CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR OPENNG TIMES

Erewash Borough Council’s Christmas and New Year opening hours have been confirmed for the Town Halls, Erewash Museum and Leisure Centres operated by Legacy Leisure. Ilkeston and Long Eaton town hall receptions are normally open from 9am to 4pm every weekday with Contact Centre phone lines open from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and between 8.30am and 4.30pm on Fridays.

On Friday 23rd December town hall receptions and phone lines will close at the earlier time of 2pm and will be closed all day on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th December, reopening to the public on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th December. On Friday 30th December town hall receptions and phone lines will close at the earlier time of 2pm and will be closed on Monday 2nd January 2023, reopening with normal hours from Tuesday 3rd January onwards.

The leisure centres operated by Legacy Leisure on behalf of the council are West Park Leisure Centre, Victoria Park Leisure Centre, Rutland Sports Park and Sandiacre Friesland Sports Centre. The normal opening hours, facilities, classes and lessons of each centre can be found at erewash.gov.uk/community-health-and-wellbeing-development/leisure-centres. 

Christmas and New Year opening hours are as follows:

	West Park Leisure Centre	Victoria Park Leisure Centre	Rutland Sports Park	Sandiacre Friesland Sports Centre
Saturday 24 December	7am – 3pm	7am – 3pm	7am – 3pm	8.45am – 3pm
Sunday 25 December	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed
Monday 26 December	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed
Tuesday 27 December	Blood Donor Session Only	Closed	Closed	Closed
Wednesday 28 December	6.15am – 2.15pm	6.30am – 2.30pm	6.30am – 2.30pm	Closed
Thursday 29 December	6.15am – 2.15pm	6.30am – 2.30pm	6.30am – 2.30pm	Closed
Friday 30 December	6.15am – 2.15pm	6.30am – 2.30pm	6.30am – 2.30pm	Closed
Saturday 31 December	7am – 3pm	7am – 3pm	8am – 3pm	8.45am – 3pm
Sunday 1 January	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed
Monday 2 January	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed
Tuesday 3 January	Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal

 Erewash Museum Christmas and New Year opening hours are as follows:

Monday 12 December	Closed
Tuesday 13 December	10am – 4pm
Wednesday 14 December	Closed
Thursday 15 December	10am – 7pm	Late Night Opening
Friday 16 – Saturday 17 December	10pm – 4pm	17 December – Santa Saturday
Sunday 18 – Monday 19 December	Closed
Tuesday 20 December	10am – 4pm
Wednesday 21 December	Closed
Thursday 22 December	10am – 4pm
Friday 23 December – Monday 2 January	Closed
Tuesday 3 January	10am – 4pm
Wednesday 4 January	Closed
Thursday 5 January	9am – 4.30pm	Return to normal hours

FINAL CALL TO SIGN NUMBER 21 BUS PETITION

The public petition calling on TrentBarton to reinstate the Number 21 bus service will close to new signatures on Friday 9th December 2022. Erewash MP Maggie will then present the petition to Parliament on Tuesday 13th December where it will receive an official response from the Government. Maggie commented:

“Since TrentBarton ended the service back in October, many residents living in Kirk Hallam, Shipley View and Hallam Fields have contacted me to described how they have been left feeling isolated.This has been reflected in the strength of public support shown for this petition, which will hopefully send a clear message to TrentBarton that they were wrong to withdraw the Number 21. I look forward to presenting the final petition to Parliament on Tuesday and will keep residents updated on both the Government’s and TrentBarton’s response.”

Anyone still wishing to sign the petition can do so either online at https://www.maggiethroup.com/save-number-21-bus or in person at Maggie’s community office on South Street in Ilkeston. In addition, if you have any completed petition sheets yet to be returned, these can either be scanned and emailed to maggie.throup.mp@parliament.uk or dropped into the community office. 

CHRISTMAS BIN COLLECTIONS

Dates for waste and recycling collections during the festive season in Erewash have been confirmed. If your normal bin collection would be Monday 26th December (Boxing Day) then your black, blue or brown bin will instead be emptied on Friday 23rd December. This means that bins that would normally be emptied on Tuesday 27th December will now be collected on Wednesday 28th December. Bins that would normally be collected on Monday 2nd January 2023 will be collected on Tuesday 3rd January 2023, due to the Bank Holiday Monday. Bulky waste and white goods waste will have a final collection date of Wednesday 21st December 2022. The collections will start again on Wednesday 4th January 2023.

For trade waste, essential services (such as food premises) will have a collection between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th December. Other trade waste will not be collected during Christmas week and customers will be credited. The same applies for customers who will not have a collection on Monday 2nd January 2023, due to the Bank Holiday. Clinical waste that would normally be collected on Monday 26th December will instead be collected on Wednesday 28th December. Waste that would be collected on Tuesday 27th December will instead be collected on Thursday 29th December. Waste that would be collected on Monday 2nd January 2023 will instead be collected on Tuesday 3rd January 2023. Waste that would be collected on Tuesday 3rd January 2023 will instead be collected on Wednesday 4th January 2023.

Councillor Garry Hickton, Lead Member for Environment at Erewash Borough Council, says: “As always, we have changed the waste collection schedule over the Christmas period to suit Erewash residents and give hardworking staff a break over the festive season. Disruption to collections has been kept to a minimum with all waste collections returning to normal by early January 2023.”

DUCKS ARE SWIMMING IN 2023

We couldn’t be happier to announce that after a two year break, due to Covid, our much-loved Duck Race will be back on 1st January. All our ducks have been keeping fit and are rearing to go! What a better way to meet family and friends over the festive season than at the Annual Duck Race. 

Enjoy a warming cup of mulled wine with a mince pie, tea or coffee or a delicious hot donut. Have a go on our tombola with some lovely prizes to be won, for the little ones we have a Cuddly toy tombola with a prize every time. Some new stalls for 2023, including a face painter for the little ones...definitely worth a look! What a fantastic start to the new year, socialising and supporting a local charity. This popular event is now in its 32nd  year and is always a great fun day. 

 

It takes place at Manor Park Toton, courtesy of Broxtowe Borough Council and sponsored by Michael Key MOT, Servicing & Repair, Long Eaton. We will shortly be contacting all local businesses and requesting that they participate in our ‘Corporate’ race – for just £25 they can sponsor a duck or 2 for the bargain price of £40. They will have a chance to win a prize to share around their employees. This race which takes place immediately before the main race has become a popular and integral part of the day! 

 We usually gather around 1pm and we aim to launch the ducks by 2pm. There is lots to keep everyone busy during the lead up to the race and we try to make sure that everyone who wants to purchase a ticket at just £1.50 can do so. Tickets for the race will be on sale from November. So reserve yours early to avoid disappointment. They can also be purchased on line. Visit : www.ageuk.org.uk/derbyandderbyshire 

For further details contact :

Age UK Derby & Derbyshire 01773 766 922/07745 191777 or fundraising@ageukdd.org.uk

MEETING REPORT ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING

 We weren’t expecting to be confronted by a piranha at the LENS Wildlife Group AGM but you never know what to expect at our annual members meeting! The club reported an increase in membership and welcomed Catherine Harrison onto the committee. 2022 has been a busy year with Butterfly Transects carried out throughout the summer at 5 local sites. Weekly Conservation work parties continued at Forbes Hole Local Nature Reserve and LENS contributed nature based craft activities and walks at 8 busy community events. These were in addition to LENS popular programme of summer wildlife walks. An entertaining talk by Alan Heath was followed by Joan Breakwell introducing and reading her 3 favourite nature poems. Displays of local minerals, dragonfly exuviae and orchid photographs and even a meteorite fragment from outer space, provided entertaining conversazione at half time. Members then enjoyed videos of wildlife caught on camera by Marion Bryce.

Next Meeting:

LENS have a star speaker at our next wildlife talk on Wednesday 23rd November:

Jack Perks, as seen on BBC Countryfile, will present a close look of British ponds from dragonflies, frogs to birdlife, showing underwater views and dispelling some of the myths ‘Pond Scum’ . Time:7.00 - 9.00 pm doors open at 6.45pm 

Meet: United Reformed Church (near ASDA), 26 Midland Street, Long Eaton, NG10 1HQ  access off Midland Street. There is a small car park behind the Church Hall on Trent Street or use the Midland Street Town Hall Car Park. 

Full disabled access.

Cost £1.50 for LENS members, visitors £2.50.

ALL WELCOME

more LENS Wildlife Talks

Email lensnaturalhistory@gmail.com

Best wishes

 Marion

Marion Bryce

Hon Sec LENS Wildlife Group