Community groups, tenants and leaseholders can now apply for up to £1,000 through our Community Chest scheme all year round! The scheme helps to support and fund local projects.

Projects must improve amenities or help community groups either established or new to grow which benefit Newark and Sherwood District Council tenants.

For more detailed information and to apply please visit our website at www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/community-chest/ or contact the Tenant Engagement Team via email on getinvolved@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk or by calling 01636 650 000.

Calling all budding bug and bird enthusiasts! Come and join us this half term to make bird feeders and bug hotels in Newark and Sherwood.

Saturday 15 February until Sunday 23 February

Enjoy Sconce and Devon Park and Vicar Water Country Park where you and your little ones can search for critters and marvel at creation with our scavenger hunts in both of our award winning parks! Pick up a scavenger hunt from inside Rumbles café at both sites.

Feed the birds!

Join our park rangers and environment officers to make natural bird feeders. Take one away and watch the birds flock to feed from it. You can use our bird checklist to keep a track of who visits!

• Tuesday 18 February, Vicar Water Country Park – anytime between 10.30am – 2pm
• Tuesday 20 February, National Civil War Centre – anytime between 10.30am – 2pm

Book a night at a bug hotel!

Our gardens are crying out for more biodiversity so let’s encourage ‘staycations’ this year by providing safe lodgings for our bugs to nest in. Help us create hotels by bringing along your own large drinks carton or milk bottle. They should be empty, clean and dry!

• Tuesday 18 February, National Civil War Centre – anytime between 10.30am – 2pm
• Thursday 20 February, Vicar Water Country Park – anytime between 10.30am – 2pm

Take inspiration from love tokens of the past and transform recycled materials into unique Valentine cards, love tokens, or magical potions to take home! Pop into the National Civil War Centre to take part on Saturday 1 February, from 10am – 4pm!

🚛You can also join our friends from Environmental Services for a blast with their remote-control bin truck and win cool prizes in the ‘Spin to Win’ contamination game!

🎨 Or pop in to see Open Doors’ Artist in Residence, Ryan Heath, for a fun drop-in activity where you can create a river system inspired by the Trent. Combining storytelling, drawing, and dice-rolling.

Remember, it's FREE entry for Newark and Sherwood residents! We can’t wait to see you there! 

Rainworth and Blidworth Boxing Club officially reopened this month following essential improvements undertaken on site. The Club has successfully raised more than £120,000 to help fund works, with £100,000 awarded from us through the Rural England Prosperity Fund and UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The club has expanded with a new mezzanine floor, state-of-the-art equipment, and enhanced safety measures. Now, an additional 75 users can safely access the facilities each week!

The club works with several local community groups and schools, giving residents from the age of eight upwards of all abilities access to boxing, it is more than just a sports venue though, it plays a vital role in the physical and mental development of local people developing fitness, confidence and an understanding of healthy eating and lifestyle in an inclusive and safe environment.

Join us for an inspiring afternoon at the National Civil War Centre on Saturday 1 February, from 2.30pm to 4pm!

Come along to enjoy some snacks and chat with our team, including our Youth Panel, the Creative Influencers, and artist in residence Ryan Heath, who will be sharing his journey and offering advice on creative career options.

You can also learn about working in a theatre or museum and how to build a great CV.

Don't miss this chance to explore exciting career paths, gain insights, and have a great time!

Smoke alarms keep you and your home safe but how often do you remember to check them?

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue have just the thing! If you sign up to their press to test service, you can receive weekly reminders to test your smoke alarm so you can protect what matters most to you!

Travelling from Bilsthorpe, the Open Doors 'Mining for Stories' exhibition has now made its way to Edwinstowe Library!

Visitors can delve into fascinating stories with interviews with ex-miners and community members, view historical images from the extensive museum archive, and enjoy a community-crafted artwork, created by Edwinstowe Library's Knit and Natter Group.

Plan your visit to Inspire Edwinstowe Library and Learning Centre from Tuesday 14 January 2025 up until Saturday 22 February 2025

And a big thank you to Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum for having us on this journey!

Want to find out more about the exhibition and the rich heritage of Newark and Sherwood's mining communities? Visit our link below.

To mark Holocaust Memorial Day and to commemorate the legacy of WWII Polish hero and humanitarian Irena Sendler, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Newark Town Council have launched the Irena Sendler Young Person Award.

To celebrate the enduring legacy of Irena, the Young Person Award has been introduced to identify and celebrate the positive contributions that young people are making within their local communities. Primary and Secondary schools will be invited to nominate pupils to be recognised for selfless and thoughtful acts and good deeds towards others.

During the Second World War, Irena Sendler, worked tirelessly to help protect and rescue many Jewish children and their families in German-occupied Poland. She was part of a network of workers and volunteers who smuggled Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. She would provide them with false identity documents and shelter them with willing Polish families or in orphanages and other care facilities, saving those children from the Holocaust.

Four winners will be chosen and will receive a voucher and certificate, and their nominating school will also receive a contribution of £125 towards learning resources.

Nominations for the Irena Sendler Young Person award will be open in February, please keep an eye on our website for updates.

Wrap up warm and step into the heart of nature in one of our beautiful parks. Our rangers will chat about the nature and wildlife you can spot, what each season brings for the area and any other questions you have about the wonderful biodiversity and wildlife that thrives there.

Routes of varying length are organised around Sconce and Devon on the first Tuesday of each month, and around Vicar Water Country Park on the third Tuesday of each month, and the best part? Everyone is welcome to join for free!

Upcoming ranger walks:

Sconce and Devon Park – Tuesday 4 February, 9.00am – 10.30am

Vicar Water Country Park - Tuesday 18 February, 9.00am – 10.30am

Do you still have a Christmas tree you need to get rid of? Remember that you can recycle real trees with us for just £5! Your trees will be chipped and take on a new life in parks and public spaces across the district as path surfacing, mulch on shrub beds and more!

Plus, fees collected for the service will be reinvested back into the community, with proceeds from previous years being used to plant more trees locally as well as being offered to community groups for conservation work, including tree and hedgerow planting.

Join the famous Fireman Sam for a fantastic family friendly show, ‘The Great Camping Adventure!’, at the Palace Theatre on Saturday 22 February at 12pm or 3.30pm.

Norman wants to go on an adventure to impress his friends, so when two famous animal explorers arrive in Pontypandy, he decides to follow them into the mountains. But when Norman discovers a rare red squirrel, one of the explorers decides to take the glory for themselves, leaving Norman stranded in a cave. Now it's up to Fireman Sam to save the day and ensure everyone is safe on their camping adventure!

Want to organise a community litter pick? We can help! 

Get in touch with us to let us know and we can help by:

📢 Promoting the pick locally to encourage involvement

🗑️ Providing equipment including black bags and high vis vests

🚚 Collecting any waste you pick

And remember to log your litter picking activities on Green Rewards to be with a chance of winning a voucher to spend locally! https://www.notts.greenrewards.co.uk

Our fantastic Environmental Services team have been running an in-house project to look more closely at what contaminants are making their way into our silver recycling bins. During this time, contaminated bins will have a special sticker placed on them and we ask you leave these out so that our teams can return to collect them and identify contaminants in our recycling bins. Contents of bins will not be linked back to any specific address and no personal information will be shared.

Between 16 December 2024 and 15 January there were 559 contaminated bins recorded and which weighed 5.5 tonnes in total. The main items finding their way into silver bins are:

• Food and fruit trays
• Packets, wrappers and bags
• Polystyrene packaging
• Takeaway containers
• Shredded paper
• Drinks cartons and coffee cups
• Nappies, sanitary and pet waste

You can use the Nottinghamshire County Council Recycle Checker if there are items that you are unsure are recyclable in the district: https://ow.ly/IsAE50UqteN

Thank you all for your co-operation in this important project and we look forward to sharing even more of our findings with you when the project finishes at the end of February!

Join Open Doors on Friday February 28 at 7 PM at the National Civil War Centre for an exclusive screening of the Polish film "Miś" (1981). This cinematic gem, presented in Polish with English subtitles, follows the wild adventures of a football manager who, after discovering missing passport pages, suspects his ex-wife's sabotage. This leads to a whirlwind of doppelgängers, corruption, and bribery, offering a surreal and satirical glimpse into life in communist Poland.

And why not pop to the top floor and visit whilst you're there! You can explore the rich history and vibrant culture of Newark's Polish community with the exhibition "A Polish Heart Beats Here", open until Saturday, 26 April 2025. Discover fascinating stories and cultural treasures that highlight the connections between Newark and Poland, from the Polish Armed Forces to our twin town of Sandomierz.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to enjoy a great film and delve into the cultural heritage that enriches our community. Plan your visit and celebrate Polish culture with us!

Find out more about A Polish Heart Beats here: https://nationalcivilwarcentre.com/whatson/exhibitions/

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