BULWELL Forest Garden is putting on a packed programme of summer activities for families over the school holidays.

The garden, in Austin Street, will hold free sessions every Friday from 1pm to 4pm.

The events will be held in partnership with Bulwell Forest Children's Centre and Bulwell Toy Library.

Garden committee chairman Barbara Bates said: "It's brilliant, because this is the first time we're going to have cook-and-eat sessions that the children's centre are going to be putting on at the same time, so there's things for parents as well as for youngsters.

"And we've tried to ensure that there's something for all ages – we've got the den building for some of the older kids and then we have the teddy bear's picnic for the younger kids, making honey sandwiches and going on a bear hunt."

The first session on Friday, July 26, the "Bee Day", will let children see a bee hive in action, carry out planting in the new bee-friendly sensory garden and enjoy facepainting, as well as learn how to make banana and honey pancakes in a cook-and-eat session.

Other sessions include den-making, making windchimes from natural materials, a teddy bears' picnic in the garden's woods, and making scarecrows to scare the birds away from the garden's crops.

Bulwell Community Toy Library will send along playworkers from its Play on the Wild Side project to help with the den building day on Friday, August 2.

Senior project playworker Jane Byrne said: "Den building is fun as adults and it's even more fun when you do it as kids, having your own secret area to play in.

"A lot of kids these days don't get the chance to come out and do stuff like this – I always say a mucky child is a happy child!"

Ms Bates added: "They'll be getting fresh air and sunshine and it's such a safe environment up here – you can run off into the woods. We do safety checks all the time. It's much nicer than just knocking around the house or on the streets."

The summer is rounded off with a family fun day on Saturday, August 31.

Stalls, activities and games will be provided, and families are urged to bring their own picnics.

A FRIENDSHIP group for people aged over 50 is among those in the running for a share of £35,000.

New Life Friendship Club is currently collecting coupons in the Nottingham Post's and Nottingham Building Society's Cash For Your Community campaign.

Members have high hopes they will be successful – after walking away with £2,032.79 last year.

Treasurer Roy Watson said: "We were over the moon with the amount we received last year – we weren't expecting it at all.

"The club is really important because it gets older people out and about, especially those who have been widows, or are single, or who have retired from work without many friends outside of their jobs.

"We are open to everyone, no matter whereabouts in the county they are. If they are willing to travel to us then we will welcome them."

More than 350 people from all over the city and county are already members of the group, which was formed in 2006.

The group used some of the money it received last year to buy a laptop computer so that all the club's records, invoices and literature could be kept in one place.

It also means that in the event of absence or illness, someone else can easily take the reins of the club.

The remaining money was used to help keep the cost of trips down for members.

Activities offers by the club include regular coffee mornings, days out, trips to the theatre and walks.

A monthly newsletter is also produced and circulated to all members.

To maximise their chances of doing well again in this year's Cash For Your Community campaign, Mr Watson has all members collecting coupons.

There are also boxes in various newsagents where people can leave their coupons.

Mr Watson said: "We are hoping to do at least as well as last year if not better.

"Last year people really go behind us and we are hoping to see the same kind of support this year. Any help that people give is always gratefully received."

Coupons for Cash For Your Community are printed in the Post every day.

Groups collecting must get them in to the Post by 5pm on Wednesday, July 17.

A PARK is set to receive a new bounce with a £5,200 sporting investment.

Broadgate Park, in Beeston, will have two table tennis tables installed on a Tarmac base in the coming weeks.

The new equipment was approved by Broxtowe Borough Council and the money to fund the project will be provided by Fields in Trust and Sport England.

Russell Cousins is a member of Nottingham District Table Tennis Association and plays in Division 1.

The Clifton resident is looking forward to playing on the new tables.

He said: "This is a very good thing because we need to get more youngsters taking up the sport.

"Table tennis is a great sport and has a good social element.

"It is getting bigger and bigger, so the need for these tables is there.

"Anyone of any ability can play, which makes it so accessible, and once the tables are installed, I will be going down to try them out."

The new equipment is aimed at drawing more students from the University of Nottingham into the park.

President Maria Lebedeva of the university's table tennis society added: "This is a really great idea and gives people more opportunities to play.

"The sport is getting more and more popular and I think students will use the tables because the university only has so many and they are always booked.

"Table tennis is easy to get into and doesn't take a lot of fitness or skill to play.

"The main piece of equipment that is needed is the table and in this case that is provided.

"I live in Beeston so it will be great for me and a lot of the students in the area."

Coffee shop Mason & Mason on the High Road, at the entrance to Broadgate Park, has agreed to hold a stock of bats and balls for the tables so people can borrow them when needed.

Manager Chris Murrin said: "New facilities and equipment can only be a good thing.

"If it brings more people to the area that will be even better."

Broxtowe Borough Council's cabinet member for the environment, Richard Robinson, added: "This is a fantastic additional leisure feature which is unique in our borough and it is all thanks to partnership working."

A CHILDREN'S artist has released a new book inspired by her childhood growing up in Notts.

She hopes the book will help inspire children to be more creative.

Cherie Zamazing, who is 30-year-old Cherie Buxton, of Long Eaton, has been working in publishing for five years. She has provided art for 30 books and continues to work locally.

Her newest book, Peter's Pebbles, follows the story of a young boy who turns simple stones into beautiful animals using a magical paintbrush.

Cherie said the idea came from spending long summer days in the back garden of her Sawley home.

She said: "I used to sell painted pebbles at the end of my back garden and raised money for charity.

"I just thought that little kids like painting and thought the story might appeal to children.

"I used to paint pebbles every summer and sell them. It all came from that initial idea."

Cherie has lived only in Long Eaton and despite the successes she has had so far, she has no desire to move her roots.

"I don't think it matters where about in the world, I could write or illustrate anywhere.

"I never really fancied working anywhere else.

"I just like living here. I'm very family-oriented and I get to see them.

"I'm even getting my girlfriend, who's currently in southern California, to come and live with me in Long Eaton!"

For Cherie, a passion for writing has been with her since she could pick up a pencil.

She said: "I've always loved story writing and drawing, ever since I could draw when I was about one.

"It's my dream job and doing it from home just makes it even more perfect."

Her tour for the book, which was released earlier this year, is taking her to Lowdham Book Festival this Saturday. Cherie, as well as reading extracts from Peter's Pebbles, will bring pebbles along for the children to paint on.

It's hard to say where the story will take her, but Cherie said she just hoped it could help strike some artistic sparks.

She said: "I had one book sent to me by a little boy with a message.

"It said that Peter's Pebbles had inspired him to write his own stories.

"It's always nice to hear that you have helped inspire a child."

Cherie will be performing at the children's tent at Lowdham Book Festival on Saturday, June 29, from 11.30pm to 12pm, then again from 2pm to 2.30pm. To find out more about Peter's Pebbles and Cherie Zamazing head to facebook.com/ cheriezamazingillustration

RESIDENTS say they are shocked at plans to demolish a 111-year-old church on their street.

The site is planned to be used for housing.

Newthorpe Common Methodist Church, Eastwood, was built in 1902.

Although it is no longer used as a place of worship, it has been used for other gatherings and, most recently, a martial arts club.

The owner of the building, Keith Pyecroft, went through an agency to put in the application to convert the church, its hall and an adjoining house into five new two-storey dwellings.

Mr Pyecroft runs regular martial arts classes in the church hall.

The application was received by Broxtowe Borough Council on Wednesday, May 8, and is still going through its consultation process.

People living close to the property have put in comments to voice their dissatisfaction.

Among them is retiree Brenda Julian, 67, who lives next door to the church.

She has lived in the house next door to the church with her husband for 15 years and has lived nearby since she was little.

She said the church had been used for several celebrations over the years.

She said: "We had a party there for the Queen's Coronation when I was seven.

"We were shocked when we heard it was planned to be demolished because it's been there as long as I can remember."

Brenda said she did not blame Mr Pyecroft for his decision but added she had concerns about the church being turned into houses. She said: "Keith is a nice bloke, he just wants to sell it and get his money back.

"Building five houses there will impinge on our privacy.

"The church has got some history to it. I'm sure it could be used for something."

Housewife Patricia Rowland, 62, of Chewton Crescent, said that she was not aware of the plans.

She said: "I didn't know anything about it all.

"It's a bit sad really, they just seem to be demolishing anything these days.

"It's a shame that they can't make the church into something else."

Steven Penny, 57, of adjacent Chewton Street, has lived opposite the church for 25 years.

He said: "It was open when we first moved here. Everyone knows it as a point of reference.

"If you tell people, 'Come to Chewton Street,' you say, 'It's the one with the chapel.'

"It's a bit disappointing to see it go but if it's going to happen, there's nothing we can do about it."

Mr Pyecroft said the plot of the church had already been planned for demolition before he bought it.

He said: "The building plot was purchased from the church with outline planning permission already granted for the demolition of the church and for the use of the land for some form of development."

PARKING charges have come out as the top issue people want to tackle in Hucknall, according to a website survey asking how to improve the town.

A team of traders and residents from the town joined forces in May to create an I Love Hucknall group.

Its aim is to help revive the High Street and reinvigorate the town centre as a place to shop and visit.

The group's first step included putting a survey online a fortnight ago, asking residents what they think about the town centre and what they would like to see improved.

Stuart Pocklington, 33, who runs the I Love Hucknall website, said the site has received over 100 responses so far, with 50 per cent of them collected in the first few days – causing the website to crash.

He said: "We have a Facebook group and a Twitter account now too. We are getting a good reach and lots of positive comments.

"We are going to do a deep analysis on what people are saying. I am going to go to town with it as much as I can to get the message out."

The survey includes questions aiming to find out how often people go to Hucknall town centre, why they visit the High Street and what they would like to see changed.

Mr Pocklington added that so far most people have said they are put off by the parking charges in the town centre and feel the shops on the High Street lack variety.

On Wednesday, June 26, the Post reported that Sherwood MP Mark Spencer is looking to put free parking in Hucknall back on his agenda.

Sandy Singleton, 70, who is the group's volunteer public relations representative, said: "We need to know what people living here feel about Hucknall.

"It will give us an idea of the sort of things that people would like to see changed."

I Love Hucknall's chairman, Chris Thorne, who is also co-owner of Total Look hairdressers on the High Street, said that the group will present the findings to Ashfield District Council.

He said: "We are starting at the bottom. We are just hoping to achieve something but it is going to be a long uphill fight. We hope it will improve Hucknall as a town."

The group plans to start creating merchandise soon, including badges and stickers.

They also hope to get a stall at Hucknall Market at which they will hand out printed copies of the survey before results are collected at the end of July.

Hucknall residents can fill in the survey at www.ilovehucknall.co.uk or visit the Under One Roof centre, Vine Terrace, for a printed copy.

A FOOTBALL-MAD duo are getting on their bikes and riding more than 700 miles to raise money for Cancer Research.

Joe Dennison and Dan Copley are cycling between the 20 biggest football grounds in the country – and have already raised nearly £1,500.

The duo started in March and have been tackling the journeys in stages, while also taking on their GCSE exams, with the final journey to Southampton coming up at the start of July.

Joe Dennison, 16, who supports Nottingham Forest and lives in the Vale of Belvoir, said: "We've done it in six legs and we've done four of the legs so far. We've done about 450 miles of the 719 miles.

"Last weekend we started off at Derby and went down to Aston Villa, then to Coventry and Leicester."

For the duo, the efforts are inspired by personal circumstances.

Joe said: "Dan and I have both been affected by cancer – my grandpa died about four years ago and that was from cancer. I've always wanted to do something to support other people with it.

"My friend Dan's auntie passed away from cancer and his family have tried to do things for cancer research, so we wanted to do something to capture people's attention."

He added: "With us being 16 and having exams, that's had people taking notice."

The young riders have both finished their GCSEs and are heading to sixth form and college next, and the cycling was as tough a test as the exams.

Joe said: "We're not really keen cyclists – that's really added to the challenge.

"We've found it tricky, and a lot of it was because we started in March in the North East and it was really bad weather. On the first day it was snowing and the paths were icy.

To support the fundraising efforts, go to: www. justgiving.com/joe-and-dan

EXTRA staff have been drafted in to help a council which has let the grass grow under its feet.

Notts County Council is running weeks late with its grass cutting, prompting complaints.

As reported in the Post on June 1, the problem led to grass on one side of a Carlton road growing wild, while grass on the opposite side, cut by a different council, was neat and trim.

The county revealed yesterday that some verges and fields have been cut three weeks late.

It said the weather combined with the fact it has taken over grass cutting from some district councils has led to a heavy workload.

Highways officer Chris Charnley said: "Certainly for the next cutting cycle in the next few days we should be catching up well. We had periods in April where it was still very cold so the grass didn't grow.

"We got to the point where there was no point in cutting the grass at that time. This was followed by a very sunny May where the grass then grew very quickly."

To deal with the problem, five extra gangs of grass cutters have been brought in.

Most of the 22 staff cutting grass are now working weekends and overtime.

The county took over grass cutting from Ashfield District, Broxtowe Borough and Mansfield District councils this year.

The Post reported last month how two Carlton pensioners returned from holiday to find patches of grass on either side of their street cut at different lengths.

Bill and Sylvia Fenton, of Shelford Road, were baffled when they were told it was because one side of the road, at the junction with County Road, was managed by Notts County Council while the other was looked after by Gedling Borough Council.

The county council has since cut the grass.

Mr Fenton, 65, said: "I think we touched a nerve. It seems we got them moving on it.

"About four or five working days after the story they came out and cut it.

"We all know about the cuts to councils but when you end up with two different ones cutting grass that close you think 'what's this?' "

THE approval of a business park and green energy-producing facility has met with a mixed response.

Nottingham City Council announced it intended to develop an "energy park" on former allotments in Blenheim Lane, Bulwell, in 2010.

The decision sparked controversy – with gardeners evicted from allotments and residents concerned about emissions.

Rather than being home to several firms the site will now be used by Chinook Sciences.

The facility will include a 'gasification' machine which converts waste that would otherwise go to landfill to carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

The idea is that the energy plant will be used to power buildings within the development, with any surplus going back to the national grid.

An experimental 'gasification unit' for research purposes will also be built.

Nigel Lee, of Nottingham Friends Of The Earth, said: "We are sceptical about the amount of energy this plant is going to produce.

"The main purpose of the proposal is to divert waste that would otherwise go to landfill so I don't think energy park is the correct term.

"When it's up and running we will be monitoring very carefully whether it lives up to the company's claims.

"We are also concerned there will be toxic materials produced in the process and again that's something we will be monitoring."

While the development has been approved, Chinook Sciences Ltd must adhere to a number of conditions, including submitting a detailed scheme to deal with gaseous emissions on the site.

A spokesman for Chinook Sciences Ltd said: "Our facility will be clean with no noise and no smell. The first of these plants has been running since 2000 and we have 16 worldwide, none of which have has an environmental breach."

Around 250 jobs will be created as a result of the new facility and Chinook Sciences Ltd has pledged to try to ensure these go to local people.

It is already in talks with New College Nottingham about tailoring teaching to fit in with what is needed.

Graham Chapman, deputy leader of the council, said "The planning approval of the energy park is good news for Bulwell and the city as a whole and a key stage in getting the project off the ground.

"We are still in negotiation with Chinook and are hoping to provide the city with an innovative sustainable energy plant that will provide up to 250 jobs for local people.

"It is an example of how the city is trying to encourage green tech business growth."

ALEX Bicknell only has to look down at his hands and memories of his 18th birthday come flooding back.

But the events of his special day are not ones he wants to relive.

Kidnapped and beaten by former classmates, Alex is keen to forget the day ever happened.

But he fears the scars – mental and physical – will be there for life.

"I've not been the same since it happened," said Alex, who attended Ellis Guilford School before studying horticulture at South Notts College.

"I'm depressed and I don't like going out unless I'm with someone.

"I thought I was going to die. It is hard to get over."

Alex's ordeal began when a friend messaged, asking if they could meet at Whitemoor Pub, in Nuthall Road.

He left his family meal to go, not knowing the friend had been forced to send the message by three other boys who had punched him and threatened him with further violence.

Alex had accused one of the boys of stealing his Blackberry on Facebook a few days previously.

When Alex saw them at the pub he turned to leave but was stopped – and forced to a house in Radford Boulevard.

Once inside, the group punched Alex and he was beaten for more than two hours.

"It started with one of them punching me in the face then they all started punching and kicking me," said Alex, whose knee begins to shake as he describes the violence. "Then one of them got a hot iron on my hands and then they hit my knuckles with a wrench.

"They shoved a pool cue in my ribs and used the wrench to hit the backs of my legs.

"Afterwards I was taken to the bathroom to clean up and then they told me to go. I went to get a bus but by that time I don't think I really knew what was happening. A couple saw how badly I was injured and called an ambulance."

Alex, who had been due to start work for a gardening business after the attack, spent two nights in hospital.

His hands will take at least two years to fully heal, with the scars unlikely to disappear completely.

The attackers came from West Bridgford, Rise Park and Beeston. Two were 17, one 16. They were charged with false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. They pleaded guilty and were locked up for four years at Nottingham Crown Court.

Alex's mother, Lisa Bicknell, was in court for the sentencing. "They're not 18 so they were never going to get a lengthy sentence," she said. "They'll be out in a few years.

"It's been very stressful for Alex, he still has flashbacks and at the end of the day he's my son and I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I can see it all in my mind's eye – it's horrific."

Facebook declined to comment on Alex's ordeal. The company said content created by users does not go completely unchecked. Facebook said it strongly encourages users to ban anyone who tries to post offensive content and to use tools to report objectionable content.

PROFESSOR Mark Griffiths, psychologist at Nottingham Trent University, explains why online interactions can turn nasty

One of the main reasons why behaviour online is very different from it offline is because it provides what we psychologists call a 'disinhibiting' experience. This is where people lower their emotional guard and become much less inhibited in their actions. The main reason for this is because when people are interacting with others online it is not face-to-face, it is perceived as a very anonymous environment, and it is non-threatening.

On the positive side, this disinhibition process can lead people to develop deep and complex emotional attachments and even fall in love online. On the negative side, people may carry out behaviours online that they would never dream of doing offline including criminal behaviour such as cyber-bullying.

Research here in the UK and US has shown that about 10% of children and teenagers have been cyber-bullied in the previous month (across all technological media including social media) with about one in six children being cyber-bullied at least once in their lifetime. As children get older the incidence of cyberbullying increases as a greater proportion of older children have access to mobile phones and the internet.

Some studies have shown as many as 95% of teenagers on social networking sites have witnessed cruel behaviour. Among teenagers, some research appears to suggest that online cyberbullies are slightly more likely to be girls than boys although findings are a little inconsistent.

A FORMER head boy returned to his old Nottingham school to open a new £4 million building more than 55 years after he left.

Alfred Harrison left Bluecoat School in 1956 when it was in Mansfield Road – and the classrooms were a shade on the Victorian side.

But the new building has 19 classrooms filled with interactive whiteboards and wi-fi as well as IT suites.

He said: "It was a long way back and a lot has changed, but this looks like a fantastic environment for pupils to learn in.

"The Bluecoat I remember had classrooms that were a lot more Victorian than this.

"The uniform is another thing that I noticed has changed a lot – ours was a clerical uniform, white collars, brass buttons down the front and shorts."

Mr Harrison, who spent his career in the United States working for investment firms, cut a ribbon at the school surrounded by pupils, staff and councillors.

He told his audience that he remembered his schooldays well and that his teachers were supportive.

He added: "It was a place that encouraged you to learn and still does.

"There's no such thing as success and failure, the important thing is how much pleasure you take in what you are doing."

Work began in 2012 on the new building which was paid for by the Building Schools for the Future fund. Further work will be finished by spring.

Principal Sian Hampton said: "I am delighted with the new building as it provides wonderful facilities for our students in a great atmosphere.

"It's modern and bright and I'm happy with how the project has come together."

David Mellen, Nottingham City Council portfolio holder for children's services, said: "I am delighted to see the pupils move into Bluecoat Academy's new building. Once the works are complete the school will offer a greatly improved environment for children and young people to learn in, giving them the opportunity to thrive and succeed."

Mr Mellen said it was one of the last of the Building Schools for the Future projects.

He said: "This funding, alongside the Academies Capital Programme, has transformed 13 schools and academies in the city."

Further work at the school will see the refurbishment of existing buildings and the demolition of the main school building.

A NOTTS travel company has been praised after stepping in to help a school after a "rogue trader" ruined its skiing trip.

Halsbury Travel agreed to give 21 pupils the holiday they missed out on after it was approached by Channel 5's Cowboy Traders television programme.

The show had been investigating a company it said took more than £40,000 from Meole Brace School in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, in 2011 – but then failed to deliver a trip or refund.

Presenter Melinda Messenger approached Halsbury to ask if his firm would help with a replacement trip.

The company was shown agreeing to the giveaway in an episode of the programme broadcast last night.

Keith Sharkey, Halsbury managing director, said: "I used to be a teacher and I knew how disappointed the kids would be, so when I was approached by Channel 5 I was delighted to be of assistance.

"They told me we had been recommended as a school tour operator with an excellent reputation. The last thing they wanted was for the school to be let down twice."

The pupils, two teachers and five parents were sent to the 2006 winter Olympic venue Bardonecchia in Italy.

The company provided flights, accommodation, equipment hire, ski tuition, lift passes and a hoodie as a memento for each passenger.

Jess Sanders, a teacher at Meole Brace School, said: "Our students were made to feel really special and had the most amazing weekend after having been let down so dramatically"

In last night's programme, Mr Sharkey is seen getting a hug from Melinda after he agrees to provide the trip.

"He literally is our knight in shining armour," she said.

A spokesman for Channel 5 said: "We're really grateful to Halsbury Travel for all their involvement and generosity."

Family-owned Halsbury also featured on Radio 4's Excess Baggage in 2010.

The company arranged for school parties to be brought back to the UK within seven hours of flights around Europe being cancelled after a huge ash cloud from an erupting Icelandic volcano caused chaos.

A YOUNG woman has spoken out in a bid to bring her attacker to justice a year after she was sexually assaulted in a park.

The 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the attack has affected her work and home life and left her constantly looking over her shoulder.

She was walking across playing fields near Ossington Street, Radford, at 2.30am on Saturday, June 30, 2012, when she was attacked.

A man grabbed her from behind and launched a "serious sexual assault".

The victim said: "The attack has affected my whole life and although things are getting better I have been frightened to leave the house.

"These last 12 months have been very hard.

"It's put a strain on my relationship with my boyfriend and my trust in people." Detectives say they want to trace 26-year-old Arish Mahmud Mohammed and speak to him in connection with the assault.

Police released his picture and details in April but have still not found him.

Crimestoppers also offered a £3,000 reward for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the attacker.

Police said Mr Mohammed has links to Notts, Hampshire, Cardiff and Doncaster.

Acting Detective Inspector Darren Mee said: "The attack that night has left this young woman badly shaken and frightened.

"No one should have to spend their lives in fear and so I am urging anyone with any information that could help our investigation to come forward.

"We would like to hear from anyone who might know Arish Mahmud Mohammed or who might have information about where he is."

Crimestoppers also said information is needed about an unrelated attack on a woman in Lenton on Monday, February 11.

The 19-year-old student was making her way home in the back of a dark green London-style Hackney cab just before midnight.

She was driven to the junction of Trinity Avenue and Albert Road, just off Lenton Boulevard.

There, the taxi driver stopped the car, got into the back and forced the woman to carry out a sex act.

She forced her way out of the cab and was found in a distressed state by a passer-by.

The wanted man is described as Asian, about 40, 5ft 6in, with a big stomach.

He was bald with closely shaved or cropped hair and was wearing a dark jacket or hooded top that had a silver zip.

Crimestoppers is offering a reward of £2,000 for information in relation to this attack.

Glynn Gilfoyle, chairman of Crimestoppers in Notts, said: "This young woman has gone through a horrendous ordeal and has been taken advantage of by a callous individual who she trusted to get her home safely.

"It sickens me to think someone like this is still at large, so I would urge anyone with information that might lead to his arrest to come forward anonymously.

DC Jon Kerry, of Radford Road CID, added: "We would ask anyone who knows who this man is to contact us.

"We have ways of easily eliminating people from our inquiry if you do have concerns about it being someone you know."

Anyone with information about the Radford incident is asked to contact ADI Mee on 101, extension 803 4334 or Crimestoppers.

Those with details about the Lenton attack should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers.

To be eligible for the rewards information must be provided to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

THE site of a well-known former school uniform shop could be transformed into a hairdressing training centre.

Stephenson College is hoping to convert the old D&P Schoolwear Centre, Maid Marian Way.

It will become the Lee Stafford Hairdressing Academy, with the celebrity crimper overseeing the operation.

The scheme will need planning permission from Nottingham City Council.

College principal Nigel Leigh said: "This is a very prominent city centre location for this exciting new venture.

"It is important for us that our students are able to get into the city and go straight to a new training centre rather than having to head out of the city."

The uniform shop closed down last year after 15 years. It moved to Woodborough Road, Mapperley under the new name Schoolwear Solutions.

Store manager Raaj Takhar said the shop, part of the John Cheatle group, moved after 80 per cent of 150 customers surveyed said they would use it more if free car parking was available.

The premises have since been vacant.

Mr Leigh said they would renovate it, with the downstairs being a training area open to the public, and the upstairs used for classrooms. Mr Leigh could not say how much the refurbishment would cost but hoped the centre would be ready by September for an intake of up to 50 students.

He added: "We will have further education students who will spend all of their training there with us, and apprentices who are linked to other businesses who can join us for training.

"We hope to have a decision from the council in the next couple of weeks.

"If we get that we can hopefully start the process to recruit students.

"Lee is an excellent ambassador for his profession and is passionate about education and raising standards within the hairdressing industry. He is a role model for aspiring young hairdressers."

Mr Stafford said: "I am very excited to be partnering with Stephenson College, together delivering outstanding education, giving young people the opportunity to have the very best careers possible in the amazing world of hair."

The centre would be the latest base for the expanding college. Its main base is in Coalville, Leicestershire, and it also has a site in Lenton.

People in the city said it was a shame the uniform shop had closed but were pleased there were plans for it.

Paul Dennis, 38, said: "I'm happy there will be some use for the site.

"It was a pretty iconic place over a number of years and a real shame when it shut."

Andrew Mitchell, 55, said: "I was sad when it closed as I used that shop for my children's school clothes. But I am happy that there are now plans for it, rather than leaving it derelict."

A STABBING victim has been jailed after he knifed another man in a revenge attack in Sneinton on January 2.

Daniel King, 28, of Newark Crescent, Sneinton, had driven past the 22-year-old victim. Recognising him as a friend of someone who had stabbed him years before, King stabbed him in the stomach with a large kitchen knife and sped away.

When passers-by discovered the man bleeding they drove him to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre, where he was operated on and spent five days in an induced coma. He was eventually discharged and has since recovered.

King, who handed himself in to police two weeks later, had already pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and possessing a bladed article. At Nottingham Crown Court yesterday he was jailed for three years jail for the attack and two for possession, to run concurrently.

He had also pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and received a further year, to run consecutively, leading to a total of four years behind bars.

Detective Inspector Lee Young said: "Had King not felt the need to carry a kitchen knife in his car, this whole brutal affair may very well have been avoided. Instead a young man narrowly missed being killed. If you carry a knife you are much more likely to reach for it. You are also much more likely to be targeted."

The person who stabbed King has also been jailed.

A FIRST-TIME mother's prayers have been answered after her premature baby son battled back from the brink of death – twice.

Nadine Osbourne, 31, from West Bridgford, has been struggling for a baby for years.

In 2008 she had a miscarriage at 19 weeks – and still had to endure labour.

When she conceived for the second time last August, she was determined to carry her child for longer than 19 weeks. And she did – but only just.

At 23 weeks and five days – dangerously premature – her son King-Safari Tiger Earl Hutchinson, known as Safari, arrived on Monday, December 17.

"The doctors said they couldn't guarantee his survival because he was so premature," said Nadine, who used to work in public relations.

But problems were only beginning for Nadine and Aubin Hutchinson, her partner of two years.

The drama eventually included a five-month stint in hospital, and saw doctors crack Safari's ribs while desperately carrying out CPR in a last-ditch effort to revive him. Within days of his birth doctors realised that Safari needed a life-saving operation to close a valve near his heart that allows blood to flow around the body.

This valve had not closed naturally and Safari was taken to the Glenfield Hospital in Leicestershire for the high-risk operation, which left his blood pressure severely low.

"I can remember praying for him that night. We were told this could be the end. I was in bits, but amazingly he came through.

"This was the first time I thought we really were going to lose him, and when he came through that I knew I needed to be strong for him," said Nadine.

But just days after his recovery, his ventilation tube became dislodged from his throat. Doctors and nurses crowded round his bedside to install a new one, but for ten minutes they couldn't get it to fit. All the while, Safari was not breathing.

"That was the scariest incident of all. Even the nurse said to me afterwards 'we almost lost him then'.

"He really is my miracle baby. I'm so grateful to all the doctors and nurses who were there and helped me."

Nadine said she chose her baby's unusual name because she felt as though she had been on a journey into motherhood.

She said: "I liked the name Safari because it means journey and that's exactly what I feel I've been on, and he has been through a lot and survived. That's why we picked Tiger because its the most powerful of the cats. My partner chose King."

Her mother Beverley Osbourne said: "She's been through the mill, and they've come out the other side smiling. It's a miracle."

Between 2009 and 2011 there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of babies born prematurely at the QMC and City Hospital. In 2009 there were 530 and this increased to 636 premature births by 2011.

However, more of them are being saved because of better equipment and other advances. Since 2006 the city's hospitals have cut the fatality rate by a massive 35 per cent. There were 93 deaths in 2006, 62 in 2009 and only 40 in 2011.

The Neonatal Survey for 2011, comparing the East Midlands and Yorkshire, found the city's hospitals the best for saving premature babies' lives.

Dr Stephen Wardle said: "We are doing something right. We are one of the biggest trusts in the region but statistically premature babies are more likely to survive here in Nottingham than any other hospital in the region."