January 2023
January 2023 was, like the weather, a mixed month.
Despite a quiet month for businesses and with those that can having taken a holiday somewhere, the Mapperley People Facebook page kept on top of the issues in the area.
Car Key Burglars made a return to the area. A BMW in Woodthorpe was unsuccessfully targeted at 3am in the morning. The responses clearly helped as some other residents had seen activity near their cars. We reassured people as best we could that these criminal move to new areas and hopefully our area has seen the back of them. That said we reminded people on how to protect a keyless-entry car. Put your keys in a blocking pouch, turn off keyless entry on your fob. Using a steering wheel lock or alarm.
In the sporting world, Gedling boxer Leigh Wood announced that he will defend his World Title in February at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. It should be a great night and a sell out crowd too.
Mapperley All Stars football coaching also introduced an option for those of us who are over 40, with a weekly Walking Football at Burton Joyce.
Gymnast Ellie Downie announced her ‘retirement’ from competitive gymnasts at the age of 23. A lot has happened since we published an article about them in 2018, including the tragic and sudden death of their brother Josh. Ellie’s decision is based on the pressures of elite level gymnastics and decided her overall health was more important.
Good luck for the future Ellie.
Well done to Laura, a local resident who has seen the need for a support group for Motherless Mums. This will help local mothers’ whose own mother’s are not around to support them for whatever reason.
Our post managed to identify many young mothers who seem keen to join the group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1225002528050548/?ref=share_group_link
More positive connections were made when we posted about a former Mapperley resident trying to be re-connected with an old family friend. Like all these kinds of posts, we respect people’s wishes to not have their name publicly shared, so the post was deleted when it had achieved its objective.
Followers of Mapperley People will know Our Instagram page is used primarily for photographic images of the area. Some of these are old photographs which always prove popular.
This image of Oakdale Road from 1960 was a highlight, getting 60,000 views.
The Rio Cinema opened in 1939, lasting only 20 years. When The Rio closed in 1959, the final film shown was Norman Wisdom in “The Square Peg! It has been a bingo club and a snooker club. The Oak Dale pub opened in 1941 when the landlord was Harold Raines. It closed in 2009 and is now a Tesco Express.
Finally, the awful condition of our road surfaces continues to be a real concern.
We posted the official response about Westdale Lane after a request from a resident.
The location you have raised concerns with does not currently feature in our resurfacing programme. However, please be assured we have a very dedicated team of Highway Inspectors who carry out regular inspections in the area. Should conditions deteriorate, we will then arrange for works to take place and ensure that the road is kept in a safe condition.
It’s a wonder the poor bus drivers have any teeth left in their heads traveling up and down Westdale Lane so often, it’s dreadful.