Youngsters and their parents were getting tied up in knots as an arts festival got into full swing.

The Bulwell Forest Garden turned into a sea of string with artist Johnny Crump making a picturesque installation by wrapping yarn around the trees.

And the children then took inspiration and had a go at making their own designs as part of the first Bulwell Arts Festival which started this weekend.

It took Mr Crump, 34, nearly two miles of string and 48 hours to put together his piece which he said explored the idea of connectivity and space.

The Long Eaton resident added: "It's a really good feeling to go somewhere, do some art and then inspire others into thinking creatively.

"I came to the garden a couple of times, took some photos and shot some video, came up with some ideas and now here we are.

"I haven't given it much thought into how I'm going to take it all down though", he admitted.

The youngsters were all fascinated by the display and took their own balls of yarn to the trees to come up with their own art.

This was one of a series of events taking place at the festival, with others including pop-up performances of Shakespeare on Bulwell Market Place on Thursday, a Roald Dahl day at the Forest Garden next Saturday between 2-6pm and bikers being given the chance to pimp their rides at Bulwell Academy from today at 5-7pm.

Mum Amanda Downes, 36, went to the Summer Family Fun Day at Bulwell Academy on Saturday and was at the forest garden yesterday.

She said: "It's great to have artistic and creative things like this on your doorstep really.

"You get the chance to reconnect with the community a bit – seeing people you haven't seen for a while and catching up with them."

Her daughter Sinead, 11, was getting involved with the string.

The Cantrell Primary school pupil said: "This has been fun. I also liked the day at Bulwell Academy yesterday – we did screenprinting and I made a bag."

Barbara Bates, chairwoman of the Bulwell Forest Community Garden, said: "It's really good and it shows off what we have in the garden too.

"From our point of view, it just shows that creative things can take place all over the city and people will be interested."

Show us how creative you are! E-mail newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

NOTTS County Ladies took one step closer to the semi-finals of the Continental Cup with a 2-0 win over WSL leaders Birmingham City Ladies.

In a tight game with few clearcut chances, the Lady Pies eventually stamped their class on the game with two late goals to seal the victory.

County started the match on the front foot, Sophie Walton and Dunia Susi doing well early on to both win corners, Birmingham doing well to clear both.

Birmingham's Jo Potter tried an ambitious effort five minutes in, her 30-yard free-kick flying harmlessly over the bar.

Notts were operating with a high forward line, pressurising goalkeeper Becky Spencer's short kicks out.

The first piece of goal-mouth action came just before 20 minutes, Susi doing well to trick herself past Weston, the defender tripping her on the edge of the box.

Jess Clarke (pictured) whipped in the set-piece from the left, Potter doing well to just clear the ball over the bar.

From the resulting corner, Susi almost gave the away side the lead, the ball was cleared out to her, the England international driving the ball towards the top corner but a deflection took the ball narrowly over the crossbar.

That was the best chance in a half that was limited in goal-mouth action, both sides doing well to cancel each other out in the middle of the park.

The second half started much like the first, with both sides battling it out in a midfield saturated with international quality.

Just after the hour mark, Rachel Corsie picked up a caution for handball as Jade Moore looked to send the ball over the top of the defence.

Birmingham had a brief spell of pressure as the match entered the last 20 minutes. Keeper Carly Telford first saved from sub Melissa Lawley at the back post, before Jade Moore headed over a Karen Carney cross.

With 15 minutes left, the away side took the lead.

Telford pounced on a loose ball in the box and immediately sent Susi away through the middle.

The winger neatly played the ball to substitute Emily Roberts, who controlled the ball well and slipped it past the centre-back for Clarke to run on to. The top scorer collected the ball and executed a perfect chip over the on-rushing Becky Spencer and into the net for her tenth goal in 11 games.

Birmingham tried to respond immediately, Potter and Carney sending deep balls into the box, but the Notts back line had an answer for every attack.

The hosts did have a chance to level the scores as the clock ticked past 80 minutes, but the usually clinical Carney sent her free-kick wide from 20 yards.

County continued to repel the Birmingham attacks, and deep into stoppage time they grabbed their second.

Desiree Scott beat four challenges as she drove towards the box, eventually being fouled by the fifth challenge. Corsie stepped up and curled the ball past the wall and into the bottom corner for her first goal for the club.

Straight after the restart, the referee blew for full-time, the win sending the Lady Pies one point clear at the top of the group, with one game remaining.

KIRSTY Davies added her name to a select roll of honour in Blackpool, as the Hotel Collection World 8-Ball Pool Championships saw the coronation of another new champion.

Nottingham-based Davies held her nerve to deny Emma Wilkinson a triple crown of major titles.

Leading 4-0, the 21-year-old saw former European and World Masters champion, Wilkinson, pull back to 7-6 before she potted the eight-ball to complete an 8-6 success.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," said the new champion after pocketing a £1,600 winners' cheque. "I knew it was going to be a close match so I wanted to start well to settle me down.

"I managed to do that in the first few frames and I was halfway to victory by taking those first four.

"In the end, I could have won 8-5 but I had a hard shot to start with and missed it. However, I knew the next chance I got I would take it."

No-one could begrudge Davies the title in only her second appearance at the WEPF World Championships, now in its 22nd year.

She was just 16 when winning the World Blackball title at Bridlington in 2009 and has quickly made the transition. Twelve months ago, Davies reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion, Emma Cunningham.

This year she avenged that defeat with a crushing 7-1 quarter-final victory and then knocked out England captain and 2013 runner-up, Barbara Taylor, 7-4, in the semis.

Her latest triumph comes just three years after a car accident put her fledgling career in doubt.

On the way to the 2011 European Championships, she suffered whiplash injuries and was out of the game for 18 months.

"I was always determined I would play again," she smiled. "I love my pool too much.

"But at the start I could only play smaller events because my back wouldn't stand the longer matches."

Davies is only the sixth ladies singles champion since the inaugural tournament in Manchester in 1993 after Linda Moffat/Leadbitter, Sue Thompson, Lisa Quick, Emma Cunningham and Lynette Horsburgh.

For Sunderland-based Wilkinson it was a disappointing end to her stay in Blackpool. "I am still happy," she smiled.

"And I will be back next year to have another go.

"I was more nervous than I thought when I walked into the arena, and losing the first four frames was always going to be hard to come back from.

"I had opportunities but it was just one of those matches."

Happy birthday Dhoni bhai. Have a good one :)

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 7, 2014

Thanks a lot everyone for all ur good wishes.

— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) July 7, 2014

TWO hundred drivers are caught speeding in Nottinghamshire every day.

A total of 73,052 motorists were recorded travelling over the speed limit in the last financial year – up 53 per cent from 47,600 five years ago.

The offences generated almost £730,000 a year in fines and revenue from speed awareness courses.

Police have admitted they sometimes hide behind walls to catch speeding motorists, although most offences are captured by speed cameras.

The increase has been put down to the fact there are more cameras on roads and the force now targets resources at areas where they know there are problems with speeding.

The revelation comes after the Post revealed on Friday that a speed camera on the A52 Clifton Boulevard is Britain's seventh most lucrative, clocking up 4,815 offences last year generating more than £100,000.

Groundsman Dennis Jackson says he was caught speeding at 41mph by an officer hiding behind a wall in Somersby Road, Wood- thorpe, which has a 30mph limit.

The 63-year-old, from Arnold, said: "I agree with catching people speeding and I was going a bit fast.

"However, the officer was hiding behind a six-foot brick wall and I don't think that is fair.

"I also think they should be concentrating on other things like making sure the roads are clear and people don't park where they shouldn't be like outside schools."

There are currently 41 static speed cameras and 49 mobile units in operation in Nottinghamshire.

Chief inspector Andy Charlton said the use of cameras and targeted resources had seen an increase in the figures.

"It is not that we are using more officers – it is a case of how we are deploying them," he said.

"We will employ appropriate tactics to catch those speeding.

"There are times when it is a benefit to employ covert tactics.

"However, we mostly want to people to see what we are doing.

The money made through course attendance is put back into enforcement so the offenders are paying for their own enforcement."

He added that the enforcement had helped reduce the number of casualties on the road.

According to the latest Department for Transport statistics, 31 people were killed and 432 seriously injured on the county's roads – down by 20 per cent on the previous year, when there were 33 deaths and 545 serious injuries.

Is it fair to catch speeding drivers by hiding behind walls? Let us know by email at opinion@nottinghampost.com

HAD it been Derby, you suspect it is not a comparison that Stuart Pearce would have been able to bring himself to make.

But, as the new manager looks to build his own empire at Nottingham Forest, he admits he does not have to look too far for inspiration.

When Pearce casts his eye across the East Midlands – to Leicester, rather than the more fierce of their local rivals, the Rams – he is convinced he finds the right formula for Championship success.

This time 12 months ago, speculation was rife that Nigel Pearson was going to be sacked by the Foxes.

But, instead, the club's ambitious owners were rewarded for their patience as City powered their way into the Premier League.

And, as Pearce looks to find a way to take Forest on the same journey, he sees no issue in taking a leaf out of the book of the two sides who were promoted, in Leicester and Burnley.

"We need to look at our near neighbours. I spoke to the squad and the staff at the back end of last season and we said that, if we need a pointer of where we want to be and what we want to achieve, we only have to look at Leicester and Burnley," he says.

"They got themselves up. Nigel built a group, right on our doorstep, that has got into the Premier League. It took him two or three years and the owners there had to be patient with him, particularly last summer.

"They kept Nigel in place and it was similar with Burnley. They got up through team spirit.

"They have a good manager and a good spirit and one or two of their players excelled last year.

"They sent out the message to the rest of the league that you do not have to spend loads of money.

"You just have to have that team spirit and that desire to work for each other, to get out of this league."

In terms of team spirit and unity, Pearce does not feel that is an issue at Forest.

While he may not admit it himself, his return as manager is only likely to galvanise a spirit among both players and supporters, as they embark on another Championship season.

So what is the key, in Pearce's eyes?

"Momentum is massive. That is the case. You need to get off to a good start and then carry that momentum on," he says.

"You need to have an honest squad who enjoy working with each other.

"The Championship is tough to get out of and there will be a lot of teams who will have aspirations that are above where they should be.

"We need to galvanise the supporters and make sure there is that feel-good factor here that I was fortunate enough to enjoy as a player.

"We need to make sure that the academy players feel as though there is a path from the academy into the first-team."

On that front, Pearce has taken one significant step by clearing out the old first team training building, right next to the main centre at the Nigel Doughty academy, as a new base for the club's youth team.

And here, again, he believes there is a comparison to be made with their local rivals.

"They are next door now. But we need to make sure they are loved for and cared for by a senior manager, in myself," he said.

"We are behind Leicester, with regards to recruitment, that is for sure.

"We need to get better at that, when it comes to the young players within our catchment area.

"That is something that we have to build, behind the scenes.

"It is crucial that you see young players coming through the academy to get into your first team.

"We have to make sure that we get more (Jamaal) Lascelles and people of that ilk coming through. It was big for me at Manchester City.

"I brought the likes of Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha and Steven Ireland through. They came through our system.

"They were the lifeblood of Manchester City before the money came along. This football club has to see that as well.

"We need to build a strong academy system, that is above Derby and Leicester. At the minute we feel as though we are not there."

One thing that Forest do have in place is a solid backroom staff. Steve Wigley and Brian Eastick will support Pearce as assistants, while Tim Flowers has joined as goalkeeper coach.

And Pearce says their support will be invaluable.

"I have been fortunate that, firstly, there were a lot of vacancies for us to fill and, secondly, that I had a ready made staff who wanted to come and join me, who I have worked with over a number of years," he says. "I have people I respect and who will help me do my job.

"Steve Wigley is a better coach than I am, for example. I have Brian who is a good coach as well, but is also a fantastic general manager type person as well.

"Tim Flowers has joined me, we have not worked together since Manchester City, but he is a fantastic goalkeeping coach.

"I have some really good people here, to help me out.

"They will all chip in towards running the club. I am not the sort of person who believes I am all things to all people.

"I would rather get people in who are better than me at certain things that are perhaps not my forte.

"I will readily admit that. I will let Steve run the training because he is better at doing it than I am. There will be times when I dip into it, particularly in the build up to match days.

"But you have to realise that there are people there for you and you have to trust them to do their jobs."

Pearce, when pushed, admits that man management is probably his forte; his strength within the management team.

"I don't think there is anyone on my staff who is better at it, in my opinion," he says.

"But I do touch on every aspect that a manager has to. I do like to coach, I like to get involved with the players. But football management is so diverse now.

"You have to manage upwards as well; you have to have a good relationship with your chairman and the people who work for him.

"But, overall, this a great challenge at a great club for me."

The challenge, then, is to match the achievements of Leicester.

And, if Pearce can do that, then no Forest fans will be upset at following in the footsteps of one of their biggest rivals.

AMBULANCE chiefs are hiring driving instructors to cut the number of crashes – after estimating that smashes involving their vehicles are costing them up to £400,000 a year.

East Midlands Ambulance Service said it was looking to recruit four instructors to help staff train new 999 drivers – and to assess those already out on the roads.

The move comes after managers at the trust estimated that accidents involving their ambulances and cars were costing them between £300,000 and £400,000 a year. They said they also wanted to reduce the amount of times vehicles were being taken off the road for repairs after a collision.

Nicky Fothergill, in charge of driving at EMAS, said: "Our staff are often driving in high-risk situations and accidents are not always their fault. When people see blue lights and hear a siren, they can react unpredictably and in ways our staff can't always anticipate.

"There are things we can do to help and one is spotting any problems which could lead to something – like making sure drivers are reversing properly – before they happen.

"And these driving instructors will be able to help us do that because, while we have people doing this at the moment, some are operational paramedics and others are tutors – both of whom have other responsibilities too."

Between April 2013 and March this year, there were 404 incidents involving ambulance vehicles which EMAS reported to its insurers.

There were 462 incidents in the previous 12 months and, so far this financial year up to May, there have been 65. These include instances where ambulance vehicles have clipped mirrors, hit parked cars or reserved incorrectly.

Ms Fothergill, clinical education manager and driving lead for EMAS, said: "Over the last year, we can see that the number of incidents has decreased but some types of incidents have actually gone up.

"The number of times where vehicles have hit stationary objects has increased, as has the number of incidents where the vehicle was reserving.

"But the amount of times vehicles are clipping mirrors and hitting third-party vehicles has gone down, while incidents where the handbrake has not been applied correctly are about the same." Ms Fothergill said she hoped to see the instructors, called clinical practice tutors for driving, visiting different stations to offer their support.

She said other measures they were looking to introduce included regular refresher training for workers.

But she said they already sent out regular bulletins to staff about driving and issues to be aware of, such as speeding.

NOTTINGHAM is to receive tens of millions of pounds over the next six years from the Government's Local Growth Fund, which has been set up to invest in regional economies.

It will help back major developments which will have a visible impact on the city.

The biggest is a £60 million college project which will feature a new building on derelict land off Canal Street alongside the tram and below Nottingham Contemporary gallery.

It receives £30 million under today's announcement for a development which will see Central College and New College Nottingham come together under one roof to run a skills hub for students on courses relevant to jobs in the city.

Nottingham also gets more than £10 million from the fund to help pay for a project known as the southern gateway – a series of road and transport changes which, alongside the revamp of the Broadmarsh shopping centre, will provide a more attractive entrance to the city from the railway station.

A further £12 million is split between a new building at Nottingham's BioCity centre for science firms and infrastructure for Nottingham Enterprise Zone, a part of the city centred on surplus land at the Boots campus where firms are eligible for incentives to set up.

The cash has been secured by D2N2, the local enterprise partnership for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and is part of a package totalling £174.4 million to be spent on a variety of projects in both counties.

Those projects also include money to help develop a housing and industrial development at the Rolls-Royce site at Hucknall, and a new southern relief road at Newark which will open up an extension of the town capable of accommodating 3,000 homes.

But the biggest single share of the cash has gone to Nottingham, and the chief executive of D2N2, David Ralph, said the money would have a significant impact on the city.

He said: "The skills hub in particular will be transformational. You have two colleges coming together with a joint curriculum to create a one-stop shop for employability skills right in the heart of Nottingham, which is hugely important for the local economy.

"Overall, what we have secured today is a very strong package for the D2N2 area. This is a competitive process where we have been bidding against other parts of the country, but this is a great start when you put it together with the millions we have received for other projects, and we will be back bidding for more."

He added: "The funding that has been secured for BioCity and the enterprise zone also marks a step change, particularly for the life sciences industry, which is particularly important for Nottingham."

Today's funding announcement, which is part of a nationwide package of cash from the Local Growth Fund, also includes money for sustainable transport initiatives related mainly to cycling around the city and making superfast broadband available to communities who have yet to receive it.

Money has been committed in stages, with a big chunk of it available in 2015-16 – election year. Indications from Whitehall are that even if there is a change of government next year the funding package for future years will still go ahead. It comes after a previous City Deal under which the Government gave £60 million to Nottingham to help deliver a growth plan for the city economy.

Councillor Nick McDonald, who holds the portfolio for jobs and growth, said: "We have some major ambitions for the city and this is going to help us deliver that vision.

"The skills hub will create an iconic building on what is derelict land and it will deliver significant student numbers into the area round Broadmarsh. But it is also an innovative approach to learning which links in to the retail industry around it.

"The southern gateway project is also a key regeneration project for us. It involves enhancements to roads and the public realm and when you put it together with the Broadmarsh redevelopment, the plans for the old Castle College site and the Castle project itself, it will transform this part of the city."

TODAY is an historic day for our country – and for Nottingham in particular. Why? Because we're signing local growth deals up and down England, giving our great towns and cities the money they need to invest in skills, infrastructure and businesses – so we can build a better future.

There's a simple idea behind these growth deals: trusting people. For the past few months we've been working with local businesses, colleges and councils here to better understand what people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire need to unlock growth. And today, we are going to put pen to paper and make it all happen.

And let me be clear: what we're signing are not a load of pie-in-the-sky ambitions. This local growth deal means real change – and is full of real detail. Across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire we are signing a deal worth almost £175 million.

And this money is going to be used on projects like the Nottingham Skills Hub to help give young people the advice and skills they need to take advantage of the opportunities that this city offers them.

The deal provides investment in new roads in Broadmarsh so that new homes and businesses can be built on the southern side of the city and be well connected to the station. And it supports the local success story of BioCity, as well as creating space for start-ups.

And this is going to mean real change. Because behind all these numbers and these really important projects lies more jobs, more industry and businesses, more growth and financial security for people living here in Nottingham.

A 45-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a stabbing in Newark.

Police confirmed that a 52-year-old man was stabbed at a property on Nelson Road at around 10.15pm on Sunday July 6.

The man suffered life threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.

The suspect remains in police custody and is being questioned about the incident.

A 30-year-old woman was assaulted in the grounds of a library in Long Eaton after leaving a nightclub.

The victim has told police she left Manhattans, in Clifford Street, at around 3am on Sunday July 6.

They walked along Tamworth Road before she said he took her into the grounds of the library and assaulted her.

She reported the incident and has been questioned about the attack and is due to be questioned again today.

Part of the grounds were cordoned off yesterday while forensic teams examined the scene.

The victim, who is from the town, told officers her attacker was white and aged in his mid-20s but was unable to give a better description.

Anyone who witnessed the assault or has information should call the police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.