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(Not) Driving Home for Christmas: Nottingham's Expats On Their First Christmas Away from Loved Ones

The never-ending merry-go-round of Government lockdowns, tiers and regulation changes mean that, for many of us, it’s beginning to look like Christmas 2020 will be very different. Continuing travel restrictions and limits on the numbers of people who can gather have ensured that, for some Notts residents, Christmas will be spent away from their loved ones for the very first time…

Rock City at 40: George Akins on Nottingham's Best Loved Venue

Nottingham’s legendary nightclub and live music venue Rock City turns forty this month, but celebrations will be quieter than usual due to the pandemic. We couldn’t let the occasion pass without a chat with owner George Akins of DHP Family about the history of Nottingham’s most famous music venue...

Collaborative Future's Internship Programme Is Creating a More Inclusive Work Future

Here's how you can get involved...

Nottingham Playhouse's Adam Penford on This Year's Live and Online Pantomime, Cinderella

Cinderella will go to the ball! The Nottingham Playhouse panto will be going ahead this Christmas, despite the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown. It will look a little different – and, for the first time in years, there is a new writer/director at the helm: Artistic Director, Adam Penford. Our Stage Editor Rebecca Buck caught up with him for a chat...

Nadia on... Homelessness in Nottingham

In her monthly LeftLion column, Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, discusses issues effecting both Nottingham and Westminster. This month, she discusses the issue of homelessness in Nottingham, and the role local organisations play in combatting it... 

A Big Issue Vendor in Notts

"You’ve got to be a positive person in this job; at least, I think you do. You want people to buy mags from you because they want to, not because they feel guilty."

Review: Nottingham International Film Festival 2020

Roshan Chandy reports from the online Nottingham International Film Festival, whose format could signal the future for film festivals worldwide.

Season's Greenings: How to Have a Sustainable Christmas This Year

This December, Carbon Neutral Nottingham are sharing green-fingered tips with the help of local businesses...

Tim Bryn Smith on TAWN-19, The Actors Workshop Nottingham's new, socially-distanced film

Our Screen Co-Editor George White speaks to Tim Bryn Smith, founder of The Actors Workshop Nottingham, about their new, socially-distanced film, TAWN-19...

Shop Local This Christmas: 24 Gifts You Can Buy From Nottingham Independents

Christmas is going to be an odd one this year – you may not be able to see friends or family, and going around the shops won't be quite like normal. Our local sellers have had an odd time this year too, and need us to help them now more than ever...

PSpowage Art Gallery Relocates to Mansfield Road

You might be used to seeing original artworks placed on canvases as you walk through Byard Lane, off Bridlesmith Gate. PSpowage Art Gallery has been based here since 1998, but due to recent pressures, you’ll now find Pete Spowage’s shop, gallery and studio on Mansfield Road. He tells us more about the history of his gallery, and why he’s relocating after over twenty years...

MOIST: Notts’ Newest Independent Publisher

Sarah Smith tells us about Notts’ newest independent publisher MOIST, and why regional publishing is on the rise...

Food Review: Le Mistral

My friends and I wanted to go somewhere special, while at the same time supporting a local business. For us, there was no better choice than Le Mistral in Sherwood...

Ex-Kemet FM Host and Twitter Enthusiast Tony Bates is Leaving Nottingham

Kemet FM host, graphics company owner, Police Commissioner candidate and Twitter enthusiast; Tony Bates has spent the last 22 years in Nottingham, and has been both a catalyst and an observer of change. This month, he bids the city farewell to become Scarborough’s answer to Basil Fawlty. We had a catch up about his best moments here over the last two decades…

5 Nottingham Artists to Listen to This Month

The latest Nottinghamshire releases... 

Lee and Fletcher Have Been Roasting Coffee in Basford for Thirty Years

There’s nothing like taking a sip of a proper cup of coffee. The tantalising scent as it hits your throat, warm and bitter, utterly smooth and delicious. Jim Lee knows all about that – he supplies coffee to some of the city’s best bars and restaurants like Bar Iberico, Copper, and the Hockley Arts Club, making sure you get the perfect caffeine fix. To celebrate him reaching thirty years of doing just that, we took a gander down to the Lee and Fletcher warehouse to have a chat with him about how they handle the good stuff…

The Council Wants Your Suggestions on What Should Happen Next to Broadmarsh

They're all ears…

Silver Linings: Bone Arrow's Clare Gregory on Crystals, Workshops and Life in Sneinton Market

They say that if you treat the universe with the respect it deserves, it’ll treat you right back. That couldn't be more clear than in the case of Clare Gregory of Bone Arrow – after years of working full-time as an MUA, she went on to launch her first collection of silver, gothic-inspired jewellery. The business has gone from strength to strength, and at the beginning of 2020 she opened her first physical store in Sneinton Market. Our Assistant Editor caught up with her about all things C, bad vibes and divine intervention… 

Creating Community at Artist Studio The Carousel

Have you spotted the new faces in town? The vibrantly-coloured, imaginatively shaped characters have brightened up the corner of Hockley Street, representing the creative community you can find inside the curved building below. They are the new faces of The Carousel, a multi-disciplinary artist's studio…

Poet Anthony Anaxagorou on Surrealism and Nottingham Poetry Festival 2020

As part of this year’s stellar online Nottingham Poetry Festival line-up, we chat to Anthony Anaxagorou: publisher, writer, poetry educator, Eliot Prize nominee and all-round prolific wordsmith. We talk lockdown, surrealism and his new book How To Write It...

Lone: Filmmakers Luke Radford and Toby Curson on Their New Promotional Short Film for Emmanuel House

Filmmakers Luke Radford and Toby Curson and Emmanuel House fundraising officer Rosie Needham-Smith tell us about the support centre’s new promotional short film, Lone…

Enter the Nottingham Poetry Hunt and Win Goodies from Rough Trade, Five Leaves Bookshop, Metronome and More...

Like a beacon of light in a seemingly endless sea of darkness, Nottingham Poetry Festival is back with (at time of printing) a nine-day programme of online events, performances and workshops. As part of this year’s festival, you can bag yourself some goodies by taking part in a poetry hunt around the city. 

Simply use the clues to work out these Nottingham venues – there’s treasure in poetic form waiting to be dug up in their windows, websites and social media pages.

Nottingham Music Hub Partners with Open Orchestra For New Orchestral Project

Children with Severe, Profound and Complex Learning difficulties at Oak Field School are part of a year long project, showcasing “the power of music to reach us all”.

Nottingham BID on Their Five Year Plan for Nottingham Businesses

After securing an overwhelming victory in the recent ballot, Nottingham Business Improvement District is set to continue supporting businesses in the city for at least another five years. We caught up with BID Manager Lucy Stanford to find out more about their plans for the future…

DiY Goodbye: A Tribute to Pete 'Woosh' Birch

Last month Nottingham (and the worldwide free party scene) said goodbye to Pete ‘Woosh’ Birch after a long battle with cancer. A driving force of the DiY Soundsystem, one half of the DJ duo Digs and Woosh and the founder of Spirit Wrestlers. Pete’s oldest friend Harry Harrison tells us about his remarkable life…