Park News

After the success of the first of our Spring Talks which attracted an audience of 38, the NPRA has organised the following talks for your Diary.
 
Science and Moonlight - Wednesday 29th February 7.30pm
 
An illustrated story of a group of very unusual men who, over two hundred years ago, played an important part in developing the scientific thought which was the background to the industrial revolution. Some of the inspiration for this talk is based on The Lunar Men by Jenny Uglow.  The speaker, Nick Galloway, is a Park resident with an interest in the history of science. He is a retired Ophthalmic Surgeon and past President of the European Association for Vision and Eye Research.
 
The Park Beeman - Wednesday 28th March 7.30pm

Bees are part of the natural environment and are ever present in the Park Estate. We are going to learn more about bees, bee keeping and bee farming, including the production of Park Honey at the honey house in the Park. Our speaker and guide will be Tom Ryder, a local resident, member of Nottinghamshire Bee Keepers Association and of the Bee farmers Association of the UK

All are welcome.

The charge for the first talk is £5. Subsequent talks are £5 for NPRA members , £8 non members.

Numbers are limited so please let us know how many tickets you require for each talk, either by email to ronleslie@hotmail.com or by letter to Ron Leslie, NPRA Talks, 10 Cavendish Crescent North, The Park, Nottingham NG7 1BA. You can also contact me on mobile 07956 289837.

Please do not send cheques or cash --- we will take money on the night.

NB -If you request tickets we will expect you to pay, so if are unable to attend the talk please cancel with me in advance, otherwise we will still require payment.

All talks at the Squash Club

The major event and innovation was the Royal Wedding Street Party which by all accounts was very popular with the 800 or so people who came. One quote from a resident: ‘The Park really comes into its own on occasions like this and makes us even happier to live here’ There will be a Diamond Jubilee Street Party 3rd June 2012

Our membership has nearly doubled over the year to close to 300 and we are financially sound.

However a lot of out time and energy has been absorbed by a potential major community development around the ‘The Bowl and Bowls Club’ which is ongoing.

The following is an extract from the NPRA letter written to members and sent out early in January with the Park Card.

‘In the meantime, we're busy getting nowhere fast with the Lawn Tennis Association, Nottinghamshire Branch, with regards to the former Bowls Club Pavilion. We are reluctant to paint too dark a picture, as there's always the chance that we might get a meaningful response from them at some stage, but it's proving to be a torturous process. We're very aware that many residents have now committed to a standing order of £25 on the understanding that we will eventually manage to secure this venue for our own activities, and would quite understandably like to know where they stand. At this stage, in an attempt to keep this as simple as is possible in the circumstances, we would ask if everyone could just bear with us a little longer, and trust us to resolve this fairly and openly when we finally get a clearer picture of what the NTLA are intending to do.’

The other major area of involvement has been with Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) where we are coordinating concerned residents and working with the NPEL and other agencies to attempt to limit further developments. Please see definitive article in Park News, November 2011 p16/17 by Mike Siebert our Chairman.

If you want to get involved and be a part of this please get in touch with any member of theNPRA Committee

Chair: Mike Siebert 924 3841

Editor of Park News (Paper publication):Christine Walker 947 2485

Website Editor: Paul Hempstock 9581851

Vice Chair, Secretary, Communications, talks: Stephen Hyde 9415598

Conservation: Dan Lucas 9243181

Treasurer: Ron Leslie 07956 289837

Membership: Barrie Shay 9414943

Social: Janet Angus 9243292 Heather Johnson – Hill 9417250 David Hill 9410963

The date for the Street Party to commorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee has been fixed for Sunday June 3rd 2012.  Tickets will go on sale from March 1st 2012.  Planning for the event is now under way and if you would like to get involved please contact the NPRA committee.  The aim is build on the success of the Royal Wedding Party to product the best ever event in The Park.

There will be Christmas Carols from St Peter's Choir in Newcastle Circus on Saturday 17th December at 6.00pm.  Santa's grotto will be open from 5pm and Santa will be receiving small visitors.  There will be mulled wine and mince pies.

We have new offers on The Park Card from Le Chien et Moi on Derby Road and Ocean Design Furniture Showrooms on Castle Boulevard.  Please see details by clicking the link to The NPRA Park Card on the left.

The Autumn message from Jack Kent, the contractor who maintains the estate is now available.  Click on the link, Jack Kent - Autumn, or in the menu on the left hand side or this page.

This weekend you can take part in what is believed to be a musical first.  The Park Tunnel is one of the larger holes in Nottingham’s sandstone and with a splendid acoustic which is going to be tested on Sunday between 3 and 4pm. 
 
The event will be an informal concert and singalong led by local community choir conductor Angela Warren and her choir The Songbirds.  Other local choirs will be taking part too – and there will be audience participation.  We hope for more than 100 voices to raise the roof and make a noise about homelessness.
 
This will be the final event in Raise the Roof! – a month long music festival throughout October organised by the charity Framework to mark its 10th anniversary – raising awareness of homelessness at a time of unprecedented funding cuts when more people than ever are needing support; raising awareness of what Framework is doing to tackle homelessness, and raising funds.
 
Admission to The Park Tunnel is, of course, free.  We hope people will make a donation as the leave.  For anyone in doubt access to the Park Tunnel is via Tunnel Road at the back of the tennis courts.

There will be a bonfire night party at The Park Tennis Club on Friday November 4th.  £5 for adults, £15 for families.  The bar will be open from 6pm to 12pm and there will be two fireworks displays at 7pm and 9pm.  There will also be a hog roast.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the talk ‘Voices of Victorian Women’ which was to be held on Wednesday 19th October 7.30pm will not take place and has been postponed to be part of next years programme.  We apologise for any inconvenience.

‘Travellers Tales of Nottingham 1540-1840’  is proving popular and will still take place on Wednesday 16th November 7.30pm at a new venue The Nottingham Squash and Racquets Club SO PLEASE COME AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND LET US KNOW YOU ARE ATTENDING. See the attached flyer for more detail.

If you have already let us know that you plan to attend the Nov 16th talk you do not need to contact us again, but please note the change of location to the Squash Club.

ASPECTS OF LOCAL HISTORY

Talks to be held at the EBA Bowls Club Tattershall Drive, The Park

Following on the success of the talks in the spring The NPRA have put together the following Autumn programme for your interest and enjoyment. We hope that you can join us.

Voices of Victorian Women Wednesday 19th October 7.30pm

Doors and Bar open at 7pm.  

The talk: Readings from three great novelists of the mid-Victorian period: Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot, illustrating the voices of women young and old, rich and poor, in all their glorious variety. Be prepared for humour, romance and pathos!

The Speaker: Anita Fernandez Young has taught in the Business School at Nottingham University for the past ten years, but is also the Secretary of the Alliance of Literary Societies and Treasurer of the International Dickens Fellowship. She has given readings in London, Dublin, Knutsford and has now retired to devote her time to writing.

Travellers Tales of Nottingham 1540-1840 Wednesday 16th November 7.30pm

Doors and Bar open at 7pm

The Talk Between 1540 and 1770 Nottingham was transformed from a decayed timber-built mediaeval borough to a fashionable brick-built Georgian town. However by 1840 it had become an overcrowded and insanitary industrial city. This talk is based on comments about Nottingham from the Tudor to the Georgian period by both visitors and inhabitants, illustrated by numerous contemporary maps and engravings.

The Speaker Adrian Henstock is a former curator of the Nottinghamshire County Archive and well known local historian

All are welcome. The charge is £5 per talk for NPRA members and £8 non members. Any current non member can save £6 if they attend both lectures by joining the NPRA in advance of these talks. To guarantee your place please reply contact Ron Leslie, ronleslie@hotmail.com, 10 Cavendish Crescent North, The Park, Nottingham NG7 1BA to let us know the number of tickets that you need. Cheques should be payable to NPRA.