Latest news with #Alfreton
BBC News
14-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Thousands back bid to save manor that housed Mary Queen of Scots
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition aimed at saving a landmark in Derbyshire which was once used to imprison Mary Queen of Manor near Alfreton is closed to the public and fears have been raised the site, which historians said was once a jewel in the county's crown, will never Valley MP Linsey Farnsworth and the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust started a parliamentary petition urging the government to take the necessary steps to save the is now working to secure a meeting with the culture secretary Lisa Nandy. Barry Joyce, vice chair of The Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, said the petition "shows the strength of local feeling and that the public are keen to regain access".The retired conservation and design manager at Derbyshire County Council added that the manor is "deteriorating quickly" and that action is needed urgently. Farnsworth said she was taken aback by the strength of feeling among people living close to the manor, with many attending a series of sessions to sign the petition."It's been phenomenal really," she said. "We were hoping that we would see some support for the petition but we've got over 3,000 signatures, which is brilliant, and it's no mean feat as it's a paper petition with handwritten signatures." The manor was built in the 1440s and Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned there in 1569, 1584 and to improve the site have been hampered by a complex historic ownership arrangement which English Heritage is hoping to organisation said it had spent more than £100,000 on repairs and maintenance and it was developing a "full conservation project for those elements of the site in our care".A spokesperson previously told the BBC: "It has long been largely ruined and roofless and modern agricultural use has concealed parts of the historic complex."The two edges of the site are in the guardianship of the state and managed by English Heritage while the central section remains in private ownership."With it being originally conceived and built as a whole, this makes it a relatively complicated site on a number of levels, not least in terms of maintenance and conservation."We have previously discussed options for reuniting the site as a whole with the owner, but unfortunately we were not able to arrive at a consensus as there are major challenges and costs involved with securing its future."
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Mum to run Derby half-marathon while pushing daughter
A mother is set to run a half-marathon while pushing her 24-year old-daughter who has a rare and life-limiting Lee, from Alfreton, Derbyshire, was born with a CASK gene mutation, a condition that cannot be treated or cured and causes her to have epilepsy, severe visual impairment and no ability to eat or Lee hopes to complete the 13.1-mile (21km) Derby Ramathon on Sunday, with Alice in a running wheelchair, to raise money for a charity dedicated to finding a cure for her daughter's condition."We know there's no fix for Alice but halting or slowing the loss of skills could make all the difference," the 51-year-old said. CASK is the name of a gene that is essential for healthy development of the brain, said the CASK Research Foundation, and mutations can cause a range of disorders affecting brain function. Alice was 12 when her condition was diagnosed and Joanne said she had decided to stop working so she could focus on looking after her full-time."Since she was little, she has lost skills such as walking and we don't know how long her life would be, so I decided I wanted to finish work," she move has enabled Joanne to run with Alice four times a week while pushing her in a special running wheelchair costing £4,500. 'Place she belongs' Joanne said her daughter was the reason she started running and they both loved their new hobby."I needed to stay fit to be able to lift her and give her the life she deserves, but I also wanted something we could do together that fit around full-time work," she said."We started running when Alice was 16 and I never imagined how much she would love it, or how incredibly welcoming the running world would be."In a world where inclusion for adults with complex needs is pretty rubbish, running has given Alice a place where she belongs and is now a part of a community that sees her, welcomes her, and cheers her on every step of the way."Loking forward to the race on Sunday, Joanne said: "I'll be pushing Alice every mile of the way, for her, and for a future where others like her don't have to face this alone."We need to find something before it's too late."
BBC News
27-06-2025
- BBC News
East Midlands garden gun-making gang jailed for weapons supply
A garden gun-maker and a notorious "drugs general" have been jailed for producing and distributing "assassination kits" for organised crime groups across the Knowles, 64, known as "the armourer", was arrested by armed police as he tried to burn the evidence in his back garden in Alfreton, Derbyshire, in August kits were sold by "facilitator" Gary Hardy, 62, from his home in Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire, and distributed by Steven Houston, 65, from Corley, Hardy for 23 years, Knowles for 13-and-a-half years, and Houston for 25 years, Judge Mark Watson said: "Each of you contributed in different but important ways – you all knew what you were doing." Hardy sent "assassination kits" to Houston, who supplied the weapons to members of criminal gangs included known criminal and "customer" – Jason Hill, 23, who was jailed for four years after pleading guilty before his trial. Officers found two handguns, two silencers and ammunition in a safe hidden in the garden in a raid on Hill's is currently serving a life-sentence for the "brutal and cold-blooded" murder of Owen Fairclough, whose body was found in Breaston, Derbyshire, in June Joyce, for the prosecution said: "[The Crown] asserts that Hardy and Houston were respected heads of organised crime groups for the manufacture and sale of numerous weapons… these were provided with silencers and have been referred to as assassination kits."These weapons found their way into the hands of serious crime groups across the country."Police recovered weapons from Coventry, Wolverhampton, Essex and London – which the court heard were linked to Knowles' makeshift factory in his back prosecution said Knowles was referred to as "the armourer", and was employed by Hardy and Houston to make the firearms, and evidence suggested he was paid by the pair to do so, the court heard."The prosecution say these three men played leading roles in a long-standing conspiracy to sell weapons," Ms Joyce added. The makeshift factory was discovered as part of an investigation into Hardy by Nottinghamshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU).Nottingham Crown Court was told Knowles converted at least 33 replica pistols, and had enough bullets for a further 80 kits that were packaged with silencers and latex Ch Insp Mark Adas said this was the "this is the largest firearms manufacturing operation" he has come across and one of the biggest in the East began with their arrests after stopping a van in Measham, Leicestershire, in August seized a box containing four "lethal" self-loading pistols, each individually packaged with a silencer, blue nitrile gloves and 10 rounds of live force said the bullets had been converted from blank firing to live."These were lethal assassination kits. I call them that because they were individually packaged. The firearms were designed to kill. It is highly concerning," Det Ch Insp Adas said. The court heard as officers moved into Knowles's garden in Milton Avenue, drone footage captured the moment he emerged from an outbuilding with his hands up before being handcuffed in front of a bonfire he started. In mitigation for Knowles, Balraj Bhatia said the defendant was "extremely remorseful" and was described as an "exemplary prisoner" by Goodall KC, for Hardy, said he has health problems and has shown good character in prison, becoming a mentor to other Cole KC, for Houston, said the defendant was remorseful for his actions and knew the impact it had on his wider Cole KC also said there was a "lack of evidence" he was the head of an organised crime Stockwell KC, for Hill, said he "does not accept" the prosecution's case he bought the firearm from Houston and there was no evidence the firearms found were fired. Hardy of The Birches, Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire, was found guilty of:Conspired with others to sell or transfer a firearmConspired with others to have in your possession a firearm with intent by means thereof to endanger life or to enable another person by means thereof to endanger lifeConspired with others to convert into a firearm a thing, namely a blank firing firearmKnowles, of Milton Avenue, Alfreton, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to:Conspired with others to sell or transfer a firearmConspired with others to have in your possession a firearm with intent by means thereof to endanger life or to enable another person by means thereof to endanger lifeConspired with others to convert into a firearm a thing, namely a blank firing firearmHouston, 65, of Breach Oak Lane, Corley, Warwickshire, was found guilty of:Conspired with others to sell or transfer a firearmConspired with others to have in your possession a firearm with intent by means thereof to endanger life or to enable another person by means thereof to endanger lifeConspired with others to convert into a firearm a thing, namely a blank firing firearmHill, aged 23, Derby Road, Risley, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to:Possessing a firearm with intent by means thereof to endanger life or to enable another person by means thereof to endanger life
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Alfreton florist rises from ashes of devastating fire
A Derbyshire florist is set to reopen after a devastating Rose, in High Street, Alfreton, was forced to close after a nail salon at the top of the building caught alight on 21 Insley, who runs the florist with her mother and sister, said support from the community and customers "was so strong" that they "couldn't give up".The family business was able to continue running from the back room of the Trafford Lowes funeral parlour and is set to reopen at new premises on Saturday. Ms Insley said: "We've worked so hard since 2020, we weren't willing to give it up." The fire service said the blaze was caused by an electrical fault in a tumble dryer in the left the roof needing repairs, said Ms Insley, and without being able to return inside for several weeks, water damage had destroyed stock and led to mould inside Enchanted Rose's Insley said: "It was just thousands of pounds worth of stock, not to mention furniture."I had made a handmade 7ft wedding arch that had just got completely ruined."Now it smells in there, there's mould all over the walls, the ceiling's come down, the flooring needs to be ripped out, the electrics are all gone - companies want their stuff back but it was ruined."The fire-hit building remains clad in scaffolding and neither business is able to operate from it currently, said Ms Insley. Instead Enchanted Rose, which has had a shop in Alfreton for three-and-a-half-years, picked up the keys to a unit in High Street previously used by Shoezone on 1 store will be ready to open to the public on Saturday, with Gogglebox's Siddiqui family cutting the Insley said: "We've met the most wonderful landlord, he even painted the shop pink for us - which I don't think he was overly impressed with when they were coming out covered in pink paint."The support of the community was so strong that we couldn't just give up on them or our customers, everyone has just been so kind."
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment armed police arrest man, 64, who made 'assassination kits' for gangsters from his back garden as he burns 'treasure trove' of evidence
This is the moment a 64-year-old weapons collector, who made 'assassination kits' for gangsters in his garden, began burning a 'treasure trove' of evidence as armed police descended on his property. Ronald Knowles curated 80 'assassination kits' in his home in Alfreton, Derbyshire, which included at least 33 firearms, converted from replica pistols, bullets, as well as silencers and latex gloves. He made the killing kits in a makeshift workshop, before handing them off to notorious 'drugs general' Gary Hardy, 61, who sold them from his Ravenshead home in Nottinghamshire. Now CCTV reveals the dramatic moment armed police swooped on his home as they caught him setting alight to a hoard of evidence as plumes of smoke billowed into the sky. Drone footage shows Knowles step out of the outbuilding, holding his hands into the air as armed officers made their way into his home, before they took him into custody and marched him away. The gun factory, producing the 'lethal' self loading pistols, was discovered as part of an investigation into Hardy by Nottinghamshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU). During the raid, police found lathes and a drill used by the weapons collector to make the silencers and convert the pistols and ammunition, as well as throwing stars, machetes, crossbows and air weapons, and around 1,000 bullets. Knowles and Hardy were convicted of serious firearms offences at Nottingham Crown Court and are due to be sentenced at a later date. Police began to make arrests after stopping a van in Measham, Leicesteshire, in August 2023, where they seized a box containing four 'lethal' self-loading pistols. Each weapon had been individually packaged with a silencer, blue nitrile gloves and ten rounds of live ammunition. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Adas said: 'The bullets had been converted from blank firing to live. 'If discharged they would effectively expand on impact. These were lethal assassination kits. 'I call them that because they were individually packaged. The firearms were designed to kill. It is highly concerning. 'With the amount of ammunition that we found, that was in our belief destined for conversion, another 80 assassination kits could have been converted. 'It was a significant find for us. This is the largest firearms manufacturing operation that I have ever seen, and to my knowledge one of the biggest we've seen in the East Midlands, if not wider'. Police launched a probe into Hardy following his release from a 20-year prison sentence, which eventually unearthed that an operation he led had been supplying lethal weapons to organised crime groups in the West Midlands and Essex. Police say the assassination kits were also passed to career criminal Stephen Houston, 64, who sold them to underworld gangs. Police say one of the weapons was used by drug dealer Jason Hill, 23, to murder rival Owen Fairclough in June 2023. When police searched Hill's home they found a safe buried in the garden containing two guns with silencers and two dozen 9mm bullets. A court heard police believe Houston supplied him with the weapons which had been converted by Knowles. 'We will never know the true scale of how many lives have been saved as a result of us dismantling this operation, but it is significant'. In September 2008, Hardy gained notoriety when he was jailed for 20 years following in a major drugs trial that was guarded by armed police. That jury heard Hardy was one of three 'drugs generals' supplying heroin and amphetamines to dealers in Nottinghamshire. He had a fleet of luxury cars and owned more than 40 properties as part of a string of businesses. The court heard Hardy smuggled heroin into the UK in lorry tyres. The lucrative profits from selling the drugs were then split with John Dawes, and his brother and international drug trafficker Robert. Knowles, Hardy, Houston and Hill were convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Knowles, Hardy and Houston will also be sentenced for conspiracy to convert a blank firing gun into a firearm, and conspiracy to sell or transfer a firearm.
