WHILE the Bridge Sandwich Bar caters for passers-by at the western end of Victoria Embankment, Riverbank's pitch at the eastern end makes it a natural destination for a quick lunch during the 1st Test at Trent Bridge, or perhaps a scoop of ale at the end of play.

Known to oldies as the Town Arms, Riverbank is just the length of Trent Bridge away from the cricket ground and lies adjacent to the Embankment lawns.

Quite how the premises struggled for so long on a prime money-making site remains one of the great mysteries in the history of Nottingham catering.

However, the Perkins brothers have put that right, bringing the experience of running Trentside restaurants Tom Brown's at Gunthorpe and the Farndon Boathouse, near Newark.

It helps to have head chef Mark Osborne (pictured) on the team. He has kept menus imaginative and in my experience a meal at Riverbank has always been value for money.

On my last visit I parked a Colston Bassett Stilton parfait, then a pork chop with creamed spuds and baby vegetables, and finally a fig and almond tart. The service was acceptable.

By the way, as the Town Arms the premises has an interesting history as a no-nonsense boozer.

In the restricted-hours era, if you were lucky enough to find a pub in West Bridgford when that town was in the grip of Methodism, it would have closed at 10.30pm. If you wanted another drink you had to dash into the city of Nottingham, where the towels went up at 11pm.

For those sprinting north over Trent Bridge at 10.35pm, the Town Arms, as the first pub in Nottingham, offered immediate satisfaction and time for a couple of nightcaps.

Streets filled with balloons and echoing with music - the mood of this year's Beeston Carnival shone from every corner of the town at the weekend.

The carnival, which is in its 9th year, saw crowds lining up from 10am to soak up the atmosphere.

Across the day, hundreds of families and local people arrived to join in the celebrations in the Town Square, High Street, and Broadgate Park.

Cheers rang out too for its midday annual parade, with the carnival prince and princess waving to their adoring fans. Beeston mum Rachel Emmett came down in the morning to see her daughter Laura, 13, play with the Nottingham Youth Band in the square.

Mrs Emmet, 46, said the carnival was an event that reflected the spirit of people in Beeston.

She said: "The weather has been amazing, the music is really great, it's been such a great way to start our morning.

"The whole thing has got such a nice community feel - despite the fact Beeston still looks a bit like a construction everyone has still got together to join in." Businesses in the town got in full swing as well, like at Treetops Hospice shop in Villa Street where staff dressed up in flapper dressers and vintage suits to kick-start the party. Manager Debbie Flinders said: "The carnival just shows what a wonderful place Beeston is to be.

"Everyone gets together and they all do their own little part."

Lynda Lally, who has organised the carnival alongside husband Pat, said the turn-out was a testament to Beeston's unrivalled community spirit.

She said: "I think it's been extremely important that we carried on this year through the stress and strains of the tram works.

"It has been terrific over the last few years - because we're a university town there's a lot of people who come and go but the people who have lived here all their lives are very proud of their town.

"When we come to the end of the tram works it will be ten years of us going so hopefully we'll get to do something a bit different."

CHILDREN in West Bridgford were encouraged to get their noses into a good book over the holidays at the launch of this year's Summer Reading Challenge.

Now in its 15th year, the nation-wide event is organised by The Reading Agency and is designed to ignite children's enthusiasm for reading - especially during the long summer holidays when reading levels can 'dip' outside of the classroom.

Celebrated children's author Guy Bass visited the West Bridgford Library on Saturday to kick start the campaign and set children a challenge of reading six books over their summer break.

Mr Bass said: "When I was a kid, I only remember one trip to the library with school and I was told I couldn't read the books that I wanted as they were too old for me. There was no encouragement, bar from my mum at home.

"This event is just such a celebration of reading, with zero pressure on kids; just rewarding them for picking up a book. I think it is a great idea and I'm really happy to be involved."

Children were lining up to hear Mr Bass read from the next book in his The Legend of Frog series and excited about taking on the challenge.

Sam Small, 7, of West Bridgford, said: "I really love reading. I like books like the first Harry Potter and Roald Dahl, and I am reading one my mum read when she was a little girl, the Famous Five.

"I like fact books too and I am going to read lots over the summer."

Other events took place across Nottingham's libraries to mark the start of summer challenge, including at Nottingham Castle where Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham took the rare chance of being on the same side, encouraging children to take part.

Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said: "Some parents and carers find it difficult to keep children entertained over the long summer holidays, especially when the British weather is so unpredictable.

"The partnership between the Reading Agency and local libraries is an opportunity to inspire and stimulate children's love of books, whilst keeping them occupied all summer long without impacting on the family purse."

And Local MP Graham Allen also supported the campaign, hoping to up the participants from last year's impressive number.

"Last year 4,160 children in Nottingham took part in the Challenge," he said.

"I hope we can increase that number this year and show local libraries what a valuable asset they are to us and our community."

To sign up for free to the Summer Reading Challenge, children just need to visit their local library. When they complete the challenge, children are given a medal and certificate to celebrate their achievements.

For a full list of libraries in Nottingham visit http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/learning/libraries/find-a-library/.  

THE porky aroma of bangers on the griddle has commuters and factory workers scurrying to the curious red-brick building on the city end of Wilford Bridge.

It was here that Victorian coachmen once slipped the attendant six old pennies for the privilege of taking a horse-drawn barouche over the new toll bridge spanning the Trent.

After crossing the river, the carriage might have been cantered through Wilford and up Clifton Grove to Clifton Hall, the mansion of the magnate who commissioned the bridge.

He was Sir Robert Juckes Clifton, 9th Baronet, Etonian and MP for Nottingham.

Times change. Majestic Clifton Hall is now a pair of semis. The bridge overlooked by the statue of Sir Robert is being adapted for the barouche of the 21st Century – the tram.

And the tollhouse is now the Bridge Sandwich Bar where tenants Mick and Angela Roebuck feed leisure-seekers, office and factory workers, tram builders and the walking or cycling commuters from Clifton and Wilford who cross the bridge on their way to work in the city.

It's one of the catering industry bookends of the lawns between the toll bridge and Trent Bridge, the other being The Riverbank Restaurant and Bar on London Road.

"I took over the place in 1999 as a newsagent's," says Mick of his quirky little building which still bears a sign listing the various bridge tolls for 19th-century travellers.

"I was the first in town with papers every morning. When the Boots 6am shift was going to work, they couldn't get papers anywhere else.

"But then the supermarkets took over, opening early and selling papers and it wasn't so easy."

Mick and Angela decided on a new use for the building, with its storeroom attic lit by three extravagant dormer windows.

"I started off by going on a food hygiene course and a friend's wife helped get things going," he added. "Angela's parents ran pubs and food was always being served, so between us we knew a bit about it and had a good start."

You'd also need a qualification in logistics and ergonomics to cram so much into such a tiny space.

While Mick turns the bacon rashers in the griddle behind the counter at 7.30am, Angela arrives with the daily bread – enough to fill sandwiches, baguettes and cobs through the breakfast and lunch peaks – the Bridge Sandwich Bar closes at 2pm.

Alongside the refrigerators and stacks of Walker's crisps boxes there is even room, under the 6ft menu board, for a little bench table with two stools.

It's a straightforward catering operation with hot and cold menus.

One of the stars of the hot menu is the breakfast box – two bangers, two rashers, two eggs plus beans, mushrooms and tomatoes, all for a reasonable £4. You can have any combination of these things in a bap or a baguette and burgers start at £2.50.

Jacket potatoes start at £2.20 when served just with butter, rising to £2.60 for a tuna, mayonnaise and sweetcorn topping and £2.90 for chilli con carne.

The hot menu also includes pies, pasties and sausage rolls, toasties and pork and stuffing sandwiches.

Cold food? Sandwiches range from an uncomplicated cheese job to more exotic fare – Mexican chicken, for instance, or chicken tikka.

As the school holidays approach and people spend more time relaxing on the Embankment, the Bridge Sandwich Bar will keep families fed.

The tolls may have gone, the newspapers too, but a special little building is being put to very good use.

MANSFIELD Town made a winning start to their pre-season, beating near neighbours Notts County 3-1.

The Stags were forced to come from behind at the One Call Stadium after Brad McGowan put the visitors in front, but goals from Alex Fisher, Martin Riley and Ollie Palmer completed the comeback.

The Magpies made changes from the starting XI which beat Arnold Town 4-0 in their first friendly, most notably, with Fabian Spiess starting between the posts in place of Bartosz Bialkowski and including three trialists in their squad.

Mansfield selected three of their summer signings, though Luke Jones and Liam Hearn missed out – the former picking up a knock and his team-mate still building up his fitness following a serious knee injury.

Boss Paul Cox included four trialists in his squad, with one believed to be Nottingham Forest keeper Dimitar Evtimov, in position between the posts in the first half.

Out-of-contract midfielder Anthony Howell, who has yet to agree a new deal with the club, started on the bench.

It was Notts who got off to the better start, taking the lead before the ten minute mark.

A corner from the lively Jeremy Balmy was flicked home by Brad McGowan, with Stags' Jamie McGuire unable to hook it clear from off the line.

The visitors continued to press but were unable to make the most of their possession, with a header from Colby Bishop from Blair Adams' free-kick, which went wide, as close as they came.

Mansfield though, began to grow into the game and went close to levelling when Fisher latched on to a flick-on from Matt Rhead. The summer signing was clean through but just couldn't quite control the ball and his shot looped over the bar.

Minutes later, it was a different story.

Fisher once again found himself through one-on-one and tried to round Spiess. The Notts stopper caught the striker in an attempt to stop his run and referee Andy Haines pointed to the spot.

Fisher stepped up, and with Spiess diving the wrong way, made it 1-1.

The goal marked the start of a purple patch for Stags and they took the lead four minutes later.

An effort from Amari'i Bell's was deflected wide to earn a corner. Adam Murray whipped it in, Rhead was positioned at the far post to knock it back across goal and Riley was on hand to head it into the net.

The hosts could have gone further ahead before the break, with Fisher, in particular, proving the biggest threat and a long-range strike from Sam Clucas sailing wide.

Both sides rung the changes at the break, with Spiess the only one to keep his place for Notts.

A scrappy start saw neither team able to fashion a breakthrough.

Nicky Wroe twice tried to charge down the Mansfield keeper, with little success, while, at the other end, a couple of corners caused problems for Notts stopper Spiess.

With just over an hour gone, Fergus Bell drew Spiess into action with a fierce long-range shot, which the keeper managed to push away.

An uneventful second half passed with barely a chance of note – only Liam Noble going even relatively close with an effort which the Magpies man dragged wide.

With minutes to go however, Mansfield made it 3-1 when Palmer headed in a throw-in from Liam Marsden.

MANSFIELD: Trialist; Riley, Dempster (Sutton 45), Tafazolli (Dempster 65), A Bell (Marsden 45), McGuire (Clements 45), Murray (Howell 45), Clucas (Trialist 45), F Bell (Trialist 65), Rhead (Trialist 45), Fisher (Palmer 45).

NOTTS (first half): Spiess, McGowan, Mullins, Tempest, Dixon, Smith, Adams, Trialist, Balmy, Bishop, Murray.

(second half): Spiess; Thompson, McKenzie, Hollis, Keane, Trialist 1, Noble, Wroe, Trialist 2, Trialist 3, Waite.

ATTENDANCE: 3,331 (779 away).

Police are searching for a teenager from St Ann's after he didn't return home from his school prom.

Jide Badmus, 15, of Warton Avenue, went to The Nottingham Academy high school prom on Thursday night(10) but didn't return home.

He was last seen leaving his house at 6pm that day wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie.

Nottinghamshire Police are asking other teenagers who went to the prom to get in touch if they know his whereabouts.

If you have seen Jide or have any information, contact the police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Missing teen Jide Badmus has returned home safe and well after going missing after his school prom. 

The 15-year-old of Warton Avenue, St Ann's, went to The Nottingham Academy high school prom on Thursday night and didn't return home.

But shortly after the police launched an appeal to find Jide on Saturday, he returned to his house safe and well.

NOTTS County striker Jimmy Spencer has been ruled out for the whole of the 2014/15 season with cruciate ligament damage.

The 22-year-old picked up the injury in the Magpies' first pre-season friendly, at Arnold Town, in midweek and has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Boss Shaun Derry described it as a 'major blow' to lose the front man, following his side's 3-1 defeat to Mansfield Town.

"It's not good news. We're going to lose Jimmy for the whole of the season," he said. "He's done his cruciate ligament.

"As it stands at the minute, it's not good.

"It's a major blow for us all."

RIP Tommy Ramone. One of my favourite bands of all time.

— John Lomas (@johnlomas) July 12, 2014

R.I.P. Tommy Ramone punk pioneer #RAMONESpic.twitter.com/QrRm2p1WhI

— LEE JAMES BLUNT (@JAMESBLUNT72) July 12, 2014

rip tommy ramone, gone but never forgotten✝ pic.twitter.com/JUvVTJmCRk

— emma (@emmaxwhitmore) July 12, 2014

DERRICK Peterkin, 52, of Hucknall Road, Carrington, has been banned from contacting a woman after he assaulted her.

Magistrates in Nottingham have warned Peterkin not to go to her Carlton home until further order.

This month he pleaded guilty to attacking the woman in Carlton on January 11.

JPs conditionally discharged him for 18 months and ordered he pay a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £150.

BROXTOWE Borough Council has launched a What's on Where online event calendar to help families keep the kids entertained this summer.

The 'WOW' service at www.broxtowe.gov.uk/wow allows visitors to the Council's website to search for events by date or event type, giving plenty of ideas for fun days out.

Local groups and voluntary organisations can also use the calendar to share their events for free.

Events taking place over the next few weeks include an outdoor theatre performance of Treasure Island, a wildlife in the garden workshop, a pirates and princesses fun day, a circus fun day and First World War commemoration events.

I WAS incredibly moved by the story of Matthew Littlewood in the Nottingham Post on July 8.

Crohn's disease, its symptoms and treatment are not easy to talk about, let alone live with.

I read this on the same morning as my 26-year-old niece was waiting to go into theatre for a six-hour operation to remove the remainder of her bowel.

Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis two years ago, she has suffered recurring flare-ups and has been in constant pain, but has shown such courage and determination, continuing to work as an occupational therapist for as long as she could (a job she loves) and planning her wedding to the fantastic fiancé who has supported her through this.

A first operation to remove her large intestine left her with a colostomy bag and this second operation will leave her without the hope of a reversal. What an ordeal for anyone to go through, but for my beautiful young niece, with her whole life ahead of her, it just seems so cruel.

Thank you, Matthew, for sharing your story and being brave enough to talk about the details. It's important we all understand more about bowel disease so sufferers feel more supported and encouraged.

As for my niece, thankfully I know she is strong enough to grab exciting opportunities and live life to the full once she feels well again. After 12 weeks of recovery the rest of the family and I will enjoy every single second of celebrating her wedding in October.

Here's to her and her fiancé. You absolutely deserve every happiness.

SARAH HEWITT

Park Row

Nottingham city centre

I READ with interest your columnist John Charles-Jones, who is a local NFU delegate and who puts forward his views on agriculture.

Mr Charles-Jones writes questioning controls reducing the number of chemicals available to UK farmers, and links his argument to feeding what he calls ''a hungry world'' which ''would already be facing food shortages were it not for the availability and use of a wide range of agrochemicals''.

I would like Mr Charles-Jones to credit your readers with a little more familiarity with scientific method and rationally-constructed argument.

Such claims as the above are entirely speculative. My own view, and that is all it is, is that further use of such chemicals – which he advocates against developing resistance to organisms unwanted by some farmers – is a race to the bottom, with unacceptable environmental consequences that many of us taxpayers want no part in subsidising.

But let's consider some of the other points he puts forward as accepted truths: There is the ''hungry world'', which suffers mostly from distribution problems exacerbated by wars and corruption, propagated by interests motivated by corporate profit and sectarian hegemony.

Then there is the idea that local UK production has something to do with it, or could somehow mitigate these effects.

Top it all by the assumption that we all are not eating far too much already, and wasting a large proportion of food produced here and imported to the UK for our consumption.

I am very interested in reading about the personal business experiences of a local farmer. However, if the newspaper chooses to represent these as true opinion rather than NFU dogma, a contrasting view should be offered alongside.

IAN ROSE

Alverstone Road

Mapperley Park

WE have just requested a reduction in our direct debit from our gas provider EON.

As we are only using about £12 worth of gas per month, we asked for a reduction from £42 per month.

''Most definitely not'', we were told. No reduction, as you have to build up a fund through summer or you won't get your discount, which we think is about £5.

All these years we thought we were in control of our finances. But no, we are now being dictated to by EON! Has anyone else experienced this?

TREVOR and LORETTA PARKER

Middlebeck Drive

Arnold

LAST week we heard that Staffordshire NHS may have to charge for some treatments in order to cope with an ageing population. Now it seems to have spread to all areas of the UK.

Don't blame an ageing population, we have always had an ageing population. The majority of today's pensioners have worked for 50 or more years and during that time, paid their national insurance contributions.

I, like many others, mistakenly believed that I was contributing not only to my NHS care for life but also to my pension. It was only in later years that I realised that my contributions were paying for the rest of the population's NHS care and the pensions of the 'ageing population'. Governments should have been planning for this and it is morally wrong to penalise today's pensioners.

Some pensioners have, during their working lives, paid extra contributions into the pension scheme in order to have a few more pounds during their retirement. The Government has now decided that all pensioners will receive £140 per week, whether or not they have paid extra contributions, and those pensioners who were born before a certain date will not receive the increase.

How can this be a fair system? A loaf of bread costs the same, no matter when we were born.

Come on Mr Cameron, look at your policies and bring this country in line with fair policies for everyone; those who have worked all their lives should receive care and a decent pension, those who have been in the country for a few months should not be handed out benefits until they have earned them, we spent 50 years working for ours and they are not benefits!

MARION CLAY

Broadway East

Carlton

NOW is the time for Nottingham City Council to take responsibility for the fiasco with the tram lines.

Who in their right mind would not have set in place a penalty clause on each phase of this project from the outset? They blame unforeseen problems with the utilities and weather, when anybody with two brain cells can tell you it's bad management. The workforce is running this shambles.

We have young children who are trying to raise £100,000 for a new ward in the hospital. I for one would rather see healthy children running down the street than a tram rattling down it.

G HATFIELD

Charlton Grove

Chilwell

AROUND Nottinghamshire one of the questions being asked is: "Do we need parish councils?"

The situation arose because of allegations about two unitary councils being part and parcel of the boundary changes. Why?

Well, to save money, to cut the number of councillors needed and to lose the district councils.

In effect, it will make the more rural areas like Newark and Sherwood very small fish in a very large pond.

Many readers won't be aware of what parish councils do so have no opinion about it.

I hope there will be some that do and appreciate that if or when the regime takes over it is even more vital to keep them.

Parish councils are the first tier of democratic governance.

We deserve to keep them.

J COCKING

Gaitskell Crescent

Edwinstowe

THE consequences of job losses due to the impending closures of the Imperial Tobacco factory and Thoresby colliery will be far-reaching throughout Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Well-paid and skilled jobs will be lost, along with opportunities for future employment and training.

But how will these losses affect the areas which are seemingly remote from the employment?

For example, Gedling Borough, which is within travel distance to work of both employers, will encounter somewhere in the region of 70 jobs lost to current residents through both these closures.

Whilst recent initiatives by Gedling Borough Council in supporting apprenticeships and enabling development at Colwick and Netherfield are to be applauded, the same cannot be said for Arnold.

This area appears to be lacking support or initiatives from local council representatives.

Indeed, new job opportunities are seemingly solely reliant upon commercial considerations, not councillor commitment or local initiatives.

PAUL KEY

Castleton Avenue

Arnold

CARS with foreign number plates are hard to penalise and make up the bulk of written off fines and untaxed vehicles.

The RAC has called on the government to curb the number of untaxed foreign vehicles in the UK, claiming the loss in tax goes into the millions.

Around 60,000 foreign vehicles are registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) each year.

But the RAC estimated a further 15,000 others were not, which is the equivalent of £3 million in uncollected tax.

Pete Williams, head of external affairs at the RAC, told the BBC that the situation was "beyond belief".

"Given the prevalence of technology such as automatic number plate recognition, it is beyond belief that in the 21st century two important government agencies – namely the UK Border Force and DVLA – are not already sharing information," he said.

"We understand that DVLA, the UK Border Force and the police are looking at how data can be used to identify foreign-registered vehicles that have been in the UK for longer than six months, so we urge the government to make finding an effective solution a priority."

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said the government will shortly announce "firm plans" to combat the problem.

TEMPORARY traffic lights will be installed in Sherwood for the City Council to carry out remedial works.

The lights will be placed at 46 Winchester Street from today until Wednesday between 9.30am and 5.30pm every day.

The council has warned drivers to expect moderate delays.