AN INQUEST has opened into the death of a 13-year-old girl hit by a tram.

Nottingham Coroner's Court heard Lindsey Inger died on Wednesday, November 28, after the collision at a pedestrian level crossing near Bestwood Village.

Lindsey, of Longford Crescent, Bulwell, was hit by the front offside of the tram and knocked to the side.

She was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre where she was treated by the trauma team, but they could not save her. The cause of death was multiple injuries.

Opening the inquest yesterday, Deputy Coroner for Notts Heidi Connor said: "Very detailed investigations will be carried out."

THE academic and creative achievements of 80 students were recognised at an annual prizegiving.

Trinity School held the awards ceremony at Nottingham's Albert Hall in front of proud parents and families.

The students were presented with certificates in a range of vocations, including science and music.

The presentations were followed by performances by the academy's 270-strong choir and 100-strong band.

David Wootton, chairman of the Independent Academies Association, was invited to present the certificates to the students.

He said: "I think it's really important to recognise the excellence that is in Trinity School.

"I was delighted to find that in an academy of such high calibre there is both academic achievements and achievements in the arts, such as music, dance and drama.

"As well as presenting the certificates I've spent one of the happiest mornings of my career, because I'm also a former music teacher, listening to exceptionally talented children and I'm delighted to be here to recognise their academic and creative excellence."

As well as presenting the certificates, Mr Wootton also gave a speech at the event, which was held on Wednesday evening.

He praised both staff and students for their work.

He also encouraged teachers to continue to be "strong, brave and creative" and academy students "to do what they believe in and to do it well with all their heart".

Among the most prestigious awards handed out were the Governor's Prize, which went to Amy Macey, 18, Tom Mosley, 18, and Isabel Martin, 17, for their excellent work.

After receiving the accolade, Isabel said: "I would like to thank teachers for the tremendous effort they have put in on my behalf over the last couple of years.

"I'm so pleased that my achievements have been recognised through this wonderful honour."

The Headteacher's Prize was warded to Bridget McNulty, 16, and she said she was delighted to win the award.

School head teacher Mike McKeever said all of the students' achievements were outstanding.

It comes at the end of a year when the school transformed into an academy, meaning it is no longer under local authority control.

"This is a celebration of everything the school achieved during 2012," said Mr McKeever.

"We had a full programme of music from classical to pop and the theme of the night is this golden year so we took into account the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and the Paralympics and the fantastic sporting achievements seen across the county and country.

"This is an inspirational event. Albert Hall was full of kids who have just joined the school and students who have been there for a number of years.

"I'm very proud that we can celebrate the fact that a city academy is doing so well in a very formal and enjoyable way."

Do you know a student who has excelled in their work? Call our newsdesk on 0115 948 2000 or email us at newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

A VET is warning people to clear up spillages of anti-freeze after seeing an increase in the number of cats poisoned by the chemical.

Stephanie Kern, clinical director of Ark Vets Chilwell and Long Eaton, said the practice recorded the rise last year.

She said she had seen cases of poisoning from ethylene glycol, which is found in anti-freeze.

"Anti-freeze is sweet and tasty to cats and only a small amount is lethal," she added.

Symptoms of poisoning occur within hours of ingestion. Cats appear unsteady on their feet, vomit and have fits.

Ms Kern said owners should take their pet to a vet as soon as possible if they suspect anti-freeze poisoning.

I'VE not long left Hadden Park High school after some very successful GCSE results – eight GCSEs A*-B and 2 BTecs – to progress on to Bilborough College where I am currently studying A-levels in biology, chemistry, maths and geography.

I'd had a good day at college the other day and then I came home to read the newspaper and nearly choked on my cup of tea when I read that Hadden Park had been branded "inadequate" by Ofsted inspectors. I felt compelled to contact the Nottingham Post and express my views on this extremely unfair predicament.

Their judgment on Hadden Park is simply degrading. During my time at Hadden Park I have never seen any racism take place, undoubtedly I have seen bullying, but name a school where bullying does not take place.

As for reading that Ofsted had blamed the teaching for the lack of progress by pupils. Well, I owe my success to the members of staff at Hadden Park, namely Mr Craig Dean (geography), Mr Elliot Smith – who marked around 30 essays of mine in total that I wrote in preparation for my English literature exam, Patrick Flory (science), Mrs Booth (science) and Mr Hall (history).

The truth is that I was surrounded by such a wealth of experienced and educated teachers that I received all the help I needed to be a success.

Not only that, but many teachers at Hadden Park are inspirational, this is why I think Ofsted's report is unfair.

The head teacher, Gareth Owen, has run a marathon as well as many other teachers, such as assistant head Craig Dean and Head of PE Gareth Cutts.

This inspired me to run the Ikano Robin Hood half marathon in aid of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ( as I am type 1 diabetic) in 1hr 44mins. I now aim to do the London 2014 Marathon, just like them.

Moreover, Hadden Park has always been a school that faced stereotypical criticism, and at a time when the members of staff there are doing all they can year on year to improve the Key Stage 4 results to compete with the national average, I feel the outcome of this report has done more damage than good.

Students of Hadden Park should be proud like I was to be surrounded by high quality teaching and I will always recommend the school when I get to the top of my profession (I want to be a GP) using the skills I learnt there.

I feel the outcome of the Ofsted report has increased the idea that it is not a good school, but I aim to change that idea because I know from experience it is simply not true.

It is true the school needs to improve, but I blame this on the lack of funding that the school receives and other external factors, and feel that the teaching is definitely not to blame.

I feel quite mad just reading the report, so I can't imagine how the members of staff must feel!

My family and friends also express very similar views to me which is why I thought I'd write to the Post.

My sister will attend Hadden Park next year after moving up from Brocklewood. It is the kids who will suffer, by believing that the school they attend is of low quality. This will just decrease the confidence of the students and allow them to feel that they can't make something of themselves.

I have complete confidence along with my family that she will be a success at Hadden Park, surrounded by not just educated teachers but inspirational teachers, which is why we have chosen for her to go there.

NOTTINGHAM City Council is today expected to reveal the name of its new chief executive.

The decision was made behind closed doors on Wednesday by the Appointments and Conditions of Service committee.

Previous chief executive Jane Todd stepped down in September on health grounds after four years in the role.

Her deputy, Carole Mills-Evans, has since taken the role as acting chief executive.

IT is expected to remain mostly dry in Notts today after heavy overnight rain.

The Met Office expects it to be mostly cloudy with the occasional shower or sunny spell.

Temperatures were likely to reach a maximum of 5C.

It is expected to drop to 0C again tonight though forecasters predict it will stay dry.

And it is likely to remain mostly dry over the weekend and into next week.

Tomorrow should see sunny spells, with temperatures no higher than 3C, while Sunday is likely to be warmer – up to 7C – but much cloudier.

Squad: Camp, Ward, Harding, Hutton, Collins, Gillett, McGugan, Cohen, Blackstock, Coppinger, Guedioura, Reid, Sharp, Darlow, Lansbury, Moloney, Findley, Moussi

Team news: After two defeats, Forest boss Sean O'Driscoll could be tempted into making changes. But he is without striker Simon Cox, who is out for up to two months with an ankle injury suffered at Wolves. Greg Halford (calf) could be fit in time, while Daniel Ayala is back from illness.Jermaine Jenas (calf) is a doubt, while Radi Majewski (ankle) is back in training and nearing a return.

Squad: Grant, Shackell, Duff, Trippier, Wallace, Marney, McCann, Vokes, Stock, Ings, Paterson, Stanislas, Austin, Edgar, Jensen, Bartley, Lafferty.

Team news: Burnley's left-back Ben Mee has been ruled out for up to six weeks after suffering medial knee ligament damage in the 1-1 draw with Blackburn. But the Clarets have plenty of cover at left-back as Danny Lafferty and Joseph Mills will now both be in competition to replace Mee.

Danger man: Charlie Austin. The striker might have only scored once in his last five outings but he has scored a stunning 21 goals in 22 games this season, making him the country's most lethal marksman. Port Vale's Tom Pope has the same amount of goals in League Two, but it has taken him 25 games to get there.

Tickets: Tickets are still available for Forest's 'Kids for a Quid' match against Burnley .

To buy, go to www.nffcretail.com or call 0871 226 1980 or visit the ticket office.

Supporters are urged to purchase their tickets in advance to avoid match-day queues.

The 'Kids for a Quid' offer is also available in The Castle Club when the U16 is accompanied by a full-paying adult (£40 + VAT).

MORE than 112,000 people in Notts are feared to have caught the highly-contagious norovirus last week, new figures show.

The bug, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, is at much higher levels than last year.

Experts estimate that, of the possible cases, around 28,000 were in Nottingham.

That is a 39 per cent rise – about 8,100 more – than last year.

Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre has closed two wards to new patients due to outbreaks of the virus.

Health bosses are warning people to take extra care with their hygiene.

Exact numbers of cases are hard to predict because most people with the bug don't seek medical help but the Health Protection Agency estimates that for every person who goes to a GP with symptoms, there are 288 people with it in the community.

Last week about 100 people in Nottingham went to their GP. In the rest of the county the figure was 289.

This means there could be as many as 112,000 people in Notts who were infected – 83,232 in the county and 28,789 in the city.

Fiona Branton, an expert on infection prevention at Nottingham CityCare Partnership, said: "The virus can become airborne when people vomit. But the main way people can contract the condition is by picking it up on their hands.

"People need to make sure they wash their hands often and keep their toilets clean.

"The fact that there is a rise on what we saw last year is not necessarily a concern because the virus is spread easily and its prevalence is unpredictable."

Dr Bob Adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the Health Protection Agency, said: "The norovirus season is always completely unpredictable as it peaks and falls over several months – usually October to April.

"However, one thing we do know is that every year we will see a large amount of norovirus activity because it is highly contagious.

"We would like to remind people to avoid visiting friends or relatives in hospital or care homes if they have symptoms consistent with a norovirus infection as it can lead to ward closures and severe disruption.

"Norovirus is a short-lived unpleasant infection but most people will fully recover in a couple of days. It is important to remain hydrated as you will be losing a lot of fluids due to the symptoms.

"Over-the-counter medicines can also be useful in reducing headaches and other aches and pains".

The virus can be transmitted by contact with an infected person, by consuming contaminated food or water or by contact with contaminated surfaces.

Symptoms include a sudden onset of vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Often people have a temperature, headache and stomach cramps.

The illness usually lasts for around one or two days.

• Winter vomiting bug norovirus: what you need to know

Mansfield manager Paul Cox could welcome back goalkeeper Alan Marriott into his squad for Ebbsfleet's visit to the One Call Stadium.

Marriott is back in contention after coming through his second reserve match unscathed following a 10 week spell on the sidelines with a dislocated shoulder.

Cox will be without midfielder Gary Roberts who serves the second game of his two-match ban.

Midfielder Adam Murray came through last weekend's draw with Lincoln City unscathed after recovering from a knock that had kept him out of the FA Trophy defeat to Matlock.

The Stags, who sit ninth in the Blue Square Bet Premier table, lost 3-1 to Ebbsfleet when the two sides met in September but have only been beaten twice since then.

Ebbsfleet boss Liam Daish will be without suspended defender Paul Lorraine for the trip.

Lorraine sits out the third game of his three-match ban after he was sent off during the FA Trophy defeat to Hereford.

The Fleet will hand a late fitness test to leading goalscorer Nathan Elder who has missed his side's last three games with an ankle injury. Daish is hopeful that he will return but the game could come too soon for the 10-goal centre forward.

Meanwhile, midfielder Ram Marwa remains out with the knee problem that has kept him sidelined since October.

Daish's men will be looking to end their recent winless run that has seen them fall to 22nd in the league table.

Daniel Ayala is ready to return to the Nottingham Forest squad ahead of the visit of Burnley.

Defender Ayala, on loan from Norwich, missed the 2-1 home defeat to Hull last weekend due to illness.

Sean O'Driscoll's side came through that game without any new injury problems.

Defender Greg Halford (calf), midfielders Radoslaw Majewski (ankle) and Jermaine Jenas (calf) and striker Simon Cox (foot) were all absent against the Tigers and will remain on the sidelines for Saturday's match.

As well as Ayala, Reds boss O'Driscoll has defender Brendan Moloney, midfielders Guy Moussi, Henri Lansbury and Lewis McGugan and strikers Robbie Findley and Dexter Blackstock available should he wish to make any changes to his starting line up.

Burnley will be without defender Ben Mee.

Former Manchester City youth captain Mee completed 90 minutes in Sunday's 1-1 draw with fierce rivals Blackburn at Turf Moor but sustained medial knee ligament damage during the match and is now facing several weeks on the sidelines.

Danny Lafferty and Joseph Mills will contest the vacancy in Sean Dyche's starting XI, with Northern Ireland international Lafferty favourite to get the nod.

Elsewhere Dyche has no other injury or suspension worries as the Clarets look to extend their unbeaten run to four matches.

Wales international striker Sam Vokes came off the bench to seal a point against Rovers but may well have to settle for a place among the substitutes once more.

MANNY Smith gave his crutches back the other day – and said: "It felt so good!"

The Notts County defender, 24, caused a bit of concern when he arrived at St George's Park for training on Thursday morning because he got out of his car and then pulled a pair of crutches out of the boot.

But it was quickly dispelled when he strolled across the car park to the changing room with them under his left arm and handed them back to the club's medical team.

Smith then went off to training with his team-mates and says he is targeting a return to action before the end of the year, having finally recovered from a long-term knee ligament injury.

He took a big step towards making his comeback by playing 45 minutes in a friendly against Derby County this week.

He will play in another game next week and then hopes to be back in the first-team frame.

"It's been nice to be back outside training with the lads, even though it's freezing!" said Smith. "I felt good playing the second half against Derby.

"It was good to get on, it's been a while.

"It's the first time I've been out injured in my career so I just wanted to get back out on the pitch, I just wanted to play.

"I think I could even have started the match and played for longer, but I've got to take it easy getting back into it because I've been out for so long.

"I'd only trained twice before it as well so there is no way the gaffer was going to give me 90 minutes.

"It's all about getting my fitness back up now through games. There is another game next week so hopefully I will play a bit longer."

Smith is used to being patient, having been out since the opening day of the season.

The centre-back suffered the injury way back in August just 40 minutes into his debut for the Magpies in the first round of the Capital One Cup against League Two Bradford City.

He stretched to clear a cross into the penalty area, landed awkwardly and was carried off on a stretcher.

He admits it was a nightmare start to his career at Meadow Lane, after signing on a two-year deal in the summer.

But he is now looking forward – and is determined to play his part in the second half of the season as Notts chase promotion to the Championship.

"It was the last thing I needed, but I got the backing from the manager," he added.

"He told me to take my time to come back because you can't rush back from injuries like that because you can make it worse and be out for even longer.

"I'm back now and the games are coming thick and fast so hopefully I will be involved.

"I feel good now, I feel stronger and ready to go.

"My aim was to be back for the FA Cup against Rotherham.

"I never made that, but I had some game time this week and hopefully I will get more next week and be back in the fold from then. I've not felt any after effects, no cramp, no tiredness, nothing.

"I wasn't even worried about my knee during the game because I know I have done all of the strengthening work.

"I knew I was good to go so I just wanted to get out there and play – I've been counting down the weeks."

Smith was signed as one of the Magpies' new first-choice centre-backs, alongside Dean Leacock, and the two were beginning to form a formidable partnership during pre-season.

But he will now face a big battle to establish himself alongside Leacock because Gary Liddle has been in outstanding form in central defence so far this season and Notts have also signed Jamaica international Damion Stewart while Smith has been out.

It is a challenge Smith is relishing and, with the Magpies in the League One play-off spots ahead of facing Yeovil Town at Huish Park today, he wants to help them go on and clinch promotion to end a season that began so badly on the biggest high of all.

"It's been a difficult few months, but I've stayed positive and I'm here now for the second half of the season," he said.

"The lads have done brilliantly while I've been out and we're in a really good position in the table.

"All of us want to win promotion and it would be nice to be involved now and help us push for that – that's what I'm looking forward to."

DAN Harding hopes the Nottingham Forest faithful will see a much more adventurous Reds side today.

Sean O'Driscoll's men came under fire from their own supporters last week as they lost 2-1 on home soil to Hull in a game where many felt they were too defensive.

But Harding says the club have been working on finding a more ruthless streak to their possession game and hope to use it to get back to winning ways at the City Ground this afternoon.

Forest are four points off the play-off places in tenth, one point above today's opponents Burnley in the Championship table.

But after back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, Harding hopes the Reds can get back on the victory trail this afternoon.

The 28-year-old defender said: "We have been working on that this week and hopefully we can get a good result.

"We have not lost many but we have drawn too many.

"We might have to be more adventurous to win more matches and if you do that, you can also leave yourself open to defeat as well.

"But it is something we are trying to correct.

"It is finding that right balance and as players we have to find that ourselves. There is only so much the coaching staff can do. It is up to us to make the right decisions."

Harding won back-to-back promotions with Southampton into the Premier League before joining Forest in the summer.

And he said there will always be setbacks, it is just a matter of dealing with the expectation.

"We all know what Nottingham Forest is about and the size of the club so there is a lot of pressure on us to do well," he said.

"The expectations were from within as well at Southampton and we have the same thing here.

"We have a good manager, good players and fantastic facilities and we expect good things of ourselves so when we do lose at home, we are disappointed.

"It was never all plain sailing at Southampton, but we had been together a long time.

"Here we are still learning, but it is coming together.

"We have new owners and we understand the pressures. It is early days, we are still learning about each other.

"But momentum is a very good thing and any team that puts a run together will find themselves in the mix."

MORE than 1,300 people had to wait longer than four hours to be dealt with in Nottingham's only accident and emergency department in one month, new figures reveal.

The latest NHS figures show data for hospital admissions and waiting times for July – and reveal that 15,400 people attended the emergency department in the Queen's Medical Centre during the month.

One patient is recorded as having waited for more than 16 hours before being dealt with. However, it has emerged that this involved someone who was refusing to leave – and police had to be called to help.

The Government target is for 95 per cent of patients in A&E to be dealt with within four hours, and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust – which runs the QMC and City Hospital – has set its own target of 98 per cent.

For the month in question, 91.4 per cent of patients were seen within the limit.

The figures, collated by the NHS Information Centre, also said that 539 people left the A&E department without being treated. The hospital said that in the majority of these cases people left because they realised they didn't require emergency treatment.

A spokesman for the Trust said: "We are committed to improving the timeliness and quality of care for our emergency patients. Ahead of winter we invested in extra beds for emergencies, including a new observation and treatment unit at QMC."

The statistics come off the back of a national survey of A&E departments – conducted by the Care Quality Commission – which showed that waiting times are getting longer nationally compared to 2007.

However, the survey also found that most people said they still had confidence and trust in health professionals who treated them.

David Behan, chief executive of the CQC, said: "People should be seen, diagnosed, treated and admitted or discharged as quickly as possible and this is an issue that trusts need to urgently tackle."

In June the Post reported that 10,831 A&E patients were kept waiting at the QMC for more than four hours in 2011-12 – a rise of 82 per cent on the previous year, when just 5,943 patients were affected.

A MAN looking after more than 400 cannabis plants was snared after a break-in at the house where they were being grown.

Sam Hoang, 46, was the "gardener" at the property in Rossington Road, Sneinton, Nottingham Crown Court heard yesterday.

A neighbour called police when she heard noises in the early hours of September 28.

She looked outside and saw two youths who she believed were breaking into the house.

When police officers arrived they saw Hoang and another man walking away from the house.

After giving chase they found Hoang hiding in a nearby garden but his companion got away.

When they went back to the house the officers found two youths there.

The door had been forced off its hinges, Jim Metcalf, prosecuting said.

Hoang was arrested after officers found 412 cannabis plants at various stages of maturity and cannabis growing materials, .

Police drugs experts believed the plants could have weighed up to 20kg once they all matured – meaning they could have sold for up to £200,000.

Mr Metcalf said: "Hoang was a gardener rather than having main involvement."

Digby Johnson, mitigating, said Hoang, of no fixed address, had left his homeland Vietnam in 2009 and spent time in Russia working in the construction industry.

He later moved to the Czech Republic and France before arriving in England about two years ago.

He struggled to find work in London and was advised to move to Nottingham.

When he arrived he was pressured into looking after the cannabis, Mr Johnson said.

"His role seems to have been a limited one," added Mr Johnson.

The court heard the other man seen with Hoang has not been found.

One of the youths in the house was cautioned while no action was taken against the other.

Hoang, who needed an interpreter in court as he speaks little English, pleaded guilty to the producing cannabis between July 1 and September 28.

Judge Michael Stokes, QC, jailed Hoang for 12 months.

After serving half his sentence he will be deported back to Vietnam.

Sentencing him, Judge Stokes said: "This was a commercial grow on a substantial scale.

"You were here illegally and therefore subject to pressures and your role was not a significant one, essential though it was."