LeftLion August 2026 Issue 198

#198 AUGUST 2026

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Credits

Featured Contributor Editor Head Designer Sophie Gargett Natalie Owen (sophie.gargett@leftlion.co.uk) (natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk)

Footb-Al Alan Gilby (alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk)

Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson (jared.wilson@leftlion.co.uk)

Editorial & Marketing Assistant Caradoc Gayer (caradoc.gayer@leftlion.co.uk)

Music Co-Editor Phil Taylor (music@leftlion.co.uk)

Music Co-Editor Karl Blakesley (music@leftlion.co.uk)

Fashion Editor Addie Kenogbon-Harley (fashion@leftlion.co.uk)

Stage Co-Editor Dom Henry (dom.henry@leftlion.co.uk)

History Editor CJ DeBarra (history@leftlion.co.uk)

Environment Editor Adam Pickering (environment@leftlion.co.uk)

Stage Co-Editor Ian C. Douglas (ian@leftlion.co.uk)

Literature Co-Editor Grace Sanders (literature@leftlion.co.uk)

Literature Co-Editor Katherine Monk-Watts (literature@leftlion.co.uk)

Food Co-Editor Julia Head (food@leftlion.co.uk)

Food Co-Editor Lucy Campion (food@leftlion.co.uk)

Photography Co-Editor Sam Tariq (photography@leftlion.co.uk)

Photography Co-Editor Dani Bacon (photography@leftlion.co.uk)

Screen Editor Emily Davies (screen@leftlion.co.uk)

Sports Editor Reuben Moynihan-Case (sport@leftlion.co.uk)

Community Editor Frances Danylec (community@leftlion.co.uk)

Investigator of... football Matt Blaney

Distribution Dom Martinovs Ben Chapman Poppy Wildman

thanks to all our contributors...

Cover Art Lucy Holt Editorial Interns Lauryn Wilson Amelia Cropley

Writers Tessa Duell Nadia Whittome Victor Russell Georgia Hamblett Joshua Pickering Gareth Watts Julian McDougall Rachel Bond Alice Calcraft Robin Stefanescu Ellie Ebbs Lewis Oxley Claire Spencer Dr Natalie Braber

Photographers Lux Gagos Susan Geary Colin Haynes Before Sunset Studio Marcus Rowlands Move Over Productions David Baird Anna Critchley Sarah Harbour Anne Elcock Operetta Higgs Roger Mark Kay Felicia Brown Luke Nathan

Illustrators Emily Catherine Lily Keogh Ilinca Sivoglo Veronica Nilsson

Victor Russell is a music journalist with a degree in Popular and Contemporary Music and a background in public relations, event management and performance (under the name Keane Baldwin). Though only 23, he’s worked across multiple major UK cities working with and writing for acts such as English Teacher, Westside Cowboy and Midnight Rodeo.

Victor is passionate about music of all genres and takes any opportunity to both immerse himself in it and share his excitement about music with others.

Supporters These people #SupportLeftLion 123 Learning, 35A Creative, Aaron Murray, Alan Underwood, Alex McFarlane, Alison Gove-Humphries, Alison Hedley, Alison Knox, Anamenti, Andrew Button, Audrey & Lizzy & Margot, Ash A & Merro Events, BadGrammar MakesMeSic, Barbara, Barbara Morgan, Ben Martin Saxophone, Ben Stewart, Beth and Cam, Big Bob McPlop, Carl Inglis, Caroline, Caroline Le Sueur, Cat Kearney, Cerys Gibson, Charlie Baylis, Chris Jarvis, Chris Newman, Chris Underwood, Claire Foss, Clare Foyle, Cyra Golijani-Moghaddam, Dan Hemmings, David Belbin, David Knight, Dominic Morrow, Donna RoweMerriman, Dorothy Kurpanik, Eden PR, Erika Diaz Petersen, F C and E Ledger, GC, Gemma Barfoot, Grant Butterworth, Grass Roots Garden Care, Graye Wilde, Half Moon Holistics, Harry Turner, Hayley Howard, Holden Johnson, Holly's Merry Moggies, Hosking Family, Ian Carroll, Ian Phillips, Ian Storey, Ian Yanson, Ian Webster, Jack Moore, James Horsley, James Place, James Verran, Janine Lees, Jason Clifford, Jean Forsey, Jenny Wüstenberg, John Dunstan, John Haslam, John Hess, John Holmes, John & Jackie Scruton, Jonathan Day, Jon Roberts, Joshua Heathcote, Judy Gray, Julian Bower, Julian McDougall, Justyn Roberts, K, Katy Marshall, Kay Gilby, Kaye Brennan, Kelly Scott, Kiki Dee the Cat, Laurence Hooper, Lawrence Poole, Laura Wilson, Leigh Woosey, Lilian Greenwood, Livi & Jacob Nieri, Liz Hollier, Louise Duffield, Luke Richardshon, Lyn, Marc Weaver, Marjorie Griffiths, Mark, Mark Barratt, Mark Dickson, Mark Jacobs, Martin Curtis, Mary, Matthew Riches & Justin Clark, MC, Mike & Margaret Astill, Mike Carter, Mike Cole, Miri Debah, Mog, Monica White, Nic, Nic Bourke, Nick Palmer, Nigel Cooke, Nigel King, NottingJam Orchestra, Parbinder Singh, Paul, Paul Egan, Peachy Ground Designs, Pearl Quick, Pete Nash, Philip Renshaw, Rachel Ayrton, Rachel Morton, Raphael Achache, ReverendRyu, Richard Donovan, Richard Epton, Richard Goodwin, Rob Arthur, Rob Maddison, Rose Harvey, Ross Balzaretti, Roy Manterfield, Ruby Rex and BB, Russell Brown, Ruth Hoyland, Saara Maqbool, Saffron Harpham, Sam Fia, Sam Hudson, Sam Stiling, Sandra Pink, Sarah Colborne, Sarah Manton, Selectadisc, Shane P, Sheridan Chilvers, Simon Evans, Simon Malcolm, Tessa Duell, The Sparrows’ Nest, Tim, Tom and James, Tom Dee, Steve Benton, Steve Lyon, Steve Wallace, Sue Barsby, The Edgar Family, Tom Huggon, Tony Shelley, Vanessa Shaw, Wayne Norrie, Will Horton.

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contents

Emily in Notts Local artist EmiDORA chats to us about her brand new EP, Haunted by the Outside, and carving out a space for the ‘hyperpop’ genre in Nottingham.

13

15

16

Putting down roots A new book by Colin Haynes looks at how people from the Windrush Generation transformed a neglected plot of land called Hungerhill gardens into the green haven of St Ann’s Allotments.

Warp drive How Alex and Wingshan Huntley came to run Warp Miniatures – Sneinton Market’s resident internationally renowned fantasy miniatures store.

18

Haus of Rebels Burlesque and cabaret artist Ruby D’Woo tells us about the burlesque scene in Nottingham, and how the art provides a route for self expression and empowerment.

28

‘Tis the Season League football starts again this month. Here’s how our Mansfield Town, Notts County, and Nottingham Forest columnists are feeling about their teams’ prospects.

Route to Cappyness 33 The Notts filmmaker Sharon Walia chats about her forthcoming documentary, The

22

Out of Time Though it’s hard to believe today, in early to mid-Victorian Britain, it was possible to walk into a chemist’s and pick up a bottle of laudanum (opium) or cocaine, with or without a prescription…

Hands 30 Safe Nottinghamshire Hospice provides palliative and end of life care. Meanwhile, their

26

Big City Reads Nottingham City of Literature’s Big City Reads campaign continues until 12 August, distributing young people’s books across the city for free. Here’s some interviews with authors involved.

35

20

Art Works Artist Marcus Rowlands’ intricate wooden mandalas are on display at the New Art Exchange Open Exhibition this month. He tells us about them.

Route to Cappyness, which is probably about what you think it is, and premieres next month at Broadway Cinema.

creative fundraising team works particularly hard – here’s everything they’ve been up to.

From farm to fork How Mapperley Plains’ Spring Lane Farm and Old Parlour cafe-restaurant became one of our city’s most vibrant family-run food businesses.

Editorial Greetings LeftLion readers, and welcome to August.

Owing to schoolday programming, in my head it is now Official Summer, and by this point I start feeling both determined to make the most of the salubrious weather, and a little delirious. If June was hotter than Hades, July has been drier than a day trip to Dagenham and we need a bloody good thunderstorm soon or we may have to do as the ancestors did – march down to the Forest Rec and give dancing for the rain a crack.

Weather aside, this recent loss of reason was the most ideal mindset for seeing The Apple of Discord at the end of July, an immersive theatre production full of Greek mythology and strange side quests. Staged at the beautiful People’s Hall in Hockley, this was one of those special events that make you realise how much creativity is bubbling away in Nottingham.

I’ve also been enjoying some great arty jaunts around the city recently; an afternoon wandering through the cool dark Motorpoint Arena, currently being lit up with the work of Monet and Van Gogh; the sublimely surreal wildlife paintings by Chico da Silva at Nottingham Contemporary, and the unveiling

of the new Maid Marian sculpture in the city centre. There’s always lots to do in Nottingham if you’re curious enough to look for it, and I’ll not have anyone say otherwise.

In this month’s mag we have our usual concoction of interesting Nottingham culture, both past and present. I was fascinated to hear about a new book covering the Caribbean community who regenerated St Ann’s Allotments (p.16), along with the interesting, yet rather perturbing, history of opium and laudanum in 19th century Nottingham (p.22). For a pick me up, I highly recommend reading our interview with local filmmaker Sharon Walia (p.30), who has explored the human fascination with capybaras in her latest documentary which is premiering soon at Broadway Cinema.

I hope you enjoy this issue and that you’re reading this with a leisurely afternoon ahead of you and cold beverage in hand. Big thanks to everyone who helped put it together, and to all of our lovely Patreon supporters who keep this publication going.

Until next time,

Sophie Gargett

where's this?

"DEEP FAKE ZOLTAN"

Last month: “Duty of resistance” Nottingham Castle

LeftLion Ltd is a carbon neutral company, having reduced our direct emissions by 99% since 2018. We offset the rest via direct air capture from Climeworks. LeftLion Magazine is fully recyclable and compostable, made from recycled or FSC® certified (C015932) sources, and printed using renewable energy.

The emissions of this paper are offset via the World Land Trust. leftlion.co.uk 5

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photo: David Baird

Pick Six

This month we feature Darrell Martin, who founded Just The Tonic Comedy Club in Nottingham in 1994, which has since grown to host comedy nights nationwide and at Metronome every Saturday. At this month’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival they will be promoting 215 shows across nineteen performance spaces… justthetonic.com

"This co u coldest ld be the summe r the res t of our for lives"

Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on...

Singing We can’t sing. We do sing, and we like singing but we can’t sing. We don’t know how people remember the words to everything. We know bits of Summer Holiday and Last Christmas maybe. Years ago we went to a gathering and they gave us a piece of music, and this bloke said, ‘I’m not going to sit near you, you two are useless at singing. You stand over there and we’ll all stand a bit further away.’

St Ann’s Allotments They’re the oldest in Europe aren’t they? And they’re enormous. It used to be that if you lived in a flat, you’d get one and have half grass and some deck chairs.

Whoever's looking after them is doing a great job – they’ve got those massive alleyways in between them. They’ve gone up a lot though, so you’ve got to be serious about what you’re doing or your veg can get quite expensive.

Summer plans We’re not going on holidays this year, we’re having our garden done. We’ve had the brambles taken out and we’re going to get some nice pots and bulbs at the end. Our sister has some gorgeous pots – she said ‘Look at my lovely pots’, and we said, ‘Oh yes they’re lovely pots.’ So we might get her to do them, and then we might get a herbaceous border. We think sitting in the garden with a pint of ale or a glass of wine is very relaxing, so we don’t mind not going away. It’s all a state of mind – if you think you’re hard done by, you are.

Notts spot: Venus nightclub.

It closed back in 1994, but that place was pivotal to my life. I started out as a glass collector and rose to become head glass collector and handyman.

It was just such an amazing atmosphere. There’s been books and movies about the Hacienda, but Venus was up there and probably should have become one of those superclubs. Plus it was run by James Baillie who was responsible for a lot of good things in Nottingham in the 90s/00s, including co-founding Just The Tonic with me.

Book: The Gruffalo I realise this might not be the most literary choice, but it’s important.

The Gruffalo and all the other ones by Julia Donaldson have helped so many parents enjoy reading with their kids.

Before I discovered her work, I just felt that most kids' books were full of dreary namby-pamby middle-class nonsense. You read them and just wonder who’s writing them and how have they been published? So yeah, The Gruffalo and all of her books changed reading with my kids from being a chore to being a joy!

Film: The Big Lebowski This is definitely the film I've watched the most in my life. It’s the Coen brothers at their very best.

They did good films before and after this, but this is where they hit their peak. It’s got brilliant characters and quite a dark story. But it’s also really funny and light-hearted. There’s some brilliant cinematography and some of the acting performances are just amazing. The Dude is just an amazing central character and then you’ve got this virtuoso performance from John Goodman. Plus it proves that big men are allowed to cry!

Inspiration: Sean Lock I’ve picked him out from a few favourite comedians, but he was so funny. I worked with him at the Edinburgh Fringe in my early days and in one year I must have watched his show more than twenty times.

On the last night he recorded it and after he told me the loudest laughing was still mine. He ended up getting famous for panel shows, but his 15 Storeys High sitcom was also just seminal. He was the kind of talent who could be funny on anything.

Album: Screamadelica It’s a seminal album from my late teens and early twenties. I think the first time I heard of it I was at a party in Birmingham and the DJ put Loaded on. I remember needing to know what this music was. I’d heard of Primal Scream before it but they were more of an instrument-led band. This album changed everything. It’s followed me everywhere in my car since. I’ve driven around Spain to it and spent many hours on motorways across the UK blasting it out.

TV Show: Spike Milligan’s Q A lot of people won’t know what this is, so hopefully this might give them a reason to search it out on Youtube.

It debuted on the BBC six months before Monty Python in 1969 and many believe it helped pave the way for their success. It was just total off-the-wall idiocy from one of the true greats of comedy and was full of these sketches that would lead you round in circles without a punch-line at the end. Then they’d cut to the camera and go “what are we going to do now?” Odd stuff leftlion.co.uk 7

Poets Corner Art in the Community There’s a poem in you There’s a story in me A photo round the corner There's a song in the tree There’s a sketch by the roadside There’s a dance in the street A painting on the skyline There’s a flower in the weed There’s a script at the bus stop There’s a slam in the park A sculpture on the hillside There’s a glimmer in the dark There’s a patch in the fabric There’s a beat in the yard A community of creators You don’t need to look far

by Tessa Duell nottinghampoetryfestival.com

s Reason

Our August cover artist Lucy Holt talks about projection art, previous projects and inspiration…

Tell us a bit about yourself…

Two truths and one lie, look to my instagram bio (@pastedminddesign) to find the answer: 1. I was born in a car on the side of the road (it was a Renault Espace).

2. I was involved in the design of the Spotify disco ball logo.

3. I can make origami boobs out of a napkin.

I’m also a graphic designer and artist inspired by electronic music and collage.

to be

Cheerful

words: Amelia Cropley

UNDERCOVER ARTIST

What is the story behind the cover?

With it being the August issue, the cover is inspired by Nottingham on a sunny evening.

The news is normally negative - but here's some good things that have happened in Notts recently...

Safe haven Nottingham Women’s Centre recently celebrated the purchase of the building they have called home for forty years. This Grade II-listed building at 30 Chaucer Street offers a safe, welcoming space for women across Nottinghamshire, from providing courses, activities and meeting spaces to wraparound support with counselling services, wellbeing activities, and campaigning for women's rights The Centre provides specialist support to women involved in the criminal justice system, or at risk of entering it, to build stable futures. It provides open-access facilities where women can cook, shower and do laundry, or just come in for a cup of tea. They also distribute regular donations of food and hygiene supplies. This new ownership gives the Centre more financial sustainability and the opportunity to develop and renovate the space to continue empowering women across Nottinghamshire for decades to come.

Ice work Nottingham College Graduate, Hanyu Wong has achieved his lifelong dream of figure skating with Disney on Ice. Born with a vision impairment that never stopped him, Hanyu discovered his passion for figure skating as a teenager. During covid, when ice rinks closed, Hanyu took to rollerblading in spaces like Old Market Square, catching the eye of BBC News. In 2025, he signed a contract to tour Europe with Disney on Ice as an ensembleist, and asked to rejoin in the main cast across the US this August. Nottingham College expressed pride in their former student, calling it a testament of his determination.

I wanted the buildings to look as though they were being projected onto, inspired by the projection art that I’ve experienced while living in Nottingham for the last six years. I LOVE projections and have a side dream of becoming a visual dj, so I wanted to subtly bring that into it.

I’ve created textures using my own sketches.

Mixing handmade with digital is something I like to do a fair bit in my work.

What inspires you as an artist?

My one person creative studio, Pasted Mind, is where I experiment and express myself as an artist. Music is probably my biggest source of inspiration. I listen to a lot of electronic music, and I love creating designs for the music industry.

I'm also inspired by my own dreams and imagination, as well as the world around me. I enjoy creating work that comments on everyday life, exploring themes around politics, online dystopias, and exaggerations of the way we live.

Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past…

I’m most excited about designing posters for events in Amsterdam, creating motion visuals

for one of my favourite DJs, Papa Nugs, and designing a board game to teach primary school children about dementia. I’ve also loved designing a whole load of posters and album covers, including for the Nottinghambased Girlband.

The biggest thing I've learnt is not to wait for inspiration.

I think creativity comes from doing rather than waiting Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?

The biggest thing I've learnt is not to wait for inspiration. I think creativity comes from doing rather than waiting.

I also try not to put too much pressure on every idea being brilliant. Sometimes the interesting work comes from experimenting without pressure.

I'd also encourage people to reach out to creatives they admire.

If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?

Jamie Hewlett. I’d talk to him about the visuals behind the Gorillaz, tell him that I saw them recently and loved it, and maybe ask him for a job.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers?

"If you are not playful, you are not alive" – David Hockney.

Q @pastedminddesign

Paying homage Grandmother-of-five Bettina Wallace has received a red bench in the city to mark her recovery following cardiovascular surgery. Bettina is one of 65 people chosen by the British Heart Foundation in their campaign to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, celebrate the charity’s 65 years and mark her inspiring recovery. Bettina underwent heart surgery in 2024 followed by a good recovery, this personalised bench speaks of her story and, thanks to research, her ability to enjoy life with her loved ones. You can find Bettina’s bench in Green Heart, beside the Standing In This Place statue which Bettina actively helped commission.

leftlion.co.uk 9

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Nadia on...

Nottingham's maternity services Content warning: baby loss, death.

words: Nadia Whittome photo: Lux Gagos

In June, the largest maternity review in NHS history, which investigated Nottingham’s maternity services, was finally published. Led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, it examined 2,536 cases of mothers and babies who died or were harmed under the care of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust between 2012 and 2025, during pregnancy, childbirth, or the weeks after birth. The review, which also heard from more than 830 current or former NUH staff, revealed that more than 500 mothers and babies were harmed or died as a result of inadequate care. Behind each number is a future grieved and an entire family that will never be the same again. People were utterly failed, often repeatedly, by the services that were supposed to care for them in some of their most vulnerable moments. In many cases, they were then blamed, gaslit and lied to.

The report uncovered that a “bullying and toxic culture” persisted at Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital over many years, hindering efforts to improve care; that senior leaders were repeatedly warned about serious problems by concerned members of staff but did not take effective action; and that maternity staff showed “a culture of not admitting women who were seeking admission in labour”. Both maternity units were consistently shortstaffed and could not cope with the number of births and the complexity of cases they had to handle. Perhaps most shockingly, the report found that even in cases of death, the dignity of the babies was violated, with one baby being “inadvertently disposed of as clinical waste by laboratory staff after her postmortem examination”.

When the report was published last month, I issued a joint statement with local MPs expressing our deepest sympathies with the harmed and bereaved families, and our ongoing commitment to them. Yet truthfully, it feels impossible to put into words the scale and impact of these failings, or the strength of the families devastated by them.

These are people who had already endured the unbearable and then had to relive their worst trauma in the pursuit of truth and accountability. Having met some of the affected families over the years, I can say that their courage in the face of such injustice is remarkable, and it is thanks to them that such a landmark report now exists. Nothing can undo the harm that was inflicted on them, so these families have undertaken the ultimate selfless act in fighting for change for future patients.

I also want to pay tribute to Michelle Welsh, the MP for Sherwood Forest, who has tirelessly campaigned for improvements in maternity services for six years, after her own traumatic birth experience which put her and

her baby’s lives at risk. In May, she was appointed as the government’s first national Maternity Adviser, and now sits on the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce. She has already brought enormous lived experience, passion and empathy to this vital role.

The painful reality is that Nottingham is not an isolated case when it comes to failings in maternity services.

Donna Ockenden has already begun her next review into Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which will be the fifth major maternity inquiry in a decade, after Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent and Nottingham.

In Leeds, at least 56 baby deaths and two maternal deaths have been reported as potentially avoidable.

The Hillsborough Law, expected to come into force this autumn, will impose a duty of candour on staff, so senior clinicians will be compelled to give evidence in any future maternity review, and will not be allowed to dodge scrutiny as many did in Nottingham.

Behind each number is a future grieved and an entire family that will never be the same again. People were utterly failed, often repeatedly, by the services that were supposed to care for them in some of their most vulnerable moments A national report, led by Baroness Amos and published just a week after the Ockenden review, concluded that women and babies across England are being failed “on a scale that shames our society”.

Shockingly, it found that the rate at which mothers die during childbirth is 20% higher than it was in 2009-11, when the government set an ambition to halve the rate of maternal mortality in England, and that many maternity wards are falling short of the required standards, with inspections finding that over a third need improvements.

The UK is also falling behind internationally. A 2022 study concluded that our maternal mortality rate is the secondhighest in Europe, with UK mothers being three times more likely to die around the time of pregnancy compared with those in Norway.

These failings are also compounded by inequalities – Black women are almost three times more likely than white women to die during or shortly after pregnancy, and women in the most deprived areas face twice the risk of those in the wealthiest. Donna Ockenden’s review of Nottingham’s maternity services also found that women who were most likely to have their concerns dismissed or minimised were those from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those living in deprived areas, those with mental health needs, and those who did not speak English as a first language.

It is abundantly clear that the government must urgently improve maternity services in Nottingham and across the country. One of my constituents, who was included in the Nottingham review, summed up well where we go from here when she told the Health Secretary that “we need immediate action and we need long-term accountability.”

When report after report is saying the same thing – that we need more investment into our maternity services, and hospitals in general; we need to get rid of the toxic culture that allows bullying, racism and discrimination to fester; and we must listen to women as a matter of clinical safety – there are no excuses for inaction, especially when we live in an age when medicine has never been more advanced.

In Nottingham, alongside local MPs, I have vowed to do everything in our power to hold NUH and the regulators to account, and to ensure that Donna Ockenden’s recommendations are implemented in full. I support calls for a public inquiry, provided that it does not delay criminal proceedings, and I have been clear that this also must not become an excuse to postpone action. We must ensure that the babies and mothers disabled by the harm they suffered at Nottingham University Hospitals can access the support and services they need throughout their lives, including highquality SEND education and social security payments that don’t force them into hardship. Nationally, I will keep pushing for the investment and staffing our NHS needs and for an end to the inequalities in maternity and neonatal outcomes.

Bringing a child into the world should never be an experience defined by fear and harm. No family should have one of the happiest moments of their lives turn into an avoidable tragedy. We must work towards ensuring that high-standard, compassionate maternity services are a guarantee for everyone. nadiawhittome.org

leftlion.co.uk 11

What’s On

February

August

WED The Fabulous 03 Thunderbirds

WED Omar 26

Amelia Coburn

WED Tom Browne & 10 The Brit Funk Association

SAT The Smiths Ltd 29

FRI Thea Gilmore 16

September

WED beaux 21

WED Vundabar and 09 Yot Club

November

THU BCUC 10 WED BBC Introducing 16 in the East Midlands

FRI FLAMIN’ 18 GROOVIES FRI Nigel Planer: 25 Young Once

THU Ríoghnach 12 Connolly & Honeyfeet

WED Scientist 24

March WED Eli Paperboy 10 Reed

FRI SKIDS / THEATRE 20 OF HATE

WED NOUVELLE VAGUE 17 ‘A Date with

WED The Bracknall 25 FRI Moving Pictures – 27 Rush Tribute Band

WED Grace Petrie 07

December

FRI The Rezillos 09

THU The Entitled Sons 10

2027 January

Tom Browne

WED Jon Boden 17

FRI Young Knives 13

October

TUE The Long Ryders 13

THU Amelia Coburn 11

FRI The Specials Ltd 22

Depeche Mode’ Tour

Home of Just the Tonic Comedy Club, bringing you laughter every Saturday!

Book tickets

metronome.uk.com Huntingdon St, Nottingham, NG1 1AP @metronomenotts

Haus of Rebels

interview: Sophie Gargett photo: Ralph Barklam

From workshop classes in Haus of Ruby D’Woo, to hosting top-notch live burlesque and cabaret shows across the county, Ruby D’Woo is Nottingham's award-winning burlesque and cabaret artist. Ahead of the Cosy Cabaret coming up next month, she tells us what brought her to the burlesque stage, how she crafts performances, and why burlesque has become a journey of self-expression, confidence, and empowerment for so many…

What made you begin teaching, and how long have you been doing it?

I never actually planned to go into teaching, I fell into it. The pole studio I worked at asked me to teach at one of the burlesque courses in 2016 – which sold out – so we did it again and again, until I left to do it on my own. And that's when Haus of Ruby D’Woo Burlesque School was created! Which means this year marks my tenth year in the business of Burlesque.

What first got you interested in burlesque? Had you danced or performed before?

Performing arts is my background, as well as attending Rama Young Actors drama school in Nottingham, until I was seventeen.

I even went to dance classes in the studio I teach in today. I then started learning pole dancing and worked as a stripper at eighteen and eventually went into burlesque after having my set of twins when I was twenty one.

What was it like the first time you performed on stage?

My first time performing burlesque was part of a troupe, and I hadn't actually been doing classes for very long, but I didn't want to pass up on the opportunity. It was very stereotypical - wearing black and red lingerie, with tiny top hats, dancing to Hey Big Spender. And even though I was centre stage, I was with my friends and that helped with any nerves.

The first time I performed as a soloist was all the way down in Dorset ( I watch the video of this performance to remind me of how far I've come).

on your craft, and allowing yourself to live inside it until you're able to be confident to pull your stage persona out. I like to think of your stage persona as being just you - but you without society pressures and allowing yourself to drop all your guard and be unapologetically yourself.

What do you think the biggest misconception of burlesque is?

That’s easy. People say to me all the time, “I'm going to quit my job and become a stripper”. You do actually need to be good at it, and it does require skill. Stripper or burlesque performer: neither is an easy choice and both work hard at what they do.

Tell us a bit about your classes… Do you see a change in people's confidence?

I can proudly say I'm one of very few burlesque schools in the East Midlands that has multiple-award-winning students, an awardwinning troupe, and taught students who have created a career within burlesque.

My classes are about teaching you the fundamentals of burlesque, helping you grow into your own performer, and giving you the right tools to go into the industry. If performing isn't your thing, then people can come to explore and learn burlesque. There’s no pressure to do anything, but you will have the knowledge.

I give people a space to be unapologetically themselves. They can leave their day-to-day lives, worries, and stresses at home; a lot of my students have stressful jobs and are lawyers, doctors, teachers, business owners - and just the most intelligent people - but they get to step into my class and explore different styles of burlesque, tuning in with their feminine or more playful sides.

The community part of burlesque can help with confidence, because you're surrounding yourself with like-minded people in a judgementfree space, and within that, you allow yourself to relax and be who you are. That's where the building blocks to confidence can start.

My favourite thing to seen people grow and change in the most amazing ways due say to my students is, “You can Itohave my little burlesque class and it's absolutely one of the best things what I do. be small in burlesque, but you can about Burlesque is more than stripping, for both the performer and the How do you think it can empower? never be too big.” I want them to take audience…

Burlesque is theatrical stripping: we take our clothes off and we get but we are flamboyant about it. There is usually a concept or a up space, to be brave, and to be bold in what paid, character in Burlesque that makes it a special type of entertainment.

The empowerment comes from seeing people that represent you. they create We want all different types of shapes and sizes, ages, ethnicities, What's your creative process like in terms of coming up with choreography and creating a story?

When I'm creating choreography, I put my headphones on and listen intently to the music, learning all the little nuances; all the details are key and allow all the characterisation to flow into it.

My favourite thing to say to my students when going through this process is, “You can be small in burlesque, but you can never be too big”. I want them to take up space, to be brave, and to be bold in what they create.

You can pull inspiration from anything. Some of my acts, like my Fred Flintstone, took a while to come about; I had picked the song Born to be Wild and originally created a tiger costume, but I felt like it wasn't innovative enough. And one day, when I was out and about, I saw a Flintstone bag and that's when it hit me - Yabba Dabba Doo was created! And my costume now travels around in that very bag.

What are your favourite styles of burlesque?

I am a person that loves all kinds of everything, I appreciate everything for what it is in its own category. I love neoburlesque and the modern take, I love cheesecake burlesque for the joy it brings, as well as comedy and cosplay for its clever twists and turns. I love classic burlesque for the power in stillness and the slow burn, and I also love alternative burlesque - because burlesque can be whatever you want it to be: that's the beauty of it.

In terms of building a stage persona, has this come naturally over time or is it quite carefully crafted?

It takes going on stage time after time, correcting and working

disabilities, genders and sexualities. We strive for diversity – we want a cast of performers who the audience can see themselves in.

Tell us a bit about the Cosy Cabaret and other events you organise…

The Cosy Cabaret being known as THE Burlesque Show to go to in Nottingham is amazing. I'm proud to have created a show that performers love to be in, and that new performers strive to be in.

Cosy Cabaret also gives an accurate and true representation of UK burlesque.

In total, I run three shows. First is Cosy Cabaret, held at the Alea Casino, which hosts high-quality burlesque shows, filled with award winners and international artists. Then there is Vau-Deluxe-Ville which is a burlesque and cabaret show for local Nottingham performers as well as rising artists in the industry. Finally, the Big Bang Cabaret is my showcase for new performers, as well as many other venues throughout the UK. What plans do you have coming up for the rest of the year?

Oooh! On Saturday 12 September we will be celebrating my tenth year in the business of burlesque with the Cosy Cabaret. It’ll be a one-ofa-kind show, where I'll be bringing world-class UK icons to the stage.

Next year I am creating the first ever Nottingham Burlesque Festival, which will be made up of a Robin Hood Burlesque Ball, an Outlaws and Femme Fatales show and a competition, as well as multiple workshops led by professionals and having many creative market stalls from small businesses. It's all very exciting!

Considering joining Haus of Ruby D’Woo or looking to book tickets to the Cosy Cabaret on 12 September? Find all event bookings and classes below. rubysrebelsburlesque.co.uk leftlion.co.uk 13

with

£ 3 single fare

trentbarton.co.uk *excluding red arrow & nightbuses

*

Emily in Notts

interview: Victor Russell photo: Susan Geary

Described as Nottingham's answer to Charli XCX, hyperpop sensation Emily Baldwin – AKA EMiDORA – has been quickly making a name for herself on the local circuit. Having just released her long-awaited debut EP, Haunted By The Outside, Emily sat down with us to discuss the creative journey to making the project.

How are you feeling about the release of the EP? Really good! I have been performing Haunted By The Outside (HBTO, the track) for almost four years now and have always wanted to do an EP with that title. Mainly because that is the vibe of my life.

When did the EP process officially begin?

As an EP it has taken over a year. I had HBTO and from there I had to decide what I would flesh that out with, feelings wise. Deciding what songs lean into the song – with that emotional disconnect, but keeping in mind how I felt myself. It was a jump between not feeling at all then feeling everything.

It then led me to question which of those emotions I wanted to feel and how that would shape the EP – hence why it took a year. It was all self-recorded on my laptop and once I felt this process was complete, I sent the tracks to my good friend and fellow musician Tom [Platts] to be mixed and mastered. He must have grown to hate me as my stems were all over the place!

How do you find that balance of being half writer and half producer?

I think that for me it all blends into one, as I see my computer as my instrument. Sometimes I write at the piano and then bring it over to the computer, but I find that the second I write on the piano and then transfer it to the computer, they don't sound like the ones directly written on the computer. So, I have found that the best way I now write is in segments. I will do the intro first then record it, move onto the first verse and record that, and repeat that process until the song is complete.

A lot of people would despise that, but the luxury of doing it on my own means the only important inputs and opinions are mine.

Beyond the sound is your image. Tell us about the EP’s cover art…

Since I wrote the original song I have envisioned myself in a plastic box. In the ideal world, I would have created a space similar to The 1975’s The Sound music video – the whole band in a box. But that of course would be extremely expensive so, ironically, I had to think outside the box!

My friend Gabe is an incredible 3D graphic designer who listened to my vision and – just from a picture of myself and the EP – he created the box and added the vegetation and water, alongside a 3D model of myself, and put her in the box. He brought my vision to life and I feel extremely

lucky to have worked with him.

Beyond just being your debut EP, what is Haunted By The Outside to you?

All of my music, to me, prevents a breakdown. If I don’t get on my laptop and make a song at regular intervals of my life, then my mood starts to change and I start to feel weird because I haven’t been able to get my feelings out. I can chat to people about how I feel but for me, no outlet is better than music.

With HBTO, I went through an odd time in which things were going great musically and I was really pushing myself socially after university to really tackle my social anxiety and agoraphobia. During this time, I was receiving an unreal amount of support and reassurance about my confidence and appearance but, in reality, I was really struggling on the inside, and nobody had any inclination.

You have been greatly complimented as Nottingham's answer to Charli XCX – I assume acts like Charli and SOPHIE have been inspirations too?

Yeah! Those independent hyperpop girls with the getting-it-done attitude have really inspired me. The hyperpop sounds that they create really itch my brain!

I think, on that note, Owl City also does that – his production inspires me. I seriously think he is the father of hyperpop because he was doing this a long time before the recent surge.

How does making this sort of music go down in Nottingham? What is the hyperpop scene like?

Developing! There are quite a lot of us making this kind of music and it’s difficult when looking at bigger kinds of events, festivals and support slots. I wouldn’t say I have been paired with an act that completely matches my genre.

We just keep building hyperpop in a place which is heavily dominated by lad bands and indie

It is difficult, because there are so few of us, but we have found each other and created a community. We host hyperpop nights at The Grove which take place every three months – the next one is in August, which will be great! We just keep building hyperpop in a place which is heavily dominated by lad bands and indie.

So, to get those feelings out was really important, but it became more than that – it became an outlet for others to relate. The supporting tracks also embody that one emotion which is made clear through the music and I think it has spoken to numerous people. One of my listeners reached out and sent a selfie of him crying to the last track – it made me realise that the EP has served its purpose and that’s what it is.

Going back to when you started this journey, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians looking to achieve their dreams?

I would always say: you can do it yourself. If you have an iPhone then get Garage Band – use the mic on your earphones and make music. Get it on Soundcloud – get it on TikTok and see what people think. Reach out to people in the community who you catch good vibes from and see if you can perform live. Chat to those who will support you and give you feedback to help you grow and give you the push to keep going. Just make the music you want to make, stay in your lane, keep posting and get that exposure.

Inspirations are a centrepiece in becoming a musician.

Who are some of yours?

The first one that comes to mind is Green Day. For such a long time, that is who I would come home to after school and scream along to! That emotional release heavily influenced me. Owl City, Arctic Monkeys… they are all emotionally driven and that has been a big thing with my music. Acts like Destiny's Child too, artists my mum would listen to – they’ve all shaped who I am today.

Another one that comes to mind is Troye Sivan. I used to watch him as a YouTuber and his singing and production videos were fascinating. He then released his EP and pitched it as a self-recorded and produced body of work.

It became a huge inspiration in producing music; him doing it on his own showed me that I could do it too.

As for advice to myself… change your name! If you google me it comes up with Emisaura which I believe is ‘radio station’ in Spanish!

EMiDORA’s EP Haunted by the Outside is out now on all usual streaming platforms. She will also be performing at The Grove as part of GLITCH PLEASE! on Friday 7 August 2026.

Q @emidora__ leftlion.co.uk 15

Putting down roots words: Georgia Hamblett photos: Colin Haynes

Colin Haynes’ book, Caribbean Pioneer Gardeners, tells the story of men whose love for gardening gave them much more than callaloo and oxheart tomatoes.

It shares the true story of a group of Windrush residents who turned the neglected, overgrown Hungerhill Gardens, or St Ann's Allotments, as they would become known, into a Caribbean-inspired culinary and horticultural haven.

The story of Caribbean migration to the UK played out in our factories, music, streets and inner cities, but less is known about migrants’ impact on under-used allotment sites such as Hungerhill Gardens, now known as St Ann’s Allotments, in Nottingham. This is Europe’s oldest allotment site which, as you can probably imagine, has stories to tell.

It all started with Windrush – the now-famed passenger ship which brought over 1000 post-World War II Caribbean immigrants to the UK, in the late 1940s after the British government called for people to help rebuild the country, and fill massive labour shortages after the war. HMT Empire Windrush was the first ship of many bringing large groups of Caribbean immigrants to the UK between 1948 and 1971 – hence, the ‘Windrush Generation’ being coined.

For Colin, the making of Caribbean Pioneer Gardeners started back in 2005, though arguably it started long before. Colin had been working to promote STAA, a charitable organisation based on the allotments, when English Heritage asked him to interview older gardeners for their Open Days project – an initiative allowing the public to access areas which usually they wouldn’t be able to.

Colin had a garden himself, and already knew many of the gardeners, but the project encouraged him to delve further, conduct interviews and take photos of them at work.

The book recounts interviews with gardeners Sid Fuller, Donald ‘Pipe Man’ Rowe, Henry Francis, Tom Oliver, Oscar Reid and Lee McCalla. The men had smallholding backgrounds in Jamaica, and came over in the Windrush years to work in Nottingham for companies such as Beeston Boilers, Chilwell Ordnance Depot, and Dobsons.

They didn’t take stewardship of the allotment straight away, with most of their time going into earning a living.

But as they began to retire and gain more leisure time, work at the allotment began.

The book does a marvellous job of helping us imagine life on the allotments. Colin says that as soon as you walked through the allotment gates, the outside world was left

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behind. The atmosphere was welcoming and down-toearth, with gardeners relaxing in their self-built summer houses at lunchtime, chatting about the capricious British weather, how the crops were doing, and what was to be planted next.

is the insight into Caribbean horticulture. The gardeners grew crops that weren’t readily available in Nottingham at the time, using seeds brought over from the Caribbean.

They grew giant oxheart tomatoes, small, hard pumpkins, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, thyme and scallions.

The interviews are unfiltered, candid and vivid, and the images are absolutely wonderful. You only need to read a few pages before it is clear how much the allotment meant to the gardeners; it wasn’t about the money, but creating a space where everyone was welcome and encouraged to get joy from gardening.

There is a great section at the back of the book which describes the tools used, of which there weren’t many – a machete and a draw hoe. Colin says that the gardeners began expanding their toolkit and steer away from the machete, but their practices always stayed close to their Caribbean roots.

Not only are the gardeners’ personal stories interesting and inspiring, but Colin is keen for their methods and practices to be recorded and shared for future generations. The way that they gardened – the crops and tools used, but also the atmosphere and environment – are fascinating to learn about.

Sadly, most of the original Windrush gardeners have now passed away, but their legacy very much lives on. Not only are the allotments tended to by their descendants and other gardening enthusiasts, but St Anns Allotments continues to be a place of great diversity and culture.

Colin says there are many people who come from strong rural backgrounds in different countries who want to continue growing the crops they grew up with here in Nottingham. In particular, in recent years the chocho – a tropical Jamaican vine – has been grown.

it is clear how much the allotment meant to the gardeners; it wasn’t about goal with Caribbean Pioneer Gardeners is clear – he the money, but creating a space where Colin’s wants to preserve and share the stories of these incredible who saved a historic environmental site in everyone was welcome and encouraged to gardeners Nottingham. The book is sure to be a hit with gardening enthusiasts and historians alike. get joy from gardening Ultimately, the book goes far beyond the callaloo and Lenient building restrictions meant gardeners could build summer houses and greenhouses – essential for growing Caribbean crops in a much cooler Nottingham. Some summer houses even had a place to sleep, as many of the gardeners maintained the same work pattern they had in the Caribbean – starting early and napping at lunch to avoid the heat.

One of the best things about Caribbean Pioneer Gardeners

chocho. It tells stories of determination and culture, of people united by their love of growing, and of a community putting down roots in a new land.

Caribbean Pioneer Gardeners by Colin Haynes, with additional text by Rosie Thomas Palmer is published by Five Leaves. It is available now at their bookshop at 14a Long Row, Nottingham, as well as other selected outlets. fiveleaves.co.uk

leftlion.co.uk 17

WARP DRIVE Nottingham company Games Workshop and its ‘Warhammer’ brand of science fiction and fantasy miniatures have become part of our city’s cultural makeup. But just as every giant planet tends to have moons, a group of smaller stores orbit it, comprising what’s often called the UK’s ‘Lead Belt’. Sneinton Market’s Warp Miniatures, run by Alex and Wingshan Huntley, is one such business.

words: Caradoc Gayer photos: Before Sunset Studio

At first glance, Sneinton Market Avenues business Warp Miniatures might look humble, but inside you’ll find a cosy haven appealing to anyone with even a passing enjoyment of the whimsical and fantastical – trolls and goblins, wizards, knights, and loads of other eye-catching models, adorn each corner.

guys,” says Alex – ArcWorlde is a game built with a love for the humorous and colourful, with its fictional setting of Mildaark Forest hosting chaotic battles between wizards, gremlins, and other characters who, according to the rules of the game, can make entrances into battles when you least expect them.

And that’s not all to know about it, as Warp’s reach also extends internationally, partly via global loyalty to the company that arguably birthed the modern miniature wargaming hobby itself – Nottingham’s own cultural pillar Games Workshop. That need for a physical space to welcome national and international customers was the main reason why Warp popped up in Sneinton Market, back in December 2025.

“When I first started ArcWorlde way back when, there was a tendency for tabletop games to be ‘grimdark’ – serious and evil,” says Alex, adding, “but it didn't really do anything for me – there’s space for something that’s more whimsical. I always saw my miniatures as three dimensional illustrations. I was inspired by Terry Pratchett, and the illustrators who worked with him – Paul Kidby, Josh Kirby, Chris Riddell – and a couple of video games like Fable and Overlord – stuff that had more of a sense of humour to it.”

“We would get messages like ‘I’m in Nottingham to go to Warhammer World this weekend. Can I come visit you guys?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I’m currently sitting in my dressing gown doing most of my work in my front room’,” remembers Alex Huntley, who founded the business and runs it with his wife Wingshan. “But having a physical shop allowed us to have a space that we could welcome the community into.”

Warp Miniatures’ story goes back to when Alex was a teenager, creating new models from Warhammer kits – Games Workshop’s flagship game – and posting those projects on online hobby forums. From this experience, he taught himself to sculpt new models, and received a following for his work at a very fast pace, leading to a freelance commission at sixteen.

The natural next step was to have his own, original, models cast, and sell them, which he gave a try at seventeen, but despite his big following that venture sadly fell short.

Later, having moved from his native Yorkshire to study Human Genetics at the Uni of Nottingham, he kept his hobby going, and the game ArcWorlde – the future flagship product of Warp Miniatures – was born in its early form.

Alex decided to try and fund the project on Kickstarter, and happily, traffic and interest in it exploded.

“It was as if everyone who had been following my stuff for years ever since I was a teenager finally came out of the woodwork and supported – I think the project raised £57,000,” he says, recalling that it made him less sure about what his post Uni future would look like. “Eventually, I got to my third year and was like ‘okay, I’m going to do it.’ I quit my course, put everything into Warp, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Later, Alex met Wingshan – a prolific visual artist from Nottingham – and ever since they’ve become a beloved fixture of Nottingham’s ‘Lead Belt’. And if you haven’t heard that term before, it’s one to keep in mind if you want to stay abreast of Nottingham culture.

Since 1997, when Games Workshop first set up shop in Lenton, Nottingham has steadily become the world capital of miniature wargaming. Various smaller, satellite stores, like Warp Miniatures, orbit Games Workshop, and provide independently made alternatives to their more widely known products – Warp and stores like it tend to be “the craft beer of Warhammer,” as Alex puts it.

“The way that I describe it to people is that Nottingham is the LA of wargaming. It’s where you go if you’re serious about doing it as a professional. It's built a community and ecosystem, which is a draw for people all over the world,” he says. “There’s a term we use – ‘doing the pilgrimage’: you come to Nottingham, you go to Warhammer World, you go to some of the smaller companies like Warlord Games or Mantic, and now a lot of those people come here.”

So what’s the niche that Warp Miniatures, and its ArcWorlde products, fill for hobbyists across the world?

To put it crudely, they’re in the business of “silly little

18 leftlion.co.uk

The way that I describe it to people is that Nottingham is the LA of wargaming.

It’s where you go if you’re serious about doing it as a professional The business model of Warp, and stores like it, is one that certainly isn’t static. Alex and Wingshan have regularly made changes to the way that their business operates, depending on the needs of customers. The years inand-around the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, saw 3D printers become more of a fixture for the households of hobbyists across the world. In many cases, this cut out a lot of packing and international shipping stress for Alex and Wingshan, because all they had to do was send the digital, printing info for miniatures, when people could make use of it.

They’ve also started a sister imprint – Twisted Spire – directed by Wingshan, the current flagship product of which is a darker alternative to ArcWorlde – Siren’s Oath: a game with a more feminine sensibility than you’ll find in a lot of modern tabletop miniatures games.

“Wingshan has always been used to being the only woman in the room at gaming events, and things like that. So she was like, ‘I want to make games for girls, or at least with girls in mind’,” remembers Alex. “Up until this point, there have been certain games and miniatures like that, but they’ve leaned into a more cutesy, twee element, whereas Wing is very passionate about the fact that girls can be badass too. Siren’s Oath is a sea witch, mermaid, role playing game about destroying a city, and it’s about role playing characters. It leans into communication and discussion, which is really interesting.”

The relentless creativity flowing from Nottingham businesses like Warp is really something to behold, and certainly something that we as a city can be proud of.

For somebody drawn to the miniature wargaming hobby, the sheer variety of ways to get involved could seem overwhelming, but the communities surrounding it have never been more welcoming, as Alex emphasises.

“I know many people who for a long time didn’t get into it because they thought it wasn’t socially acceptable and they were embarrassed, but it’s cool to be a nerd now.

Nerd culture is so ubiquitous,” says Alex. “In Sneinton Market itself there’s Dice Box – a board game café. We run introductory nights to teach people to play our game.

There’s gaming clubs. There’s charities which do gaming and miniature painting for disadvantaged people. We really are in a golden age and it’s easier than ever to get into it.”

Visit Warp Miniatures at Unit 25, Avenue C, Sneinton Market Avenues, Nottingham, NG1 1DW warpminiatures.com

Tis The Season L E F T S TA G

LEFT MAGPIE

words: Joshua Pickering How did last season go?

It was the best season I’ve had in thirtyfive years of watching The Stags. A finish of tenth in League One is the highest I’ve seen and reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup, before narrowly losing to Arsenal is our best cup run in fifty years. We had great awaydays and played three Premier League clubs!

Attendances were brilliant, progress was made off the pitch and the feeling around the club is palpably positive.

What games are you looking forward to this season?

Like most fans, I’m looking forward to some more big away days – at Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday and Notts County. I’m hoping for more good draws in the cup competitions.

The league is very Midlands/Yorkshire-heavy, which means lots of big crowds. There’s nothing better than being in the middle of several thousand fellow Mansfield fans and making an absolute racket.

Tell us about the gaffer..

Nigel Clough is a genuine club legend. He’s the second longest-reigning manager in English football, after Mikel Arteta and there is next to zero chance he will leave or be sacked during the season. However, the question hanging over us is what happens when the season is done.

Cloughie has talked about retirement at some point soon and his contract will end in a year’s time. Everyone’s hoping he will extend, but we know it won’t last forever.

Who are your best three players?

Liam Roberts is the best keeper I’ve seen in a Stags shirt. Tyler Roberts, when injury free, brings Premier League class up top and an awareness and ball control that sets him apart.

Rhys Oates is wonderful to watch, his trickery and finishing bring a wow-factor that inspires and excites fans.

Field Mill is home. Mansfield is family. What else is there?

Tell us about your new signings…

We’ve signed midfielder Jon Russell from Barnsley after a great loan spell with us last season. His goals were crucial to us finishing where we did. Joining him is his former Barnsley team-mate, David McGoldrick, who netted eighteen goals last season. His signature is a real statement of intent and caused a meltdown among fans of his former club, Notts County. He will line up in attack alongside another vastly experienced target-man, Michael Smith. The front line feels stacked with quality now to match what was the third-best defence in the division last season.

What big boots are there to fill?

Strikers Dom Dwyer and Victor Adeboyejo left, but McGoldrick and Smith would seem to be considerable improvements. The only player we still need to replace is defensive midfielder Aaron Lewis, who both played and looked like a

A s k f

words: Julian McDougall

How did last season go?

August to April was full of familiar frustrations.

Then we won the play offs without conceding a goal. I was sarcastic about our ‘real time data analytics model’ at the start of last season, but using it we played a perfect game at Wembley to beat Salford 3-0 and get promoted. So we did very well.

Nigel Clough is a genuine club legend. He’s the second longest-reigning manager in English football, after Mikel Arteta midfielder from the 1980s, sporting a mullet and moustache combo and getting stuck in all over the pitch.

What’s the mood of your fans?

Optimistic, but with the shadow of Clough’s retirement hanging over us. We’re having a ball for now, but when the carriage turns back into a pumpkin, we need to be ready.

What’s the best chant on the terraces?

It hasn’t been done yet, but I’m quite looking forward to a packed away end singing “Where's ya Didzy gone!” in the direction of Meadow Lane’s Kop stand.

Where do you think you’ll finish?

We’ve improved every season under the gaffer, from promotion, to stabilisation, to aspirations of another promotion. This season, the playoffs are a realistic target. An improvement on tenth is a minimum expectation, but I think we’ll sneak in and get sixth. Failure would be a relegation battle, but I just can't see that happening. Even if it did, Clough’s job would be safe.

What’s special about your club?

Where do I start? The working-class, nononsense roots of the club, the togetherness from the owners down to the young kids at the start of their MTFC journey, the humour of the fanbase, the acceptance I feel there, this squad, this gaffer, the moments they give us. Field Mill is home. Mansfield is family. What else is there?

If your team was a film, what would it be?

Robin Hood (take your pick which film). Inspired by their leader, a courageous band venture out from Sherwood Forest, showing Nottingham and the world what mid-Notts folk are made of! mansfieldtown.net

What games are you looking forward to this season?

Leicester on the opening day and Sheffield Wednesday, both home and away, for obvious reasons. Burton away, for the geography.

Mansfield, for the local derby and because with this coach we might just work out how to beat them. Peterborough for the Luke Williams factor.

Cambridge for redemption after they did us 4-0 last season.

We are the oldest league club in the world. We walk a righteous path Tell us about the gaffer…

Last season was Martin Patterson’s first full season as a manager and he got us promoted. I am beyond happy with him - commission the statue.

Will he stay? We know how football goes, at our level, by now. If we start well the Championship strugglers might come calling.

Who are your best three players?

Jodi Jones: He’s only at Notts because of so many struggles with injuries and the recurrence of constant ‘niggles’ that sideline him too often.

When fully fit and in form he is on another level.

Wembley was the pinnacle thus far.

James Belshaw: One of our own, aside, had we started last season with him in goal, we would have achieved automatic promotion.

Cal Roberts: He was superb when we had him in non-league and now he has returned, two leagues higher, presumably because our data analytics see the potential.

Tell us about your new signings…

Attacking midfielder Cal Roberts has returned.

James Gibbons is a quality defender and was Cambridge’s player of the season and scored two against us at their place. Young Australian striker Luka Smyth looks like an interesting gamble. Aside from those we’ve gone for players with experience in the league below us. Midfielder Max Sanders joins from Crewe and in Jack Evans and Matt Baker we’ve signed two young players who captained Harrogate and Newport last season. Darius Lipsuic is a promising midfielder from Stoke, who spent last season on loan at Solihull Moors. Striker Emile Acquah joins us from Dundee, after a season on loan at Harrogate. There will doubtless be more arrivals by the time you read this too.

What big boots are there to fill?

Tom Iorpenda’s loan coming to an end is the biggest loss, as he was our player of the season.

Ollie Norburn’s renaissance and massive contribution to the play off success means it was sad to see him go. Striker Matt Dennis has joined

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 John, Julian and Gareth are all on the case to let you know what you can expect from their teams…

LEFT BRIAN

words: Gareth Watts How did last season go?

For much of last season it was plausible that we’d get relegated and win the Europa League.

In the end, we avoided both with a couple of weeks to go. The intense schedule of our European run created a strange sensation: by most metrics we were having a terrible season and yet rarely would four days go by without a win. Also we had four different managers, which it would be nice to avoid this season.

Burton after scoring 14 league goals for us last season. There’s also been lots of close season rumours about us selling Alessana Jatta and Jodi Jones. I’d be sad to see either go, but after last season, and with Richard Montague back leading recruitment, I trust the process whatever unfolds

Last season was Martin Patterson’s first full season as a manager and he got us promoted. I am beyond happy with him commission the statue What’s the mood of your fans?

Don’t worry, be happy.

What’s the best chant on the terraces?

We have the best chant in the history of association football – The Wheelbarrow Song. So that is a stock answer. Along with that, ‘In 1894, we won the FA Cup…’ is stirring, Belshaw ‘One of our own’ as he kisses the badge... and there have been sporadic outbreaks of ‘County, Notts County’ and I would love it, love it, if that were to catch on.

Where do you think you’ll finish?

According to our sustainable progression model, success will be mid-table, then we push on to play off defeat the following season and go up to the Championship in 2029. But this is really hard to judge before the transfer window closes. Right now, our squad looks to be a ‘big ask’ as everyone new has been recruited from the league we have just left.

What’s special about your club?

We are the oldest league club in the world. We walk a righteous path.

If your team was a film, what would it be?

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. This is from the British Film Institute’s description of the kitchen sink drama genre which this film exemplifies – ‘To be put off by the unglamorous locations and prevailing sense of gloom that, inherently, permeates, however, would be a big mistake’ And there you have it. nottscountyfc.co.uk

What games are you looking forward to this season?

After a 55-year wait, we’ve now beaten Liverpool at Anfield in each of the last two seasons. So let’s call that a happy hunting ground while we still can. It’s been an ice age since we last got anything out of Bournemouth, so I’ll stick my neck out and say we’re doing the double over them. Crystal Palace away will be tasty since we poached their manager.

Tell us about the gaffer…

I’m delighted with the appointment of Oliver Glasner. I’ve always thought the model for Forest to follow was Aston Villa. They sold Jack Grealish for £100m and went out and got the best manager they could, Unai Emery. What followed has been non-stop success for them.

Forest have sold Elliot Anderson for £116m and appointed Glasner, a man who wouldn’t have looked out of place at Old Trafford or the Etihad. We have an elite manager, on the up, with a well-defined philosophy and playing style. If he’s not still with us at the end of the season it says more about us than it does him.

Fan group Forza Garibaldi are amazing: so much commitment, energy, enthusiasm and creativity Who are your best three players?

Neco Williams is the best fullback Forest have had since Stuart Pearce. His lung-busting work rate and commitment are something else.

Morgan Gibbs-White is the best player I’ve ever seen in a Forest shirt. Everyone knows his tricks and flicks, but I’ve never seen a number ten who does so much of the ugly stuff too.

We’re very lucky to see all the things Southgate tribute act Thomas Tuchel obviously can’t.

Central defender Murillo isn’t just a bundle of Brazilian fun, but he occasionally pops into my local gym for a workout. He plays with freedom and joy.

Tell us about your new signings…

Just one at the time of writing as Austrian midfielder Xaver Schlager joined us on a free transfer after starting four games for his country in the World Cup. There’s likely to be more by the time you read this though.

What big boots are there to fill?

Elliot Anderson. It was an absolute privilege to witness him quickly become a world-class talent. It’s pointless trying to directly replace

I’m delighted with the appointment of Oliver Glasner a man who wouldn’t have looked out of place at Old Trafford or the Etihad our Geordie Maradona, but I’m pleased it’s Glasner we’ve brought in to redesign the midfield.

What’s the mood of your fans?

It’s good. Glasner’s a real coup and the more sadistic among us will enjoy the fact it prolongs our beef with Crystal Palace. Plenty of us need a season to recover from the toll the European run took on our bank balance, and we know that the absence of those midweek games will give us the fitness advantage over half the league next season.

What’s the best chant on the terraces?

I love the logic behind the song which insists that Murillo, born 6000 miles away, “hates the Derby.” It’s also to the tune of Salt-N-Pepa’s Push It. Where do you think you’ll finish?

Ninth. Success will be getting to a cup final.

Failure will be the ownership and/or the fans turning on Glasner. It’s about time we all gave a manager a chance to fail, make some mistakes and come out the other side together.

What’s special about your club?

Fan group Forza Garibaldi are amazing: so much commitment, energy, enthusiasm and creativity.

Their values shine for Forest even in the darkest times and they help keep things in perspective.

If your team was a film, what would it be?

The Producers. We do self-destructive things (like hire four different managers in a season) and yet somehow end up in a European Semi-Final. nottinghamforest.co.uk

Out of time:

words: CJ De Barra illustration: Ilinca Sivoglo

Nottingham’s history of opium

Content warning, substances and the historical passing of children

Although it’s hard to believe today, in early to mid-Victorian Britain, it was possible to walk into a chemist’s and pick up a bottle of laudanum (opium) or cocaine, with or without a prescription. Even stranger than that, you might do so with the intention of giving it to your baby. You might even send your oldest child to go and pick it up for you.

Nottingham was like many other cities in England, as it had many places you could purchase such drugs. Laundanum was a tincture – a mixture of (usually) 10% powdered opium mixed in alcohol. It became a popular over-the-counter painkiller for anything from gout to vomiting – coughs to upset stomachs. It was heavily marketed towards women for period pain. The attitude towards the use of such drugs was very class-divided: the middle and upper classes viewed the use of laudanum in the working classes as ‘misuse ’, but their own use was seen as dabbling, or a habit.

These medicines were not sold quietly but could be part of advertising for druggists. One such advert for Dr Thomas Harrison proudly announced that he was to be found at St. Peter’s Square – he listed Godfrey’s Cordial as one of the medicines he carried in 1930. The cordial was a popular patented medicine containing laudanum mixed with treacle, spices, and alcohol, and was usually marketed to soothe babies or young children. It could be sold for a penny, which made it highly affordable to the working class. Although it was patented, many druggists made their own and sold it with little to no information on correct dosage. As a result, many children died from accidental overdoses. Those that didn’t die had a certain look to them that was described in a report from Nottingham’s coroner, Mr Browne, in 1944.

He reported that children were often given the cordial from birth or when they were three to four weeks old and that, “those who escaped with life became pale and sickly children, and half-idiotic, always with a ruined constitution.”

Once children developed a tolerance, the dose was often increased. It wasn’t just about soothing sick or teething infants or children; there were other reasons for its use. Life in the city was particularly grim at this time. Nottingham had become an overcrowded series of narrow courts, yards, streets and alleyways with back-to-back housing that lacked sanitation or paved streets. Disease ran rampant, especially cholera and smallpox. The city also experienced a trade depression from 1836 to 1842, during which there was

22 leftlion.co.uk

little to no work in the leading hosiery and lace industries.

Many sought help or entered the workhouse during this time, and the Nottingham Poor Union was established in 1836 to provide relief. With employment scarce, earning a wage often became a family affair, with husband, wife, and children working either at home or in factories. Mothers turned to mixtures like Godfrey’s Cordial (also known as Mother’s Friend) to keep small children and babies quiet while they had to work. In 1861, Mrs Beeton recommended in her Book of Household Management that opium powder and laudanum were kept in home medicine cupboards, though she cautioned not to use Syrup of Poppies or Godfrey’s Cordial to get children to sleep.

It wasn’t just about soothing sick or teething infants or children; there were other reasons for its use. Life in the city was particularly grim at this time A lack of education could also cause a problem when it came to laudanum. One such case in Sneinton shows how precarious and casual dosage could be, made worse when people couldn’t read the labels. At the inquest of a six-month-old baby boy, the court heard that his mother had sent her eight-year-old neighbour, Elliot Mallet, to Mr Bailey, the druggist on Carlton Road, for half a penny’s worth of Godfrey’s Cordial. Sadly, Mrs Eillicock and Mallet couldn’t read that there had been a mix-up with the bottles before she administered it to her baby. She only figured out the mistake when she visited her neighbour who could read. The thirteen-year-old shop assistant had sold the wrong form of laudanum.

Cures for overdoses were completely ineffective and seemed to revolve around rhubarb. Doctors desperately

tried to save people, in particular children, by administering concussions. At an inquest of a six-year-old boy, William Wright, at the Wheatshelf Pub in Sneinton, the druggist revealed he had given the child rhubarb, magnesium and aniseed water as a treatment after his mother gave William four drops of Godfrey’s Cordial for vomiting. This may have been because rhubarb was seen as a purgative, so was used to get mixtures out of the body as quickly as possible.

There were occasionally stranger uses of opium, including a plot to drug forty voters from the Exchange Ward in the city in an attempt to keep them from voting. In the 1844 election, after agreeing a hefty sum for his troubles, a liberal voter purchased opium and other drugs with a view to mixing them with alcohol, which would prevent electors from voting. The plot was discovered, and the drugging did not happen.

The practice was not regulated until the Pharmacy Act 1868. This act attempted to control the sale of opium based mixtures by only allowing the sale through registered chemists – all substances had to be labelled with contents, the word ‘poison’, and the name and address of the seller clearly printed. However there was no limit on how much could be sold, and again the issue of being able to read may have meant the labels were ineffective, let alone the reselling of such cordials and mixtures. Towards the end of the 1800s, aspirin was invented, and opium fell out of favour along with the start of the anti-opium movements, which saw it as a vice. Opium was often associated with the Chinese community through racist articles in newspapers and treated with suspicion. Nottingham had its own antiopium movement that held meetings in the city. In 1894, they invited visiting Rev. Y.K. Yen from Shanghai to give a lecture about the evils of opium in China at the Castle Gate Lecture Hall.

Finally, after much lobbying, Britain agreed to dismantle the India-China opium trade in 1910.

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Big City Reads

The Big City Reads campaign continues until 12 August to provide free books to young people across the city. With a mix of very different stories covering this year’s theme of identity, we asked four young writers to interview some of the selected authors about their work. To find out more about how to get yourself a copy, head to the website below.

nottinghamcityofliterature.com

Charlotte Grote: Solver by John Allison interview: Rachel Bond

John Allison is a cartoonist from Yorkshire who started off studying journalism at university but then pivoted to graphic design. His first comic strip was published online in September 1998, and he has now published more than forty graphic novels. We talk to John about his novel Charlotte Grote: Solver.

This year’s Big City Reads campaign is focused on identity. How does Solver connect to that theme?

Solver is about who you are when you separate yourself from your ‘thing’. Lottie is like a very fast train that has come off the rails long before it reaches its final station, and will never get there, and she doesn’t know what to do. And she spends the book helping others work through similar situations. None of us are going to be one thing for life, and things can change very quickly. It’s a shock to find that out for the first time.

Working in comics is like running your own little media empire. You can be in charge of everything if you want to

Solver is about a teen mystery solver who has aged out of the business. What inspired this story?

I had been working on something, and had it scripted and roughed out, all ready to draw, when I realised it was over-complicated and underbaked, and I couldn’t use it. So I had to come up with something quickly. Solver used a character from one of my old series and some notes I scribbled down, so felt easy and fun to script in a way that what I’d been working on hadn’t. That’s the first 22 pages of the book.

Although you began by studying journalism, you later became a cartoonist. What first drew you (pun intended) to graphic novels?

Working in comics is like running your own little media empire. You can be in charge of everything if you want to. Every genre is available, sitcoms, drama, horror, or all of them at once. The barrier to entry is extremely low. I taught myself to draw. You can publish yourself if you want to. No one can tell you what to do.

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Solver is drawn in a very unique and recognisable style. How did your artistic style develop?

Slowly! I studied the artists I liked, and slowly they all got absorbed into how I wanted things to look. I can’t really picture things in my head, so I have to work it all out on the page. As I’ve got older, it’s less about style, and more about technique, adding little tricks into your process, getting more sophisticated. Sometimes I miss the simpler way I drew in the past, but you can’t go backwards, only forwards.

Change and challenge are what keep a long career interesting.

When do you find is the best time of day for you to write and draw?

I am a morning person so do most of my work then if I can. If I give myself all day to draw a page, I’m never happy with it. A tight deadline forces me to make do and roll on to the next one. Writing is the same when it comes to scripting, but I am always thinking about stories, even subconsciously, and if I have spare time, often I’ll start scribbling down notes that can be useful weeks or even years later. badmachinery.com

29 Locks by Nicola Garrard interview: Robin Stefanescu

29 Locks is a novel which tells the story of Donny, a young boy who is groomed into gang violence and exploitation. Its author, Nicola Garrard, works with young people who have gone through experiences similar to Donny’s, and wrote this book for all of them.

What was your main reason for writing 29 Locks?

I wanted the novel to be a mirror for young people who recognise their own experiences and a window for readers, including adults, unfamiliar with child exploitation. It’s now taught in schools, helping young people understand grooming and encouraging reluctant readers who want books that are about real lives and issues. Writing it also helped me reflect on my own mistakes as a young teacher. The pregnant teacher in the novel is – I'm ashamed to say – actually based on me. Above all, I wanted readers to recognise the talent, humour, resilience and humanity of young people in cities.

I love how the prose is written in the London dialect, as it feels like Donny is telling his story to a friend. Why was this decision made?

Thank you! I wanted to honour Multicultural London English (MLE), a dialect shaped by Cockney, Caribbean patois, Bengali, West African languages and many other influences. I love its rhythm, wordplay and constant evolution.

Too often it’s dismissed as ‘slang’ or incorrect English, but I wanted to celebrate its beauty and let Donny tell his story in an authentic voice.

Mama Folu embodies unconditional love and brings Donny comfort when he needs it most. Was anyone in particular an inspiration for her?

Yes. She was inspired by a foster carer I knew who transformed children's lives with unconditional love while helping them maintain relationships with their families. I also drew on many hardworking single parents I’ve met through teaching, who juggle enormous responsibilities and fiercely believe in and love their children, even if they might

make mistakes, as we all do when we are teenagers!

Donny reacts to events in a way that feels incredibly real. What research helped shape his character?

Teaching in London since 2002 has meant working with young people facing homelessness, exploitation, exclusion and caring responsibilities. Many have overcome extraordinary barriers to build successful lives. I took very seriously editing the novel with the help of teenagers and young men who had been criminally exploited and knew what it was like from the inside of organised drug gangs. Donny is a composite of a number of children I’ve known, and the events he experiences reflect the reality that many young people still face today.

I drew on many hardworking single parents I’ve met through teaching, who juggle enormous responsibilities and fiercely believe in and love their children Were there any experiences from teaching that influenced 29 Locks?

I still teach, both in a Shepherd’s Bush school and for Minority Matters, supporting young people at risk of criminal exploitation. The greatest influence was Mahad Ali, a lovely student of mine who was murdered in 2017 as part of an ongoing wave of youth violence. He was kind, funny and loved boxing. The novel is dedicated to his memory. nicola-garrard.co.uk

Searching for the Remarkable in Things by Natalie Lucy

interview: Alice Calcraft

Searching for the Remarkable in Things, the debut young adult novel by Natalie Lucy, explores themes of grief, friendship, and community. The novel is set in contemporary Britain and 19th century USA and is woven with research from Natalie’s PhD focusing on Caribbean and British literature and folklore.

This year, Big City Reads has the theme ‘identity’, which your book explores very well! What do you think is important about identity?

Identity can change and progress, and it’s important not to become too fixed in who you are. There's lots of different paths you can explore, which I have done in my life. As a teenager and beyond, it can be hard, but I’ve tried to emphasise in my book that it’s important to discover and embrace lots of different things.

Why do you think that this book is relevant to readers in Nottingham and beyond?

My book is very much about young people and trying to discover your path, and I hope it is resonant to young people in Nottingham and throughout Britain. Through my own experiences in Nottingham – doing my masters there and with family in the Midlands – I have seen how multicultural a city it is, and I felt strongly about shining a light on the multicultural aspect of Britain that is present now and in the past.

What was your favourite part of the research process for the book?

Some of the background was part of my PhD, particularly the folklore aspects. I looked at Anansi, who was a trickster character in the Caribbean, and Br’er Rabbit. I also looked at other plantation stories, as I think oral storytelling was very important to the sense of identity on the plantations. For Mary, I wanted her story to be plausible. I didn’t base her life on a specific person, but I read lots of different biographies of people who were enslaved, to try and weave in aspects of their stories. That’s a difficult balance: how historically accurate it is, combined with the storytelling.

tart by Becki Jayne Crossley

Your exploration of grief is so moving. Could you touch on how your experience informed the novel?

I used a lot of personal experiences in the book. Although I didn’t experience grief as a really young person, I tried to explore how that would feel to a younger person. I think it's important to try to celebrate the person that has died.

People deal with grief in different ways, but celebrating a person in whatever way you can keeps a part of that person alive.

My book is very much about young people and trying to discover your path, and I hope it is resonant to young people in Nottingham and throughout Britain Finally, do you have any tips for any young people wanting to get into creative writing?

If it’s your goal to reach a point of publication, it’s a long and hard journey for lots of people. But I think the process of writing can be really satisfying, both to explore your voice and to have a creative outlet. I used to be a solicitor, which was fascinating, but it didn't feel like it tapped into any creativity. For me, that creative side is really important.

So I would recommend just writing – whether that’s prose, poetry, or song lyrics – and seeing where it takes you.

Q @natalie.a.lucy

interview: Ellie Ebbs

Becki Jayne Crossley’s debut YA novel Tart is about a teenager named Libby, whose life is upended by a viral ‘cheating’ video, as she deals with the guilt of her boyfriend’s accident, but finds unexpected love from the new girl at school, Neha. We spoke to Becki about identity, the impact of social media isolation, and how real-world connections can help young people overcome their struggles.

Tart deals with identity through location. How do physical settings impact how young people form their identity?

Growing up in the early noughties, I moved around a lot and went to church. I wasn't particularly religious, but that community shaped my perception of LGBTQ+ identities. It didn’t invite exploration. I didn't even know being bisexual was an option and I didn't come out until my early twenties. I hope young people facing similar difficulties learn that when you are put into a box, you do not have to stay there. People will accept you. It was vital to show that while rigid structures exist, you are not trapped. My main hope is that this book makes people feel seen, or provides catharsis for their inner child.

The characters experience the grief of childhood friendships, as these friends start to feel like strangers as they get older. How do you handle a character being haunted by a ghost who is still standing in front of them?

I haven't lost anyone in that way, but I have had relationships change. When close relationships shift, you're dealing with the ghost of that person, but also of your past self. You can be happy for what those connections were, but deeply sad that they are simply not the same anymore. Exploring that bittersweet feeling was an interesting dynamic.

The character Libby becomes very isolated – did you always know social media would play a central role in this?

When I started writing in 2014, it focused on word-ofmouth. Reworking it in 2022, it became obvious the video had to be central. Even Libby buys into the drama, thinking because it's online, it must be true. Social media is a massive, sadly relevant part of teenage life that had

to be included, showing Libby doubting her own morals based on online talk.

You capture the teenage feeling of ‘being trapped on the other side of the glass’ online. What is the first step in breaking that barrier?

Making a conscious effort to form real life connections.

It’s easier in a vibrant city like Nottingham, which has plenty of events and safe environments – more so than in a small, isolated village like Chipping Hollow. Meeting people who truly see you is that crucial first step, and Libby finds that with Neha. Libby realises that Neha’s friends knew about the video, but they saw her – not the gossip. It’s about not putting stock into what strangers think, which is difficult in my thirties, let alone as a teenager, but worth it because those connections let you be yourself.

I hope young people facing similar difficulties learn that when you are put into a box, you do not have to stay there Libby’s bright red hair acts as a personal neon sign. If your friends picked one item that served as yours, what would it be?

Something rainbow or bright; my friends always send me strawberry related things. A friend once put a rainbow pinafore on her daughter, who said, ‘I look like Becki’. She nailed that part of my identity! However, I am looking forward to the aesthetic shift with my new book, Love and Other Survival Skills, out in January 2027. We may see more yellow, possibly map themed items soon. beckiwrites.co.uk

art

Pieces of Me words & photo: Lauryn Wilson

Made by artist Elahè Raofi and built by the stories of members of Refugee Roots, a free exhibition at the National Justice Museum creates a space that says, ‘all are welcome’, while tackling themes of work, identity and belonging.

When I think of the National Justice Museum, I tend to reminisce about my school trips. I immersed myself in it so much that it left little-me in a state of terror, afraid that one wrong move would lead to punishment. I think of injustices, because I personally don’t think littleme deserved that. Now that I’m older, I mustered up the courage to return but on this particular trip to the museum, I visited the free galleries, and found myself being immersed in an entirely different way.

Stepping into a room that almost feels like a cartoon mimic of a living room (save for the fabulous glass-encased antique loom), there’s a sofa, a dinner table and even a TV that plays a contemporary art style animation. There’s soft, printed furnishings, decorations and even a makeshift garden made by the artist Elahè Raofi, but on further inspection, it’s clear that each section is carefully curated to reassemble the pieces of the charity Refugee Roots members’ idea of home.

I decided to start my tour from the garden, hidden in a nook so tiny it’s easy to miss. There’s a space on the wall called ‘The Beehive’, it’s described as a metaphor for hard-working people and each hexagon is painted by the participants at Refugee Roots to create one larger ‘hive’.

The exhibition doesn’t just show you the Refugee Roots members’ experience as asylum seekers or refugees, it shows you who they are as people My favourite part of the garden, however, was the painted flowers. The plaque to its right informed me of its meaning. During the weekly workshops Refugee Roots has at the museum, Raofi wanted to open up conversations about their rights to work.

They gently broached the topic by having them each pick a flower that represented something, for example one member was once a teacher and she picked daisies to represent her past students. It was moving.

“I wanted to tell the story of an immigrant’s life in the UK,” says Raofi.

“Often, you don’t know how to live in the present. For me, and for many people I know, we think a lot about the past because it’s where we came from and

28 leftlion.co.uk

where part of our lives still exist. At the same time, we worry about the future with questions like, ‘What if my visa isn’t renewed?’ or ‘What if the rules change?’

Those thoughts keep you focused on the past and the future, and they take you away from the present,”

artworks words & images: Marcus Rowlands

For this month’s Art Works we heard from Marcus Rowlands, whose intricate wooden mandalas are on display at the New Art Exchange’s Open exhibition throughout this month.

This was particularly poignant in what was called The Counting Chandelier, made of tiered hoops with dangling pieces of paper, each with a number on it. It represents how the lives of refugees and asylum seekers are formed around numbers. Some messages were sweeter than others; where one will declare their age, another will state the amount of days, months or years they spent waiting for permission to do something as simple as work.

This piece is called White Falcon I and is part of a series. It is 1.2m in diameter and explores geometry and both quiet and disruptive movement. It was inspired by seeing a beautiful print from 17th century Japanese printmaker Isoda Koryusai.

The colours, composition and presence of the piece took me by surprise – I was compelled to honour it in a series of works.

The dinner table is the main feature, a brilliant blue mural by Raofi paints wallpaper, dinner chairs and a light fixture, and it’s where the artwork of the Refugee Roots members shines. Handpainted plates, masks, and paper vases that adorn the table are true reflections of their heritage and welcoming attitude.

Nothing says ‘home’ more than sitting around the dinner table with family and friends, and the plaque declares the members’ own sentiments about their makeshift family.

I have been creating artwork ever since my auntie got me to copy art at her house when I was young. My first show in 1996 was at the Bonington Gallery in Nottingham. I collaborated with my wife Maria Woolley and a dance company called InEquation – we created large fabric installations that people could climb into and move with them – completely different to where my focus is at the moment.

The exhibition doesn’t just show you the Refugee Roots members’ experience as asylum seekers or refugees, it shows you who they are as people. Personalities are present throughout the artwork and even more so when you arrive at the zines beneath the wall titled Who Am I which were made in collaboration with poet Chris Lanyon. The words are interchangeable and relatable; whether you are a son, daughter, student, teacher, doctor or maybe even trustworthy, creative and more.

It's a dance of sorts and I am always attempting to express myself with CNC technology and tools

“I hope people leave with a different perspective,” says Raofi, “despite our different backgrounds, we all share the same need for connection, community, and a place to call home.”

Project Lab - Pieces of Me: Stories from Nottingham, created in partnership with Refugee Roots and artist Elahè Raofi, is free to visit at the National Justice Museum until Sunday 20 September 2026. nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk

Each piece takes about one to two weeks starting with drawing in Fusion and programming. It's a dance of sorts and I am always attempting to express myself with CNC technology and tools.

Both before and after the cutting I use wood stain as opposed to paint to add colour and to exploit the grain and layers within Birch plywood.

I am interested in creating shadows and memories within the work, by sensitively removing wood layers down to 0.1mm. I repeat this many times

both when the stain is wet and dry depending on the effect I am attempting to control.

At the moment I welcome more inspiration through conversations with close friends and curious folks, as opposed to specific artists' work. I am however reading a great book called The Hidden Geometry of Flowers by Keith Critchlow.

It's a real pleasure to be chosen to exhibit at NAE Open alongside local and national artists. I have another piece of work with charity Britten Pears Arts in the summer.

White Falcon I is showcased at the New Art Exchange Open exhibition throughout August.

Q @marcusrowlandsstudio

screen

The Route to Cappyness

interview: Emily Davies photos: Move Over Productions

Nottingham filmmaker Sharon Walia’s work has covered a variety of topics – from guinea pigs to refugees. With her newest documentary, The Route to Cappyness, she looks at how the world’s largest rodent could be the key to positivity across the globe, from Brazil and Japan to the USA and Wheelgate Park. We spoke to Sharon about why the capybara is important, how she made the film, and her travels across the UK, USA, Brazil, and Japan.

You've gone from The Keepers of the Pigs to The Movement, and now The Route to Cappyness. Looking back across your three documentaries, what thread connects them?

Someone once introduced me at a Q&A by saying that my films all come from the heart, and I think that's true. Although The Keepers of the Pigs, The Movement and The Route to Cappyness explore very different subjects, they're all driven by compassion and the human stories. In both The Keepers of the Pigs and The Route to Cappyness, we don't just focus on the animals – we focus on the people whose lives have been changed by them. But in terms of practical, aesthetic elements, I always have my voiceover in it, and invite people to come on the journey with me.

When I was interviewing Luciano the capybara whisperer, he said, ‘You guys in England, you have to pay or drive miles to see them; here, we walk down the park and see them.’ But the fascination is still there. When I was there, people from all over the world came to see them.

Capybaras have become an unlikely global obsession in recent years. What was the moment that made you think, ‘There's a documentary in this’?

I started seeing social media from zoos, and capybaras with the yuzu fruit on their head in the spa, along with lots of memes, and thought, ‘Okay, this documentary hasn't really been done’. There was one many years ago, but it was more of a wildlife documentary, so I thought I'd better get on it quickly because someone's going to do it before me. And it really did snowball.

even just looking at an animal can have the same benefits as stroking it; it reduces cortisol and increases oxytocin – the love hormone. the world is such a sad and busy place at the moment, and I think this film is a distraction from that

I went to Yorkshire Wildlife Park first to film them, and asked if they’d seen a surge in their popularity - they said, ‘Everyone’s capybara mad here. People come from all over England just to see the capybaras’.

So as soon as I did that interview, I knew I had something, and I'm not going to do this documentary without going to Brazil.

It's called The Route to Cappyness because I go on a journey, the audience comes with me, and we find out why these animals are so viral, what they're doing for humans, and how we could all learn from capybaras.

The film takes you from Nottingham to Brazil, Japan, and the USA. Did each country have a different relationship with capybaras, or were there surprising similarities in how people connect with them?

The place I went to in Brazil is called Curitiba, or the ‘City of Capybaras’. You walk down to the park and there's loads of capybaras, all co-existing with humans – they walk on the roads and people stop their cars.

Not all over Brazil, but where I was, it is like seeing a pigeon or a squirrel – they're everywhere.

30 leftlion.co.uk

In Japan, they have something called the cuteness culture, or ‘kawaii’. They value harmony and peace, and that's why they brought the capybaras over in the 60s, put them in hot springs because they like to watch them bathe – they found that capybaras love doing that. In Japan, they connect everyone because they're very tranquil, as you'll see in the film.

At its heart, the film is about well-being rather than simply being an animal documentary. What do you think humans can genuinely learn from capybaras, beyond the internet memes?

Throughout it, there is an animal scientist from Nottingham Trent University, Dr. Jacqueline Boyd.

She's amazing, and we talk about the positive aspects of touching, stroking or just watching an animal. Dr. Boyd says that even just looking at an animal can have the same benefits as stroking it; it reduces cortisol and increases oxytocin – the love hormone. So that's the technical science side, which the film gets into.

But in terms of what we can learn – the world is such a sad and busy place at the moment, and I think this film is a distraction from that.

You've built the film with a regional crew, including collaborators from marginalised backgrounds. How important was it to keep the production rooted in Nottingham, even while telling a global story?

I think we need to support our homegrown talent.

Creativity in Nottingham, it's really hard, and it's really easy to give up because a lot of people want to

make money and live from what they do. I feel like just giving people those opportunities makes them – it gives them work experience. Ben, who worked on the film, said to me that it really helped him because he got further opportunities.

The film is touring not just the UK but also the USA, Japan, and Brazil. How does it feel knowing a documentary that started with a Nottingham-based team will be playing to audiences around the world?

I've had a UK theatrical release, but then I thought look, Capybaras aren't just popular in the UK, they're exploding worldwide. So why don't we go to the places I've filmed, contact distributors there and say would you like to screen it? And we've had people say, ‘Yes, we love this idea!’ It's great because we're showcasing Nottingham talent worldwide.

Do you kind of think that the capybaras in this film and their attitude – for lack of a better word – towards the environment and each other will help bring some important issues to light for the audience?

Definitely. Capybaras have a vital place in our environment. And in the film, without spoiling it too much, we talk about the importance of protecting our spaces, natural parks, and the environment around us.

Not many people know that capybaras are seed dispersers. They help replant forests, because everything they digest, they poop out, so we learn about the environmental aspects. But the message in the film is also about passing what we learn on to the next generation. It's about appreciating small things.

If audiences leave the cinema after The Route to Cappyness with just one lasting thought or feeling, what do you hope it is?

I hope they all leave feeling cappyness! It's the route to cappyness. The audience comes on a journey with me and if they take one thing away from that, it's going to be wellbeing and cappyness. So yeah – be more cappy!

To get your own dose of cappyness attend the premiere of The Route to Cappyness at Broadway Cinema on September 19 2026.

Q @move_over_productions

words: Frances Danylec illustration: Veronica Nilsson

community

Safe Hands

Nottinghamshire Hospice is one of the most important charities in our county, providing palliative and end of life care and support for the loved ones of those who need it. Sadly, there’s a lot of financial adversity facing organisations like them, but they’ve also got a hardworking fundraising department to help them. Frances Danylec finds out more about the work that they do, and how people around Notts can support it in diverse and often enjoyable ways.

“I think a lot of people often think of hospice care and they think it’s miserable,” says Harriet Girling, Public Fundraising Manager at Nottinghamshire Hospice, as we chat about the common misconceptions surrounding end-of-life care. “Yes, it is sad, and it is hard, but a lot of our nurses say that, surprisingly, they have lots of laughter with families and lots of lighter moments. It’s not all doom and gloom and that’s why our nurses love to do what they do.”

"When my wife, Charlotte, was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, we knew our priority was to bring her home, where she felt happiest and most comfortable. I sat up with Charlotte most nights, but this soon became extremely tiring. The nurses were a lifeline for me; having them there meant I could get much needed sleep. They provided outstanding care and support, which made an immeasurable difference. I couldn’t have cared for her without them."

Nottinghamshire Hospice, founded by local people over 46 years ago, is the leading provider of palliative and end-of-life care in the area. There’s no bricks-andmortar hospice itself – their registered nurses and palliative care assistants provide 24-hour support out in the community, enabling 96% of their patients to die peacefully in their own homes.

David and Charlotte are not alone. Last year, Nottinghamshire Hospice cared for 2,336 people living across the county in the final days and weeks of their lives. One in four people who die in Nottinghamshire each year receive their care.

“There’s much more time for our nurses to get to know the patients and really give them exactly what they want, those extra little things,” Harriet explains. “You know, if they want their dog on their bed, if they want their favourite whiskey or a record playing in their bedroom. Those things that just aren’t always possible in a hospital or there isn’t the time for them. That makes hospice care at home so important, our nurses can go the extra mile to provide something really special for somebody at the end of their life.”

In some cases, hospice care at home can enable a person to leave hospital sooner, as specially trained nurses can administer the same medications and care they would have otherwise received. This eases pressure on local hospital beds and provides an arguably more comfortable and meaningful experience for patients too.

Despite this, the charity receives less than half of their funding from the NHS, the other half of the care they provide is paid for by donations and fundraising. The rising cost of living and the increased demand for services due to an aging population make this ever more challenging. Hospice UK, a leading charity calling on more government support to ensure hospice care is fairly funded, states that nearly 60% of hospices in England have made or are considering cuts to frontline services – a situation they describe as unsustainable.

Nottinghamshire Hospice supporter David Anderson described first-hand what the service meant to him.

if they want their dog on their bed, if they want their favourite whiskey or a record playing in their bedroom. Those things that just aren’t always possible in a hospital or there isn’t the time for them “Another misconception is that there’s a cost to the service,” Harriet continues. “People don’t get in touch because they think they can’t pay for it. But it’s all free – everything we do is available for anyone who needs it.” This is pertinent given that expenses, like travel to appointments, can mount up when someone may be less able to work. Research by cancer charity Macmillan estimates that 83% of people with cancer in the UK are impacted financially by their diagnoses, reaching an average of £891 a month on top of their usual outgoings.

Together with the hands-on care, Nottinghamshire Hospice also provides practical advice to families, being one of the few local hospice services in the country to offer a 24-hour nurse-led phone line. Alongside this, their Counselling and Emotional Support service is open to anyone affected by terminal illness – from someone who has just been diagnosed and needs help thinking about the future to family members who have tragically lost their loved one and need support processing their grief.

Jenni Tompkins, Bereavement Service Lead, comments

on how difficult it can be for people to talk: "There’s a lot of pressure to be positive and live in the moment, and conversations about death and dying are traditionally the opposite of that! Whilst it’s perfectly normal to feel fearful about these discussions, having plans in place and talking to friends and family about your wishes can actually go a long way to taking some of the fear and anxiety out of the unknown of it."

Determined to ensure their service stays open, free and community-focused the charity raises vital funds by partnering with local events. The team have been involved in the Hockley and Green Hustle festivals, as Corporate Fundraiser, Maria Romanov, remembers: “It started with the Green Hustle – we took part in their fashion show last year which was amazing! We got to promote our charity shops, showcasing that you can look good and still support a great cause. We were then chosen to partner with Hockley Hustle, and it was great being able to have a stand and talk to the community about what the hospice does.”

This month, you can join the running festival on Sunday 30 August and take part in a half-marathon, 10k or 5k.

You’ll have a cheaper registration fee by signing up through Nottinghamshire Hospice and will receive a special edition t-shirt too. “The buzz last year was really good!” smiles Amelia Flanagan, Fundraising Assistant. “Our volunteers had cheer stations around the course so whenever we saw anyone with a Nottinghamshire Hospice shirt on we'd be like, ‘Yeah!

C’mon!’ It felt like such a big community event.”

If you’re looking for something a little shorter, the Santa Dash this winter is a fun alternative. Join at Wollaton Hall on Sunday 6 December and walk or jog a 1km or 5km loop, with the kids and dog in tow.

You’ll get a free Santa t-shirt to run in (or additional fancy dress is welcomed!). Keep your eyes peeled on their socials for sign-ups opening. If there’s another way you’d like to be involved but you’re unsure how, just get in touch, as Amelia encourages: “Call us at the fundraising department and we can guide you through it. You don't have to have a clue what you’d like to do.”

The Nottingham Running Festival takes place on Sunday 30 August at Nottingham Racecourse. To get involved visit their website. nottshospice.org

leftlion.co.uk 31

FOOD

ØKENDE - LET'S GO

words & photos: Lucy Campion

West Bridgford born coffee shop and bakery ØKENDE is known for its cool, minimalist design and elegant pastries. Last month, this popular independent opened a second store on Broad Street, introducing a new day-to-night spot in Hockley.

If you are local to West Bridgford, ØKENDE needs no introduction. The store’s stripped back decor – simple and neutral with pale wood throughout – is a sharp contrast to the bold, busy interiors of many modern coffee shops. ØKENDE is Scandinavian not just in appearance but taste as well, from the high-quality coffee (sourced from acclaimed Danish roaster La Cabra) to a selection of the pastries on the counter. The name itself is Norwegian, roughly translated to ‘increasing’. Alongside the delectable pastries, there will be loaves of freshly baked sourdough — ØKENDE’s specialty — available to buy daily.

Hockley is home to some of Nottingham’s finest coffee shops, but oKENDE hopes to offer something unique with its later opening hours and combined focus on coffee and wine Coffee remains central to ØKENDE’s identity and the new site boasts a UK-first in the Mavam MM Super Auto Espresso Machine, previously unseen in a commercial setting and recognisable from the distinct silver taps built into the counter. With beans ground, milk frothed and coffee poured all at the push of a single button, this innovative bean-to-cup process is designed for consistency and precision without compromising quality.

and ‘low-intervention’ wines. For anyone unfamiliar with these terms, they indicate a minimal-meddling approach to winemaking, which uses organically grown grapes and little or no additives. The method is gaining traction across the industry and aligns well with ØKENDE’s ethos of simplicity paired with premium products.

By day, customers can have their fill of coffee and pastries; at night, they will be able to enjoy nibbles and small plates over a glass of vino. And while ØKENDE will definitely appeal to people who take their coffee and wine seriously, it is not just for connoisseurs. You can also order matcha, hot chocolate, different teas, seasonal soft drinks and even a pint on draught from the store’s beer taps.

Students and remote workers will be pleased to hear that ØKENDE welcomes laptops, thanks to a generous sixtyseat capacity indoors. Renovation of the downstairs space is ongoing but will add substantially more seating, while customers have already been making the most of the outdoor tables and chairs in the recent sunshine.

Hockley is home to some of Nottingham’s finest coffee shops, but ØKENDE hopes to offer something unique with its later opening hours and combined focus on coffee and wine – somewhere people can sip a latte and savour a glass of red under the same roof.

The city centre store also has a strong focus on ‘natural’

Find ØKENDE’s new store at 4-6 Broad St, NG1 3AL. Q okendecoffee

FROM THE KITCHEN

With BRYAN HENESY, OWNER AT BREADMILL BAKERY

with Gaz Peacham, Deputy Manager at The Embankment

When did you first know you wanted to make food for a living?

I knew when I was a teenager that I wanted to be a baker. But the idea of getting up in the middle of the night put me off it for quite a few years. So I was a journalist for a decade – including a few years at the Nottingham Post – before committing to this life at 33. I earned my stripes baking at the Welbeck Estate, before opening this place in 2023.

Tell us something interesting about your pub…

It was built in 1907 as the second ever Boots the Chemist dispensary and upstairs was Jesse Boot’s office. It later became a social club for Boots employees – downstairs there’s still an amazing antique skittle alley from back then.

Who has been the biggest influence on your baking?

I loved watching Jamie Oliver and Ready Steady Cook on TV when I was young.

But looking back, my family was always the biggest influence. I used to visit my grandad in Liverpool and he’d have a fresh cake made, usually cherry and coconut or date and walnut. My mum and nana were avid cooks and bakers too.

Describe your venue in three words I love bread.

Wsportspeople one wordhat’s the best-selling item on your menu?

People seem to love my sourdough. All our bread is sourdough and there’s only three ingredients in it; flour, water and salt. Or four if you include the ‘bit of love’ my son says I always put in too.

What are your favourite places to eat out in Notts?

In Sneinton Avenues we’re spoilt for choice so I usually don’t have to venture much further than Blend, Working Man’s Kitchen or GB Cafe to grab lunch or something to take home. I live in Chilwell and we tried a place called Delicious Dim Sum recently – it lived up to the name.

Who are your five ideal dinner party guests? And what’s on the menu?

Jamie Oliver. He can cook the main course and I'll make a bready starter and Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. Then we’ll invite Jimi Hendrix, Alex Turner, Kylie Minogue and my Wigan hometown hero Richard Ashcroft. Jamie plays the drums so maybe we could all have a big jam after?

Find the Breadmill Bakery, Unit 29, Sneinton Market, NG1 1DW

Q @breadmillbakery 32 leftlion.co.uk

LIFE BEHIND BARS

What’s the best thing about your job?

I love working with people and the social and community side of pubs. I really enjoy hearing people’s stories and getting to know them all a little bit.

What’s the worst?

I don’t feel anything that bad in this job to be honest. Before it I ran a music venue and nightclub on Mansfield Road called The Maze. Back then we had to work really long hours and clean the toilets, so I saw how hard it can be. Compared to those days, working in a big company like Castle Rock is a breeze.

What’s your best-selling drink?

It’s Cruzcampo, closely followed by Elsie Mo. Most of the Castle Rock bars would say either Elsie Mo or Harvest Pale. But we’re situated right near the sports grounds, so we sell a lot of lager.

What's your favorite personal tipple?

It changes all the time, but at the moment I'm really into this radler by Verdant called RadBulb.

Who’s the most famous person you’ve had drinking here?

Vicky McClure launched a beer here a few years back. We also attract a lot of sportspeople and sport events so; Stuart Broad, Viv Anderson, Mark Crossley and John McGovern.

How would you persuade someone new to visit?

It’s a beautiful venue and worth coming in to see for jthat alone. From the gardens to the function rooms, every bit is different and interesting in its own way. Plus we take a lot of pride in the beer selection and our food always gets good reviews.

Find the Embankment Pub & Kitchen at 282-284 Arkwright St, Nottingham NG2 2GR

Q @embankmentpub

Find us!

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Theatre South East

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The Stage

trch.co.uk | 0115 989 5555

A PLAY BY PAUL HENDY

DESIGN BY

Theatre Royal, Nottingham Tue 1 to Sat 5 Sep

From farm to fork the evolution of Spring Lane Farm Established in 1939, Spring Lane Farm has been run by four generations of the Spencer family, growing from humble origins into a successful family-run enterprise.

We sat down with Jessica Spencer and her grandfather Cyril to discuss the farm’s journey and learn more about its onsite cafe-restaurant, The Old Parlour.

Spring Lane Farm began life as a traditional dairy farm and remains a working farm to this day, but over the last eight decades the business has been transformed into something much broader. Its owners, the Spencer family rear cattle and sheep and grow their own potatoes, grass and cereal crops, but most of that work now fuels a thriving farm shop and the cafe they opened in December.

“It’s been crazy every day since opening,” Jessica says. “It’s brilliant from a business point of view because the farm shop has been busier too and obviously that’s snowballed to demand on the farm. All three businesses stack up with each other really.”

It’s in the cafe (packed and alive with chatter) that I meet Jessica and Cyril. The large, open plan space is full of natural light; it has rustic character, while feeling distinctly modern. Cattle tags branded with numbers stand on tables and milk clusters repurposed into light fixtures hang overhead. “This building was the dairy cow unit,” Jessica – who Cyril credits as the creative force behind the cafe – explains. “We wanted a rustic look that felt in touch with its agricultural roots, so it’s the same building. All the steel is original, we just put a new roof and windows in.”

The farm shop’s bakery, deli counter and inhouse butchery all feed into the cafe’s menu.

It’s great when people compliment the sausage and ask where it’s from and we can say ‘the butchery counter, about ten yards away’. People like to know where their food comes from, customers deserve transparency in the food chain “Our team shares the same ethos. The homeproduced food served has been sourced from our farm and local villages. It’s great when people compliment the sausage and ask where it’s from and we can say ‘the butchery counter, about ten yards away’. People like to know where their food comes from – customers deserve transparency in the food chain.”

The Old Parlour’s popular ‘Farmers’ Breakfast’ is a classic example of quality local ingredients coming together: potatoes grown in the fields behind the cafe, bread baked in the farm’s bakery, Nottinghamshire-bred pork in the sausages, free-range eggs from Leicestershire and bacon cured onsite. The lunch offering continues the theme, with hearty British comfort food and lighter options, alongside a ‘Little Farmers’ menu for children.

The cafe’s magnificent cake display is courtesy of the farm’s resident pastry chef, Jan, who spends her days creating edible masterpieces from sponge, cream and biscuit. In Jessica’s words, the cakes are “to die for” and, after a life-changing Victoria Sponge, I have to agree.

This commitment to provenance isn’t new, in fact it’s been part of the farm’s identity since the beginning. Cyril explains: “My mother used to sell eggs at the farmhouse door, then potatoes and other bits and bobs. During the war, she would deliver milk with an old seventeengallon milk churn on a trolley.” What started out as sales on the doorstep gradually became

FOOD

words & photos: Lucy Campion

the foundations of the farm shop, which was purpose-built in 1992 and has undergone multiple refurbishments since.

In 1998, the farm started selling raw meat and 2006 saw the arrival of the bakery. “The business today has evolved from finding solutions to problems,” Jessica says. “We’ve always done farm retail, it’s second nature because we wanted an outlet to sell our own produce. People said, ‘It would be lovely if you had a cafe here…’ and we thought what a great idea. We’re making our own food, why not create a venue to serve it?”

The farm has evolved steadily, with each generation contributing something new. “Me and Mum take care of the business side of things.

Dad and Charlie run the farm, rearing cattle and planting crops,” Jessica explains. Although no longer at the helm, 81-year-old Cyril still lives onsite and lends a hand where he can.

“Granddad helped a lot with the cafe. He’s handy with bricks – he did the porch and the blockwork behind the walls. My husband’s a plumber, he’s done lots of building and decor work. We’re quite a practical family!”

Working with family has its challenges, but the Spencers have made it a success. “If there’s a problem, we don’t fall out, we sort it out together,” Cyril says. Jessica adds, “We might have a spat at the kitchen table, but we all shake hands after! In farming families, you’re running a business but there’s an emotive side that can be hard to separate. If there’s a difficult decision to make, you remove your family hat for the benefit of the business.” This ability to detach emotion proved instrumental in 2001, when Spring Lane chose to cease dairy farming activity and focus on farm retail instead.

Jessica and her brother joined the business officially in 2020, although they have been involved their entire lives. “We now employ 57 people, we’ve got a fantastic team. Stan, our head butcher, has been with us over twenty years and came to my wedding. The growth in the past two decades has been massive,” Jessica says.

The fourth generation of Spencers have also brought new knowledge and perspectives. “My parents said ‘the world’s your oyster, do what you want to do’, so I went to Harper Adams University, which is basically farming school,” Jessica laughs. “My degree is in agri-food marketing so I was always coming back. I really like the family history and feel lucky to be able to put my own spin on things.”

As the farm has progressed, a commitment to stewardship has developed. “We’ve planted hedgerows, welcomed a local beekeeper’s hives and worked with the Rivers Trust to retain water on the land. As farmers, we’re custodians of the land — if we look after it, it looks after us.”

The principle of investing in what you have and reaping the rewards runs through the whole business. The farm supplies the shop, the shop supplies the cafe, and the cafe attracts new people to the site. “We’ve always wanted to sell good food, tell people where it comes from and make this a place people want to return to.”

Find The Old Parlour and Spring Lane Farm at Spring Ln, Mapperley Plains, Nottingham NG3 5RQ. springlanefarm.co.uk

leftlion.co.uk 35

music

MUSIC REVIEWS

EMiDORA haunted by the outside (EP)

Q @emidora__ Having quickly impressed around Nottingham with her engaging live shows and vibrant, DIY-brand of alt-pop, EMiDORA has officially arrived with her sharp, electrifying and Youth Music-funded debut EP, haunted by the outside.

With all five tracks written in her bedroom, there’s an intoxicating contrast at the heart of the record, as we float between the luminous hyperpop pulses of the instrumentation, to the darker lyrical thread centred on anxiety and social pressures.

With glossy production, distorted textures and emotional vulnerability, it’s a confident and coherent first project that shines brightest on idk if I’m even feeling, are you sure you wanna see this? and the brilliant title track.

For a first EP, haunted by the outside is a striking introduction to EMiDORA’s music, spotlighting her as an artist who knows how to turn her inner chaos into uplifting energy that pulls you vigorously onto the dancefloor. (Karl Blakesley)

Saffron Gray Soul in Motion (EP)

Q @iamsaffrongray The latest project from last year’s Future Sound of Nottingham winner and Nottingham’s favourite busker, Saffron Gray, Soul In Motion finds her reflecting on love and selfworth. Showcasing just how quickly her songcraft has elevated in such a short space of time, the three track EP is rich and

36 leftlion.co.uk

assured, with Gray’s warm vocal delivery always the star of the show.

Balancing gospel intimacy with contemporary R&B textures, the delicate production always leaves enough room for Gray’s voice to breathe, allowing the melodies to unfold naturally whilst subtle grooves keep everything in motion, giving the record a smooth, late-night glow.

The highlight is without a doubt The Medley, a piano-led, near sevenminute mini-epic that just glides along wonderfully through Gray’s passion and grace. Altogether though, this is a mature, elegant and quietly captivating listen, once again spotlighting Saffron Gray as an artist capable of turning vulnerability into something soulful and deeply inviting. (Karl Blakesley)

Amantes Cognitive Dissonance (single)

Q @amantesband After debuting at Derby Road’s the Mist Rolling Inn earlier this year, trio Amantes – Louis, Dalia, and Ben, have steadily made a name for themselves. The first stages of their journey have promptly led to the announcement of a debut album: Amantes I, out 26 August 2026, and the latest single from that record: Cognitive Dissonance, is an exciting preview. It starts with some jazzy, bossa nova tinged guitar chords, and smooth, underlying bass and drum parts which demonstrate what makes these guys fresh and exciting. It’s indie rock, but with a great sense of the slowly unfolding and meditative, trusting the listener to be invested without it trying too hard. Louis’ vocal tone, meanwhile, has a raw and nostalgic quality that evokes the melancholia of certain, late 2000s UK frontmen. If you like the sound of it, they’re playing Hockley’s The Carousel for ‘The Carousel Tapes’ gig on 8 August. (Caradoc Gayer)

Isaac Neilson Getting Better (Single)

ethereal synths and shoegazy riffs whilst the rumbling pitter-patter of the drums are the final ingredient added to the tornado of noise. Receiver is a fine way to finish: another dive into a world bound by the need for human connection in a reality that, in large parts, is devoid of it. (Lewis Oxley)

KID SPIRIT Morning Star (EP)

Q @kid.spirit.band Despite consisting of only three tracks, this EP delivers on depth and impact without the need for more material to stimulate the listener.

Lead single Barriers is a joyous delve into a tortured soul bound to erupt into a gamut of different emotions, from agony to ecstasy, which is well developed by hallucinogenic vocals entangled within the blanket of swooning riffs and a matching, stomping backbeat. Different delivers a similar emotional evocation, with the vocals once again looping around

Bad Milk Blood Robot "We were trying to come up with a band name and then our guitarist Phil discovered this internet meme from a decade or so back. It was a synopsis of the film Alien that had been written in Chinese and then translated into English for a bootleg DVD. The last two lines were “Who is bad milk blood robot? Scream not working because space make deaf.” He sent it round to us all and we loved it."

Q @isaacneilson00 This Nottingham-based artist is perhaps one of the hardest working in the industry this year, having committed to (and so far succeeding in) playing a gig every single day... In Getting Better he seems to be letting out all the pent-up energy, allowing the adrenaline wave to sing through his utterly-sincere music. Isaac describes the song as "unknowingly, a microcosm of the year I’m experiencing so far" and that sense of fate and serendipity comes through strongly. After singing the best part of the first half almost acapella, Isaac allows a huge wave of inspiring and above all hope-filled sound to build and carry him through – just as the energy of live music and commitment to the art form has seen him through seven months of daily gigs so far. (Phil Taylor)

WHATS IN A NAME

Drinking with Lucy Desert Eagle (single)

Q @drinkingwithlucy As a band that have only had two single releases to date, lauded

by Dean Jackson on BBC Introducing as a “band set to break through", Drinking With Lucy are definitely an act that should demand your attention. Their debut single got the band off to a flying start, resulting in a rapidly increasing following for this ambitious five piece. Combining musical influences from classic rock to 90s grunge along with present day indie sounds, Desert Eagle demonstrates why Drinking With Lucy have attracted so much media attention in such a short time. There’s real meaning in the song’s lyrics which blend captivatingly with the guitar riffs, alternating between gentler indiestyle rhythms and the grungier breaks at times tantalisingly reminiscent of Nirvana. They will be supporting The Zangwills at The Bodega on 17 October. (Claire Spencer) If you’re from Nottingham and want to get added to our list of music writers or get your tunes reviewed, hit us up at: music@leftlion.co.uk To listen to these tracks and more, check out the LeftLion channel on Spotify.

VENUE SPOTLIGHT

Over in Sneinton Market, The Grove is an intimate gig space and recording studio built for musicians by musicians. This month they celebrate their second birthday with a party on 29 August, they also host local and international bands every week; the small space makes for cosy, fulfilling gigs. Artists end the night with signing The Wall, a visual reflection of the many bands that have spent nights moulding memorable evenings in this Ducky Award winning venue.

PROMOTER FOCUS

With 21 years of making Nottingham LOUD, I’m Not From London are a promoter and record label with a focus on DIY, rock n’ roll, indie, hip hop, post-punk, psych, garage, and alternative music. The honchos behind monthly shows, Waterfront Festival and free weekly Ruby Tuesdays gigs at Billy Bootleggers, follow them on socials to see what else they have going on.

Q @imnotfromlondon

Gig Guide

FOR TICKETS AND INFO VISIT ALTTICKETS.COM

SAT.29.AUG.26

FRI.07.AUG.26

Day Fever

Stiff Little Fingers

ARBORETUM GARDEN BAR & BANDSTAND

TUE.18.AUG.26

ROCK CITY

The Flatliners RESCUE ROOMS

Altered Images

FRI.28.AUG.26

Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE ROCK CITY

SUN.30.AUG.26

Foolhardy Folk Festival

RESCUE ROOMS

WED.02.SEP.26

Little Grandad BODEGA

FRI.04.SEP.26

King Prawn BODEGA

UT FRI.04.SEP.26 SOLD O

The Molotovs THE PALAIS

SAT.05.SEP.26

Six. by Seven BODEGA

MON.07.SEP.26

Altered Images SUN.13.SEP.26 ROUGH TRADE

Model/Actriz RESCUE ROOMS

WED.09.SEP.26

Allegaeon & GORDOD RESCUE ROOMS

WED.09.SEP.26

WED.09.SEP.26

Anna von Hausswolff

Mimi Barks

TUE.08.SEP.26

Day Fever

TUE.01.SEP.26

WED.09.SEP.26 BODEGA

BODEGA

Downward

ARBORETUM GARDEN BAR & BANDSTAND

GHOSTWOMAN

Ratboys

SAT.29.AUG.26

ARBORETUM GARDEN BAR & BANDSTAND

MON.07.SEP.26 RESCUE ROOMS

MON.07.SEP.26

RESCUE ROOMS

ROUGH TRADE

Primal Scream ROCK CITY

THU.10.SEP.26

ATLAS

RESCUE ROOMS FRI.11.SEP.26

Alfie Sharp BODEGA

FRI.11.SEP.26

Ally Venable RESCUE ROOMS

SAT.12.SEP.26

Gaerea

RESCUE ROOMS SAT.12.SEP.26

Wheels In Motion BODEGA

SUN.13.SEP.26

Boyce Avenue RESCUE ROOMS

WED.16.SEP.26

Havok

RESCUE ROOMS

THU.17.SEP.26

Francis of Delirium BODEGA

FRI.18.SEP.26

GIFT BODEGA

SAT.19.SEP.26

Little Barrie BODEGA

SAT.19.SEP.26

Toby Lee RESCUE ROOMS

SUN.20.SEP.26

The Afghan Whigs THE PALAIS

FRI.25.SEP.26

New Constellations BODEGA

FRI.25.SEP.26

THU.01.OCT.26

Bridge City Sinners RESCUE ROOMS

THU.01.OCT.26

BODEGA

THU.01.OCT.26

We Are Scientists

Fear Factory ROCK CITY

FRI.02.OCT.26

Ian Prowse & Amsterdam SAT.03.OCT.26

Blood Wizard BODEGA

SAT.03.OCT.26

Robert Jon & The Wreck ROCK CITY

SAT.03.OCT.26

SAT.03.OCT.26

Rusty Shackle

UT SAT.26.SEP.26 SOLD O

SUN.04.OCT.26

BODEGA

TUE.29.SEP.26

The Tubs BODEGA

WED.30.SEP.26

Swim Deep BODEGA

THU.01.OCT.26 RESCUE ROOMS

BODEGA

ROCK CITY (BETA)

Lauren Auder

Bridge City Sinners

FRI.02.OCT.26

ROCK CITY

MON.28.SEP.26

THE PALAIS

ROCK CITY

Rusty Shackle

THE PALAIS

Good Kid

SPITALFIELD

Thompson Twin’s Tom Bailey

Poets Of The Fall

WED.23.

SEP.26

ROCK CITY (BETA)

Declan Welsh And The Decadent West BODEGA

MON.05.OCT.26

BAEST ROUGH TRADE

MON.05.OCT.26

Man/Woman/ Chainsaw RESCUE ROOMS

(hed) PE & COLD TUE.06.OCT.26 RESCUE ROOMS

The Sisters of Mercy

MON.12.OCT.26 FRI.18.SEP.26 SAT.19.SEP.26 ROCK CITY

Humanity’s Last Breath RESCUE ROOMS

What's on THIS August SATURDAY 1 AUGUST

Beyond Monet and Beyond Van Gogh - The Immersive Experience  Motorpoint Arena Nottingham £0-£25.46, 10am-6pm Two immersive art shows celebrating two of history’s most legendary painters are at the Motorpoint Arena this month.

Well known paintings from Claude Monet and Van Gogh will be shown via 3D technology and specially curated soundtracks – there’ll be a space inspired

by Monet’s famous gardens at Giverny, a Van Gogh inspired ‘sunflower alley’, and plenty more memorable installations to walk through. There will also be yoga sessions amongst the installations, which are selling out fast. We’re lucky to experience this here in Notts, as the event only received its world premiere in Liverpool last summer, before touring in select UK cities that year.

Runs until: Sunday 9 August A Very Victorian summer  The National Justice Museum Runs until: Sunday 30 August Themed Parent & Tots Ice Skating  The National Ice Centre 9.30am-11.30am Runs until: Monday 24 August Serena Korda: Triple Goddess  The Harley Gallery & Museum Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Sunday 6 September Matrika: She Who Makes Worlds  New Art Exchange Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Saturday 12 September NAE Open 2026  New Art Exchange Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Saturday 12 September Augustas Serapinas: Physical Culture  Nottingham Contemporary Free, 10am-5pm Runs until: Sunday 13 September Worst Record Covers in the World  Mansfield Museum Free, 10am-3pm Runs until: Saturday 29 August Nottingham Flow Jam  Victoria Embankment Free, 2pm-5pm Knit & Natter, Sit & Sew  Mansfield Museum Free, 11am-1pm

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Chico da Silva: And the soul is for the birds  Nottingham Contemporary Free, 10am-5pm Runs until: Sunday 13 September Moments of Becoming: A Contemporay Art Exhibition by Carole Ellis and Paul Searson  The Nottingham Society of Artists Free, 10am-8pm Runs until: Sunday 2 August Fragments Exhibition

by Lindsay Tempest  West Bridgford Library Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Saturday 5 September Musical Theatre Summer School: Bugsy Malone  Nottingham Playhouse Runs until: Monday 3 August We the People: America's Fight for Freedom and Beyond  Lakeside Arts Free, 12pm-4pm Runs until: Sunday 13 September Our Marian  Backlit Free, 12pm-4pm Runs until: Saturday 8 August A Liminal Hymn  Chaos Magic Free, 12pm-5pm Runs until: Sunday 30 August Save The Rave: 90's Festival  NG-One 12pm-10pm Ministry of Science Live  Nottingham Playhouse £19, 12.30pm

Possum Kid  The Grove £10, 7pm

Retro Football Fair  The Nest £3.50, 10.30am-4.30pm

ZOO Secret Garden Party  The Secret Garden £10-£15, 7pm-2am

Look-A-Like: Outdoor Tribute Festival  NG-One 12pm-10pm

Operation Mincemeat  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall £71-£75, 7.30pm A Sky Full of Stars: A Tribute to Coldplay  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm Nottingham Shakespeare Company's The Tempest  St. John's Church and Community Centre 7.30pm-9pm We Love Jamaica - Celebration  Lace Bar £3-£7, 8pm-2am The Easy Thomas Blues Band  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm Gaskin & Robbie Doherty  The Nest £10-£40, 10pm-2am Ease Off with Seen and Tenshu  The Model 10pm-3am Black Parade - 00's Anthems  Billy Bootleggers £6, 11pm-3am

SUNDAY 2 AUGUST

Sounds Familiar Music Quiz  Saltbox Bar £12, 2pm-7pm Nottingham Shakespeare Company's The Tempest  Riverside Park 2.30pm-4pm R&B Mania  The Nest £10-£30, 3pm-9pm Where We Belong: National Youth Choir (9-15 Years)  The Albert Hall 3pm Black Bear Bones  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-7pm My Chemical Hoemance  Rescue Rooms £13, 7pm-11pm Ordinary People: Jazz & Deep House  Movers 7pm-12am

Irish Traditional Session  The Malt Cross 2pm Blues Brothers by Illinois  The Diamond £10-£13, 2pm-11.30pm Red Hot Riot  Billy Bootleggers Free, 2pm-6pm Nottingham Shakespeare Company's The Tempest  The Park Tennis Club 2.30pm-4pm The Big Faces  Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 3pm 4Play Presents - Garage & Basslines Summer Day Party  The Pitcher and Piano £12.50-£18, 3.30pm-10pm A Homeric Odyssey: Sarah Wilson  Five Leaves Bookshop £4-£5, 4.30pm-6pm Fyfe Dangerfield  Sneinton Market Avenues £17-£25, 6pm Gregory Groover Jr  Peggy's Skylight £17, 6pm-9pm

MONDAY 3 AUGUST

The Hundred: Trent Rockets vs Leeds Sunrisers v Trent Bridge Cricket Ground £5-£49, 10am The UK’s annual, edge-of-your seat, hundred-ball cricket competition is back in Notts this month for the sixth time.

This match is the second of four men’s and women’s double headers, with Trent Rockets also facing Birmingham Phoenix on 5 August, and Southern Brave on 10 August. Nottingham’s Trent Rockets are one of only eight teams who participate each year.

The Hundred also features live music with Eighty Eight Miles, Terrianne and DECO all slated to perform sets alongside BBC Nottingham’s Charlie Burley DJing.

This contest is fast becoming one of the most exciting in UK cricket, and this is your chance to watch it in Nottingham.

TUESDAY 4 AUGUST

The Robin Hood Adventure Trail  Various Locations Free It’s In Nottingham – our city’s business improvement district – have brought back their annual, family friendly adventure trail which each summer proves to be a hit with young and old alike.

If you want to get involved with your little ones, you have to pick up a map from one of eleven participating venues across the city centre, which you’ll use to find eleven hidden characters from the Robin Hood myth across the city, from which you have to crack a code – there’s a reward for your efforts at Nottingham Castle.

It’s a great option for keeping kids active and entertained on a free Saturday or Sunday.

Runs until: Saturday 5 December Stage Combat Summer School  Nottingham Playhouse £135, 10am Shakespeare for Kids: A Midsummer Night's Dream Workshop  Waterstones £4, 11am The Tale of Peter Rabbit & Benjamin Bunny  Nottingham Castle £14-£20, 5pm

Summer Holiday Club  The National Ice Centre £35, 8.30am-5.30pm Runs until: Friday 21 August

Chepang, Lilixelbe, Gendo Ikari & Avoid  Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel £10, 7pm

Play in A Week  Lakeside Arts £135, 10am-4pm Runs until: Fri 7 August

WEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST

World-Building: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing for 15 - 17 Year Olds  Nottingham Trent University 10am-4pm Runs until: Friday 7 August Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles  Wollaton Hall and Park £14-£20, 6pm Opus Kink: Q&A & Signing  Rough Trade £15.75, 6pm Nottingham Organ Society…

Chris Stanbury (In the Bar!)  Bonington Theatre & Cinema £10, 7.30pm

Play in 3 Days: Pinocchio  Nottingham Playhouse £105, 10am The Hundred: Trent Rockets vs Birmingham Phoenix v Trent Bridge Cricket Ground £5-£49, 2pm Jokes at The Juice Bar  Juice Bar £5, 7pm-9.30am Bob Log III & The Gadgets  Billy Bootleggers £17.50, 7.30pm-11pm King Zepha  Peggy’s Skylight £10-£15, 8pm-10pm

Big City Reads 2026: John Allison in conversation  Nottingham Central Library 5.30pm Cartoonist John Allison created graphic novel Charlotte Grote: Solver, which is part of Nottingham City of Literature’s Big City Reads program: a bookgiveaway campaign intended to promote reading among Nottingham young people, via five books chosen by the organisation’s Youth Selection Panel. This month, Allison is going to be in conversation at Nottingham Central Library with Laura Snapes, who is Deputy Music Editor of The Guardian. They’ll talk about his award-filled career, and the variety of vibrant, visual works that he’s created, such as his acclaimed comic series Giant Days, Bad Machinery, and Steeple.

Tickets are ‘pay what you can’.

Nottingham Shakespeare Company’s The Tempest  Grange hall - Radcliffe On Trent 7.30pm-9pm

THURSDAY 6 AUGUST The Lebanese Kitchen  New Art Exchange 5pm-7pm Summer Camargo  Peggy's Skylight £12.50, 7pm-10pm JT Soar x Movers: Showcase  Movers 7pm-12am Molly Walsh Summer Tour  The Grove £6, 7pm Highest Primzahl On Mars  Mist Rolling Inn £9, 7pm-11pm People's Emergency Briefing  St Jude's Church Free, 7.30pm-9.30pm

Media Puzzle  JT Soar £12, 7.30pm

Long Eaton Music Festival  West Park Events Field Free, 11.30am-10pm

FRIDAY 7 AUGUST

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Symbolism, Storytelling, and the Power of TV  Broadway Cinema 1pm

Jeffrey Alexander and The Heavy Lidders  JT Soar £12 Liz Mackenzie's workshop  Nottingham Central Library 10.30am-11.30am The Sand Dragon  Mansfield Palace Theatre 11am

Gloworm Festival  Thoresby Park £50-£150, 5pm-10pm Gloworm Festival, one of Nottinghamshire’s largest and best loved family-friendly festivals, is back again this year at Thoresby Park. As always, the line up is going to be very exciting and varied, with acts like Jo O’Meara from S Club, The K Pop Hunters Party, a Taylor Swift and Harry Styles Tribute Act, DJ Pat Sharpe, and more, covering the headline slots. Meanwhile, there’ll be all the expected character-meet-and-greet opportunities for little ones – Bluey, Hey Duggie, and Spongebob – innumerable adventure and arts and crafts areas to spark kids’ imaginations, circus performances, skill workshops, places for parents to decompress, and lots more.

Runs until: Sun 9 August People's Emergency Briefing  Sneinton Community CIC Free, 5pm-7pm

Mediterranean Summer Party  New Art Exchange Free, 6pm-11.30pm Over the past couple of years, art gallery and community hub the New Art Exchange has been hosting various cultural events, celebrating the culture and community of countries around the world. The next instalment is a Mediterranean Summer Party, which will provide a great summer atmosphere for people of all ages. There’s going to be live music from Greek, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish artists, dancing, and plenty of delicious food inspired by the region. The New Art Exchange team have been excelling at building a vibrant and energetic corner of Hyson Green, so we recommend that you check this out. Entry is free, but booking is required.

Glory Days - An Indie & Britpop Special  Billy Bootleggers Free, 1pm-4pm André Rieu’s 2026 Summer Concert: Viva Maastricht!  Savoy Cinema 2.30pm Runs until: Monday 7 September

Glitch Please!  The Grove £6, 7pm-11pm Bugsy Malone  Nottingham Playhouse 7.30pm Phases Casa Nueva  Calluna £4, 9pm-3.30am

SATURDAY 8 AUGUST

Crowd Company  Peggy’s Skylight £20, 6pm-8pm

Sherwood Vegan Market  Sherwood United Reformed Church Free, 10am-2.30pm

Stiff Little Fingers  Rock City £30, 6.30pm-10pm

Saturday Art Club  New Art Exchange 10.30am-12.30pm

Summer Wine Tasting  Nottingham Playhouse 7pm

Crime and A Cuppa  Nottingham Central Library £4, 10.30am

s t o l s ’ e r the n o g n i o g m o c . s t t at no

ALL CAPS: Summer Send-Off  Movers 7pm-12am Kid Spirit & Special Guests  The Grove £10, 7pm-11.55pm Live Dj Social – Mista Shotta  The Malt Cross 7.30pm A New Bear Night for Notts  The Lord Roberts £5-£10, 8pm-2am

Attic Theatre School: Shrek Jr  Bonington Theatre & Cinema £15, 3pm

The Riders  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm

Limo's - The Courtyard Party 2026  Canvas £37.50, 3pm-11.45pm

No Slackness pt8 - Jamaica Independence Edition  Lace Bar £12.50-£65, 9.30pm-3am Altitude  Billy Bootleggers £2-£4, 10.30pm-3am

Steeler House Band  The Diamond £5, 7pm-11.30pm Lost in Detroit - Sounds from the Motor City with Beane  Movers 7pm-12am

Outposts, Fading Blonde, Blue Syrup  Billy Bootleggers £5, 6.30pm

SUNDAY 9 AUGUST Viva Maastricht!  Arc Cinema (Beeston) £15.95-£17.95, 3.30pm André Rieu marks two decades of his summer concerts on Maastricht’s Vrijthof square with a brand new film recorded in 2026, screening in cinemas this summer. The Dutch violinist and his Johann Strauss Orchestra return to the medieval square that has become their spiritual home, joined by guest artists appearing on the Vrijthof stage for the very first time. Expect waltzes, showstoppers and the sort of open-air spectacle that has drawn audiences from around the world.

Runs until: Sunday 16 August The Dealing Devils  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-7pm K-pop Live – The Theatre Show  Nottingham Playhouse £34, 6pm

CommuniTree Festival  Wollaton Hall and Park £2-£5, 12pm-5pm David Broad and The Meanwood Valley Stompers  Peggy's Skylight £12.50, 1pm-4pm The Fab Four  The Diamond £11-£14, 2pm-6.30pm Irish Trad Sessions  Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 3pm Mansfield Town v Sheffield Utd  Mansfield Town Football Club 3pm-4.45pm Riffriot Promotions Presents: Grim Lamentations  Mist Rolling Inn £8, 7pm-11.55pm

MONDAY 10 AUGUST Exploding Flowers  JT Soar £12

Whatever you’re into, find it at notts.com

The most up-to-date events guide in Nottinghamshire. Updated daily, free to use. leftlion.co.uk 39

Acting for Screen Summer School  Nottingham Playhouse £135, 10am The Hundred: Trent Rockets vs Southern Brave v Trent Bridge Cricket Ground £5-£49, 2pm Keyside: Live & Signing  Rough Trade £16.89, 6pm

Waitress  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall £54.50-£60, 7.30pm This is a Tony award nominated musical, based on a 2007 film, which last year celebrated its tenth anniversary. It follows the story of a character called Jenna, a waitress and pie baker in the US deep south, who enters a pie baking competition as a personal incentive to escape an abusive marriage. It features a very talented female led production team – the director is New York City’s Abbey O’Brien, and the star is Carrie Hope Fletcher, who has played multiple leading roles in recent productions of Les Miserables. It’s a great story, which should make for an uplifting night at the theatre.

Runs until: Saturday 15 August

Classic Thriller Season: Anybody for Murder  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall £31-£34.50, 7.30pm The Theatre Royal’s Classic Thriller season lasts through August and features three great plays. The first is Anybody for Murder – a comedy thriller about two couples and a crime writer, who on a Greek Island try and fail to kill each other, with the situation getting sillier and more improbable the further along it gets. After that, there’s The Nightmare Room – a production based on an Arthur Conan Doyle story – and The Mantrap – a thriller about a man confronted by a woman claiming to be his disappeared wife. When it comes to suspenseful and high calibre theatre, there’ll be few opportunities to immerse yourself in it like this.

Runs until: Saturday 15 August

WEDNESDAY 12 AUGUST The Playhouse Pub Quiz  Nottingham Playhouse

Manjit's Poetry Extravaganza  St Ann's Valley Library £3, 2pm-3pm

Notts County v Leicester City  Meadow Lane Stadium 12.30pm-2.30pm

K. L. Slater in Conversation with T. M. Logan  Waterstones £5-£21, 6.30pm

Mansfield Town v Doncaster R  Mansfield Town Football Club 3pm-5pm

Heathen Apostle with The Boo Tiki's and The Pointing Dogs  Billy Bootleggers £15, 7.30pm-11.45pm Turandot on Sydney Harbour  Savoy Cinema 7.45pm Runs until: Sunday 16 August The A Level Results Rave  The Palais £3-£11, 11pm-4am

FRIDAY 14 AUGUST

Oh!Gunquit + S*M*A*S*H  Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel £18, 7pm

Manjit's Poetry Extravaganza  Clifton Library £3, 2pm-3pm

Nottingham Forest v Bayer Leverkusen  The City Ground 7.45pm-9.30pm

The Angel Microbrewery’s guitar music hideaway – The Chapel – will host two dynamic punk bands this month, for a great Friday night performance of some gloriously characterful rock bangers. S*M*A*S*h are a punk trio who have been around for a while – they formed in 1984, split up a few times, then reformed again in recent years – their sound remaining as political and hard edged as ever. Oh Gunquit, on the other hand, are a genre blending punk act from North London, whose intense and boundary pushing sound draws from surf, RnB, and Rockabilly, but with a twisted, ‘devilish’ edge to it.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw  Rough Trade £15.75, 6pm

Paint and Sip – Starry Night  The Malt Cross 7pm

Dogs In Museums  Mansfield Palace Theatre 6pm

An Evening with Lisa Lloyd  Waterstones £5-£23, 6.30pm

Non-fiction Book Group discusses: Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender  Five Leaves Bookshop Free, 7pm-8.30pm

Pretty Green & Awesome (The Jam tribute)  The Diamond £12-£15, 7pm-11.30pm

TUESDAY 11 AUGUST Dr Matt's Cabinet of Curiosities  Waterstones £3-£4, 11am

Samira Ahmed on A Hard Day’s Night, an illustrated cinema talk  Five Leaves Bookshop £5-£12.99, 6.30pm-8pm Intertwined: An Evening with Jana and Izzie  The Grove £11-£17, 7pm-11pm Wet Leg  The Level 8pm Loose Goose Improv Jam  Fisher Gate Point Free, 8pm-10pm

40 leftlion.co.uk

Manjit's Poetry Extravaganza  Strelley Road Library £3, 2pm-3pm Overmono: DJ Set  Rough Trade £10.29, 4pm Lex Croucher in Conversation with M.A. Kuzniar  Waterstones £5-£13, 6.30pm

Mama Terra  Peggy's Skylight £10-£18, 7pm-10pm

THURSDAY 13 AUGUST Hurry  JT Soar £12 BIPC Women's Network  Nottingham Central Library 10am Summer Cocktails & Canapés with Estée Lauder & Laura Mercier  Hart's Hotel & Kitchen £55, 12pm-3pm

Blind Eye Kids Showcase  Bonington Theatre & Cinema £5, 7.30pm The McCurdy Brothers  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm Late Night Threeway presents Queen & Fleetwood & Elton too  Billy Bootleggers Free, 11pm-3am

SATURDAY 15 AUGUST Lunar Guts: Exploring the poetry process from start to finish  Broadway Cinema £11.55-£22.38, 11am-2pm

4th Wall Theatre…

Summer Soiree  Bonington Theatre & Cinema £14, 7.30pm Summer Secret Garden Rave  The Secret Garden £5-£10, 10.30pm-2.30am The Witching Hours: Evil Woman, Alex Bong & Kit Bodine  The Model 11pm-3am

SUNDAY 16 AUGUST Saturday Night And Sunday Morning  Savoy Cinema 2.30pm Alan Sillitoe is Nottingham’s most famous contemporary novelist, and in 1960 his debut novel, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was adapted into a film.

The film, like the book, is set and filmed in Nottingham during postwar Britain. It's described as a ‘kitchen sink’ drama, a term coined to describe a British cultural movement of ‘angry young men’ who became politically engaged in that time. Arthur Seaton is our main character – he works at a Raleigh factory, a Nottinghambased bicycle company, and is rooted in working-class life. Film shots feature familiar backgrounds: Goose Fair, Radford, Lenton and even the Savoy Cinema – where this film will be showcased this month for a special screening.

Nottingham Carnival  Victoria Embankment £0-£6, 1pm-8pm

Ken Godfrey’s Central Jazz Band  Nottingham Playhouse 4pm

Nottingham Carnival returns to Victoria Embankment this summer for another round of live music, carnival costumes, good food, dancing, and of course, the parade. The Carnival festival itself is ticketed with prices differing depending on when you buy the tickets. The Carnival Parade, however, is completely free to watch and starts at 2pm at Victoria Embankment. The route goes up Wilford Grove, Felton Road and Green Street before making its way back down to the Embankment via Bunbury Street returning to the Carnival site, where various acts will perform on stage. This is the largest participatory arts form in Nottingham, which guarantees a pretty unforgettable experience each year.

A Band Called Horse  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-7pm

Mellow Baku  Peggy's Skylight £9-£12.50, 1pm-4pm

GWT Night Market  Forest Recreation Ground Free, 5pm-11pm

Kevin Paul as Elvis  The Diamond £11-£14, 2pm-6.30pm

Isabella Hallia  Peggy's Skylight £16, 6pm-8pm

Summer Sounds Fundraiser  The Boat Club £10, 3pm-6pm

K.Ji - On The Map Headline Show  The Bodega £5, 6.30pm-10pm

Groove City Presents Back 2 Essence '96-'98  The Secret Garden Free, 3pm-9pm

Miles Kent Forever  Rescue Rooms £20, 2.30pm-10pm

The Notts Review Zine Launch  The Grove £10, 7pm-11pm Gedney Pre Shoot Party Black Tie Event  Square Bar Free, 7pm-1.30am Glam 45  The Diamond £12-£15, 7pm-11.30pm Ed Byrne & Friends  Nottingham Arts Theatre £32, 7.30pm-9.40pm Bedrock Bullets  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm

Mystery Jets: Live + Signing  Rough Trade £23.27, 6pm

MONDAY 17 AUGUST Words of Wisdom - Free Poetry Open Mic  Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 7.30pm

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST The Flatliners  Rescue Rooms £20, 6.30pm-11pm

Tue 11 to Sat 15 Aug

ANYBODY FOR MURDER

By Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner By arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French, Ltd.

Tue 18 to Sat 22 Aug

THE NIGHTMARE ROOM Adapted by John Goodrum, based on the classic story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Tue 25 to Sat 29 Aug

THE MANTRAP

The premiere production of an original play by Robert Thomas, adapted and translated by Sean Aita OBE.

supported by

Theatre Royal, Nottingham Tue 11 to Sat 29 Aug trch.co.uk 0115 989 5555

Tenx9 x Kino Kolo: Storytelling Event - Fashion  Broadway Cinema

Film Screening: The Iron Giant  New Art Exchange 10.30am-12pm

Classic Thriller Season: The Nightmare Room  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall £31-£34.50, 7.30pm Runs until: Saturday 22 August

Yemi Bolatiwa  Peggy's Skylight £16, 6pm-8pm

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST Jonathan Emmett's The Book Family Robinson  Nottingham Central Library 10.30am-11.30am Jonathan Emmett's Great Dinosaur Mistakes  Nottingham Central Library 1.30pm-2.30pm

4th Wall Theatrics: Bring on the Musicals  Bonington Theatre & Cinema £10, 6pm Phlinch - Debut Album Launch  Rough Trade £12.36, 6pm That's So 90'S  The Diamond £14-£17, 7pm-11.30pm

Kris Barras Band  Rough Trade £16.89, 6pm

Electroclash: Post-Punk, Indie with Evil Women & residents  Movers 7pm-12am

The Roseline  The Grove £10, 7pm-11pm

Doctor Mirabilis  The Grove £10, 7pm

THURSDAY 20 AUGUST

Hemulen Soundz  The Malt Cross 7.30pm

Creative Writing Workshop  Waterstones £5-£6, 11am Corsican Evening  French Living 5pm-9pm People's Emergency Briefing  Savoy Cinema 6.15pm Ann Liu Cannon & Thomaz Martin  The Grove £10, 7pm-11pm

Bunker X Casa Nueva  Calluna £3, 8pm-3am Blind Pig Gang  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm Pop > Alt - Beach Party  Billy Bootleggers £5-£7, 10.30pm-3am

SATURDAY 22 AUGUST Hidden Food Tour  Tough Mary's Bakehouse £85, 10am

Prostitute  Billy Bootleggers £12.50, 7.30pm-11pm Interstellar Audio: Transmissions  Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 8pm-1am Nadir Launch Party  Lace Bar £5, 8pm-11.30pm

FRIDAY 21 AUGUST BiCon 2026  The Squire Performing Arts Centre £15-£65, 10.15am-11pm

Saturday Art Club  New Art Exchange 10.30am-12.30pm Pleasley Pit Food and Beer Festival  Pleasley Pit Coal Mining Heritage Free, 11am-6pm FAC51 The Haçienda  Wollaton Hall and Park £67-£110, 1pm-11pm

The Bare Necessities & Black Kat Boppers  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm

No Time For Goodbye + Q&A with Director  Savoy Cinema 2pm Don Ng, a journalist-turneddirector, made his cinematic debut on New Years Day this year with his film No Time For Goodbye. The film follows Bosco and Yasmin – Bosco arrives in London after fleeing Hong Kong and is forced to live on a military base with other asylum seekers; he meets Yasmin, another asylum seeker from Hong Kong, at a bus stop.

It's a romance, but it also explores identity, displacement and postsocial unrest. The Savoy Cinema is screening the film as well as hosting an in-person Q+A with Don Ng to answer all the questions the film raises. The viewing will have no trailers or advertisements.

Nottingham Forest v Leeds Utd  The City Ground 3pm-4.45pm Trance Central 1st Birthday  The Rutland Arms Hotel £6, 2pm-11pm

Hayao Miyazaki's Dreams by Mystery Ensemble  St Mary's Church (Lace Market) £23-£38, 8pm-9.45pm Aftershockevents x Nudance Grooves  The Secret Garden £5, 9.30pm-3am

Nottingham Panthers Vs Ducs d'Angers  Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Unplugged for Disability Support  The Grove £12, 1pm-10pm

Summer Jam '26  The Nest £15-£45, 6pm ELI - 'This Song' Tour  The Grove £12.50, 6.30pm-11.30pm Baselab presents: EMOM  Mist Rolling Inn £3.50-£5, 6.30pm-11pm A Love Letter to Donna Summer  Movers 7pm-12am The Kommitments  The Diamond £15-£18, 7pm-11.30pm

Irish Group Discusses: The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine  Five Leaves Bookshop Free, 7pm-8.30pm

Classic Thriller Season: The Mantrap  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall £31-£34.50, 7.30pm Runs until: Saturday 29 August

WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST

K-Trap  Rough Trade £15.75, 6pm Håndgemmeng, Replica Jesus & Slügfüt  Liquid Light Brew Co Tap Room Free, 7pm-11pm

MONDAY 24 AUGUST

Kaspar and Lucy  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-8pm Nik Kershaw - Six in 26  Rock City £32.50, 6pm-10pm

TUESDAY 25 AUGUST

Write Night  The Malt Cross £5-£10, 7pm-8.30pm

SUNDAY 23 AUGUST

sixTeen  Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £5, 4pm New Perspectives’ Open Pitch presents sixTeen, a coming-of-age drama written by Lisa McKenzie and Jayne Williams and set on Sutton-in-Ashfield’s Carsic Estate during the 1984 miners’ strike. The story is told through the eyes of working-class teenage girls and women and provides a raw look at resilience and self-determination in Thatcher’s Britain, with plenty that still rings true today. The play is performed unplugged by three actors, with a Q&A afterwards featuring Dr Lisa McKenzie digging into the play’s themes and origins.

y a w a s ’ e r e th e e t n a r a u g to your evente r e h n i s t e g Listing events is free. Boost for £12 and guarantee inclusion in 15,000 print copies of LeftLion magazine.

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Antony Szmierek  Rough Trade £16.89, 6pm

Omar  Metronome £25, 7pm Omar Lye-Fook, known professionally as Omar, is one of the UK’s most celebrated soul singers. His debut single, There’s Nothing Like This, was a hit in the 90s and has since led him to collaborate with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Paul Weller and India Arie. Omar returns to Nottingham with support from local heroine Vee Adu, this time at the Metronome, as part of the UK leg of his current album tour, Brighter the Days. This tour not only brings the opportunity to hear his new soulful sounds, but also to hear some of his older classics. This event is rescheduled from 5 June and all original tickets are valid.

Funny Sods  The Robin Hood Pub Free, 7.30am-10am The (Almost) Complete History of Britain  Nottingham Castle £14-£20, 6pm Sip & Sculpt  The Malt Cross

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ALBO(a)E - A little Bit Of (almost) Everything 

By Our Hands We Make Our Way 7.30pm-10.30pm Broadway Blockbuster Film Quiz  Broadway Cinema £2, 8.30pm-10pm

THURSDAY 27 AUGUST Crime Club Repeat: Killers...  The National Justice Museum Talkin' Secret  The Grove £10, 7pm-11pm Tony Kofi’s Tenor Legacy  Peggy's Skylight £15, 7pm-10pm

Copacabana Magic  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm Dirty Disco Sound System  The Malt Cross 7.30pm Frequency Part2  Ronin Bar £10, 9pm-3am Rewind Friday  Beeston Social £0-£5, 9pm-2am Chop Suey Nu-Metal Anthems  Billy Bootleggers £7, 11pm-3am

SATURDAY 29 AUGUST

Tenderlonious presents: 65 years of John Coltrane’s ‘Africa Brass’  Peggy’s Skylight £18, 6pm-8pm

Kepler, Luuk Van Dijk | Muzak & Groovebox Mansfield  The Swan £10-£14, 1pm-11pm

A Musical Open Jam Night Open To All  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm

The Smiths Ltd  Metronome £18, 7pm

Marvin Humes Noughties Baby  Binks Yard £8-£38, 2pm-10pm

Bandy Wandy  Billy Bootleggers Free, 11pm-3am

The Bryan Adams Experience  The Diamond £13-£16, 7pm-11.30pm

Soul on the River  The Nottingham Princess £25, 4pm-11pm

THURSDAYS

Murder Mystery: Don't Look…  The National Justice Museum 7pm

Ibiza Fever  Big Shed at The Trent Navigation £10, 4pm-10pm

The Luke Combs Experience  The Level 7pm

Lawrence County  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-7pm

Dancing Time: with Stu Hemulem & DJ Daddio  Movers 7pm-12am

Bullet Tooth B2b Laidlaw  The Nest £10-£15, 5pm-2am

Obsidian 001  Mssng Pieces £7, 7pm-2am House of Fun  Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall £34-38, 7.30pm The House of Fun welcomes you to dance the night away at the Theatre Royal with classic hits from the 2Tone and Ska era of UK music. Hits from bands like Madness, who graced the Splendour main stage a couple years back, The Specials, The Beat, Bad Manners and more will be played throughout the night. The theatre show aims to embody the excitement of a live music gig and transport you back to that era’s peak, whether it's to relive it or discover it.

Entertainers – the company behind it all – celebrate 40 years of show business this year and are led by a father-and-son duo with decades of performing experience.

FRIDAY 28 AUGUST Gudewife  JT Soar £10 Film Screening: The Wild Robot  New Art Exchange 10.30am-12pm Stars of London's West End: An Evening with Queen  Trent Bridge Cricket Ground £5-£30, 6pm-9.30pm Earl Sweatshirt & Mike  Rock City £30, 6.30pm-10pm Hacktivist  Billy Bootleggers £17.50, 6.30pm Somewhat Something  The Carousel £6, 7pm Runaway Killerz and Muse  The Diamond £15-£18, 7pm-11.30pm

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Morabeza - Afroluso Party  New Art Exchange Free, 7pm-2am 'Afro-Luso' refers to the cultural interweaving of African and Portuguese customs and traditions, spanning countries like Angola, Cape Verde, GuineaBissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé – ‘morabeza’ is a Cape Verdean word that means warmth, hospitality, and togetherness. This is what you’ll need to know before attending Hyson Green community hub, the New Art Exchange’s newest party celebrating culture from the global ethnic majority.

It’s going to be a really dynamic and varied occasion, opening with traditional Afro Luso food from traders, followed by a social dancing session featuring traditional styles, then live performances and DJ sets. It should be a vibrant and excellent way to see out the summer.

The Music Of Motown: The Candlelight Concert experience  The Albert Hall Meatloud - Meatloaf Tribute Plus Party Disco  Binks Yard £5, 7.30pm DJ Jaeks - Birthday Bash  Billy Bootleggers £5, 8pm-3am Wild Deuces  Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm Summer Bank Holiday Secret Garden Rave  The Secret Garden £6-£12, 10.30pm-3am

SUNDAY 30 AUGUST

Nottingham Panthers Vs Gothiques d’Amiens  Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Day Fever Festival  The Arboretum £40, 12pm-9pm The Grove’s 2nd birthday!  The Grove £14-£16, 1pm-10pm Notts County v Burton Albion  Meadow Lane Stadium 3pm Mansfield Town v Luton Town  Mansfield Town Football Club 3pm Nottingham V Rosslyn Park  Nottingham Rugby Club 3pmpm Road to Nashville Indoor Rodeo Show  The Nest Free, 6pm-1am

Foolhardy Folk Festival 2026  The Arboretum £40, 11.30am-9pm Celebrating it’s sixth annual edition, the Foolhardy Folk Festival has become something of a tradition in Nottingham. Set up by Essex-born folk singer and Glastonbury regular Beans on Toast (aka Jay McAllister), each year he performs himself and brings along some other great singer-songwriters for a party in the idyllic Arboretum. This year’s headliner is Badly Drawn Boy. He won the Mercury Music Prize for his debut back in 2000, but he’s now nine albums in and matured. Supporting him are London-based five-piece Skinny Lister and Cornish quartet 3 Daft Monkeys, among others.

Board Game Socials  Games Haven £7.50, 6pm-10.30pm Big Bike Revival - Free Fixing p Nottingham Bikeworks Free, 10am-2pm Mardy Bum- Indie Goodness  Billy Bootleggers Free, 10pm-3am

FRIDAYS

Seven Deadly Sins  Revolucion de Cuba £9.09-£12.50, 6pm

Get Lucky  Rock City £5, 10pm

Bonington Jazz Company: Yvonne Barrie – Hotwire The Jukebox!  Bonington Theatre & Cinema £10, 7pm

Fandom Fridays  Rescue Rooms £4-£6, 10.30pm

Lily Seabird  The Grove £12.50, 7pm-11pm

MONDAY 31 AUGUST Robin Hood International Improv Festival 2026  The Squire Performing Arts Centre £6-£20, 6pm-10pm Runs until: Sunday 6 September YHWH Nailgun  The Bodega £14, 7pm

WEEKLY EVENTS MONDAYS

Friday Friends  The Pride Shop Free, 4pm-6pm Kill Team Club  Games Haven £7.50, 6pm-10pm The Goodness  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-3am

SATURDAYS Shameless  The Bodega £6, 11pm-3am Romance  Rescue Rooms £0-£5, 10pm

Acoustic Rooms  Rescue Rooms Free, 7pm

Rebel Rebel  Rock City £5-£6, 11pm-3am

The Big Quiz  The Malt Cross 7.30pm

Magic the Gathering  Games Haven 11.30am-10.30pm

TUESDAYS

Pokemon Gaming  Games Haven £7-£12.50, 10.30am-10.30pm

Bod FM  The Bodega Free, 10pm The Canalhouse Quiz  Canalhouse 7pm Pub Quiz  The Sir John Borlase Warren £1, 7.45pm-10.15pm Six Barrel Pub Quiz  Six Barrel Drafthouse (Hockley) £2, 8pm-10pm

WEDNESDAYS The Lion Pub Quiz  The Lion at Basford £1, 8pm

The Goodness  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-3am The Pleasing  Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-3am

SUNDAYS Board Game Weekly Sundays Games Haven  Games Haven £7-£12.50, 12.30pm-6.30pm Smash Hits  Billy Bootleggers Free, 11pm-3am

TILL THE STARS COME DOWN BY

BETH STEEL

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Nebby

ADJECTIVE • NEH-BEH This Nottingham adjective for ‘nosy’ comes from the word ‘neb’, meaning ‘nose’.

A particular local flavour is the fact that it can also be spelled ‘nebbeh’ which reflects the local pronunciation clearly! illustration: Lily Keogh words: Natalie Braber (Professor of Linguistics at NTU)

in the lavs?

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OR H T U T R LEG END? Unpicking Nottingham's Weird History The Strange Case of: England's City of Football words: Matthew Blaney Last month saw six weeks’ worth of late nights with 104 football matches, 308 goals, and the odd midweek sickie, with the FIFA World Cup ending with Spain as world champions and England ranking the highest in a World Cup since Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick back in 1966. Whilst the result wasn’t what we were praying for, the past six weeks have offered some beautiful moments for the fans – whether it be England’s triumphant win against Mexico, which according to the media was played on the moon, Elliot Anderson doing Notts proud, or Djed Spence’s tackle which was celebrated like a 90+7-minute winner – the Lions created memories which will last a lifetime.

If you are currently in a slight rut during the football drought, fear not, for I’m going to indulge in some ways in which Notts has influenced the game we all know and love.

Nottsword

Down 1. Ladybay nature reserve along the river Trent. (3, 4) 3. The official county flower of Nottinghamshire . (6)

1

2

4. ‘Notintone’ was the original name for this Nottingham suburb. (8) 3

4

5

6

6. Pilgrims from north Notts left Holland on this famous ship. (9) 9. Town in which Lord Byron and Ada Lovelace are laid to rest. (8) Across

7

8

2. 12th century minster located in this north Notts town. (9) 5. Swashbuckling actor known for playing Robin Hood in 1938.

(5, 5)

9

7. Iconic but oft-forgotten music venue at which Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath have played. (3, 4, 4)

10

8. City centre pub with Scalextric model of Nottingham. (3, 6)

Answers!

46 leftlion.co.uk

leftlion.co.uk/nottsword

10. Trouble Town was the debut single from this artist in 2012. (4, 4)

With AC Milan’s founder hailing from Mansfield Road, Notts County FC being the world’s oldest professional football club since 1862 and Nottingham Forest FC narrowly following on to be the third oldest pro club, it is fair to say that Nottingham has seen it all. Way back in the 1880s, football goals consisted of three poles and no netting, which would lead to heavy disputes between strikers and goalkeepers. With number 10s shooting from halfway lines and pretending it went in and snidey goalkeepers claiming shots went outside the post, it was anyone’s guess who was fibbing and who was being a true sportsman. To prevent further disputes, goal nets were first trialled at Nottingham Forest’s Town Ground with Hyson Green-born Fred Geary being one of the first players to ever grace the back of the net.

Whilst celebrating goals can often lead to showers of Carling – allowing

fully grown men to enter their own sort of wet t-shirt competition – these celebrations can be cut short upon the raising of the linesman's flag. Whilst Notts cannot claim to have invented the offside law, which was introduced in the 1860s, Notts County invented the offside trap in the 1920s. This tactic – the defence backline running forwards and catching opponents offside during a forward pass – was adopted by several managers across generations and sadly led to yet many cases of mansplaining upon unsuspecting girlfriends and wives.

A former Nottingham Forest player in the 1870s, Samuel Widdowson, made a considerable contribution to the health and safety of players when he took the risky decision to cut down a pair of cricket pads to protect his legs, thus creating the ‘shin pad.’ I can only imagine the amount of abuse he faced from fellow teammates as he rocked up to a Thursday night training session with half a tree trunk down his socks. Thankfully for both the NHS’ sake and the increased longevity of footballer’s shins remaining intact, shin pads are now mandatory. We can all agree that this was a step in the right direction, especially when facing opposition with a tendency to perform tackles not even allowed in the UFC (Hola, Argentina).

Interestingly enough, a Notts County player had a similar Hand of God experience in 1891 when they committed a blatant handball in the box to prevent Stoke City from scoring in the FA Cup Quarter Final.

With incidents like these destroying hopes and dreams, some bright spark decided that a penalty kick was the fairest way to deal with foul play in the box. So, whilst this may not be the proudest claim to fame for Notts, we have welcomed its place in the game when it goes our way.

Discover Nottingham’s Board & Brick Lounge Discover hundreds of board games, a Lego library, delicious food, cocktails, coffee & locally baked cakes in the heart of Sneinton Market.

“We ended up staying for 4 hours and honestly could’ve stayed longer.”

“Good selection of games and Lego for all ages, clean, tasty food with items suitable for kids. We'll be back!”

FREE FIRST HOUR OF GAMING Present this voucher when you arrive.

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“Had a brilliant, brilliant time at this new games cafe, it's already among the best that I've ever visited.”

1 Sneinton Market Nelson Street Nottingham NG1 1DR www.the-dice-box.co.uk

DJ TUGA

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MOR MO R A BE BEZ ZA AFROLUSO PARTY

SATURDAY 29 AUGUST

7PM TILL 2AM

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