Wednesday Edition - Knife Amnesty, Cocaine Stash and Cash Discovered, Summer Bus to Clumber Park Launched & More
Today's edition covering all things Bassetlaw including of course, your daily puzzle fix.
Todays thought for the day ... "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading." — Jane Austen
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
P.S. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter here if you haven't already and remember to send us your pictures from around Bassetlaw, we may feature it on our newsletter.
Bassetlaw District Council have reported that a man banned from Worksop Town Centre has been jailed for two months at Mansfield County Court.
Peter Downes, of no fixed address, was arrested within the exclusion area in May 2026 after repeatedly breaching his anti-social behaviour injunction.
He subsequently admitted a third breach of the injunction resulting in District Judge Heppell imposing immediate imprisonment for two months.
Mr Downes previously breached it in September 2025 and January 2026. The injunction remains in force until August 2027.B
Bassetlaw District Council works with Nottinghamshire Police and other agencies to address anti-social behaviour and crime related issues across the district.
Content and image courtesy of Bassetlaw District Council
Have you been recycling more since ‘Simpler Recycling’ came to Bassetlaw ?
From April 1, 2026 people living in Bassetlaw have been able to recycle even more materials in their Blue Bins thanks to the launch of ‘Simpler Recycling’.Bassetlaw residents can now put even more items in their Blue Bin for recycling.
These new items include: Plastic trays and tubes (e.g. toothpaste)Clean foil and metal food trays Cartons and Tetra Pak. As well as existing materials: Plastic bottles, pots and tubs, Paper and cardboard, Tins, cans and aerosols.
More information can be found by contacting Bassetlaw District Council on https://www.bassetlaw.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-waste/bins-for-recycling-and-waste/
In addition to Simpler Recycling, Bassetlaw District Council are providing a separate Glass Recycling Collection every six weeks.
Daily summer bus service launches connecting Worksop with Clumber Park
A new daily bus service connecting Worksop and Clumber Park will launch this summer, helping more people enjoy nature, heritage and free family activities throughout the school holidays.
Running from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 6 September, the service is funded by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) and operated by Stagecoach East Midlands, in partnership with the National Trust.
The route will run three times a day, every day, linking Worksop Train Station, Worksop Bus Station, Manton Depots and Clumber Park before returning along the same route.
Designed to align with train services into Worksop, particularly from Nottingham, the service aims to improve public transport links into one of Nottinghamshire’s most visited attractions while encouraging more sustainable travel choices across the region.
Return tickets cost just £3 per person, including admission into Clumber Park. Travel and entry are free for National Trust members, children under five and visitors arriving at Worksop by train with a valid rail ticket.
The initiative builds on successful seasonal bus trials and forms part of a wider commitment to reducing barriers to accessing nature-rich spaces.
At the heart of the scheme is a shared ambition to support people who may not have regular access to private transport, enabling more families and individuals to enjoy affordable days out during the summer holidays.
Summer of Play
Visitors arriving by bus will also be able to enjoy Clumber Park’s popular Summer of Play programme, which returns for its fourth year. Included with normal admission and free for visitors, this year’s refreshed programme features six interactive play zones: Loose Parts, Active, Nature, Imagination, Toddler and, new for 2026, the Pokémon Zone.
Alongside the play zones, families can enjoy free ukulele workshops and storytelling sessions, plus additional bookable activities including yoga and craft sessions, movement and mindfulness workshops, nature dyeing workshops, The Big Tree Climb and live pantomime performances from Talegate Theatre Productions.
Working in partnership
Claire Sarris, Community, Participation & Volunteering Manager at Clumber Park, explains:
“Access to public transport can often be one of the biggest barriers preventing people from visiting Clumber Park. This service helps bridge that gap by creating an affordable and sustainable way for more people to visit during the summer holidays.
“Working with key partners, we hope to welcome families and communities who may not otherwise be able to access the park, whether that’s to enjoy Summer of Play, explore the landscape, or simply spend time together outdoors and make lasting memories.”
The service also supports ambitions within the East Midlands Mayor’s wider transport plan, encouraging greater use of integrated and sustainable public transport while improving access to leisure, culture and green spaces across the region.
Price
- Tickets are free for National Trust members and under 5s.
- Visitors arriving at Worksop by train with a valid rail ticket will receive free bus travel and free entry into the park.
- Non-members will pay £3 return which includes free admission into the park.
Normal admission is £6.50 for adults and £3.25 for children.
If you have any questions regarding the service, please contact the team on 01909 476592 or at: clumberpark@nationaltrust.org.uk
Our three interesting facts for today ....
God and Jesus are the only characters in The Simpsons to have five fingers on each hand
British soldiers in the Second World War had a ration of three sheets of toilet paper a day. US soldiers were allowed 22.5 sheets a day.
Harrods used to sell pet leopards
Help save lives by handing in knives during Sceptre amnesty
People in Nottinghamshire are being urged to help make their communities safer by handing in knives during a national week of action.
Amnesty bins, to dispose of knives and blades as well as other weapons, are in place across the county as part of the force’s activity for Sceptre, which begins today (18 May).
During the previous campaign, in November 2025, a total of 103 knives, machetes, swords and other blades were handed in.
Nottinghamshire Police’s knife crime lead, Chief Inspector Kylie Davies, wants to see the momentum continue this Sceptre, and is encouraging people to hand over any unwanted or illegal weapons.
She said:
“It was pleasing to see so many people make use of our amnesty bin offering during the last Sceptre and we want to continue this momentum.
“Amnesty bins will be located in four of our police stations, where weapons can be handed over safely and without fear of prosecution.
“We also have plans to install amnesty bins in community locations later this year, which will make the process even easier for people.
“Every weapon taken off the streets is a positive development and makes the streets safer.
“If the main reason for people feeling hesitant is because they’re worried about getting into trouble, I can assure them that this will not be the case.
“This initiative is not a trick. We want to take these blades and other offensive weapons off our streets and this amnesty makes that easier and more efficient.
“Knife crime has devastating consequences, so anything we can do to take these weapons out of harm’s way is positive and something we support as a force.”
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden added:
“Every knife handed into these amnesty bins is potentially a life saved and a tragedy prevented.
“Knife crime has a devastating impact on victims, families and communities, which is why initiatives like Sceptre are so important.
“This week of action is not just about enforcement, it’s about prevention, education and giving people a safe opportunity to remove weapons from our streets.
“I would encourage anyone who has an unwanted or illegal knife or weapon to do the right thing and hand it in safely. By working together, we can help reduce violence, protect young people and make our communities safer for everyone.”
Throughout the week of action, knife amnesty bins will be situated inside stations, shared services and other locations in:
- Newark Police Station, Queen's Road, NG24 1LJ
- Mansfield Police Station, Great Central Road, NG18 2HQ
- Oxclose Lane Police Station, Bestwood, NG5 6FZ
- Radford Road Police Station, Hyson Green, NG7 5GX
Anyone wanting to drop a knife off at one of the force's amnesty bins is asked to package it up safely before transporting it, with suggestions including putting the weapon in a box, or wrapping it in bubble wrap.
For more information about Sceptre, visit: Sceptre | Nottinghamshire Police
Retford Rotary Club’s Young Artist Exhibition is nearly here !
The Rotary Club of Retford have announced that this year 12 local schools and Retford Arts Hub children’s class are taking part in the art competition, with a theme of “The Joy of Friendship”.
Entries will be judged by a panel of local artists.All the entries will be on display at The Grove Methodist Church and Centre on Saturday, May 23rd, between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
Entry is free and everyone is welcome.
Retford Rotary Club would like you all to come along and marvel at the children’s artistic talent.
Drug dealer jailed following discovery of a stash of cocaine and £7,000 in cash.
Police made the discovery during a search of Jack Davies’ address in Cutler Drive, Retford, and Marshall Willmott’s address in Tenby Grove, Manton, on 23 April 2024.
Wraps of cocaine were found hidden across Willmott’s property.Meanwhile, Davies’ was discovered with a majority of the cash alongside expensive jewellery and bags of cannabis.
Further drug paraphernalia including burner phones and deal bags were seized across both locations.
More damning evidence came when Davies’ and Willmott’s phones were examined and text messages detailing their drug supply across Worksop and Retford were uncovered.
26-year-old Davies and Willmott, 20, both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine in previous appearances at Nottingham Crown Court.Davies also pleaded guilty to possession of the Class B drug cannabis.
Appearing in Nottingham Crown Court on 14 May 2026, Davies, of HMP Fosse Way, Wigston, was jailed for three years and four months.
Willmott, of Tenby Grove, Worksop, was handed a 24-month sentence, suspended for two years.
Content and image courtesy of Nottinghamshire Police.
Work to harness nature to reduce threat of flooding for homes and businesses in Shireoaks and Worksop well under way.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has today issued an update on the £1.1million Saving Shireoaks & Worksop through Natural Flood Management (NFM) project. This project is funded by the Environment Agency as part of the £25 million Natural Flood Management Programme.
In addition to reducing flood risk, NFM schemes can provide habitat for wildlife, improve air and water quality and enhance community greenspaces.
The project to benefit Shireoaks and Worksop is being delivered by Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire Wildlife Trusts, Nottinghamshire County Council and University of East London University. It aims to harness natural process to help reduce the impact of flooding on homes and business in the River Ryton catchment area by slowing river flows and boosting flood storage capacity by reconnecting the watercourses to their floodplains and creating new ponds.
By working at catchment level on six connected watercourses, and across county and district borders, the partners have been able to identify a range of opportunities to create natural features including new woodland planting, ponds and ‘leaky dams’ – which hold back and gradually release water after periods of high rainfall. In addition to the River Ryton, the project is focussed on Anston Brook, Bondhay Dyke, Darfoulds Dyke, Pudding Dyke and Bull Brook.
After 9 months of research, surveys and engagement with landowners and local communities, work to deliver targeted interventions designed to reduce flood risk whilst also delivering benefits for nature is now well under way. Projects have been completed along Pudding Dyke, Anston Brook and Dafoulds Dyke – all tributaries of the River Ryton. 115 leaky dams have been created so far, along with a new pond and new areas of woodland incorporating 2428 trees. Work is also well under way at Shireoaks Colliery where 58 leaky dams have been installed with further works planned including a new pond, shallow scrapes to benefit amphibians and invertebrates, improvements to 700 metres of ditch, a new hedge, tree planting and features to help reduce issues caused by fast flowing surface water including path improvements and bunds.
Speaking about this first phase of delivery Project Manager Ian Higginson said: “These schemes delivered so far highlight the importance of partnership working and community engagement. It simply wouldn’t have been possible to deliver them without the support of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council & Anston Parish Council – and we were delighted that over 80 volunteers supported the tree planting adjacent to Anston Brook. Similarly, the support of Nottinghamshire County Council and the Friends of Woodlands and Coachwood Green have been invaluable at Shireoaks Colliery - as has the support of Explore Manufacturing at Darfoulds Brook - highlighting that private landowners can also support vital NFM project that benefit the wider community.”
Project pipeline
The experienced project team has also developed proposals for work along the Bondhay Dyke, the River Ryton and a scheme along the Bull Brook - working with partners including Nottinghamshire County Council and Bassetlaw District Council. The team, supported by project partners recently held two successful drop in community consultation sessions at Farr Park which were valuable community listening meetings which The Trust will be taking on board within their planning for the scheme at Farr Park.
Ian continued: “Having already delivered a range of positive measures, we are now at an exciting point in the project where we have more schemes almost ready go and we also starting to build up data from the range of rainwater, turbidity and flow monitors installed to track the positive impact of the work and help shape future NFM schemes.”
Speaking about the project Councillor Bert Bingham, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Projects like this showcase the power of nature to protect our communities. We’re proud to support these innovative solutions, which not only help reduce flood risk but also enhance local green spaces for everyone. It’s a win-win for people and wildlife, and a shining example of partnership in action. We look forward to seeing further long-term improvements to the wider River Ryton catchment area in the near future.
The project team have also developed a range of further proposals including work on farmland, having spent time to build trust with local landowners.
Speaking on behalf of Bassetlaw District Council Cllr Darrell Pulk, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods at Bassetlaw District Council said: “We welcome the progress being made on this natural flood management scheme by the Wildlife Trust which, with the support of landowners, will slow the movement of water as well as providing benefits to wildlife.
“We look forward, as landowners and partners to the project, to continue working with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and all the other agencies in developing this scheme to benefit Farr Park and the Water meadows area as well as the communities in the Ryton catchment area.”
Can you figure out today's puzzle?
First figure out the nine letter solution and then find as many words as you can in today's panagram that contain the letter L.
Our last panagram was METALLOID. Read our next newsletter for the solution to today's puzzle.
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Justin Doddy, Editor
Bassetlaw Today
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