Not So Clever Cashpoint Thief, Iceland Now England, New Bus Service & More

Good morning readers, its another Wednesday, where are the weeks going?

We have another full newsletter for you today so it's that time again - grab a cuppa and dig out the Jaffa Cakes.

Todays thought for the day ... “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” —George Lorimer

Enjoy the read, please email us if you have a story for us and have a great day wherever you are in Bassetlaw.

Justin Doddy, Editor

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New Daily Bus Service Linking Worksop and Clumber Park

A new daily bus service linking Worksop and Clumber Park will launch this summer, making it easier for families to enjoy affordable days out during the school holidays.

Running from 25 July to 6 September, the service will operate three times a day between Worksop Train Station, Worksop Bus Station, Manton and Clumber Park.

The scheme is being funded by the East Midlands Combined County Authority and delivered in partnership with Stagecoach East Midlands and the National Trust.

Return tickets cost just £3 and include admission to Clumber Park. Travel and entry will be free for National Trust members, under 5s and visitors arriving in Worksop by train with a valid rail ticket.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy Clumber Park’s popular Summer of Play activities, including interactive play zones, storytelling, workshops and family entertainment throughout the summer holidays

Content courtesy of The National Trust

Tesco to Close Express Stores Early if England Reaches the World Cup Final

Tesco has announced that it will close its Express stores across England at 7.30pm if England secures a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, allowing thousands of colleagues to get home in time for the 8.00pm kick-off.

Importantly, affected colleagues will still receive their normal pay for the hours they would have worked.

Customers will still be able to shop during normal daytime hours to stock up on match-day essentials, while Whoosh deliveries will continue until 11.00pm. Online grocery deliveries scheduled for Sunday evening will also go ahead as normal.

If England does not reach the final, stores will operate as usual. Express stores in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also continue trading during their normal opening hours.

Kevin Tindall, Managing Director UK Operations at Tesco, said:

"We appreciate just how much this would mean to so many of our colleagues, so if England makes it through to the final, we will close our Express stores across England in time for all colleagues to be able to celebrate with their family and friends."

With Tesco stores serving communities across the country, including local stores in Bassetlaw, the move is likely to be welcomed by both staff and football fans alike.

A.W. Lymn Marks Exciting New Chapter with Funeral Home Open Day

Image: A.W. Lymn marks the opening of its Tuxford site (L-R Graham Hall of former G.D. Hall Funeral Sam Turnbull Kirk Pashley Matthew Lymn Rose Managing Director

Award-winning, family owned and operated funeral directors A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service, has celebrated the opening of two new funeral homes in Retford and Tuxford.

As a fifth-generation family business, A.W. Lymn is celebrating an exciting new chapter in its century long history by holding a community open day to invite families into its new funeral homes on Thursday, August 13. It follows the acquisition of established north Nottinghamshire business G.D. Hall funeral directors, the family firm’s fourth acquisition in three years.

Matthew Lymn Rose, fifth generation and Managing Director of A.W. Lymn, said:

“This is a key milestone in our 120-year history and we are thrilled to be opening the doors to our two new funeral homes in Retford and Tuxford today.

“We’d love for families in the community to come and say hello, meet the team who will be headed up by experienced funeral directors Sam and Kirk, and further explore the premises. What they can expect is the same fantastic service they will have experienced under Graham’s steady stewardship.

“As one of the largest independent funeral businesses in the UK, A.W. Lymn is synonymous across Nottinghamshire with quality, personal service and excellence in all aspects of funeral care and we take our responsibilities seriously when it comes to upholding our high level of service and family values.”

The move is part of A.W. Lymn’s strategic plan to widen and deepen its footprint across the East Midlands, with the acquisition of Retford and Tuxford’s G.D. Hall coming swiftly after it acquired Serene Funeral Planning in early 2025, Staffordshire’s Hammerwich Cemetery and Crematorium in 2024 and Radcliffe-on-Trent’s M.A. Mills in 2023.

It has a 150-strong team of experienced funeral directors, with G.D. Hall staff and fleet in Retford and Tuxford being brought into the fold.

Graham Hall, who has deep roots in Tuxford following a varied career across mining, 28 years of ownership of a newsagents in the area and 17 years at the helm of G.D. Hall, said:

“My roots in the community go deep and as a result it was of fundamental importance that we chose the right people to acquire G.D. Hall.

“A.W. Lymn meets all of our values of honesty, integrity, loyalty commitment and sensitivity. I have loved all of the challenges my career at G.D. Hall has presented and this is an exciting new chapter for which I wish the A.W. Lymn team all the best. Change can be hard, and while I will continue to be a familiar face in celebrant duties and as a conductor to support the transition, I know our community is in good hands with Matthew and the A.W. Lymn team.”

A.W. Lymn expects that it will conduct around 300 funerals a year in the north Nottinghamshire area following the new openings, creating a new A.W. Lymn sub area of Mansfield.

Established in 1907 in Nottingham when Arthur William Lymn conducted his first funeral, today the business is known as A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service, now operating 27 funeral homes across the Midlands in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and one in Leicestershire, as well as Hammerwich Crematorium and Cemetery in Staffordshire, employing more than 150 people across the business.

Our three interesting facts for today ....

Cricketers wore a box to protect their genitals for more than 100 years before they wore a helmet to protect their head.

In Finland they make bread from crickets.

Elephants have three times as many brain cells as humans

Iceland? More like ENGland!

In a brilliant show of support for the Three Lions, Iceland has temporarily renamed three of its stores “England” while the national team continues its World Cup journey!

The special rebrands can be found in the hometowns of three England stars:

Stourbridge – Jude Bellingham

Chingford – Harry Kane

Washington, Tyne & Wear – Jordan Pickford

The Stourbridge store at Ryemarket Shopping Centre has even received a special makeover celebrating Jude Bellingham’s incredible rise from local youngster to one of England’s biggest football talents.

An Iceland spokesperson said the retailer wanted to celebrate both the England team and the communities that helped shape some of the country's top footballers.

The new “England” branding will remain in place for as long as England stay in the tournament — so fans will be hoping it's there until Sunday.

Content and images courtesy of The Grocery Gazette.

Community Kicks: Police Football Tournament The Best Yet in 2026

Hundreds of young people took to the pitch at an action-packed grassroots football tournament and family fun day that brought communities together from across Nottinghamshire.

Nottinghamshire Police's annual Community Kicks event returned to David Ross Sports Village at the University of Nottingham on Sunday, 12 July, for an unforgettable day of sport.

More than 500 young players representing 48 teams took to the pitches, battling it out to be crowned champions of their age category.

Designed to create opportunities for young people and strengthen community relationships with the police, Community Kicks once again delivered a fantastic day of engagement.

Teams of boys, girls, and mixed groups aged between 10 and 14 played dozens of seven-a-side matches before a knockout stage crowned the eventual champions.

Off the pitch, families enjoyed a festival of free activities and entertainment.

Visitors put their shooting accuracy to the test with the football dartboard, clambered aboard emergency service vehicles, and even learned a range of circus skills.

Keeping young people safe remains the key message at the heart of Community Kicks, with educational activities including a safeguarding-themed escape room and age-appropriate virtual-reality knife-crime awareness sessions.

Inspector Paul Peatfield, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

"Community Kicks continues to go from strength to strength and this year's tournament has been the best yet.

“Sport has the unique ability to inspire positive change among communities and provide opportunities both on and off the pitch.

"Bringing communities and young people closer together is crucial so that everyone feels confident approaching us with their concerns.

"It's really rewarding to see first-hand how everyone has embraced this event, making it much more than just a football tournament.

"The atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic, with families and friends cheering on their loved ones, and an estimated 2,000 people attending.

"I would also like to thank all of our guests, teams, and coaches for taking part, and our partners and sponsors, without whom this event simply would not have been possible."

Community Kicks 2026 Winners

U11 Boys
Winners: Stanton Galacticos
U12 Boys
Winners: BTFC White
U13 Boys
Winners: Ballers
U14 Boys
Winners: BBA 2
U11 Girls
Winners: Tibshelf
U12 Girls
Winners: Phoenix Sparkles
U13 Girls
Winners: Basford United
U14 Girls
Winners: Atlantic

Cashpoint Thief betrayed by own Bankcard

A thief was betrayed by his own bank card after using it while fitting trap devices to cashpoints across the East Midlands and beyond.

Felix Urcaciu used the card to make seemingly legitimate balance enquiries as he fitted the metal envelope devices to the machines' cash dispensers.

He and his brother, Cristian Urcaciu, stole at least £25,000 in cash that customers withdrew but never received.

Instead, the money was secreted into a metal sleeve over the top of the cash dispenser slot.

Customers would assume there was a fault with the machine and leave before the brothers returned to collect the money later.

Nottinghamshire Police began an investigation in summer 2023 after money was stolen from ATMs in Sneinton, Chilwell and Bramcote.

Detectives analysed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage from locations where customers had reported losing money and were able to identify two suspects and two vehicles.

By cross-checking transaction records with the footage, officers were able to link Felix to the offences through the use of his own bank card.

With offences also uncovered in Leeds, Leicester, Sheffield, Wakefield, Derbyshire and Scotland, officers had enough evidence to secure a search warrant at an address in Barnsley – the home of Cristian Urcaciu.

Felix Urcaciu with devices in Leeds and Breaston

During the execution of that warrant on 2 August 2023, officers discovered an improvised workshop in a garage where the trap devices were being manufactured.

Cristian was arrested at the scene alongside another suspect, before Felix arrived carrying cash stolen during an offence committed in Sheffield earlier that morning.

After searching the vehicle he had been driving, officers recovered the bank card used during the offences and a mobile phone containing images of various crime scenes.

They also recovered a metallic hook device used to remove the devices from the machines

Cristian, 37, of Upper Sheffield Road, Barnsley, waited until the day his trial was due to begin, on 27 April, before pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal and concealing criminal property.

Felix, 33, of Thomas Street, Selby, was found guilty in his absence of conspiracy to steal, concealing criminal property and possessing criminal property.

Charges against two female defendants were dismissed following Cristian's guilty plea.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court today (14 July), Cristian was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

Felix was sentenced in his absence to 40 months in prison.

His Honour Judge Mark Watson said the two men were both involved in a sophisticated and sustained conspiracy to steal from ATMs across the region.

Felix was tried, convicted and sentenced in his absence

Police staff investigator Jodie Mottishaw said:

"The Urcaciu brothers were travelling all over the region to steal cash from unsuspecting victims.

"This was a calculated and cynical conspiracy that involved the subsequent movement of stolen funds to multiple bank accounts.

"Ultimately, however, the brothers were undone by their own greed and carelessness, which allowed us to track them down and bring them to justice."

Thanks so much for reading our local newsletter and for supporting us. We’re committed to providing Bassetlaw with the quality local news service it deserves, but sustaining this work may come with some challenges. Our team is currently discussing how to make Bassetlaw Today financially viable in the long term, and one option we’re considering is introducing a subscription model to help cover our costs.

We want to be open with you about these conversations so you’re aware that a fee may need to be introduced in the future. If that happens, we hope you’ll continue to stand with us and support the publication.

Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you read our next newsletter.

Justin Doddy, Editor