I visited this tiny Nottinghamshire village to find out how it is punching well above its weight

In fairness to those not paying attention, the tiny village can be said to lack a central focal point owing to it being split either side of the busy A60 through road.

The picturesque spot, located between Mansfield and Worksop, also boasted a miniscule population of just 215 in the 2001 census and is perhaps easier to miss than most as a result.

But what this charming area of North Notts may lack in terms of numbers and compact location it more than makes up for in history and community spirit.

Jackie, who runs the delightfully old fashioned Jac’s Cafe and Village Store on Maltkiln Row, has been in the village for 26 years and finds it a rather pleasant place to call home.

“It is a quiet village. There is a dam up the road, a pub and cricket club across the road, a school down the lane, so it’s all in one place,” she said.

“The people are friendly and not much has changed in our time here.”

Several buildings in Cuckney are listed as features of historical interest, including St Mary's Church and the dam by Cuckney Mill, which is now home to Cuckney Church of England Primary School and its 140 or so children.

Learning about where we are from is an important part of life and school history lessons at Cuckney CofE certainly have plenty of fascinating tales from their own doorstep to learn about if they so choose.

St Mary's Church, located over the other side of the A60 from the school in Norton Cuckney, contains the remains of Cuckney Castle, which was a motte and bailey fortress founded by Thomas de Cuckney.

The castle was razed after The Anarchy in the reign of King Stephen, but faint signs of what once stood are still in evidence.

Going further back in time it’s also believed that the Battle of Hatfield Chase took place nearby on 12 October 633.

The exciting claims surfaced following the discovery of a mass burial of 200 people beneath the church in the 1950s, and due to the links of Edwinstowe, named after king Edwin who died in the battle.

Next to this fascinating church lies the village hall which has once again become the hub of the village thanks to good old fashioned community spirit and people pulling together.

It’s something Nancy Wright, who is the chairman of Norton, Cuckney, Holbeck and Welbeck Parish Council, is rightly very proud of.

“It’s taken two years of an awful lot of hard work. We had a village hall that was in danger of closing,” she said.

“The village hall had fallen into a state of disrepair and most of the groups had left. We have worked hard to raise the funds to get it back to where it was.

“Twelve of us came on board from the village and we have spent two years organising events and fundraising to get to the point where we have regular hirers and it is now starting to pay for itself.

“It’s been a joint effort by a lot of people and something to be proud of. It has been a lovely experience. It was really interesting to see that on the first quiz night we had 85 people turn up. It was a sign of people saying the place is worth saving and that they value it. It is really heart-warming.”

Team spirit is an asset that Cuckney Cricket Club possesses in spades and something they have used effectively to help put the area in a wider spotlight.

The club have lifted five Notts Premier League titles over the last 15 summers, but their grandest moment came when they won the ECB National Club Championship at the world-famous Lord’s in dramatic fashion in 2023.

Richard Bostock, who is now the club’s director of cricket, has seen first hand the rise of the club.

“When I first started with the club, Cuckney was just a small team and we found it difficult to find players wanting to play for us with us being in the north of the county,” he said. “Since then our profile, and facilities, has gone from strength to strength.

“A lot of people routinely pass by without knowing what is going on, but we have a lot going on at the club and a good social scene with the events that take place off the field.

“We have five adult teams, a female team and a huge junior set-up and we want to see more people coming down to get involved, because there is a place for everyone here at Cuckney.

“It fills us with plenty of pride to see the kids coming through in the junior sections and into the first team. There is a sense of belonging at the club and we are proud to represent the village.”

They are two games from Lord’s once again after making it to the quarter-finals of the Cawston Press Village Cup with victory of Quatt from Shropshire once again showing that Cuckney has an awful lot to offer.