Wednesday Edition - Food Hygiene Ratings, Vehicle Seizures by Police, Illegal Puppy Sales & More

Today's edition covering all things Bassetlaw including of course, your daily puzzle fix.

Todays thought for the day ... “If you don’t make the time to work on creating the life you want, you’re eventually going to be forced to spend a lot of time dealing with a life you don’t want.” - Kevin Ngo

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.

Operation Star – Police seize vehicles

Police Officers had a busy Sunday, May 10 as Operation Star continued across the district.

Vehicle Seized – Osprey Estate, Langold. During proactive patrols, officers stopped a vehicle and found the driver was not licensed to drive. The vehicle was seized.

Motorbike seized – Sycamore Road, Carlton in Lindrick. A rider was spotted 'riding far too enthusiastically' when the motorbike stalled. The rider escaped by foot leaving his motorbike to be seized by police.

Police have issued a reminder to all: if you drive, make sure you’re properly licensed and insured.

Hot off the Press - Ashleigh Rainbird to attend Retford Book Festival

Pictured: Ashleigh Rainbird courtesy of Retford Book Festival

Entertainment journalist, ghostwriter and writer of celebrity biographies Ashleigh Rainbird will be attending this year's Retford Book Festival.

Following on from the enormous success of her book about Cliff Richard: “Cliff At 85” her new book is about Freddie Mercury "Freddie Mercury The Legend Remembered" and is now available to pre-order.

Ashleigh will be at Retford book festival on Saturday, June 13 at 4.00pm.

Tickets available from Wonderland book shop or wegottickets for what promises to be a very entertaining event.

Retford Book Festival runs from June 6 to June 14, 2026 and follows on from the success of the first Retford Book Festival in 2025.

Further information available on https://retfordbookfestival.co.uk/

Starting the conversation this Mental Health Awareness Week

Not knowing where to start is a common barrier for people who want to broach a conversation about mental health with a friend, colleague or loved one, but Dr Maddi Popoola and Dr Órlaith Green want to change that by sharing practical tips for opening up a meaningful conversation.

That’s why, for Mental Health Awareness Week, NottAlone is releasing a bonus episode of The NottAlone Podcast, where hosts Dr Maddi and Dr Órlaith discuss how to start those conversations, why talking about mental health matters, and what to do if you’re worried about someone.

“You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be you.” Says Dr Órlaith Green, Educational Psychologist and Co-Founder of NottAlone.

She continues: “Most people worry about saying the wrong thing, but actually just starting the conversation is enough to get most people to open up. It can be as easy as saying something like: ‘I’ve noticed you’ve not quite been yourself just lately, do you want to talk about it?’ and then giving them space to talk.”

Dr Maddi Popoola, Educational Psychologist and Co-Founder of NottAlone also wants people to know that they’re not alone with this concern. She said:

“If you’re concerned about what to say to someone who is struggling with their mental health, please know that you’re not alone. So many people worry about saying or doing the wrong thing, or not even knowing where to start.

“We’ve put together this special bonus episode of The NottAlone Podcast to help everyday people open up meaningful conversations, and how to approach them differently with adults, young people and children. We really hope that this episode will help to get people talking and build a bit of confidence in our community to reach to each other.”

Listen to this special 22-minute episode of The NottAlone Podcast for free now, wherever you get your podcasts, or by visiting NottAlone.org.uk/TheNottAlonePodcast.

If you are struggling with your mental health, visit the NottAlone website to find advice and links to support services: NottAlone.org.uk.

NottAlone is a partnership between Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board.

Our three interesting facts for today ....

The strike of a mantis shrimp is so quick it makes the surrounding water boil

Puffins' beaks glow in the dark

A pluviophile is someone who loves rainy days

Coffee Morning for the Yasmine McClory Foundation

Everyone is invited to a lovely morning of coffee, cake, games and community spirit — all in support of the Yasmine McClory Foundation and the amazing work they do.

The foundation supports projects such as:
🌱 Growing food for local food banks
🏳️‍🌈 Funding counselling for LGBTQIA+ young people
🩺 Improving healthcare for children and teens

Come along to enjoy delicious homemade cakes, great coffee, fun games with brilliant prizes, and the chance to learn more about the foundation’s inspiring community projects.

📍 The Lord Nelson, 35 Main St, Sutton on Trent, Newark NG23 6PF
🕙 10:00am
👨‍👩‍👧 All ages welcome — colouring activities and a playground available for little ones.

Bring friends, family and neighbours for a feel‑good morning that supports meaningful local causes.

Great News for Bassetlaw Foodies

You can tuck into your favourite meals throughout Bassetlaw with confidence — 97.5% of all inspected food businesses in Bassetlaw are rated 5‑Star Very Good!

A recent review of Food Standards Agency records for by Bassetlaw Today revealed that:

970 businesses rated 5 Star – Very Good

13 rated 4 Star – Good

11 rated 3 Star – Generally Satisfactory

1 rated 0 Star – Urgent Improvement Needed

With 995 inspected businesses and such outstanding results, it’s clear that local cafés, restaurants and takeaways take hygiene seriously. 96 further businesses are either exempt or recorded as awaiting inspection.Remember:

Food hygiene ratings show how well a business manages food safety - they’re not a guide to food quality

You can check any rating here: https://ratings.food.gov.uk/

Starting a new food business? Don’t forget to register with the council at least 28 days before trading.Bassetlaw — serving up safety with every bite!

Call out to Bassetlaw's Armed Forces Community - are you free on May 20, 2026?

Veteran Kenneth Lacey Grenadier Guards has passed away and a request has been published on Facebook asking, where possible for Armed Forces Community members to attend his funeral and form a guard of honour.

Kenneth enlisted as a Boy Soldier aged 15 where he joined the Grenadier Guards. He did some of his early training with the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion.

His funeral is being held at Babworth Crematorium on Wednesday May 20th 2026 at 1330 hrs.

“Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense"

Illegal Puppy Sale Operation Shut Down

Animal Welfare Investigations Project worked alongside Nottinghamshire Police and Bassetlaw District Council as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected illegal puppy sales across Nottinghamshire on Friday, May 8.

Following the execution of a search warrant in Worksop, 53 dogs were removed from the address due to concerns regarding their welfare.

Further enquiries remaining ongoing.

Anyone with information relating to suspected illegal puppy sales is encouraged to contact Animal Welfare Investigations Project on 020 4604 4315.

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 G.

Our last panagram was MACCARONI. Read our next newsletter for the solution to today's puzzle.

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