Our Homes and Neighbourhoods (Mansfield)

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SUMMER FESTIVAL FUN IN MANSFIELD DISTRICT

This year Mansfield District Council will be hosting a series of Summer Festival events providing free entertainment for families across the District.

Mansfield's Summer Festival will take place on Tuesday 29 July at Carr Lane Park in Warsop, Saturday 9 August in Mansfield Town Centre, Thursday 14 August on King George V Park and Saturday 23 August on Chesterfield Road Park.

A wide range of activities and entertainment will be on offer at each event including:
•Double Dogs Dancing display
•arts and crafts workshops
•multi-skills sport taster sessions
•dog training master class and Frisbee-catching fun
•nature trails and activities
•circus skills workshops
•BMX taster sessions
•mini Mansfield Museum, and
•exercise class taster sessions.

Activities may vary between venues. Full details for each event will be available at www.mansfield.gov.uk/summerfestival.

Representatives from various Council departments will be on hand to answer questions and give advice including members of the Your Dog Your Responsibility team with their mascot Scoop, Neighbourhood Wardens, Waste and Recycling and Environmental Health.

Mansfield District Leisure Trust will hold a prize draw to win membership to the Trust's leisure centres as well as free swim passes.

Cllr Philip Shields, Portfolio Holder for the Environment at Mansfield District Council, said: "We are really excited to be launching these new events for the summer. They offer something for all the family - even the dog and the best thing is they are all free."

QUEENS PLACE SCOOPS MAJOR BUILDING AWARD

Mansfield's prestigious new town centre gateway building Queen's Place has won a major Local Authority Building Control (LABC) award for the East Midlands.

The building, which was constructed by Balfour Beatty and Mansfield District Council, won the Best Small Commercial Building category and now goes through to the national finals in London at the end of the year.

It was a successful night for the Council's Building Control team, which was also awarded highly commended in two other categories: Best Individual New Home and Best Customer Partnership with a Local Authority Building Control team. The Mansfield Transport Interchange, which was built by Kier Construction in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council and Mansfield District Council, also won the Best Public Service Building.

Queen's Place has an excellent rating from the green architecture scheme BREEAM, which sets the standard for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation. To date, tenants have been found for three of the six offices and one of the two retail units.

If you are planning to erect a new building, extend an existing building, or make internal or external alterations such as replacing windows or removing walls, get in touch with the Council's award winning and not for profit Building Control team, who will be able to advise you on each stage. Telephone Building Control Service on 01623 463 077.

CHANGES TO BIN COLLECTION FOLLOWING STRIKE ACTION

Due to national industrial action, there were no recyclable waste (blue bin) and garden waste (brown bin) collections on Thursday 10 July.

Three black bags (one bin load) of side waste for brown bins and three cardboard boxes or recyclable bags (one bin load) of side waste for blue bins will be collected on the next scheduled collection day on Thursday 24 July.

WALK OR RUN A MILE AND A BIT

A fun run for all the family takes place at Manor Park Sports Complex, Mansfield Woodhouse, on Saturday 26 July at 11am.

The Mile & a bit event is organised by Active Mansfield, the community sports network for Mansfield District.

You can run, walk, push a pram or walk the dog at the event, which is free to enter.

Entry forms can be completed online at www.mansfield.gov.uk/mileandabit or are available from the Civic Centre on Chesterfield Road South, Mansfield District Leisure Trust's five leisure centres and other community outlets.

Once registered, you will receive a registration pack which will include all the information you need. As part of the run we will be encouraging people to get sponsorship to help raise money for Cerebral Palsy (CP) Sport, which supports people with cerebral palsy to reach their sporting potential.

The recommendation is that people undertake at least three 30-minute activity sessions a week. In 2005/6 only 17.8% of Mansfield District residents were achieving this. By 2012/13 this has increased to 21% but it means the District is still one of the least active areas in England.

The number of places available is limited to 300, so people are encouraged to register early to avoid disappointment. For further information, contact the Council's Leisure Development team on 01623 463 470 or 463 371.

GO XPLORE MANSFIELD'S PARKS IN LOVE PARKS WEEK

A fun family-friendly navigation challenge starts in two Mansfield parks during Love Parks Week this month.

Xplorer is the perfect FREE outdoor activity for primary and pre-school children - and older children and adults can join in too. The start of the six-week sessions coincides with Love Parks Week, which runs from 25 July to 3 August and encourages people to visit, enjoy and take pride in their local parks and green spaces.

The sessions take place for six weeks on Tuesdays from 29 July at Titchfield Park, Mansfield, and on Wednesdays from 30 July at Yeoman Hill Park, Mansfield Woodhouse. Come and have a go at any time between 10am and 12 noon.

Using a simple map the aim is to find markers located around the park. At each marker children need to identify what is pictured and can learn a fun fact.

Older children can compete against friends and family to see who can complete the course in the quickest time and younger children will enjoy the excitement of finding the markers.

Everyone who completes a course will get a certificate and there will be different courses and challenges each week.

The navigation challenge is based on orienteering, which is an adventure sport that exercises both the mind and body. No experience of map reading is necessary and you can walk, jog or run the course at your own pace.

The Council's Sports Facilitator Martin Cook and Parks Development Officer Jo Hull will be on hand to offer guidance at each of the sessions, which are run in conjunction with British Orienteering.

For more information, contact Martin at [email protected] or on 01623 463 026.

MANSFIELD PARK CELEBRATES ITS 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH A SING-ALONG

Children from King Edward Primary School celebrated Titchfield Park's 100th birthday at an activity day organised by Maun Conservation Group.

A total of 250 children wearing Edwardian costumes had a picnic in the Mansfield town centre park, which was decorated with bunting made by the children.

They then sang songs popular at that time before taking part in a range of old-fashioned games and activities. These included hopscotch, marbles, hook-a-duck, hula hoop, skipping, splat-the-rat, egg and spoon and sack races. They also did drawings based on pictures of what the park, which is owned and managed by Mansfield District Council, looked like in 1914.

Cllr Philip Shields, Portfolio Holder for the Environment at Mansfield District Council, acted as town crier, ringing a bell every 15 minutes so the children knew to swap activities.

There was also a duck race, which raised £150 for the Beacon Project which supports homeless people in Mansfield.

The event finished with school staff taking part in a sack race before everyone sang Happy Birthday to the park.

The activity day was held as part of Love Parks Week, which runs from 25 July to 3 August, but was held early so the school could be involved before the summer holidays. The national initiative encourages people to visit, enjoy and take pride in their local parks and green spaces.

Sarah Spurry, Secretary of Maun Conservation Group, said it was a fantastic event and it was lovely to see so many children with big smiles on their faces.

In 1914, the park was renamed Titchfield Park to mark the coming of age of the Duke of Portland's son, Marquis of Titchfield. At this time the Duke of Portland, the former landowner, gave the park to The Mansfield Corporation, now known as Mansfield District Council.

DE-SILTING WORK STARTS AT CARRS NATURE RESERVE

A project to remove tonnes of silt from the Mill Pool at the Carrs Nature Reserve is underway with dredging work due to commence in mid to late August.

Mansfield District Council has started the process of dropping the water levels in the pool, in order to let the reed bed dry out as much as possible, prior to removal of the silt.

The Council has been advised by the Environment Agency that any wildlife, fish, ducks and birds will settle elsewhere if their habitat is disturbed, but this will not be harmful to them in any way.

If anyone sees an animal, bird or fish in distress, or they witness any danger to the environment such as pollution, flooding or a dangerous tree, they should notify the Environment Agency immediately on their 24 hour emergency hotline 0800 80 70 60.

The water levels of the Mill Pool will be monitored by Council staff twice daily, seven days a week, until a contractor has been appointed and work has commenced to clear the site. The silt will be stored on the nature reserve just off the flood plains and once dried, will be re-used for landscaping purposes.

Cllr Shields, Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: "We are delighted that work is underway to restore the Mill Pool back to its former beauty and create a sustainable environment for wildlife. We have been working hard to bring about these improvements and deal with the high levels of silt, which have caused so many problems. I would ask people to bear with us and notify us if they have any concerns, while this work is being carried out."

COUNCIL IS FIRST IN THE COUNTRY TO GET TENANTS AWARD

Mansfield District Council has become the first local authority in the country to be awarded Tenant Scrutiny Accreditation.

The award, which is a benchmark for quality in the delivery of housing services, recognises the hard work of Mansfield's Housing Services Panel and its commitment to working with the Council to improve services for customers.

The Panel is made up of tenants and residents, who challenge, influence and help to shape the way housing services are delivered. They ensure that the Council is hitting its housing targets and monitor services through the use of mystery shoppers.

They have also completed a range of scrutiny exercises, including looking at empty properties, monitoring estate walkabouts and addressing issues arising from Welfare Reform.

Cllr Mick Colley, Portfolio Holder for Tenancy Services and Special Housing Needs said: "This award was fully deserved and reflects the dedication of the Panel. It is a great way to thank our tenants for their commitment and hard work, which is all voluntary.

"We have been working closely with the Panel as part of our ongoing commitment to tenant involvement in the shaping of our housing services. We are very proud to be the first local authority in the country to get this accreditation."

The accreditation was awarded at a ceremony at the Civic Centre by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service, the Chartered Institute of Housing and the benchmarking service Housemark.

CONTRACTOR APPOINTED FOR BROWNLOW ROAD EXTRA CARE SCHEME

Work to build 64 extra care homes in Mansfield will start next month after a contractor was appointed for the development.

Keepmoat was chosen on Monday (7 July) to build the bungalows, houses and apartments on Brownlow Road by November 2015.

Mansfield District Council is working in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) to provide the £8.4m development.

The homes will enable older people with extra care needs to live as independently as possible and give them increased choice and control over their daily lives with care and support delivered as and when they need it.

The project will boost the local economy by creating jobs and training opportunities and through the use of local suppliers.

The District Council, which owns the land, has invested around £11m preparing the site and will contribute just over £3m towards the development.

The County Council will provide up to £4m towards creating 48 of the extra care homes including ten bungalows for people with low level dementia.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has provided £1.3m in grant funding.

For people who want to down-size but remain a homeowner, there will be ten shared ownership properties (five two-bed bungalows and five two-bed houses).

In addition to the homes, there will be a range of communal facilities including a multi-purpose activity room for social and health related activities to promote improved wellbeing. Smaller private spaces will be provided for assessment, treatment and advice for residents, carers and people from the surrounding community.

The redevelopment of the site will be managed by the District Council and once completed the properties will be let by the District Council to people nominated by the County Council that have extra care needs.

Extra care is an extension to traditional supported housing where older people can live as independently as possible with the reassurance that care staff are on-site 24 hours a day.

"This project forms part of our wider plan to create 160 additional extra care places across the county by March 2017."

MANSFIELD MUSEUM TO RUN 'FUTURE HISTORY' WEEK FOR TEENAGERS IN SUMMER HOLIDAYS

After a successful trial run of the after school Future History club, 11 to 15 year olds in the Mansfield area are now invited to join Mansfield Museum for a week over the summer. And it's completely free!

From August 11 to 15, up to 12 teenagers will be able to take part in a creative project involving photography, film, audio and more. Using Mansfield's industrial heritage as a basis for inspiration, the teenagers will collaborate with each other to create fresh ideas, stories, images and takes on the objects and photos we have in the Museum.

The project will cover different ways of using photography, film and sound in museums. All equipment is provided and training will be given. It will also look at using storytelling and social media as different methods of sharing ideas with an audience.

Participants might create a podcast, mini movie, image exhibit, short stories, poems or more in response to a variety of industrial themed items. The work they create will be displayed on the Museum's website and in a temporary exhibition during November.

Mansfield's industrial heritage is used as the inspiration, as this is the focus of the Museum's forthcoming new permanent exhibition, 'Made in Mansfield'. This will open in October 2014. Participants will play an important role in helping to create supporting material for the final exhibition.

Ideal for teenagers who want to do something different with their holidays, learn useful digital skills, meet new people and be creative. The 12 places are on a first come, first served basis.

If you're interested in taking part, please contact:

Sally Evans, Community Participation Officer, Mansfield Museum, Leeming Street, NG18 4RR or visit http://www.mansfield.gov.uk/museum/future_history/index.htm

[email protected]

01623 644033