of Rushcliffe. Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) is considering revoking its existing Smoke Control Order in West Bridgford and Edwalton and replacing it with a single Smoke Control Order, covering the whole of the Borough, including Ruddington. The authority says its proposed plan is in line with the government’s air quality strategy which seeks to reduce levels of very fine particulates. This is with the…

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2024/2025 Ruddington Council Tax Rises

Ruddington residents now have a better idea of how much more we’ll need to budget for from this April, following our County Council’s annual announcement today (22nd February 2024). During the full Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) budget meeting at County Hall it was agreed their Council Tax precept (the biggest share of the bills we pay) will rise by 2.84%, making it one of the lowest increases in the country. NCC has even created two handy pie charts (below) to show where the Council’s budget comes from and how it is…

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Traditional Hedge Laying at our Country Park

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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‘Heat ‘n’ Eat’ £1 Monday Lunch

If you’re a Ruddington resident, living on a tight budget, you can pre-book for a chef-prepared hot meal and a soft drink for just £1. It’s served at 12.30pm in the welcoming and warm space of St Peter’s Church. Organisers at the Church say it’s usually scheduled to run on the 1st and 4th Monday of the month.   “Heat ‘n’ Eat is a way for everyone to enjoy affordable, good, wholesome food. We hope you’ll want to be part of this new community whether you work at home or in a…

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Apply Now for UK Shared Prosperity Funding

Ruddington organisations delivering a project are being reminded they can apply for up to £40k from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), supported by the UK Government. Applications should be made as soon as possible via Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC), which is currently inviting community groups, businesses, voluntary or public sector organisations from our village to apply for the support by the deadline of Friday January 19th, 2024. Projects can cover a broad range of initiatives, and examples include: • Creating and improving local green…

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Twixmas Roundup from our Railway

With Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre now closed until 2024 (3rd January) here’s a quick progress report as we reach the end of another busy year at Ruddington’s popular railway. Firstly, Great Central Railway (Nottingham) (GCRN) reports that all the main building work on its new carriage shed here in Ruddington is now complete. Not only will this substantial new structure protect four, 1950s-built carriages from the elements and damage, but also the planned flat floor means it will be suitable for indoor events, and there is also a small workshop.…

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Ruddington Pub Plans Approved

A revised planning application with a slightly scaled down extension to an historic Ruddington public house has been approved by Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC). Original plans revealed in July, to substantially expand The Frame Breakers at the corner of High Street and Kirk Lane by way of a three storey side extension with two storey side and rear extension to the existing building, received a negative reaction from some villagers and Ruddington Parish Council.  Consequently these proposals were withdrawn before even being put in front of the authority’s planning committee for consideration. The revised extension, once…

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Milestone Moment for Ruddington’s Railway

Despite the less than ideal autumn weather, it’s being reported that construction of a brand new building at Ruddington’s heritage railway is proceeding well – with new roof beams recently lifted into place {top photo by Tom Ingall} and the halfway point of the fundraising target now reached. As we reported in the summer, £40,000 was awarded to the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd (GCRN) ‘Carriage Shed Project’ from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). This money, combined with match funding from East Midlands Railway Trust and LNER…

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