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Transphoria: a community-led refuge for Nottingham's trans youth

It can be hard to find support and community as a young person, especially if you are gender diverse and your peers and family might be struggling to support or understand you. Social group Transphoria exists to tackle that issue, providing a safe and inclusive space for trans and/or gender diverse youth. Frances Danylec finds out more about the work that they do… 

Green and pleasant land: how The Meadows is building sustainability and community health

Five years ago, the Notts suburb of The Meadows got a major funding boost to help the community live greener, richer lives and take local action on climate change. With that grant now ending, local resident Lottie Limb takes a look at what the Green Meadows project has achieved and how it can evolve.

Tattoo studio Good Mornink talk community, artistry and their upcoming charity flash day

Situated on the top floor of Hopkinson, one of Nottingham's most creative and quirky hangouts, tattoo studio Good Mornink is a welcoming community of international artists. Founder and Co-owner Melisa Büyük talks about turning dreams into the reality of owning a studio, and their upcoming charity flash day to raise money for Stonebridge City Farm...

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… 

How UK Indie Magazines Are Rebuilding Community After Social Media Burnout

Independent magazines never set out to become refuges. They simply carried on being themselves. Something shifted around 2022. Not dramatically — more like a slow leak. Readers, writers and creatives across the UK began quietly stepping away from their feeds, worn down by the noise, the algorithms, and the performative sense of connection that social media had long marketed as community. What they discovered instead surprised even the people offering it: print. Independent magazines never set out to become refuges. They simply carried on being themselves.

How Sneinton's Stonebridge City Farm connects the local community

Stonebridge City Farm is Nottingham’s only urban farm, located just around the corner from Sneinton Market. Home to piglets, goats, sheep, cows, turtles, and more, it’s also a rich community hub which welcomes 160 volunteers a week and hosts an impressive array of events. There’s also been recent news about an uncertain financial future for the farm – recently established CEO Rick Harrington tells us more, and reflects on what makes this space special.

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…

Interview with Andre Harris: 'Memory Making' fundraiser and his Power of Drums

Leftlion had the pleasure of catching up with community figure Andre Harris - well-known for supporting young people through his love of drums, and commitment as a youth worker and teacher. For years, Andre has worked with members of the Nottingham community for many years, but has sadly been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Now, Andre’s son, Tom, has organised a special fundraiser event for his dad, called Memory Making, hosted at Bestwood Lodge on Saturday 14 March...

Community champions: joining volunteer group Clean Champions on a litter pick

It’s March, so many of us are probably considering a spring clean of our homes. Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, however, are thinking in bigger terms, and running a litter picking initiative The Great British Spring Clean – set to be the nation’s biggest mass action environmental campaign. Taking part here in Notts are the Nottingham Clean Champions, a City Council-supported volunteer program – we join them on a litter pick… 

ThreadsXchange: the sustainable fashion event set to foster community in Nottingham

This month, a brand new stylists and designers market takes over the ground floor of Hyson Green’s New Art Exchange. Blending music, art, and sustainable fashion, Thread Xchange aims to make itself the antidote to perpetual fast fashion, doomscrolling, and in general, cultural habits that aren’t good for us and prevent us from connecting with other people. Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Ighofose, who founded the event, walks us through why Thread Xchange is well worth a visit.  

Exploring antiques, art and community treasure trove Hopkinson Vintage

Hidden gem Hopkinson could be described as what happens when a Victorian hardware store has a wildly creative midlife crisis - and we mean that in the best way. Part-shop, part-café bar, part-museum (and occasionally part-maze), this four storey antiques and art centre is packed with independent artists, vintage trinkets, handmade oddities, and curiosities you definitely didn’t plan on buying but absolutely will. Co-owner, Bryony Woodgates, talks about her tenure co-directing the space with Ash Hudson…

Born to run: the fast growing community within Embankment Run Club

Running has been having a renaissance moment of late; Gen Zers and Millennials are flocking to run clubs, Parkrun’s popularity has been steadily growing year on year, and the 2025 Robin Hood Half Marathon was the biggest one yet with over 14,000 participants involved. Matteo D’Alesio speaks to one of the city’s most vibrant running crews, Embankment Running Club, to hear how they value inclusion, sociability and safety over performance.

All is wells: a story of community planting in St Ann's

Pondering what’s giving him the positive feels going into 2026, our Environment Editor takes a walk (or more likely a cycle or skate) down St Ann’s Well to tell a small but inspirational tale of hope.

The Nest's BIG Football Quizaoke

School children plant tiny forest they hope community will "cherish to the heart"

School children and members of the local community have planted 3,000 trees at Bluecoat Beechdale Academy, laying the foundations for a ‘microforest’ that will enrich the area for generations.

How the Nottingham community is supporting Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa

Since hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica and Cuba in October, the Nottingham community has been working hard to raise money and gather aid. Sharon Stevens spoke to some of the organisers in Nottingham to find out how people have been helping and what can be done next...

We speak to Unite Nottingham about proposed reforms on disability rights

Jo Kingsley sat down with Leigh Woosey of Unite Community Nottingham to talk about the proposed reforms on disability rights and their potential impact on the people of Nottingham...

The Nottingham Cultural Exchange: a place of community and belonging

Whether you’re a student, international or otherwise, new to the city, and looking to make connections with people in the same boat as you, or if you’re an established Notts resident who likes the idea of broadening your cultural horizons, the Nottingham Cultural Exchange is bound to do something for you. Since 2019, the meetup group has provided a welcoming opportunity to share your respective language and culture (with a drink in hand, of course, if you so choose). With its current home being Juicebar on High Pavement, the event has only grown in popularity – Riya Pereira met the organizers… 

Air Source Heat Pumps Explained Workshop

SherWords: The Writing Group with Community and Connection at its Heart

"Sherwood is almost synonymous with Nottingham and Nottingham with writing." That's how Frances Thimann, a short story writer and member of the SherWords writing group, traces the link between the Nottingham area and the act of writing. This connection remains very much alive today in SherWords, a friendly, collaborative writing group rooted in the local community and sustained by their passion for literature... 

Home Energy Efficiency Event

Nottingham’s universities invite local residents with life and skills experiences to apply for community-focused research PhD projects

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the University of Nottingham (UoN) are inviting people from the local community to apply for paid, full-time PhD, and part-time Placement research projects that aim to improve the lives of communities across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire...

Primary talks about their new open exhibition and visual arts in the Lenton and Radford community

Primary  has a lot going on. After years of renting, the multi-purpose arts organization bought their own building in 2020 (no mean feat in a sector that’s often chronically underfunded), and have since enjoyed an incredible period of growth, with investment from Arts Council England kicking off an upgrade project for their pretty beautiful Grade II listed former school building. This month Primary will host an exciting new open exhibition, so we decided to find out more about the building and its connection with the local community.

Greening the streets: street artist Anna Wheelhouse on community and big canvases

Anna Wheelhouse is one of Nottingham’s most well-known street artists, with her signature, verdant nature-themed murals enlivening buildings and walls around the city, from pubs to parks to back gardens. We talked to her about her lifelong passion for the arts, and the benefits of working on a larger canvas. 

New Art Exchange's Community Kitchen is Offering Cuisine, Culture and Connection

Nottingham’s diverse communities are benefiting from an initiative that brings them together in an inclusive and welcoming space to enjoy healthy food, experience new cultures and forge new friendships in the city...