THE stories of the most significant conflicts in history will be told at a new exhibition.

The war gallery at Erewash Museum will present artefacts and information on world conflicts from the First World War through to the present day.

The new exhibition was kicked off on Saturday with a launch event also marking the centenary of the First World War.

Nicola Wood is the museum's manager. She said: "It's absolutely exciting. We thought that we needed something fitting to mark the centenary and our war room hadn't seen any redevelopment for quite some time - so we thought we would do that.

"We're really pleased with what we've done. It's wonderful and it's very different from what we've done before. It brings Erewash museum in line with some of the bigger city musuems.

"What makes it special is the way we've designed it - it has the wow factor as you walk in the room.

"I think it is something people are still interested in - it goes right up to the conflict in Afghanistan today."

She added: "It's a really exciting day all round."

The Mayor of Erewash, Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal officially opened the new gallery and the launch day included the recreation of a First World War recruiting station, music hall sketches and war poems.

Councillor Athwal said he was delighted to be able to open the museum's latest exhibition with up to 100 people at the launch event.

He said: "The war gallery was really appreciated by people who attended. It's showing the history from the First World War right up to the current conflicts going on around the world including some special memorabilia.

"The comments are very positive and it's something that we as a country and as an area need to commemorate and remember all the sacrifices people have made."

Councillor Athwal said he was very proud of the museum. he added: "It is a feather in the cap for the area - our museum has won awards and the improvements are ongoing year and year and it's quite apt that they've done - I'm actually very proud, honoured and deeply humbled. There's so much good work that goes on by residents an volunteers in the area who do things like this for the love."

The Royal British Legion were also present and a memorial service held by the Methodist Church closed the event.

Two books of remembrance were also on display for visitors to leave their reflections and add their thoughts for loved ones that have been involved or are still involved in conflicts across the world.

Are you commemorating the centenary? Email newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

Notts County lost their unbeaten record against non-league opposition as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Conference side Halifax.

The Magpies included ex-Manchester United star Roy Carroll in their starting line-up for the friendly clash as part of their build-up to the big kick-off on August 9.

As you would expect for someone whose career has spanned 19 years, Carroll looked incredibly solid in the game at the Shay where the woodwork denied the Magpies on two occasions.

First to hit the bar was Akwasi Asante who diverted Zeli Ismail's cross straight at Matty Glennon who deflected his effort onto the cross bar.

Then Ismail cracked the post himself right on the stroke of half-time with a wonderful turn of pace and skill which would have pleased boss Shaun Derry.

Halifax had their moments in the second half which saw both sides make numerous changes.

Scott Boden headed onto the roof of the net following a smart pass from Jamie Jackson as the Conference Premier side searched for a winner.

Jake Cassidy, who has joined Notts on loan from Wolves, made his debut and showed some promising touches up front.

But it was Jackson who stole the headlines when he rifled in from 25 yards which gave Carroll no chance.

Halifax: Glennon, McManus, Bolton (Roberts 77), Roberts, Williams (Schofield 45), Pearson (Peniket 77), Boden, Ainge, Maynard, Dyer (Jackson 45), Marshall (Smith 77).

Notts: Carroll, Thompson, Mullins (McKenzie 65), Hollis, Adams (Diaz 45), Noble (Whitehouse 45), Smith, Wroe (Cassidy 45), Thompson (Dawson 45), Ismail, Asante (Murray 65) Subs: Spiess Referee: Martin Coy

Attendance 720 (135 visitors)

NOTTINGHAM cyclist Lydia Boylan finished 14th in the Women's 10km Scratch Race at the Commonwealth Games.

Representing Northern Ireland, the 27-year-old faced some stiff competition at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, with newly-crowned 3,000m individual pursuit champion Joanna Rowsell and England team-mates Laura Trott and Dani King in the line-up.

But it was Australian Annette Edmondson who took the gold medal ahead of compatriot Amy Cure, with Wales' Elinor Barker edging out King for the bronze position.

Boylan now has a quick turnaround, being back on the track for a second time when she competes in the 25km Points Race tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Beeston Hockey's Jamie Cachia and Gordon McIntyre were part of a Scotland team to suffer a second successive defeat as India triumphed 6-2 in their group game.

FAMILIES enjoyed spending some quality time together at a range of events across the county on Saturday.

Christine Palmer, 53, took her two daughters, Nikki and Kerry, Nikki's partner Ben and her granddaughter Anya, eight, to the Forest Recreation Ground's Family Sports Day. 

Together, they took part in a range of sports activities, including table tennis, while enjoying the live music and entertainment on offer.

Christine, of Radcliffe-on-Trent, said: "We come down every year because Anya loves it; she's very sporty and loves being outside.

"It has been really nice today and we have enjoyed spending time as a family."

The Family Sports Day, organised by Nottingham City Council, in partnerships with local sports clubs and organisations, attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Nikki Dawkins, 31, of Bilborough, said the event was a great way for families to have fun together without having to worry about the cost.

She said: "Anya has a lot of energy so it is good for her to be able to burn some of that off.

"It's also good because it is the summer holidays too and it is great that the activities are free."

Anya added: "I have been having a lot of fun and I have enjoyed playing table tennis. It has been a nice, sunny day to be outside."

Other activities included a bouncy castle, climbing wall, go-kart track, water zorbing and sports races. There was also a range of stalls on offer and families were encouraged to bring their own picnic.

Just outside of the city centre, families enjoyed a summer barbecue at the Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens.

It featured stalls, food, music, wood-carving and children's activities and attracted more than 350 visitors.

Rachel Branch, 33, of The Meadows, took her two children, Marcus, nine, and Warren, five, to the event.

She said: "It is a great event, there has been lots of stuff to do and lots for the kids to learn and play on."

Marcus helped to carve a butterfly into the trunk of a lime tree, which was being made into a bench for the gardens.

He said: "I have had fun drawing the butterfly to go on the wooden bench, then carving it. I also made my own banana, strawberry and apple juice smoothie on the bike, which was tasty."

Volunteer Di Clausen said: "People have been very generous, and some have given us donations. Any money will go towards the general upkeep of the gardens and to help make it a bit more sustainable."

Tell us about your community event at newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

To see photographs from the event see www.nottinghampost.com/pictures

MANSFIELD'S Molly Renshaw clinched a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games.

The teenager finished third behind Australian pair Taylor McKeown and Sally Hunter in a time of 2.25.00, 2.64 seconds adrift of the winner.

Renshaw had equalled the English national record in her favoured discipline last month.

And after failing to make the final in the 50m event earlier this week, she cruised through to the final in the 200m, finishing second in her heat.

And there was success too for England's badminton mixed team as Nottingham's Chris Adcock helped them progress to the semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka.

Adcock and wife Gabby got the quarter-final off to a great start with a 21-15 21-16 success in their doubles clash.

"It is a different atmosphere and feeling to the group stages," said Adcock. "We gave our opponents a lot of respect, we were sharp, but the further along we go, the better games come."

England now wait to hear who they face in the last four tomorrow.

Dozens of prisoners have taken part in a disturbance at HMP Ranby Prison.

The Prison Officers' Association said the incident started at around 12.30pm on Saturday when inmates on one wing refused to return to their cells. They were protesting after reportedly being refused permission to go outside in the hot weather, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Firefighters and prison officers carrying shields were seen going into the jail and ambulances were in attendance. Prisoners were also seen being transported away from the prison in escort vans.

It was resolved at around 8.10pm, with no reports of any injuries to prisoners or staff.

There were also reports of a fire within the prison, but this has been denied by the Ministry of Justice.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "A disturbance on one wing at HMP Ranby has ended. No staff or prisoners were injured and minimal damage was sustained.

"Prison staff were deployed to deal with the incident, which involved between 30 and 60 prisoners.

"The prison has now returned to normal operation and visits will take place as usual on Sunday."

HMP Ranby, in Retford, has been labelled a "prison in crisis" after inspectors discovered a catalogue of safety concerns - including self-harming and high levels of violence.

Chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick said the situation was "troubling" but also said the new governor recognised the challenges and was working hard to tackle the problems.

HMP Ranby holds more than 1,000 prisoners.

Buses will replace trains on a number of routes on Monday as engineering and maintenance staff at East Midlands Trains go on strike.

Industrial action by members of the Unite Union started at 6am on Sunday, and will continue until 5.59am on Thursday.

The union is calling for the company to improve a 2.75 per cent pay offer for the year ending April 2015, claiming other employees have received more.

On Sunday, the majority of train services ran as planned and there were no bus replacements.

From Monday to Thursday, buses will replace trains on the Nottingham - Mansfield/Worksop and the Nottingham - Newark North Gate - Cleethorpes via Lincoln routes.

Passengers travelling on the Nottingham - Derby - Matlock route will have to get on a bus from Derby to continue their journey, as will passengers on the Leicester to Lincoln route, which calls at Nottingham.

The majority of services will continue to run as normal to and from London, although a number of services may operate with fewer carriages than usual.

A full train service will run to and from Skegness, Boston, Sleaford, Grantham and Nottingham.

Trains between Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester and Nottingham will run as normal. Customers travelling to and from Grantham, Peterborough, Ely and stations to Norwich may need to change trains at Nottingham (a revised train/rail replacement bus service will run between Nottingham and Norwich).

What do you think of the strike action? Leave us a comment below

EDWALTON'S Amy Whitehead finished ninth in the women's marathon at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The 35-year-old, who celebrates her birthday next week, came home in a time of 2.35.06 as the second English athlete across the line, behind Louise Damen.

It was a Kenyan one-two on the podium, with Flomena Cheyech Daniel bagging gold in 2.26.45.

Elsewhere, Mansfield swimmer Molly Renshaw followed up yesterday's 200m breaststroke bronze medal by making the semi-finals of the 100m.

The teenager finished third in her heat, clocking 1.10.29, 2.34 seconds behind Jamaican Alia Atkinson

The semi-finals of the event take place later this evening.

And Ellie Watton opened the scoring as England women's hockey team maintained their unbeaten start in Glasgow.

Watton, recently of Beeston, steered home a penalty corner in the 17^th minute to set her team on their way to a 5-0 win over Malaysia.

"It was a great team performance and great to get some goals behind us, so we're very happy," said Watton.

"They were hard to break down to begin with but we kept our focus and once we got a couple of goals, we relaxed and the match started going our way."

SHOOTER Rachel Parish claimed Nottinghamshire's second medal of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with bronze in the women's Double Trap.

The 33-year-old, who was born in Worcester but trains in Nottingham, triumphed in the shoot-off, beating Cynthia Myer, of Canada after both finished with a score of 91.

And her success made it two England athletes on the podium as Charlotte Kerwood took the gold medal.

Parish's triumph follows on the back of Mansfield's Molly Renshaw's bronze in the 200m breaststroke yesterday.

NOTTINGHAM cyclist Lydia Boylan finished 16th in the Women's 25km Points Race at the Commonwealth Games.

England's Laura Trott took the gold medal in a thrilling finish at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, with Nottingham Milk Race winner Katie Archibald clinching bronze.

Northern Ireland rider Boylan was part of a strong field featuring England trio Trott, Joanna Rowsell and Dani King.

And though she finished seventh in the final sprint, she was ranked 16^th overall.

Her effort came 24 hours after her 14^th place finish in the 10km Scratch Race at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

Her focus will now switch to the Road Race, next Sunday.

NOTTINGHAM Riviera is putting the city on the map – and people keep coming back for more.

Now in its sixth year, the event is as popular as ever, with its giant paddling pool, 250 tonnes of golden sand, a beach bar, rides and a host of free activities.

Despite this weekend being branded the "big summer getaway", with an estimated 37,000 people jetting off to sunnier climes from East Midlands Airport, thousands of others soaked up the holiday feeling much closer to home.

Maria Stevens, of Worksop, was enjoying the sunshine with her children Eva, one, and Lyle, two.

She said the event was a great tourist attraction for Nottingham.

She said: "It's definitely bringing a lot of people into the city.

"People will also be using the local shops, so I imagine it's bringing a lot of money into the city, which can only be a good thing.

"It promotes the things I love most about Nottingham – that it's a city that brings people together.

"I'm really enjoying it. The kids want to go on everything, so I'm having to keep them calm, but it's lovely to have something like this on your doorstep."

Jen Moore, 28, travelled from Alfreton with her two children Vincent, four, and Violet, two.

She said: "We've been to Nottingham Riviera before as we came last year.

"The best thing about it is that we've not got to drive two hours for the kids to be able to play on a beach."

Her husband Paul, 33, added: "The children are having a great time playing in the sand and going on the rides as well. It's great to see them enjoying themselves.

"It's been a brilliant day so far."

The event will also feature a wide range of musical performances over the next few weeks, including steel drum bands, DJs, historical plays and tribute artists.

It is organised through a partnership between Nottingham City Council and entertainment specialist the Mellors Group.

Duty manager Lee Clarke said: "Since the kids have broken up from school, the Riviera has been extremely busy.

"People are starting to go on the rides more and the kids are making sandcastles – it's great to see.

"Events like this just put Nottingham on the map.

"I've been all over the country running various events, but I've never seen anything like this before.

"It's unique and fresh – and the fact that it's still as popular as ever after six years just goes to show how the people of Nottingham love it so much."

Nottingham Riviera runs every day until Tuesday, September 2.

UP and coming young talent took centre stage during a festival of fun in West Bridgford.

The Bridgfest youth festival showcases activities available for youngsters across Rushcliffe and provided a family day out for around 4,000 people on Sunday.

The festival included live music from local bands and around 50 activity, sport and creative stalls.

Alecks Jackowska, 55, took her son and his friend to the event.

"It's brilliant," the 55-year-old from Carlton said.

" The kids are really impressed. It's great to have during the summer holidays. It's a great day out."

Johnny Rowley, from New Basford, took his two children, aged eight and 11.

He said: "This is the first time we've come down. It's a really good thing - I like the fact that there's so much to do and so many free things.

"The kids have had a nice time especially playing human table football."

Ian Whitehead is locality youth manager responsible for Rushcliffe at Nottinghamshire County Council and helped to organise the event.

He said: "It's going really well. We're expecting numbers of about 4000 overall which is really good. People are enjoying it.

"The whole idea really is to promote activities for young people and let them know what's out there and available."

The event is organised by the county council's youth service and showcases local musical talent on a stage throughout the day.

The bands come from the Young People's Centre next door to West Bridgford Park - where the festival was held - and gives youngsters the opportunity to play their songs live.

Zac Pritchett, from West Bridgford, learned his musical craft at the centre and was helping out at yesterday's event after playing in previous years.

The 17-year-old's band, Hello Tomorrow, have hit the heights after learning their trade at the youth centre.

"It's going quite well for us, we've played the Royal Concert Hall and Rock City a few times," he said.

"It's definitely helped us doing this - it has given us a place to practice and perform."

Did you go to the event? What did you think? Email newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

Speed cameras will be in the following locations across Nottinghamshire for the week beginning Monday, July 28.

A60 Nottingham Rd, Mansfield
A60 Nottingham Rd/Mansfield Rd, Ravenshead
New Mill Lane/ Sandlands Way, Mansfield Woodhouse
B6030 Sherwood Hall Rd/Clipstone Rd, Mansfield
B6023 Mansfield Rd, Sutton in Ashfield
A60 Leeming Lane North, Mansfield Woodhouse
A631 Gringley to Beckingham (Nr Mutton Lane)
A631 Flood Plains Road, Beckingham
A616 Ollerton Rd, Caunton
A612 Main Road, Upton
A17 Sleaford Road, Coddington
A609 Ilkeston Rd/Wollaton Rd/Russell Drive/Trowell Rd, Nottingham
A610 Alfreton Rd, Nottingham
A6005 Castle Boulevard/Abbey Bridge/University Boulevard, Nottingham
A6008 Canal Street, Nottingham
B682 Sherwood Rise through to Hucknall Lane, Nottingham
Glaisedale Drive, Bilborough, Nottingham
Beechdale Road (Robins Wood Rd- Strelley Rd), Nottingham
B600 Nottingham Rd / Kimberley Rd, Nuthall
A609 Ilkeston Road, Trowell
Coppice Road, Arnold
A6211 Arnold Lane, Gedling