CAMPAIGNERS have raised more than £1,500 and gained the support of a host of politicians for a protest about the way the government is running the NHS.

The People's March for the NHS is a national campaign which claims the health service is being under-funded, broken up and privatised.

And to raise awareness for the cause protesters will march from Jarrow, in the North East, to London, trooping through Nottinghamshire on August 28 - culminating in a mini-festival in the city with up to 1,000 people expected.

Organisers in the county have had small donations from hundreds of locals to pay for an open letter to the government, which is in today's Post, and are urging more people to get behind the campaign.

Stewart Halforty, the co-ordinator of the march in Nottinghamshire, said: "We think the NHS is being quietly privatised and because it does not make for exciting front page news people don't know about it. The march is an attempt to raise the issue, to get people talking about it and thinking about their local health service.

"It's the biggest issue of our time. The health service which was run by men and women who fought in the Second World War is now being dismantled before our very eyes.

"We want to prioritise the rally in Nottingham and people need to come and support us."

On August 27, the march will arrive in the north of the county before going to Mansfield the next day. Walkers will then go through Hucknall, Bulwell and Highbury Vale.

The march will arrive at Forest Fields Recreation Ground at about 5.30pm where a host of activities and events will be held.

The march is supported by MPs Lilian Greenwood, Gloria De Piero and police and crime commissioner Paddy Tipping among others.

Miss De Piero said: "The People's March is a real grassroots movement and I'm full of admiration for them as they aim to raise awareness of, in their words, 'the Government's assault on our most prized possession'.

"The people of Ashfield love the NHS and I'm sure they will give them a very warm and rousing welcome as they make their way through our own community.

"I plan to stand side by side with them when they meet outside King's Mill Hospital on Thursday 28th August and I'd urge anyone else who can to do so as well. Let's make sure that Clegg and Cameron get the message loud and clear."

The march will follow the route of the famous Jarrow march against unemployment.

NOTTS County fans attending today's game against Fleetwood can get a travel discount on the tram.

They can buy a £2 return event ticket from any tram stop ticket machine, as long as they show their match ticket if asked by inspectors.

Jamie Swift, marketing manager for operators Nottingham Express Transit, said: "The nearest stop, Station Street, is just a short walk from Meadow Lane, and by taking the tram fans can save money."

THIEVES targeted a rugby club just days after it was hit by an arson attack.

They stole tools after breaking into a building and a locked container at Southwell Rugby Club between 6pm on Monday and 6.45am on Tuesday.

The break-in came after training kit and equipment were damaged in an arson attack at the club in Park Lane.

A pile of wood was set on fire on Thursday, August 7, and spread to a shipping container containing club equipment.

Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call police on 101.

BROKEN windows at Nottingham City Council's headquarters are to be fixed – at a cost of £56,000.

Four windows have been damaged at Loxley House on Station Street. The council says the broken windows have to be replaced as they pose a health and safety risk.

VISITORS have been swooping in to one of Nottingham's most popular tourist attractions – thanks to the Caped Crusader.

Since Wollaton Hall became Wayne Manor for the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises, visitor numbers are up 31 per cent to nearly 230,000 last year.

The figures were revealed as part of a Visit England survey which also showed other city attractions pulled in more punters last year.

Among those who have headed to Wollaton Hall since the film is Melody Sheng, 21, of Radford. She said: "I know Wollaton because of the film and whenever I have friends from London here, they want us to visit because of Batman."

And Rob Kirkwood, chairman of the Friends of Wollaton Park, said: "I can see why more people would come to the park after it became Wayne Manor.

"I like that there's just the right amount of Batman stuff for people who have come to Wollaton Hall for that, but not so that it's too obvious to put off people who haven't."

Cat Arnold, executive assistant for leisure and culture at Nottingham City Council, said the figures were great news for the city. "We have been particularly pleased with the large boost in visitor numbers to Wollaton Hall following the filming there in 2011, and we hope more people will continue to come," she said.

Also seeing big increases in visitor numbers was Stonebridge City Farm, with 70,000 people going through the doors in 2013 – nearly 30 per cent more than in the year before.

Marie Rogers, manager of the farm in St Ann's, put the success down to word of mouth.

She said: "We still get a lot of people coming and saying they hadn't heard of the place before, but they tell their friends and they come along and the cycle continues.

"It's great to show off what we have here – I think the animals have the largest appeal for people and there's a great community here."

Nottingham Castle saw a sharp drop in visitors of 42 per cent between 2009 and 2011, but the latest figures show its popularity is back on the increase.

Some 196,857 people headed to the attraction in 2013, up 2.3 per cent on 2012.

The figures show the Galleries of Justice saw thousands more visitors through the door.

Executive director Nicola Burley said: "The marketing the city got through Experience Nottinghamshire helped, and we've worked on combined ticket offers with the Caves to make it a full day out."

Outside of the city, the D H Lawrence Heritage Centre, in Eastwood, saw a 7.7 per cent rise in visitors to 12,507, and Sherwood Forest Visitor Park was up 2.5 per cent to 345,564.

However, Rufford Country Park saw a 0.6 per cent drop in visitors to 458,611.

NOW, before I get into the details of this absolutely perfect wine and food match, I know how controversial foie gras is and how expensive they both are!

Let me preempt this by saying on the occasion I had this match, and you would only have this on a special occasion, it was Christmas Day and I was at the home of my partner's parents in Bordeaux.

Sauternes is more commonly known as a sweet dessert wine, full of rich orangey, pineapple and apricot flavours with honeyed lusciousness and the ageing potential of many, many years.

Different Sauternes can vary in sweetness and are more traditionally matched with a good rich pudding.

The grapes of a Sauternes wine have been naturally infected with botrytis or noble rot, a fungus that essentially covers the grapes and removes the water content leaving the sweet concentrated grape juice.

So, back to Bordeaux… when I was told we were having Sauternes I assumed it would be with the dessert, a traditional French bûche (that's chocolate log to you and me!). But no, how wrong was I!

The starter was, what seemed to me at the time, a mismatch of flavours that I was apprehensive about; I'm not a huge fan of sweet and savoury combinations.

The foie gras, an astoundingly rich smooth duck liver, was very thinly sliced and served on a lightly fruited loaf.

The combination of the richness of the 'melt in the mouth' foie gras and the sweetened loaf was amazing!

All my apprehensions were well and truly disappearing, but the pièce de résistance that really took this combination to another level was the Sauternes.

One sip of the golden nectar coated the mouth in a sweet, honeyed, aromatic syrup which helped cut through the richness of the foie gras and complemented the little sultana nuggets in the loaf.

The danger with such a lusciously rich combination is that you tend to want to eat more than your starter portion will afford.

The richness can be deceiving, and the fear is that you are full up before the turkey or 'dinde', in my French hosts' case, arrives at the table!

For those who wouldn't entertain the idea of eating foie gras, I completely understand.

Maybe try this with a smooth duck pate or mousse, although be aware you won't have the same extent of richness and exact flavour.

The fruit loaf really needs to be lightly fruited; a slab of malt loaf will be way too heavy!

As for the Sauternes, these are mostly available in half bottles due to the nature of hand harvesting the botrytised grapes and can appear expensive for a half bottle. But you don't drink Sauternes the same way you would a Shiraz or Sauvignon; a small 75ml measure will be more than enough.

My recommended bottle is the Chateau de la Chartreuse, Sauternes, 2006 at around £16.50.

YOUNG artist Philip Clarke was "amazed" to find that his watercolour painting would be displayed in two major galleries after impressing judges in a national competition.

Art fans visiting the Mall Galleries, in London, and Guildford House Galleries, in Surrey, will be able to admire the 24-year-old Loughborough University graduate's work.

Mr Clarke, of Radcliffe-on-Trent, painted the scene he could see from his bedroom window while studying at Loughborough.

He entered the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition after being urged to do so by tutors on his fine-art course.

"I didn't know how well it would do, really," said Mr Clarke.

In fact, the painting did very well, with the judges choosing it among 93 others for display.

Mr Clarke described the painting as mostly made up of the sky, with different coloured clouds giving a sunset appearance.

It also includes trees and floodlights.

The painting will be on display at the Mall Galleries from September 15 to 20 and at Guildford House from November 14 to December 3.

Mr Clarke said: "I was amazed to find out it was going on display.

"I have wanted to be an artist all of my life, so this is a great opportunity for me."

He has now set up a space to produce his work at the Bohunk Institute, in Fisher Gate, Nottingham.

The winner of the competition will receive £10,000, with £6,000 going to the runner-up. Results will be announced in the coming weeks.

Mr Clarke's work was judged by artists Sarah Armstrong Jones and Ben Ravenscroft, Desmond Shawe-Taylor – surveyor of the Queen's pictures – and Louis Wise, critic and writer for the Sunday Times.

Mr Ravenscroft said: "I know when I'm looking at good watercolour that the artist was truly awake, actually there and that something has happened."

Lynn Szygenda, exhibitions and audience development officer at Guildford House, said: "Our 17th-century building provides an atmospheric backdrop to this vibrant contemporary work."

"SO, there's a thing called the Hollywood sign and obviously there's a letter 'H' at the beginning of it.

"If I was to stand at the top of the 'H' I could look down on to my house. I guess you could say I'm just under the H."

Craig Young is trying to describe the exact spot on which his Hollywood home sits.

It's around 5,350 miles from his native town where his roots lie.

The actor was born in the Queen's Medical Centre, raised on Farnborough Road in Clifton and lived in the city until he was 17 years old.

With his mother working as manageress of JB's bingo hall in Clifton and his father a miner at Cotgrave pit, his beginnings were relatively humble.

Clifton was also where he attended Milford Primary School and Fairham Community College, before moving to London to realise his childhood dream of becoming an actor.

Via a brush with pop stardom and national TV, Craig now finds himself living the Hollywood lifestyle at full throttle – quite literally.

The 37-year-old is playing the lead role in Jaguar's latest car commercial, which sees him as a villainous character, racing Jaguar's latest XFR model.

He recalls how his dreams of success began back home in his living room.

"I used to sit and watch Top Of The Pops every Thursday night," he says.

"I remember one time closing my eyes and wishing I could be on stage.

"My first acting job was when I was 10 years old at the Nottingham Playhouse with a play called The Price of Coal." It was the first production of the then artistic director Kenneth Alan Taylor.

By the time he turned 17, Craig had decided to pursue a career in acting and headed for drama college in London.

He got a job at a restaurant to fund his course, but a chance encounter at work meant his time at college came to a halt after just three months.

"One day I'm serving this kid in the restaurant and he said, 'Hey, I'm looking for a blond guy to come and be a part of this band, would you be interested?' It was as simple as that," he recalls.

The band in question would become 90s pop group Deuce.

They went on to score four top 30 singles – including "I Need You" which reached number 10 in April 1995 – and appeared on TV shows including GMTV and, more importantly for Craig, Top Of The Pops.

But despite working with Tom Watkins, manager of acclaimed acts like East 17 and Pet Shop Boys, things took a disappointing turn.

"It started off all bells and whistles and fantasy-like really," he recalls.

"When I got into the nitty gritty of it, people's egos started to get in the way. There were a lot of rules and regulations and the style was very much manipulated."

He adds: "But when I look back I made some amazing friends along the way and I got to live my boyhood dream of being on Top Of The Pops. How many people can say that, right?"

While performing on GMTV, Craig became friendly with the show's executive producer.

And once Deuce was done with, he was offered a role introducing cartoons and interviewing pop groups on the show.

As fun as this was, Craig decided he had to get back into acting.

Before long, his manager had arranged an audition with Sky's former football-themed TV drama series, Dream Team.

The producers decided to write Craig his own 'bad boy' character, named Alex. "Alex had just come out of a youth offenders' institute and was from Nottingham so I could revert back to my original accent.

"He'd be always starting fights, rumours, or spiking drinks."

During the filming of Dream Team, Craig would travel back and forth to LA to visit a friend.

And he recalls the moment when his love affair with The Golden State ignited.

"The first time I visited him was in '98 and I remember touching down in LAX and seeing the sizzling mirage on the runway and it sent shivers down my spine," he says.

"I was like 'Oh my god, this is it, this is where I want to be' – there was just something in me telling me that.

"I find that if you set yourself goals, things happen. That little kid who was sat watching Top Of The Pops, he set himself a goal.

"The same thing happened in America.

"Once I got out there I gave myself a week to get an agent, and if it presented itself then it was meant to be.

"If it didn't then I would have gone back to London. I was 25 and very decisive."

Luckily for Craig, he found an agent during his first week. He flew back to the UK to complete his contract with Dream Team, before returning to LA, where he went to live with his friend.

How did his family take the news? "I think they've always seen me as a bit of a risk taker. I'm the youngest of five and I used to joke by saying I'm a kind of latchkey kid.

"Mum would have been a bit worried because America just seems like a massive place, but they came out to visit me within the first three months to make sure I wasn't living in a crack den."

His first job in LA was with MTV's first scripted show in America, in which he played a drug dealer – he admits there seems to be a recurring theme amongst the characters he's played.

Times were tough and he got by with small part-time jobs. Then his luck began to turn.

"My big break came with the show Charmed, where I played Rose McGowan's boyfriend, which moved me into another league," he says.

Then he landed a role in what would become a global TV hit – the critically-acclaimed drama Lost, about the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious tropical island.

"We filmed Lost in Hawaii and the cast and crew were really friendly," he says.

"It was a time when I had to pinch myself a lot, knowing that I was on the number one show in America."

Craig now runs Brits In LA – a company which helps British people settle in the city, by finding them accommodation, transportation and health insurance.

And it was through this that he got the opportunity to film street races in downtown LA by taking the leading role in Jaguar's latest car commercial.

All of this sounds a million miles away from life in Clifton, to which he returns at least once a year to visit his family who still live there.

But despite the distance he's come, he doesn't forget his roots: "I still consider Nottingham my home. It's kind of just in you, you know? You can't let go of it."

CENTENARIAN Catherine Ball celebrates her 100th birthday today surrounded by family, friends and special guests.

Mrs Ball, pictured, who has lived in Nottinghamshire for 67 years, will be joined this afternoon by her guests at the Fernleaf care home in Mansfield, where she has lived since she was 97.

She moved to Bilsthorpe in 1947 with husband Harry and daughter Stella after Harry found work at Bilsthorpe Colliery. They had two more daughters – Pat in 1947 and Susan in 1951 – and son Michael in 1957.

Mrs Ball was also a Bilsthorpe parish councillor,

Son Michael said: "She was always putting herself first before other people."

RECOVERY is under way and Britain has the fastest-growing economy in the developing world. If anyone is celebrating, it's not down the pub – an institution seemingly still in decline.

"It wasn't long ago that we were talking about 18 pub closures a week," says Steve Westby, Nottingham chairman of beer and pubs watchdog Camra – the Campaign for Real Ale. "But the latest quoted figure is 31, and given the economic recovery I think that must be down to lifestyle changes."

The British boozer has taken a battering from a seven-year economic collapse which cut customers' disposable income.

The low margins left to tenants after they pay pub companies for their beer.

And competition from supermarkets and other off-licences whose offers now seriously undercut pub prices.

A typical deal in Tesco, for example, is £5 for three 500ml bottles of quality premium-strength ale – that's a fiver for almost three pints; you'd pay at least a tenner for the pub draught equivalent. "People are buying cheap beer at supermarkets and staying in and drinking in front of the TV instead of going to the local," says Mr Westby. "It's a pity, because when the pub goes, community spirit goes with it.

"You have to be wary of alcohol abuse. In a pub you are in a controlled environment. There are landlords, staff and customers who can say, 'Don't you think you've had enough?' That may not happen at home and it's a hidden danger."

Recent Nottingham closures include pubs that were once the social hubs of their neighbourhoods. According to Camra, Greater Nottingham has lost 130 pubs in the past ten years, 73 of them in the city itself – although pubs in the heart of Nottingham are more likely to survive. The bright lights of NG1 will guarantee young footfall at weekends and anecdotal evidence suggests midweek trade is returning.

"However a lot of the vulnerable pubs are those in the suburbs, like those built in the 1950s and 1960s by Shipstone and Home," says Mr Westby.

There are inner-city blackspots. From the old Sneinton market, turn into Southwell Road and Carlton Road and five out of six pubs on the St Ann's side have closed.

Mr Westby agrees that pub companies' beer prices put extra financial pressure on licensees. Tied managers are reluctant to complain publicly about their overheads and "pubcos" defend their tariffs.

But the fact remains that it's a different game from half a century ago when pub pints were cheaper in real terms, there were no alcohol unit naggings from the Government, smokers were welcome and society took a more indulgent view of drinkers who drove themselves home.

It is much harder to get people into pubs in the 21st century, in which the only good news has been the 1p cut in beer duty in each of past two Budgets.

But there is evidence that failing pubs can be turned round – even in the suburbs.

Take the Horse and Jockey in Stapleford, which went from auction lot to Camra Regional Pub of the Year in the time it takes to pull a pint of bitter.

Acquired by investors Damian McGrath and Ian Jowett, the plan was to turn it into an efficient business. "It was a question of being clear about what we wanted to do," said general manager Paul Guilford. "The younger age group are not bothered about traditional local pubs so we concentrated on the over-30s.

Because of that we've been getting customers not only from Stapleford but a wider area.

"We decided to concentrate on real ale – we have 10 on handpumps. We also champion locally-brewed beers – nine out of the ten are brewed within 20 miles of the pub.

"The only hot food we do is mushy peas, otherwise it's filled rolls, pork pies, sausage rolls.''

Clearly the Horse and Jockey team has hit its target.

The standard of service, and the public response, caused Camra to vote it Notts Pub of the Year then East Midlands Pub of the Year.

The message is that, in urban areas, at least, well-managed pubs with a clear business vision have a good chance of survival. .

THE number of patients waiting more than an hour and a half for an ambulance has more than tripled in recent months.

Figures from East Midlands Ambulance Service show 298 people had to wait more than 90 minutes for an ambulance crew to see them in May after a first response car had initially responded to their 999 call.

This is a significant increase from 83 patients waiting this long in March. A former EMAS paramedic and manager said he believed EMAS was sending more single paramedics in first response cars to hit targets which specify the time it takes to reach a patient – leaving fewer staff to man ambulances. He said: "They get everyone and anybody out on the road to hit those targets. The community first responders will attend and that's classed as a target hit but anything can happen while they are waiting for an ambulance. The patient needs to be treated in hospital, not sitting at home with one person who has limited resources to help them."

EMAS has to respond to the most serious emergency calls in eight minutes 75 per cent of the time, and has been hitting its targets for the year so far.

But, after a paramedic has arrived in a first response car, the figures show a huge amount of people face a long wait for an ambulance crew to transport them to hospital.

An EMAS spokesman said: "These figures cover the period when EMAS hit all three national performance standards. "When it's clear from the incoming 999 call that the patient will need to go to hospital, for example, if they've had a heart attack, we automatically send a back-up vehicle rather than wait for a Fast Response Paramedic to request assistance. "If the patient is not in a life-threatening or serious condition i.e. they have a minor illness or injury, the Paramedic will ask for a longer response time and the ambulance will travel to the scene under normal road conditions eg they won't use blue lights and sirens to get there because it is not an emergency. "This approach allows us to prioritise our response to other 999 calls that we will be dealing with at the same time."

TATTOOS in loving memory of a parent, child, friend or grandparent have become increasingly popular.

But the trend doesn't just stop at tributes to humans.

Actress Jennifer Aniston had Norman, the name of her late corgi-terrier, inscribed on her foot while singer Miley Cyrus had her dog Floyd immortalised under her arm.

Claire Gable, who is co-organiser of Notts' first Robin Hood Tattoo Festival on August 30 and 31, was a late starter, having her first at 31 – but has made up for it since.

The 38-year-old recently had her late budgie John tattooed on her arm. She also a tattoo of her very much alive parrot Milo.

On her thigh she has a big loveheart, rose and cherries.

Claire, who manages Rampant Ink tattoo studio in Netherfield, says: "I just love the variety of styles that you can see within tattooing nowadays.

"It's not just about sticking a picture on someone's skin, it's about creating a beautiful custom piece of artwork that they will carry with them for ever.

"Both of my outer calves are tattooed. My left is a Johnny Cash portrait tattooed by Oddboy and my right calf is a starling on a blossom branch tattooed by Mark Bester – both these artists are awesome and will be at the tattoo festival.

"There will be an incredible selection of talent, from portraiture and realism to more painterly, abstract or cartoon styles."

It used to be sailors, prisoners and bikers who wore their tattoos as a symbol of masculinity until a boom with rock chicks, celebrities and even "nice people" like actress Helen Mirren and veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby getting inked. And who's the greater rebel – Prime Minister David Cameron's wife Samantha with her discreet dolphin or X Factor judge Cheryl Cole and her floral bottom?

At Rampant Ink, women having tattoos outnumber the men.

Owner Gray Silva, who is also organising the tattoo festival, says: "I think the ratio of tattooed people through my studio is around 60-40 women to men.

"This is probably helped by the three to one ratio of women to men working in the studio.

"Tattooing has been popular with women in the rock scene for quite some time, but with the gradual shift of that genre into the pop arena, the shift towards tattooing came with it. So it probably wasn't 'celebrity' (in today's meaning of the word) driven in the early years but that certainly followed.

"Robbie Williams and David Beckham were probably the first two male celebs to bring tattooing into the limelight and the swooning mums of the UK were more accepting of their own children's tattoos because 'tattooed people can't be all bad if these two golden boys of Britain have them too'.

"So the copycat tattoos began and drove us all mad for a while!"

Gray, who has done at least 10,000 tattoos during his 17 years in the business, believes Kat Von D and her LA Ink show led to a major shift in women's tattoos becoming more acceptable.

"They were showing the world that you could be attractive, successful AND tattooed. Shock horror, these women getting tattooed are articulate and educated!

"That rise in popularity continued then through the public's fascination with 'people off the telly' and continues to this day."

There's no body part – man or woman – 43-year-old Gray hasn't tattooed except for eyelids.

"You don't mess with your eyes," says Gray, who has tattooed customers with everything from a simple cross or butterfly to outrageously bizarre designs.

"Fish in fishnet stockings, mad professors blowing up beer brew houses, eyeballs being chased by alien teeth, petrol pumps with faces and recently I've started a sleeve of sushi attacking mini ninja sushi chefs!

"When I was working in Germany a while ago I tattooed a girl with a very cute rabbit gnawing on an eyeball. She squealed with delight when it was complete. That's the kind of reaction I like."

Around 30 of the country's top tattooists – names like David Corden, Jordan Croke, Leah Moule and Filip Pasieka – will be at the Robin Hood Tattoo Festival in Cotgrave on August 30-31.

Like any industry, the skills and experience of tattoo artists varies and there are some rogues out there.

Showcasing the best of the best, Gray says: "I feel that with the rise of so many substandard tattoo shops in Notts, and the UK, that our local clientele need to see just what's on offer if they do a little research and travel a little further to get their permanent piece of art, rather than just using the bloke round the corner because he's cheap and local.

"Anyone who is any good has a substantial waiting list, not only for getting your tattoo done but also for your initial consultation.

"We get many people who are quite disappointed that they can't be tattooed there and then – it's becoming quite a regular occurrence and we do struggle with educating the public one at a time."

Visiting tattooist David Corden has been in the business only for eight years but his natural artistry means his portraits, like Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, are incredibly lifelike.

The former ventilation engineer says: "The first tattoo I did was on my cousin.

"I thought he'd have something simple but he wanted a portrait of Jack Nicholson from The Shining!"

The most frequently requested portraits are Elvis Presley and Marilyn Munroe but David, 42, from Edinburgh, says: "I have turned down quite a few designs. I won't repeat anything I have previously done. It's a personal thing for me.

"I have put 100 per cent into it and I am very passionate about it but once I've done it, I won't do it again."

His most challenging tattoo was a pin-up on the leg of a jumpy woman.

"The reason it was challenging was because, she wasn't in any pain, but her leg was twitching from start to finish.

"It was an exercise in extreme patience and slowly building up the image."

At the festival, tattooists will be demonstrating their art, there will be live music, medieval entertainment, tattoo competitions and stalls.

The venue, Cotgrave Welfare Club, also has a licensed bar and snack bar to keep visitors fed and watered.

Tickets are £10 and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Buy tickets in advance at www.robinhoodtattoofestival.com or from Rampant Ink tattoo studio. Over 18s only.

WORK may not have yet finished on lines two and three – but some are looking forward to the prospect of more tram lines in the city's network.

Broxtowe Borough Council is to conduct a study into whether extending the Phoenix Park line to Kimberley would be desirable.

A poll on nottinghampost.com has shown that nearly four-fifths of people would like to see the tram coming to their neighbourhood.

Steve Barber, Labour Beeston Rylands councillor and keen supporter of the tram, said he felt a number of extensions to the network made "good sense".

He said: "If 80 per cent of people say they would like a tram in their neighbourhood while the worst of the disruption is going on, that's fantastic.

"Extensions to the network make sense – one to the (proposed) HS2 station (in Toton) is a no-brainer, and on to Long Eaton.

"There's the old Stanton Ironworks, which is a good site for development.

"When places like Arnold and West Bridgford see the benefits the tram will bring to Beeston, there will be more pressure from people to not let their towns get left on the sidelines."

But Chilwell Tory councillor Richard Jackson has said money could be better spent elsewhere.

"At the time of the last extension, there was money on the table for a tram or nothing," he said. If we need to improve public transport, we need to do it quickly."

Graham Chapman, Labour deputy leader of the city council, said: "It has always been our ambition to create a wider network for the tram service and to build on the huge success of line one.

I've no doubt the new lines to Clifton and Chilwell will be as popular once services start running. I'm pleased the Post's poll shows that many people recognise the huge benefits that tramlines can bring to different parts of the conurbation."

A man has died from after a crash in Victoria Embankment on Saturday morning.

The man, in his 70s, was a passenger in a car which collided with a tree shortly before 4.20am.

Another man has been taken to hospital where he is in a serious, but stable condition.

A seven-year-old girl has been treated at hospital for minor injuries.

Officers investigating the crash would like to speak to anyone who saw a car enter Victoria Embankment from Queen's Drive/Riverside Way, travelling towards West Bridgford, at around the time of the collision.

Anyone with information should call 101 and quote incident number 159 of August 16.