OMTRA HISTORY

1997 - Neighbours invited to a meeting at Anne Sills house in Eckington Terrace to discuss the formation of a Tenants and Residents Association.

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1998 - OMTRA was formed. Survey and questionnaire was sent to all residents. Residents wanted better street lights, security gates and pavement resurfacing. The results of the survey were sent to the City Council.

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1999 - A Hanging Basket project was undertaken and 375 baskets with plants were put up in the area with the help of Probation Services.

 

2000 - New street lights were put up.

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2001 - Security gates were fitted at all alleyways and fencing to rear of properties erected.

 

2002 - CCTV  cameras were put up.

 

2003 - Residents of Eckington Terrace entered Nottingham in Bloom and won a Gold Award. Residents of Eckington Terrace celebrated the Queens Jubilee with a street party in the terrace.

 

2004 - Residents of Eckington Terrace won a second Gold Award in Nottingham in Bloom Radio Nottingham broadcast their Gardening programme from Eckington Terrace in May. OMTRA supported the campaign against the closure of Portland Leisure Centre. OMTRA opposed the Parking Permit scheme at the request of residents and as a result this did not go ahead.

 

2005 - BBC’s Gardeners World Roadshow with Monty Don was broadcast from Eckington Terrace.  Eckington Terrace won their third Gold Award in Nottingham in Bloom. Residents also helped A Sustainability Fun Day in the terrace in June. OMTRA asked the council to contact the owner of derelict shops and request them to clean them up. Creation by the OMTRA committee of a Wildflower Garden at the corner of Glapton Road and Wilford Crescent West.OMTRA contacted the City Council, Highways and Councillors and made them aware of the bad state of pavements and certain roads in the area.  Holgate Road was resurfaced.

 

2006 - A Half Planter project was undertaken and 100 planters put up with the help of Probation Services. OMTRA contacted Streetscene requesting new litter bins. OMTRA won East Midlands in Bloom Neighbourhood Award – Outstanding.  Barnsley Terrace won a Gold Award for the Best Community Garden. 

 

2007 - Barnsley Terrace won Gold Award in Nottingham in Bloom. OMTRA won a Gold Aware in the Blooming, Beautiful Neighbourhood category.  OMTRA received a Certificate of Merit from East Midland in Bloom Neighbourhood awards.  A Hanging Basket workshop took place in Eckington Terrace.  Large Planters made by Probation Services were put in various locations. A new fence was erected at the end of Barnsley Terrace. Vandalised communal fencing was repaired by Probation Services. Pavements resurface in the area and new drainage channels installed. The Terrace roads were resurfaced.

 

2008 - A Hanging Basket workshop took place in Eckington Terrace. OMTRA committee held a litter pick and tidy up of the wildflower garden.  A new knee-high wooden rail fence was put around the garden by the NEAT team. A walkabout took place with Area 8 representatives covering the whole of the Old Meadows to identify if there were any alleyways still without security gates.  Barnsley Terrace won a Gold award in Nottingham in Bloom. OMTRA was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the East Midlands in Bloom neighbourhood competition. Eckington Terrace won Silver Gilt.

 

THE NEXT 12 YEARS: 2009-2020

 

OMTRA committee members and Council Officers were given the opportunity to visit the CCTV centre in Radford to see how this is monitored.

 

We complained about the state of the Bulwell stone walls on Wilford Grove. These were repaired and rebuilt by the owners.

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We enquired if new houses built on Wilford Grove and Wilford Crescent West would have Bulwell stone walls at the front and happily they have.

 

We reported problems with the new drainage channels on the pavements. These were rectified – but it’s still ongoing.

 

We purchased a large plaque for the OMTRA Cottage Garden.

 

We had a meeting the Lilian Greenwood MP and directors from Nottingham City Homes regarding the state of some Nottingham City Homes properties in our area and were successful in getting these moved up the list for Decent Homes Standard.

 

The Toll Bridge pub was demolished.  

 

We held a community planting day in Eckington Terrace.  Pansies were supplied by Woodthorpe Park Nurseries.

 

We requested more benches for the Victoria Embankment and two were put in place around the playing field.

 

We complained about empty and derelict properties and one property has been brought back into use.

 

Anne Sills, founder member of OMTRA, died suddenly on 19th October, 2011. A tree was planted in the Memorial Gardens in her memory.

 

Bookmarks were produced by OMTRA featuring other community groups and services in the Meadows.

 

OMTRA requested a community notice board for the corner of Wilford Grove and Bathley Street.

 

We asked if the heritage cast iron road signs could be repainted as they hadn’t been done for many years.

 

OMTRA bought black and gold paint and asked if any residents would volunteer to paint their alleyway gates. One resident on Holgate Road did his gates and another resident on Glapton Road offered to do his and ended up painting every gate on the road.

 

Trees were offered by Woodthorpe Park and we obtained two that were planted on the corners of Holgate Road.  Sadly the one on the Wilford Grove corner was vandalised and had to be removed. Another tree has since been planted and seems to be doing well.

 

We undertook a bench project for the terraces on Glapton Road with funding supplied by Nottingham City Homes.

 

The Old Pavilion on the embankment was demolished as it was beyond refurbishment and did not meet with today’s building regulations.  A new pavilion has since been built on the side of the field.

 

We went on a tour of the neighbourhood together with Police, Councillors, Enforcement Officers and Council officers to identify empty and rented properties that were in a bad state of repair.  A boundary wall in the entry off Attercliffe Terrace was identified as dangerous and this has now been strengthened and repaired.

 

We were successful in getting a further two new benches for the embankment. One was put alongside the field on Bathley Street and the second on Wilford Grove.

 

One of the blossom trees on Wilford Grove had to be removed due to disease so we asked if it could be replaced with a similar tree, which it was. Sadly not long after being planted this tree was snapped in half and had to be removed.

 

Sadly our treasurer and long standing committee member, Eric Allsebrook, died on 11th July 2017.

 

Once again OMTRA entered the terraces in East Midland in Bloom It’s Your Neighbourhood Awards and were successful in getting Level 5 Outstanding. New plants have been put in the OMTRA garden and we try to go down whenever possible.

 

We are aware that fly-tipping and rubbish dumping is an ongoing thing and we keep reporting this to the authorities.

 

We will continue to pursue empty properties in the area.

 

We continue to monitor the use of the field by cars and motor bikes and report this whenever it happens.

 

OMTRA worked hard to gain Conservation status for the Old Meadows and this was granted in 2020.