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How local class Deep Yoga is making mindfulness accessible

After finding Deep Yoga both deeply relaxing, and deeply difficult to master – especially when attempting to fashion a somewhat nonchalant expression during an unbalanced Half Moon Pose – Bridie Squires spoke to Dr Steven Athwal, Director of Deep Yoga in Nottingham, about his journey into yoga and why local studios matter more than ever… 

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...

Fine Fat Funk: Fat Digester talk thirty years of making music ahead of Beat the Streets

Not many Nottingham-based bands and acts can boast a thirty-year longevity, but Fat Digester certainly can. The eclectic, cool and funky collective have been making audiences move and groove in awe since the 90s, and have no intention of stopping or slowing anytime soon. We had a chat with frontman Paul 'Ned' Needham all about the band’s approaches, stage shows and very exciting future plans!

Hang Linton on making good trouble, second-hand iPods and playing Nottingham's woodworking studio

Ahead of their forthcoming gig at By Our Hands We Make Our Way this month, we caught up with Leeds-based interdisciplinary artist Hang Linton...

Artworks: Hallo Ceramics talks about their projects, inspirations and making a name in pottery

Popping up at this month’s Ay-Up Market, Heather Kirk of Hallo Ceramics talks us through their journey to becoming a ceramic artist.

We meet Emma Moore, the mind behind local tie making business Arsenic and Old Lace

Notts tie maker Emma Moore has been redefining the humble neck tie for almost a decade, with her statement handmade ties serving the perfect eye-catching piece to complete any outfit. Fashion editor Addie Kenogbon-Harley caught up with her to find out more about her business Arsenic and Old Lace, and how she’s putting her spin on this timeless classic with her collections inspired by Midlands towns.

The making of Sister Midnight: a multinational fable premiering at Broadway Cinema

Nottingham producers Alastair Clark of Wellington Films and Anna Griffin of Griffin Pictures have a wealth of projects to their names: A House in Jerusalem, Calibre, and The Levelling to name but a few. Ordinarily, their home is Nottingham’s very own Broadway Cinema, but their latest project Sister Midnight took them a little further afield. We met them to hear all about it…

From bean to bar: we tried a chocolate making workshop at Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates

Few foods have the emotional pull of chocolate. Just one bite of your favourite bar has the power to transport you back to the care-free days of childhood on a wave of chocolate-fuelled nostalgia. But what are the origins of this beloved sweet treat? Right here in Notts you can learn the story of bean to bar at Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates based in Sneinton Market. Lucy Campion went along to one of their chocolate workshops to discover more.

We speak to The Pastel Project about safety, healthcare, education, and making Nottingham a Trans Sanctuary City

Trans identities have become a huge news topic in recent years. Despite only 0.5% of the population reporting their gender identity and sex to be different than when registered at birth*, the media often leads us to believe that trans people pose a risk to the wider society, while trans people are rarely given a voice.

To learn more from the community themselves, we put some questions to Nottingham organisation The Pastel Project, to hear how they are looking to make Nottingham a Trans Sanctuary City, and understand their perspective on topics such as safety, law-making, healthcare, and education.

*respondents in the 2021 UK census

How Do the Processes of Making Music and Art Differ From One Another? We Find Out From 5 Nottingham Creatives

Louis Cypher asks five different Nottingham creatives how the need to make money affects their art, what the differences are in their creative processes, and whether they prefer one over the other...

Meet Ignite, the Organisation Who Have Been Unleashing Creative Sparks for 20 Years

Everyone has a creative spark that simply needs unleashing, and that’s where Ignite! come in. Along with organising the Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity, this Nottingham-based charity has been supporting young people to achieve their potential for twenty years. We spoke to the founder of it all, Rick Hall, for a ‘potted history’ of Ignite!, the lowdown on their unique Nottingham festival, and his outlook on creativity in our city…

To the City From the Sea: Jewellery Maker Hannah Bourn Chats Us Through Her Venture of Making Beautiful and Unique Jewellery

It’s always exciting to discover a new creative in Nottingham. Nature lover Hannah Bourn chats us through her venture of making beautiful and unique jewellery, and bringing a touch of the ocean to our landlocked city…

Meet New Perspectives, the Notts Touring Company Making Theatre Accessible for All

Taking the magic of the stage far and wide, New Perspectives is Nottingham’s touring theatre company - with the aim of sharing stories with all. We catch up with Angharad Jones, Sally Anne Tye, and Jayne Williams to talk about their recent productions, equality in theatre, and helping the community find their creativity…

Meet Giselle Leeb - the Notts Author Making Strides in Dystopian Fiction

Utilising classic dystopian, sci-fi and fantastical tropes, Nottingham’s Giselle Leeb has just published her first short story collection, Mammals, I Think We Are Called. Musing on what it means to be human in a modern age, it’s a weird, wonderful and often ambiguous anthology. We catch up with the author to talk about environmental themes, genre bending and her philosophy as an author…

We Chat With Emily Campbell, the Nottingham Weightlifter Making Sports History

Emily Campbell made sporting history in Tokyo when she won the first ever British Olympic medal for female weightlifting. The Bulwell native chats to us about her journey to silverware, the messages she uses her platform to promote, and her expectations for Paris 2024…

How NTU’s Dryden Enterprise Centre are Making a Home For the Future of Work

The world of work is a fast-changing place, and a lot of people are rethinking the old nine-five office-based life. Leading the way forward, we check out co-working, co-location, and city centre business hub, Nottingham Trent University's Dryden Enterprise Centre…

We Dive Into Nottingham Forest’s History-Making Season, Which Saw Them Return to the Premier League for the First Time in 8,414 Days

A kebab shop with a firework-fuelled marketing masterstroke. Depeche Mode blaring from passing cars. Our right-back’s mother carried shoulder high in her Calippo-fluorescent replica shirt rhyming ‘shite’ with ‘dynamite’. Red smoke. Handwritten plans taped to a water bottle wrapped in a towel. Que sera, sera…

We Took a Trip to the Nottingham Caesars to Learn More about American Football, the History of The Club and Making International News

It’s fair to say that the rise of American Football in the UK has been meteoric. From the NFL regularly playing games at Wembley Stadium, to viewing figures and Google searches rising year after year, the sport now has an estimated 27,000 active players in the country. And Nottingham is no exception. Established in 1984, the Nottingham Caesars are one of the oldest American Football clubs in the UK, playing in the BAFA National League NFC South. We caught up with Caesars’ defensive linesman and Gameday Co-Manager Jamie Gatley to talk about the past, present and future of the club, and how a group of hungry mice recently helped the club gain international press…

Drag Queen Kitty Tray Chats Fashion, Consent and Making a Statement

Ditching high-heels and corsets for fluffy slippers and baby doll dresses, Kitty Tray has never been one to follow the usual trends in drag fashion. We catch up with Ashley Cross to talk sausage necklaces, how he goes about choosing what his drag alter-ego will wear, and why Kitty Tray refuses to be a dedicated follower of fashion…

Gluttony: "Making Sure Farmers Get Paid Well Is Really Important to Me." How Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates Is Hoping to Change a Broken Industry

Most people love a bit of chocolate, don’t they? But not everyone knows the problematic practises driving one of the world’s most valuable industries. We dive into the darker side of the tasty treats and chat to Luisa Vicinanza-Bedi, of Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates, about how she’s fighting back against controversial confectionery corporations...

Pola - The Notts Company Making Sustainably-Sourced Ice Lollies

We talk to the brains behind Pola, the Nottingham independent company creating sustainably-sourced ice lollies filled with plenty of tasty homegrown ingredients...