There was a movie that was filmed here, [there is so] much history in the village that not everybody's aware of. This project has been fantastic, opening all that up and getting a community vibe.
Thank you. Can you tell me a little bit about your family background and how you came to live in Calverton?
Okay, my parents live in the nearby village Woodthorpe. We came over here quite a lot when we were children - visiting [there used to be] this thing by the Spring Water cantonese restaurant - there used to be a strawberry field so they woudl bring us over there quite a lot during the summers picking strawberries and fresh fruit. There was always a park on Main Street that we used to stop off at afterwards, so even in my childhood, even though I didn't live here then, I always thought what a beautiful place.
[I] moved over here shortly after getting married bought a house where I've lived for 23 years now on Mansfield Lane.
When did the strawberry fields stop existing?
They've turned into a golf course now it's just by [] Lane by the Spring Water cantonese restaurant and there's a caravan site there where people actually live.
When you look back in your childhood memories do you feel like Calverton's changed quite a lot?
Absolutely, it's certainly expanded an awful lot. New housing and sometimes the infrastructure has not quite caught up with that as of yet but that's [...] it's in the pipeline. They have obviously expanded the GP practice and I've heard rumors that there's going to be another supermarket, maybe an Aldi or a Lidl built in the village but again that's in the pipeline. It's just got to, you know, supply and demand for the expansion.
Yeah, I work in the village as well at the local school. Yeah, it's a brilliant place.
What is one of the earliest memories of the village?
Yeah, as I mentioned in my parents brings over here and picking strawberries down just down the road. Yeah, we had loveliest times there in the summer. It had a little stream running through, it was like an orchard where you could pick apples and all sorts of fruits. So yeah, that was back in the mid-80s.
So living here and having and raising children in the village you get to know an awful lot of people.
We've got a dog as well which is fantastic because we're blessed with such lovely countryside around here for dog walking and I'm really into nature, you know, bird spotting and things. You can see all sorts around here.
What's your favourite place to go walking around here?
I tend to walk with my dog down in Oxten Woods which is just over onto the right way down there.
And what birds do you see - or hear?
Oh gosh, yeah, I've made a list of them. So far I've seen about 50 different species. We've seen Kingfishers and Red Kites and obviously Owls at night and all sorts […] Deer down there and Hares, yeah it's lovely. I really appreciate it -I love, I'm very outdoorsy myself so like being out and I quite, I like to keep fit and active so you know, walking and running with my dog through the fields and woods.
Would you say that's one of your favourite things about living in Calverton?
Yeah definitely it's got all the countryside right on your doorstep. Literally a five minute, two minute walk from my door and you're out in the fields and it's beautiful here. I couldn't live in the city definitely […] it's good that it's got close links to Nottingham as well so you don't feel like you've got to travel too far you know, feel work and whatnot.
I'm still working in a village and I also work at the school in Arnold as well, site staff, duties. So yeah and they've got good transport links with the Calverton Connection buses and yeah, very reliable. I couldn't think of a better place to live myself really.
Can you think of any downsides?
Yeah as I mentioned earlier probably with the expansion of the village, the infrastructure has been a little slow to catch up you know like maybe things [for] more vulnerable people, elderly and whatnot, getting GP appointments I've heard is sometimes quite a bit of an issue and, school catchment areas you know. I've known friends with children who are struggling to get their children into their school, local schools because it's over populated but that can be a bit of an issue I think.
If you were to think of the future of Calverton in say 25 years, what would be your hope for it?
Without taking away, you know obviously there is a need for new housing to be built and whatnot, but like I mentioned earlier the countryside around here is so stunning and another thing is you know that there's been green belt land that has been signed over for building on which there's been protests and things about, so it would be nice to see the village kind of you know the infrastructure catch up and then there's just being maybe a pause on the amount of housing being built.
It's kind of becoming more of a small town rather than a village and I'm sure this has been echoed throughout a lot of what the people have been saying as well you know just to put a hold on expansion- [maybe it's] a pipe dream that that will happen but yeah I'd like to see it just stabilize with the infrastructure - GPs and that. You know because nobody wants to see the green belt land and countryside built over do they?
Quite a lot of the older generation here have lived here since their childhoods now are they they remember that. I've seen pictures of my house - it was built in 1890 quite an old property but I've seen pictures of that from the 50s it's just like amazing how much it's changed even since then…