Nottinghamshire Feature Archive

A demonstration outside the power station at 7am on the 28/2/06 had Amicus stewards from Electricity Distribution in Mansfield, A Unison branch secretary from Ashfield, a couple of car loads of students from Nottingham, and supporters from as far off as Scunthorpe, turning up to join the picket line. They've gone back to raise money and other solid support.

50 construction workers, members of the GMB and Amicus, at Cottam Power Station near Lincoln are into the second week of an all-out unofficial strike. The issue is very simple: multinational companies are moving workers around the EU to undercut wages - in this case, as laid down in the Construction Industry "Blue Book". (Download PDF). They're trying to do an Irish Ferries on construction workers in Britain.

Links: In support of the strikers at Cottam power station, near Lincoln

Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday for a day of talks, information, discussion and workshops on the theme of peace.

The Nottingham Students Peace Movement's conference welcomed Sam Azad (International Federation of Iranian Refugees), author Milan Rai and Alan Simpson MP to lead a discussion on "justice not vengeance." They were followed by lecturers Richard Keeble and Beryl Aldridge and Notts Indymedia's Wietse talking about combating media bias. Both sessions welcomed extensive audience contributions. Various workshops were later held on alternative media, creative campaigning, civil rights and black activism.

Event photos
Listen to media bias debate
See full timetable

Update: Ali has been temporarily released pending judicial review of his case. Read article.

Ali was being held in Campshill House detention centre in Oxford. He now has his medication. He has been released and soon the battle starts to sort out his case and find enough evidence to keep him in Britain.

Around 30 people protested the illegal deportation of 20-year-old Afghani refugee Ali Noori at Nottingham Magistrates Court on the morning of March 2. He has been told about the demo and could not believe it at first, but wants to send his thanks and gratitude to everyone who came out on such a cold day.

>> Event photos

Nottinghamshire Indymedia has published a printed version of showcasing recent articles and the website. It reflects our active community with a selection of articles and photos on varying campaigns and issues. Also in the print out are large refences to the website and versions of our newswire and diary. We hope this will attract readers to engage with the site. Four hundred copies were prepared for the recent peace conference event in the city - remaining printouts will be distributed elsewhere. Attached is the PDF version of the publication.

Print out and distribute around!

>> Download PDF here (14MB)

Notts County Council is planning £21m of budget cuts, resulting in hundreds of redundancies and cuts in services to some of the most vulnerable people in the County. Workers and community groups will lobby the Council meeting on Thurs 23 Feb at 1pm outside County Hall, West Bridgford, Nottingham.

The lobby is part of a series of actions designed to make the Council re-think its plans to make sweeping cuts to jobs and services.Up for the axe are around 500 jobs and a dramatic reduction to meals at homes for older people, home care and economic regeneration initiatives. Notinghamshire County Council is claiming that the cuts are necessary to meet budgetary pressures, but it masks a wider political agenda to privatise services.

See: http://www.nottsunison.org.uk for more info

The oil giant shell continues to ride rough shod over local communities from Nigeria to Co Mayo in Ireland. It sponsors human rights abuses, funds testing on animals at research labs' like HLS and destroys the environment. Soon work on the pipeline being built in Co Mayo Ireland will start again. It will poison the local area, endanger residents and further add to climate chaos. In solidarity with the struggles against Shell around the world, a critical mass of over 30 bikes and a mobile sound system rode through Nottingham today, highlighting the evils of Shell to motorists and passers by.Hundreds of leaflets were handed out outside of the Shell petrol station forecourt on Woodsde road and the A52. The entrances and exits were blocked for over an hour.

Reports + photos: 1 | 2

Links: Feature article on UK Indymedia | Previous article 'Rossport meets Nottingham' | Notts sends Shell to hell | Stop Shell Hell

Pictures showing the construction of a stud and mud building in Nottingham. Volunteers working on a stud and mud construction technique at Osmanthorpe Nature Reserve. This technique is a Lincolnshire variation of the wattle and daub technique that is more widely known. *****

Also, work has been done on another "eco-building" at ECOWORKS, a community garden project on the Hungerhill allotments in St. Ann's. Volunteers have been working on this exciting project since last October, and the walls up now! Straw bales are a low-impact, highly insulating and user-friendly building material. The construction process is highly inclusive, satisfying and fun.

Links: Previous reports: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) | St. Anns Allotments Network | More info on strawbale building | A strawbale article | Article about Ecoworks

Once again the popular and successful Chinese New Year celebration events took place at Beeston and at the Lakeside Arts Centre on the 28th and 29th January consecutively. The events had been organised by Broxtowe Borough Council in conjunction with Broxtowe College, Lakeside Arts Centre (Nottingham University) and Nottingham City Council. Acts included, over the two days, were contributions from local schools and Broxtowe College, acrobats, Master Lee Kam Wing's Troupe did Kung Fu demonstrations and performed the Lion Dance. Students from the Chinese Society at Nottingham University performed their now famous Dragon Dance. A really colourful and exhiberant performance.

Photos: 1 | 2 | Last year

Links: More about the Chinese New Year | The Nottingham Chinese Student Society

Peak Park have served a stop notice, effective today 30 Jan, on Merriman who are quarrying at Backdale. National Park minister Jim Knight has visited the site today and pledged his support. Merriman have threatened to open two more sites if stopped at Backdale.

A significant milestone in the Backdale Quarry saga occurred today when the Stop Notice came into force and the national park minister came to see for himself what all the fuss is about. Jim Knight, Minister for Landscape and Rural Affairs, deplored the harm to an iconic landscape here in a national park, and said that he has authorised financial backing for the Park to serve the stop notice. The Backdale site lies at the eastern end of Longstone Edge in the Peak District National Park, some four miles north of Bakewell.

Links: Save Longstone Edge | Friends of the Peak District | Peak District National Park Authority | Previous articles on Nine Ladies: a direct action camp against quarrying | Wikipedia on the Peak District | Wikipedia on Quarrying

The annual community lantern festival in Coalville, Leicestershire was moved from just before christmas to coincide with the Chinese New Year celebrations this year. Members from the far-right British National Party (BNP) think that because of the 'removal of Christian symbolism and tradition from Christmas' it needs them to 'once again save another British tradition'.

Ever since the rescheduling of the event was announced, local members of the BNP have threatened the organisers of the community run event. Verbal abuse from people ringing up the group has become a daily occurance since the BNP posted the contact details on their website. The BNP, who claim to be the 'law and order party' recently published another article on their website inciting criminal damage, calling on people to protest the usage of the words 'white trash' in a recent episode of the TV soap serie Coronation Street. A prominent member of the party in Lincoln recently appeared in court for multiple counts of arson and criminal damage. Read article.

Links: Photos from last years lantern festival | Watch video of last years lanternfestival: [1] [2] | Stop the BNP (website full of facts and research) | Wikipedia on the BNP | Previous articles on Indymedia on the BNP

From the Notts Indymedia newswire: Lincoln BNP member in court ! | Meeting called at uni after BNP article published in student paper

Tony Blair set out new plans today for a nuclear power policy, as him and other cabinet ministers attended a Labour Party forum, at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham. The conference centre is based at Nottingham University, where students jumped into action after it was leaked to Nottinghamshire Indymedia that Tony Blair was to visit the Uni. A call out for a demonstration, meeting at 10am at the Portland Building (on Notts Uni campus) was supported by a number of local campaign groups including the Students Union, Nottingham Stop the War, Nottingham Student Peace Movement, Lenton Anarchist Forum and the arts activism collective the Mischief Makers.

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | photogallery

Read: report and timeline

From the newswire: Union pushes for urgent energy reform | Prime Minister visits Nottingham University :: Surveillance Operations | Prime Minister visits Nottingham University :: piccys 1 | Prime Minister visits Nottingham University :: piccys 2 | Pic's of Tony Blair visit in Nottingham | Blair hypocrisy over nukiller power | PM rallies for nuclear power in Nottingham | Blair to visit Nottingham Uni THIS Saturday

Background links: Greenpeace target climate changer Blair at Downing Street | Blair nuclear announcement scuppered | Meacher condemns pro-nuclear 'spin' | Blair Reignites Nuclear Debate - American lobbying adds to pressure | Blair must not back new nuclear power plants

Nottingham Student Peace Movement would like to invite all campaigners and activists to this year's Peace Conference on Sun 26th Feb, at the University of Nottingham, for a day of discussion and networking aimed at discussing local campaigns and actions. Whilst we are inviting speakers to share their experiences with attendants, the focus of the day will be on group discussion and formulating practical ideas.

The Sumac Cafe is in crisis, due to a shortage of volunteers. It is in danger of closing and an important meeting is planned to look at possible solutions. These might include reinventing the nature of the cafe, perhaps doing more 'special nights', such as the monthly People's Kitchen events, instead of serving the breakfasts during weekends.

The meeting will be held on Friday 13th January, 7pm at the Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, Nottingham, NG7 6HX. All people with an interest in the cafe, or ideas about how it could or should be run, are most welcome.

Contact: email: sumaccafe@veggies.org.uk

Links: Sumac Cafe website | The Sumac Centre | Veggies Diary listing

Waste Recycling Group (WRG) was not been entirely honest with their original planning application and 'omitted' vital details. Following a meeting requested by the Planning Officer with NAIL and WRG, we presented our objections and requested the omitted information. WRG were requested by the Planning Officer to provide these details. WRG have yet to submit this information, although it is expected imminently. The Planning Officer has said that, due to the importance of this further information, he will insists on a further 21 days public consultation period. This means that a planning decision is not likely until April this year.

See previous article on the expansion of the Eastcroft incinerator:
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2005/12/329918.html

Early January is the time when many people go to book their holiday packages abroad. So some Notts people went to make sure they knew of the environmental costs. Nottingham campaigners braved a cold and wet city centre this Saturday afternoon to distribute information about the contribution of air travel to climate chaos. Banners and flags were raised outside Thompsons travel agents and leaflets were distributed to passers by and people going in to book their holidays.

A meeting will be held on Monday 16th January to discuss and plan the future activities of the Notts Indymedia project. Things that will be discussed:

* Dividing up tasks, see previous article
* Going through the New IMC process
* Liason with UK Network, see Liason Wiki
* Publicity/Outreach, see Publicity & Outreach Wikipage
* Getting new people involved

More information on the Project Documentation.

The meeting will start at 7pm and will be held at the Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, Nottingham, NG7 6HX, 0845 458 9595. A map can be found here. All welcome. Please come and get involved !

More and more artists within Nottingham seem to join the recycling art craze, as tetra-packs, plastic bages and cans are brought to new life. In the last few weeks various workshops were organised in the Sumac Centre in Forest Fields and the Old School Hall in Sneinton. The Rubbish Day Out in Sneinton was organised to raise awareness of recycling and waste issues. Here a collection of photo's from people who think creative workshops are fun and the way forward to promote environmental and social issues.

There is a creative campaigning workshop planned on Sunday 15 January 2006 from 11 am to 4 pm (with lunch break) at The Place, 2a Melrose Street, in Sherwood, Nottingham. It is all about drawing attention to your message. The Place is just off Mansfield road behind the old bus depot.

Fly to your heart’s content, but if you do then disconnect your electricity and gas supply and lock your car in the garage. Climate change, if unchecked, will result in severe floods and hurricanes, drought and advancing deserts, diseases spreading, sea levels rising, and mass migration of populations. This will not happen in some far distant age, it will occur within the lifetime of young people alive today. If you fly you are partly responsible.

Yesterday four members of NAIL met with the Environment Agency (EA), to discus Waste Recycling Groups (WRG) plans to build the third incinerator in Nottingham. Latest: The EA has issued the license that WRG need to be able to run their existing incinerator. The EA has in principle agreed to issue a license to operate the proposed expansion of the Eastcroft Incinerator.

More info on the NAIL camapign and the proposed incinerator expansion, see previous UK feature: Pollution for profit - we need to stop it!
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/12/329458.html

The East Midlands Vegan Festival is fast becoming a regular event, promoting a healthy diet that doesn’t compromise on taste.
Whether you’re a committed vegan or vegetarian or simply interested in finding new ways to make your healthy lifestyle more fun, they came along and saw what was on offer.