MARCH 2022
War In Ukraine And Farewell To Peter Bowles And Elias ‘Jack’ Nuqul
The Russian invasion of Ukraine dominated things. There were a number of collections and appeals that sprung in to action, as the horrors of war in Europe became all too clear.
Haywood Road Community Centre became a drop-off point for a collection organised at the Queens Medical Centre. The following items were requested: First-aid items, blankets, confectionery, dry food, toiletries and children’s toys.
Victoria, a local resident set up a shoe-box type collection for the children that had fled Ukraine. This was entitled Parcels for Hope, and was featured in a local BBC News report.
Mapperley was also the first area in the East Midlands to take in a family from Ukraine. Colin and Anzhelika Booth who have businesses in Mapperley, welcomed relatives who had fled the country.
On 9th March Mapperley said farewell to popular shopkeeper Elias Nuqul. Elias passed away after a short illness, at the age of 55. Elias was the proprietor of Jack’s Discount Store on Mapperley Top. He had previously managed a local public house. The family held a wake for him at The Grey Friars Club on Gordon Road.
We also learnt of another Mapperley man who had sadly died. The actor Peter Bowles was famous for his roles in a number of situation comedy shows. Local historian Brian Binns told us about Peter’s Mapperley roots.
‘Sad to hear of the death of actor Peter Bowles, most famous for his role in the TV comedy series To the Manor Born. Peter’s family moved to Nottingham when he was six years old. He attended Mapperley Plains School and then High Pavement Grammar School, where he was introduced to literature and drama by English master Stanley Middleton (our Booker Prize winning novelist). Although 7 years before my time at High Pavement, I know from “The High Pavement Society” that he was very proud of his Nottingham education.’
On the 21st March, the Gedling Access Road was finally opened. This road has always divided opinion. Whilst it alleviates the traffic through Gedling Village, it also opens up the land for more housing developments to be created. What didn’t divide opinion was the official name of the new road. Colliery Way was chosen in recognition of Gedling Colliery that closed in 1999.
A resident writes:
After a few years in the making, the new Gedling Access Road was open to pedestrians today. First time we’ve seen the water works and there’s a new bat house to look out for. A huge thank you to Mick and to Emma who gave us a run around in the Rosie May Foundation TukTuk.
