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Binks Yard Film Club - Bridget Jones Diary

Red Sea FC: the refugee football team building community through the beautiful game

Red Sea FC are a hardworking local football team. Founded in 2019, they provide a welcoming found- family and shared cause for refugees living in Nottingham. Freya Peters heads to the Forest Rec to meet founder Ezedin Osman to find out what motivates him and how the players are finding community far away from home… 

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…

The Nest's BIG Football Quizaoke

We catch-up with legendary local commentator Colin Fray as Nottingham Forest returns to European football

Across three turbulent decades at Nottingham Forest, one voice has remained constant: BBC commentator Colin Fray. For Forest fans, he’s been a companion through the chaos - narrating from the end of the Clough years to the lows of League One, then back again; to the highs of the Premier League and now Forest’s long-awaited return to European football. We spoke to him about his journey behind the mic…

Bridget Jones Diary

Blue Peter stars, football tournaments, and immersive adventures: Gloworm Festival unveils its most expansive lineup yet

Gloworm Festival is one of the most well loved fixtures in Nottingham's summer calendar - a dedicated family event that each year welcomes 20,000 visitors to Thoresby Park, in the heart of Nottinghamshire. With their most jam-packed line-up yet recently unveiled, we've provided you with some highlights at this year's instalment. 

Indie rock, surrealism, and charity football: Here's what's on in Nottingham, 23 -29 June

Whether you're a gig-goer, someone interested in experimental art, or just searching for something for your whole family to do, there'll be something for you in Nottingham this week.

The halcyon days of printed matchday programmes and a long-forgotten 1980s Notts County football tournament

In an increasingly technology-driven era in football, Julian McDougall harks back to the halcyon days of the printed matchday programme and a long-forgotten 1980s football tournament Notts County took part in…

Grassroots: How a Nottingham Football Film Tells a Tale of Resilience

We spoke to local film producer Ben Fletcher about his short film, She Will Play On, which had its Midlands debut at Short Stack festival at Broadway last Sunday. The film is a story of an extraordinary young girl who pushes past the barriers between her and her dreams. Behind this seemingly local tale is a universal one, underpinned by something as unexpected as an avant-garde Danish film movement, that shows us that limitations don’t always hinder us, but can push us to do something remarkable…

The Beautiful Game: Notts County through the photographer’s lens

John Anderson is a professional photographer with a passion for Notts County FC. After years of corporate jobs and taking photos of Queen Elizabeth, in 2016 he decided to pursue a passion project and take photos at Meadow Lane. However, his focus is usually on the crowd rather than on the pitch… 

Friends, football, and poetry

With male loneliness widespread in our modern age, award-winning poet Lewis Buxton comes to Nottingham to share his very personal struggles and how he found a way forward... 

Breaking ground: we catch up with Nottingham Forest Women

Forest Women are no strangers to the top of the table. The dream of climbing the ranks to the Women’s Super League is aspirational, but with the recent announcement that  Nottingham Forest  Women will be a full-professional club by 2025/26, now feels within reach. Megan Hill caught up with Amber Wildgust, Head of Women and Girls Football at Nottingham Forest, to find out what turning pro means for the future of the club, both on and off the pitch.

From alt-rock and grunge, to football and surrealism. Here's what's on in Nottingham, 23 -29 September

There's no shortage of energetic gigs, side-splitting comedy, or thought provoking art and design shows, to keep you busy in Notts this week. Here's what's on. 

Gig review: American Football at Rock City

25 years ago, four friends from Champaign, Illinois formed a band, made a record together and then headed off to college - not once thinking of the potential impact of their music. Little did they know that album would go on to become a seminal masterpiece, one that would inspire a whole genre, as well as a new generation of artists and legions of fans all around the globe. Now travelling the world in 2024 celebrating that album’s quarter century, American Football stopped by Rock City to play their iconic LP1 in full…

American Football

We caught up with The Art of Football about their collaboration with Self Esteem about domestic abuse

In a recent campaign with Rebecca Lucy Taylor - AKA musician Self Esteem - Nottingham based designers The Art of Football have designed a football shirt to open up a conversation about domestic abuse. Head of Brand Kelvyn Quagraine and designer Nicole Kaminska spoke with LeftLion to reflect on the collaboration and football’s light and dark side.

The Secret Diary of Henry VIII

The best Nottingham pubs, bars and venues to watch Euro 24

Euro 2024 kicks off on 14 June with both England and Scotland representing the home nations in the tournament. Here’s our guide to bars and venues around the city where you might want to watch the games…

How local football team Fanzines United FC was created from a conversation in Selectadisc record shop

In 1990 a conversation in Selectadisc record shop led to a group of Notts County and Nottingham Forest fanzine creators putting their rivalries aside to form a football team together. Fanzines United FC was formed and is still going strong to this day. Andy Lowe, founder of the Tricky Tree fanzine explains how it happened…

A Celebration of Nottingham Football Fanzines

We Speak to Jim Cooke, Co-founder of 1980s-2000s Notts County Football Fanzine The Pie

Merging football, music and real ale, Notts County fanzine The Pie took football back to the community when it ran over 87 issues from the late 80s to the late 00s. We speak to one of the original founders Jim Cooke about the history of the publication...

Left Stag: April

A History of Notts County fanzines

For a relatively small league club Notts County more than punched its weight in fanzines. The Pie was the dominating one in the scene, but there were quite  a few others over the years…

We Speak to Julie Pritchard, Creator of 1980s-90s Nottingham Forest Football Fanzine Brian

It’s the late ‘80s, the internet doesn’t exist yet, and neither does the Premier League. However, the community around local football clubs is strong and one avid supporter, Julie Pritchard, decides it’s time for a Nottingham Forest fanzine. Thus Brian is born lasting eight years and 47 issues…