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The Hunt is On...

We've turned this month's magazine into one big treasure hunt of clues and puzzles. If you think you're smart enough to solve all of them, you could bag yourself a free escape room at Escapologic...

Under Cover Artist: Stuart Jones

We’re back in print with a bang, and Stuart Jones’ cover – a love-letter to all things print – is the cherry on top of this 48-page cake. We chat with this month’s cover artist to find out more about his work...

Fancy Learning Something New? Confetti's Accessible Foundation Courses Have Got You Covered

During lockdown, many people have been using the time to reflect on what they want to do in life. If you’ve been one of them and are fancying a career change or even just want to learn something new, why not get yourself on one of Confetti’s courses... 

Notts Rebels: John Deane

Despite a long and illustrious naval career that saw him interact with the likes of Robert Walpole and Peter the Great, as well as being a key figure in the capture of Gibraltar, Wilford-born John Deane would always be associated with the events on Boon Island. For all the heroics and accolades he received afterward, it would be those 24 days of deception, shipwreck, murder and cannibalism that would haunt Captain Deane until the day he died…

An Undertaker in Notts

Ever wondered what life as an undertaker is really like?

Nottingham Arts Mela Returns to the New Art Exchange for Its 32nd Year

As Nottingham Mela Network, in partnership with New Art Exchange, gets ready to celebrate the 32nd year of Nottingham Arts Mela in the UK, Alex Stubbs previews the exciting, eclectic online programme of cooking, films featuring South Asian diaspora worldwide, music, dance, debates, poetry and spoken word, family art workshops, murals, archives activated, morning raags and yoga…

The Thompson Brothers on Amazon, Princess Beatrice and August Christmas Parties

LeftLion Football Podcast Episode 10: End of the Season

In the final episode of the season, Gareth calls Colin fresh from his Wembley heartbreak, as County miss out on promotion back into the football league. Things aren't much rosier across the Trent either, as they discuss Forest's recent capitulation in missing out on the playoffs in spectacular style. So what about the future for both clubs? Transfers in, transfers out and the wider issues around football ownership are all explored.

Object Walk: 1887 'Bloody Sunday' Bludgeon

We’ve teamed up with the National Justice Museum to put objects from the past into the hands of people of the present. This month, we took a bludgeon used during the 1887 Trafalgar Square protests – also known as Bloody Sunday – to Josh Osoro Pickering of the Nottingham Castle Trust.

Overheard in Notts

Big Baby's back on the prowl...

LeftLion Magazine #128

Featuring The Nottingham Project's Greg Nugent, a catch up with some of Nottingham's independent businesses, an XR Rebel in Notts, Nottingham Arts Mela preview, BACKLIT, Nottingham Refugee Forum at 20, Sally Longford on Notts being carbon neutral by 2028, Feixue Huangdu, Natalie Duncan and a treasure hunt of puzzles that could lead you to a free escape room...

How to get hold of a copy of LeftLion #128

Our magazine is back in print. But because so many venues are still closed you might find it a little harder to get hold of a copy than you did before. However, here’s some tips of where you can find it and few new ways you can get your hands on a copy

Notts Photographer Lamar Francois On Photographing Mindfully

You may have spotted Lamar Francois around Nottingham BC (before COVID) shooting a multitude of events, people and scenes with an approach that combines mindfulness in photography with a keen eye for getting the perfect shot. Alex Kuster caught up with the writer and photographer over Zoom to see how he’s been doing during lockdown, and what his future plans look like…

Out of Time: The Chilwell Catastrophe

It was one of the worst wartime disasters in British history, as well as the country’s biggest involving an explosion. The month marks the 102nd anniversary of the Chilwell Catastrophe, in which a World War One ammunition factory exploded, killing 134 Nottingham workers and injuring dozens more.

Penny Lane's Take a Pitcher It Will Last Longer Sangria Recipe

We may not be able to hog the 2p machines at Penny Lane on Fletcher Gate right now, but luckily you can mix up your own pitcher of their Sangria at home. It’s perfect for afternoon drinking in the sunshine, and – if you close your eyes really hard – you can try and imagine being on a Spanish beach instead of being in your back garden…

Queer Today, Gone Tomorrow: The LGBTQ+ Spaces Nottingham Has Lost

As Nottingham gets set to celebrate Pride 2020 in a very different, online-only way, it’s probably time to remember that the city hasn’t always had such an open gay scene. With a long history of secret bars, hidden backrooms and, erm, gay flats, it’s important to remember just how far Notts has progressed. We asked Chair of Nottingham Pride, Leigh Ellis, and David Edgley of Nottingham Rainbow Heritage to share their memories of some of the LGBTQ+ spaces we’ve lost...

Southwell Jewellery Store Last Night I Dreamt on Setting Up Shop, Significant Trinkets, and Sending Love During Lockdown

The bright lights of Nottingham’s city centre might not be quite as bright – or as busy – as they were six months ago. Yet, for one shop in Southwell, lockdown has been a little different. Nestled in North Nottinghamshire, Last Night I Dreamt is not only a curated collection of the best treasure that British brands have to offer, but is also a hive for jewellery lovers up and down the country. Our Fashion Editor, Anna Murphy, spoke to its owner, Rebecca Gibbions to find out more...

LeftLion Football Podcast Episode 9: Paul Severn

Gareth, Colin and Jim welcome Paul Severn to try to make sense of Forest's meltdown as they lose a grip on their playoff place. The team look forward to Notts County's upcoming playoff match as well as get excited by new signings at Mansfield. As well as continuing to reflect on lockdown mental health issues, there's also discussion on the situation at Wigan and the murky world of FFP.

Art Works: Naa Ahinee Mensah

Artist Naa Ahinee Mensah tells us about her George Floyd triptych...

Are Socially Distanced Raves the Future of Nottingham Nightlife?

This month, despite Nottingham’s bars and pubs reopening, the city’s nightclubs as we know them remain shut. Fortunately for all of the dancefloor addicts out there, some folks are coming up with a solution. Eileen Pegg speaks with promoters to understand what clubbing might look like in the current climate...

LeftLion Film Podcast #28 - The Lockdown Tapes: Part 1

Separated due to lockdown, hosts Ash and Derry virtually reminisce over some of their favourite and most humiliating moments from three years of the LeftLion Film Podcast. Featuring getting pied off by Vicky McClure, stalking Emilio Estevez, grilling Nick Frost about Captain Pugwash and plenty more... 

Happy Dough Lucky are Launching Vegan Doughnuts

Doughnuts. Just that one word alone can make you salivate. But sometimes when you sink your teeth into one, it doesn’t taste as good as it looks. Dry. Chewy. Not good stuff. The boys at Happy Dough Lucky – Sach, Lewis and TK – are aiming to change all that. They’ve spent a load of time perfecting their recipes and flavours, so their brand new vegan doughnuts are as delicious as can be. We chat to Sach Nijran about their upcoming launch and why you should give their bad boys a shot…

Nottingham Community Engagement Worker Josh Osoro Pickering on the Deep-Rooted Problems of Systemic Racism

English-Kenyan community engagement worker and writer Josh Osoro Pickering explores the deep-rooted problems of systemic racism, the impact of capitalism on black communities and why now is the time for change...

Art Works: Kai-Yan Lai

After bagging success at the Young Creative Awards, Kai-Yan Lai has earned himself a successful career behind the camera... 

The When We Worked at Raleigh Project Celebrates the Lives of the Factory's Black British Caribbean Workers

Whether it’s due to its legacy as one of Nottingham’s most quintessential institutions, or the place that Arthur Seaton so resented working, everyone knows that the Raleigh Factory is woven into the very fabric of Nottingham’s DNA. While much has been written about its iconic cultural status, often overlooked is the impact of its many Black British Caribbean workers. That’s where When We Worked at Raleigh, the archival project that has collated visual and audio histories of those workers and their relatives, comes in...