Theatre Improvements, Shorter Chips, Free Bus Trip & More

Happy Friday readers, the weekend is in sight !

I hope you have something nice planned for the weekend but until then .... grab a brew and a rich tea, and have a read of today's newsletter covering all things Bassetlaw and surrounding areas.

Today's Quote of the Day -"I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on, I go into another room and read a book." — Groucho Marx

Enjoy the read and have a great weekend wherever you are reading this.

Justin Doddy, Editor

P.S. If someone forwarded you this newsletter, click here to sign up to get quality local journalism in your inbox.

The countdown is on for Nottinghamshire Police's next FREE Cycle Marking Session in Worksop

Want to help protect your bike against theft?

Come along and get your bike marked and registered FREE of charge on the BikeRegister database.

✅ Quick and simple process
✅ Completely FREE
✅ National database used by all UK police forces
✅ Increases the chances of your bike being returned if it is lost or stolen

BikeRegister links bikes to their owners, helping police identify and reunite recovered bikes with the right people.

📍 Family Hub, Raymoth Lane, Worksop
📅 Sunday 9th August
⏰ 10:00am - 2:00pm

Members of the Nottinghamshire Police team will be on hand throughout the event to mark bikes and help with registration.

Don't miss this great opportunity to give your bike an extra layer of protection.

🍟 Breaking News: Britain’s Chips Could Be Getting a Little… Shorter!

If your next portion of chips looks a bit more "petite" than usual, don't blame the chef. Britain's potato farmers are warning that this year's scorching summer could leave us with smaller spuds, shorter chips, and fewer giant baking potatoes on supermarket shelves. 🌞🥔

According to Grocery Gazette, the UK's potato crop is feeling the squeeze after prolonged heatwaves and drought conditions disrupted growing conditions across the country. While growers have been doing their best to keep crops hydrated, many say the extreme temperatures have simply been too much.

As one grower put it: "We've been chucking water on them, but in this heat they're not growing." 😅

🌡️ Too Hot for Potatoes

Potatoes are surprisingly thirsty plants, requiring significant amounts of water throughout their growing season. Under extreme heat, their growth slows dramatically, meaning many potatoes may not reach the size shoppers are used to seeing.

The result?

🍟 Shorter chips
🥔 Smaller baking potatoes
🛒 Greater variation in potato sizes in stores

Farmers are encouraging supermarkets to be a little more flexible with size requirements this year, as Mother Nature clearly didn't get the memo.

💸 Prices Are Already Climbing

The weather isn't just affecting potato sizes. Wholesale potato prices have reportedly jumped by more than 40%, while tomatoes and iceberg lettuce have seen even steeper increases.

That doesn't automatically mean a huge jump at the checkout, as retailers may absorb some of the costs, but supply chains are certainly feeling the pressure.

🚜 Drought Conditions Add More Challenges

Half of England was officially declared in drought at the end of July, with exceptionally low rainfall placing extra strain on rivers, reservoirs and agricultural irrigation systems.

Growers are calling for improved water storage infrastructure, including additional reservoirs that would allow more rainwater to be captured during wetter months and used when dry conditions hit.

🌍 Can Imports Save the Day?

Normally, imports from Europe help bridge supply gaps, but this year that may be trickier. Several major potato-producing countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Poland have also experienced extreme heat during key growing periods.

In other words, Europe's potato patch is facing many of the same challenges as Britain's.

🥔 The Good News

Before anyone starts panic-buying frozen chips, there is currently no suggestion that potatoes will disappear from shelves. The main impact is expected to be on size, availability and potentially pricing as the autumn harvest arrives.

So if your chips seem a little shorter this winter, remember they're doing their best under some seriously tough growing conditions. After all, good things come in small packages... even when they're covered in salt and vinegar. 😄🍟

Source: Grocery Gazette, "UK potato crop faces heatwave squeeze as wholesale prices surge 40%".

Century-old Newark Theatre to get more improvements – including ‘superb’ art mural

By: Joe Locker, LDRS

A century-old theatre in a Nottinghamshire town will be getting more safety improvements and a new art mural that could showcase local authors.

The Palace Theatre in Appleton Gate, Newark, first opened as a picture house in 1920.

It was built by local entrepreneur Emily Blagg, during which time the suffragettes were fighting for women’s independence and rights.

Today, the Grade II listed theatre is owned by Newark and Sherwood District Council, from which a number of music, comedy and drama shows are hosted.

At a council planning committee meeting on Thursday (August 6), an application for a new art mural, and another for safety improvements, were both approved.

The new art mural will be painted onto a wall between the National Civil War Centre and the theatre, in an area where visitors can sit and enjoy a coffee.

Council officer Oliver Scott said the theme of the mural would be books, celebrating the Newark Book Festival.

Cllr Linda Tift (Lab) said:

“When I was very young we regularly used to go to France for a few weeks every summer, drive through Paris and then go south, and that was the first time I ever saw murals on walls of buildings and in courtyards. I loved it then, and I love it now.

“It livens an area up and it makes people connect with it more. I love the fact it is books, I think it looks absolutely superb. You’ve got my vote.”

Numerous councillors, including Cllr David Moore (Ind), asked if local authors could feature on the mural, while others argued the books should reflect those published in the 1920s.

Cllr Andy Freeman (Lab), the chair of the committee, suggested a poll could be held to decide what authors or books are showcased on the mural.

However he added: “Hopefully we won’t get a Booky McBookface.”

Council officers will now consider the recommendations.

The second application approved during the meeting concerned internal safety improvements to the theatre.

They come after similar improvements were approved in August last year, including the installation of new LED lighting on the stairs in the auditorium, replacement flooring and the repainting of the walls at the back of the stage.

Security doors and the external façade on the Neo-Byzantine style building have also been improved.

The new plans will involve new catwalks being installed above the box seats on the upper balcony sections of the theatre, as well as new lighting rigging and safety ladders.

The stage safety curtain, which would be used in the event of a fire, has also been found to contain asbestos, and this will now be replaced alongside its associated lifting equipment.

Cllr Freeman added:

“It seems perfectly legitimate to me for safety reasons that these needs to be done.

“The designs and what we’ve seen minimise the impact on the listed building.

“The comments from the theatre trust are very welcome so it is nice to have that recognised.”

Free Workshop From Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy & Bassetlaw District Council

Looking for a fun and supportive way to help children gain confidence on two wheels?

Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy helps children learn to ride a bike and develop essential cycling skills in a safe, engaging, and encouraging environment.

Founded and led by Ed Clancy OBE and Graham Briggs, the academy is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of cyclists and fostering a lifelong love of cycling.

Learn to Ride & Cycling Skills Workshop - Retford
Tuesday, 11th August

Whether children are just starting out or looking to improve their confidence and cycling ability, this workshop offers the perfect opportunity to get them riding with confidence.

✅ Fun coaching
✅ Expert guidance
✅ Confidence-building sessions
✅ Suitable for a range of abilities

🎟️ Find out more and book a place here:
👉 Book Now

Spaces are limited, so early booking is recommended! 🚴‍♂️💨

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL: I went as far from Nottingham as I could on a free bus pass – but it went wrong

Andy Brown was at the information desk at Sheffield bus station.

“Which stand is it for the bus to Leeds?” he asked.

“‘Leeds?” said the staff member. “That bus hasn’t run for 10 months.”

It was a big lesson for Andy.

He’d done all his planning using AI.

“Never trust AI,” says the 71-year-old, who was attempting to get all the way to Kendal in the Lake District, from Nottingham, using only his free, council-issued concessionary bus pass.

But now his plans were up in the air.

“I had to make a decision. Could I still get to Leeds to catch my connection? I’d have to leave soon.

“I went to Barnsley, then Barnsley to Wakefield where I was hoping to get the bus to Leeds. Unbeknownst to me, these buses don’t go in a straight line.

“They go through every housing estate you can think of on the way there. By the time I got to Wakefield, I wouldn’t have got to Leeds in time for my connection.”

It was 11.30AM. Andy was accepting he was going to have to reroute.

It wasn’t quite becoming the BBC’s Race Across The World – but there were similarities.

“They don’t know where they’re going either, do they?” says Andy, who represents the Conservative party for Gotham on Rushcliffe Borough Council as well as Leake and Ruddington for Nottinghamshire County Council.

He’d already booked a train from Kendal back to Nottingham via Manchester Piccadilly at the end of the day.

It was going to be impossible to get.

Money down the drain. A threat to the challenge. A test of his mettle.

“I decided that I needed a get-out clause here,” he says. “Where am I going to go? I went across from Wakefield to Huddersfield. I thought maybe I could get to Liverpool, because I can get to Nottingham from there.”

Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire, was where Andy had his longest wait yet – 40 minutes.

The councillor had only one meal with him – a packed lunch – and no entertainment.

Sandwiches, fruit and biscuits kept him going.

Finally the bus came.

“I ended up in Bury, via Oldham and Middleton,” says Andy. “I was working my way north of Manchester.”

But, while that leg of the journey, over the “picturesque” Saddleworth Moor and through some “really beautiful villages”, ended up being his favourite, it was also the longest.

It was while gazing out over the plains that the councillor realised Liverpool would be a stretch too far.

“It wasn’t until about 6.30pm that I realised I’m not going to get there,” he said. “So I got a bus straight into Manchester city centre, where I had to walk the last bit to Manchester Piccadilly.”

It had started at 6.15am, at the bus stop in East Leake.

It had ended nearly 14 hours later, some 75 miles away from his intended destination.

But Councillor Andy Brown says his challenge was a success.

“It was tiring,” he says. “[But] it wasn’t stressful. It was fun in a weird sort of way. A couple of the buses were these new electric double-deckers which were very comfortable.

“I think when your forward plan goes out the window and you’ve got to think on your feet, it’s a bit of apprehension, really. It was good fun, though. I enjoyed it. I got talking to a few people en-route when I was waiting in bus stations. They all thought I was crackers.”

But the sceptics soon changed their tune when they realised that the mammoth journey, on Saturday, August 4, was to raise money for Guide Dogs – Rushcliffe Mayor Richard Butler’s chosen charity.

“Richard helped me a lot when I was Mayor (in 2024-2025) with my charity SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity – so I reciprocated the help,” says Andy.

Nearly £3,000 has been raised so far – including one anonymous donation of £1,000 – and donations can still able to be made.

Cllr Brown also saw the weekend trek as a way to raise awareness of another cause he is championing at the moment.

It would not have been possible for him to complete such a feat on a weekday – because pensioners can only use their free bus pass after 9.30am in the morning.

He proposed to Nottinghamshire County Council in July that their representatives talk to East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, who recently became responsible for transport in the region, about scrapping the restriction.

“I was standing in the bus stop on a very cold morning waiting for a bus,” Andy explained to the LDRS about why he feels so strongly about the cause. “A bus came two minutes before half nine and none of us could get on it. We had to wait another 25 minutes for another one. It just seems ridiculous.

“It’s not just elderly people (who are affected). It’s people who are disabled. Some elderly people still work, people need to get appointments – maybe from East Leake to Queens Medical.”

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the proposal – which spawned the idea for Andy’s challenge.

“I just had a thought,” he said. “I wonder how far I can get with this…”

The answer? Quite a way indeed.

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