MORE than half a century ago, the three brass balls of the pawnbroker's shop were a familiar sight on high streets across the land.

On a narrow strip of Alfreton Road, between Canning Circus and Bentinck Road, there were five such businesses.

Back in the 1950s, they were euphemistically known as 'uncles'.

And in Nottingham they had a history stretching back to the early part of the 19th century when a protection society for all the pawnbrokers in the city was formed.

A 1932 directory listed 60 pawnbrokers in the city, but hire purchase signalled the demise of the trade and by the dawn of the '60s that number had dwindled to half a dozen.

Now, the 21st century recession has led to a revival with more than 25 pawnbrokers operating in and around Nottingham.

Licences were granted by the city council but, in 1961, according to Nottingham Pawnbrokers Protection Society secretary of the time George Brown, 'it is a dying trade and we have to concentrate on the retail side. Higher wages have reduced the need for pawnbrokers. It's a good thing really'.

Gone were the days when a housewife would take her husband's suit to the pawnbrokers on a Monday and leave it for a few shillings, only to collect it again come the weekend and pay day.

George Brown had been running his Alfreton Road business for 45 years and could rely on the queues of women at his door on a Monday morning. Sometimes it would be midnight before the last customer was served.

By the early 60s, there was only one boom period in the year ... just after Christmas.

"That is when people are hard up, but they don't want the odd few shillings as in the old days," he would say. "They want big amounts to settle their rate demands or similar bills."

Jack Stoppard was an Arkwright Street pawnbroker and he told the Guardian Journal: "Wives used to bring pram loads of stuff every Monday morning.

"The old man's suit was always one of the items and they would fetch it out again on Friday, pay day."

Mr Stoppard, who was president of the Nottingham society in 1957, recalled that in the old days they would take 3,000 pledges on Monday morning at his two shops in Arkwright Street and St Ann's Well Road.

A rent collector told the newspaper: "Often when I called on a Monday morning, the women of the house would keep me waiting on the doorstep while they dashed off to the pawnshop to get some cash to pay the rent."

Charles Goldsworth, who had run his own shop on in Radford before working for Jack Stoppard, remembered that flat irons were favourite pledge goods.

"We used to allow 9d on a flat iron with a smooth bottom, but if the bottom was rough it was 6d. We had rows of them on the shop floor. The women would fetch them out on washdays and bring them back again while they were still hot."

Speaking in 1961, Jack Stoppard said: "After Christmas we shall get people bringing in their Christmas presents – tape recorders, electric shavers and transistor radios; but sometimes people bring in odd items.

"The other day a man wanted to pledge a tin of plums in syrup."

Mr Stoppard's son John possessed a fine bass voice and took part in concerts, becoming known as 'the singing pawnbroker'. And his grandson was a member of Nottingham Opera Club.

Another pawnbroker of the day was Eric Whiting of Colwick Road. "Pawnbroking is dying out in the old sense. You still get a few regular customers but most of them today are strangers who bring in things like golf clubs and radios.

"It was true in the past that wives brought their husband's suits in every week, but sometimes I feel it was just out of force of habit."

The image of the 21st Century pawnbroker is far removed from those bygone days. According to the National Association of Pawnbrokers website www.thenpa.com ... "If you were to walk into a pawnbroker's shop today you could be forgiven for thinking that you had just walked into your local bank or building society.

"Pawnbroking is now a serious alternative to using the services provided by the High Street bank. Customers realise that borrowing money against goods they already own is an affordable alternative to a bank overdraft or other type of loan."

Des Milligan, recently retired head of the NPA, said: "More middle-class people have been attracted to pawnbrokers because of the credit crunch. The modern pawnbroker is a cross between a jewellery shop and a building society."

Pawnbrokers have been around since the days of ancient Greece and Rome.

The business came to England with William the Conqueror under the name of the Lombards, Italian money-lenders and merchants. The pawnbroker's sign dated back to the Medici family of Florence, who adopted it as their symbol.

LIKE many, I grew up with those furry recyclers from Wimbledon Common, and I'm sure they dreamt of leaving a legacy without really expecting to.

However, today there is an army of grown-up recycling warriors across all genres, from Kirstie Allsop filling houses for free, Jamie Oliver making tasty meals with leftovers, and Mary Portas encouraging giving to charity shops. Our screens are packed with the Wombling ethos.

On a very local level, though, do you always cook too much pasta and throw it away? The odd half bag of salad heading for the bin? No idea what to do with half a tin of baked beans?

Reducing food waste isn't about not buying the things you like to eat, it's about planning what will and won't get used, working out the correct portions and eating up the food in your kitchen rather than making the usual run to the shops.

There's always more at the back of your cupboard, fridge and freezer than you'd imagine. It's calculated that UK household waste is the equivalent of 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – that's the same as the emissions produced by 21 per cent of the cars on our roads. So how about taking on a leftovers challenge and finding a creative or new way to use up just one item from the kitchen or cupboard that would have gone to waste?

For example, chef Clover Hudson, of Artisan Cooks, has a summer salad pesto which went down a treat at the Notts Love Food Hate Waste roadshows this summer. Just take some basil and some coriander bits, any leftover lettuce, some garlic, salt and pepper, pop in the blender and add enough oil to get it moving, then a little extra at the end.

If we don't buy as much food, we won't waste as much. And there are lots of things that can be recycled at home by using a compost bin – things like banana peel, egg shells and tea bags, as well as shredded paper and grass cuttings. They can be used to make your own compost instead of taking up space in a landfill.

SORRY folks, it's gone too far. It's the most popular cocktail in the city, possibly the world, and now it's time to stop ordering it altogether. That's right: You must never order another mojito.

I've been making drinks for the full spectrum of Nottingham's early birds, night owls and vultures for the last decade. My job has taken me to bars around the world and taught me many things about the bar scene back home in Nottingham, but my travels have also yielded one concrete fact: all bartenders hate making mojitos.

From the bartenders of the NO-jito movement in New York City to the dimly-lit shadow figures behind the hippest bars in Paris, nothing unites us like moaning about the ubiquity of the Cuban menace.

A quick survey of Nottingham industry insiders conducted over "refreshments" in a late-night "staff meeting" revealed the extent of the thirst-quenching mojito's popularity in the city.

A couple of bars have summer-long 2-4-1-style promotions that make the problem worse, but one bartender from an upmarket restaurant tells me he made hundreds of the things in the month of December, with snow on the ground.

For all the complaints I hear from bartenders that the drink is time-consuming and messy to make, it's really simple. To make one at home, chop a juicy lime into six and 'muddle' in a tall glass with two teaspoons of sugar. Throw on a large measure of decent white rum, a good pinch of fresh mint leaves and stir with lots of crushed ice, plus a little soda water. Do this with fresh, outdoor-grown local garden mint for the whole of July and August.

Any bartender who thinks that's too much effort for your eight quid is lazy and doesn't deserve a tip, but here's the real reason to stop and think. The mojito contains the secret to all of the world's most delicious drinks: balance.

The mojito is a drink with a good balance between the sweetness of the sugar and the sourness of the limes. When you understand that this is what you enjoy, a whole new world opens up.

Try this next time you're in a decent bar – instead of ordering your usual mojito throw caution to the wind. Tell the bartender that you would like to try something long and refreshing, with a good balance of sweet and sour, and that you don't care what spirit is used. Good drink names to use at this point would be 'paloma' and 'Tom Collins.' Happy drinking!

TRAVELLERS have set up camp at the Boots headquarters in Nottingham.

It is believed they are the same group who arrived on The Hook nature reserve in Lady Bay, West Bridgford, on Sunday night.

Rushcliffe Borough Council has confirmed the group left that site at 10am yesterday – with caravans appearing at Boots, off Thane Road, Beeston, a short time later.

A member of staff at Boots, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Post that workers in the site's D90 building were evacuated yesterday afternoon.

He said: "They made it seem like it was just a fire alarm, but everyone knew why we were getting sent out.

"They sent an email out later on to tell us they had done it to make sure none of the gypsies came into the buildings."

Another worker added: "Everyone's been talking about it today and watching it out of the window.

"I don't agree with what they've done as they're on private property, but they don't seem to be causing any harm at the moment."

A spokesman for Boots said: "We can confirm that we have a group of travellers trespassing on our Nottingham site. As this is a highly operational and busy site with construction and regular heavy vehicle movement, managing the safety of everyone on our site is imperative. We are working with our own site protection experts and the police to ensure safety is a priority and to agree what practical steps we should take to remove the trespassers."

Meanwhile, Rushcliffe Borough Council says the travellers, who had pitched up on the Alford Road sports ground in Edwalton last Tuesday before heading to The Hook, in Lady Bay, had so far cost the authority more than £10,000.

A spokesman for the council said: "The travellers chose not to leave the site voluntarily and the council worked closely with bailiffs and the police to ensure the eviction was conducted in an orderly manner and to prevent any criminal damage and confrontation.

"The council has cleaned up the sites where the travellers have pitched to ensure they are safe for use once more.

"As well as general and human waste, the site became a tip for garden waste – it is apparent that they had been doing gardening work in the area. The council would like to remind people to employ proper professional tradesmen to carry out such work."

Parents in Nottingham are being warned to look out for signs and symptoms of meningitis as the peak season for the bug approaches.

As children go back to school, charity Meningitis Now is urging parents and teachers to download its free app or request a symptom card.

September is the peak time for the killer illness and each year around 3,200 cases of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) are reported in the UK.

The disease can kill a child within hours, so being aware of the warning signs is extremely important.

Key symptoms include: fever with cold hands and feet, drowsiness, vomiting, joint or muscle pain, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights and a rash that does not fade under pressure.

In babies a dislike of being handled, an unusual cry, rapid breathing and a bulging fontanelle (the soft area on the top of the head) are some of the most common signs of the disease.

Symptoms can appear in any order and some may not appear at all, the charity has stressed.

While children under 5 are the most at risk, teens and students are the second most at risk group as it is estimated that around 25% of 15-23 year olds carry the bacteria.

Meningitis Now advises people not to wait for the rash as it does not always appear, and can appear late.

Sue Davie, Chief Executive of Meningitis Now, said: "Meningitis can be a difficult disease to spot as many of its early symptoms can be similar to those of flu.

"We urge everyone to familiarise themselves with the symptoms, trust their instincts and get urgent medical help if concerned."

Meningitis Now's free signs and symptoms phone app and credit card-sized signs and symptoms cards for people to keep in a wallet or purse are available at www.meningitisnow.org.

THE battle to have a tram ticket fine refunded has been won by a retired army staff sergeant.

Former serviceman David Thomas was charged £50 for using the tram without a ticket last month.

He says he was not aware of the new rules which state that tickets must be bought before a journey and appealed the fine.

The 55-year-old, of Bestwood Village, said: "I got the fine on July 15.

"I was travelling to London and got the tram at about 5.45am from Hucknall.

"I sat down and waited for a conductor to come and take my money but one did not arrive.

"I approached the conductor at the terminus to pay for a £2.20 ticket and he asked me to step off the tram and gave me a fixed penalty, I couldn't believe it.

"I appealed by email straight away but did not receive a reply.

"I then called up and was told that since it had been issued a third party had now taken over and I had to appeal in writing."

Mr Thomas had his first appeal rejected but he was determined not to be one of more than 700 to be fined since the buy-before-you-board ticket machines were introduced in May and wrote a letter to the chief executive of Nottingham Express Transit (NET).

He said: "I got a letter back from the enforcement team saying they would give me my money back but at the bottom of the letter it said that this was a warning to me which is unbelievable."

Mr Thomas spent 25 years in the army before leaving in 2000 and his daughter Katrina Harris describes him as never knowingly having broken a law.

The 37-year-old mum of one, of Arnold, said: "My dad was left very angry about what happened and was made to feel like a criminal.

"He made a genuine mistake and there is no way he would not have paid for the ticket if he had known.

"There needs to be a better system in place to deal with this problem."

More than 650 people have signed a petition calling for the tram ticket fines to be stopped.

A spokesperson for NET said: "We have in place a three stage appeal process which is open to anyone who is concerned about a penalty fare notice issued to them.

"Any decision to overturn a penalty fare is the sole responsibility of the appeals panel once they have considered all the facts of the case."

NOTTINGHAM Forest maintained their unbeaten start to the season with an impressive fightback at Bournemouth last night, securing a 2-1 win that lifted them to the top of the Championship table.

The Reds new strike-force of Britt Assombalonga and Matty Fryatt both netted in the space of five second-half minutes, after Callum Wilson had put the home side ahead.

Forest had seen Karl Darlow make three important saves – and their back-four produce some last gasp defending – amid a first half dominated by the Cherries.

But two half-time substitutions by Forest boss Stuart Pearce, who brought on Jack Hunt and Ben Osborn, inspired a dramatic improvement in the second half and a hard fought win, which saw them hold out through seven minutes of injury time.

Following the opening day win over Blackpool and the draw at Bolton, seven points was enough to lift Forest to the top of the Championship table.

"It was a very, very good win, because they put us under the cosh in the first half and we had to hang in there," said Reds coach Brian Eastick. "I thought they were excellent in the first half, they played good football.

"It is a terrific result and we are top of the table. We just hope we will be in there at the end of the season. It is important to get off to a big start."

Last week I received my A-level results. After the long wait, I managed to get four A-levels along with an extra AS-level.

From September onwards, I will be attending Sheffield Hallam University to study Business Management and Marketing.

Taking my A-level exams wasn't an easy ride as I was participating in the Miss England competition the same weeks as my exams.

So not only did I have the stress of exams, I had to spend a lot of my time on the train to and from Torquay where various rounds of the competition were being held. A lot of the time, I was on the train revising for an exam I had the following day.

As well as revising, I was organising and attending charity events and training for the fitness boot camp which was held on the weekend of the final.

I found a great way to do this was to get some audio clips of key facts to listen to on my iPod so that I could listen to these during my commute.

On the day of the Miss England final, I had my geography exam. As soon as I realised this, I knew that I had to put my exams first, despite not wanting to throw away such a great opportunity.

I was lucky enough to be able to move my exam from Bilborough College in Nottingham to Torquay Girls' Grammar School, and this is something that I am extremely thankful for. 

The school also arranged for me to have my extra time and a laptop, just like I do in Nottingham due to my dyslexia.

Having to leave the final day of rehearsals early added extra pressure on the night. Although I missed the final run through, the Miss England team were great in ensuring I knew exactly what I was doing.

They allowed me to spend time revising during the morning rehearsal so I would be ready for the exam in the afternoon.

To enable myself to do my best in both, I had to plan ahead so I knew exactly what had to be done and when it had to be done by.

Here are my top five tips for revising:

1) Turn your phone off – Having your phone next to you is only going to distract you during your revision. Even if you put it on silent, you're going to continue looking at it. 

2) Take a five minute break every 45 minutes – This will enable you to have a bite to eat and a drink. Do not take any longer than five minutes though otherwise you will get out of the revision frame of mind. 

3) Sleep! – Sleep is so important and I'd recommend having around 8-9 hours' sleep every night. Any less and you're going to be too tired to concentrate. Don't oversleep either as having twelve hours can be just as bad as having one or two. 

4) Start early – Don't sleep in and waste the morning. Get up and start revision. Once it's done, you can enjoy the rest of your day therefore it doesn't feel like a chore. 

5) Plan ahead – Don't leave it until the last minute. We have all done it. You think you have loads of time and before you know it, you have a week until the exam.

I personally had to multi-task a lot to prepare for the final and to revise for my exams.

A lot of people think that while you're doing you're A-levels you can't do anything else. But I personally believe that if you are passionate about doing well, you can achieve so much more.

Despite moving to Sheffield for university, I will be coming back to Nottingham for events and to help promote the work I do as Miss Nottingham.

All of my family live here as well so I will be back regularly.

David Beckham and Britney Spears have done it - and now it seems Nottingham wants a slice of the ice-cold action. 

The Ice Bucket Challenge, where nominees tip a bucket of freezing water over their head, has taken the social media world by storm. 

Now it's arrived in Nottingham and people around the city and county have been taking part. 

Nottingham-born England cricketer, Jenny Gunn took part in the challenge on picture and video sharing site, Instagram on Wednesday.

Sam Pinkham, from radio station Gem 106 also braved the ice and had three buckets poured onto his head.

And Nottingham YouTuber, iRage, also shared his ice bucket challenge with the world.

The craze first started after Pete Frates, a baseball player with MND, volunteered to have a bucket of ice water tipped over his head. 

The idea behind it is that it raises awareness of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) – or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as it is known in the US.

MND affects a person's ability to move voluntarily and stops people from eating, walking and talking.

The disease is rare and only around 5,000 people in the UK suffer from it.

Professor Stephen Hawking is one of the most well-known sufferers of the disease.

The trend has seen charities receive an influx of donations.

The ALS Association reported that donations are up more than $21 million over the last three weeks, compared with the same time frame last year.

The MND Association has also reported that it has raised £4,000 from text donations since the campaign first started in the UK last weekend.

David Beckham joined in the fun on Wednesday, posting a video on Facebook and since then, the video has received over one million 'likes.'

Beckham proceeded to nominate former American basketball players Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

LUCKY jet-setters have been given free flights to some of the world's top destinations.

The giveaway comes courtesy of Jet2 who are celebrating five years of flying from East Midlands airport.

The company's commercial director Steve Lee led a group of staff in the city centre this morning and handed out free tickets to one of the 34 destinations on the airline's list of destinations.

The tickets included flights for holidays in the sun, city breaks or skiing holidays.

Driver Steve Strickland has had a fine for driving through a 'bus gate' overturned by a tribunal because the warning signs were not clear enough.

The 55-year-old was caught by a camera turning into the 'bus gate', a road where only buses are allowed.

The ban prevents cars accessing Nuthall roundabout from Nottingham Road.

Nottinghamshire County Council only began enforcing the restriction, applicable Monday to Friday from 4pm to 6.30pm including Bank Holidays, earlier this year.

Three-hundred drivers have been caught out on Bank Holidays alone this year, including Mr Strickland.

He was snapped at just before 5.45pm on Monday, May 5.

But he argued the warnings were not clear enough and his case went to a Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

Earlier this month that tribunal ruled in his favour, meaning he does not have to pay the £30 fine.

He said: "It took me a lot of hours filling in the tribunal form but this is much more than about the money aspect.

"I was extremely shocked when I got the fine through. The fact that they are using this bus gate on Bank Holidays is crazy.

"On that day there were very few buses and there was no rush-hour traffic."

He added: "It is nice to have won the case. I wonder how many more of the 300 people who have been fined may come forward now."

Tribunal adjudicator Stephen Knapp wrote to Mr Strickland, of Nuthall, on August 14 to notify him of his decision.

His decision for read: "It is for the council to demonstrate that there was adequate signing of the restriction but the quality of the evidence about this is poor."

Mr Knapp said there were two signs in place, but added: "Based on this evidence my judgement is that the two signs were not readily visible to approaching drivers and could not be regarded as adequate."

Nuthall councillor Philip Owen said: "I believe the Council should refund all penalty charges to which this mistake applies."

The county council said extra signs have been put in since Mr Strickland was caught.

Andy Warrington, service director for highways, said: "Extra signs were put in at the end of June on the approach to the island and local people are well aware that the bus gate is there."

PASSENGERS have complained of lengthy delays getting back into the country at East Midlands Airport. 

Holiday-makers said they were forced to wait in the rain trying to get into the arrivals desk for up to one hour as their passports were being checked. 

The Home Office said the queues were caused by the arrival of 14 flights in quick succession.

People arriving at the airport took to Twitter to voice their opinions and stated that all five ePassport readers were closed at the time. 

Charles Allen, 44, a holiday-goer from Yorkshire had to wait an hour after his return flight from Spain. 

Mr Allen said: "We were queuing in the rain and the dark and it was quite cold. It isn't the biggest crime in the world but I hope it's on their agenda to sort the problem out." 

The airport said it needs to make improvements to speed up the immigration process. 

A spokesperson said: "We do not want any queues but immigration is a necessary part of travelling and a procedure that everyone has to go through. In this instance, lots of flights arrived at the same time." 

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Border Force is working closely with East Midlands Airport to improve the customer experience on arrival. Queue performance overall at the airport over the summer has exceeded our service level agreements."

Being forced to queue outside East Midlands Airport at 1am just because they can't/won't get their e-passport gates open #useless

— Hannah Barnard (@HannahBsky) August 16, 2014

Four passport desks open, two shut, all five ePassport readers shut. Queue stretched onto tarmac at East Midlands Airport.

— Philip Haigh (@philatrail) August 17, 2014

Eight-year-old Bradley Simpson cannot wait to for his local park to be revamped so he can play in the same area as his little brother.

Bradley, who lives in Stapleford, was told by his mum, Amanda, that the Ilkeston Road Recreation Ground is being improved in next few months.

He said he was looking forward to the two playgrounds (one for younger children and one for older children) being merged so that he could spend more time with his three-year-old brother, Alfie.

Bradley said: "At the moment the park looks old. I think the plan is good. I like to idea of the two parks being put together so me and Alfie can play in one place."

Amanda, 31, said: "The park has got worse over the years, it looks old and tatty. I just think it needs updating and improving. It will be good to combine the parks so my children can play together."

Stapleford Community Group, Groundwork Greater Nottingham, and Broxtowe Borough Council have been awarded a £49,999 grant from WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited) to improve the park.

The council has also put in £6,250 funding.

Improvements will include new footpaths, more seating, planting wildflowers and relocating, merging and buying new equipment for the two play areas.

Stapleford resident Kristina Krampusa, 24, regularly takes her one-year-old daughter, Sophia, to the park.

She said: "At the moment I think the park is good anyway, I see a lot of people down there, but I think an improvement would make it even better.

"It is amazing they are going to get new play equipment for the children."

Chairman of Stapleford Community Group, Richard MacRae, said a public consultation took place to see what residents wanted to see improved at the park.

He said: "It's something I have been trying to do for three years now so I am absolutely over the moon about the funding. The people who we have spoken to are overjoyed, they are really excited about it. For the people who already use the park it is an improvement for them, and for the people who don't, hopefully it will encourage them to come and use the facilities."

Mike Taylor, director of Environment at Broxtowe Borough Council said:

"We are delighted to have been awarded this funding which will allow for much needed improvements to Ilkeston Road Recreation Ground. As well as a new stone surfaced footpath to provide an accessible route around the park throughout the year, improvements will be made at the play areas on the site.

"The outcome of a further bid (submitted to BIFFA Waste Services for a similar amount), would allow more extensive improvements to be made to the play facilities will be known in November."

Cheryl Raynor, the local Grant Manager for WREN, added: "The regional panel chose to fund the improvements at the recreation ground as the evidence of support from the local community showed overwhelmingly that the improvements would be welcomed and help them enjoy this open space."

Has your community project received a grant? Tell us at newsdesk@nottinghampost.com