Nottingham Forest's highly-rated young winger Oliver Burke is set to start the new year by taking the next big step in his City Ground career.

Reds boss Stuart Pearce has confirmed the 17-year-old, who made his first team debut against Tottenham in the Capital One Cup earlier this season, will be promoted to training more with the first team.

With so many impressive wingers already in his squad, Pearce has made it clear he does not think Burke is quite ready for a place in his Championship squad.

But training with the likes of Michail Antonio and Chris Burke will almost certainly accelerate the teenager's progress at the club.

"It is a bit too soon for Oliver Burke. But we will incorporate him in our first team training a little bit more in the new year," said Pearce (pictured).

"That goes for anyone in the academy system who has done particularly well. We will bring them in with us."

With Forest currently under a transfer embargo for breaking the Football League's Financial Fair Play rules, it makes the club's academy players even more key to Pearce.

The Reds are resigned to the prospect of not being able to pay to sign players for the next three transfer windows because of the fall out of FFP.

And Pearce, who takes Forest to Rochdale in the FA Cup on Saturday, added: "The embargo situation opens up the door to anyone at the academy.

"We have spoken to three of the young players who have just signed their first professional contracts with us and told them that, because of the situation, they have an opportunity to prove themselves.

"They will get their chance if they are good enough.

"(Academy head coach) Gary Brazil's job is to run an academy that will supply good players to me.

"From day one, he has known that I am a manager who will back academy players if I feel they are good enough."

With the decade that taste forgot almost at an end, foodies were developing a new more refined appetite for the unusual and exotic.

In 1989 Britons ate nearly six times more asparagus, five times more courgettes, three times more pineapples and more than double the amount of grapes than a decade previously.

Experts predicted that this trend would explode as the new decade dawned with the south-east Asian mango championed to be the "boom fruit" of the nineties.

Other predicted trends included a new pink variety of banana, baby vegetables – including mini-cauliflower, fuzz-free pink kiwis and many new varieties of lettuce leaves.

The tobacco and brewing industry was expected to take a nose dive as it was believed that the 1990s would be the decade of keep fit and health kicks.

At the time more than one-third of the UK population smoked compared to 21 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women today.

Ladbrokes bookmakers were feeling less optimistic giving better odds that aliens would land on earth than for a British tennis player to win Wimbledon in the 1990s. The odds on aliens landing were 100-1 but for a male British player winning the Championship's singles title they soared to 200-1.

Neil Kinnock was a "red-hot" 1-2 to be Prime Minister at some time during the next decade. Odds for the United States electing a black president was 33-1 and for a British boxer to win the world heavyweight boxing championship they were 10-1.

Those choosing to celebrate New Year's Eve at home had the choice of either watching Clive James on BBC1 or Cilla Black on ITV.

Nottingham skating legends Torvill and Dean, Michael Jackson, Sam Fox, Rene and Renaita and Koo Stark would all be subjected to James and Jerry Hall's musing and analysis of the decade which brought Iran-gate, the shooting of JR and the deregulation of financial markets.

Cilla planned to take a different approach as she bade farewell to the eighties – giving out awards to those who sold a lot of records, made a lot of terrible films or told a lot of dreadful jokes.

Michael Aspel, Hale and Pace, Alexei Sayle, Sir John Mills, Jonathan Ross and Tracey Ullman guest starred.

Nottingham Forest were also cutting themselves a slice of the broadcast pie by showing the nation how the beautiful game should be really played.

Forest and Liverpool went head to head on January 1, 1990, with crowds expected to exceed what the City Ground had seen that season – it was also due to be transmitted live around the country.

Away from the small screen and on to the big screen, Post critic Catherine Arnold took at look at the winter box office smash of 1989.

She said: "Does the world really need another sensitive comedy about two anxious over-articulate Americans falling in love?

"The answer appears to be – yes."

She went on: "When Harry Met Sally, like Woody Allen's Annie Hall 'a nervous love story', is one of 1989's movie successes, probably because it tackled some of the problems that concerns us all – human relationships.

"The theme behind the film is – can men and women ever be platonic friends, or does sex make that impossible?

"Playing Harry is Billy Crystal, who made his debut in Soap as one of the first gay characters on television who wasn't made out to be a freak.

"Meg Ryan, as Sally, made her debut as Candice Bergen's daughter in Rich And Famous and had starred in a number of big movies since including Promised Land and Top Gun.

"Screenplay is by Nora Ephron, who wrote Silkwood and the excellent Heartburn – which, if you remember, was an underrated but wildly, wryly funny look at love, marriage-plan and the whole damn business."

Youngster will be able to get advice and support if new plans to bring a youth drop-in centre go ahead.

Kimberley Town Council is considering expanding a contract with outreach group Nottingham Youth for Christ.

Over the past two years, its volunteers have been working in the town to invite teens hanging out on the street to play football and engage with the community.

But even if they don't fancy a kick-about, the charity's youth workers are there to offer their support where they can – from practical advice to simply providing a cup of tea.

The £4,500 project has been such a success that the town council is looking into setting up a drop-in centre for the group at an old school house next to the parish hall.

So far, the cost has not been estimated.

Eleanor Rice, one of the outreach staff working in Kimberley, said: "It really varies from night to night which is most exciting. Since I started to develop good relationships with them they come and ask for hot drinks, play football and you have more of an opportunity to share things.

"If there was somewhere you can come and drop in that would be fantastic, if it's done with the community and would help make sure young people are safe."

In a report that was released earlier this year, the council said the work of Nottingham Youth for Christ had meant that fewer youngsters were seen hanging around the town's parks.

Council chairman Dave Nunn said: "The biggest benefit has been to be able to intervene in the lives of young people, many of whom are among the most disengaged in our communities.

"We have been very impressed by their work – they had a real sincerity defending these kids on the street."

The organisation has also been working with the Kimberley School offering a drop-in after school session and assisting in the classroom.

Head of RE Gail Brockway said: "It's really important for the students' self esteem and gives them someone not attached to the school to share problems with."

Shares in the new company created by the merger of Alliance Boots and US drugstore group Walgreens will begin trading in America today.

The move will see Boots, which employs about 8,000 people in Nottingham, become American-owned for the first time since 1920.

A total of 97 per cent of Walgreen shareholders voted to approve the merger on Monday.

The new company will be named Walgreens Boots Alliance and will be headquartered in Deerfield, near Chicago.

Boots UK will continue to be run from Nottingham.

Walgreens and Alliance Boots will become wholly-owned subsidiaries of Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Together, Walgreens Boots Alliance spans more than 25 countries, with over 12,800 stores, more than 370,000 employees and more than 340 pharmaceutical distribution centers serving in excess of 180,000 pharmacies and other points of care. 

The prospect of a merger was agreed in 2012 when Walgreens bought a 45 per cent interest in Alliance Boots.

The Post reported in August that Walgreens intended to buy the rest of the Nottingham-based company.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Alex Gourlay, former chief executive of Alliance Boots health and beauty division, including Boots 2,500 stores in the UK, was to become president of Walgreens.

He will move his job as president of customer experience and daily living, which he took up little over a year ago, moving from the UK to Deerfield.

Greg Wasson, president and chief executive of Walgreens, who led the merger talks with Alliance Boots, is to step down after 35 years.

Stefano Pessina, who created Alliance Boots by merging Alliance Unichem and Boots and later taking it off the London Stock Exchange, will own about 20 per cent of the new business valued in the region of $13billion (£8.4 billion).

He is expected to become interim chief executive but return to a strategic roll retaining his seat on the board.

Mr Wasson said: "The creation of Walgreens Boots Alliance is a crucial milestone for both Walgreens and Alliance Boots, combining iconic brands, complementary geographic footprints, shared values and a heritage of trusted healthcare services through pharmaceutical wholesaling and community pharmacy care, each dating back more than 100 years. 

"The combination instantly establishes a groundbreaking and game-changing new company that will help people across the world lead healthier and happier lives as we advance our industry and the delivery of retail health, wellbeing and beauty products and services worldwide."

Mr Pessina said, "The combined strength, scale and expertise of Walgreens Boots Alliance creates a unique and unparalleled global leader. We have forged a worldwide healthcare champion, which will provide innovative ways to address global health and wellbeing challenges by helping to shape retail pharmacy, healthcare and pharmaceutical wholesale markets around the world. Becoming global gives us the ability to generate significant and sustainable benefits for local markets and all stakeholders, from consumers and patients, to pharmacists, suppliers, business partners and, of course, our employees."

Walgreens Boots Alliance Chairman Jim Skinner said, "On behalf of the board, I would like to express our gratitude to Greg for his outstanding vision, work and commitment towards creating this new company. I am looking forward to working closely with Stefano and the senior management team of Walgreens Boots Alliance as we start this exciting mission of bringing better health and wellbeing to the world." 

Walgreens and Alliance Boots announced their two-step strategic transaction in June 2012. They completed Step one in August 2012, when Walgreens invested around $4.0 billion in cash and 83.4 million shares of its common stock in exchange for a 45 percent equity ownership stake in Alliance Boots. With the completion of Step two, Walgreens has acquired the remaining 55 percent of Alliance Boots in exchange for around $5.3 billion in cash and 144.3 million shares of stock. 

The completion of this strategic transaction marks a historic milestone for both companies with roots going back more than a century.

Walgreens has grown from a single corner in Chicago in 1901, to the best corners in America. 

Boots was founded by John Boot in 1849. His son, Jesse assumed sole control of the business in 1877. The company was briefly owned by a US company from 1920 to 1933.

A Medieval-themed banquet hall has been demolished to make way for a car park.

The Sheriff's Lodge in Canal Street, which has been closed since 2006, was set to be razed when Nottingham City Council signed off the plans in October.

The disused buildings were owned by the council and the authority said they are "now in a poor condition and in part in a dangerous state of repair".

Plans are now in place to create a car park at the site for development of a bio-science building on land adjoining Lower Parliament Street, Pennyfoot Street and Plough Lane.

Two pole dancers are limbering up to raise money and make it into the national team.

Kat Bailey and Danielle Haynes have been asked to represent Team GB at the World Pole Dance Championships in China in April after impressing coaches at the Miss Pole Dance UK last year.

However, the Nottinghamshire duo now have to raise £3,000 to get there, as the places are unfunded due to the lack of sponsorship and the competition being run on a not-for-profit basis.

Mrs Bailey, 29, of Compton Acres, said: "We are both ecstatic about being given this chance.

"I have done national competitions before but nothing on this scale.

"We are looking for sponsorship because there are only so many bake sales we can do.

"We could get a loan to cover the cost of the trip but we would have to pay that back eventually.

"There is a team of ten going altogether if we can raise the money.

"We are guaranteed to be in the final if we can make it over there, which would be fantastic.

"We have already started training and it would mean everything to me to represent the country because it has always been my dream."

At the Miss Pole Dance UK competition in October the pair were named winners of the Doubles Best Entertainer for their performance to Singin' In The Rain, and they were also announced as joint overall winners – before sliding down to second on points.

Miss Haynes will mark her third year as a pole dancer in April after starting it as a hobby.

The 29-year-old mother-of-two, of Conifer Crescent, Clifton, said: "I never expected to be doing anything like this.

"This a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are doing everything we can to raise the money.

"This year we are going to hold a talent show and raffles and I am going to be doing some performances.

"I am a single mum so I can't really fork out a lot but if we do get to go it will be the biggest competition I have ever been in. We will be competing against the best of the best."

The international competition has only been running since 2009.

Team GB coordinator Kay Penney said: "The girls are world standard and have a really good chance of winning the doubles.

"They are very unique and have power, flexibility and grace.

"It would be a great shame for pole sport and the country if they are not at the final."

Rising house prices in Nottingham are a double-edged sword. On the one hand it is reassuring to see there is demand for homes in and around the city. On the other, the price rises will take properties further from the financial reach of many residents.

The positive view first. An annual house price rise of 10 percent in the city and five per cent in the county will be welcome news for those looking to downsize. It will also benefit unfortunate homeowners trapped in negative equity after the value of homes, particularly in the city, collapsed 10 years ago. Meanwhile, those who have bought while the market was flat will be encouraged to see their new asset appreciate in value.

The increasing price reflects demand for homes. This should not be a surprise. Notts is a great place to live and work and we want, and expect, people to move into the area whether that be to work or study.

The price rise suggests the local housing market is moving and that is helpful for people coming to Nottingham and those already here, who want to move.

The downside is that large numbers of people cannot afford to buy a home and feel trapped in the rented sector. In Nottingham, the average house price is already approaching nine times the average disposable income. While the Government's Help to Buy Scheme is useful it will not be enough for many.

All of this points to the need for more homes. But they need to be planned carefully, with a good proportion of affordable properties and protection of green spaces built in. Urban, affordable, brownfield development must be the aim.

Rail passengers will now have to pay more to travel after fare rises came into force today.

East Midlands Trains has increased ticket prices by 1.3 per cent on average, while the government has put up regulated fares and season tickets by 2.5 per cent.

Single journey prices will rise by an average of 17p.

The latest rises mean season ticket prices have increased by about a quarter in the past five years.

Commuters travelling between Nottingham and Birmingham will now have to pay £3,720 – a rise of £728 since 2010.

Annual tickets from Nottingham to Derby have risen by 27 per cent to £1,404 and people travelling between the city and Lincoln will now pay £2,208 - a £416 hike.

East Midlands Trains has previously said the most recent fare increases are a cut in "real terms" because the current level of inflation is 2.3 per cent.

What do you think about the latest rail fare increases? Contact our reporter Dan Robinson on 0115 905 1938 or email dan.robinson@nottinghampost.com. 

With Christmas over for many people, it will soon be time to hoover up the needles, take off the tinsel and throw away or recycle your tree.

But when should it be taken down?

Some people may have already got rid, but the traditional date to take down the decorations is the Twelfth Night of Christmas, which is "the night before Epiphany, the day when the nativity story tells us that the three wise men visited the infant Jesus" according to the Church of England.

However, there is some debate as to whether the Twelfth Night falls on January 5 or 6. This is down to the Roman Catholic practice of the day beginning at sunset, rather than midnight. It is believed to be unlucky to leave decorations up after Twelfth Night.

Whichever day it the tree comes down, those with real Christmas trees will need to find a way of disposing them.

According to Nottingham City Council, the Twelfth Night is January 5, and from that day, they will be collecting real Christmas trees to recycle.

The collection service will run from January 5 to January 16, and is free to book. Visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/xmastree for more information.

Elsewhere around the county, recycling centres are open to take Christmas trees. See below for the recycling centres in Nottinghamshire and their opening times.

Recycling centres at Lilac Grove in Beeston, Brailwood Road in Bilsthorpe, Hollinwood Lane in Calverton, Gilthill in Giltbrook, Wigwam Lane in Hucknall, Sidings Road, Lowmoor Industrial Estate in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Coach Gap Lane in Langar, Kestral Park, Kestral Road in Mansfield, Brunel Drive in Newark, Rugby Road in West Bridgford, and Shireoaks Road in Worksop, and Redfield Road, Lenton Industrial Estate in Lenton, will all be open from 8am to 4pm, seven days a week.

The wind and rain from last night will have died down this morning and the forecast is for a sunny day.

Friday is expected to be bright until dusk with temperatures reaching 7c and no sign of rain.

Saturday is set to be the dampest day of the weekend as rain is forecast throughout the day with a high of 4c.

The outlook for Sunday to Tuesday is cloudy and mild with temperatures hitting a high of 8c on Monday with a slight shower of rain forecast for Tuesday morning.

For more weather, click here.

Congestion is clogging up to roads in the Nottinghamshire area this morning, as people return to work after the festive break.

There is heavy traffic on the A60 Huntingdon Street at the B684 Woodborough Road traffic lights junction, Nottingham city centre.

And there are problems on the A606 Melton Road, Nottingham, where congestion was making progress slow.

Elsewhere in the county, the AA was reporting traffic queuing east of Worksop.

Nottingham City Transport continues to run a Saturday service on all routes, except Citylink 1 and 2 which are normal times.

Trent Barton has a full, normal Friday service.

A cyclist received emergency care after a collision with a car on Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened at the junction of Chapel Street and Bath Street near the centre of Ilkeston. Several people ran from nearby pubs to help the cyclist, who was later taken to hospital.

Derbyshire Police officers gave him treatment before an ambulance arrived at 4.45pm. The bike's front wheel was buckled and its rider lay several feet behind a white car.

Police closed the junction for nearly an hour, leading to the diversion of the Trent Barton bus service which links Ilkeston and Cotmanhay with Nottingham.

The condition of the cyclist is not known.

Tighter restrictions on payday lenders have been brought into force.

The changes will mean the capping of daily interest rates at 0.8 per cent. A customer taking out a typical £300 loan over one month will repay no more than £375.

Other regulations include a limit of £15 on default charges. A client who fails to meet a deadline will pay no more than £15 per missed payment on top of the continuing 0.8 per cent daily rate.

Even with a default fee and accumulating interest, nobody will pay more than 200 per cent of the original loan. The maximum liability of a £300 borrower will, therefore, be £600.

Speaking about the changes when they were announced, Jon Leighton from homelessness charity Framework said it was "great news".

He added: "It is forcing payday lenders to take a more responsible approach.

"One of the consequences of people becoming embroiled in debt is not being able to pay the rent, and one of the consequences of that is eviction.

"When a company can siphon funds out of a bank account, any housing benefit can be chewed up, which means it does not go to the landlord.

"We have even had people with learning difficulties who have been given payday loans – people who could not possibly have seen a debt through."

But Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of the Consumer Finance Association (CFA), representing some of the best known of Britain's 200 short-term lenders, said: "Higher standards of conduct have gone hand in hand with a reduction in loans being approved. With the cap, fewer people will get loans from fewer lenders but the demand for credit will still be there and so there will be no significant impact on debt levels."

A Nottinghamshire MP has said the state is struggling to deal with the number of people claiming to have been victims of historical child abuse.

John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw, said the figure could reach tens of thousands, and has called for a national institute to be set up to deal with the claims.

Mr Mann has given Scotland Yard a dossier of allegations of historical abuse, and said a large number of people have come forward in the last year to report historical abuse.

He said: "We need a national institute to build a level of expertise that is needed to deal with all the claims, and there needs to be more resource.

"It should be run by social services and survivors groups. We need to pool together the expertise that is available.

"I think this needs to be highlighted because of the scale of the problem. The scale is huge, including in Nottinghamshire. There has been a big increase in people coming forward in the last year."

Mr Mann was speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 after the head of a planned public inquiry into historical child abuse, Baroness Butler-Sloss, stepped down.

He added: "It's not just about who chairs an inquiry, it's about what the remit of an inquiry should be, who else should be sat on that inquiry, who should be advising it.

"I'm getting vast numbers of people, including my constituents, coming forward making allegations. Many of those people came forward in the past and weren't listened to or weren't believed.

"And that's a key part of the problem. What do you do with people making allegations against people, and nothing was done in the past, when the people they're making allegations against in some cases are dead."

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A car and transit van were on fire at a repair garage in Basford on New Year's Day.

Firefighters spent an hour tackling the blaze, which also damaged numerous engine parts, at Lindley Autocentres in Church Street.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the incident at 4.24pm.

Two fire engines from Stockhill Fire Station and one from Central Fire Station attended the scene, leaving at 5.23pm.

A fire service spokesman said he did not believe anyone had been hurt and a cause had not yet been identified.

Petrol prices are expected to fall to below £1 for the first time since 2009 in January.

Drivers who spend an average of £10 per week on petrol will save £1.96 a week in January, which translates to a saving of £102.14 a year if the prices remain at that rate.

Over the last 12 months the price of fuel has plummeted at Nottingham filling stations.

Asda in Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, had the cheapest pump price in the city for unleaded petrol this time last year, at 126.7p.

And the most affordable diesel was available for 132.7p at Asda in Radford Road, Hyson Green.

Today, the cheapest prices can be found at Mrh Nuthall Road, Aspley, where unleaded petrol costs 108.9p and the price of diesel currently stands at 115.9p.

Since the autumn, supermarkets have lowered their prices and Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's announced this week they were knocking a further 2p off a litre.

Further oil price drops are expected before May's general election as a pre-election boost for consumers, before it rises again towards the end of the year.

A spokesman for the AA said: "These welcome price cuts will eventually filter down in some form to other retailers, so the UK average price will fall further as we enter 2015. But just how far is anyone's bet."

Nottingham Forest defender Dan Harding is close to agreeing a move to Millwall.
While the London club are also among the front runners to take Greg Halford on loan.
Reds boss Stuart Pearce made it clear back in the summer that Halford was free to find himself another club.
And Brighton, Fulham and the Lions are all interested in taking him on loan until the end of the campaign.
It is slightly more of a shock to see Harding also made available – although Pearce revealed that the full back was also told back in the summer that he would be allowed to move on if there was interest in him.
"We spoke with Dan back in the summer and we were open minded with him. We said that if a loan or permanent move became available for him, we will listen to it," said Pearce.
"At this moment in time, there is a club who are interested in taking him, so the ball is in Dan's court a little bit."
With Jack Hunt also having returned to parent club Crystal Palace following the end of his loan spell, Forest will target a defender during the January window, particularly if Halford also moves on.
And that seems likely, with Pearce confirming: "I spoke with Greg yesterday and there are two or three clubs who want to take him on a loan deal until the end of the season – which would take him to the end of his contract.
"We have had a chat and he is one that we would listen to offers for, when it comes to freeing up a place in our squad.
"The same applies to Dan Harding and Danny Collins. If a club comes in for them – which a couple have – we will be right and honest with them.
"We have told them what the situation is and that they are free to go and play football elsewhere."