North Notts' July News

Welcome to July's in North Notts Newsletter.
 
Summer is officially here and, apart from some occasional unseasonably cool weather, things seem to be on the up at last! – UK summer holiday bookings are booming and even some holidays abroad are starting to look possible.  Many local galleries, museums, libraries and community centres are opening during July as well as places of worship, restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes. Top of my list is the hairdresser!
 
July should bring us more summery weather for getting out and about and meeting up with family and friends at long last, in the safety and pleasure of the outdoors.

And what an outdoors we've got in our area!  With so many glorious country parks and open spaces here in North Notts, we don't need to go rushing off to the coast and have to cram onto packed beaches!

UPDATE ON COUNTRY PARKS & OPEN SPACES

There’s exciting news that the restoration of the iconic Ornamental Bridge at Clumber Park has been completed – and it looks stunning!  See it here.

Don't forget that you have to book in advance to visit Clumber Park at the moment. The parkland, Pleasure Grounds, Walled Kitchen Garden and toilets are now open. Latest information here.  

Sherwood Forest is open and car parks are now open between 10am - 4pm but once full they will be closed so it isn't advisable to travel from afar. Charges and rules apply - more info here.

Forestry England now welcomes visitors to Sherwood Pines for walking and cycling. The bike shop & bike hire are open, together with the car park, but some facilities are still closed.

Sherwood Forest Arts and Craft Centre have reopened. The café and toilets are still closed at time of writing but are due to reopen soon.

Adventurous Thoresby Park are one of the first attractions in the region to bring back events starting with their Craft & Artisan Food Market on Saturday 4th July and a fun Dog Show on 2nd August.
 
The car park and parkland are open to visitors and limited takeaway refreshments are available (tea, coffee, soft drinks, ice cream) via card payment only until July 4th when the Courtyard Coffee Shop opens fully.

Rufford Abbey Country Park have introduced one way systems around the park to keep visitors safe. They’ve created a couple of videos to help guide visitors before they arrive.

Parking can be paid for once you arrive, or you can buy daily & annual parking passes online. There's a limited takeaway service (hot & cold drinks & light refreshments) from The Coach House Cafe. The Orangery Plant centre has just reopened too.
 

Its wonderful news that Creswell Crags Museum & Prehistoric Gorge are opening their Visitor Centre again from August!  As a charity dependent entirely on income from visitors, things were looking very bleak, but they have been very busy trying to raise funds to replace their income and to survive. In the last couple of weeks they’ve been awarded a significant grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as well as some smaller ones, which is fantastic news for both Creswell Crags and the region.

FUNDRAISING AUCTION

This coming Friday 3rd July evening they are holding an exciting Online fundraising Auction with TV’s Charles Hanson. There are 55 fascinating lots from unique works of art, experiences, signed books, jewellery and more. There’s truly something for everyone and for nearly all budgets too!
 

Great news too that The Harley Gallery and The Portland Collection are opening their doors again from 11am Saturday 1 August! The Harley Open Exhibition opens at the same time and continues until 1 November.

The Welbeck Farm Shop continues to provide its top quality produce, much of it locally sourced.  Shop in-store or use their contactless collection service.

If you’re visiting the Welbeck Farm Shop you’ll be pleased to hear that The Harley Café reopens with an outdoor service from Wednesday 8 July with tables both outdoors and in an undercover marquee, to suit the British weather!

Finally, if you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle you can't go wrong with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's nature reserves where you can exercise, connect with nature and enjoy the relaxing peace and quiet.

LIBRARIES RE-OPENING

Great news! Our libraries are re-opening starting from 6 July. Here’s a link to find out when your local library is re-opening its doors.  

VISITING BASSETLAW’S TOWN CENTRES SAFELY

It’s really important that we all support our local town retailers but many people are concerned about visiting safely and social distancing implications.

Thanks to space monitoring technology used by the North Notts BID you can now plan your trip to Harworth, Retford, Tuxford and Worksop town centres more safely.

Foot traffic is being monitored and you can see the actual number of people in each of these town centres on any day and at any time.  There’s also a graph which shows you the quietest times for visiting each town.

Just visit:

Harworth Town Centre:  https://harworth.geo-sense.co.uk

Retford Town Centre:  https://retford.geo-sense.co.uk

Tuxford Town Centre:  https://tuxford.geo-sense.co.uk

Worksop Town Centre:  https://worksop.geo-sense.co.uk

LOCAL EVENTS

There are just a few 'real' upcoming events at the moment, but they're a start and a heartening sign of better times to come. To see more information about any event just click on its title below. *

New events are now being added so please do keep visiting our website at www.innorthnotts.co.uk for the latest event news hot off the press! 

Wishing you a very happy July - out and about in North Notts, of course!!

Alison