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40 years of Notts County FC's Lifeline scheme

Notts County FC’s Lifeline scheme is an independent volunteer-run lottery and fundraising scheme, launched forty years ago this month, to support the football club through financial difficulties. Members pay £2 per week and are entered into a range of lottery draws and receive access to events, stadium tours, a training session, hospitality offers and more…

Theatre Review: The Mantrap at Theatre Royal

Set on a wet and wild winter night, a desperate husband is searching for his missing wife and is confronted by a woman claiming to be her... 

Preview: Our Story at Nottingham's Libraries.

Our Story is a creative heritage project currently touring our local libraries that celebrates the lives of the county's trans and gender diverse people. Rosalie Spring the Project Producer and Director Jo Tyabji talk Left Lion through the event...

Theatre Review: Anybody For Murder at Theatre Royal Nottingham

Murder, mayhem and mistaken identities are all tangled together in a cynical comedy from two of British TV’s finest writers, as part of this year's Classic Thriller Season...

Left Magpie: The 2026 Season Preview

Left Brian: The 2026 Season Preview

The Classic Thriller Season Returns to Theatre Royal Nottingham

The Classic Thriller Season is a long-running annual summer repertory tradition at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, featuring live stage performances of comedy murder mysteries and psychological thrillers. It's back this month with three plays that will offer your annual quota of puzzles and adrenalin rushes...

Left Stag: The 2026 Season Preview

August sees the new football season begin for our three local league teams: Mansfield Town, Notts County and Nottingham Forest. Following a summer of World Cup action it’s back to the day-to-day and hopefully hydration breaks, interference from Donald Trump and middle of the night kick-offs will all be a thing of the past. Our regular fan columnists Josh, Julian and Gareth are all on the case to let you know what you can expect from their teams… 

Punk, sustainability, physical theatre and opera on screen: here's what's on in Notts this week: events 6 - 12 July

We've got quite the variety of events happening this week, from opera on screen and DIY punk gigs with Bad Milk Blood Robot to theatre infused with circus skills. Here's our top picks...

Left Magpie: Notts County season review 2026

Our Notts County FC columnist gives a run down of the team’s successful 2025-26 season, whilst also trying to cram in as many literature and poetry references as possible…

Splendour Festival preview: In Conversation with Editors

They are arguably one of the most underrated bands in Britain. For over two decades, Birmingham alt-rock outfit Editors have barely put a foot wrong - from forging a consistently exciting and eclectic discography, to always delivering with their euphoric and pulsating live shows. With their eighth studio album, Surface, Echo & Sound, due for release in October and the band set to join Snow Patrol to close out the final ever Splendour Festival in style, we caught up with Editors’ bassist and founding member Russ Leetch, to discuss their storied career, their forthcoming new album and performing in Nottingham through the years…

Sam Heaton talks turning Notts County's The Nest into a versatile live events venue

In 2024 Notts County FC turned an old metal fabricators warehouse next to their stadium into a state-of-the-art live events venue. Thus The Nest was born and has since led a double life as a football fanzone and as a major player in Nottingham’s live music and events scene. We spoke to their events manager Sam Heaton about those last two years and their big plans for the future…

Preview: Inside Papillons' Radical Approach to Openness at Lakeside Arts

Papillons, coming soon to Lakeside Arts, is a collaboration between music makers Manchester Collective and the dance-theatre company Thick & Tight. Leftlion interviews the artists for an insight into what is billed as 'a performance like no other'...

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #16: Notts County’s James Belshaw on his career, coming home and how he nearly signed for Notts several times before

This episode we are joined by Notts County FC goalkeeper James Belshaw who talks about his career, coming home to play for Notts County FC and how he nearly signed for Notts several times before...

Notts County goalkeeper James Belshaw on his storied life in football

Born and raised in Clifton in a Notts County-supporting household, James Belshaw took a circular route to finally becoming Notts County’s goalkeeper. After dropping out of the Magpies youth system in 2005, at the age of 35 he finally signed for the club last January. This followed a journey via the USA, the English National Leagues, two play-off final wins for Harrogate (including one against Notts), and player of the season award at the Bristol Rovers…

From grassroots gigs to arena shows: Here's what's on in Nottingham, 12 - 18 January

January: a quiet month? Not in Nottingham. This week the city stays busy as ever, with nationally loved bands playing shows and smaller gigs taking place at local venues. If you're suffering from January blues there's bound to be something here that will banish them...