Wednesday Edition - Jail for Knife Carrier, Restore Britain says No, Bassetlaw Council Leader's Update & More

Today's edition covering all things Bassetlaw including Worksop Councillors being blocked from representing Restore Britain .................. and of course, your daily puzzle fix.

Todays thought for the day ... “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.” - Helen Keller

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.

Jail for man who entered police station with knife in his pants

A man who turned up at a police station with a knife concealed in his underpants has been jailed.

Shaun Kennelly, aged 28, was arrested at Worksop Police Station on Wednesday (29 April) after attending on an unrelated matter.

During a subsequent search at Mansfield Custody Suite, officers found a locking‑style Stanley knife in his possession. Kennelly said the knife had been concealed in his underwear before dropping down his trouser leg.

Kennelly, who was jailed in 2023 for robbery and driving offences, told officers he was living in a nearby tent and needed the blade for protection.

Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 30 April, he pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in a public place and was jailed for 146 days.

PC Kerry Eames, of the Bassetlaw North Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:

“Carrying a knife anywhere is never a good idea. As Kennelly has just discovered, carrying one into a police station is a particularly bad idea — and one that comes with very serious legal consequences.”

West Bassetlaw Police to Run First Free Bicycle Marking Event of the Year in Carlton In Lindrick

West Bassetlaw Police have announce that they will be hosting their first free bicycle marking event of the year.

Members of the team will be at Lime Tree Nursery, Carlton in Lindrick on Sunday 10th May 10am - 2pm offering free security marking and registration on the BikeRegister database.

Marking and registration means that, if your bike is ever lost or stolen, there is an increased chance of tracing it back to you and reuniting you with it.

Ofsted Inspectors identify five areas that need attention at Bassetlaw Primary School

Rampton Primary, Retford Road, Rampton, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 0JB was inspected on February 3, 2026.

The inspection found that safeguarding standards were met and inspectors assessed that both, attendance and behaviour and personal development and wellbeing, met the expected standards.

The inspectors assessed that five areas 'Need attention', those being Achievement, Curriculum and Teaching, Early Years, Inclusion and Leadership and Governance.

The Ofsted reports on what it's like to be a pupil at this school as follows:

Rampton Primary is a small, close-knit school where staff know pupils individually. Pupils benefit from the warm, nurturing relationships they share with staff. Pupils gain confidence strongly and a deep sense of belonging, because they know that staff care about them. Staff identify pupils who have any additional needs or may face barriers to learning when they start school. They provide helpful support to address pupils' needs. However, staff do not adapt the curriculum and teaching consistently well, so that all disadvantaged pupils, and all those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can achieve successfully.

Pupils have positive attitudes and are keen to succeed. However, too many pupils do not achieve well enough, including when they leave the early years. For example, many pupils do not secure essential knowledge of mathematics. The school does not ensure that gaps in pupils' knowledge close quickly enough. Leaders are improving their understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching but have only recently focused on the right priorities. While there are green shoots of improvement in the delivery of the curriculum, there is still more to do.

Pupils enjoy school and most attend regularly. This is a happy school where pupils behave with kindness and respect. Pupils follow the school’s ‘golden rules’ responsibly. Staff support pupils effectively with high expectations and helpful routines. Pupils appreciate that staff recognise their positive behaviour with ample praise and rewards. Poor behaviour is uncommon, and staff resolve any unkindness quickly.

The school supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils speak enthusiastically about residential and class visits, clubs and other opportunities that enable them to develop interests, learn and secure important team skills. Leaders make sure that pupils develop the wider knowledge and skills they need for life beyond school, enabling them to grow into healthy and responsible citizens.

Six next steps were recommended:

Leaders should maintain a comprehensive understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching to consistently identify the right priorities for sustained school improvement and raising pupils’ achievement.

Lead inspector: Claire Stylianides, His Majesty's Inspector Team inspector: Karen Slack, Ofsted Inspector Leaders should ensure that staff receive focused and high-quality professional development to embed highly effective teaching across the school so that all pupils make sufficient progress across the curriculum.

Leaders should support staff to strengthen the quality of their interactions with children in the early years so that these consistently build on children's knowledge and extend their learning.

Leaders should ensure that pupils acquire the foundational knowledge they need in mathematics and writing, including in the early years, and that any gaps in this knowledge are addressed quickly.

Leaders should strengthen their oversight of inclusion and ensure staff are trained well to fully understand the needs of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make consistently suitable curriculum adaptations that enable these pupils to achieve well.

Governors should ensure that they have secure oversight of the school’s work in order to provide appropriate support and challenge.

The full Ofsted report is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/122671

Pictured: Leader of Bassetlaw District Council Councillor Julie A Leigh

Leader's Column 01/05/26

Residents are set to benefit from continued investment in vital community services, as the council prepares to review grant funding for the voluntary and community sector at this week’s Cabinet meeting. The proposed funding will support local organisations over the next three years, helping them continue their essential work providing debt services and money advice, volunteering opportunities, befriending, food parcels and community transport.

These organisations have been a lifeline for many, particularly during the cost-of-living crisis, and remain at the heart of strong, resilient communities. The outcome of the Cabinet’s decision will be published on the council’s website.

At the same time, residents are being invited to help shape the future of housing services by engaging in our consultation. A new draft Housing Repairs Policy has been launched for consultation, with a focus on delivering faster, more reliable repairs and improving overall service quality. The proposals aim to ensure jobs are completed right first time, make better use of resources, and clearly define responsibilities between tenants and the council.

The draft policy follows an independent review carried out in March 2025, bringing together tenants, cross-party elected members, and council officers. All tenants will receive information and a survey by post, and everyone is encouraged to share their views.

The consultation runs until Sunday 31^st May, to find out more visit www.bassetlaw.gov.uk/repairs-consultation.

With the nicer weather arriving we are once again encouraging people to get out and about and add more movement to their everyday lives.

As part of Move More in May, we are inviting people to take part in activities that help them move more, feel better, and enjoy being active at their own pace from going for a walk to riding a bike.

With three Green Flag award-winning parks and open spaces on the doorstep, there are plenty of opportunities to take part. This year’s ambitious target is to reach 45 million moves together -the equivalent of walking around Clumber Park more than 7,000 times.

Together, these initiatives highlight the council’s continued commitment to supporting communities, improving services, and promoting healthier, more active lifestyles.

Worksop Councillors blocked from representing Restore Britain due to Labour past

Two Nottinghamshire councillors have been blocked from representing Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain – due to previously being members of the Labour party.

Deborah Merryweather and her husband Fraser sit for Worksop East and Worksop North East respectively on Bassetlaw District Council as independents.

Two weeks ago, the pair informed the council’s CEO that they wished to defect to Restore, and their affiliation was updated on the council’s website.

But it has since been reverted to say independent.

Mrs Merryweather revealed that on Monday, April 27, she had received a phone call from the national branch of Restore informing her that a vetting process had taken place and that due to their previous affiliation with Labour, they were not permitted.

The couple, who have been on Bassetlaw District Council since 2015, represented Labour until 2024, when they joined the Bassetlaw Independents group.

Now, because of their affiliation with Restore, they’ll have to sit as independent Independents, rather than being part of the group they were part of until a fortnight ago.

Mrs Merryweather told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It is what it is. They have a vetting process and I can’t knock that. l’ll still be backing them. We’re staying independent because we’re in the middle of sorting out what we can be known as. We wanted to know if we could be Independent Restore but have been told we can’t as that would confuse people.”

The pair had originally defected from Labour to independent after becoming disillusioned with the party’s policies.

Mrs Merryweather said: “I didn’t believe in what was happening within Labour. I didn’t like Keir Starmer and that he was going to be voted in as our next leader. He wasn’t my choice, and then starting doing things like hitting the pensioners and things like that.

“My husband moved not long after me because of the pensioners and the WASPI women. We didn’t agree with it. We did get asked if we wanted to join Conservative or Reform and they were quite nice about it, but I said no.”

Restore Britain was founded in mid-2025 by businessman and former Southampton FC chairman Rupert Lowe as a political movement and became a registered political party in March.

As of Wednesday, April 29, it sat at three per cent in YouGov voting intention polls.

Mrs Merryweather said: “I was treading water with Independent because it meant I could vote the way I wanted to for my constituents. And then Restore Britain came along and I started listening to Rupert Lowe and actually, at least 98 per cent of what he had to say, I agreed with. I thought: This is my kind of politics.

“I did keep looking at it because obviously I’m not anti-Muslim. I never have been. But I think we should be able to live alongside each other, not dictate to each other. As daft as it is, I know there’s been this big thing about the (St George’s) cross but at the end of the day the cross on our British flag has been there since well before I were born.

“Why should we take it down? After all, it is Britain and that’s what the flag stands for. Why should somebody be able to come along and tell me that I’ve got to stop doing that, or that I’m offending them because I’m eating pork? I’m sorry but this is stuff I’ve done for 64 years and I’m not about to change it.”

Restore endorses policies such as the mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants, banning Kosher and Halal slaughter, holding a referendum on the reinstatement of the death penalty, legalising pepper spray and abolishing inheritance tax.

On her reasons for wanting to join, Mrs Merryweather added: “If I’m honest, I don’t like the fact we’re getting so many illegal immigrants coming in that we’re not vetting. We don’t know what they’ve done and it’s showing because we’re having so much more crime. It’s quite scary.

“There’s a lot of things. If someone wants to call me racist, let them do it. I’ve never been racist in my life but I’m also not going to be dictated to in my life either, not when it’s things I’ve been brought up to believe in.

“I think what’s happened is in political correctness, we’ve done things to be okay with different religions, but I think now they’re starting to kick back and say: hang on a minute we’re not satisfied with just this, we want this as well. That’s the trouble at the moment. they’re asking for too much and it’s taking away our birthrights.”

Mrs Merryweather, who has worked for the NHS for 22 years, said that she and her husband had become members of Restore by signing up as members of the public, and she had thought that it would make them automatically eligible as councillors.

She said she believes that the national party was informed of their defection by somebody else, which subsequently led to her receiving a phone call advising her of the process.

A week later she was told that they could not stand for Restore.

But Mrs Merryweather says she has “no animosity” against Restore, still wants to work with the party and will attend meetings.

She said: “If anyone contacts me to help them, I am letting them know that I have joined Restore. I’ll still fight for my constituents. I don’t care whether they’re Labour, Conservative. I was elected to look after them and that’s what I do.”

Our three interesting facts for today ....

The West End has fewer theatres than London's private schools

Beer mats were originally placed on top of glasses to keep the dust out

In the second World War kegs of beer were flown to the front line by Spitfire pilots

Gainsborough Library to host events in Lincolnshire Local History Festival

Lincolnshire Libraries Local History Festival returns this May from the 1st May, 2026 to 31st May, 2026.

The festival will travel across the county's vast rural landscapes, covering the Wolds and Coast, the Fens, the Kestevens and the Lincoln Cliff, as renowned local historians present their discoveries in various Lincolnshire libraries.

Gainsborough library will be hosting three of the more than 50 events running throughout May as follows:

From Bank to Bank: The River Trent in Archive Images

Photographic display showcasing the River Trent and its ever‑changing landscape through time, sourced from the library's collection.
1st - 31st May, during library opening hours. Gainsborough Library
No booking required

Lincolnshire’s 'Gilbert Country’: the historical and creative writings of Bernard Samuel Gilbert (1882-1927)
Presented by: Professor Andrew Jackson

This talk introduces the Lincolnshire of Bernard Samuel Gilbert, the county‑born writer whose commentaries, plays, poems, and novels of the 1910s and ’20s together created a vivid picture of “Old England” — a landscape he came to call “Gilbert Country.” Professor Jackson will be joined by a Lincolnshire‑dialect reader, who will share selected passages from Gilbert’s work.

Thursday 7th May, 2.30pm - 4pm, Gainsborough Library
Booking required. Please contact gainsborough.library@gll.org to reserve your seat.

Finding the Mill on the Floss
Presented by: Helen Hagon

It is no secret that George Eliot’s novel, The Mill on the Floss, was inspired by Gainsborough and the River Trent. Join local writer and literature-lover, Helen Hagon, for a walk along the riverside, visiting sites of the former mills, examining extracts from the novel itself, and searching for the truth behind the fiction.

Saturday 16th May, 10.30am - 12noon, Gainsborough Library
Booking required. Please contact gainsborough.library@gll.org to reserve your seat.

Further information on all events can be accessed at https://www.better.org.uk/library/lincolnshire/events-and-activities/lincolnshire-local-history-festival

Pic tured: Councillor Dawn Justice, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council

New strategy highlights how partners will tackle domestic abuse across the county

Nottinghamshire County Council has published the Nottinghamshire Domestic Abuse Strategy 2026–2029

The strategy has been developed in partnership with Nottinghamshire Domestic Abuse Partnership Board partners and with survivors and people with lived experience of domestic abuse.

The strategy sets out the local and national context, how domestic abuse affects individuals by sharing survivors’ experiences, and highlights the impact domestic abuse has on children, families and the wider community. It defines the local vision, the ambitions and guiding principles for addressing domestic abuse in Nottinghamshire and focuses on prevention and early intervention, pursuing the perpetrators of abuse, and providing crucial support for victims and survivors.

Information from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Nottinghamshire Safe Accommodation Needs Assessment and the mapping of services for children has enabled partners to understand the needs of survivors of domestic abuse across the city and the county. This has helped to establish the issues that need to be addressed, and the action needed.

The strategy lists its four ambitions as:

prevention
supporting
responding
strengthening the system.

Each of the ambitions will be addressed by the partners working together in a coordinated community response – a recognised best-practice approach - to tackling domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. It brings partners together to deliver a whole system response, putting survivors and their children at the centre of the work taking place. Partners work effectively within their own agency and with other agencies to secure the safety of survivors and hold perpetrators to account.

Councillor Dawn Justice, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council said:

“Domestic abuse is devastating to everyone involved and we are committed to addressing the issue head on and making Nottinghamshire a safe place for everybody. We have listened to survivors of domestic abuse, and their experiences have helped to shape this strategy, so that it is meaningful and effective.

“Partners have worked extremely hard to support victims, survivors and their children, as well as introducing effective programmes that tackle the perpetrators of abuse. The strategy also includes a strong focus on prevention, which highlights the need to provide support and education for children and young people, exploring with them what healthy relationships look like.

“Across Nottinghamshire we will continue to work together to minimise the risk of and the harm from domestic abuse, ensuring that those affected by domestic abuse get the right support as early as possible. I want to stress that support is available for everyone who needs it. Visit our website for support or help.”

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire Angela Kandola, who is also Chair of Nottinghamshire Domestic Abuse Partnership Board, said:

“The impact of domestic abuse is so wide-reaching and harmful to families and wider communities that it must be treated as a critical issue for society as a whole.

“By bringing partners together and having a trauma-informed approach that is shaped by survivors, this strategy ensures there is a clear focus across the county on how we can all work together to prevent domestic abuse, support the needs of survivors and tackle perpetrators.

“Together we want to ensure that the difficult subject of domestic abuse is brought out in the open so there is no place to hide for perpetrators and that people can be confident that help is always at hand if they need it.”

The Nottinghamshire Domestic Violence Strategy 2026–2029 was approved by Cabinet (23 April 2026) and is published on the Nottinghamshire Insight website.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club announce their new strategic vision- 'Chasing Glory 2026 - 2036'

Following the release of Yorkshire Cricket Club's new strategic vision we have compiled a summary of the key points from the document : Yorkshire County Cricket Club Strategic Vision (Chasing Glory 2026-2036)

The summary distills the main strategic priorities, challenges, and opportunities outlined in the document. The focus is on actionable insights for club leadership, stakeholders, and community partners, highlighting both the current state and future ambitions.

1. Heritage and Current Challenges

Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) is renowned for its cricketing heritage, having produced more England players than any other county.
The club faces a rapidly changing cricket landscape: global competition, shifting economics, rising fan expectations, and domestic financial pressures.
Recent difficulties have clarified the need for modernization and strategic evolution.

2. Strategic Ambition (Chasing Glory 2026-2036)

The vision is to return YCCC to the forefront of cricket, both on the field and as a modern, sustainable club.
The club aims to be "the pride of a thriving Yorkshire and the pulse of global cricket."

3. Cricketing Priorities

Strengthen the talent pathway to maintain YCCC’s reputation for developing world-class players.
Accelerate growth of the women’s game; Yorkshire has more women’s teams than Surrey, Lancashire, and Warwickshire combined.
Invest in fit-for-purpose facilities and high-quality outdoor training environments.
Deepen community connections, embedding aspiration in schools and grassroots clubs.

4. Strategic Pillars

Investment: Make the club investable to unlock third-party capital aligned with the strategy.
People: Build capability, alignment, and accountability to deliver the strategy.
Technology: Leverage modern platforms to drive performance excellence and competitive advantage.

5. Talent Development and Community Engagement

Relentless commitment to talent development for players and coaches, using technology and data as differentiators.
Create elite, high-performance environments prioritizing outdoor training.
Work with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation to foster deep community connection and aspiration.

6. Headingley Cricket Ground

Headingley is a major asset but has suffered from underinvestment and underutilization.
The club aims to re-energize Headingley as a leading cricket venue and year-round destination.

Deepen partnership with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation to deliver meaningful community impact.
Lead positive social and environmental change, including EDI (Equality, Diversity, Inclusion) and governance outcomes.
Use storytelling to inspire, elevate role models, and strengthen fan engagement.

8. Long-Term Goals

Build long-term financial strength and resilience.
Return Yorkshire to the top of the game and build a club that thrives for generations.

Example Implementation:

Invest in technology for player development (e.g., data analytics for performance tracking).
Launch community programs in partnership with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation.
Upgrade Headingley facilities to attract more fans and events.
Promote women’s cricket through targeted recruitment and support.

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 B.

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

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