Sutton Bonington

VET STUDENTS SOON TO BE ON THE WAY. Vet students at The University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington campus are to be among the first in the UK to return there following the coronavirus pandemic lockdown when they are welcomed back to resume face-to-face teaching in July.

The university says it has implemented a full package of practical health and safety measures across its Vet School building and accommodation to allow for the controlled return of 150 first-year undergraduate students to the campus.

The university say that a staggered arrival of the returning student ts will enable adequate social distancing to be observed before teaching begins again in small groups on Monday 27 July.

The students, from the UK and abroad, returning are from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science’s first ever April cohort, following the school’s ambitious move to become the first vet school in the UK to operate a dual intake system from the start of the academic year last September.

Since they joined the university in April at the height of the UK lockdown, the school has been able to offer a full and successful programme of technologyassisted Fresher’s Week and teaching activities.

However, the early return of the April cohort will enable face-to-face teaching that cannot be delivered remotely, specifically essential animal handling and health and safety skills required before students can embark on the work experience element of their course.

The practical sessions will form part of a blended approach to learning, with other lectures and tutorial support continuing to be delivered remotely to reduce the number of students in teaching buildings at any one time.

Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science Professor Gary England said: “We have missed being on campus with our students tremendously during the coronavirus lockdown and we are excited to be welcoming this cohort to Sutton Bonington in July.

“The health and safety of our students and staff has remained our top priority and has been at the heart of our planning process. Colleagues from across the university have been working intensively on the intricate detail required to ensure that adequate social distancing and hygiene measures are in place to allow this first step in a return to campus.”

Among the measures which have been introduced are:

• A new one-way system and increased signage in the teaching buildings to control the flow of pedestrians and ensure adequate social distancing

• Availability of hand

sanitiser at building entrances and enhanced cleaning in both teaching buildings and accommodation to ensure a rigorous standard of hygiene

• Safety screens at till points

in the shop and coffee shop

• Offering a two-hour arrival

slot for students, online registration and asking them to arrive with only one other person to assist with moving in to reduce the numbers of people on campus

• Accommodating the

students on campus in cluster flats treated as a household and keeping students in ‘bubbles’ for their teaching sessions.

• Access to open air sports

and indoor Students’ Union society and Sutton Bonington Guild activities in line with Government guidance, as well as fun social activities being organised by the accommodation provider Campus Living Villages

PRIMARY SCHOOL UPDATE. Sutton Bonington Primary School has issued its latest coronavirus update while reminding everyone to stay alert, control the virus and save lives.

In a message to parents and carers, headmaster Lee Shilton says that from June 9 they had started to implement the Government’s plan, beginning the phased reopening of the school for children in Reception and Year

1. From that date they had opened for children in Reception and the following week they welcomed back children in Year 1, with the children being looked after in bubbles with pairs of staff in the school.

Mr Shilton said that as of June 22 they had 50 children in school, equal to about 30% of the school population.

“The key worker group has risen slightly and remain a priority group. Most of the children in Reception are attending school and approximately half of the children in Y1 are in school. We are closing for children in Reception and Year 1 a week early, -Friday, July 17, so they can accommodate year 6 children in their final week.

The Prime Minister’s announcement on June 8 stated that the government’s plans to ensure that all children across the primary age range were abandoned and this was no longer a requirement.

A recent announcement from the government said that all children will attend school in September on a full-time basis, with additional guidance on this awaited.

Mr Shilton says they remain open to the children of critical workers and vulnerable children and they have worked hard to open and for now children in Year R and Year 1 can attend school.

The safety of the children, staff and all members of the community is of paramount importance and increased pupil numbers will be done in line with a rigorous risk assessment which is regularly reviewed in line with government guidance.

“We miss the children deeply and school certainly isn’t the same without them,” says Lee, adding their aim is get all children in school as soon as possible but says they are governed by government advice in all they do.

“The staff are working diligently to provide childcare for the children who have critical workers as parents and also for children who are considered vulnerable. Together with this, the staff are uploading weekly home learning activities on the school website. These are now live on the ‘For Parents’ tab following the half-term break. “

The headmaster in his message adds: “You are all doing an incredible job as parents in this unprecedented time and the staff are impressed with the work you and your children are doing. “

Mr Shilton says the await more information on the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, statement that Children from all year groups will return to schools in September. “We have no further details on this at the current moment, but will update you as soon as we know more.”

CRICKET SEASON. There is still no totally clear information as to the way games for Sutton Bonington cricket club - halted so far this season by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic - can get underway.

One thing is sure, its league

programme has gone and while something new may emerge for the final few weeks of the season it is not going to be recognisable with that of a normal season.

The government originally said that cricket was not to be permitted until August 1, but suddenly on Friday the Prime Minister announced a u-turn, saying games could start immediately as long as a fist full of restrictions was met.

Sutton Bonington are members of the Gunn and Moore South Notts League who did earlier issue a statement saying their league fixtures for 2020 had been removed because they were not relevant.

They did comment that if something resembling normality returned then a shortened season would be the only option but even now that doesn’t look an easy possibility.

League committee member Dave Richards told the there would be no organised games before July 18, and there would be no promotion or relegation system in operation.

The league management committee have said they are aware of the financial impact that any cricket will have on clubs and the benefits it may bring, and are working to serve their clubs as best they can but have not made any direct announcement as to what this will be.

A statement from the English Cricket Board to cover every club in the UK says that

ever since the COVID-19 crisis

began, they have been working to minimise the impact of this unprecedented situation on cricket in England and Wales.

“We are acutely aware of the concern felt at all levels of the game about the financial implications of the suspension of cricket because of the virus.

“We know you are worried about the effect on your club. You may have invested in new facilities that will now sit idle.

“There will be sadness about missing out on the value that cricket brings to a local community by bringing people together through a shared love of the game. You may also be concerned about the impact a shortened season will have on your club finances.”

At Sutton Bonington club captain Dave Appleby was busy with others at the weekend getting the ground in ship-shape order ready for when for playing was possible.

PLAYSCHEME. The annual and very popular summer holiday playscheme at Sutton Bonington due to take place from Monday, July 27, to Friday, July 31 and Monday, August 3, to Friday, August 7 at the Sutton Bonington Playing Fields is not taking place this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. It will return to the programme of events in 2021.

RAINBOWS THANK YOU. thank you card has been received by the parish church at Sutton Bonington from the Community Fund-raiser at Rainbows thanking them for the cheque for £130 which was sent following the service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Christmas.

Rainbows income from charitable activities, as with funds for many other very worthwhile good causes, has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with of course scores of events that were organised having to be called off.

SOAR VALLEY U3A. While actual meetings of the Soar Valley U3A organisation are of course badly affected during the current coronavirus pandemic, individual members have not been and there have been impressive reports on what they have been doing.

Soar Valley U3A provides relaxed learning and leisure activities for retired people . More information on the groups within the organisation can be obtained from the membership secretary Lorna Orton on 01332 811030 or by visiting the group website – http://u3sites.org.uk/ soar-valley

Aidle, part of their ‘Doing our Bit for Kegworth’

The winning entries in the competition, with the deadline for receipt being the start of August, will be shown in the 2021 calendar and the message from the Plan Group is: “Calling all budding photographers of all ages- less than 2 months to get your entry to us. We are so looking forward to seeing memories of Kegworth this year”

In addition to having their picture make up the very popular village calendar, the winners will receive a prize.

Say the Plan Group: “We welcome entries for the Kegworth Plan Group photo competition from all. The theme of the competition is “The Best of Kegworth”.

“Your photo can be of the village, a village event or any other aspect of our village life. The winning entries will be published in the 2021 Best of Kegworth calendar and there will be a prize for all of those who have a photograph included in the calendar. An additional prize will be awarded to the photograph judged to be the overall winner.”

There will be separate competitions for those below 16 years of age and those 16 and above. Entrants under the age of 16 must have parent or guardian consent to enter.

Independent judges will consider all entries and announce a shortlist in mid-September with the final results being known by the end of that month. Judging criteria will include not only photographic merit but also relevance to the competition theme.

KEGWORTH COMMUNITY LIBRARY. Well, I finally get to use that old journalistic cliché – at the time of going to press, the results were unknown. The results of our new Covid-19 changed library opening that is. We were due to reopen on Tuesday this week (July 7), and our next opening will be Friday, July 10, between 2pm and 4pm.

I must mention all the time and effort put in by our splendid volunteers, especially Elain and Dennis – take a bow !, to get the library ready and hope that all our members who come back find it easy to use and still as welcoming as ever.

Even if you can’t lounge on the sofas and gossip anymore. Again – BOO !! We will continue with this just twice weekly opening for the time being, the time between gives the 72 hour ‘quarantine’ that the returned and browsed books require.

Now, you haven’t been able to buy any books from the library new-to-you bookshop for some time – it is open again now – and you must have needed plenty of reading material during lockdown.

So, did you order any to be delivered from that giant Lego brick at the airport ? Amaretto ? Amaryllis ? No, Amazon, that’s it. If you did and you’ve now read them why not donate them to our book shop ?

It’s such a valuable source of income for us and, under current operating circumstances, about the only one we have.

So, library open, pubs open – although I’m finding my face mask gets pretty soggy when trying to drink beer through it – we’re getting there folks ! Stay safe.

CRICKET CLUB. The 2020 season for Kegworth Town Cricket Club has, just as for every other amateur team in the UK, been seriously affected by the coronavirus pandemic and at the very earliest its games will not begin until later this month, three months later than its original fixture list showed.

There is hope of a game on Saturday this weekend involving two sides from within the club, but to get that underway officials face massive work including studying a 43 page document provided for them by the Leicestershire and Rutland league of which the club are members.

Kegworth cricket secretary Carl Sutton told the Echo on Saturday that before they were happy they could play any sort of cricket they had to very carefully ensure they would be meeting all the requirements.

Carl said they had. like all amateur clubs, picked up the comment on Friday evening by the Prime Minister that games in the amateur circles could be played “from July 11”. The actual playing area is not a problem says the secretary as everyone concerned has been working throughout the ‘break’ to ensure it has been kept up to its usual excellent playing standard, but the many other areas where they have to meet new requirements could be more of a problem and certainly are taking more effort to go in.

Mr Sutton said he couldn’t see any league games being played before August.

There is a feeling among a number of people involved in the amateur game it is unlikely any games anyone plays will be purely for recreational purposes and not in its usual competitive manner.

The effect on the club fixtures caused by the pandemic which resulted originally in HM Government ruling no games could be played before August 1, and then only with the clubs meeting very necessary restrictions, has been devastating. Some very limited net activity has been allowed but no matches and there is a fear that some players – and perhaps particularly the younger element -- could have found new interests during the three months of lockdown and might have to be heavily enticed to come back to the sport.

Throughout the history of the club -- and this goes back to its first recorded match played on July 3, 1848, at Leicester Town—there has never been anything like this interruption before, an d without the club being on the sound basis it is and so professionally run, it’s very future could have been threatened.

Over the years the club have made use of three different grounds in the village, the first being situated on Sideley, followed by a move to a field on Long Lane, before settling at the present venue on King George V Playing Field.

Ground conditions in the early days would have left much to be desired and must have played a major part in one recorded game against Diseworth when unbelievably the neighbouring village won the game by the only run of it. The claim obviously has to be somewhat doubted, but it is shown

as such in the clubs’ early records. As is another claim that Kegworth tied a game with Sandiacre when both teams each managed to only score four runs.

There are at least two instances of a Kegworth bowler taking all 10 wickets in a match. Albert Cook did this in 1903 and when he only conceded nine runs while more recently, in 1950, John Wall is recorded of having bagged all 10 Long Whatton wickets in a game between the two local rivals.

As with most clubs, its history highlights numerous names of members who played a leading role in ensuring it progressed into a successful future. Among the names that feature in the club history are Dr. J.J. Jeffares and Dr D.J. Bedford, first as players and then as committee members, and both of whom were remarkably connected with the club each for 70 years.

The club could also boast having three brothers playing for them at the same time, Jim, Sid and Ernest Akers. Another long serving member was Robert Sutton who was a playing member for amazingly over 50 years and was Secretary for 40 years until his death in 1948.

For many years Kegworth Long Lane farmer Bill White was a player for the club, right from the age of thirteen years a few months before the start of the World War II He was recognised for his batting skills and once hit a century for his side from only 13 overs. He served the club as Captain and President until his untimely death in 1988.

In the second half of the last century there was another prominent name to the fore being former secretary and captain George Green. He had very actively played an important role in the club’s history.

Another stalwart at that time was Pete Roberts, player, Captain and groundsman whose tireless work in co-ordinating a young committee led to the building of a new brick pavilion in 1970, replacing the old wooden one which stood on the Playing Field for over 60 years. The pavilion was altered to its present form in 1975 when the extension was opened by England player Ray Illingworth.

The ceremony also included a match against Leicestershire who included David Gower.