A man has been charged in connection with last week’s flat fire in Ruddington. Emergency services were called to Dunblane Road at 9.35pm on Thursday 12th October after concerns were raised for a man’s safety. Officers arrived and evacuated a number of residents after flames were seen coming from a first-floor flat. No-one was injured and the blaze was put out by firefighters. A suspect was arrested at the scene and taken into custody. Stephen Pritchard, of Dunblane Road, Ruddington, has been charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was…
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Village Resident Prosecuted Over £20K Benefit Fraud
A Ruddington man has narrowly escaped a prison term after illegally claiming nearly £20,000 in housing benefit. Peter McConnachie (67), of Ling Crescent, was prosecuted at Nottingham Crown Court this week (September 13th) after Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) worked with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to spot a data-match in 2021. This had seen the Ruddington resident claim over three years of illegal payments when he did not declare his employment at a local pub and restaurant. Failing to notify the Council of his change in circumstances in 2018,…
Read MoreFurther Funding in Paradise
A group that runs a Ruddington allotment has secured more vital cash to support its gardening space which aids residents’ health and mental wellbeing. The Rushcliffe Social Prescribing Group co-ordinates a plot at the ‘Paradise Gardens’ allotments, off Wilford Road, and has received the grant from Rushcliffe Borough Council’s ‘Reach Rushcliffe Fund’. It builds on the group first getting funding in 2021 with the money helping to purchase essentials and making the site accessible. It’s provided an additional pathway for patients of social prescribing to access this space, leading to excellent attendance over the…
Read MoreHappy Anniversary at Parker’s Yard!
It’s now twelve months since Ruddington’s The Split Screen Coffee Company began operating the café based within Ruddington’s Framework Knitters’ Museum (FKM) – and its owners are pleased to report their business is going from strength to strength. The independent coffee roasting company was founded in 2015 by village resident and former teacher Jennifer Walker. She sums up her entreprenaurial experience as a massive learning curve – having left the teaching profession to gain a better work-life balance and spend more time with her family. The Split Screen Coffee Company began eight years’ ago as…
Read MoreGet Ready for ‘The Big Sing’
It’s been rather a long wait, partly due to COVID-19 restrictions, but Ruddington’s much loved singing festival is finally back this month. As before, the aim is to enjoy singing together, and anyone can take part, whether you can sing or not! ‘The Big Sing 2023’ is run by Ruddington Community Choir, who hope it will be a welcome boost to our village economy, too. Organisers estimate over 160 people will gather between 9am and 6pm on Saturday 20th May, with the event starting and ending at St Peter’s Church. Participants will…
Read MoreRuddington’s ‘Final Flourish’ for The Queen’s Green Canopy!
As the extended deadline for planting trees to be part of ‘The Queen’s Green Canopy’ (QGC) draws near, a community voluntary group has revealed it’s about to put in what it believes will be the longest row of trees in our village so far in memory of Her Majesty. Brookside Residents’ Action Group (BRAG) for The QGC says it will plant over a hundred trees running between the boundary of existing homes and Ruddington’s new ‘Fairham Green’ development off Wilford Road (as shown above). It’s after the project was given both the necessary…
Read MoreParker’s Yard Café Plans
The Parker’s Yard Café at our Framework Knitters’ Museum (FKM) has submitted an application to Rushcliffe Borough Council for an alcohol licence on its premises. Run by Ruddington residents Jennifer Walker and Mike Gaunt, their coffee shop was launched in July (2022) within the recent museum extension and gardens – formerly ‘Gunn Cottage’. Along with the FKM’s gift shop and its Old Chapel, this hospitality area of our internationally famous tourist attraction is a place villagers and visitors can access without having to pay the museum entrance fee. The couple started The Split Screen Coffee…
Read More‘RUDD Awards’ Shortlist Revealed
Organisers of the first ever ‘RUDD Awards’ have just announced the 18 finalists – individuals, businesses and community groups from the village who’ve been shortlisted from over 300 nominations. The inaugural ‘RUDD Awards’ were launched in July 2022 by RVCP, Ruddington Village Community Partnership, to celebrate locals who’re making a difference to life in Ruddington, as well as contributing to a thriving ‘community hub and prosperous high street’. The process was that residents and visitors submitted their nominations in six main categories. Earlier this month the awards committee shortlisted six nominees in each category. Then an…
Read MoreJames Peacock Plummets in Ofsted Ratings
James Peacock Infant and Nursery School had a two-day inspection last month under Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework (EIF), introduced in September 2019. It concluded that the Ruddington school has fallen from being ‘Outstanding’ (in 2010) down to ‘Requires improvement’ in every category – as shown below from its Ofsted school report. Ofsted ratings are: (1) Outstanding; (2) Good; (3) Requires Improvement; or (4) Inadequate. The report states that, until recently, there’s been both a lack of leadership at the school and with its Governing Body which led to “a period of…
Read MoreGoodbye Brookside Autoservices
It’s been the end of another era in our village today (Thursday 31st March) as a long established and much loved Ruddington business closed its doors for the final time. The two highly skilled car mechanics behind it, Dave Pearson and John Dennis (pictured top), have brought to an end over 30 years of running Brookside Autoservices together by announcing their retirement. Being a little out of the way, tucked around on Brookside Road, has meant that customer recommendations have always been important to their continuing success. The two business partners modestly tell RUDDINGTON.info the key to…
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