LeftLion Magazine - January 2022 - Issue 143

#143 January 2022

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Supporters

Credits Al Gilby The Fifth BeatAl alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk

Ashley Carter Editor ashley.carter@leftlion.co.uk

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

George White Assistant Editor george.white@leftlion.co.uk

Lizzy O’Riordan Editorial Assistant lizzy.oriordan@leftlion.co.uk

Natalie Owen Head Designer natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk

Fiona Carr Design Assistant fiona.carr@leftlion.co.uk

Adam Pickering Partnerships Manager adam.pickering@leftlion.co.uk

Katie Lyle Marketing & Editorial Assistant katie.lyle@leftlion.co.uk

Curtis Powell Head of Video and Photography curtis.powell@leftlion.co.uk

Ekam Hundal Creative Digital Assistant ekam.hundal@leftlion.co.uk

Tom Errington Web Developer tom.errington@leftlion.co.uk

Kelly Palfrey Art Co-Editor kelly.palfrey@leftlion.co.uk

Hamza Hussain Web Developer hamza.hussain@leftlion.co.uk

Alex Stubbs Art Co-Editor alex.stubbs@leftlion.co.uk

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Featured Contributor Rebecca Buck Stage Co-Editor rebecca.buck@leftlion.co.uk

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Jamie Morris Screen Co-Editor jamie.morris@leftlion.co.uk

Daniela Loffreda Food Editor food@leftlion.co.uk

Tom Quigley Photography Co-Editor tom.quigley@leftlion.co.uk

Fabrice Gagos Photography Co-Editor fabrice.gagos@leftlion.co.uk

Cover Moan Zine Sub-Editor Lauren Carter-Cooke Writers Dani Bacon Bassey Matthew Benton-Smith Ryan Boultbee Love CeCe Katie Green William Harvey

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Sam Nahirny Michael O’Donahoe Georgianna Scurfield Yasmin Turner Nadia Whittome Frieda Wignall Photographers Anmol Agrawal Alt J John Baird Thom Haslam Nathan Langman Grayson Moody

Matthew Petley Rianna Ram RE Georgianna Scurfield Steve Ullathorne Illustrators Tracey Meek Kate Sharp

Lizzy O‘Riordan After graduating with a BA in English Literature from the University of Roehampton, Lizzy moved back to her hometown to work as an Editorial Assistant for LeftLion. Although she loved spending three years in the big smoke, she’s enjoying rediscovering Nottingham, and having her first proper paid job as a writer. Inspired by authors like James Baldwin, Joan Didion, and (of course) Sally Rooney, Lizzy loves reading in her spare time, alongside writing fiction of her own.

You can read Lizzy’s article on Nottingham’s shopping communities on page 18

Editorial Illustrations Emily Catherine /leftlion

@leftlion

@leftlionmagazine

Contents 14

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The Rights Stuff Carlton-born barrister Christian Weaver is on a mission to teach us our freedoms with The Law in 60 Seconds: A Pocket Guide to Your Rights

Fresh Start After spending years helping people around the world, Mesopotamia director Rachel Miller is now fighting poverty right here in Notts

Living the High Life Our local high streets have seen something of a resurgence over the past couple of years. Our Lizzy O’Riordan dives into why that is

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Nadia Whittome Our regular columnist and Labour MP for Nottingham East looks at how the pandemic has put a squeeze on many people’s incomes Veganuary Delivered We’ve put together a list of some of the best vegan dishes available for home delivery in Notts, just in time for Veganuary

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You Say You Want a Resolution?

We hear from Paul Crawford, a mental health expert at the University of Nottingham, about why we should skip resolutions this New Year

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Eye Soar Architectural Designer William Harvey and artist Ryan Boultbee discuss the uncertain future of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station

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Nothing for Granted Fresh from her time on hit BBC series Showtrial, Rebecca Grant lifts the lid on her unique career and her love for Notts

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Bumming Around Local lad Liam Dexter chats Bums: A Day in the Life, a short film very much shaped by our one-of-a-kind city Keys to the Kingdom We talk to Kingdom Rapper about his new album and how he’s using music to support community projects in Nottingham To the Moon and Back New book Follow the Moon and Stars: A Literary Journey Through Nottinghamshire takes us on a, um, literary tour through Nottinghamshire Dilettante Tendency Pub regulars might remember a fancy little zine by the name of The Dilettante Gazette. Well, it’s back - and better than ever Out of Time: Sir Francis Willoughby Perhaps the only thing more fascinating than Wollaton Hall is the volatile life of the man behind its construction, Sir Francis Willoughby

Editorial Faced with the stark reality that we’re heading into the new year with another strain of COVID tearing through society at a rate of knots, the potential of another lockdown and the same lack of leadership from our Government, I’m fairly tempted to just cut and paste the Editorial I wrote last January. The time of year that many of us associate with fresh starts, making resolutions and implementing change appears to offer little better than more of the same. The same restrictions, the same headlines, the same inept governance. How do you manage to keep your head during all of this? Guinness? Same here.

are being responsible and thinking about the safety of not just themselves, but of people they don’t even know, which is beautiful to see.

But there are, as Ian Dury once said, reasons to be cheerful.

The misery of the pandemic has seen the sense of community strengthen and, aside from a few dopey, misinformed anti-vax dolts, that can be seen in the sheer number of people getting vaccinated in order to keep themselves and their friends, neighbours and loved ones safe. It’s testament to the relative comfort of modern life that free, potentially life-saving medicine is seen by some as oppression, but I guess that’s the price you pay for fetishising individualism so much. On the whole, people

Have a cracking new year and forget all about resolutions – 2022 looks like it might continue to be rough, so staying safe and sane is the name of the game.

There are plenty of other reasons to be happy right now, too.

Forest are (at time of writing) one point off the play-offs, there’s an eight-hour Beatles doc out, Boris looks like he’s on the ropes, they’ve finally figured out a plan for Broadmarsh, Derby are going down with a fiver in the bank… It’s all just a matter of perspective, I guess.

Until the next one…

LeftLion Magazine is fully recyclable and compostable. Our paper is recycled or made with FSC® certified (C015932) sources, and printed using renewable energy.

Ashley Carter, Editor ashley.carter@leftlion.co.uk

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Going Underground Our mole on the ground isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty to bring you the Notts stories you might have missed...

“Wher e we’re goin’, y don’t n ou eed br ak on an e-scoo es.” - Lad ter

air of t a right p “She’s go dogs.”

Jack Wills

illustrations: Kate Sharp “I'm w ay too pr to get beaten etty up, nah mean? ”

Blades of Glory Even I, a journalist mole that doesn’t exist, have daydreams of having that one moment that can make you feel like a hero. Radford shop owner Freydun Sakhi actually got to live it when he fought off a knife-wielding would-be robber last month. Snapping the blade with his bare hands and suffering injuries in the process (including taking a bottle of booze to the head), he fought the thief off ‘til the police arrived. What a champ.

tick e lips to se e t a air “I h ark h at.” and d er like th h t e g to

One Buguette Please There’s literally no pleasing some folk. Take Faye Wood, the ingrate who was mouthing off after getting a free caterpillar with her Sainsbo’s sandwich recently. Complaining to the local rag (and my former employer) Faye said that she felt “physically sick” and would never shop there again. I’m sorry, but does she have any idea how much the price of caterpillars has gone up since Brexit? I’d give my snout for a free one.

Woodborough Village Community Please keep your eyes peeled for white van it's up to no good Spotted in Carlton Has anybody received chocolates from Amazon that they haven’t ordered recently? Racking my brains here …

Burton Joyce Village To the person who allowed their dog to defecate in the middle of this very bit of pavement either last night or this morning - it's ok I've cleared it up for you. I will not be doing it again

“Cra from ckhead s don every come w ’t th ey... here terr ible .”

“I don’t li me. I h ke hot food, ad a Vin once, I d went d aloo eaf.”

A Difficult Converse-ation For all the problems people are facing now, from the rising use of food banks to zero hour contracts and job losses, spare a thought for TikTok user sev_xx (me neither), who had their £685 trainers nicked from Winter Wonderland in the Market Square after handing them over in exchange for some ice skates. The poor thing had to walk home in a pair of Primark plimsolls. The indignity.

Spotted in Carlton Approx 18 x 40th balloons FREE to a good home. Fully inflated.

Available from tomorrow

very “Oh, I am so at I gave grateful th ” acle of life. you the mir to his ad D d te Frustra id-tantrum toddler, m

human race “I give the .” her century ot an about

Spotted in Netherfield Hope the gentleman that fell over near retail park crossings is ok Spotted Gedling Does anyone know anyone who cuts rabbits nails ?

Spotted in Carlton Does anyone have a glass wheelie bin they want to swap for a box?

world ally use a “I could re , it'd w o n t u abo war right ctive... e p s in pers put thing ied be so worr Wouldn't .” x ta il c coun about my

Burton Joyce Village Found this little pile this morning, by the river - false teeth, a hearing aid I think, half a fiver and some real teeth!

Burton Joyce Village Anyone know why the helicopter is landing in the field opposite Crow Park Drive ?????

Bit bizarre 

Spotted in Netherfield I’m such an idiot! The cafe is called Connect not connections

Spotted Gedling Tips anyone ? I’m making my own sausage rolls this year for our fuddle and tips as my mid year practice run was ok but not a winner

Spotted in Carlton Does anybody know if any Chinese takeaways are open on Christmas Day?

Woodborough Village Community Village shop appears to be closed this morning

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City sTYLIN’

at the Cattle Market interview and photo: Georgianna Scurfield

My name is Carmel Tynan and I was born in 1942. I’m guessing I’m extremely mature now. I’ve been coming down here with my children on Saturday mornings and it’s the highlight of the week. I always like coming down because you never know what you’ll find, from socks to flowers. I’ve bought something off most of the traders, most of the people in my family have something from here, underpants or trousers or something. When my sister comes here from London I always drag her down and she loves it.

In the auction I’ve bought cars, a caravan, a jeep… This was amusing because I was with my husband then and they gave me this estimate saying this will go for about five hundred pounds and I got very excited thinking, ‘Gosh, that’s really good.’ My husband’s friend was with me and he was a very macho man, and he could not believe that I was making this decision, and that I was going to bid. So he got behind me like someone at a bullfight and shouted “go on Carmel, go on!” whilst I was doing the bidding - and I paid much more than I thought I would.

Carmel Tynan

Because atoms make up absolutely everything and no two atoms can touch (because of the electromagnetic force between them), we never truly touch anything.

In fact, when we’re laying on our bed, we’re actually technically hovering.

SHOWER THOUGHTS words: Dani Bacon illustration: Fiona Carr

Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on...

Booster Jabs We’ve had ours. We had them at 11.30am on a Monday morning at Carrington Pharmacy. We have to say we felt dreadful afterwards. The first two COVID jabs and the flu jabs weren’t too bad, but this one knocked us both for six. We felt so ill for a day or two, our bones were aching. In our busiest season for deliveries too! Apologies to those few people who got their Christmas trees a few days late from us this year.

New Year’s Eve Even in a normal year we don’t do much, but this one is likely to be an absolute write-off. New Year’s Eve is about forced entertainment. It’s nice to enjoy time with friends at any time, but why is it so important to do it on the last day of the year? Also, we just can’t stand Jools Holland! We’ll probably just go to bed at 10pm and get up early the next morning.

New Year’s Resolutions We don’t do them. We could never stick to them, so we don’t bother. The year before last our sister gave up alcohol for Lent. That’s forty days without booze! We were very impressed and thought we’d try it ourselves. We lasted five days before we cracked!

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Notts Shots

Full speed ahead Tom Haslam - @thomas_haslam_

Snow where else to go RE - @rzbnbn

Bye vis Nathan Langman - @_meadowman2 10

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Don’t fret Rianna Ram - @riannaramphotography

Street violets Tom Quigley - tomquigley.co.uk

Want to have your work featured? Send your high-res photos from around the city, including your full name and best web link, to photography@leftlion.co.uk

Crabby road Matthew Petley - @frames_by_frames

God’s poohsticks Tom Haslam - @thomas_haslam_

Moored or less Anmol Agrawal - @anmol_2993 leftlion.co.uk/issue143

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Nadia on...

Debt words: Nadia Whittome photo: Fabrice Gagos

Christmas is meant to be a time for celebration - a moment when the pressures of everyday life are put on hold while we have fun with our loved ones.

But for many families, the festive season and its aftermath are also a time of worry. The debt help charity StepChange found that almost one in four of those celebrating Christmas struggled to afford it this year.

According to frontline debt advisers working on webchat, about 50% of all clients either disengage or need to be directed to face-to-face services to ultimately have their problems resolved In the pandemic, many people have seen their incomes plummet from losing 20% of their pay while on furlough, have had their businesses go under, or have been made redundant. 28,000 households are now on Universal Credit in Nottingham.

In January 2021, the Resolution Foundation found that 45% of families who were new to claiming Universal Credit had seen their disposable income fall by at least a quarter in the pandemic.

A third had seen it fall more than 40%.

Now £20-a-week has been brutally cut from their payments, and at the same time costs of food and energy are soaring, with inflation calculated at 5.1%.

Unsurprisingly, many families have been forced to borrow money and now face mounting debt. A survey by Stepchange found that between the start of the pandemic and January 2021, 10.6 million people borrowed to make ends meet.

St Ann’s Advice Centre is one of the places people in Nottingham turn to when they are struggling financially. Recently, their debt helpline inbox received 455 emails in one week - this is worse than they have ever seen.

St Ann’s Advice is a lifeline for people in poverty. It provides debt advice and support, but also helps people find employment, runs a food bank, and sources furniture and clothes. It’s a onestop shop that joins the dots between the different problems people are facing and tries to address them all.

But the support it provides is under threat because of changes to the way that debt advice is funded. Nottingham as a whole currently has even-and-a-half fulltime debt advisers, but this could fall to as few as three. St Ann’s is set to lose all three of its advisers.

The Money and Pensions Service, who provide the funding for debt advice in England, argue that, while communitybased face-to-face debt advice services are being cut, more money is being put into a centralised digital and telephonebased system. But this change will take away an entire support network. When people come through the door at St Ann’s for debt advice, they can also get help

with a whole range of other issues tailored for them locally, they can leave with a food parcel - this cannot be replaced on the internet or over the phone.

Some people also struggle to get the help they need with their debt issues digitally. According to frontline debt advisers working on webchat, about 50% of all clients either disengage or need to be directed to face-to-face services to ultimately have their problems resolved.

Disabled people, elderly people, those who require translation or who lack regular access to a phone or the internet due to homelessness or poverty — these groups will suffer.

28,000 households are now on Universal Credit in Nottingham I spoke in Parliament against these changes and will continue to lobby for our community debt advisers to receive the funding they need. This cut would be wrong at any time, but to implement it during a pandemic and a cost of living crisis is inhumane.

If you’re struggling with debt, you can contact St Ann’s Advice Centre on 0115 950 6867 or email them at info@ stannsadvice.org.uk, or Citizens Advice Nottingham on 0115 945 3989.

nadiawhittome.org

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words: George White photo: Ekam Humdal

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The Rights Stuff We chat to Carlton’s Christian Weaver, writer of The Law in 60 Seconds: A Pocket Guide to Your Rights, about his route into law, Kill the Bill, and why it’s so important to protect our freedoms…

We all know we’ve gotta fight for our right to party. The Beastie Boys have been telling us as much for over three decades. Hell, the Government is even willing to tear itself apart for the cause.

Yet we also have countless other fundamental rights that we should be fighting for.

Rights that can save us a few quid when a shopkeeper is trying to get out of a refund, through to rights that can save our lives when we’re failed by those who are meant to protect us.

Christian Weaver, the Carlton-born barrister behind The Law in 60 Seconds: A Pocket Guide to Your Rights, has made it his mission to inform us of all of our freedoms - from hailing taxis to getting our rent deposits back. In his groundbreaking book, Christian is hoping to give us easy access to our rights so that we can make use of them when we need them most. “It was important for me to write this because I wanted people to realise that the law is something that can work with them,” he explains. “The idea is that you can keep it in your car, so if you’re pulled over by the police you can go to your glove compartment, flick to the appropriate page and know your rights.

The idea is that if you’re in a store and the shopkeeper is talking nonsense, you can reach to the bottom of your bag and within a minute you’re clued up on your rights.”

The 27-year-old was inspired to write the book while he was studying law at Nottingham Trent University, realising that there was no simple document for everyday people to access. As a result, many were at risk of being taken advantage of and exploited through no fault of their own. This was something he knew needed to change. “I identified two main issues with other books on law: they were too complicated and too time-consuming.

For most people they’re just impenetrable,” Christian says. “So I thought that for people to have any real chance of learning their rights, they need something that is accessible and small - the sort of thing that you can just read as a normal book. Those who need this the most are those that, at the moment, see the law as wildly intimidating. In order for this to work, it had to combat that issue.”

Christian, now a barrister at Garden Court North Chambers representing those disadvantaged by discrimination and inequality, has dedicated his entire life to helping vulnerable people. From providing legal support to anti-discrimination organisations while still at university to working pro-bono to help grieving families through coroner’s courts, he has been standing up for those most in need since before his legal career properly began. The motivation for doing so came from an even younger age - when his grandparents were subject to vile racist abuse.

“One of my earliest childhood memories is when my grandad had faeces put on his car in a spate of racist attacks. I remember we contacted the police and, for whatever reason, nothing was done about it. And I remember just thinking, ‘Gosh, when you can’t turn to the powers that be in your time of need, what are you meant to do?’” Christian muses. “My grandad put up a placard saying, ‘This house won’t be intimidated by racists.’ He decided to take matters into his own hands to deal with the problem we were facing, and I think that exposed me to the question of what you’re supposed to do when you can’t rely on the powers that be. I’d say that experience was the foundation for all of this.”

If the book is not serving my hometown, those who really inspired me to do this in the first place won’t actually be benefiting from its use Over two decades later and the need for individuals to stand up for themselves especially those from the more vulnerable groups in society - is still as pressing as ever.

Issues such as the Kill the Bill controversy, in which the Government tried to clamp down on citizens’ right to protest, through to the Home Office’s continued demonisation of

refugees, have led to a situation that Christian describes as “a slippery slope” - with our rights under more pressure than at any other moment in his lifetime.

“Often, at a time where there's perceived disruption, disorder or chaos in society, whether it’s COVID-19 or mass protests, the Government will try to increase its power. It will use moments of hysteria as a distraction to get through really harsh policies. However, once things have calmed down and returned to normal, those policies still exist,” he says.

“I think right now is a prime example. The Kill the Bill protests are really important as the Government's proposed changes could really curtail the ability to actually protest. When you think of the societal change that has come about from protesting, from women’s rights to awareness of climate change, it is a huge thing in society. And this Government is really trying to smother that. Their rhetoric in terms of refugees is incredibly damaging, too.

Politicians are dehumanising refugees, which creates an ‘us versus them’ sentiment. If they were humanised instead, the outlook of so many people would be different.”

This worrying state of affairs has heightened the need for us to brush up on our rights - and Christian wants to help everyone in Nottingham, the “city that I love”, to look out for themselves. From a moving introductory lecture at Bilborough College that inspired a passion for law to extensive support and guidance from Nottingham Law School, our Notts is a place that has shaped his life and his career, and he’s made it his goal to give back.

“I’m very conscious that the people that I know, the people I grew up around, they’re all in Nottingham,” he says. “If the book is not serving my hometown, those who really inspired me to do this in the first place won’t actually be benefiting from its use. So it’s really important to me for people from Nottingham to have the book as I’m a product of Nottingham.” Thanks to Christian’s passion for protecting the most vulnerable, we now know we have a lot more to fight for than just a right to party.

The Law in 60 Seconds: A Pocket Guide to Your Rights is now available from all major retailers.

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Fresh Start

words: Frieda Wignall photo: Ekam Hundal

Mesopotamia charity is full of hidden depths, both literal and metaphorical. We chat with director Rachel Miller, whose story has seen her return from the front lines of the migrant crisis on the shores of Turkey and Greece to fight poverty in an unassuming corner of New Basford…

When I arrive at Mesopotamia charity, everything is in motion. They’re celebrating the opening of their community laundry. People can come in, wash and dry their clothes for free, have a meal or use the internet. This is on top of Mesopotamia running a food parcel delivery service, charity shop and on-site foodbank. In fact, the idea for the laundry came while doing doorstep food deliveries – Rachel, the director, noticed that many people had damp washing piling up in their homes. “Ideas just spill out of her, you can’t keep up,” says Van Henry of Castle Cavendish, the group that has funded the laundry.

There’s a loveable chaos here; I’m told the restless bustle is pretty standard procedure. The site itself is like Aladdin’s cave, seemingly never-ending. It’s definitely not tidy, but it’s friendly clutter which makes the place more accessible. It’s not austere or intimidatingly institutional like a lot of support services can be. This is deliberate. With an average of 300 people fed per week, the ethos here is ‘feed someone if they’re hungry and clothe them if they’re cold’. No bureaucracy, no paperwork, no hoops to jump through. It’s no surprise, then, that the Mesopotamia set-up feels like a family and, in this instance, it’s not a cliché. The place is entirely run by a motley crew of volunteers, many of who are previous users – the elderly, refugees, homeless, those with disabilities.

How did it all come to be? The answer is Rachel. A Brummie raised in a family of white supremacists, she left home at sixteen “the very first chance I could”.

Having been failed herself, from there she became a social worker dealing with child protection and trafficking, expertise which would later accompany her across borders. Mesopotamia is named for the ancient cradle of civilisation and the region which was at the centre of the modern-day migrant ‘crisis’ – and in turn Rachel was in the eye of the storm.

Plenty of us watched the news a few years back with concern and then posted ‘refugees are welcome here’ on our Facebook pages. Rachel watched with concern and then got on a plane.

In 2014, using her Kurdish husband’s family links, she ended up being the first foreign national – getting there before even the Red Cross – to visit a refugee camp in southeast Turkey hosting Yazidis, a minority group persecuted by ISIS. She returned home and organised the collection of Moses baskets packed with items to be sent out for the babies being born in the camp. 2,500 have been sent around the world since.

Plenty of us watched the news a few years back with concern and then posted ‘refugees are welcome here’ on our Facebook pages. Rachel watched with concern and then got on a plane Eight months later, Rachel and her family had planned to holiday in Greece. They cancelled it. “I said to my husband, how can we sit on a beach when people are being washed up on them?” Rachel used the holiday money to travel to Kos: “That was it. That was the thing that changed my life.” She pulled bodies out of the sea and was imprisoned for freeing child refugees who were being kept in detention on the island, though Rachel reassures me that “they let me out because I wouldn’t shut up.”

Rachel has also been known to have withdrawn thousands from her own bank account to pay for Yazidi refugees to come to the UK – another thing for which she has been arrested. The depths of Rachel’s generosity are more than extraordinary. The word that comes to mind is ‘radical’. Even more so when you consider that she’s turned down not only a Pride of Britain award, but also a job at the UN. The latter because, in her words: “I would’ve had a driver, my children would’ve had private education and

healthcare, a beautiful house in a gated complex – but how could I sleep knowing there were children living on the streets just outside?”

Nowadays Rachel’s energies are committed a little closer to home. How did Mesopotamia shift from its original founding focus on refugees to addressing local poverty and food insecurity? Turns out, it was a natural evolution. “People kept giving me things for refugees – wedding dresses, shoes, random items that weren’t often very useful. I thought it was a shame we couldn’t sell it all to raise money to further the refugee cause and then I saw a shop for rent.” But seeing the issues in the surrounding community she realised that “you can’t help someone five thousand miles away and not help someone on your doorstep.”

Rachel seems to cover both just fine, though.

At the start of autumn, the Government’s £20 a week Universal Credit uplift came to an end. This bodes badly for the team at Mesopotamia. “The majority of people we help at the moment are on zero-hours contracts. Universal Credit affects them a lot. It’s going to make our job more difficult, and we don’t have endless funding.” I ask Rachel what she’d be doing in an ideal world where the Government wasn’t letting people slip through the gaps. The question doesn’t really compute. “There’s always going to be somewhere, there’s always going to be someone. So even if there was no need for a foodbank or a charity, I’d be wherever my heart led me.”

I am floored by the woman who is currently running around in a polka dot dress and apron serving coffee.

Yet, for all that her individual story is astonishing and for all that the volunteers insist that ‘there aren’t enough Rachels’, this place is a group effort and Rachel knows it: “I couldn’t do it alone; the volunteers lift me up.” My visit to Mesopotamia has done just that, too.

Mesopotamia are based on Valley Road/Nottingham Road intersection, open Monday to Saturday. If you would like to support their work, visit mesopotamia.org.uk

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Living the High Life From greengrocers to coffee shops, the pandemic inspired people to shop independent and support their local high streets. Almost two years on from the first lockdown, we investigate whether these shopping habits stuck and how they’re transforming Nottingham…

2020 was, as everyone has said, an unprecedented time. COVID-19 swept across the world like a rapid wildfire, and soon came a summer spent inside, full of YouTube workouts and an onslaught of family arguments.

Now, as we enter January 2022, we look back on the trend of shopping local, and investigate how our high streets are doing and whether COVID-19 did actually change our habits for good, as all the studies initially predicted.

While we were at home, the footfall in Nottingham city centre fell to basically zero, pictures emerged of an eerily quiet Market Square, and the high streets became empty, full of closed shops with old window displays. For many chain stores this was the beginning of the end, and we saw giants like Debenhams, Topshop and River Island leave the streets of Nottingham.

I start by looking at Sherwood, a suburb sometimes (jokingly) referred to as ‘Sherditch’ for its quickly growing trendiness. For an area once defined by rows of charity shops, there’s now a series of cafes, independent stores, and even a vegan butchery. Full of artisan traders and a feeling of independence from the city, the parallel to a London suburb doesn’t seem too far off.

Yet, for independent business owners, something strange was happening. Inspired by messages to shop local, the public began spending money closer to home. While overall UK consumption fell by 36.5% in April 2020, that same month saw a 37.7% increase in profits for local greengrocers, butchers, and bakeries, according to a study by Barclaycard.

As non-essential shops began to open, posters appeared across Nottingham, encouraging the public to support their local high streets. ‘Shop local, shop safe’ read one poster from Rushcliffe Borough Council. ‘Love your hometown, shop local’ read another, found on Southwell High Street.

Backing independent stores became trendy, and a popular topic of conversation among eager shoppers.

For an area once defined by rows of charity shops, there’s now a series of cafes, independent shops, and even a vegan butchery I ask Os, owner of Kraftwerks, whether he thinks COVID encouraged people to shop locally. “I do think what’s happened with the pandemic is that people are just going into the city centre less,” he claims. “I used to live in London and Bristol, and people stayed in their suburbs a bit more. Even though Nottingham isn’t a massive city, I think

people are starting to do that. Everyone used to go into the city centre on a Saturday night and I think that’s certainly happening less so post-pandemic. Of course it’s not everyone, but I find it really interesting that a certain demographic aren’t so keen to plough back into the city.

“Certainly, there seems to be a process of gentrification, where house prices are going up.

There seems to constantly be new things opening.

Sherwood seems to have turned into a real hot spot, which makes me feel mixed. I'm from the South and I’ve seen what gentrification can do, both good and bad,” Os continues.

While by no means the only cause, it’s fair to say that lockdown drew people to the suburbs, partially from a fear of the busy city centre, but equally because the public grew to enjoy the feeling of supporting small businesses. It’s cosy to shop local - you see the same faces each time, you start to feel connected to the business, you like the feeling of being a regular.

“I feel that the pandemic reminded people of what is important to them,” says Shaima Swift, owner of the Crimson Tree Cafe. “More people realised the value of independent businesses in their local area and now think more carefully about where they spend their money. I have had the support of many regulars who just didn’t want to see their favourite local businesses fail. They made a conscious effort to spend their money with us, no matter how little the spend was.”

To take off my rose-coloured spectacles momentarily, it would be amiss to say that lockdown made life easier for local businesses. “We got through the lockdown because we opened an online beer shop. We obviously had to shut the bar and the shop,” Os says. Likewise, Shaima talks about having to shut the cafe in the third lockdown, after losing too much money in the first two. “When we reopened, we just took things steady,” she tells me.

“Furlough and government grants saved us while we were closed.”

Nonetheless, as we quickly approach the two-year anniversary of the first lockdown, it’s evident that suburban high streets are looking like desirable areas of growth. Even with the city centre fully reopened, many people are opting for a weekend brunch on their local high street, as well as heading into the city. They are becoming desirable alternatives, rather than second-bests.

In researching this piece, I caught up with Wade Smith, co-founder of Nottingham’s iconic Doughnotts. Commenting on their Beeston location, which opened in November, Wade says, “I think the smaller high streets are becoming their own little economies. You wouldn’t ever have to leave Beeston if you didn’t want to. It’s got a cinema, Tesco, gym, it’s got all the amenities you need. We’ve secured a site in Sherwood as well for the same reason.

“People used to say that high streets were dying because of online shopping, but the vendors stuck to their guns, and local businesses are succeeding

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words: Lizzy O’Riordan illustrations: Fiona Carr

Wired have taken over a whole stretch of Colwick Park, with chairs and tables scattered outside the trailer. If you turn a few inches to the left, you’ll spot Whole Health, the group which runs wild swimming at the park. Wired and Whole Health have formed a kind of symbiotic relationship in this spot, and many of the weekend coffee drinkers I see are made up of swimmers. “Being with Whole Health is kind of who we are down in Colwick Park,” Très says. “We’ve kind of grown up here together, and the community is amazing.”

Like with all the previous business owners, I trot out my question about shopping locally. Do they think people are more invested in supporting local businesses after lockdown? “That’s a complicated question,” Très replies, “because I do think that convenience is important, and sometimes there’s a difference between intention and convenience. But I do think that shopping locally in people’s consciousness does have an impact. I do really believe that some people have it as kind of a mantra, really, and that they will seek out local businesses because of the idea of supporting locals. The lockdown stuff did have an impact on that, people did want to support you.”

More people realised the value of independent businesses in their local area and now think more carefully about where they spend their money because they are selling great products. I’m hoping Doughnotts going onto these high streets encourages other local businesses to do the same. Beeston, for example, still has loads of empty spots that I can imagine Tough Mary’s or The Bakehouse in. I hope we can make every high street a really good place to be.”

Beeston, which has always been one of Nottingham’s busiest suburban high streets, seems to be in a state of constant expansion. Another branch of The Pudding Pantry cropped up in the spring of 2021, alongside their established locations in the city centre and Sherwood. Likewise, November 2021 saw the opening of Essen, an upmarket delicatessen run by friends Edward Graham Moore and Sam Skinner-Watts.

Talking to Os, Wade, Shaima, and Très, I get the sense that we’re in a time of transformation. The pandemic has changed the way that we interact with our local space and our local business owners, stirring up a culture of intentionality among many shoppers. It also forced local traders to re-evaluate their approach, opting to include new business practices or, like Très, overhaul their previous model completely. Slowly but surely, there is a shift happening, in which community is more important than ever.

Suburban areas like Sherwood and Beeston have become hotspots, with people from all over Nottingham travelling to have a nosy. Perhaps even more impressive, though, are the areas that had no trade prior to COVID and now have thriving communities. Wired on Wheels are an example of this. Previously located on Pelham Street, Wired are an independent coffee shop that completely changed their business model because of lockdown. With the landlord demanding 100% of the rent during the lockdown, Wired were forced to close their city centre shop and have a rethink.

Now they serve coffee out of two trailers, one located at Highfields Park and the other at Colwick Country Park, both with a thriving community feel. “The yellow trailer down in Colwick was our first trailer, and it was beg, borrow, and steal to just get this site, really,” says Très, owner of Wired. “It was such a risk. I only admitted this to my partner the other day but when I came down to do a footfall tracker, I went home and said that I had counted eighty people an hour when I had actually only counted eight.

But at the point of making the decision it felt like there were no other options.”

As we’re talking, it’s a grey drizzly Sunday morning at Colwick Park, yet the chairs outside Wired are full of chatting coffee drinkers, many bundled up after a swim in the lake. On the audio recording of this interview, you can hear the buzz of the trailer's generator, the sound of background music, and the faint voices of people catching up over their weekend coffee. “It’s a really lovely little community now, and people come down because we’re here,” Très comments.

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FOOD AND DRINK

veganuary delivered

At the time of writing, we’re still not sure whether January will bring with it another lockdown. But, for those of you partaking in Veganuary this year (or those that go cruelty-free all year round), we’ve put together a list of some of the best vegan dishes available for home delivery in Notts…

What: Vegan Nachos Who: Halo Where: Deliveroo How much: £9.50 Blending chickpeas, smashed avocado and tomatoes with some Violife dairy-free cheese alternative and a dollop of tomato and coriander salsa, Halo have created a banging cruelty-free alternative to the classic Mexican dish.

What: Speculoos Cookies and Cream Who: Doughnotts Where: Deliveroo How much: £4 With a super vegan-friendly menu guaranteed every day, picking a cruelty-free donut can feel a bit like picking which one of your kids you love the most. We went with this delight, complete with chocolate frosting and Biscoff buttercream.

What: Crispy Shredded Chicken Who: China Taste Where: JustEat How much: £5.30 The Mansfield Road takeaway has just about the best meat-free Chinese menu in the city, and veggies and vegans alike will be spoilt for choice.

But the pick of the punch has to be their crispy, tangy shredded chicken.

What: Vegan Full English Who: Clean Cut Kitchen Where: Deliveroo How much: £11 Had a late one and fancy treating yourself to a breakfast delivery? Look no further than Clean Cut’s vegan full English: sausages, mushrooms, avocado and edamame mash, hash browns, spinach, tomatoes, beans and toast. Hangover sorted.

What: The Beast Vegan Gyros Box Who: The Athenian Where: Deliveroo How much: £13.30 Vegan Seitan Gyros marinated in Greek herbs, vegan halloumi fries and olive oil. Served inside a box with handmade pita with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, parsley, oregano fries and a dip.

Definitely not one for the faint-hearted.

What: The Aztec Who: Prickly Pear Where: Deliveroo How much: £8 The Notts vegan fast food legends provide a bumper bowl filled with black quinoa, spiced black beans, fried tofu, fresh guacamole, shredded lettuce, pickled red cabbage, fresh salsa, pink onions, sweetcorn, jalapenos and fresh lime. Dios mio.

food for thought

What: BJ Burger Who: 13th Element Where: UberEats How much: £11 As big as Boris Johnson and as delicious as the other BJ, 13th Element’s signature burger comes packed with a beyond meat patty, cheddar cheeze, bac'con jam, roasted garlic aioli and bac'con, all in a bespoke brioche bun. Hot damn.

What: Vegan Meal for Two Who: Viva Street Food Where: Deliveroo How much: £29.95 If we do go into another lockdown and you’ve got a special occasion coming up, give Viva Street Food a spin. Their vegan meal for two comes equipped with your choice of two starters, two vegan curries, rice, poppadoms and chutney.

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New Business No Homers Not strictly a new business, but No Homers finally have a permanent home on King Street. Offering everything from breakfast sandwiches to hot dog lattices, we’ll be splashing plenty of d’oh here. nohomers.co.uk

To Nosh Salmon and Avocado - Bonzai Sick of the vegan chat? Try Bonzai’s famed salmon and avocado signature dish.

Wrapping fresh fish in sushi rice and frying it tempura style works an absolute treat - and all for just £7.80. bonzai-japaneserestaurant.co.uk

To Sup Jaffa Cake Tea - Biscuit and Brew Warm yourself up this winter with Biscuit and Brew’s delicious Jaffa Cake Tea. One of the planet’s finest cakes/biscuits/sweet treats combined with the nation’s favourite drink? Perfection. instagram.com/biscuitandbrewteahouse

food review: paste thai This little eatery is based right in the heart of the Lace Market, and having walked past it endless times, it is inevitable that, on a Friday night and fancying Thai Food, Paste is my pick.

We arrive around 8pm and, to my delight, the restaurant is fairly quiet. For the first time when eating out, I have my temperature taken on entry and am walked over to my table and handed a menu.

The restaurant itself is quite small, but the decor makes it feel spacious and fresh. It's rare for me to go out to eat and love the sound of every dish on the menu, so it is a pleasant surprise for me to struggle choosing my order.

After a good ten minutes of deliberation, I ultimately opt for the Pad Thai Boran noodle recipe for £10.95, which was passed down by the chef's grandmother. Alongside it I order some Thai style chips for £3.50. One important thing to note here is that the chefs don’t hold back with their portion sizes - you certainly get your money’s worth when visiting.

food review: jollibee No one likes a bragger, but unluckily for you, I do like to brag. It’s for this reason I’m documenting my experience at the grand opening of Jollibee – Nottingham’s new Filipino fast-food restaurant.

Already feeling like a VIP, I’m greeted by the Jollibee staff and seated at a table. I turn to my friend and ask how we order, but before they can answer, I see a large tray heading towards us, piled high with Jollibee’s trademark red containers. Not quite believing my eyes, I quickly realise they’re bringing over every item on the tasting menu, all in full size.

Opening each box, I’m met with a plethora of fried chicken dishes. The Tropical Chicken Burger, featuring a controversial choice of pineapple and bacon; Sriracha Chicken Loaded Fries, topped with spring onions and a Sriracha mayo; and a Spicy Chickenjoy Bucket, filled with six pieces of hot fried chicken.

January is, hands down, the worst month of them all - and not least because of the pressure to take on New Year's resolutions, only to drop them one week into January. So, if you’re skipping the empty promise of going on a health kick this time around, here are five of the most tempting treats you can find around Nottingham…

Chocolate Custard Brioche (Small Food Bakery) This brioche bun is packed with custard and chocolate, so it really is the ultimate sweet treat. Made with sourdough, to add a slight twist on the confectionary classic, and priced at a reasonable £2.90, there’s little not to love about this delicious delight. Planted just outside the city centre in Lenton, Small Food Bakery is most certainly worth the walk.

FOOD AND DRINK

Treat Yo’ Self

Pain au Chocolat (Nottingham Bakehouse) This French snack has become a nation favourite, and it's easy to see why. With chocolate infused through buttery pastry, just thinking about them is enough to get the taste buds tingling. And Nottingham Bakehouse do a cracking version. Starting at £3.30, and available in twos, fours or sixes, you can even get some for you mates - or, you know, just keep them for yourself.

I also sample the Guay Tiew Bhed Toon for £12.95, which is duck noodle stewed in aromatic mixed spice broth. The duck is incredibly tender and flavoursome, and the coconut rice side adds a hearty feel to the broth. I wash it down with a generous glass of Pinot Grigio and also sample the Mai Thai cocktail, which is insanely good.

The incredible food at Paste is backed up by impeccable service. I’m genuinely impressed with how fast the food arrives, and the waiter’s attentiveness and commitment to providing a great experience. If you haven’t tried out this hidden gem yet, then you’re certainly missing out. Daniela Loffreda

Among the many fast-food chains that Nottingham has to offer, Jollibee is a solid competitor, offering good quality fried chicken that can so often be hard to find. Plus, with lots of items clocking in as cheap as £5, it’s affordable and easily accessible to everyone.

Two thumbs up from me. Lizzy O’Riordan

Want your Nottingham foodie business featured in the mag?

Fancy writing for us?

Email us at editorial@leftlion.co.uk

Chocolate Orange Cake (Fox Café) A little slice of heaven that is always beautifully presented, and most certainly tastes as good as it looks. It’s a little on the sweet side, and will definitely require you to give up all hope of having a healthy January, but we think it’s worth it. But hey, it's got orange in it, so it can’t be bad for you… Right?

Doughnutella (Doughnotts) Doughnotts have taken both the city and county by storm, and their product line just keeps getting better and better. One particular pick that’s caught our eye is their Doughnutella donut. We’re not too sure exactly who the mastermind is behind this masterpiece, but they certainly deserve a raise.

Chocolate and Avocado Tart (Copper City) Before anybody kicks off, yes, you read that right, it does say avocado. But trust us, it’s worth giving a chance.

The avocado adds a silky smoothness to the tart filling - and you honestly wouldn’t know it's there if it didn’t so boldly assert itself in the title…

words: Daniela Loffreda illustrations: Natalie Owen

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To Follow Bsweet Some restaurants make every dish look like a work of art - and Bsweet are definitely one of those. With each of their Insta posts looking like something from a cookbook, these are well worth a follow. @bsweet_nottingham

You can blame it on the spice, or maybe the sheer amount of food, but I genuinely think I entered a food high. My favourite dishes were found in the Jolly Spaghetti and the Chicken Rice Bowl, the former a sweet smoky BBQesque spaghetti, served with tiny pieces of chopped hot dog and melted cheese; the latter a bed of sticky white rice, topped with chicken tenders and an Asian ginger chilli sauce. That being said, I could rave about every item on the menu (minus the spicy bucket, but that’s a personal spice tolerance issue).

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WELLBEING

say you want a resolution

interview: George White

i am ready for change The new year can be challenging for people struggling with mental health issues, with eating disorder charity First Steps expecting to see an increase in referrals over the next few months. We hear from mental health expert Paul Crawford, a professor of health humanities at the University of Nottingham, about why it’s such a difficult time of the year, and how we can protect our wellbeing this winter…

How damaging can New Year’s resolutions be for people’s mental health?

The start of any year can be difficult, particularly in relation to perfectionism, as we are compelled to think of New Year’s resolutions.

Resolutions can underline areas where we think we have failed, lacked, or not made the most of opportunities. I’ve never joined in this socially constructed navel-gazing. It should have a Government health warning as far as I’m concerned, especially for young people! It ties into a drive for perfection, which can be very damaging. Do we need this extra pressure, really? Implicitly, it is all about that dreaded word should.

We are prepped to self-talk with phrases such as ‘I should exercise more’, ‘I should lose the weight I put on at Christmas’, ‘I should drink less alcohol’. We have enough to deal with in this life without resolutions.

Is New Year a particularly bad time to be setting ourselves targets?

Well, I’m not saying there is anything wrong in having a bit of a reset, a post-Christmas reboot, but go gently. The short, dark days of winter are a tricky time for this.

We can feel a bit low in this period, especially if our bank accounts and social connections have taken a

bashing. If necessary, maybe wait until later in the year. Forget that New Year should stuff and go with a ‘new year’ when and where it’s best for you.

Are resolutions ever a good idea?

They’re not always a bad thing in principle. It is important to have goals and objectives in life. We often fare better if we have a sense of purpose. So sometimes they can have that positive angle in providing opportunities to revisit what our goals are. This New Year, instead of the usual focus on dropping a few pounds in body weight, we might be better going on a data diet instead.

Let’s reduce our over-exposure to social media and give ourselves a break from striving to be popular.

How has COVID affected people’s mental health?

There’s no doubt that prolonged confinement is exacerbatory to people’s wellbeing. We know our mental health has been eroded significantly as a result of COVID we’ve all been experiencing various levels of cabin fever. A lack of social interaction is placing a drag on our everyday activities, our sense of self, and our feeling that we’re progressing in a positive way in our lives.

This New Year, instead of the usual focus on dropping a few pounds in body weight, we might be better going on a data diet instead How can we make sure to support those who might be struggling?

The best support we can offer is recognising and being open to talking through other people’s struggles with them. When we suspect others are finding life difficult, let us pin back our ears, and give them the courtesy of listening.

A conversational hug may be all that the other person needs. Often, we think of health professional interventions and counselling to deal with mental health challenges - but we can help others through non-professional care and support too.

Paul Crawford is the co-author of Cabin Fever: Surviving Lockdown in the Coronavirus Pandemic (Emerald, 2021).

Our regular columnist Love CeCe takes an alternative and holistic approach to wellbeing, and will be giving advice on improving your spiritual side...

Greetings and Happy 2022. I hope the festive season was a fabulous affair.

We have now entered the Year of the Twos. All numbers carry a vibrational essence that connects us with the universal source of all things. Seeing repetitive numbers is a form of synchronicity – a phenomenon described by psychiatrist Carl Jung as “a meaningful coincidence of two or more events where something other than the probability of chance is involved.”

The number two in the spiritual world is a sign from the universe that we should have faith and never give up, no matter how hard things may be. It represents harmony, balance, consideration and love. Two is related to the word ‘beginning’ which usually means a new cycle is about to start - and boy, do we collectively need one!

So what can we do? Take the time to consider what you would like to begin and truly believe you can achieve it. Be open to new experiences and a different way of being. Work at finding balance in the various areas of life. That sometimes means letting go of things that bring disharmony, and living life from a state of love and compassion and finding joy in the little things.

It is said we all walk with angels beside us and they send us pointers to let us know we are on the right path. Seeing 111 or 222 is their way of communicating with us so take heed of the signs.

January can be very low energy but it is a beautiful time to rest and make plans for spring.

So for our next affirmation, we'll solidify this new year: I AM READY FOR CHANGE. Until next time my loves, be safe, no fear and stay blessed.

lovecelestene.com @lovecelestene

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CECE

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words: Love CeCe illustration: Fiona Carr traceymeek.com

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eye soar

A broad conversation So it was all ‘bye bye Broadmarsh’ and ‘hello Broad Marsh!’ this month. A trifling distinction maybe, but it masks a big change of step for the area.

The plan’s most striking feature is the frame of the old Broadmarsh shopping centre frame being left in; intended to evolve and adapt to the city in a more organic, piecemeal manner, rejecting failed attempts to build “singular, new, huge, shiny things” that “fail” for not being “human”, according to designer Thomas Heatherwick.

One thing was always certain about the proposals Nottingham wasn’t going to take them lying down But the idea was as divisive as you’d expect. While green groups and pages on social media leant towards jubilance at the fresh, eco-friendly thinking, concerns about safety and crime, feasibility and management often arose, and some call it a “postapocalyptic” look. As a fan of the Solarpunk movement, the idea of building on the old and letting the greenery flourish ticks a lot of my boxes.

One thing was always certain about the proposals - Nottingham wasn’t going to take them lying down, and that appears to have been factored in. This is not an absolute nor final design; the next step, Greater Broad Marsh Advisory Panel chair Greg Nugent says, is a much more detailed development phase to collaboratively thrash out the “vision” and turn it into a “plan”.

words: Adam Pickering

R: Hundreds of thousands of people must see it everyday; it's been reminding people that you’re in Notts for almost half a century.

W: You can get check-to-cheek with it on the M1, and, on the train, you get a closer encounter with those titanic cooling towers - you can even see the internal rain dripping through into the pools at the bottom of those stacks. The eight cooling towers are each roughly equal to a 28-story building (118m), it’s an industrial dinosaur.

R: The government bods are having lots of talks at the minute about the future of the site - they will stop feeding the boilers in 2025. In the end, R-o-S may be the last coal powered station in the country.

They plan to knock it down, and

build an incinerator in its stead; after all this COP26 talk, that's not a particularly environmentally friendly solution.

W: Well, no, not really. In an incinerator you're burning household waste. Lots of household waste is essentially plastic. Plastic is basically oil from the ground, so it’s not much different from burning coal to generate energy - it also releases harmful gases into the atmosphere.

R: Hmm. So these monumental cathedrals of power - like R-o-S that have fueled the environmental crisis, could be given the chance of a re-imagined future? We could think about generating energy a little differently. To avoid throwing even more toxic stuff into the atmosphere. Sod knocking them down. I say let’s keep the towers they’re historical artefacts, evidence of the invisible pollution generated by the most destructive generation on planet earth.

W: This is an interesting idea, I wonder how future generations would feel standing next to these titanic structures if we just left them there? When our generation is gone, what will be thought of the leftovers from the cult of coal?

R: There are so many resources on the R-o-S site. We can re-use

the buildings or materials, the hundreds and thousands of tonnes of concrete and steel. Surely we can preserve it through imaginative reuse? Someone, somewhere, imagined sticking the Tate Modern gallery in Bankside Power Station.

W: Indeed! Ratcliffe power station is like an urban mine for materials and spaces. It could be turned into a new civic place - it even has its own train station (East Midlands Parkway). It’d be even better if it had a positive and regenerative impact on the local environment; reparation for the damage we’ve done. How about a public lido, skatepark, art gallery, events space, local wildlife corridor, nature reserve, a materials recycling and testing centre, or all of these ideas wrapped up into one? The site is big enough.

R: We can do but dream… I wonder how other folk in and around Notts imagine the future of R-o-S Power Station?

Will and Ryan will be running a series of creative projects asking local communities about their thoughts and feelings on the future of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.

They're always on the look out for collaborators and support for the project. Got an idea? You can reach them at williamjcharvey88@gmail. com and ryanboultbee@me.com.

The Nottingham Forager A joyful romp through the wonderful world of foraging.

Lucy’s lively social media posts and regular pay-as-you-feel expeditions brim with her obvious passion, and she shares her extensive knowledge generously. thenottinghamforager.com

The Uniform Project On a mission to reduce the environmental impact of the clothing industry by collecting and returning pre-loved uniforms to the community.

They’re also looking for more helpers to run the free service. facebook.com/ nottinghamuniform

Nottingham Green Guardians The Nottingham City Council Parks and Open Spaces team’s volunteers have been busy planting forests - if you’re looking for a way to get hands on with nature, dig in. facebook.com/ nottinghamgreenguardians

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Nugent hopes our city’s creative and cultural community will fill the gaps in the shopping centre’s old skeleton. For this brave, imaginative dream to thrive and get public buy-in, all of us need to be included and enabled to become those “creatives”.

Ryan: So, they must have burnt that big pile of coal at R-o-S Power Station by now?

Will: Yeah, you’d think so! It's about 52 years old now, and the power station is still going strong. The site has become a symbolic and conflicted landmark - a place of protest; it's both a constructive provider in many local people's lives, for work, energy and training, but also a destructive force in the wider environment, causing acid rain, high CO2 emissions, and other nasty stuff.

DIG THIS

The starting point will be its so-called “green heart” - a park walkthrough the size of Market Square bridging the train station to the centre - and this work is apparently already underway.

With a “meanwhile use” approach aiming to fill space while things open up, parts of the site could be buzzing within a year, Nugent claimed, but he emphasised the need to “build a very big tent” and likened the project to a “jigsaw” that “will take time”.

Architectural Designer William Harvey and artist Ryan Boultbee, two creatives obsessed with the built environment, discuss the uncertain future of Ratcliffe-on-Soar (R-o-S) power station - that’s the big’un, with the giant cooling towers, that you can see dominating the landscape on the approach to Notts…

ENVIRONMENT

words and photo: William Harvey and Ryan Boultbee

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SCREEN

Nothing for granted

Actress, singer, dancer and artist – Rebecca Grant has done a lot since growing up in Nottingham and beginning her career in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Bombay Dreams, aged just nineteen. We chat to the talented all-rounder about her time in Notts, passion projects and her most recent appearance in BBC’s Showtrial…

How was your experience of growing up in Nottingham?

It’s a fun-loving and hardworking, but at the same time relaxed and positive, type of town. Even though my mum is from the Philippines, growing up around it all - going to Nora Morrison’s School of Dance and Good Shepherd School - I was ingrained in that community and nurturing of talent, the hardworking ethos and culture. The best two years of my life were in Nottingham at Clarendon College, with the most talented, beautifully diverse and hilarious actors. I loved it!

Did Nottingham have an impact on your early career and your decision to go into the field of arts?

Yeah, for sure. I never went to The Television Workshop [a globally renowned BAFTA-winning charity delivering actor training in Nottingham], but I had friends who went there and set the bar high at an early age. I used to go to the dance competitions in Nottingham that Sheridan Smith went to; she raised the bar more. So I grew up in a culture of talent, especially at my dance school where we had people going to the Royal Ballet.

It did affect my career because I started working hard from the age of four. But it wasn’t just about working, it was about trying to be the best you can be - and the ethos in Nottingham, at my dance school and in drama class, was that as long as you strive for this, that’s all you can do. The community-based network of support towards the arts in children really affected my career, and it gave me discipline. It decided my natural progression into the entertainment industry.

Your most recent work as an actress includes the BBC mini-series Showtrial, where you play barrister Nisha Baria. What was your experience like on this?

Oh, fantastic! It was filmed in the middle of the pandemic, so we were being tested every day and we had to wear masks but, despite all of that, I was really grateful for the opportunity, and impressed with the strength of these production companies.

It was a privilege working with incredible actors and I was worried about being able to really raise the bar - but hopefully I have. Zara Hayes, the female director - well I shouldn’t say female director, she’s a director. I say female because there needs to be more female directors! But she really was a fantastic individual to work with, she brought out all the little nuances of each character that contributed to the bigger picture and impact of Showtrial. It was also such an honour to work with the producers who created Line of Duty.

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interview: Yasmin Turner photo: Steve Ullathorne

You also starred in BBC’s Holby City. Do you embrace your multicultural background when taking on roles or working with different directors, such as legendary Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca in Yerma?

The Indian community holds the largest population working for the NHS, but Filipinos are actually second and severely underrepresented in these hospital dramas. I was honoured to play that role and represent the community.

My background is also Spanish, my greatgrandmother was Spanish because of movement in the Spanish Revolution, and when I am cast in a role where their nationality is ambiguous, wherever I get a chance to mention it, I will.

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As well as working for large companies, you’ve been a part of smaller projects such as the short film Safe Space, based on the survivors of human trafficking. How does it feel to support films with such important messages attached to them?

Human trafficking is such a vast criminal activity.

People should be aware of what it is, the buying and selling of humans, and be able to spot the signs. Safe Space is a gentle gradient to start helping everyone to understand that people are fleeing their countries, sometimes from traffickers or the government, or some kind of domination, for a safer life. Waking up the population through the arts is my duty, I feel.

It was such an honour to work with the producers who created Line of Duty What’s next for your career?

I’m focusing more on television, but I am producing my own play on Frida Kahlo, which we’re starting to develop in February. I was always fascinated with her growing up. I was in and out of Queen’s Medical Centre with asthma and eczema and, although I suffered silently with it, you would say it was a disability. I was a woman of colour and didn’t have issues surrounding my identity, but I

never quite had a role model. I discovered I could look up to Frida Kahlo because she was disabled, she had pain, she was a creator and a woman of colour. I would like to delve into her more to see why she is so relatable and why people like to engage with her work.

Will you be returning to Nottingham any time soon?

Yes, I really want to. I think I’ll probably come back for my fortieth this year. I’ll also meet my fellow artist friend, Pete Stowage, who is becoming a national treasure in Nottingham. When I was sixteen, I remember going to his art studio with my GCSE work and going, “Can I paint here with you?”. He was surprised by my forwardness, but was like, “Sure, come in,” and a few times a week I would go there and we would paint together, playing Latin American and world music. I loved it and that’s where I started selling my artwork, at Byard Lane.

Showtrial is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

@RebeccaGrant4

still super?

Superhero movies - love them or hate them, they’ve dominated the cinematic landscape for the past decade. And, with three films and several series coming in 2022 from Marvel alone, they don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Yet, with so much superhero action happening on both big and small screens, some are wondering if the bubble will soon burst. After all, Marvel’s Eternals and Black Widow both struggled at the box office, even by today’s COVID-affected standards.

So, are we in the endgame for comic book movies? Dr Gianluca Sergi, Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Nottingham, thinks not. “We’re in a difficult moment for measuring box office success, but it’s clear that there is still a real appetite for these sorts of projects if they are high quality,” he says. “Movies like Shang-Chi, which had a really good script, did very well domestically.

“The reason the likes of Eternals didn’t do so well is because audiences have a sense for what is a good movie, and even though it had a great director in Chloe Zhao, it had a weak script and people could tell.”

It’s clear that there is still a real appetite for superhero movies if they are high quality

We hear from Liam Dexter, writer, director and star of the entertaining yet emotional mockumentary Bums: A Day in the Life - which follows three down-on-their-luck lads who spend their days roaming the streets of Notts…

What were some of your inspirations for this film? With it being a mockumentary, The Office certainly comes to mind…

Definitely The Office. I've watched it so many times - probably too many times. It's got that really dry, deadpan sense of humour that I love. I really like the mockumentary style of shooting because it offers a chance to get to know the characters better, and there are so many opportunities for comedy, especially when you have awkward characters like we do here.

The people of Nottingham were a big inspiration for the film - all of the characters are based on the type of people you’re likely to see walking around town Your friends, local actors Jak Truswell and Sean Radford, star as these characters, alongside yourself. What was it like working with them?

It was awesome. There were times in rehearsal where I forgot I was directing them because we were

just messing around. It made making the film so much easier because I know them so well. I knew what would make them laugh. And because they knew each other already there was a great chemistry between them from the off. I was really impressed with how it came out on screen.

Despite the humour, this is a surprisingly introspective film.

Why was it important for you to underpin the entertainment with emotion?

I don't know if I could write a film that is straight drama or straight comedy, because it's not true to life. I have tried, but it just doesn’t work for me. So, for this, it was always important that there was a mix of comedy and drama because that makes the film far more real, and these characters far more real.

This is a short with Nottingham very much at its core. Why was that important for you?

I just love Nottingham. It’s my city.

I spend four or five days a week in the town centre and I just love walking around. I love the coffee shops. I love the little parks. I love the history. I just get a sense of pride that I'm from Nottingham. I don't know why, but I just think I'm really lucky to live here.

And has Notts had an influence on you as a filmmaker?

Definitely. I was part of The Television Workshop, and I was surrounded by that naturalistic, improv style of acting and I learnt so much from that. This sort of approach really worked for Bums because it had a limited budget, so it had to be smallscale and character-driven. The people of Nottingham were a big inspiration for the film too - all of the characters are based on the type of people you’re likely to see walking around town.

The film has been released on YouTube and has already gone to several festivals. How have you found the response so far?

It's been really nice. A lot of people have given me good feedback.

I've not heard anything bad - yet.

There's still time for that. But I'm really happy with the film.

It turned out a lot better than I imagined. I was really worried about it not working and that it'd be a failure. Especially because of COVID - it was a nightmare to organise. I’m just relieved it all came through in the end.

Bums: A Day in the Life is now available to watch on the Smelly Werewolf Films YouTube channel.

words: George White

To Do Investigating Film Noir

To Remember A Midsummer Night's Dream

To Follow Gift Immanuel

Fancy becoming an expert in film noir? It’s your lucky day.

This in-depth course dives into the themes, influences and impact of one of cinema’s most beloved genres - and all for a decent price.

Wed 12 Jan, 10 Weeks, Broadway Cinema

Way back in 1968, Nottinghamborn screen veteran Michael Jayston went all Shakespearean as Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Five decades on and he now has nearly 100 credits to his name. Legend.

Nottingham grad Gift Immanuel has starred in music videos and on stage, and it looks like he has a big career ahead of him. Check out his Insta for showreels, behindthe-scenes shots and more. @gift.immanuel

leftlion.co.uk/issue143

“The excitement for Spider-Man: No Way Home last month showed that these films are still incredibly popular, and I think they will be for the foreseeable future.” Like it or not, people still believe in heroes.

Short reels

Dr Sergi adds that it is the versatility of the superhero genre that has kept it going for so long, and will continue to do so for some time yet. “These movies have a broad scope and adapt for what viewers want,” he explains. “The MCU started as comedies dressed up as superhero movies, and it has evolved to keep audiences engaged.

“On the other side, if The Batman does anywhere near as well as Joker, DC could have carved out a more mature section of the market with its darker approach.

SCREEN

words: George White photo: Grayson Moody

bumming around

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MUSIC

interview: Katie Lyle photo: Ali J

Keys to the Kingdom

Kingdom Rapper, AKA Benje Howard, is a rapper making music with a message. We sit down with him to chat about everything from his new album - produced with Mark Gamble - to how he’s using his music to support community projects throughout Nottingham…

How did you end up getting into music?

It started back in the day, when I was at secondary school. I used to get bullied quite badly. Then at home, my mum and dad were recovering alcoholics. Music was escapism when I was growing up, it was therapy for me, kind of like going to the gym. It really helped with how I was feeling and then it just developed from going to college and finding a studio. I just realised it was something that I wanted to do more than anything.

2015 is when I actually took things really seriously. That was when I became a Christian after living a bit of a colourful life with many years of roadman antics.

I found God after having a gun put to me, and I kind of prayed about that in my heart. I started taking my rap more seriously, it became a way to affect people and have a positive impact on the world.

Share my hurts and my pains, my highs and lows, and hopefully do society a good service with the music.

I think that we’ve hit a real sweet spot with our contrasting styles mixing and blending together to produce something really special You're really proud of your Nottingham roots, this can be heard throughout your music. How do you find Nottingham as a scene?

Notts has been my bread and butter. It's where my rap started. It's where my raps developed. And I've worked with so many different people, artists and producers.

I've been to so many kinds of community centres and community recording places.

I've been in and out of the schools, colleges, universities, prisons, and rehabs, and been able to connect to many people on different levels, different backgrounds, different talents. It's really developed me.

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You have had involvement in a scheme to teach rapping to inmates at HMP Nottingham…

I've got a heart for people who haven't necessarily got a voice. I currently work in a secure unit part time, which is with young people serving sentences. With HMP Nottingham, I got invited by the University of Surrey to sort a book that we published with the guys' memoirs from inside, and then I managed to rap and they invited me back in. I did something for Black History Month, performed and mingled with all the guys in the gym and spoke to them about life choices and stuff.

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From the back of that we were asked to put together a project which would help the inmates to rap. It was a way to get their feelings out and talk about the future, what they would change, and their families. It went out in the Nottingham Post when I was doing it and I think a lot of the general public thought it was kind of a holiday camp for inmates, where we

get to make music and have a party inside, but it definitely wasn't that. It was people seriously talking about their freedoms being lost and the mistakes they made, and how we can overcome that. They've not forgotten about this because they're locked inside.

A rehab asked me to go and speak to guys who are recovering addicts. Then colleges asked me to come in and speak to students. Then the University of Nottingham asked me to come and give my testimony and talk about life choices.

If it comes to mending hearts, reaching out and having a chance to be able to build people back up, I'm all for that. It's what people have done for me. So I definitely think that my music is a tool, very much so. Not just to put tracks out there and do the fun stuff, but also to be able to roll my sleeves up and use our platform as a thing to shine the light in the darkness and try to make a change.

Your album is being produced by Nottingham producer Mark Gamble, how did this come about?

I was asked to feature on a song for somebody and I went through to Mark’s studio as an invite from someone else. I put this verse down, and I was actually struggling for studio time with people.

I had places that I could have worked in but I wasn't finding my niche. I found Mark’s studio to be spot on. His production was amazing and his beat making capabilities were unreal. Probably about a month later, he messaged me and said he thought I was special and that he wanted to work with me and develop my next project, really just out of the blue.

I went to see him and we started work, which is just so completely different from anything I've ever done up to this point.

We've ended up getting different people from the UK and all over in America to send in live tracks. It's just kind of snowballed a little bit.

Mark’s given me so much time, I think that we've hit a real sweet spot with our contrasting styles mixing and blending together to produce something really special. He's been doing production for like 35 years and he's gone above and beyond.

It's been an absolute blessing.

When is the new music coming out?

We’ve got a lot of songs written and recorded, and we're in the middle of shooting videos as well. I think what we're going to do is release a video and a single every month for the first three months of the year.

We're just going to concentrate on plugging these three songs, then later on in the year, probably May, June time, we're going to release the whole project.

The three songs that will be released in January, February and March set the stall out for what's to come for the rest.

Listen to Kingdom Rapper's latest album, The Changing Room, on Spotify.

MUSIC

MUSIC REviews

Window Kid Tenner (Single) Nottingham rapper Window Kid dropped his new single, Tenner, and it’s not one you want to miss. The hard beat and brilliant vocals and lyrics make for a punchy listen without being as overpowering as some other artists within the genre. The local lad stays true, as always, to his Nottingham roots, spraying bars about his Bulwell heritage and filming the majority of the music video across various parts of Notts. With lyrics about boozing as well as comedic style bars about other aspects of his life, he has really hit the nail on the head about Nottingham life for so many. Matthew Benton-Smith

Facehugger and Deviant The Parasite (EP)

Sam Shaw Dancing on the Ceiling (Single)

Three great tracks from the Facehugger and Deviant collaboration, The Parasite EP is a collection of tracks from the mid-nineties that take you back to the days when raving ruled. Experimental house music, deep electro and drum machines aplenty, be sure to turn up the bass so that the neighbours can appreciate the sounds. The mood is chilled and perfect to recollect those early morning walks back home after an all-nighter. Bassey

Nottingham singer-songwriter Sam Shaw has put out a single that deserves to be played by all the DJs this year.

Retro sounding bass and drums forces us all to move and it reminded me of Talking Heads and even Gang of Four from the early eighties, along with its sparse guitaring that encourages everyone to keep on dancing. This is a no-nonsense pop sound that gets straight to the point perfect for a party! Bassey

Rudi Dance (Single)

Seven Dark Lords Not Even Close (Album)

In 2020, which was apparently only last year, Dua Lipa appeared to be bringing disco back with Levitating. Sadly, because of the pandemic, most of us have spent less time in discos (that’s what the young people are calling them, right?) than we’d like since then. But riding the wave is Rudi’s Dance, an upbeat 1970s throwback. While it may be a bit too laidback to be a floor filler, it’s a heartfelt, upbeat antidote to our anxious times that’s easy to listen to over and over again. Michael O’Donohoe

A collaborative project between Nottingham's Bill Kerry III and Cleethorpes’ Darren Capp, this album is out Friday 14 January and gives a stripped back sound that is heavily influenced by American Country and English Folk music.

Dark and intimate songs that are perfect for listening to on lonely winter days, Not Even Close is dominated by acoustic guitars and sombre vocals that talk of lost love and the world's troubles. A must listen for all followers of Americana. Bassey

If you’re from Nottingham and want to get added to our music writers list, or get your tunes reviewed, hit us up at music@leftlion.co.uk

NUSIC BOX

Your new Notts music tip sheet, as compiled by Nusic’s Sam Nahirny.

Want more? Check out the fortnightly podcasts and live sessions on the Nusic website.

Luke Raddon Jackson The second we heard In The End by LRJ it was one of those ‘Who the… is this’ moments. Big Black Sabbath-esque guitars that obliterated our speakers and eardrums (in the best way). But it’s not all smash-yourface-off noise, there’s plenty of ear-worm-indulging melodies in there too. Catchy choruses, big head-bang-a-long-a-thon (try saying that after a few) inducing verses. It’s a lot, but in the best way possible.

@lrjband

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ALT BLK ERA A beautifully harmonised mega-package taking you on a journey to the Caribbean and… Mansfield. Kinda. ABL are a duo that take sprinklings of Nu-Soul, Pop and R’n’B, and bring it all together in one sassy parcel. Their debut release Christmas in the Caribbean shares sentiments we can all relate to in a mad catchy little Xmas tune. They already know their way around a mad brain-invading hook - so we’re already intrigued to see what post-pandemic life brings out of them.

@altblkera

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John Newling in the Studio

words: Katie Green

ART

UNDER COVER ARTIST

We get Moan Zine, a Nottingham-based erotic magazine, to bring their gorgeous art style to the cover of LeftLion. They tell us all about their process and the importance of their publication…

Tell us a bit about yourself…

Moan was born in 2018 and is a women-led publication with the core aim to tear down the stigma attached to female pleasures by liberating women and creating a strong community. We depict and discuss eroticism, pleasures, fantasies and kinks through a female perspective and take control of the subject; a narrative that the mainstream sex industry doesn't often highlight.

What was the inspiration behind the cover?

With this being the January issue, I wanted to visualise newness and futurism while still holding familiar elements that make us feel comfortable. I wanted to depict a strange yet familiar ‘party’ scene, with elements of bizarreness and surrealism. Is my prediction for 2022 that we’ll be partying in space, in front of the moon and floating/sitting around a table-sized orange slice? Maybe not, but we will see a lot of digitalisations, longingness for escapism, friends, city landscapes and change.

What was the biggest challenge that you faced in creating the piece?

Apart from stepping out of my comfort zone with the colours, in a time where the world feels very pessimistic, it can be hard to not let that cynicism translate in your artwork.

I had to put music on that made me feel energised and excited for the future, which was a nice form of escapism for myself.

What have you got planned for the future?

I’ve just opened submissions up for Issue Four which is super exciting. It’s our annual publication which features people from all over the world – and from the submissions and collaborations that have already been created, I know that this will be our best issue yet!

moanzine.com

In this online exhibition, John Newling explores the Earth and ecology through the medium of soil, followed by a short essay. We discuss some of the most poignant works on display…

Mound; Surrender to The Earth, 2021 This work has an interesting title, but as I look closer, I begin to understand the meaning of it.

The pile of small logs made from soil immediately makes me think about how large and powerful the world around us really is. Despite humans making up the majority of the globe and having inhabited the Earth for millions of years, there is still so much we do not yet understand.

A drop quote under this first artwork states: “I have long been absorbed by the thought that under our feet is soil of such complexity that we have yet to understand all the effects and affects of the earth; it is a material that carries a language in and through nature.”

This mound represents the Earth, its size, impact, power and abilities; its complexity resonates with me and I realise how miniscule humans really are.

Ultimately, this exhibition opens our eyes to the real power the world has, and reminds us that there is still much to discover about our own environments School, 2020 Compared to the other pieces in the exhibition, this work appears neater and more unified; it shows the representation of school through the medium of soil. The three additional props used in the piece, a ball, a book and two pencils carved from wood, show us the three fundamentals that make up the idea of ‘school’. We go to school to

learn how to read, represented by the book; we learn to write, represented by the pencils; the rest of the time we build social skills and play, represented by the ball.

In a way, this piece resonates with the theme of ecology the most, as it is at school where we learn to interact with our environment. As an adult viewing this piece, it reminds me of a much simpler time in my childhood where I learnt new skills that would shape me into the person I am today.

Delving even deeper, this work suggests that all we are from the soil - it is the Earth which shapes our lives and the people we are and will become.

Essay: New Works – 2020/2021 After you have made your way through visuals of the exhibition, there is a short essay written by the artist to conclude. In this he explains his connection and the process of how the artworks are made: “We live in a world of many forms of communication that we have yet to translate.”

What comes across as remarkable in this essay is that all the materials used in Newling’s artworks were collected from his garden. This shows his creativity and also highlights that the art is made from Newling’s own environment. His ecology is at the heart of everything.

Ultimately, this exhibition opens our eyes to the real power the world has, and reminds us that there is still much to discover about our own environments.

John Newling in the Studio is available to view online now

beameditions.uk

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

If you haven’t already and you’re liking the sound of Moan, I would highly recommend picking up Issue Three: a big middle finger to the complexities of society which oppress and shame sexual liberation for women.

School, 2020. John Newling

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literature

words: Lizzy O’Riordan photo: John Baird

to the moon and back

Approached by Five Leaves Publications, John Baird set off on a mission to uncover Nottinghamshire’s literary history. We catch up with the author about his new book Follow the Moon and Stars: A Literary Journey Through Nottinghamshire…

From Lord Byron to Alan Sillitoe, Notts has produced a rich vein of writers over the years.

Yet never has there been such a comprehensive and well-researched history of the county and its literary past as in John Baird’s new book, Follow the Moon and Stars: A Literary Journey Through Nottinghamshire.

It’s best to imagine the text as a tour guide, meandering through the county and dispersing stories along the way. We bump into J. M. Barrie as he walks to work across the Arboretum, Alan Sillitoe as he meets his wife in Paul Henderson’s bookshop, and Graham Greene as he slogs away at his job for the Nottingham Journal - an institution that he unkindly referred to as “a third-rate paper run by third rate people.”

Baird’s book has been a long time coming. “I started volunteering for Nottingham City of Literature around the time we got the UNESCO title,” he says. “I was writing articles for the blog based on a series of literary locations. I didn’t intend for it to turn into a book at the time, but Ross Bradshaw from Five Leaves approached me, and I said yes.”

It’s fair to say that the book is dense, clocking in at just around 400 pages. While not easy to read in one sitting, the format makes it accessible to dip in and out, each chapter named after a different area in Nottinghamshire. “I needed a device to structure the story and it made sense to go for locations,” Baird says. “I thought doing it that way was a good way of telling the story, because people will know the places. I knew it would help to get people invested, rather than naming each chapter after a writer they might not know.”

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Through this, Baird unlocks ghosts of literary past, stored forever in the buildings and spaces of our county: The Zara on Pelham Street was the first Boots Library; the Arboretum an inspiration for J.M. Barrie's Neverland; The Jam Cafe, once home to Nottingham’s radical Mushroom Bookshop. The stories in this book

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bring Nottinghamshire to life, linking the past to places we know. “Ray Gosling used to say, ‘When you’re in Nottingham, make sure to look up,’ because that’s where the great buildings are,” John says. “I hope this book is a way to get people to look up and feel pride in their city.”

I ask Baird about the research process. Aside from reading a lot of books, he tells me that he spent a long time reaching out to people, searching for interesting stories. As he speaks, it’s easy to imagine the process as a treasure hunt, in which John searches for literary gems.

“I spoke to a lot of people, mainly via email because of COVID. There are lots of stories I wouldn’t have known If I hadn’t reached out, like the story about how Alan Sillitoe met his wife, Ruth Fainlight. She told me about the bookshop where they met, and how Sillitoe read D. H. Lawrence to try and impress her,” John laughs. He tells me that he contacted countless people, and most of them were eager to help, musing, “It’s almost like the whole literary community of Nottingham has played a part in the book.”

It’s also a book about how Nottinghamshire shaped the world, because we have a lot to be proud of in this county While Follow the Moon and Stars drops a fair share of famous names, Baird also hopes to highlight writers that have been forgotten by history. “There were lots of new authors I came across,” John says. “Francis Vivien, for example, who was a crime writer. Apparently, he was better known than D.H. Lawrence and Sillitoe at one time in the sixties, but then he was forgotten. There were so many new discoveries that I stumbled across in strange places. I also wanted to include a lot of contemporary writers. If you’re a writer in Nottingham, there’s a high chance you’ll be in there somewhere.”

The author dedicates his longest chapter to the Nottinghamshire LGBTQ+ community, and their contribution to the literary scene.

“Without its LGBTQ+ writers and writing, Nottingham would not be a UNESCO city of Literature,” the author writes in chapter thirteen, “and there might not even be a legend of Robin Hood.” I ask John about this chapter. “It occurred to me that so many of our writers have been gay or bisexual, going back to Byron. In the modern scene, so many of our performance poets seem to be LGBTQ+.

I couldn’t ignore that, and I wanted to tie in the changes in society and law, regarding the way gay people have been treated. How we respond as writers is interesting. We have such a strong sense of social justice in this city, and writers have always been at the forefront of that.”

The thing I like most about Follow the Moon and Stars is how much it feels like a passion project.

Throughout the book, Baird’s tone walks the line between factual and affectionate, eager to share the exciting stories he’s discovered.

“If a reader wanted to visit one literary site, where would you recommend?” I ask Baird, a somewhat unfair question considering the mass of locations the book covers. “Within the city, the Bromley House is a must, then Newstead Abbey has such an incredible atmosphere. That’s one for the city and one for the county. Those are two locations you can’t help but be affected by,” he replies.

All in all, it’s a pleasure to see Nottinghamshire through Baird’s eyes, learning about literature and social history alike. “Even if you aren’t interested in Literature with a capital L, I think it will appeal to people who like history too. It’s also a book about how Nottinghamshire shaped the world, because we have a lot to be proud of in this county,” John comments - and on this front, I must agree.

Follow the Moon and Stars: A Literary Journey Through Nottinghamshire will be published this January and can be pre-ordered on Five Leaves Publications website.

Dilettante Tendency

literature

words: George White photo: Ekam Hundal

Artists, agony aunts and adorable cats - ‘creative culture’ magazine The Dilettante really has it all. We hear from its Nottingham-based editor, Sophie Gargett, about what people can expect from this peculiar publication…

Those of you who frequent local watering holes like The Malt Cross and The Angel Microbrewery might remember a fancy little zine by the name of The Dilettante Gazette - a compact broadsheet delving into off beat topics ranging from the Bright Young Things to ghost stories at The Peacock Public House.

Well, thanks to one of the minds behind that popular little publication, Sophie Gargett, this charming source of eccentricity is back - and better than ever.

Now taking the form of The Dilettante magazine, this bigger, bolder release will once again shine a light on the weird and wonderful, providing a source of escapism from this humdrum world through strange stories and peculiar people. And it’s no secret that we all could do with that right now. “I think that over the last two years, we’ve just been so connected to a computer or mobile all the time. Now people are realising that they would really like to have something tangible, something they can hold,” Sophie explains.

“It's nice to look at things on paper rather than on a screen. I feel like we've been swept along in technology, whereas there is a lot of beauty to print.”

We at LeftLion are, of course, in agreement - and the word beauty is certainly apt for The Dilettante.

Taking inspiration from arts Deco and Nouveau, the magazine is charmingly crafted with an eye-catching vintage design, offering an aesthetic that Sophie believes is unlike anything else out there. These remarkable visuals make the issue feel like a treat, a collectible that is worth savouring.

A key focus of the magazine is ensuring its writing is accessible to anyone. The term ‘dilettante’, after all, refers to “a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge” (all hail our overlords over at Google).

“The Dilettante is for people who are interested in things like the arts, but don’t want to go too serious with it,” its editor muses. “They don't want to be an expert. They're not looking to be the best at any one thing - they're just interested in a lot of different things. So catering to those was the real starting point.” This commitment to the not-quite-committed is the ultimate “ethos” of the magazine, she continues, reinforcing the idea that - in a world where social media platforms like Instagram have made many think that only perfection is permissible - “no one has to be the best” at what they do, but rather just embrace their joy for whatever that may be.

There is a really welcoming culture for creatives in Nottingham, which I really enjoy This is a philosophy Sophie has tried to uphold since the days of the Gazette, so, besides being bigger, how is this new iteration of The Dilettante different to the old? Well, mainly through its broader scope, focusing no longer solely on the happenings in and history of our own city, but the wider world of the curiously creative. “The Gazette was a free zine specifically for Nottingham that we published every couple of

months, but it was quite limited because we were obviously mainly writing about Notts and we had limited space,” Sophie explains. “So this was a real chance to expand on a lot of things and have a wider outlook.”

If you’re worried that the magazine will lose some of that famous East Midlands magic that made it so charming in the past, however, fear not. Sophie speaks fondly of the influence of Nottingham and its community on both herself and the magazine, saying, “There is a really welcoming culture here for creatives, which I really enjoy. Brighton, where I lived before, has such a reputation for being a creative place, but I didn't really find that sense of belonging or encouragement down there. It was a stark difference when I moved here, which I really love.” This “really friendly community” will continue to guide the writing style and spirit of The Dilettante, she continues, with the NTU graduate forever channelling the character of this vibrant city, and its “big print culture”, into her work.

Provided the Government doesn’t beans everything and drag us back into a perpetual state of lockdown, Sophie is planning to bring this community face-toface once more, aiming to supplement the bi-annual release of the magazine with gatherings and events centred around eccentricity. “When we used to produce the Gazette back in the day, we'd have society meetings where anyone could come along and have a chat about bizarre things that they've come across,” she muses. “That was a lovely little group that we created back then, and I'd love to do that again at some point. The last couple of years have been hard, but we definitely want to get back to that.”

Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure - this strange and fascinating city will always be at the heart of this strange and fascinating publication.

Issue one of The Dilettante magazine is now available to purchase at the Dilettante Society website thedilettantesociety.co.uk

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The content itself ain’t half bad, either. In the first issue alone, there is a deep dive into the life of French painter Henri Rousseau, an exploration of imposter syndrome and its detrimental effects, and a remarkable retelling of the story of Mrs Chippy, a ship’s cat who met a rather unfortunate end during the infamous Shackleton expedition down to Antarctica. Simply put, there’s a little something for everyone, from art enthusiasts to feline fanatics.

“It does have a bit of everything,” Sophie laughs.

“There are a few overarching themes that I always like to include, like inspiring articles that can help people or stories of eccentric individuals who've lived interesting lives. But a lot of the articles come from just talking to people I know who are interested in writing for us, coming up with ideas together and evolving them into exciting topics. It’s all about collaboration with other people.”

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words: George White illustration: Natalie Owen

words: Ashley Cart ilustration: Natalie Owe

Wollaton Hall has been a centrepiece of the Nottingham landscape for just under five centuries, proudly overlooking the city from the summit of its glorious grounds. We take a look at the unique life of Sir Francis Willoughby, a controversial yet influential figure who paid for the construction of the iconic mansion back in 1580...

Everyone knows Wollaton Hall. Many have probably been inside the iconic building at some point or another. But fewer are aware of the fascinating, volatile life story of Sir Francis Willoughby, the Tudor man of means who oversaw the construction of the building way back in the sixteenth century.

Coming from an ancient Nottinghamshire family of considerable wealth, Willoughby overcame significant troubles in his early years to erect the stunning building in Wollaton Park that we see today - a decision that would lead him to near bankruptcy, and one that followed a fractious, abusive relationship that was dubbed the “most explosive marriage in the Elizabethan period” by historian Jorge H. Castelli.

Born in Wollaton in 1546 as the second son of Sir Henry Willoughby and Anne Grey, Francis was the descendant of Nottingham’s Ralph Bugge, a self-made merchant who purchased large sections of land in Willoughby-on-the-Wolds back in the thirteenth century. From an early age, Francis suffered serious anguish, with his mother dying shortly after his birth and his father, who at that point had only recently inherited the Wollaton estate, perishing a couple of years later during a battle in Kett's Rebellion.

Henry’s death caused disarray throughout the Willoughby family, not least for Francis, who was sent down to Essex to be looked after by his uncle, George Medley. Just five years later, Francis’ brother, Thomas, also died after suffering heat exhaustion while out hunting, making Francis the sole heir to the Wollaton Estate at just thirteen years of age.

By 1564, the young Willoughby had inherited not only the grand grounds of Wollaton, but also several coal mines across the country - and at just eighteen he was given the chance to elevate his status in society even further. After spending five years as the ward to Sir Francis Knollys, a close confidante of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I, he was offered the hand of Sir Francis’ daughter, Elizabeth Knollys - who eventually served as a Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth I. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Willoughby instead married another Elizabeth, the daughter of

his neighbour John Littleton of Frankley. Once Sheriff of Worcestershire, Littleton had extensive power in the county, and this wedding was seen as a matter of convenience - a seemingly inexpensive move from Francis to strengthen the hand of the most influential families in the Midlands.

The marriage was supported by many of those closest to Francis, including Sir Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester and favourite of Elizabeth I. Yet others strongly disapproved, including Francis’ own sister Margaret, who spoke of her distrust of John Littleton.

Despite these objections, the pair wed in 1564 - but the relationship quickly deteriorated. Margaret’s concerns over the Littleton family proved warranted, with John gradually undercutting a financial agreement that had been struck between the pair. This angered Francis, who had become used to living a life of power and luxury, and he believed John’s actions threatened to undermine his status. According to Castelli, Francis began “treating his wife harshly” as a result of the betrayal, causing strains in the relationship.

While Willoughby’s personal life was dominated by an explosive relationship, his mark on Nottingham remains vivid - with Wollaton Hall still looming over the city five centuries later While the couple remained married for fifteen years, having five children in that time, their courtship was hardly one built on love and trust. Rather, the pair had an extremely hostile relationship, with Francis’ behaviour becoming increasingly toxic over time. In the words of historian Kate Merson, “At one point Sir Francis confined Elizabeth to certain rooms in the house and took away all her rights in the care of their children.”

After a couple of “violent clashes” in 1578 and 1579, the couple finally parted ways. Shortly after, in 1580, Francis turned his attention to the development of a grand modern residence on the grounds of Wollaton, with the hopes of encouraging Queen Elizabeth I to come and stay. Willoughby called on the services of architect Robert Smythson, who also designed Hardwick Hall and Burton Agnes Hall, to oversee the works. Yet it is believed that Francis himself played a key role in the aesthetics of the building, which has been described as “advanced Elizabethan with early Jacobean elements”, ensuring the Hall boasted the ornate decorative style that it still has today.

However, the sheer scale and intricate nature of the developments came at a dear price for Francis, whose revenues from coal mining operations were beginning to decline. Willoughby’s commitment to making the Hall a residence fit for royalty proved vastly expensive, forcing him to take up various high-ranking positions across the Midlands, including justice of the peace throughout the 1580s and High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1588.

After eight years, the Hall was finally completed and following repeated requests to get back together - Francis restarted his relationship with Elizabeth Littleton. This was more a matter of “expediency”, according to Castelli, as Willoughby required support in furnishing the building and entertaining the upper classes in style. Upon returning to Wollaton, though, Elizabeth’s health quickly deteriorated, an issue that wasn’t helped by Francis’ continuously wicked behaviour, and she died in 1594, with Francis himself passing away just two years later.

While Willoughby’s personal life was dominated by harmful behaviour and an explosive relationship, his mark on Nottingham remains vivid - with the grand presence of Wollaton Hall still looming over the city five centuries later. Since then, the mansion has become home to everyone from George the Gorilla to Christian Bale’s Batman, and visitors can still find an acknowledgement of its initial creator inside, with ‘En has Francisici Willoughbaei aedes rara Arte extructas Willoughbaeis relictas. Inchoatae MDLXXX— MDLXXXVIII’ - a nod to the influence of Sir Francis Willoughby - inscribed for all to see.

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What’s on?

SATURDAY 1 JAN

FRIDAY 7 JAN

TUESDAY 11 JAN

SUNDAY 16 JAN

SATURDAY 22 JAN

🎲 The Big Fat Quiz of 2021 Horse and Plough Free - £5, 5pm

♫ Quadrophenia Night Rescue Rooms £13, 8pm

🎭 Jan's Jukebox The Glee Club £25, 6pm

🎵 Steely Dan Tribute The Diamond £7 - £9, 2pm - 5pm

🔧 Make A Clasp Purse Debbie Bryan £38, 9.30am - 12pm

♫ NYD Special - R&B Brunch Bierkeller £15, 4pm - 10pm

🎵 Phoenix Samba The Sumac Centre £2, 7pm

🎨 ArtSpeak Art Club ArtSpeak £5, 3pm - 5pm

🎵 Tommy Alexander The Running Horse £9.90, 7.30pm

🔧 Repurposed Knits - Mitts Debbie Bryan £55, 2pm - 4.30pm

🚲 New Year's Day Parkrun Gedling Country Park Free, 9am

🎵 The Headspace The Bodega £7.70, 7pm

TUESDAY 18 JAN

🎵 Stephen Hough Djanogly Recital Hall £24, 7.30pm - 9.30pm

SUNDAY 2 JAN

♫ Good Times... Fun Times...

Karaoke Ye Olde Salutation Inn Free, 9pm

👪 Deep Rest, Restorative Yoga with Kshantika Nottingham Buddhist Centre Donation, 5.15pm

📣 Sumac Centre Open Mic The Sumac Centre Free, 3pm

MONDAY 3 JAN 🚲 Nottingham Panthers vs Belfast Giants Motorpoint Arena Nottingham £11.25 - £21.50, 4pm

TUESDAY 4 JAN 🎵 Open Mic Night The Navigation Free, 9pm 📖 Open Book Poetry & Spoken Word Organ Grinder Free, 8pm - 10pm 🎭 Trinity K Bonet - The Nerve Tour The Glee Club £15 - £25, 6.30pm

WEDNESDAY 5 JAN 🎵 Blues Jam with Colin Staples The Navigation Free, 8.30pm 👪 Speed Dating - 30s & 40s The Walrus £20, 7.30pm

THURSDAY 6 JAN 📣 Religion, Politics and Exile in Early Modern England and Beyond Djanogly Theatre Free - £3, 1pm 😂 Sukh O jla - Life Sukhs The Glee Club £15, 7pm

FRIDAY 7 JAN 🔧 Leah Clements Access Docs for Artists - Online Workshop Primary 1pm

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SATURDAY 8 JAN 🎵 Goldie Lookin' Chain Metronome £16.50, 7.30pm - 11pm 🎵Soul Time - The Music of Bobby Timmons Peggy's Skylight £10 - £15, 6pm 👪 STAA Saturday Volunteering New Years in Urban Nature St Anns Allotments Free, 10am - 1pm ♫ David Bowie 75th Birthday Celebration The Bodega £11.20, 7pm 👪 The Winter Classic Bike Guide Newark County Showground Free - £12, 9am - 5pm

SUNDAY 9 JAN 🎵 The Wombats (Acoustic & Signing) Rough Trade £14.50 - £23, 12pm 🚲 Nottingham Panthers vs Fife Flyers Motorpoint Arena Nottingham 4pm

MONDAY 10 JAN

WEDNESDAY 12 JAN

🎵 Unknown T Rescue Rooms £13.75, 7pm

🎵 Coach Party The Bodega £10.45, 7pm

🔧 Beginner's Guide to Knitting Hobbycraft £25, 9.30am

👪 Speed Dating - 50s & 60s The Pitcher and Piano £20, 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 19 JAN 🎵 Smash Night!

Playwright 38 £3-£5, 7.30pm

THURSDAY 13 JAN 🔧 Radical Tech for Survival Sean Roy Parker Nottingham Contemporary Free, 5pm - 6.30pm

🎵 NTU Music Lunch Concert University Hall Free, 1pm - 1.30pm

🎵 Afflecks Palace Rescue Rooms £18.48, 6.30pm

🎵 Fickle Friends Rescue Rooms £13, 6.30pm

FRIDAY 14 JAN

THURSDAY 20 JAN

🎵Deco Rescue Rooms £10, 6.30pm

🎵 The Johnny Cash Roadshow Nottingham Playhouse £25

🎵 Noahfinnce The Bodega £12, 7pm

FRIDAY 21 JAN 🎵 Jay Electronica Rescue Rooms £20, 6.30pm

♫ Blondie Tribute Night Raglan Road £6.60, 8.30pm

📣 The Eye as Witness University of Nottingham Museum Free - £3, 6pm - 7pm

🔧 Make a Silver Ring Debbie Bryan £98, 10am - 12.30pm

SATURDAY 15 JAN

TUESDAY 11 JAN

📣 Making Research Visible The National Justice Museum Free, 11am - 3pm

🚲 Nottingham Panthers vs Guildford Flames Motorpoint Arena Nottingham £11.25-£66.50, 7.30pm

🔧 Skillshare Primary Free, 6.30pm

👪 Reading Beyond - Reading And Discussion Group New Art Exchange Free, 7pm - 8.30pm

🔧 Open Contemporary Class with Sarah Butler IC4C (Dance4) £6, 7pm - 8.30pm

🎵 Open Mic Night The Navigation Free, 9pm

🎵 Childcare The Bodega £10, 7pm

😂 Just The Tonic Comedy Club Metronome £6 - £13.50, 6.45pm - 10.30pm

🎵 Me & Mr Jones Peggy's Skylight £10 - £15, 6pm ​​

♫ Swiftogeddon - The Taylor Swift Club Night Rescue Rooms £11, 10.30pm

🎵 Evil Scarecrow Rock City £14, 6.30pm

👪 Friday Lunchtime Meditation Class - Online Nottingham Buddhist Centre Free, 1pm

🎵 Agvirre Chameleon £7.70, 8pm

🎵 The Mudas Rough Trade Free, 7pm

🎵 Bad Llama Rock City £10, 6.30pm 😂 Just The Tonic Comedy Club Metronome £6 - £13.50, 8pm - 8.30pm 🔧 Granny Trouble with Serena Patel (Aged 6-10) West Bridgford Library £3, 10.30am - 11.30am 🎵 Young T and Bugsey (Live & Signing) Rough Trade £12.50, 8.30pm

SUNDAY 23 JAN 🎵 The Sherlocks (Acoustic & Signing) Rough Trade £13.50, 12pm 🎵 Champyun Clouds Rough Trade Free, 7pm 🎵 The Districts The Bodega £12.32, 7pm

MONDAY 24 JAN 🎥 Starship Troopers (1997) Savoy Cinema £5 - £6.95, 8.30pm - 11pm 🔧 Introduction to Immersive Technology - Online University of Nottingham Free, 10am - 1pm

TUESDAY 25 JAN 🎵 Open Mic Night The Navigation Free, 9pm 📣 Embroidery and Its Context Djanogly Theatre Free - £3, 1pm 🔧 Cross Stitch Workshop Hobbycraft £25, 9.30am 🎵 Ruby Tuesday Percy Picklebackers Free, 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 26 JAN

THURSDAY 27 JAN

FRIDAY 28 JAN

SATURDAY 29 JAN

SUNDAY 30 JAN

🎵 Deathstars Rescue Rooms £16.50, 6.30pm

🎵 Hello Again - The Story of Neil Diamond Nottingham Playhouse £22.50

🎵 NTU Big Band Live Metronome £4 - £8, 7.30pm

🎥 Hustle Cinematic Black Speculative Nottingham Contemporary £11, 6.30pm

🎵 An Evening with Same Baker Running Horse £20.25, 7.30pm

🎵 Benjamin Grosvenor University Hall £5 - £25, 7pm - 8pm 🔧 Needle Felting Flowers Southwell Library Free - £13.50, 1pm - 4pm

THURSDAY 27 JAN 😂 Teddy Thompson The Glee Club £19.50, 7pm 🎵 Theon Cross The Bodega £15, 7pm 🎵 Yard Act (Live & Signing) Rough Trade £14.50, 6pm

🎵 S-X Rescue Rooms £10, 6.30pm 📣 Poetry Scum - A Working Class Spoken Word Event The Sumac Centre 7pm 🔧 Macrame Plant Holder Workshop Hobbycraft £30, 11.30am 🔧 The Periodic Table of Elements - Online Learning Inspire Culture HQ Free, 9.30am - 12.30pm

FRIDAY 28 JAN

🎭 Leopoldstadt Broadway Cinema £14 - £16, 7pm

🎵 Daniel Tompkins Rescue Rooms £15, 6.30pm

🎭 Ambivalence + Q&A Djanogly Theatre £5, 7.30pm

🎨 Xiwang (Hope) Trent Building, University of Nottingham Free - £3, 6pm - 6.30pm

🎵 Every Time I Die Rock City £25.20, 6pm 🎨 Balaclava Embroidering Protest - Online National Justice Museum Free, 1.30pm

🎵 Detonate In the Arena Motorpoint Arena Nottingham TBC, 7pm 😂 Ed Byrne - If I'm Honest Nottingham Playhouse £26.50, 7.30pm

🎵 Torn Sail Peggy's Skylight £9 - £12, 6pm

🎵 Penelope Isles The Bodega £13.20, 7pm

🎵 BBC Philharmonic Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £11.50 - £37.50, 7.30pm

🔧 Notts Lost Words - Dialect Poetry Workshop with Andrew Graves Beeston Library £5, 1pm - 3pm

🎵 The Surfing Magazines The Old Cold Store £14, 8pm

SATURDAY 29 JAN 🎵 Turnstile Rock City £18.50, 6.30pm 😂 Just The Tonic Comedy Club Metronome £6 - £13.50, 8pm - 10.30pm

🎵 Slimelord Stuck On A Name £7 - £10, 7pm 🎵 Burns Night Celebration The Southbank Bar £13.20, 7pm 🎵 In Accord Chamber Choir & Burlington Live Albert Hall £5 - £10, 7.30pm

🎵 Beat the Streets Various venues £8, 1pm 🎵 Sunday Piano Series George Harliono Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £12, 11am 🚲 Wrestle Carnival Presents Carnival of Champions Portland Leisure Centre £5 - £25, 4pm

MONDAY 31 JAN 🎵 Yonaka Rescue Rooms £18.50, 7.30pm 🎵 Conchur White The Bodega £9.90, 7pm ♫ Return To The Oldskool The I Club £10, 10pm - 3am

ONGOING EVENTS 🎨 Our Silver City 2094 Nottingham Contemporary Free Sat 1 Jan - Mon 18 Apr

🔧 Start Anywhere with Jim Otieno-Hall - 6 Week Online Course Writing East Midlands £120 Sun 9 Jan - Sun 20 Feb

🔧 Self Empowerment through Affirmations - 4 Week Online Course Inspire Culture HQ Free - £27, 10.30am - 12pm Mon 17 Jan - Mon 7 Feb

🔧 Talk Cinema Afternoon - 10 Week Workshop Broadway Cinema £30 - £60, 2pm - 3.30pm Mon 10 Jan - Mon 14 Mar

🎭 The Da Vinci Code Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £19.50 - £42.50, 7.30pm Tue 18 Jan - Sat 22 Jan

🔧 No Capes Allowed - 10 Week Course Broadway Cinema £35 - £70, 7pm - 8.30pm Mon 10 Jan - Mon 14 Mar

🔧 Mindfulness, Journalling and Nature - 3 Week Online Course Inspire Culture HQ Free, 1pm Tue 18 Jan - Tue 1 Feb

🔧 The World of Italian Cult Cinema - 10 Week Course Broadway Cinema £35 - £70, 7pm - 8.30pm Tue 11 Jan - Tue 15 Feb

🔧 Murder Most Interesting - 4 Week Course West Bridgford Library Free - £36, 1pm - 3pm Tue 18 Jan - Tue 8 Feb

👪 Faces, Places Exhibition West Bridgford Library Free Thu 6 Jan - Tue 15 Feb

📖 Psychology for Writers - 5 Week Online Course Writing East Midlands £90 - £100, 7pm - 8pm Wed 12 Jan - Wed 9 Feb

🔧 Floral Painting in Acrylic - 4 Week Online Course Inspire Culture HQ Free - £36, 3.30pm - 5.30pm Tue 18 Jan - Tue 8 Feb

🎩 The Newark Arms, Armour, Medal & Militaria Fair Newark County Showground 9am Sun 9 Jan - Thu 20 Jan

🔧 Investigating Film Noir - 10 Week Course Broadway Cinema £35 - £70 7pm Wed 12 Jan - Wed 16 Mar

👪 Outdoor Nutcracker Trail Newstead Abbey £5 Thu 9 Dec - Mon 3 Jan 🎨 '(un) rest' & 'Our Place' The Window Gallery, City Arts £2 , 10am - 5pm Thu 9 Dec - Fri 7 Jan 🎭 Robin Hood Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £14.50 - £41 Sat 11 Dec - Sun 9 Jan 🔧 Green Light in the City Green Light in the City Free, 12pm - 3pm Sat 1 Jan - Sun 27 Feb

🔧 Meditation for Wellbeing - 4 Week Online Course Inspire Culture HQ Free - £36, 10am - 12pm Tue 18 Jan - Tue 8 Feb 👪 Introduction to Buddhism - 4 Week Online Course Nottingham Buddhist Centre £40 - £80, 7.30pm Tue 18 Jan - Sun 13 Feb 🔧 Be Your Own Life Coach - 3 Week Course West Bridgford Library Free - £27, 10am - 12pm Wed 19 Jan - Wed 2 Feb 🔧 An Introduction to EcoLiving - 4 Week Online Course Inspire Culture HQ Free - £36, 10am - 12pm Wed 19 Jan - Wed 9 Feb 🔧 The History of Nottingham Fashion and Textiles - 2 Week Online Course Inspire Culture HQ Free - £13.50, 10.30am - 12pm Thu 20 Jan - Thu 27 Jan

🔧 Italian for Beginners - 5 Week Course West Bridgford Library Free - £45, 10am - 12pm Fri 21 Jan - Fri 18 Feb 🎨 Freddy Griffiths - Truth Must Be Understood As Something More Than Correctness Djanogly Art Gallery Free Sat 22 Jan - Sun 6 Mar 🎩 Fragments of Darfur Djanogly Art Gallery Free Sat 22 Jan - Sun 13 Mar 🎭 Russian State Ballet of Siberia Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £19.50 - £43.50 Mon 24 Jan - Wed 26 Jan 🎭 Fat Friends - The Musical Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £25.50 - £51 Mon 24 Jan - Sat 29 Jan

FOR THE FULL RUNDOWN, VISIT LEFTLION.CO.UK/LISTINGS

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BEST OF JANUARY

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The Wombats When: Sunday 9 January, 7pm Where: Rough Trade How Much? From £14.50

Scott Bennett at Just the Tonic When: Saturday 15 January, 7pm Where: Metronome How Much? From £9.90

Most well known for songs including Moving to New York and Let’s Dance to Joy Division, The Wombats have confirmed a show at Rough Trade as part of their intimate venues tour.

The indie rock band are touring small music venues across the country to play cosy gigs for a select group of fans. Best to grab the tickets ASAP for this one, as spaces will be limited.

With a reputation for being one of the best comedy clubs in the country, why wouldn’t you want to spend an evening at Just the Tonic? Joining Notts comic Scott Bennett are The Noise Next Door, Scott Bennett, Robin Morgan, and one more undisclosed act. The January show promises to have you laughing the night away. Doors open from seven for pre show drinks, then comedy commences from eight.

The Da Vinci Code When: Tuesday 18 January Saturday 22 January Where: Theatre Royal How Much? From £19.50

Swiftogeddon: The Taylor Swift Club Night When: Friday 21 January, 10.30pm Where: Rescue Rooms How Much? From £8.96

Dan Brown’s best selling novel The Da Vinci Code is taking on a new form as a thrilling stage production, featuring Nigel Harman and Hannah Rose Caton. Following the original story, a museum curator is found murdered alongside a set of confusing and cryptic clues, leaving Professor Robert Langdon (Harmon) and fellow cryptologist (Caton) to decipher the puzzle.

While LeftLion has no official stance on being a Swiftie, the writer of this piece certainly does. Rallying all Taylor Swift fans, Rescue Rooms is hosting a club night focused solely on Swift’s discography. Featuring deep cuts, extended mixes, fan favourites and all the best hits, there’s something for every kind of fan. Here’s to hoping it’s Taylor’s Version…

Steven Hough When: Saturday 22 January, 7.30pm Where: Lakeside How Much? £24

Detonate: In the Arena 2022 When: Saturday 29 January, 7pm Where: Motorpoint Arena How Much? £33.60

Beat The Streets When: Sunday 30 January, 1pm Where: Multiple Venues How Much? Minimum donation £8

Yonaka When: Monday 31 January, 7.30pm Where: Rescue Rooms How Much? £18.50

Why not enter the new year with a bit of class? Classical pianist Steven Hough is heading to Nottingham to perform a two hour music concert in the Djanogly Recital Hall. Inspired by musicians like Chopin and English composer Alan Rawsthorne, Hough will be performing his own Parita alongside paying homage to his musical inspirations. Described as fresh and fluent, Hough brings a new eye to classical music.

After piloting an indoor version of the event last year, Detonate are back at the Motorpoint Arena for another night of riotous underground music.

This time featuring Chase and Status, Hybrid Minds, Holy Goof, and Dimension (to name a few), the night is ideal for any electronic music lover. Start the new year as you mean to go on, and get ready to party the night away.

Spread over your favourite indie venues, Beat The Streets is back with a bang. With previous performers including Sleaford Mods, Jake Bugg and Saint Raymond, the day always boasts some of Nottingham’s most famous musicians, alongside all the best up-and-coming acts.

All donations will go toward The Framework Association, with hopes to raise awareness about homelessness in the city.

Made up of Theresa Jarvis, George Edwards and Alex Crosbey, Yonaka are a British band based in Brighton.

Nevertheless, they’ll be gracing the Nottingham stage with their set at Rescue Rooms toward the end of January. Characterised by their heavy riffs and dark pop aesthetic, Yonaka are an alt rock band, marked by strong female vocals. Get in the mood to be moody, because this isn’t one to miss.

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