IT would be both interesting and informative if the council could expand on their succinct statements of the proposed areas where cuts in funding are to be made (Post, December 19).
Cuts to the council's adult services budget will only bring further chaos and confusion to the older and disabled people.
In contrast the closing of the cash counter at the library would probably supply only a tiny amount of funds compared to the proposed £25 million which is said to be required.
So please council show the public some actual figures and details which assist you in making these decisions.
BRENDA WRIGHT
Mildenhall Crescent
Bestwood Park
WITH reference to the comments from Albert Godfrey ("Pupils could all read and write at this school", Letters, December 18). As a former pupil of Highbury Infant, Junior and Boys' school believe there is one mistake and at least one omission.
I think you will find that Fred Riddell did not teach at that school until about 1954, and not 1944 as stated. He also fails to mention a venerable old teacher of that period who retired in the mid 50s, namely Mr Hartley.
It was certainly a school full of characters.
GRAHAM CHRISTIAN
Gordon Road
West Bridgford
I READ with interest that the city council is going to clamp down on pavement parking on Woodside Road, Lenton Abbey (Post, December 12).
May I suggest they clamp down on pavement parking throughout the city, and start by example and telling most of the Nottingham City Homes drivers to park on the road, and then move on to the police and tell them to park on the road.
I can understand some drivers at times have need to put two wheels on the pavement, but never to block the pavement.
You also see that most of the time people will only have to walk another couple of yards and they could keep the pavement clear, or park on the same side of the road and the problem is solved.
I go to the Lenton Abbey estate on a regular basis the parking around there in places is absolutely atrocious.
I have never have to park on the pavement, a lot of time I have had to walk a few more yards to park properly, but yet again this is another problem self inflicted by motorists.
TERRY CONWAY
Scafell Way
Clifton
I WAS disappointed with your recent article about Gedling Borough Council spending £54,000 on locality co-ordinators ("Council defends new roles after campaign group jibe," Post, December 12).
For a start, these posts were introduced as part of a wider reorganisation that actually saved money. Was this made clear to the Taxpayers' Alliance when the Post went in search of its feedback? I doubt it.
And was the Taxpayers' Alliance told how positively these posts have been received by the very people it (the Taxpayers' Alliance) represents? I doubt it.
And come to that, why was the Taxpayer's Alliance approached at all?
Does its spokesperson Mr Oxley know anything about Newstead or Netherfield? Has he indeed ever been to either Newstead or Netherfield?
Has he any experience of how best to tackle antisocial behaviour, domestic violence or youth disaffection? I doubt it.
So quite why the Post sought his opinion baffles me. Was the Post looking for a negative angle on a positive story? Probably. That's a shame.
JOHN ROBINSON
Chief Executive
Gedling Borough Council
IN response to Jonathan Staites' letter (Post, December 12), I would like to clarify the following issues.
Meetings of the Police and Crime Panel have been widely advertised through each of the websites and public meeting notices of the various councils involved in the panel (i.e. the city council, the county council and all borough/ district councils in Notts).
I am also aware that the two meetings of the panel which took place on December, 3, 2012, also attracted prior coverage from the Nottingham Post.
With regard to the timing of panel meetings, it is felt that daytime meetings will maximise member attendance as the majority of its members attend meetings of their own councils during the evening. It should be noted that the panel does intend to meet at different venues across Notts in future.
The panel's councillor membership has been agreed in line with the relevant legislation. The panel had previously agreed to seek to increase its councillor members via additional co-options to best achieve political balance across the whole of the county and to better represent the population of the city.
All of these councillors have been democratically elected by the public and each council has chosen their most appropriate representatives on the panel, based on their roles and experience.
The panel has appointed two independent members on an initial temporary six months' basis.
Members had agreed to target representatives from the Probation Trust Board and local magistrates to address a knowledge gap. However, the panel may choose to seek to recruit further independents from the wider public when next reviewing its membership in June 2013.
As with the vast majority of other council meetings, the public do not have speaking rights at panel meetings.
However, I understand that the Police and Crime Commissioner is developing other means of engaging the public to best reflect their views within his work.
The panel unanimously supported the appointment of Chris Cutland into the post of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner and noted that Mr Tipping had been quite clear within the run-up to the election about his plans to appoint a deputy.
The panel will continue to offer a warm welcome to Mr Staites and any other members of the public who would like to attend future meetings.
COUNCILLOR JOHN CLARKE
Chairman of the Notts Police and Crime Panel
I SEE Councillor Steve Barber is desperately still trying to justify his (and that of his few other train-spotting mates') enthusiasm for the Beeston/Chilwell tram (Letters, December 12) by suggesting ways of minimising the massive disruption caused by its construction.
Firstly he talks of Taylor Woodrow's failure to meet their contractual obligations.
He says that Taylor Woodrow seemed a good choice (is he now doubtful?) and goes on to say that the firm seems to find the task "challenging" (council speak for "they are not up to the task"?).
He goes on to say that the proposal to close Chilwell Road has "upset a few people". Does he refer to the traders on the road who now fear for their livelihood? Surely this prospect does more than "upset" them!
His solution to the possible closure? A shuttle bus! This will be imaginatively named – wait for it – the Chilwell Road Flyer. Just a minute. If the road is only closed one way, why can't I fly down it in my car? In which case what would be the point of a shuttle bus?
Next he proposes a "well-signed cycle route". Presumably Councillor Barber thinks that those people who won't be hopping on to the "flyer" will get on their bike (if they have one) and, and... I'm not sure.
But why a new cycle route, well-signed or otherwise? There already is one; it's called a pavement.
Finally, Councillor Barber maintains that the tram "will benefit Beeston once completed".
Does he also think that the tram will benefit Chilwell and, if so, how?
POSTMEN getting mauled by aggressive dogs? It's comedy postcard stuff but, as we reported over Christmas, there is little to laugh about when a tetchy mutt whacks his teeth into your soft parts.
However let's first put into context the understandable concerns of the Royal Mail's heroic post people – men and women who will venture into the most dangerous territory to ensure you get your utility bills on time.
Much as I sympathise with any postman who gets a close-up view of a gleaming array of fangs, let's remember that the number of dog attacks on Notts representatives of the Royal Mail has actually declined dramatically to half the rate of 2009.
Agreed, the 2012 total of 64 attacks is still 64 too many.
But the number of incidents is bound to continue falling as the Royal Mail accelerates its inevitable decline in the electronic age, with one post- charge increase after another.
Twelve bob for a first-class letter? Believe me, it won't catch on.
Fewer letters will require fewer postmen and women – so in the long term it's not looking good for the slavering hounds who look forward to nothing more than growling, drooling and going into crouching mode at the sight of a scarlet Royal Mail anorak or fleece.
Opportunities for giving their gnashers a work-out will be fewer and further between.
And not just for canines. According to our report, dogs are responsible only for the "majority" of animal attacks on postmen.
Which makes you wonder what other creatures have been lying in ambush as garden gates open and the mailman ventures down the concrete path: Thumper the rabbit? Keith the anaconda?
While the falling rate of attacks on Royal Mail personnel is not one of the many things that keep me awake at night, I would still encourage the organisation to adopt a more muscular approach to dealing with aggressive dogs and their completely useless owners.
After an attack by a dog on a postman – and I mean an injurious or an aggressive attack, not a playful lunge or a slobbering kiss – I would expect the organisation automatically to stop delivering to that property until the owners of the creature can provide satisfactory assurances.
They can always go and pick up their mail at the sorting office, preferably leaving their dog at home.
Furthermore I would expect the Royal Mail to help the postman seek damages for any injury sustained.
As I understand it the Royal Mail has a legal duty to deliver your post, which strengthens the case for the law to be changed to allow the prosecution of owners whose dogs act dangerously on private property.
The postman is not someone making an unreasonable intrusion into your garden – he is there on public business and is entitled to the same protection he has in a public place.
Yes, this will be less of a problem as the years pass – but we should cherish our postmen and women while we have them and afford them the protection they deserve.
1. How was Nottingham boxer William Thompson better known?
2. Name the Nottingham man who founded the Salvation Army.
3. Who was the first £20,000 footballer?
4. Which Notts band had a USA number one with The Night Chicago Died in 1974?
5. Before becoming a professional skater, what was Christopher Dean's job?
6. Which Nottingham cricketer was at the centre of the infamous 1932/3 Bodyline Tour?
7. Who wrote Saturday Night and Sunday Morning?
8. How was Lord Tenant better known?
9. Which England football manager was born in Nottinghamshire?
10. In the Robin Hood legend, what was Maid Marian's surname?
11. Which Stapleford-born footballer played centre half for England 65 times?
12. Who designed the famous Black Boy Hotel?
13. Under what name did Mansfield singer Bernard Jewry top the charts in the 1970s?
14. In which Nottingham town is Lord Byron buried?
15. In which year did Goose Fair move to the Forest Recreation Ground?
16. What was the name of Nottingham's famous Channel swimmer of the 1930s and 1940s?
17. Which Nottingham-built motorcycle was the favourite of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)?
18. In what year was Notts County Football Club founded?
19. At what unlikely Nottingham venue did the Rolling Stones play on March 2, 1964?
20. Which Nottingham building did Sir Francis Willoughby commission in 1580?
21. In TV's The Adventures of Robin Hood, who played Robin?
22. What was the name of the pub that stood on Nottingham's Bottle Lane for many years?
23. What Nottingham cricketer who also played for England had the nickname Arkle?
24. Who was the first million pound footballer?
25. Nottingham-born Alma Reville was the wife of which famous film director?
26. What was the name of Albert Finney's character in Saturday night and Sunday morning?
27. What is the name of Nottingham's Catholic cathedral on Derby Road?
28. In which two events did Rebecca Adlington win gold medals at the 2008 Olympics?
29. What were the Christian names of Nottingham writer D H Lawrence?
30. What is the name of Nottingham's oldest church which is situated in the Lace Market?
What interesting facts do you know about Nottingham? E-mail them to features@nottinghapostgroup.co.uk or post them to Nottingham Post, 3rd floor, City Gate, Tollhouse Hill, Nottingham, NG1 5FS.
AFTER driving home for Christmas, just like Chris Rea, Gary Liddle is back at Notts County and ready for two big festive away games.
The Magpies players were given Christmas Day off ahead of their trip to Shrewsbury Town today and Stevenage on Saturday, so Liddle shot back to Middlesbrough to spend it with his family.
He sat down to turkey and all the trimmings and is now determined the Magpies give the Shrews and Boro a stuffing to end the year on a high – and in the top-six in League One.
"We were told not to overindulge so I didn't touch any selection boxes, but I had a good Christmas dinner!" he said.
"It was kind of the gaffer to give us the day off and it was great to head back home – I'm a northern lad so I can't stay away from there for too long.
"We've still prepared for Shrewsbury like we do for every game.
"We had a good training session early on Christmas Eve, so we're ready for it.
"I love Christmas, it's a good time of year and it's non-stop football as well so hopefully we will pick up a few points along the way."
The Magpies will rack up almost 400 miles in fours days over Christmas and Liddle believes they can also rack up six points.
His confidence is not surprising because Notts are a record 21 away games unbeaten, a run that stretches all the way back to February.
Their home form might not be great, but they have looked unbeatable on the road.
"It's important that we pick up as many points as we can in these two games," he added.
"We've been in and around the play-offs all season and that's without stringing a particularly long winless run together.
"It's important we go on a good run – and you never know where it will take you.
"I remember Tranmere being a good eight or nine points clear at one point, but now they're joint second."
The Magpies now only have the league to focus on this season, after suffering a shock 3-0 defeat in the second round of the FA Cup against League Two Rotherham United at Meadow Lane last week.
Liddle has revealed there was a big meeting the day after that tie between the players, manager Keith Curle and his coaching staff – and believes it will help them get back on track.
"We're not going to hide it from anyone, we came in and had a good meeting," he said.
"I won't disclose what was said, but it was a good meeting and the biggest thing that came out of it was to be positive – and remember we are not far off the top in the league.
"It's us as a group of players that have got us there.
"We've had our disappointments, but hopefully we can get up and running again and push on again.
"It only takes a couple of wins and we'll be right up there, you never know what can happen."
Whatever happens, Liddle is likely to be at the heart of it all.
Since joining Notts from Hartlepool United last summer, the 26-year-old has played every minute of every league game.
He was signed as a midfielder, but was thrust into central defence in the very first league game of the season at Crewe and has since established himself as a rock in their back four.
Liddle admits the start to his Magpies' career could not have gone any better and he hopes to go from strength to strength in 2013.
"I'm pleased to have become a fixture in the side," he said.
"I haven't missed a single minute of league action, which is a record I'm very proud to have, and hopefully I can keep it going in the new year and be a part of a team that is very successful."
It promises to be an exciting second half of the season at Meadow Lane and Liddle is confident Notts can stay in the play-off mix.
"There is everything to play for, it's wide open at the top," he said.
"It's vital we string a few wins together and pretty soon as well.
"We're not far off the top and if we can string a run of results together there's is no reason we can't do it."
IT'S a cold November evening but a fire is burning well in the middle of a living room in Cotgrave.
Family photographs are scattered over shelves and the theme tune of Emmerdale can be heard from the kitchen. John Pickering's wife Geraldine, Ged for short, walks in.
"It's awfully warm in here – turn that fire down.
"He has the heating and the gas fire on and I am walking around sweating," she says. They smile at each other affectionately, before John begins to talk about his condition.
John is recalling the day he was told he only had three months to live. The former Nottingham gun factory worker was sitting in his wheelchair at Nottingham City Hospital on January 13, 2010, when the doctor told him he had a terminal cancer called metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
There was nothing they could do.
It all began in John's mid-20s when he was diagnosed with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), a rare genetic condition he inherited from his mother.
The disorder affects one in 32,000 people and predisposes sufferers to develop cysts and tumours, some of which can become cancerous.
John was lucky. From diagnosis to the age of 54 he didn't suffer any problems. He attended appointments yearly, as recommended.
But five years ago he was diagnosed with cancer. Six weeks later John had lost his left kidney. After recovering from the operation life slowly got back on track and he started his own business in property maintenance.
But the father-of-two and grandfather-of-two developed a limp in August 2010. By Boxing Day he couldn't walk and was admitted to hospital.
He said: "After getting back from the hospital Ged asked me what they had said.
"I told her that I had terminal cancer and only three months to live. It was never said again. It must have been horrible for her."
But ten weeks later he received a call asking him to return to the hospital's oncology department to meet Professor Poulan Patal.
"The professor put me on cancer-suppressant tablets and because of his intervention I have had a lot longer than I should have done."
John has several tumours on various parts of his body including spine, liver and the middle of his chest. The latter is one they can't cure or stop growing.
"This is the one that will kill me," said John. "They've done all they can – they've given it seven doses of radiation.
As the cancer is pressing into the windpipe, it's inoperable. I can feel a tickling at the back of my chest. It's awful," he adds.
John's mother Betty Pickering, who died earlier this year aged 81, was one of the oldest people living with VHL. She lived for 18 years with only half a kidney.
John remains positive. "There is no point in giving up. It is too easy to chuck the towel in. I am up and about. I am still alive.
"I should have been dead over 18 months ago. It's not bad, is it?" he says.
John has been greatly helped by the VHL Family Alliance, which researches VHL and supports sufferers. Director of wellness Joyce Graff said: "John is one of our honoured pioneers. He has helped us learn about this condition – it is because of his willingness to share the experiences that today's situation is better."
John is spending Boxing Day with his family and continues to enjoy life, which still includes his motorbike.
"They told me to get rid of it, but sod it. I am going to die anyway so why not go in a blaze of glory sat on the back of a motorbike?"
Post journalist JEREMY LEWIS comes from a family affected by VHL …
WHEN my father died in 1965, aged 43, the official cause was a brain tumour. Many more years passed before one of his four sons, my brother Richard, established the link with Von Hippel-Lindau disease.
Richard is an amateur genealogist and discovered a concentration of deaths in another branch of the family.
He learned from a distant relative that something called "VHL" ran through that particular branch of the tree.
On discovering that VHL symptoms can include brain tumours, he found that a common ancestor had endured a similar illness, raising the possibility that our father had carried VHL.
Richard had himself tested. The outcome was positive and later various symptoms emerged: kidney cysts and small tumours in the eyes; tumours in the spine and adrenal glands and, most recently, an abdominal tumour which is cancerous but should be removable.
On Richard's advice, I took the test at City Hospital. Like our two other brothers I received a "negative".
Happily, all three of Richard's children were cleared … meaning his grandchildren will be untouched. Now 57, a retired police officer from Aberystwyth, he is philosophical about his condition and the tiring drugs and regular check-ups.
"I've been told I probably won't live to a grand old age but I don't have a brain tumour and I'm not in a wheelchair. I've got off lightly and at least I know that, in our branch of the family, VHL will die with me."
Hockey: Bids worth almost £650,000 have now been made to Nottinghamshire County Council's sports legacy fund in the wake of London 2012.
And one Nottinghamshire hockey club, which noticed a surge of interest in the sport following the Games, has confirmed it will apply for funding to meet the deadline before the end of the year.
Newark Hockey Club has taken a lot of inquiries from people interested in taking up the sport after Team GB's women secured bronze and Team GB's men's team finished fourth in London.
Hockey in Newark can be traced back to 1897 and based at Magnus School in Earp Avenue.
The club currently has 80 adult and 90 junior members and will be bidding for money to fund specialist software equipment to help improve players' performances.
It wants to invest £3,000 in the new equipment, which will video record a hockey match and be used by the coaching staff to analyse performances and improve tactics.
Club chairman Arran Coggan said: "We are delighted Nottinghamshire County Council is making this money available and that it is an easily accessible fund.
"Such funds do not come about very often or involve a huge amount of paper work, so these funds are appealing and could really help our club progress if we are successful.
"This software would be a real help and enable us to make players aware of habits they are unaware of which they can improve or alter to boost their game."
People should apply by the end of the year – December 31 – as the council seeks to announce grant funding briskly to make an immediate impact on building on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more details and to apply visit the council's website at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/legacyfund
A GROUP of students at the University of Nottingham are looking to set up a centre in Sri Lanka.
Future for Jaffna is a charitable organisation which aims to relieve poverty in the Jaffna area.
The project is run by 19 university students who will be using their business knowledge and skills to help those who need it.
It has been set up in response to the civil war between the Sri Lankan army and Tiger Tamil rebels, which has left many women without husbands. Often, these women have four or five children to be raised on their own. Much of the fighting was in the Jaffna area.
In the next year, the charity aims to set up a business centre in Jaffna, to teach widows and other students business skills, help them with learning English, provide business mentoring and improve their agricultural skills.
The charity will also help set up a creche for woman with very young children.
The group is looking to raise £10,000 to realise their ambitions.
AN Eastwood allotment holder is set to be turfed off his plot in a dispute over a shed.
David Dimmock, 57, built the shed on his plot on Dovecote Road allotments in Eastwood, but the town council says it is too big and has started eviction proceedings against him.
Mr Dimmock, of Birch Close, Nuthall, who suffers from bipolar disorder, claims there is nothing in the rules about the size of a shed and is trying to fight the notice. He says that losing the allotment would be a big blow.
In a letter to the council, he wrote: "My social ties are all in Eastwood, and have been since I moved there in 2003.
"The landlady at my local in Eastwood has started up a petition against the eviction order, proving how strongly the people of Eastwood are opposed to this."
His partner Donna Burton, 53, said: "It's having a big effect on his health as he loves going up and working on the plot.
"It all started when we got rid of the old shed and built a new one which was a bit bigger. The council said they had new regulations about the size and David's shed was too big, but we looked at the rule book and that doesn't seem to be there.
"It's got out of hand, really – David is a keen gardener and used to take part in a lot of grow and show type events but we just hope the council will see sense on this one.
"The other allotment holders don't have a problem with the size of the shed and all support David. He gets so much pleasure from working there and his health has just got worse and worse since the council has threatened to kick him off the site."
But councillors say the shed breaks the rules. They decided on December 10 to appoint a bailiff to remove it on the second week in January.
IN the Ugandan capital of Kampala it's not easy to get hold of mobility aids.
While people in the UK have items like crutches and special shoes readily available, that is not the case in poorer parts of the world.
That is why a team of academics, students and medics from Nottingham travelled to the country – armed with equipment which had been decommissioned by the NHS.
They took a 40ft container full of crutches, leg callipers, braces and orthotic shoes.
They treated 240 patients with lower-limb disabilities who would otherwise be left to struggle without.
Dr Trudy Owens, who led the team of 19 people on the summer trip, has just finished doing a update with the patients.
They will head out there again in June next year to treat some of those who missed out.
She said: "It is an incredible place to go. People out there have none of that kind of equipment we take for granted.
"Being an academic, you are used to people not really being interested in you. But when we arrived out there everyone wanted to be with us."
Dr Owens, a development economist at the University of Nottingham, organised the trip after doing years of research on poverty, growth and non-governmental organisations in sub-Saharan Africa.
She was offered the equipment after a chance meeting at a children's birthday party with a local orthotist, who told her about the number of devices which are still in good working order but are put out of action every year because of stringent NHS health-and- safety measures.
Dr Owens added: "I travel to Africa regularly for my research and thought of the people out there who are desperately in need of equipment of this kind.
"My intention was to fill an extra suitcase for the next time I went out there, but when I went to collect the equipment from the orthotics department at the Queen's Medical Centre there was enough to fill a garage and the project really spiralled from there."
With assistance from husband Dr Nikos Evangelou, a clinical associate professor at the university and a consultant neurologist at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, they made contact with the head of the National Police Aid Convoy Association, who offered them storage at Castle Marina in Nottingham, ahead of the trip, which was funded by a £20,000 donation from the University of Nottingham Alumni Fund.
Dr Margaret Phillips, professor in rehabilitation medicine at the university, also went on the trip.
She said: "It was inspiring to see the resourcefulness of people with disabilities in Uganda, but also sad to witness the problems of discrimination that they experience compared with people in the UK.
"We hope the project will show that giving equipment like this can help people in developing countries. But we were also very aware that to have a real effect more may need to be done, for instance, further rehabilitation to enable people to use their equipment effectively.
"What we do know is that, whatever effect we find, we can then use it to help people in the future."
On the trip, the team were featured on national television, given an audience with Uganda's Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga and assessed bus-loads of disabled patients brought to their base at Kampala's Mulago Hospital by local MPs.
The majority of patients were suffering from disabilities resulting from the childhood disease polio, which has been largely eradicated in the Western world but still persists in many developing countries, including Uganda, where access to medical treatment and vaccines is too expensive for the majority of the country's population.
In addition, the team saw many injuries caused by old gunshot wounds, road traffic accidents and congenital deformities.
The patient's disabilities and physical capabilities were carefully assessed by the orthotists and clinicians who prescribed the most suitable device for their needs.
Dr Owens said they were already storing lots of equipment for their next visit, though she said there may not be as much as this year's trip.
She said: "We have a better idea of the equipment needed this time around, so it will be much more targeted.
"I thought that it would be upsetting, that I would be in tears every day — and of course there were a few heart-breaking stories that we came across — but on the whole it was a very uplifting experience.
The team was capably assisted by the two children of Dr Owens and Dr Evangelou – nine-year-old Alex and five-year-old Anna – who were given special leave for the trip by their school, Middleton Primary, in Wollaton, on the condition that they presented a special assembly about their experiences to classmates on their return.
Dr Owens said: "They helped out running errands for us but really came into their own keeping the children of the patients company and handing out paper and crayons."
PhD student Samantha Torrance, 27, who was also on the trip, said: "The reaction we got from the disabled people was tremendous and made it feel worthwhile.
"We treated many people but also couldn't help some, including those who needed corrective surgery. That was very upsetting."
POLICE are hunting a man who exposed himself at around 10.40pm on Friday when he knocked on the door of a house in Clarkwoods Close, Boughton. Ten minutes later, there was a similar incident at a bus stop in Tuxford Road.
The man was in his late teens and around 5ft 5in tall. If you can help, call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
AROUND £600 has been raised for charity following a concert held at County Hall in memory of a music lover who died earlier this year.
Simon Dawson, of Main Street, South Muskham, was a singer with the Cavalier Dance Band. He lost his battle with cancer earlier this year, aged 54.
Family, fellow band members and friends organised a tribute concert in his memory at County Hall in West Bridgford on December 14, and performed music and laid on refreshments for guests.
More than 60 people attended the event and listened to a range of swing and soul music.
One of the organisers, Susannah Chambers, who works for the Adult and Community Learning team at the county council said: "We wanted to perform this as a tribute to Simon and also to raise vital funds for charity and we were very pleased with the support we received on the night."
The money raised will be shared between John Eastwood Hospice, in Mansfield, and Beaumond House Hospice, in Newark.
Outside music, Mr Dawson set up Northgate Property Services in Newark with his wife Jeannette in 2003 and the couple ran it together until 2008.
He was a Director of Dash – a training and consultancy business in Newark that he also ran with his wife.
Mr Dawson had worked for Newark and Sherwood District Council as a senior technical officer and for Ashfield District Council as an outdoor facilities manager.
He was elected on to Newark and Sherwood District Council in 2009 when he won a by-election for the Newark Beacon ward, retaining it for the Conservatives. He did not seek re-election in May 2011.
Music was Mr Dawson's passion throughout his life. He was a published songwriter and released several CDs in the 90s.
He leaves his wife Jeannette, children Robert and Rebecca, mother Doris Dawson and four brothers and sisters.
A WOMAN was fined £500 for a road traffic offence when she appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. Ambreen Khan, 29, of Burford Road, Forest Fields, pleaded guilty to driving a Ford Ka in Mansfield Road, Arnold, without due care and attention on July 6. As well as the fine, a victim surcharge of £15 was imposed and costs of £35. Eight penalty points were put on her driving licence.
KARIM Morris, 30, of Pavior Road, Bestwood Estate, is due to appear in court accused of assaulting a policeman and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour in Nottingham earlier this month. His trial is on February 22 at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. He is on unconditional bail.
KRZYSZTOF Pawlicki, 38, of Highfield Road, Tipton, West Midlands, is accused of driving without due care and attention. He allegedly committed the offence on the A6007 Stapleford Road, Trowell, on May 28. He was bailed until Magistrates in Nottingham hear his case on January 8.
DAVID Rawson, 28, of Coleby Road, Broxtowe Estate, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court and admitted driving without due care and attention. He was driving a Ford Escort in Castle Boulevard, Nottingham, when he committed the offence on May 6. He was ordered to pay a £100 fine, a victim surcharge of £15 and costs of £35. His licence will be endorsed with five penalty points.
JOHN Rasul, 48, of Saphire Towers, Aston, Birmingham, is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court accused of criminal damage in The Meadows. He is said to have damaged a snow-globe ornament and a wall on December 13. He also charged with assaulting a woman in The Meadows on the same date. He denied the charges at a hearing on December 15. He is on conditional bail before his trial on February 20.
MALITALewis, 26, of Lexington Gardens, Sherwood, pleaded guilty to driving without a full licence after being caught at the wheel of a Toyota Yaris in Pedmore Valley, Bestwood Park, on November 16. She was fined £50 at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. Her licence will be endorsed with three points.
BILLY Kinsella, 27, of Lime Grove, Newark, received a community order after appearing at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. He pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified in a Ford Focus in North Gate, Newark, on November 22. For this offence, he was given the community order, ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay costs of £85. He was also banned from driving for 29 months. A second offence, which was admitted, involved Kinsella driving the Ford Focus without insurance on the same date. No separate penalty was imposed on this charge.
FAROOQ Ahmed, 33, of Ransom Road, St Ann's, has been fined £110 for driving an unlicensed taxi. The offence happened in a Toyota Avensis, in Talbot Street, Nottingham, on September 7. After pleading guilty, Ahmed was also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £200. He also pleaded guilty to not having insurance for the Toyota on the same date. For this offence, his licence will be endorsed with six points.
ITSHAM Akhtar, 27, of Runswick Drive, Wollaton, pleaded guilty to driving an unlicensed taxi in Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham. Magistrates heard he was in a Volkswagen Passat when the offence happened on September 7. He was fined £110, ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £200 costs. Akhtar was also banned from driving for six months, after admitting the Volkswagen was not insured.
EMILY Clark, 20, of Cambridge Road, Wollaton, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. She was behind the wheel of a Ford Focus in Trowell Road, Wollaton, on June 7. Magistrates in Nottingham fined her £200, ordered her to pay a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £35. Her licence will be endorsed with five penalty points.
JAYNE Drewitt, 52, of Lilac Grove, Beeston, has been fined £40 for driving without due care and attention. She admitted driving a Vauxhall vehicle in Lilac Grove without due care on September 20. As well as the fine, she was ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £35 costs. Her licence will also be endorsed with four penalty points. Drewitt also admitted that she drove the Vauxhall when her eyesight did not meet the requirement prescribed under the Road Traffic Act 1988.
A MAN who was told he had only three months to live has beaten the odds and will today sit down to celebrate Boxing Day with his family.
John Pickering has Von Hippel-Lindau disease, a genetic condition he inherited from his mother.
Sufferers often develop cysts and tumours, some of which can become cancerous.
Mr Pickering developed kidney cancer and almost two years ago was told it was inoperable and he only had three months to live.
But today, family will meet with the Cotgrave father-of-two for their Christmas celebrations.
The former factory worker said: "I thought I only had 12 weeks to live.
"I had the 'end of life' talk with my GP, who told me what to expect and how to deal with it. It was pretty rotten.
"Now this is like a second lease of life."
John will be celebrating today with wife Geraldine, 56, son Darren, 35, daughter Joanne, 29, and grandchildren Ben, five, and Emily, 18 months.
It was January 2011 at the City Hospital that he was given his prognosis. He now has cancerous tumours on spine, liver and chest.
If a parent has the syndrome there is a 50 per cent chance of it being passed on to their children.
Both his children have it but it is too early to say whether his grandchildren are affected. His mother, Betty Pickering, who had VHL, died earlier this year aged 81.
Mr Pickering's wife Geraldine said: "We were distraught when we first found out – it's hard to explain.
"Our lives were turned upside down.
"It's better now John is doing well – it's nice to have a bit of reality back."
LEE Hughes is expected to be back to face Portsmouth.
Notts County boss Keith Curle has revealed the striker, 36, has been signed off sick by his doctor until January 2, so he will miss their New Year's Day clash with MK Dons at Meadow Lane.
But he should have recovered in time to make the trip to Fratton Park on January 12.
Curle is unsure if Hughes has been hit by the winter norovirus bug, but said: "I've spoken to Lee to make sure he is OK and the virus he's got is still affecting him and his family and we can't have him around us when he's still contagious. I can't put a name to the virus he's got, but he sounded horrific when I spoke to him.
"We're doing all we can to make sure he gets all the medical support he needs to get him back as fit and as quick as possible.
"If he feels better before January 2 he will be straight back to work, likewise if it takes a little bit longer then it takes longer.
"You can't rush people back if they're ill. Lee's health is paramount in all of this."
Magpies face Shrewsbury Town away today. They are eighth in League One and Curle is demanding a response from his players after home defeats to Brentford in the league and Rotherham in the FA Cup in their last two games.
He called them in for a meeting on their day off, after they were dumped out of the cup 3-0.
"What we have done is refocused," he said. "We've reaffirmed our strengths and identified some of the weaknesses and the players have got a clearer vision now of what we're doing.
"That result has had a massive effect on me and I don't want to see it again. This is the first time since I've been here that we've had a wobble, but we need to react."
NOTTINGHAM Forest boss Sean O'Driscoll will be well aware that if his side can stop Luciano Becchio from playing at his very best then the Reds will be half way to achieving their aim of gaining three points today.
The Argentinian has been in red-hot form in front of goal for Leeds United in the Championship this season and has a tally of 17 goals in all competitions so far as 2012 draws to a close.
Most recently, the talented forward bagged a fine double as Neil Warnock's side saw off promotion-chasing Middlesbrough 2-1 on Saturday.
That takes Becchio's tally in recent weeks to seven in seven league and cup games, but despite this glut of goals, his boss admits he is still keen to bring in another striker during the January transfer window.
"I still feel we need another striker because Luciano can't play week in, week out, with so many games coming up and we need someone in case he gets injured. That has to be my priority," said Warnock.
But the former QPR and Sheffield United manager was still full of praise for his No.10 following the brace against Boro at the weekend.
He added: "Luciano's first goal was unbelievable. It was not even a half chance but a top-quality finish.
"It was the first time he had ever been on the winning side in a five-a-side game in training on Friday. He looked so lively that I said 'is there any chance you'll be like that tomorrow' – and he was!
"It was a super day for our new owners at the end of a really positive week. I have to be delighted, especially coming from behind to beat a very good side. We put our bodies on the line near the end and there were a lot of tired legs out there."
Leeds go into this busy period two points and two places off a top-six spot in the Championship.
SHOPPERS arrived as early as midnight to scoop the best bargains as part of today's Boxing Day sales. Queues at the Victoria centre, where Next was selling everything with a 50 per cent or bigger discount from 6am, stretched nearly 100 metres. Most people arrived between 5am and 6am, but the earliest shoppers got to the centre as early as midnight. Imran Ali, 29, of Forest Fields, was the first one to arrive. He said he and his wife, Sitara, 27, spent around £250 between the two of them on £400 worth of shopping. "Next year, I think we will bring more food and drink to keep us going," he said.
