LeftLion Magazine - July 2020 - Issue 127 by LeftLion

#127 July 2020

Unfortunately there is no Nottingham Craft Beer Week or Festival this year. But if you’d still like to support our local breweries and sample some of Nottingham’s finest beer then check out the

NCBW20 BEER BOX £50 inc delivery

What’s in the box? 2 beers from Black Iris 2 beers from Bluemonkey 2 beers from Castle Rock 2 beers from Liquid Light 2 beers from Magpie 2 beers from Totally Brewed * The box will contain a mix of dark and light beers

Plus: A LeftLion 100 Covers book (RRP £9) A bar of Luisa’s Vegan chocolate (trust us, this is delicious with a stout) A 60g bag of ground coffee from Stewarts of Trent Bridge

Buy now (delivered or click and collect) from: brewcavern.co.uk

Credits

Contents

Support BubbAl Alan Gilby (alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk) Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson (jared.wilson@leftlion.co.uk) Editor Ashley Carter (ashley.carter@leftlion.co.uk) Assistant Editor Emily Thursfield (emily.thursfield@leftlion.co.uk) Editor-at-Large Bridie Squires (bridie.squires@leftlion.co.uk)

Events and Food Editor Eve Smallman (eve.smallman@leftlion.co.uk) Sub-Editor Lauren Carter-Cooke Designer Natalie Owen (natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk) Sales and Marketing Manager Adam Pickering (adam.pickering@leftlion.co.uk) Creative Digital Assistant Curtis Powell (curtis.powell@leftlion.co.uk)

Art Editors Laura-Jade Vaughan (laura-jade.vaughan@leftlion.co.uk) Rachel Willcocks (rachel.willcocks@leftlion.co.uk) Fashion Editor Anna Murphy (anna.murphy@leftlion.co.uk) Literature Editor Kate Hewett (kate.hewett@leftlion.co.uk)

Stage Editors Rebecca Buck (rebecca.buck@leftlion.co.uk) Dom Henry (dom.henry@leftlion.co.uk) Sports Editor Gemma Fenyn (gemma.fenyn@leftlion.co.uk) Photography Editors Fabrice Gagos (fabrice.gagos@leftlion.co.uk) Tom Quigley (tom.quigley@leftlion.co.uk)

Can You Hear Us Now?

Writers Josh Osoro Pickering and Addie Kenogbon discuss race in Britain, and where to look next if you want to support the antiracism cause

Writers Caroline Barry Bassey Megan Evans Rory Evans Addie Kenogbon Alex Kuster David Langley Hannah Massey Emilie Mendham Sam Nahirny Josh Osoro Pickering Ravelle-Sade Fairman Dr Claire Sedgewick

Photographers Vanley Burke Louise Clutterbuck Anna Dunleavy Lamar Francois Mann Hans Orlando Marr Christopher Morgan Tom Morley Alicia Tamlyn Jarrad Thomas Ewan Vernon Steve Wallace Matthew Wayman Illustrators Raphael Achache Kate Sharp Seth Smith Emmy Smith Carmel Ward Jay Wilkinson

If you’d like to advertise, contact Adam on 0115 9240476, email adam.pickering@ leftlion.co.uk or visit leftlion.co.uk/rates

The Show Must Go On

The streets might not be filled with flags, dancing and celebration this year, but the team behind Notts Pride have plenty of alternative plans...

Gay Up, Me Duck

History Makers

Lockdown Laughs

Change of State

Hop Art

The Honey Effect

Flying High

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Book

Find Your Focus

Caroline Barry traverses the history behind some of Nottingham’s most iconic LGBTQ+ venues, from obscure historical pubs to the recently closed Propaganda

We explore Notts’ evolving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history with Nottinghamshire Rainbow Heritage’s David Edgley Rachel Willcocks looks at When We Worked at Raleigh, the project preserving stories of the Raleigh Company’s Black Caribbean British heritage

From growing up during Apartheid and spending twenty years in Notts Police, to starting The Pythian Club, we talk to community leader Benjamin Rosser

Laura-Jade Vaughan interviews Nottsborn, Jamaican-British singer, visual artist and image activist Honey Williams about her July cover

When Lowri Moore realised that there were no leading Disney characters with glasses, our own Natalie Owen stepped up to create something extra special for her...

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Featured Contributor

@leftlion

Young Creative Awards

We look through some of the best photos, artwork, songs and films from the winners of the 2020 Young Creative Awards

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These...

Our Fashion Editor Anna Murphy chats to Rebecca Gibbions, owner of Southwellbased jewellery treasure trove Last Night I Dreamt

The comedy industry has been hit pretty hard by lockdown. We chat to some of Notts’ funny folk to see how they’re adapting

Jared Wilson talks to Seth Smith, aka the Art of Beer, about his latest project: illustrating 41 of Nottingham’s bestknown boozers

We talk to Wigflex co-founder Avarni Bilan about FlyGirl, her new initiative that aims to connect and empower women of colour within the arts

With levels of stress and anxiety still high, Lamar Francois discusses his mindful photography project which aims to provide a relaxing creative outlet

@leftlionmagazine

Thanks to All Our Supporters Julian Bower, Frances & Garry Bryan, Nigel Cooke, Caroline Gilby, Rachel Hancorn, Rhys Hawkins, Friday Club Presents, David Knight, D Lawson, Ben Lester, Barbara Morgan, Ron Mure, Reg & Lynette, Livi & Jacob Nieri, Dr Lesley Prince, In memory of Jenny Smith, Jed Southgate, Spicer, Steve Stickley Storyteller, Ivy House Environmental, Nigel Tamplin, Helena Tyce, James Wright

Cover Honey Williams Interns Christopher Post

Queer Today, Gone Tomorrow

Music Editors Eileen Pegg (eileen.pegg@leftlion.co.uk) Becky Timmins (becky.timmins@leftlion.co.uk) Screen Editors Jamie Morris (jamie.morris@leftlion.co.uk) George White (george.white@leftlion.co.uk

We talk to activist Janelle Brown, one of the organisers of Nottingham’s anti-racism protest and co-founder of Next Gen Movement

Videographer Georgianna Scurfield (georgi.scurfield@leftlion.co.uk) Web Developers Tom Errington (tom.errington@leftlion.co.uk) Hamza Hussain (hamza.hussain@leftlion.co.uk)

Generation Now

Addie Kenogbon Northern lass Addie has lived in Nottingham for four years now. She’s a lover of the eighties, nineties, loud colourful clothes and super shiny accessories. She’s been whipping up music reviews and interviews for the LeftLion music pages since last year, and when she’s not doing that you can find her checking out the latest gigs at Bodega, Rough Trade or Rescue Rooms; eating out at one of Notts’ awesome restaurants; or rummaging through vintage shop rails. She also runs a slow fashion blog on Instagram at @Goldust_looks.

Love reading a free, independent magazine every month? Become a LeftLion Supporter. We’ll post you every print issue, plus treats. leftlion.co.uk/supporters

You can read Addie’s article about helpful ways to support the fight against racial injustice on page 15. leftlion.co.uk/issue127 5

Editorial Even in the context of 2020, it’s mad to think how much things can change in four weeks. Sitting down to write my Editorial last month, I struggled to think of something – anything – to write about. Life had settled into an incomprehensible groundhog day where time had lost all meaning. Everything that could be written about lockdown had already been said countless times, and I ended up scribbling down some goofy nonsense about the qualities of doing nothing. Now, just four short weeks later, we’re in the midst of a genuine social movement against racism. The murder of George Floyd was the catalyst that sparked anti-racism protests all over the world on a scale that hadn’t been seen since the Civil Rights Movement, and it was inspiring to see Britain play its part. I’m probably not alone in thinking that the sight of a statue being toppled and rolled into a river was one I was unlikely to see in my lifetime, particularly in a country that, historically at least, is not particularly inclined toward revolution. I was also proud to see the size and strength of Nottingham’s participation, particularly at the Black Lives Matter protest at Forest Rec. The coming together of different genders, races, religions, ages and sexualities in that place, at that time, felt historic, and displayed how collectively passionate we are, as a community, to get rid of systemic racism. A fact later echoed by the Black Lives Matter banner which now adorns the front of the Council House. However, as far as we’ve come, a cursory browse through the Nottinghamshire Live comments section on any given day will show you how far we still have to go. It’s also important to consider that history doesn’t just remember the victories, but also how the victors acquitted themselves. In the fight for equality, we’ve come to the brink of risking valuable traits like pluralism, context and compromise, all of which are essential in any free society. Watching Twitter mobs gleefully ending careers, whether justified or not, with that terrifying Percy Whitmore energy is unsettling to see, and feels like it has no place in whatever better future we’re trying to build. If we want to be on the right side of history, it’s

good to remember that it’s not just what we do, but how we do it. We’re also at the brink of another major crossroads, in that life (at least at time of writing) is beginning to return to something resembling normality with the reopening of shops, pubs and other venues. With that announcement, we’re hoping that this will be the last online-only issue of LeftLion for the time being and that our August edition will be printed again as normal. I can’t lie: it will be a great feeling to hold a physical magazine again. I can’t thank all of the photographers, writers, illustrators and contributors enough for all of their hard work and creativity, as well as the late nights, rambling emails and last-minute requests they’ve had to put up with from me during lockdown. You’ve all been amazing, and without that support we would never have been able to continue creating magazines over the past few months. Enjoy our July issue, and I’ll (hopefully) see you back in print for August. Until the next one,

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

Oh good, more sorrow Matthew Wayman - @__________amw

leftlion.co.uk/issue127

14/10 Christopher Morgan - @christopher___morgan

Shoot the moon Jarrad Thomas - @jarradtphotography

Notts Shots

What a difference a month makes Mann Hans - @mannhansphotography Doe with the flow Ewan Vernon - ewanvernonphotography.com

Miso hungry Steve Wallace - @jamesgraceart

Chock-a-dock Orlando Marr - @_orlando.photography_

Return of the stack Jarrad Thomas - @jarradtphotography

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

leftlion.co.uk/issue127 7

Notts Goss with Jenny Joss I’m not one for wicked whispers, but I’m starting to fret that if I don’t serve you up a slice of the action, you’ll all be starving for scandal. While other local publications are busy scouring Aldi’s middle aisles for kitchen equipment they deem ‘newsworthy’, or creating ghastly graphics encouraging you to post a picture of your pooch, some of us have been out searching for the real scoop. As temperatures in our town soared higher than a Caribbean island, it became clear to this darling that you scoundrels are determined to rebel against government guidelines, no matter the consequence. If the sight of a packed out Clumber Street wasn’t enough to permanently curl my upper lip in disgust, some of you went as far as turning a road in Radford into a rave, with over 100 revellers and a DJ to provide entertainment. The audacity of these urchins seems as crazy to me as the group of fathers spotted floating down the River Trent on a giant inflatable flamingo – remember the importance of setting a good example, fellas. If you can’t tell, I for one think it’s safer to lounge around in our boudoir for the time

Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on...

Football is back We’re not bothered about the Premier League at all. All we want to see is Notts County get promoted back into the Football League, and it looks like that could happen – they just need to win two games. We did watch England’s Euro ‘96 game against Scotland when they replayed it on TV though. Gazza’s goal in that match is probably our favourite ever.

being, and according to intel from a certain city-centre store, there’s still a portion of you who agree. Barry Maltby, owner of The Private Store on Upper Parliament Street has reported a huge boom in sales since lockdown, claiming the shop’s been busier in recent months than it was after the release of Fifty Shades of Grey. Offft. These cheeks do blush.

Pubs are back We’re not planning to rush back just yet – we’ll probably wait for a month or so. We ordered ten cases of Adnams Best Bitter and a case of gin during lockdown and we’re still getting through those. We’ve also had a couple of those mini kegs from local breweries, which are very nice, but we always make a mess of opening them. We’ve got some from Shipstones for sale in the shop, too.

My little dickie bird has been working in overdrive for me this month, and brought back some information so exciting that it caused this lovely lady to spill her hot chocolate all over the carpet. The glorious film director, Jeanie Finlay, perhaps shared a hint towards her upcoming project, claiming to have laid eyes on footage of a local man having to be cut from a children’s swing after indulging in a few too many tipples. Please, television gods, let this grace our boxes soon.

Holidays are back We’re planning our annual retreat to Southwold on August Bank Holiday weekend. It’s paradise. There’s nothing to do but enjoy the sandy beach, the pier and the pubs. We stay in the same trying-to-be-trendy hotel each year and try to do as little as possible. It’s very relaxing.

Anyways, this girl needs to get on the phone with Mr Muscle pronto after that last titbit. Remember lovers – keep your lips loose, your ears to the ground and your eyes on the goss.

JJ x

illustration: Carmel Ward

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leftlion.co.uk/issue127

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It’s a difficult time to be a statue at the moment. Our very existence is being questioned, reassessed and evaluated. I do feel quite lucky to be standing here in the middle of England brandishing my arrow without having been targeted by angry mobs like old bronzey Colston: he really drew the short straw, being shaped like a slave owner of all things. I feel privileged that I embody someone who lived before pens and paper were widely used – Mr. Hood’s actions were passed on through word of mouth and only very much later written down on paper, so by then people most likely forgot all the bad stuff he did. I’ve been here since 1952 and it’s interesting to hear how Rob’s actions translate throughout the generations; he fought the rich to give to the poor. I guess it’s sad that the issues people were having back in the 1300s haven’t changed after 700 years, but that’s kinda good for me. I’m confident that I won’t become outdated, I’ll continue to stand here in all my glory representing the legend of Robin Hood and the never-ending problem with humanity that is the class divide.

Pick Six

This month, we dive straight into the heart of the kitten’s lair, and task the one and only Kitty Tray with choosing a few of her favourite things...

Book The Garden Bird Handbook The book I’m currently reading is The Garden Bird Handbook: How to Attract, Identify and Watch the Birds in Your Garden. I get great pleasure watching nature, there's nothing more joyful than seeing a couple of blue tits jumping around the garden.

Meal Hawaiian Pizza As a public figure, I have to maintain my svelte appearance, but my fans will be shocked to learn that I love my treats. If allowed, I would eat pizza every day. I know it’s controversial, but my fave is ham and pineapple.

Film Howard the Duck My favourite film is Howard the Duck. Some list it as the worst film of all time, but what isn’t there to love? It has a little man dressed up as a duckling wandering around Cleveland smoking cigarettes. To be honest, it should have won an Oscar.

Notts Spot Nottingham Castle Can I say Edinburgh? I jest. My absolute favourite local spot is Nottingham Castle. I would often visit the grounds to eat my lunch and take in the fantastic views of the city. I used to date Robin Hood, didn’t you know?

Song Baby Shark Dance I love a song that has catchy lyrics that reflect a strong social message. A song that will stand the test of time. Something that you will look back and say ‘that made a difference’. That song is the one and only Baby Shark Dance.

Holiday Destination Skegness My ideal holiday destination would be Skegness. It has everything: beaches, restaurants, shops, amusement arcades, night clubs, STDs. What else would you need from a holiday? kittytray.com

leftlion.co.uk/issue127 9

We gather in our thousands Spanning all walks of life: A visual representation that this isn’t Black vs White Because we are united And here to fight the same fight Under one banner – Black Lives Matter. Pain can be felt in the roars of applause Much needed hope can be heard in the cheers – A communal sense of release In the face of propagated fear I lift my young daughter in the air And remind her of why we’re here: To protect the rights of your beautiful skin And overcome fear of your inherent melanin. For when we stand We stand in strength We stand in solidarity We stand for real change For real equality We stand in compassion We stand in validation We stand for accurate education Free of indoctrination Because we are more than tokens More than meeting diversity quotas More than Black History Month More than thugs with hoods More than sports personalities More than stereotyped actors Black Lives don’t just matter – They shape They uplift They enrich They empower They create They motivate They nurture Black Lives inspire.

leftlion.co.uk/issue127

Snap Notts #22 poem: Ravelle-SadĂŠ Fairman photos: Tom Morley location: Anti-Racism Protest

interview: Ashley Carter photo: Tom Morley

Generation now The murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis sent reverberations around the world, including Nottingham, where thousands of people descended on the Forest Recreation Ground in a show of communal strength against systemic racism on Sunday 7 June. The protests were peaceful, but the anger, frustration and passion for forcing change – in real terms – was overwhelming. Behind the protests were three young women, friends Shan Vincent, Tyla Henrique-White and Janelle Brown who have since formed Next Gen Movement, a project aimed at empowering young people to make sure the fight against racism continues to be impactful. We caught up with Janelle to find out more, and discover where they plan to go from here… Can you start by telling us a bit about Next Gen Movement? It’s a Millennial-driven organisation which focuses on empowering the youth, fighting against racism and being a voice for Nottingham’s community to make a permanent change. The idea came in the build-up to the protest; we realised there were going to be loads of people there, which just made us more and more passionate, as well as reflecting on things we’d experienced. For example, because I’m really light-skinned for a black person, I don’t actually look black at all. So rather than racism being directed at me, people feel comfortable enough to make racist comments around me. It’s happened at two different jobs in the past. They can be microaggressions, like one time when there was a funeral being held for a young boy who had been stabbed, and someone sent an email around telling us to be careful because black people there would be bringing their own drinks and weed. That email was actually sent to me. It was in discussing situations like this, which didn’t happen on the other side of the world, but right here in Nottingham, that made Shan, Tyla and I realise we needed to do something here. It isn’t just about protest; it’s about making permanent change. That’s why Next Gen Movement was formed. What areas will you focus on? We have the four Es, which are: education, empowerment, employment and engagement. Each of these areas has its own set of goals and timelines so, for example, with education we want to change the way that history is taught in schools because what you tend to learn about black history is slavery, and that’s it. People don’t know that there have been black kings and queens, which I only know about because my Dad taught me. We don’t really look at the fact that Britain colonized countries all over the world, so we’re looking at making a real, tangible change in that area. We’re meeting with Nottingham City Council about

how we can make that happen. Even if we manage to change the curriculum in a couple of schools, it would be a great achievement.

But people can and are changing. I saw a video the other day of a former skinhead who had a big swastika tattoo on his chest. He was getting it covered up and explaining how, over the last year, he’d changed his views on racism. It’s never too late for people Moving on to empowerment – so Tyla, one of the other members of the group, is black. Shan and I are mixed race, but Tyla is full black. She told us that, growing up, she really wanted to be white – you know, with longer hair, a smaller nose, lighter skin. They were the beauty standards in the nineties, and they’re pretty much the same. It’s not just with beauty, because a friend of mine said that when he goes for a job interview and he’s up against two white guys, he automatically feels like he won’t get the job. We want to empower young men to understand their worth. There might be some barriers up against you, but you can knock them down. Engagement involves working within the community, and we’ve already set up a project with Helping Kids Achieve and The Pythian Club. It’s going to be a series of workshops, talks and training courses. We’re looking to launch that in August, but it’s obviously very dependent on what happens

with COVID-19. It’s important to say that these workshops aren’t just for black or mixed-race people – they’re for everybody, and are going to focus on improving life skills like cooking and finances. And finally there’s employment, and we’ve got a project already planned for this. Nate from Mimm is going to be offering somebody a six-month lease at Nottingham Street Food Club to set up a business. It’s going to be someone who is young, black or mixed-race and recently out of prison, because there are really limited opportunities for people in those circumstances. Employment also involves working with companies to enact permanent changes. We’re currently working with Boots to look at how recruitment can be fairer by using things like blind CVs. The blind CV option is an interesting one, because it brings up the debate about equality of opportunity vs. equality of outcome. If I can present a hypothetical situation: say Boots advertises eight jobs using the blind CV system, and all eight jobs go to straight white men. That would still be an issue, wouldn’t it? That’s the problem. That could happen, and where do you go from there? We haven’t fully looked into it, and there are companies out there that have used blind CVs, so before we discuss that being the best option we need to look at how it has worked for them. We’ve found that some places, like the Council, for example, have a system where if you’re from the BAME community you get a guaranteed interview. That’s also not fair in general, and it’s not fair if you’re white. It means people aren’t getting employed because of their skills, but to make up the BAME numbers in a company to make you seem more multicultural. There have been pockets of anti-racism protests throughout your lifetime – why do you think the current

movement feels like it has more longevity and potential to impact real change? We’ve been asked this question a lot, and it’s good that people are seeing that this is different. Social media plays a big part, because we’re in the age of Millennials who, because of the way we’ve grown up, are a lot more accepting. The older generation, even my Mum’s generation of people in their forties, still hold a lot of homophobia and casual racism. Whereas for younger people, things like gay marriage aren’t even questioned anymore. I don’t know why George Floyd’s death sparked such a huge change in a way that, for example, Trayvon Martin’s didn’t in 2014. I can’t explain it, but I can tell you that everyone felt it on a deeper level. Maybe it’s because we all watched the video, and it just went on for so long. I think there have been 120 black people killed by the police since George Floyd, and I’m not even sure if people are aware of that. I think the fact that the world is in the middle of this pandemic made a difference too. The whole world has stopped, so we have more time and energy to focus on what is going on. I believe people are interested in creating permanent change, but whether that continues or not, I don’t know. If you look at what life was like for black people in Britain 100 years ago, and compare it to now, you’d say that it’s much better. But obviously there are a lot of ways it could significantly improve. What would you like life to be like in another 100 years time? For me, it’s just about unity and equality. It’s not pro-black or pro-white; it’s literally just unity between everybody. I suppose the ideal world that everyone is striving for is one where everyone has an equal opportunity and there’s no prejudice. A lot of that will depend on the media, I think. The way they portray black people contributes a lot towards prejudiced views. I recently read an article that said white men are more likely to carry knives than black men – now you would never think that by the way the media covers knife crime in the UK. Two responses you see time and time again on social media are: ‘All Lives Matter’ and ‘It’s an American problem”. What do you think when you read those? I think it’s just ridiculous. You’ve seen those pictures, haven’t you? The one that says, “You wouldn’t tell someone with breast cancer that all cancers matter?” To be honest, I don’t

argue with anyone online anymore. I haven’t got the energy for it. And for those people saying it’s an American problem, do you know that we’re the only country to have had an anti-anti-racism march? We’re the only country to have had a ‘White Lives Matter’ banner flown over the stadium of a high-profile sports game. So if it’s not a British problem, why is that happening? One thing British people really need to do is educate themselves and understand the impact the British Empire had on the rest of the world.

I don’t know why George Floyd’s death sparked such a huge change in a way that Trayvon Martin’s, for example, didn’t in 2014. I can’t explain it, but I can tell you that everyone felt it on a deeper level But people can and are changing. I saw a video the other day of a former skinhead who had a big swastika tattoo on his chest. He was getting it covered up and explaining how, over the last year, he’d changed his views on racism. It’s never too late for people. With that in mind, how important is the act of forgiveness in society moving forward? It feels like it’s an almost daily occurrence now that celebrities are getting ‘cancelled’ for historic comments or jokes that are now deemed racist, despite publicly apologising… It’s hard, to be honest. You can’t justify forgiveness for everyone, I don’t think. Look at Boris Johnson, for example. The comments he has made in the past are, for me, unforgivable. He runs the country and he has proven himself to be racist. But the guy with the tattoo seemed really genuine, so I wanted to forgive him. I think it’s a combination of the sincerity of the apology and how the individual feels about it – it’s not just up to me! Can you talk to me a bit about how it felt to see thousands of people of all races, ethnicities, genders and sexualities coming together for a common cause at an anti-racism protest you helped organise?

Firstly, Shan, Tyla and I have been best friends for the last twelve years, and are together all the time. We were in our group chat when the George Floyd video surfaced, and we were obviously outraged and very, very upset. We saw that all of these protests were happening and hadn’t seen anything for Nottingham, so we just thought, “Shall we do it?” We had no experience, and had no idea what it was going to be, to be totally honest. We just picked a date, a time and a location, and really didn’t expect the amount of interest that we got. Within three days we had 3,000 people respond to say they’d be attending, and by the time it got to the Sunday there were 5,000. Even on the day itself we didn’t expect to see so many people, even though we had to move it from the Market Square to the Forest because of the level of interest. It was important for us that we didn’t just have random people shouting on the microphone. We wanted people to tell their stories and for it to be authentic. It wasn’t about the world; it was about Nottingham, so all of the speakers were from here. And then following on from that, the Council unveiled the Black Lives Matter banner on the Council House… It was nice to see the Council do that on their own initiative. Some people have said it’s a token gesture, but we don’t care. It caused a stir and put the message out there. We can only make small changes as we go along, and we especially like the banner because there was a lot of negativity towards the fact that someone sprayed ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the Council House after the protest. It was cleaned off by a group of young girls, who we hope will eventually be the people to replace us and run Next Gen Movement. So you don’t expect to be involved for life? We’ve all got our own goals and truths, and this isn’t about, or for, us. We don’t want to be politicians. You see a lot of organisations that have the same people running them for years, and sometimes it’s not right. You always need young people to drive these things forward, and Next Gen Movement was created to pass on to the younger generation when the time is right. We’ll always be there to help and support, and we’ll always be the founders, but we want it to continue being handed down the generations. facebook.com/nextgenmovementuk

Can You Hear us Now? English-Kenyan community engagement worker and writer Josh Osoro Pickering explores the deep-rooted problems of systemic racism, the impact of capitalism on black communities and why now is the time for change... In February 1965, at the height of America’s Civil Rights Movement, the writer James Baldwin addressed a packed debate hall at Cambridge University. The debate was on black people and the American dream, which Baldwin swiftly tackled before brilliantly enlightening the room on the black struggle with the “Western system of reality”. 55 years later, we are still explaining to white people why we are not valued within that same Western capitalist system. To some white people, the recent surge in momentum for Black Lives Matter, driven by an incandescent black rage at police killings, has been unexpected. Many black people didn’t see it coming at the point it did either, but it was inevitable – as inevitable as the end to the Jim Crow laws that segregated Baldwin’s America. In particular it has shocked governments and the police, not because black people are angry – they knew that all too well. What has shocked them is the timing and momentum of it. At a time when COVID-19 has opened a window into the inequities of the “Western system of reality” and those in power are fearfully scrambling not to lose their grip, people have been presented with the perfect moment to enforce change. As in the US, demonstrations across this country have seen thousands take to the streets. Their actions are branded as irresponsible by a Government who have spectacularly failed to protect us from the pandemic, and no group feels that more than us. But the urge to act now in this perfect moment takes precedence. The far more deadly and persistent pandemic of racism only offers rare curative moments. The protesters tearing down the symbols of British racism are thugs, we are told. Now panicked, authorities are pre-emptively removing monuments themselves, like firefighters desperately setting bushes alight to halt the oncoming blaze. But the fiery winds of change won’t be put out by the mere relocation of statues to museums. We have had cosmetic modifications before and now it is a much wider change that is needed. That won’t be easy. The problem is not some institutional racism that absolves the government of responsibility. It is a far bigger systemic racism and is therefore a fight that will be resisted by those powers.

words: Josh Osoro Pickering illustration: Jay Wilkinson

History, though, repeatedly shows that it can be done. Capitalism and the subjection of black communities are undeniably connected. It is a matter of historical record that the system was built on the devaluation of black lives through the slave trade and developed on the wealth created by it. Now, in the glaring light that shines through the cracks exposed in capitalism by COVID-19, people have said enough is enough. An attitude for change, a more sustainable, community-focused new normal, or whatever you wish to call it, has stirred otherwise ambivalent people to declare support for racial equality more vocally than was possible only three months ago. The problem of racism isn’t new, but our normal, that is to say this unsustainable capitalism we have been afraid to rid ourselves of, is broken. For black people, it always was broken. The weight of past and present oppression seeps, in some form or another, into every aspect of daily life: our inner-thinking, our hopes and fears for our children and the recurring traumas of our individual and collective experiences. What we need to recognise in Britain is that those (particularly in politics and the arts) who continue to benefit most from the devaluation of black lives and culture are often the direct beneficiaries of the atrocities that this nation’s wealth was built on. This isn’t just something that happened centuries ago.

I am filled with a sometimes crippling sadness when I think about that reality, unable to do my work or think straight I am filled with a sometimes crippling sadness when I think about that reality, unable to do my work or think straight. Over the past weeks, black people have experienced an intense fly-by of those histories, incidents and current realities. We have faced our trauma, given countless opinions, advised white friends and rewatched graphic videos of our people dying, knowing all the time that we must overcome our pain at seeing it, to come out the other side. I initially thought that the

process of talking and sharing might be therapeutic, but the fact that many of us feel duty bound to push down the anguish it arouses to seize the day worries me. An emotional crash is likely, particularly for those with more of a past to unearth and more battle fatigue to overcome. That we are now seeing an invigorated push for equality across the world is in no small part due to the efforts of young black people and their friends of all backgrounds. They have motivated many exhausted veterans, who have fought for years without seeing much change. And now we find ourselves at a point of no return, but with many possible directions forward. Statements have been made and unlikely people have uttered the words “Black Lives Matter”. Some of them have meant it, some of them have surely not. Where we go next depends on the real appetite for action to bring about change. A lot of the talk about ‘white allyship’ has centred around the need to confront uncomfortable truths. It must now centre around uncomfortable actions. The marketing opportunities of blackouts and solidarity have passed. We will now be watching to see who is sincere about acting on that rhetoric. Black people don’t want to read “I understand that I don’t understand” now. Show us that you are willing to understand and willing to act. But a warning: this system doesn’t like it when you act. Indeed, it is designed to prevent it. The struggle is uncomfortable and there will be times when allies want out. White privilege will offer some that opportunity, and the fact it is there means those allies will never truly understand, no matter how much they intend to. Like George Orwell feigning poverty to experience life in Down and Out in Paris and London, while always having his estate to return to, they won’t ever fully get it. However, like Orwell, they can join the fight for equality. They are doing it now and must continue to if we are to win. This system was forcibly built on black labour, but not for black people (nor most white people) and now, like an obedient black worker, I am expected to speak within the fading margins and offer a word of solution to a problem I did not create. Well, we have passed a point, and I wish you to understand the necessity I have described here, as I offer only one word: revolution.

next steps... Since the advent of social media, social movements tend to follow a depressingly familiar cycle, as support for a cause, regardless of how worthy it is, inevitably dies down after a period of time. With that in mind, writer Addie Kenogbon has compiled a list of resources, individuals and organisations you can engage with to ensure that the fight for racial equality continues to impact meaningful change in society. Bring up the topic of race and racial injustice and you’ll be able to see and hear the awkward shuffling of feet, clearing of throats and averted glances from a mile away. But you need only take a look at the comments under the recent Conservative Party Father’s Day tweet or the uproar at British brand Fred Perry’s choice to use multiracial models for its new line of t-shirts to see how ingrained racism and racial injustice is in the fibres of our country. Yet there are still so many who’ll blindly fire off that same tired rhetoric that ‘The UK is fine. We don’t have racism here.’ Or, ‘Those black deaths, issues of racial injustice, inequality and police brutality are a US problem. We’re really lucky to not have any of that here in the UK.’ SUPPORT Black Friends A creative platform that aims to raise awareness on all things race and identity through the power of blogs, podcasts, panel discussions and live music. New Art Exchange The largest gallery in the UK dedicated to culturally diverse contemporary visual arts. All Black Connect (ABC) New Art Exchange’s young people’s collective. The team design projects that explore issues impacting young black people in the UK today. Nottingham Women’s Centre An organisation which supports women in the city seeking asylum, facing extreme poverty or escaping abuse. Himmah A grassroots community-based initiative providing services to tackle poverty, racism and social exclusion. Community Recording Studios Set up in 1991, the Community Recording Studio, based in St Anns, teaches film and video skills as well as music, giving youngsters access to professional equipment and key industry contacts, including musicians like Estelle and Aloe Blacc. AMPLIFY NOTTINGHAM BLACK CREATIVES There are lots of really talented black creatives in Nottingham covering a range of genres. Here are just a few to support:

Still don’t see it? Then it’s time to take a closer look. It’s there when you look at the fact that in the UK, according to the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, in 2018-19 black people were more than nine times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people, were three times more likely to be arrested and more than five times more likely to have force used against them. It’s there when you look at racial bias in reporting and the different ways press report stories relating to black people. And sometimes, it’s a little more subtle and in the casual questions of “Where are you from? But where are you really from?”. Or it’s in the fact that a recent study by Nuffield College’s Centre for Social Investigation showed

Saffron Gray An emerging singer-songwriter with a soulful nineties and contemporary R&B sound. Tony Sparkz Eighties psychedelia. Reminiscent of Prince but with bags of cool synth. Ella Knight A great up-and-coming R&B singer-songwriter. Daudi Matsiko Singer-songwriter Daudi couples enrapturing magical vocals with thought-provoking heartfelt lyrics. His songs are an iconic blend of folk and indie. Nate Wilson Owner and creative director of Mimm, a street fashion store and platform for Nottingham creatives. Mimm has a radio station and regularly hosts live audio-visual events.

that UK job applicants with ‘foreign’ sounding names are less likely to receive call-backs for interviews than those with English-sounding names Given that Nottingham has such a long history of black locals residing within the city since the 1600s and that BAMEs make up 34.7% of the city’s population today, it’s never been more important for the city to come together and fight racial injustice, building stronger foundations of unity. However, it’s about taking time to have those uncomfortable discussions about race, to listen, to get educated and step up in a very real way. Here are just a few ways you can support the cause right here in Nottingham and the UK.

STEP UP Get involved with Race on the Agenda (ROTA), a leading UK policy think-tank that focuses on the issues affecting BAME communities. Join the Black Lives Matter UK – Nottingham Activists group. Their Facebook page is full of useful resources and information as well as info for how you can get involved here in the UK. Black Lives Matter UK are also running a Go Fund Me campaign. Become a member of Hope Not Hate, an organisation established to “offer a more positive and engaged way of doing anti-fascism”. Email your local MP and ask them what they’re doing within the community to publicly support racial equality and anti-racism.

Kim Thompson An illustrator whose creations have garnered her a following across Nottingham and beyond. Her illustrations feature bold colours coupled with retro glam.

DONATE Stop Hate UK An organisation set up to help tackle hate crime and discrimination happening here in the UK, while encouraging reporting and providing support for the individuals and communities affected by it.

SHEAfriq A Nottingham-based collective of creative females of black heritage.

The United Families & Friends Campaign (UFFC) An organisation set up to support those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.

Black Writers & Artists Network A network for creative writers of African and Caribbean descent.

words: Addie Kenogbon

interview: Caroline Barry

NOTTINGHAM PRIDE 2020

The Show Must Go On With Nottingham’s annual celebration of LGBTQ+ culture put on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions, organisers have decided to move Pride 2020 online to provide a unique, innovative way for the community to stay proud... Nottingham Pride is one of the highlights of the gay calendar. It’s the one time of the year where we all purchase giant cheap flags, head to Propaganda and have ‘oh, just the one then’ pints in Hockley. It’s also the one time of the year where all your exes can be found on Broad Street at the same time... But the global pandemic of COVID-19 has thrown Pride celebrations into chaos. News of cancellations, online celebrations and postponed gigs have meant we have no idea where our next parade is coming from. But Leigh Ellis, chair of Nottingham Pride, was determined to make sure Notts celebrated Pride 2020 one way or another.

We’ve reached out to artists and we always look within Nottingham, because there’s a huge pool of talent. We’d like to give the opportunity for people to have a platform to showcase their talents like poetry, music, and performance “We had to cancel it this year because of the current situation, despite thinking that we could probably ride it out. We set a benchmark against Splendour festival and held out for quite some time. When they said it was cancelled, we knew we had to announce shortly after, which is what we did,” Leigh says. “Then we had this dream of maybe taking Nottingham Pride online. We wanted to see how we could celebrate what we've got to look forward to, and also some of the realities that the LGBTQ+ community have faced during the current lockdown, such as increased mental health issues. Our plans are to host a two-hour event that will be broadcast from a place of prominence in Nottingham city. It will include our LGBTQ+ activists, our local artists, and some of our leaders within Nottingham City too.” An unsurprised community took the news of a cancelled Pride well, as thousands of gigs, shows and events were cancelled across the world. “The reaction was not surprising, but the community has been really supportive and positive. I don't think we've had any negative comments from the LGBTQ+ community and allies, on our Instagram or Twitter. It’s been hugely supportive. So we hope that people will appreciate what we are trying to do,” Leigh explains. It’s not just the lost celebration that is creating difficulty for our community. Now, more than ever, it’s important that we buy from gay businesses,

support our transgender shop owners or get takeaways from our queer venues where possible. Pride is big business, especially in Hockley, where the majority of Pride celebrations are based. “It does have an economic impact, although we never generate income from the event. But for us, we've always made use of arts grants and lottery funding grants. I don't know what that's going to look like next year, and we may struggle.” Leigh says. “In terms of Hockley, as an independent business area, they will lose so much revenue from this with it being one of their busiest periods and that's a shame as well.” As an alternative space, Hockley is starting to look very different. The loss of three major gay venues in 2020 is not a good start to what has been a very difficult year. Propaganda, Bar No.27 and Club 96 have all closed their doors meaning we are starting to see a Hockley that doesn’t seem very queer anymore. Leigh remembers a different scene from earlier years: “I moved to Nottingham in 1989 when I was 17. Nottingham’s LGBTQ+ scene was thriving – it was subversive and underground. It was such a magical and exciting time to have been a part of it.” The loss of safe spaces is disappointing, but there is also the loss of the platform Pride presents to discuss issues within the community, like transgender rights, and Black Lives Matter. Mental health issues have also been on the rise within the LGBTQ+ community as a result of lockdown. Leigh agrees, “We've always made it part of our objectives to be visible, to educate and to celebrate. The education element of it is that we've always provided information, market stalls that generally represent the majority of services that are available to our community, whether it's specifically for them, or it’s something that they're able to access. That’s an opportunity missed this year, particularly with the upsurge in mental health and the discussions around transgender rights and race. That platform is gone this year, and that's a missed chance for discussion.” So what can the community expect to see from the all-online Nottingham Pride 2020? Leigh explains, “We've reached out to artists and we always look within Nottingham, because there's a huge pool of talent. We'd like to give the opportunity for people to have a platform to showcase their talents like poetry, music, and performance.” He continues, “We already had a list of people lined up for this year and we're just in the process of contacting all of them now to see what they'd be interested in doing. During lockdown, it's been impressive actually seeing how much of the community have gone online, from drag artists to DJs.” Nottingham Pride 2020 takes place on Saturday 25 July. You can access the event at: nottinghamshirepride.co.uk

After experiencing an increase in submissions, Beeston Film Festival is launching a brand new category for LGBT+ filmmakers in time for Pride 2020... From Korean eateries to independent food markets, Beeston is a surprise treasure trove of delights. But the best kept secret of all? The small town is home to the biggest international short film festival in the Midlands. Beeston Film Festival, which went exclusively online this year as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, is now in its sixth year. Ranking as one of the Top 100 best-reviewed festivals out of the 8,000+ that take place worldwide, it screened 120 films from 35 countries over five days, with categories ranging from student and horror, to women’s voices and animation. This year, it’s launching the latest category, Pride, in order to showcase talented LGBT+ filmmakers or films about LGBT+ issues.

It was great to be involved, and was one of the best experiences I had out of all the festivals I applied to John Currie, founder of the festival said: “Each year we review the festival to consider which categories have worked and if we can spot trends that warrant a dedicated section. This year we had a number of high quality submissions focused on LGBTQ+ topics. When you see this quality of film being submitted, we have to listen to filmmakers.” He continues, “Nottingham has such a strong Pride festival reflecting the city's inherent diversity and tolerance, I think there will be an appetite and interest from our local audience.” The next festival in which Pride will be a category is slated for March 2021, but submissions are already open. John explains, “We are hoping to see an abundance of films from around the world, expressing a wealth of experience and insight from communities in different continents. I anticipate a range of emotional responses being provoked, invoked and inspired.” The festival also offers its own awards, known as a Beeston Oscar (or B’Oscar, if you like), recognising talent in categories like Soundtrack and Design, Best Acting Performance, Best Script and Best Director. Neda Khanifar is an Iranian producer whose film Hard Shadow was screened at the festival in 2020. “It was great to be involved, and was one of the best experiences I had out of all the festivals I applied to. It also was good because I got B’Oscar nomination for Women’s Voices,” she says. Submissions for the 2021 Beeston Film Festival are open now, and film submissions for the new Pride category are currently 50% off until the end of July. beestonfilm.com filmfreeway.com/submissions leftlion.co.uk/issue127 17

Queer Today, Gone Tomorrow As Nottingham gets set to celebrate Pride 2020 in a very different, online-only way, it’s probably time to remember that the city hasn’t always had such an open gay scene. With a long history of secret bars, hidden backrooms and, erm, gay flats, it’s important to remember just how far Notts has progressed. We asked Chair of Nottingham Pride, Leigh Ellis, and David Edgley of Nottingham Rainbow Heritage to share their memories of some of the LGBTQ+ spaces we’ve lost... The Pavilion Club, Shardlow 1971-1983 David: In the late sixties some local people were investigating various potential venues to see whether any would work as a base for a gay club. They settled on adapting a cricket pavilion in Shardlow. The location had two merits: firstly, it was equidistant between Nottingham, Derby and Leicester; secondly, its out-of-the-way position gave comfort to a lot of people who were very closeted. The residents of Shardlow soon sussed the nature of the club and called it the “Handbag Club”. It ran – with some ups and downs – until 1983, when it was burned down by a fire which was probably caused by an electrical fault.

L’Amour had two main floors, and then there was a third floor, which was kind of derelict but well-renowned for being dark and filled with things that go bump in the night… Gatsbys, Huntingdon Street. 1983-2009 David: The main pubs of the seventies and early eighties followed a tradition of using a ‘back bar’ or a bar described as a ‘private party’. Gatsbys was opened as a gay pub in 1983 by the Bradley Family – Hilda and her sons. For several years it was often so packed that movement was difficult, breathing was an effort and hearing someone near to you was impossible – so people loved it. La Chic/Part Two (Now Albion House), Canal Street 1973 - 1985 David: Among the memorable events were a mud-wrestling night and an Easter Hot Cross Buns competition. The contestants – hidden on the far side of a screen – pulled their pants down and had their assets graded as they

words: Caroline Barry illustration: Kate Sharp

poked through the screen. 42 loo seats were stolen over a four year period, all from the Ladies. Apparently, they were passed through the toilet windows and treasured as souvenirs.

For several years it was often so packed that movement was difficult, breathing was an effort and hearing someone near to you was impossible - so people loved it Part Two had many famous guests – some were there as performers and some simply came along to have a night out. They included Olympic gold medallist John Curry and footballer Justin Fashanu, who was reprimanded by Brian Clough for going to “that bloody poof’s club”. There was also Eartha Kitt, who arrived at Nottingham Station (extremely drunk) dragging a mink coat across the platform. The Victoria Centre Flats, Victoria Centre 1972 - still in use as flats Leigh: They were referred to as fairy towers or Vaseline villas. It's completely different now, but I never had a problem getting a flat there. You could always get one, but it required you to go to the housing office and fill in a form and then, in six months, you got your flat. The stipulations were that you were working and you were single. You never used to know where your next packet was coming from at times, and there was such a community that if you got your electricity cut, you'd run an extension cable through the windows outside into your neighbours flat. They would let you use their electricity until you had enough money to pay the bill.

L’Amour, St. James’ Street Leigh: After Gatsby’s, at roughly about 11pm (which was closing time), you'd walk through the city to St. James's Street, to a club that was then called L’Amour (I believe it’s now The Cookie Club). After you’d knocked on their big, blue door a shutter would open and there’d be a drag Queen looking at you. You’d pay your two pounds to get in, and it was fantastic. L’Amour had two main floors, and then there was a third floor, which was kind of derelict but well-renowned for being dark and filled with things that go bump in the night...

A shutter would open and there’d be a drag Queen looking at you. You’d pay your two pounds to get in, and it was fantastic Casblanca/Kitsch. Greyhound Street Leigh: Kitsch used to be on Greyhound Street. It got itself into trouble with BBC’s Panorama for dealing drugs, particularly ecstasy around about ’95 or ’96. It was starting to move away from Dolly Disco, Stock Aitken Waterman or Madonna, and moving toward dance, garage as well as dabbling in a bit of trance. Admiral Duncan (AD2) 74 Lower Parliament Street 1980 - 2015 Leigh: This was during a time when people pushed the boundaries of dress and Leigh Bowery-inspired clothing, which the Admiral Duncan clicked on to. They did a major refurb, changed their name to AD2 and bought themselves a fancy new carpet. That became really popular.

Your disco needs you With a number of Nottingham’s LGBTQ+ venues permanently closing as a result of COVID-19, Caroline Barry reflects on how you can help support the community in its hour of need... I’ve been thinking where the current climate leaves us, Nottingham’s gay community, in our post-‘post apopalopic’ challenge. Less than six months ago I wrote about the exciting times in our society, reflecting on the wide choice of bars and clubs that were open. I’d grown too accustomed to the new shower of drinks on display, immersing myself in our new meet-up groups (gaming and bowling being just two), and threw caution to the wind by investing in tickets to see all of the amazing gay comedy gigs and drag performances this city was playing host to in the upcoming months. Now all of that has either been put on pause, or gone completely. I want to take this chance to remind the gay community that we need to rise up because, once again, our discos will truly need us. The power of the pink pound is renowned across the world as we make up a strong sector of drinkers, spenders, eaters, theatre-goers and much more. For every straight person at the theatre (I believe I saw one once) there are two gays enjoying a Wednesday night Pinot Grigio. The thing is, our pubs and clubs are so much more than a community; they fund people. It’s fairly safe to say that there are bar managers and owners that are queer and need our support, but it goes far deeper than that. There are also performers, drag queens, DJs who are also employed in these venues. And it goes further again in that some of our community use these bars as a safe venue for sex work. I appreciate that it’s not an easy task at the moment, with many of us having lost our jobs, homes and even loved ones due to the ongoing pandemic. But as we start to ease out of lockdown, I have to stress that it is important now, more than ever, to get back into our venues and make them function again. The cancellation of a physical Nottingham Pride in 2020 has resulted in a lot of lost revenue, adding to venues like Bar No. 27, Club 96 and Propaganda closing their doors for good. Say what you want about Propaganda – and some of us have a lot to say – but it was a place to dance and drink safely until the early hours. It’s the latest example of our ever diminishing queer scene, with there being fewer and fewer spaces to live our truly authentic lives. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in a city that doesn’t provide for its queer community. Our venues include more than just bars, and they need us now too. It's community centres, support centres, youth clubs, alternative cinemas, bars, restaurants and so much more. Our drag queens need bums on seats to keep performing too. There’s a real threat that these organisations, groups and

individuals will go away if we don’t work hard to support and keep them. So here is my challenge to my adopted city: as a non-binary dyke, let’s S.O.S – Save Our Scene. Let’s support queer businesses and bars who pay their queer staff, not huge chains like Wetherspoons who only care about profit margins. Let’s volunteer to improve the lives of our LGBTQ+ family who are really struggling. Let’s get up and out.

The power of the pink pound is renowned across the world as we make up a strong sector of drinkers, spenders, eaters, theatre-goers and much more It’s also okay not to be okay. It’s fine to feel conflicted about the prospect of reopening bars and clubs. There are a lot of ways to support queens, queers and the community without entering venues. Can you support drag artists online? Pay to play board games? Or maybe help by checking-in with those less healthy or more vulnerable than yourself. There are still those in the community trying to stay healthy with weakened immune systems due to HIV/ AIDS, homelessness or in violent situations. The rise in domestic violence, even within the LGBTQ+ community, has been truly frightening, so send that Zoom meeting request and get talking. All I am asking is that once the lockdown is lifted, we keep these LGBTQ+ businesses in mind: Rough Trade Drag Bingo - Hosted by Marilyn Sane and Nana Arthole

Fan Club - A women and non-binary collective, for booking and putting on queer performance and ensuring safe spaces Fortune and Glory Film Club - For putting on LGBTQ+ classics across the city with killer goodie bags Shady Cow - Collective for booking events and putting on queer performances and ensuring safe spaces usually in Rough Trade The New Foresters - Bar for general LGBTQ+-ness The Lord Roberts - Bar for general LGBTQ+ drinks, drag and much more Reel Equality - For hosting film screenings that focus on equality, fairness and telling the stories of underrepresented people in film Nottingham LGBTQ+ Board Game - Facebook group Five Leaves - For their events and incredible book selection Equation - For their work with LGBTQ+ domestic violence Nottinghamshire Queer Bulletin - For their continued email round up of local gay news Framework - For their tireless work with those in need Notts Hyking Dyke - For organising female-led walks Nottingham Ladies 20/30s - Facebook group for meet ups and drinks Nana Arthole - Musician, podcaster and drag artist Marilyn Sane - Drag artist and podcaster

UnnamedDragProductions - For hilarious video content and podcasts

Glitterhawk - Drag artist and DFS mother of the house

Broadway Cinema - For general queer cinema (and wine)

Scream Queenz - Nottingham drag comedy group

Nonsuch Studios - Performance space for events including gay comedy Nottingham Contemporary - For their drag nights and scene support DirtyFilthySexy - A drag collective, for their amazing drag performances from queens, DJs and musicians JT Soar - Space for booking queer performers

Barmpots - An LGBTQ+ owned plant pot treasure trove Atterby Designs - An LGBTQ+ owned jewellery maker Queer Noise Club - An experimental queer club I am but one non-binary woman. If you know of an act, venue or business supporting LGBTQ+ activity then please let me know on caroline.barry@leftlion. co.uk or tweet me @Mizzpennydreadf

interview: Caroline Barry Illustration: Emmy Smith

Gay Up, Me Duck Established in 2008, Nottinghamshire’s Rainbow Heritage aims to preserve the area’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. With many of the city’s venues under threat of closure due to COVID-19, Caroline Barry talks to the project’s David Edgley about Nottingham’s LGBTQ+ history, the dangers of complacent activism and what can be done to preserve the city’s safe spaces. Our culture is not having a great time at the moment. Our city appears to be shedding gay clubs and pubs at an alarming rate, as we’ve been forced to say goodbye to three so far this year. These venues are more than just a space to throw out some questionable 1am dance moves – they provide safe spaces where we can be our authentic selves. As Nottingham joins the long line of cities at risk of losing their gay identity, it’s refreshing to know there are some community members dedicated to saving our history. Nottinghamshire’s Rainbow Heritage (NRH) has been in existence since 2008 as a means of documenting our past and present, as well as providing us with support for the future. “Nottinghamshire’s Rainbow Heritage is a project which charts our LGBTQ+ history. Although it started in 2008, its origins are a little earlier, as several local people had been collecting LGBTQ+- related memorabilia for many years,” says David Edgley, one of the project’s founding members. “This included old copies of gay news circa 1972 to 1982, newsletters and magazines produced in Nottingham since the early seventies, badges, the minutes of various activist groups and photographs of LGBTQ+ events. The collectors were very aware of Nottinghamshire’s amazing queer history.” The NRH project was given the opportunity to establish itself more officially thanks to a financial grant, which is when David’s involvement stepped up a level: “My own personal involvement stemmed from being one of those ‘collectors’ to being awarded a Millennium History Project grant in 2000 which funded twenty recorded interviews, lots of photographs, a book and a website.” He explains, “The project was launched with a large week-long exhibition on the top floor of Waterstones. On the opening night, we gave awards to people, organisations, groups and venues that have benefited the local LGBTQ+ community. Since 2011 the annual event has

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become the Celebration and Awards evening and is held at Nottingham’s Council House.” The annual awards recognise the hard work and dedication of Nottingham’s LGBTQ+ volunteers and workers in providing services for the community. Although some of the services have since lapsed, David elucidates, “I sometimes think the awards are the kiss of death. Several groups or organisations which have received awards have closed shortly afterwards, such as Healthy Gay Nottingham, Breakout, Recreation, Lookout, Sapphist Writers and many more.”

One continuing challenge for the LGBTQ+ community is not to drift into complacency. There will always be people who wish to turn the clock back Alongside the important work that NRH does, it also provides essential awareness training to organisations such as the police, the Council, schools and universities. It is a vital resource considering the recent divisions of the Pride parade over police inclusion, as the treatment of LGBTQ+ people by these organisations have not always been positive or inclusive. David explains: “NRH’s application to the Heritage Lottery Fund included an aim to carry out at least eight LGBTQ+ awareness training sessions per year. Since 2008, over 100 sessions have been delivered to statutory organisations: Councils, Police, NHS, schools, colleges and universities, but also to care homes, solicitors and the NSPCC. Much of the training for the past six years has been supported by the Police and Crime

Commissioner.” He continues, “One important element in the training is the examination of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, looking at their causes, their effects and providing tools for tackling them. It is important to make it clear that LGBTQ+ people’s anticipation of homophobia frequently sets up a barrier to accessing services which could be of benefit. Organisations, therefore, need to be upfront in their recognition and support of LGBTQ+ people.” In the age of social media activism, online petitions and Twitter outrage, it’s difficult to understand if the younger generation of #instagays know their local history. David continues, “In 1999 there were about twenty instances where the law actively discriminated against LGBTQ+ people. Since then, these laws have nearly all been removed. Young people sometimes assume that things have always been like they are now. A lot of young LGBTQ+ people are shocked when they learn how things were just a few years ago. The members of the Worksop LGBTQ+ youth group, WOW, were certainly surprised by how things were and have put together a couple of videos dealing with those issues.” Watching how many people took to the streets to protest that not just Black Lives Matter, but that Black Trans Lives also Matter, in recent weeks has been uplifting to see. However, with world events showing changes to LGBTQ+ rights across the globe, there is a danger that Twitter activism will mean no real progress is made. As David says, “One continuing challenge for the LGBTQ+ community is not to drift into complacency. There will always be people who wish to turn the clock back – we think of Section 28 (the law that prevented school teachers from being openly gay) and we observe what is happening in Hungary, Poland and in Trump-ville. We need to remain vigilant.” nottsrh.webeden.co.uk

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History Makers Whether it’s due to its legacy as one of Nottingham’s most quintessential institutions, or the place that Arthur Seaton so resented working, everyone knows that the Raleigh Factory is woven into the very fabric of Nottingham’s DNA. While much has been written about its iconic cultural status, often overlooked is the impact of its many Black British Caribbean workers. That’s where When We Worked at Raleigh, the archival project that has collated visual and audio histories of those workers and their relatives, comes in... Suddenly everybody is talking about racism – we’re hearing a voice for worldwide racial equality louder than ever before. It's overwhelming, and it's vital. As present movements push for racial equality, we must look back at our shared history, good and bad, to face up to its sometimes harsh realities.

as she describes seeing an amazing map in one of the offices that showed where Raleigh bikes were sold all over the world. One of their most prominent export locations was Jamaica. So, it seemed fitting perhaps that many Carribbeans who settled in Notts would find work there. But it was not that easy.

At one point, it cost just twenty-eight quid for a ten-week journey from the Caribbean to the UK. On 22 June 1948, the HMT Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex, bringing with it the beginning of the generation of people, whose collective name would later derive from that ship, arriving in Britain. A bit further up north, over the next two decades, Nottingham, like many other cities around the UK, saw the arrival of many Carribbeans. They sought work and a new adventure, proud to have taken up the post-war invitation from the UK government to come to the 'Motherland'.

Seen as the ‘other’ and unwelcomed, the discrimination that the British Carribbeans faced was rife and regular. Another interviewee, Iona Walker, describes it as, "a bit of a culture shock and very scary... Walking down the street, white people would be abusive to you, calling you names." The racism they faced wasn’t just restricted to walking down the street, but was awaiting for them as they tried to gain employment too. "I was an academic. I wanted to be a teacher or a doctor, something like that, but all those dreams just disappeared," says Llyod Dunwell, another contributor to the podcast series.

The Windrush generation may not have come to this country with many possessions, but they did have a pocketful of dreams, sold to them with tales of cities paved with gold that they'd helped fight the war for. They arrived to the reality of a country decimated by World War II, and in desperate need of a massive influx of workers to help the rebuilding process. Seventy-odd years later, and our small but hearty city holds within its people and culture some pretty historical moments in the Black Caribbean British puzzle. We're home to Europe's first official Black Lives Matter group, and in 1958 the first race riots began in Nottingham, before spreading to Birmingham and London. Plus, the first black magistrate and one of the first black entrepreneurs of the 18th century were from Notts.

At one point, almost every Caribbean household in the city had at least one member of the family employed by Raleigh Part of the puzzle piece brought back to life by Primary and Nottingham Black Archives is a podcast and photography series, When We Worked at Raleigh. The audio interviews share stories from the Caribbean community members or descendants of those who worked at Raleigh Industries between the 1950s–80s. The project was supported by the Windrush Day Grant Scheme, and is part of the Making Place programme at Primary. Black and white photographs, captured by Vanley Burke, accompany the podcast, helping the listener step into the past. The British Jamaican photographer and artist Burke has been described as "the Godfather of Black British Photography", his body of work is "regarded as the greatest photographic record of African Caribbean people in post-war Britain". The photos for the project are perfectly real, like the stories that go with them and they take us back to a simpler time, complementing the honest and warm narratives. Notts born and bred or not, everybody has heard of Raleigh. Still a household name today, Raleigh was one of the largest and wellrespected manufacturers of bicycles in the world at the time. Bettina Wallace, who speaks in the series, paints a picture in time for us

words: Rachel Willcocks photos: Vanley Burke

Labour jobs for black people were difficult to come by too, despite the worker shortage. At first, many companies such as Raleigh would simply not employ them. Oswald George Powe, a leading member of Nottingham's African Caribbean community and an activist for racial equality, campaigned for change to Raleigh's employment policy. Having failed in negotiations with the company, Powe sought the assistance of Jamaica's first premier, Norman Manley, who promptly placed an embargo upon bicycle imports from England. This action helped change the company's policy and led to Raleigh becoming one of the largest employers of Caribbean workers in Nottingham. At one point, almost every Caribbean household in the city had at least one member of the family employed by Raleigh. The ex-workers in this series talk of their fond memories working at Raleigh, memories of playing the classic game of dominoes with friends during lunch breaks, memories of a sense of community, gaining new skills and financial security and even opportunities to travel to other countries. Yet employment did not mean inclusion or equality. Raleigh went on to employ more and more black people, perhaps because they realised they were good workers. Despite that, it didn't change disparities in pay, the racist atmosphere or the feeling held by many black employees that you always had to prove yourself. Racism might not be as explicit today, but it remains a deep-rooted problem. The Windrush Scandal and the 'hostile environment' government policy is an example of how systemic racism, still in 2020, attempts to restrict and demean this same community. This trailblazing generation struggled with everyday discrimination because of the colour of their skin, yet they made space for themselves in the community. Determination, humour and spirit saw them through. Sadly, their contributions that came when the country was in great need are often forgotten. It's thanks to them, having built and paved the way for a much more progressive society, that we're able to have open conversations about racism. Let's not make the topic of racism a trend of 2020, but instead look at ways we can learn about the history of both our city and country with more projects like When We Worked at Raleigh that showcase these untold histories. When We Worked at Raleigh is available to see and hear for free online weareprimary.org/2019/05/when-we-worked-at-raleigh

Bettina Wallace

Lloyd Dunwell

Burnett Anderson

Winston Smellie

Change of state Not only did the death of George Floyd spark anti-racism protests all over the globe, it placed the role of the police in society under a level of scrutiny never seen before. While Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin replicated an event that has become depressingly commonplace in the United States, protests in Britain had large elements of anti-police sentiment to them. Having spent ten years as a member of Nottinghamshire Police before leaving to establish The Pythian Club – an organisation set up to enrich and empower young people in Nottingham – community leader Benjamin Rosser is uniquely placed to offer an insight into the inner workings of the British police force… Can you tell us a bit about your background? I grew up in London, and ended up getting into a bit of mischief – when I got arrested it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. My mum and stepdad decided that we should move to South Africa, where he was originally from. At the time, it probably had more racial problems than any other country in the world as it was still going through Apartheid. Nelson Mandela was about to be released from prison and, as my stepdad had been part of the struggle for equal rights, he wanted to go back. It was hard living there for seven years, but it gave me a lot of strength. Did that impact your decision to join the police once you returned to the UK? I was 23 and living back in the UK when I decided to join Nottinghamshire Police. It was always something I wanted to do – I wanted to help people and support my community. Growing up in Britain, I felt that the police targeted me unfairly. So I joined up wanting to make a difference to that. It was everything I wanted to do: it was exciting and I was stopping crime, but I knew that there was institutionalized racism, as the MET had just been found guilty of it. I knew what I was walking into, but the thing with me – and with a lot of police officers – was that I thought I could be tactical. I wanted to try to fix it from the inside. How common was that attitude? I found out that there are a hell of a lot of officers that try really hard to fix their communities, and who don’t see colour. We know that we can’t fix the entire system, but we want to try and help repair the problems in our own areas. Obviously there are officers who are ignorant, abusive and don’t play by the rules, like in any walk of life. Sometimes they dampen the entire force, when in reality they’re not representative. What was behind your decision to leave? During my ten years with the police, I had one racial incident in which a colleague said something to me that was unacceptable. We had a discussion and it was decided that it was best that I leave. To be honest, I didn’t feel like I got the support that I needed. I was the face of Nottinghamshire Police, and I’d received two commendations during my time. I had a lot of respect for the police, but when it came to the crunch, they didn’t back me up. The general debate at the moment tends to focus on whether the issues in the police are systemic, or whether they’re the result of bad individual officers. What was your experience? That’s the big question. The MacPherson Report, which came out after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, concluded that the MET was institutionally racist. The public sees that and thinks it applies to 99% of police in the country. But having worked in the force, I did see elements of systemic racism, but I also saw a huge number of officers from all racial backgrounds that work really hard to improve their communities and support young people. They’re really a credit to themselves, their families and their community. When the police commit such heinous acts in the United States, it’s going to cause people in Britain to reflect on their own police force. But it’s important

not to paint everyone with the same brush. We need to appreciate that there are a lot of good people in the British police who had shed blood to help keep people safe – and I was one of them. Officers need to continue to learn, continue to make sure they have the correct practices in place and continue to understand the importance of human rights, equality and treating people correctly. How did you go from being a police officer to establishing The Pythian Club? I was very disillusioned when I first left the force. I’d never imagined myself doing anything else, and I didn’t see my time ending the way it did. That lasted for about six months before I set up The Pythian Club. We’re all about supporting young people and giving them role models to look up to. We want them to rise to the occasion and stand up tall, especially those that don’t think they can. The name came from Ancient Greece; the Pythian Games weren’t about winning, they were all about heart, passion and not giving up. I want people to keep going and going, no matter what gets in their way. I mean it when I say it’s my true calling in life.

I’m very much behind the changes that need to take place How has the project developed over the years? We grew slowly and steadily. We have had a lot of successful missions and projects with young people in the area, and were awarded the FA National Project of the Year in 2018, which was a great accolade. It comes down to having a great team of people – I’ve got a great support network, and they give their all for the cause. I’ve seen on your Facebook page that you make an effort to share photos and stories of black historical figures that aren’t associated with slavery. When you’re educating young people, how much of a balancing act is it to address slavery as an integral part of history without letting it become a defining feature? We pay homage to everything that has happened in history. I’m very connected to the Windrush Generation, and it’s important to understand how our people suffered. Obviously the slave trade was important, but it’s also important to know that there are plenty of great people who had huge achievements in history. Our community is about finding hope, and that comes by recognising that there were a lot of great men and women of colour in history. What are your thoughts on the ongoing antiracism protests happening in Britain, particularly with the removal of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol? Can you imagine walking past a statue of someone that brought so much misery and sadness to your descendants? Would you be happy seeing that every day? I honestly don’t know why it was even there in the first place. What was the thinking behind it? What is it celebrating? It shouldn’t have even been a debate.

I’m very much behind the changes that need to take place. We need to look at things on a systemic level, and we need strong leaders – whatever their colour – to make changes. I don’t believe that violence is the way, it just distracts from the cause. As a community, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror – we can’t just blame others. We know that the system is stacked against our favour, but we need to look at how to overcome that. We do that by being peaceful, powerful and strong. It comes with telling our kids not to see their colour as a way of stopping them. I have three girls and they will never see their colour as something that stops them. In fact, they will work much harder than the next guy or girl. They will get up early and work hard, even if it’s a job in a warehouse or something just to make ends meet while they’re looking for their dream job. Don’t tell me there aren’t any jobs out there, because there are. You have to look at your mindset and the morals of hard work that have been instilled by your parents and family. Parents have to look at themselves and think, “Am I giving my child the best opportunity?” Yes, we can look at the system and blame that, but the bottom line is that it boils down to you. In a world that seems crazy, we still have control over ourselves. Hard work pays – some people think opportunities just fall into your lap, and for a small percentage it does, but for the majority, you have to work damn hard. And some people aren’t prepared to do that. But the argument is made that for many people of colour, opportunities don’t arise regardless of how hard they work… Take Barack Obama. He became President of the United States, which is probably the most powerful position in the world. What did people chant for him? “Yes we can.” There are systems in place that make it hard, but you can smash through them by trying damn hard. I’m not saying you have to go to university, but whatever you decide you want to do in life, you need to make sure you never, ever give up. I guess that touches on that quote from George W. Bush’s speechwriter Michael Gerson, “The soft bigotry of lowered expectations”… I think that kind of perception can manifest a reality. It’s important to remember the past, but also know that it is just that: the past. But my slogan for 2020 is that ‘the time is now’. It’s time to stand strong, and understand what we need to do as a community. Obviously Black Lives Matter are addressing important problems in society, but we need to have a very holistic approach that ignores what people’s perceptions of us are, and look at what has and what hasn’t worked before, as well as what we can do as individuals. As I said, I’m not in the blame game – I tell my daughters not to come to me and say that they’re not going to achieve something because of their colour. If you’re going to do something great, you need respect and discipline. The Pythian Club, 45 Bingham Rd, Carrington, Nottingham NG5 2EP thepythianclub.co.uk facebook.com/ThePythianClub

Can you imagine walking past a statue of someone that brought so much misery and sadness to your descendants? Would you be happy seeing that every day?

The thing with me â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and with a lot of police officers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was that I thought I could be tactical. I wanted to try to fix it from the inside

The Honey Effect Our cover artist, Honey Williams, talks to our Art co-Editor, LJ Vaughan, about making art, her role as a choir director, and what it’s like to be a big black woman living in Nottingham... Can you describe your art practice? I'm a Nottingham born, Jamaican-British singer, songwriter, visual artist, music educator, designer and image activist. It is an interesting time to be a black woman living in the epicentre of the afterlife of British colonialism. My work has always explored decolonising beauty, identity, gender, race and history. I feel like my work has found a new urgency in the current landscape of resurgent populism, racism and rising inequality in Brexit Britain, a global pandemic, induced lockdown, the #MeToo movement, the Windrush scandal and increased awareness of the Black Lives Matter Movement. My work’s about highlighting the marginalised voices. My gaze is firmly fixed on shining a light on the untold stories of black women, who have to navigate anti-black racism, misogyny, their sexuality, fatphobia, colourism and classism. I have lived with these intersecting oppressions for my whole life. Having art and music as outlets to explore these issues has been life-affirming, even life-saving, for me. Black women are often marginalised out of the creative industries and often don't have a voice. I think it’s important to express myself and have a unique view. I want, in the future, to develop a body of work about big black women. I’d like my own exhibition and to really dive into what it’s like to be me. How do you approach creating an artwork? When I create art, I make lemonade out of lemons because I usually don’t have access to many resources or a studio. I usually start by illustrating in my diary – it’s an authentic way to screenshot my emotions. It all starts as ideas, and then I develop them. I flick through my diaries (I’ve got quite a few from different times in my life) to see what images marry with the concept I’m trying to achieve at the time. Then I dive into it. I manipulate the illustrations digitally, but a lot of it is handdrawn. I play music, sing and sometimes write songs when I make my art. Your work seems to be about challenging representations and stereotypes. How has your art been received, and has that shifted throughout your career? A lot of my work is about decolonising everything and centring black women. The way my work’s been received has changed in the last couple of years. Back in 2016, I entered a Street Art competition at Surface Gallery. I showed ‘Big Black Truth’ which was about fatphobic, misogynoir and cultural appropriation. It was one of, what looked like, a million pieces, but mine was one of the only pieces featuring a non-white person in the piece – definitely the only black woman there. It didn’t get much attention then. Fast-forward a couple of years later, I was chosen to be exhibited at New Art Exchange’s open show, and I won the public prize out of 700 entries with that same piece, which I really valued as my work was voted for by the public – what an honour! It meant a lot that the public chose me. The attitude towards centering a creative like me has shifted.

When you’re in Nottingham as a big black woman you’re hyper-visible and invisible and at the same time. I think there has been an attitude shift and people want to know more about blackness, womanhood and body positivity. I think that coincides with the shifting gaze of black lives in general, with regards to Black Lives Matter. People are a bit more switched on now, although there is a long way to go.

When you’re in Nottingham as a big black woman you’re hyper-visible and invisible and at the same time. I think there has been an attitude shift and people want to know more about blackness, womanhood and body positivity Who are the artists that inspire you? In terms of art and music my influences and inspirations are vast: A mash-up of Grace Jones, Bjork, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nina Simone, Punk, nineties Hip-Hop, Radiohead, Trip Hop, Neneh Cherry, Gustav Klimpt, Afrofuturism, Spike Lee, illegal flyposting, graffiti, JDilla, Frida Kahlo, seventies Gospel, Art Deco, Black Twitter, Jamaica, Chaka Khan, Prince and eighties music vids... off the top of my head. I’m aware you took your art to Jamaica last year. Can you tell me a bit about that experience? I was invited out to Jamaica last year to be a muralist to honour the Windrush generation. It was part of a project by the British Council and Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and Studio 174 Kingston. I got to create as many murals as I could fit into ten days. I had to get used to the heat, but it was a lifechanging experience, getting to paint outdoors and making your work huge. When I went over, I had no plan of what I’d create to begin with. I thought I’d go to Jamaica and see how my surroundings informed me and made me feel, as I’d never been to Jamaica as an adult alone. I let it inspire me, and I’m glad I did that. I chose to do murals about the children of the Windrush generation, navigating identity – which is me. As a singer, choir director and workshop leader, it seems as though collaboration is an important part of your creativity. Would you mind talking about how this impacts your art practice? G.O.A. (Gang of Angels) Choir was born from an interfaith festival. I was asked to perform as a gospel choir as they had heard I was in a choir as a teen. I agreed and quickly rounded up four singers I used to know. The sentiment was there,

but practically the festival didn’t really work, as we ended up singing “Jesus loves me” to a mainly Sikh and Muslim audience – as you can imagine that didn’t really work. What I got from that whole performance was: “Oh my God, we really sound good together. What if I auditioned unique individuals, who were solo artists and put them all on stage at the same time?” In the UK, when something is described as diverse and inclusive or ‘equal opportunities' it's often cosmetic and superficial, but I wanted to create a choir to truly be a culturally, racially, body positive, gender positive, LGBTQIA-friendly and nonageist space. We end up talking about a myriad of things – it’s like a mini university. It needs its own podcast. So that’s how the choir came about, and they’ve been an absolute blessing. The feeling of being in a choir, harmonizing – you don’t get that feeling from anything else. One of the choir members was a psychotherapist, and together we created a collaborative workshop called The Art of Afrotherapy: Decolonising Beauty via Black Girl Magic at Nottingham Trent University. We were teaching therapists to be antiracist – teaching them about white privilege, that it’s real and not fiction. We ended up talking about colourism, misogynoir, anti-black misogyny, hair texturism, how racism affects our ability to find employment, relationships and our ability to find a partner etc. They were really thankful for it and found it really helpful. I like feeling like I’ve helped to dismantle a little splinter of racism and white supremacy. We were collaging at the same time, and it was fun, even though it’s a dire topic. I’ve done lots of workshop pivoting and pirouetting around similar subjects. Can you tell us a bit about the cover design? As Nina Simone said, "An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times." The piece I’ve created is inspired by the Black Lives Matter Movement, lockdown, both the persecution and the notions of coolness and desirability of black masculinity and the devaluing, erasure, cultural appropriation and the persecution of black women. It's about the struggle by many to make things better for everyone, not just a privileged few. Is there anything else you’d like to add? I think that it is important to big up and support Black women creatives from Nottingham, so here are some others that you can support: @ ioneyidioms (Poet/ Filmmaker), @sheafriq (Arts Collective of woman Artists of African Caribbean descent), @saziso (Curator and Cultural Producer), @rachaelraymck (Artist), @cha.daffe (DJ/Artist/ Natural Hair and Beauty Product Owner), @ melonyx (Music duo) and @thegoachoir (Alt Choir). thehoneyeffect.wordpress.com @thehoneyeffect etsy.com/uk/shop/THEHONEYEFFECT

words: Honey Williams and LJ Vaughan images: Honey Williams

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“If you don’t like something, change it.” That’s what poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou wrote and preached throughout her life. And, it’s exactly what Lowri Moore has done – fuelled by the lack of representation for glasses-wearing characters in Disney films, the eleven-year-old has collaborated with our very own designer, Natalie Owen on their new children’s book, Princess Rose and the Golden Glasses… The LeftLion office phone rings approximately ten times a day. We get robo-marketing calls, advertisers checking the dimensions for a quarter page, promoters after a spot in our listings for their upcoming rave and, on the odd occasion, readers wishing to pass on their praise (or to lambast us for missing an apostrophe). On a regular morning in January 2019, our Editor-at-Large Bridie picked up a call. It was from BBC Radio Nottingham – they were hoping we could help them find an illustrator to draw a picture for one of their upcoming guests. They told Bridie the story of Lowri Moore, a nine-year-old girl who had written a letter to Disney asking why none of their princesses wore glasses. They were hoping someone could create an image of Lowri as a princess herself, specs included. Bridie glanced over at our Head Designer, Natalie, sitting at her desk in a Lilo and Stitch t-shirt, sipping tea out of a Winnie the Pooh mug next to her Thumper rabbit teddy and replied, “We might have the perfect person for you.” “I felt shocked when I first saw the illustration, it was so cool to see me as a cartoon princess,” says Lowri, now eleven. Lowri felt inspired to pen her letter to Robert Iger, Disney’s CEO, after growing up watching Disney’s classic fairytales, and noticing a glaring problem. In her letter, she wrote: “I've grown up watching Disney princesses and I've always admired them and thought they were beautiful. Unfortunately none of the princesses wear glasses and that made me feel like I wasn't beautiful enough." Taking off her glasses to play dress-up became a regular occurrence, and Lowri felt it was unfair that characters with specs in cartoons and kids films were always depicted as the ‘geek’. She hoped Mr Iger would reconsider, as she wanted other little girls out there to know that they are beautiful too. Unfortunately, Lowri never received a response from Disney. But, as it turns out, this was just the beginning of her campaigning. “When I was speaking to BBC Nottingham on the phone, they told me that Lowri had come up with the idea for a story too,” says Natalie. “I thought it was really sad that nobody responded to her, so I said to her ‘If you’ve got the idea, let’s just make it!’ Originally I had planned on just printing one copy for her, but now it’s turned into something bigger than that – which is amazing, as now hopefully lots of kids will benefit from this story.” Over the past eighteen months, Natalie and Lowri have collaborated to create Princess Rose and the Golden Glasses, their picture book which went to print at the end of June.

The story follows Princess Rose, who struggles to feel like she’s a real princess because of her spectacles. She embarks upon a journey of self-love, while grappling with the demons inside of her. “We had a phone conversation where Lowri told me the entire plot line and all the names of characters she wanted, so I wrote it all down for her. I’ve been speaking to her mum, going back and forth with the storyline, so we’ve really worked as a team on this,” says Natalie. “It’s not just for children with glasses though – it’s got a lot to do with anxiety too. Until I met Lowri I never thought that children at age ten have those sort of negative feelings about themselves.”

I just want to get the message around and help people, so they can see they don’t have to hide or take their glasses off to be beautiful “There has been a bad voice in my head saying that I’m not beautiful,” admits Lowri. “But I actually have a fun fact! The name of the bad character is Angusina – the start of which sounds like the word anxiety, which describes her well as she is a very stressed and anxious character. I didn’t even realise that, so I think that’s very cool.” Lowri’s excitement for the project shines through, and it’s clear to anyone who has watched her journey progress that she’s determined to help other people overcome their own self-doubt. After the story of her letter went viral, featuring in media outlets across the world, Lowri has launched a campaign to spread her message of positivity far and wide. As her role as an ambassador for the charity Clearly, she’s spoken at a conference at London’s Science Museum and featured on CBBC’s Newsround. “Just before lockdown I was invited to St James’ Palace to meet the Countess of Wessex. I took some illustrations from the book to show her, and she told me that she’s actually a real life princess who has to wear glasses!” Throughout our conversation, there is one thing Lowri kept coming back to: “I’m nervous and excited for the book to come out, but mostly excited because I just want to get the message around and help people, so they can see they don’t have to hide or take their glasses off to be beautiful.”

And, by the response the announcement of the book received, Lowri and Natalie are encouraged that their story is one which needs to be heard. “We made the website for Lowri to be able to catch people’s details if they were interested in buying a book, and we had so many emails from parents of children who wear glasses who are in the exact same position,” says Lowri’s mum, Cyrilyn. “All these parents are so glad to have a tool that they can use to help the little ones because there is a gap in the market. I'm not a glasses wearer so I didn’t realise it myself, but as soon as Lowri highlighted it, her story went viral – I think that's because there are so many people who could actually relate. I told the man at the printers about the project and it brought him to tears – he’s a thirty-plus year-old man who has worn glasses his whole life and felt the same way. He resonated with the project so much he gave us a discount on our first edition print!” As for Natalie, she has spent the past eighteen months working on the illustrations for the book in her spare time, thinking up beautiful scenescapes and princess dresses while still smashing out illustrations and designs for us at LeftLion. “I watched so many Disney films while I was doing this! I loved it. I used them for inspiration, to help me come up with ideas of things to put in the backgrounds of pages, and how to make things look bright and sparkly,” she laughs. “I never really thought I'd release a children's book. I think it's exciting, it'll be really nice to get it back from the printers and have it in my hand. “I’m a little nervous for the reaction, but I’m hopeful it will be positive. Working with Lowri and her family has been really nice, they were so welcoming. Once the books have started selling, me and Lowri’s mum have talked about making some prints too. Just like I turned Lowri into a princess, I’d love to do it for other children – turn them into princes and princesses, or superheros.” Princess Rose and the Golden Glasses is available to buy now on Lowri’s website, and 30% of all profits will be going to charity, with the aim of helping provide eyecare, glasses and eye tests to people who cannot currently access them. As for any upcoming plans, Lowri says: “I just want to get the message around and help as many people as possible. If any opportunities come up I will gladly take them.” You may also be wondering how she feels about her glasses now. “I actually got some new ones yesterday! They’ve got clear frames. I think they’re really cool.” lowrimoore.com

illustration: Kate Sharp

Our Editor-in-Chief is keeping himself busy by timetravelling through Nottinghamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past. Can you spot him lurking around during a political speech from yesteryear?

leftlion.co.uk/issue127

illustration: Raphael Achache

Some say these quizzes have been the highlight of their lockdown life, others think they’ve been an enormous waste of everyone’s time. Either way, we’ve done one more, and made it extra difficult to finish things off… 1. Which of the following is not a Thai restaurant in Nottingham? a) Tarn Thai b) Zaap c) Paste d) Bangkok Nights 2. Who is the current Sheriff of Nottingham? a) Alan Wheatley b) Al Gilby c) Patience Uloma Ifediora d) Catherine Arnold 3. Which comedian performed for the first time in his long career at the Nottingham Empire Theatre in 1954? a) Ronnie Corbett b) Al Gilby c) Tommy Cooper d) Ken Dodd 4. Which King died at Newark Castle in 1216? a) Henry IV b) Edgar c) Richard II d) John 5. Approximately how many acres in size is the Old Market Square? a) 3.1 b) 4.7 c) 5.5 d) 7.2 6. Which Batman film featured Wollaton Hall as the location for Wayne Manor? a) Batman Returns (1992) b) Batman & Robin (1997) c) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) d) Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) 7. During the sixties, Notts’ S. Thomas and Co. of Bulwell were the world’s largest manufacturer of what? a) Hats b) Cotton buds c) Drinking straws d) Pencils

8. Which Radio One DJ described the Notts County Choir’s County’s The Team For Me as “the worst pop song of all time”? a) Noel Edmonds b) Al Gilby c) Dave Lee Travis d) Tommy Vance 9. What’s unique about the Nottinghamshire village of Laxton? a) They elected a dog as mayor b) It’s the only British village with an ‘x’ in its name c) They’re the last village in Europe that still practices the medieval ‘open field’ system of farming d) Literally nothing 10. Which of the following famous names did not stay at the George Hotel (now the Mercure Hotel) on George Street? a) Charles Dickens b) Quentin Tarantino c) Muhammad Ali d) Elizabeth Taylor 11. Which band performed live for the first time ever at the University of Nottingham Student’s Union in February 1972? a) AC/DC b) The Ramones c) Paul McCartney and Wings d) Queen 12. What name is given to the tree that, according to legend, once provided shelter to Robin Hood? a) The Major Oak b) The Big Beech c) The Mighty Maple d) Robin’s Red Pine 13. The flag of which US state hangs inside Oxton Church? a) Pennsylvania b) Alaska c) Ohio d) Maryland

14. Which of the following is not an anagram of Nottingham? a) Giant month b) Goth tinman c) Hong tit man d) Ninth mango 15. Nottingham was host to civil unrest in 1766. What are the protests known as? a) The Vast Cracker Fallout b) The Big Grape Debate c) The Considerable Chutney Commotion d) The Great Cheese Riot 16. Nottingham was the first city to install what in its shopping centres? a) Braille signs b) Handrails c) Greggs d) Recycling bins 17. The Bendigo monument is shaped like which animal? a) A goose b) A lion c) A bear d) A horse 18. Including this one, how many issues of LeftLion have there been? a) 124 b) 125 c) 126 d) 127 19. Which member of Iron Maiden was born in Worksop? a) Steve Harris b) Bruce Dickinson c) Janick Gers d) Al Gilby 20. Which Pet Shop Boys’ song did Neil Tennant write while staying in Notts? a) West End Girls b) It’s a Sin c) What Have I Done to Deserve This? d) Go West

See how you got on by checking the answers on page 53... leftlion.co.uk/issue127 31

“I wait for my mistress to come back. Only I see the evil behind the pretty face, the spite behind the delicacy. I please her, for what she sees is attractive and fair, to her. What she sees is a queen, who needs nothing more then beauty. She is vain and arrogant, she takes no notice of anyone else. Even me. She doesn’t notice what power I hold; but without me she would be broken.”

The Young Creative Awards are an annual celebration of all the amazing things the mega-talented youths in our city can produce. Previous winners have performed at Splendour, published books and even designed for Beyonce. Every year the standard gets higher and higher, and 2020 has been no exception. Get impressed and inspired by this year’s winning work, and get their names on your radar – we’ve got a feeling they’re all worth keeping an eye out for in the future…

“Probably no other football manager in the history of the game has struck as much fear intothe hearts of journalists as Brian Clough. So imagine being an 18-year-old about to conduct your first ever interview with this famously difficult man. That was Darren Fletcher’s baptism of fire into the world of journalism.”

Denny Cheng 16-18 Animation and Digital Media

Em Green 19-24 Animation and Digital Media

Androulla Kyriakou 19-24 Dance

Ebony Hardy 11-15 Dance

This Fabric World A reflection of the world we live in today, ‘This Fabric World’ puts a spotlight on the irreversible repercussions of the ‘take, make, waste‘ approach to fashion, and how the ideas of designers can help to prevent further damage to our planet.

SWIVEL INTRODUCING ALPHA AND BETA “THE SHELVES THAT CREATE SPACE”

SWIVEL

What is SWIVEL and how does it work?

Luke Rainford 16-18 Dance

Jack Briggs 19-24 Design & Architecture

Jonathan Rumball 16-18 Design & Architecture

Swivel is a mounting system for shelves that is designed to rotate and move laterally. With the aim residing at providing maximum efficiency and productivity. The mount consists of three main parts; the wall mounting case, inner circular bearing and connecting cross bar. The outer mounting case provides a home for the inner circular bearing to stay. Allowing the bearing to rotate around the inside of the outer case, providing a 360 degree rotation effect. For this function to work it connects to the product by a connecting cross bar. The cross bar is important because it allows a side to side motion. When put together the mount is an adaptable unit which can move across multiple axis’s.

Dante Campbell 11-15 Fashion and Textiles

Why? Compact living is become more of reality for many people everyday. This is due to house sizes decreasing and more people choosing to live in smaller flats and apartments. This means space is valuable and where possible it should be maximised to its best ability. This mount helps provide a solution to this as it can adapt to its surroundings.

Emma Filby 16-18 Fashion and Textiles

Isabel Hambly 19-24 Fashion and Textiles

Heidi Gooding and Mya Allen 16-18 Film

Zeeshan Majid 11-15 Film

Jiahan Zhuang 19-24 Fashion and Textiles

Ava Hemsley 16-18 Graphic Design

Laura Matthews 19-24 Film

Isabella Melfi 11-15 Graphic Design

Kate Sharp 19-24 Graphic Design

Tiffany Jade Holland 16-18 Music

Ellie Stainsby-Grenville 11-15 Music

Ria Davies 16-18 Music

Ewan Vernon 19-24 Photography

Sarah Mensah 16-18 Photography

Ellie Stainsby-Grenville 11-15 Photography

Anna Page 19-24 Visual Arts

Ethan Carrick Maguire 16-18 Visual Arts

Creative Writing Winners:

Aine Mullan (11-15) Kai Bexon (16-18) Jem Braithwaite (19-24)

Vivien Hughes 11-15 Visual Arts

“It was six o’ ‘clock and even though our maternal sun had departed from the winter sky, she kept one beam trained on the creeping moon so that it wouldn’t try anything. The terraced flat windows, some black, some bright, formed the lines of a crossword puzzle, and the white squares leaked light out onto the street, doing a better job than the actual streetlights, which stood a great distance apart from each other, and sometimes died without a flicker of warning.”

words: Anna Murphy photos: Anna Dunleavy

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These... The bright lights of Nottingham’s city centre might not be quite as bright – or as busy – as they were six months ago. Yet, for one shop in Southwell, lockdown has been a little different. Nestled in North Nottinghamshire, Last Night I Dreamt is not only a curated collection of the best treasure that British brands have to offer, but is also a hive for jewellery lovers up and down the country. Our Fashion Editor, Anna Murphy, spoke to its owner, Rebecca Gibbions to find out more... Whether you actually believe that diamonds really are a girl's best friend, one thing’s for sure – if you like shiny things, the thought of owning a jewellery shop is a pretty enticing proposition. However, whatever preconceived ideas you might have of what your ‘typical’ jewellery shop might be, leave them at the door. “As naff as it might sound, this shop is a family and a community: I’ve always wanted it to be a personal experience. I never want someone to come into my shop and feel like they can’t afford to buy something. People don’t want a sterile shopping experience; they want a bit of humanity and want a bit of realness. That’s exactly what we offer,” explains Rebecca Gibbions, owner of Last Night I Dreamt. And with this realness has come a community. Although based in Southwell, she has customers across the UK, with an impressive 8,400 followers on Instagram. To put that into context, Wikipedia reliably (sort of) informs me that there are roughly only 7,000 people in the whole of Southwell. Rebecca opened Last Night I Dreamt five years ago. After working as a TV producer in Manchester's media hub, she moved to Southwell with her family. So how does someone shift from being behind a camera to being behind a counter? Rebecca says: "My story is similar to so many women's. I loved working in TV and had some incredible experiences, but when my two children came along my job just wasn't compatible with my new life. Plus, my husband, Chris, is a sound recordist and can often be away for weeks at a time, so I decided to take a career break. We moved from Manchester to Southwell and, when my youngest started school, I had a bit of a life wobble. I just thought: "Shit. What do I do now?" I was completely lost. One day, I was walking through the centre of Southwell and saw that a shop had become available. The landlord wanted to keep it as a jewellery shop: it planted a seed of excitement that I hadn't felt in a really long time." Rebecca opened the shop's doors in September 2015, but not before signing her handpicked designers up. So, when you're a professional magpie, who do you turn to first? "When my daughter Beatrice was born, Chris bought an Alex Monroe bee necklace. It was one of the first significant pieces of jewellery that I owned – I've always loved his designs – so I approached Alex to see if he

would be interested in me stocking his jewellery. Luckily, they loved the sound of my concept for the shop and I've been selling his designs ever since.

People don’t ‘just’ come in to buy a piece of jewellery it’s sometimes a bit of a counselling room “I stock a lot of designers because they’re deeply personal to me. I met pearl designer, Claudia Bradby, at a jewellery event and we hit it off straight away. I’m not a massive pearly kinda girl, but she’s so passionate about each piece of her jewellery. We’re also exclusive stockists of Daniella Draper, who uses recycled silver and gold in her designs [she’s also a favoured designer of Kate AKA the Duchess of Cambridge]. I met with Daniella and her mum Della; we went for lunch and they loved the boutique. Then there’s Anna Beck. Not only are her designs so beautiful, but I love the ethos of her brand: it’s all about giving back to the artisans that make the jewellery in Bali. Stories for me are so important.”

However, it’s not just the personal touch that’s important when picking who to stock. In fact, this aspect of the business is paramount to her success. Run the word “personal” in a thesaurus and you’ll see ‘confidential’, ‘secret’ and ‘innermost’ come up. Because buying jewellery often isn’t just wanting something shiny (although it can be that, too). Confused? Rebecca explains: “People don’t ‘just’ come in to buy a piece of jewellery – it’s sometimes a bit of a counselling room. Often, people buy a key piece of jewellery to mark an occasion and when they come into the shop to buy this, they really open up. We get quite a few people coming in who have lost relatives and ask for a feather, which some people take as a sign from their loved ones. For one of my customers, her dad died and his favourite thing had been dragonflies. She kept seeing them on the grave and had even spotted them at his funeral, so she bought a little Alex Monroe dragonfly necklace. It’s quite powerful to hear how something I sell can come to resemble a significant part of their lives. It’s a privilege to engage with people on a deeper level.” During lockdown, Rebecca saw a shift that mirrored this. The community that she built started to reach out to their friends to share the love. Rebecca said: “We’ve really seen a rise in people sending little gifts to friends. Jewellery isn’t disposable, it holds meaning. One of our brands, Mishky, has bracelets that are hand beaded by mums in Columbia who often have to take dangerous or rough jobs whilst their children stay at home; the bracelets are a way to provide a sustainable income whilst ensuring they can safely work from home. People have really connected with the words and the meaning during lockdown, so we’ve seen a rise in customers buying these gifts for their friends whilst we’re all socially separated. In the same way that I still love my grandma’s locket, you never forget who bought it or the moment you received it: jewellery is a powerful thing.” So, there’s just one question left to ask. What inspired the shop’s name? “The name? It’s the first line of Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier. It was my mum’s favourite book and it’s also one of mine, too. I wanted something that meant something to me.” 6-8 Queens Street, Southwell NG25 0AA Lastnightidreamt.co.uk

the photos began to pile up, I decided to showcase a selection of my best ones in a photography book named Distance. It’s a 24-page hardback zine which features fourteen photos and a double-page poem called The Light in the Dark which was written by Milly Hitcham. Sold for £12.99, 100% of the profits are being donated to NHS Charities Together, and for every order £1 will be donated to support Black Lives Matter. The book is available for pre-order and will end mid-July.

Kai-Yan Lai Distance My interest in the film industry began in 2016 when a short film of mine won a Young Creative Award for Best Film in the 14-16 age group. This led me to do work experience with Skeleton Productions and LeftLion, which eventually developed into a freelancing job filming events like Hockley Hustle, Beat the Streets and even having a small role in Lord of Milan. During the same year I was offered the opportunity to go to Rome to film a corporate video for Rushcliffe Borough Council as part of a collaborative project with Young Network Group. By then I knew working in film was what I wanted to do as a career, and so I kept on networking and developing my skills. I am now studying BA Film at Middlesex University, London, where I am focussing on specialising in Cinematography.

Since returning from University, I’ve also finished a short film I wrote and directed named Dancing in the Dark, which features some local actors. It sees a young couple’s car break down in a car park and as they wait for help from a close friend, they begin to realise there's more to one character than it seems. It will be released late this year after its festival run – it’s already been chosen for the Official Selection of London Liftoff. kaiyanlaifilms.wixsite.com/book @kaiyanlalai

Two weeks ago I was in the park with a six-yearold friend when she said to me: “Ahinee, you know you should never go to America.” I asked her why, “Because you are black and I am black and they keep killing black people.” I explained to her they are not killing all black people, and that there’s just a few racist and prejudiced people around. Her older sister then turned to me and said, “I don’t get it, people are just people.” She is ten years old. I told them most humans are good, there are just a few crazy ones. I thought it was beautiful to see the rainbow of humanity come out and protest. I saw people from Asia, India, and many white people as well as black. The first thing that came into my mind after hearing that George Floyd died after apparently using a fake $20 bill was to put his portrait on one, using an ordinary biro pen and then placed on the $20 note using Photoshop. On the note, I have included some words from a poem I wrote. The letters and numbers all represent facts about his life: birth date, date of death, the minutes that the police officer had his knee on his neck. He is wearing a kente cloth which is a traditional African print from Ghana. I watched a documentary about Nina Simone called What Happened, Miss Simone? She was part of the civil rights movement and struggled a lot with the racism in America, but she dated and married white men too. The reference to the United Snakes of America was from this documentary – it gave me the idea for the third dollar design. I have coloured the White House with blood, for the bloodshed not only of African Americans but the Native Americans too. All

Screen co-Editor George White explores the problem of underrepresentation in cinema... There has rightly been a lot of emphasis on the importance of diversity in recent weeks, and in this regard, Hollywood certainly needs to shape up. For too long, white men have run the show in front of the camera and behind the scenes. While things may have shown signs of improvement in recent years, now is the time for films to more accurately reflect the audience that consumes them.

Only 9% of film roles were filled by black actors in 2017, 68% lower than the figure for white people

When lockdown measures were announced I had just returned from London. Knowing the film industry would suffer greatly, I wanted a way of continuing my skills behind the camera. I would go on my daily exercise and take photographs of my surroundings through different perspectives. As

Naa Ahinee Mensah George Floyd triptych

Hollywood’s Diversity Problem

the anguish, the rape, the lynching, the killing, the slavery is what has made America what it is today. The White House depiction dollar is obvious I think. I made the White House the Black House, because it is the slavery of the black people that built America. facebook.com/Naa.Ahinee.Mensah

Looking at filmmaking statistics is always sobering as far as equal representation is concerned – in that there is very little equality whatsoever. Only 9% of film roles were filled by black actors in 2017, 68% lower than the figure for white people. Even worse, only nine of the top 1,200 highest-grossing films between 2007 and 2018 were directed by women of colour, equating to just 0.0075%. Such shocking figures emphasise how little Hollywood is supporting diverse storytelling, and this needs to change. Film critic Helen O’Hara sums up why studios are so reluctant to support BAME directors, saying: “There’s been a long-standing belief that diverse filmmaking doesn’t sell. There are all of these very toxic myths that happen to benefit white men, and the problem is that there have been so few examples to say otherwise that it's quite hard to rebut those myths.” Despite the disheartening statistics though, Helen believes there is cause for hope. “I think we're getting to the point now where we've got a handful of these counterexamples. We've got Black Panther, we’ve got Moonlight,” she says, “so I think we're beginning to take those kinds of myths apart.” The push for more equal representation in Hollywood is absolutely vital. Now is the time to take these myths apart with greater conviction and bring diverse storytelling to the fore.

words: George White

Death in Exile 77 years ago this month, at the height of World War Two, Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Nottingham to deliver a eulogy at the funeral of Władysław Sikorski who was being laid to rest in Newark-on-Trent. The Polish Prime Minister in exile had died in mysterious circumstances twelve days previously, with his airplane crashing just sixteen seconds after take off in Gibraltar, killing all on board but the pilot. But what were the circumstances that led up to one of the key figures in WWII being buried in Nottingham? We look at the events and conspiracies that continue to surround the death of Władysław Sikorski… “To Polska stracona!” were the only words an inconsolable Polish airman could utter as he witnessed the death of one of his country’s greatest leaders. Quietly sobbing, he repeated the phrase again and again: “This is the end of Poland. This is the end of Poland.” Taking off from Gibraltar at 11.07pm on 4 July 1943, the B-24 Liberator II plane carrying General Władysław Sikorski had plunged into the sea sixteen seconds after takeoff, killing eleven of the twelve passengers on board. Sikorski, Poland’s Prime Minister in exile and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, died alongside his Army’s Chief of General Staff, Tadeusz Klimecki, and his daughter, Zofia. But no sooner had his death been announced that conspiracy theories began to circulate. The political context of the crash, alongside a series of unexplainable circumstances, immediately gave rise to speculation that Sikorski’s death had been no accident at all, but possibly a direct result of a Soviet, Polish, German or even British conspiracy. Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 lit a torch paper that engulfed Europe in the flames of bloody conflict for six long years. Standing by their guarantee of Poland’s border, Britain and France were left with no choice but to declare war on Hitler’s Germany and, as Poland fell to Nazi control less than a month later, the Polish hierarchy and armed forces were forced to flee their country. For many, it would be the last time they would ever see home. With thousands of Poles escaping the country, Poland remained an integral part of the war. The soldiers, airmen, sailors and volunteers became known as Sikorski’s tourists – named after Władysław Sikorski, who had been named as the very first Prime Minister of the newly formed Government of the Republic of Poland in exile. Based first in Paris and then London, they continued to exert considerable influence in Poland during the war through the structures of the Polish Underground State. During these difficult years, Sikorski came to personify the relentless hope and dreams of a better future for millions of Poles whose lives had been devastated by war. The saying, “Gdy słoneczko wyżej, to Sikorski bliżej” – “When the sun is higher, Sikorski is nearer” came to represent the importance of a man who worked tirelessly to bring the factions of his fractured Government together. Despite struggling to exert influence over France and Britain, who had refused to acknowledge the role of the Soviet Union as aggressors in their invasion of Poland in September 1939, Sikorski and his exiles made their voices heard with an unmatched bravery in conflict. During the Battle of Britain alone, the Polish 303 Fighter Squadron achieved the highest number of kills out of any Allied squadron. But the key to Sikorski’s fate lay further east: after Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Prime Minister in exile had opened negotiations with the Soviet ambassador to London in order to re-establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. Despite being met with severe criticism from within his own Government, Sikorski saw renewed policy with Stalin as essential in preserving the future of his country. Following promising early talks, the proposed treaty fell through after the Soviet Union’s success at the Battles of Moscow and Stalingrad left them largely unopposed as a military force in the east, and Stalin’s intentions to claim large chunks of Poland for the Soviet Union became clear.

words: Ashley Carter illustration: Jay Wilkinson

But another problem remained key for Sikorski: after his country fell, thousands of Polish officers went missing, and still remained unaccounted for. The fragile relations between the Soviet Union and Sikorski’s exiled Government reached breaking point when, in 1943, the Germans announced via the Katyn Commission the discovery of the bodies of 20,000 Polish officers who had been murdered by the Soviets and buried in mass graves in Katyn Forest, near Smolensk. The Soviets dismissed it as German propaganda, created to drive a wedge between Poland, the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. Sikorski, refusing to believe the Soviet explanation, immediately requested an investigation by the International Red Cross in April 1943. But less than two months later, Sikorski was dead.

The political context of the crash, alongside a series of unexplainable circumstances, immediately gave rise to speculation that Sikorski’s death had been no accident at all But what was behind the mysterious plane crash? A German conspiracy, executed to create further divide between their enemies? A Soviet plan to cover up growing attention surrounding the Katyn massacre? Or even a British plot designed to remove the man who potentially stood in the way of peace between Britain and the Soviet Union? An initial investigation by a British Court of Enquiry convened soon after the crash, but was unable to determine the cause, finding only that the accident had been the result of a “jamming of elevator controls”. The Polish Government, who remained seemingly convinced of a conspiracy, quickly refuted this finding. Too many elements remained unexplained. At the same time that Sikorski’s plane was left unguarded at the Gibraltar airfield, a Soviet plane carrying ambassador Ivan Maisky was parked nearby, giving the Soviets an officially confirmed presence at the sight of the accident. Furthermore, the head of British counterintelligence for MI6 in Gibraltar, Kim Philby, was later named as a Soviet double-agent. Before 1941, Philby had served as an instructor with the Special Operations Executive, an organisation specializing in sabotage and diversion behind enemy lines. Moreover, the fact that several bodies, including that of Sikorski’s daughter Zofia, were never recovered, led some to speculate that the passengers had been murdered before the flight even took off, with Zofia being abducted by the Soviet Union. She was later reported to have been seen in a Soviet gulag by a member of the Elite Polish commandos in 1945. Much of the speculation was levelled at pilot Eduard

Prchal, the crash’s sole survivor. Like many pilots at the time, Prchal superstitiously refused to wear his lifejacket, but was inexplicably found wearing it after the crash, a decision that probably saved his life. During the inquiry he denied this, and later blamed his lie on the effects of amnesia. But later investigations proved that the plane was likely under control of the pilot until the moment it hit the water. Other theories lay the blame at the German Abwehr intelligence service that sought to divide their enemies further, or even the Poles themselves, some of whom had shown animosity toward Sikorski for “colluding” with Stalin. More outrageous conspiracies have taken shape over the years, including the 1968 play Soldiers, An Obituary for Geneva penned by controversial German writer Rolf Hochhuth. Based on the ‘research’ of Holocaust-denier David Irving, the story presented the allegation that Winston Churchill himself had been flying the plane, and Sikorski and his fellow passengers had been hacked to death by axewielding British commandos. While these more extreme allegations can be dismissed (Eduard Prchal successfully sued Hochhuth for libel following the play’s debut), the more meek explanations, such as the crash was simply the result of an errant halfempty mailbag jamming between the plane’s stabilizer, leave too much unexplained. Like many events of World War Two, the death of Władysław Sikorski will likely forever remain a mystery. His death was a near-fatal blow for the exiled Polish Government during the war, and no man came close to exerting the influence, both internally and externally, as he. It remains to be seen how different the destiny of his homeland would have been had he not died, as Poland would remain under Soviet influence until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Only then, in 1993, was the body of Władysław Sikorski finally able to be repatriated to Warsaw from the brick-lined grave at the Polish War Cemetery in Newark-on-Trent where it had lain since 1943. It was during that same decade that Russia finally accepted responsibility for the murder of 20,000 Polish officers during the Katyn Masscare. Władysław Sikorski was exhumed once more in 2008, with further investigators still desperate to know the truth behind the death of a man who represented Polish hope during World War II. It proved inconclusive and, as of 2012, the investigation continues.

Class Clowns Unpaid sets. No trade unions. Class inequalities. Even by the already difficult standards of the creative industries, stand-up comedy is a particularly hard industry in which to carve a career path. Dr Claire Sedgwick, an academic and stand-up comedian, explores how COVID-19 has only exacerbated those difficulties, and what the comedy scene is doing to keep the industry alive ... At the tail end of my PhD, stressed about writing up and in need of a distraction I signed up to a stand-up comedy course. Over twelve weeks I learned how to engage with the audience, how to structure a joke and how to hold a microphone. All of this culminated in a graduation show for charity, and since I enjoyed it much more than I expected, I decided to keep going afterwards, performing to small crowds at open mic nights around the East Midlands. One of the first reactions I had when telling people I’d started doing stand-up was: “So are you going to do this for a living now?” They were serious, but there is something comical about expecting to make a career in such a precarious industry. One of the first things I realised was that about half of the work you do as a comedian is admin, from getting in touch with promoters to get gigs, to arranging travel to gigs and invoicing for your expenses. It became clear that this was a job that you had to really want and work really hard at to succeed, as well as being a job that is much easier if you already have money, a car and the leisure time to zip up and down the country to spend ten minutes hoping someone will laugh at you. Since I was already attempting to build an academic career, which is in its own way precarious, I decided to leave the stage

behind and focus on researching the industry instead. My British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant funded project explores how comedians in the East Midlands navigate the financial and employment insecurities of the industry. Despite the success of famous stand-up comedians who sell out arenas and have TV specials on Netflix, for the vast majority of performers stand-up is a precarious industry that has only become more precarious in the aftermath of COVID-19. With venues closing, there is a real risk that comedians from working class backgrounds in particular will struggle to remain in the industry.

One of the first reactions that I had to telling people I’d started doing stand-up was: “So are you going to do this for a living now?” They were serious, but there is something comical about expecting to make a career in such a precarious industry However, while we are living in ‘unprecedented times’, the pandemic has exacerbated an existing issue, and there has been growing concern about inequalities within the creative industries. The Panic! Report which was commissioned by arts charity Arts Emergency highlighted the extent to which the creative industries are inaccessible to working class people due to low pay, lack of stable contracts and the proliferation of unpaid internships. Previous research has found that there is an acceptance of low pay and self-exploitation, especially at the beginning of a comedian’s career. Most stand-ups begin on the circuit performing at comedy nights as ten minute unpaid ‘open spots’, sometimes leading to paid ‘middle spots’ in the middle of a comedy night, followed by more lucrative ‘open’ or ‘closer’ spots. However, pay varies widely and there has, up until now, been little appetite to bring in industry standards for pay and conditions. Meanwhile, while many comedians work in other jobs, those who can work in flexible nine-to-fives are more likely to find it easier to combine performing with work than those who are in less flexible or insecure work. The result is that those from more privileged backgrounds are given a ‘leg-up’ in the industry. It’s important we also factor into this the exorbitant costs of attending and performing at the Edinburgh Festival

Fringe. Over the last few decades, the Fringe has been a particularly important event for comedians to be seen by TV scouts, promoters and others who can develop their career further. However, putting on a show at the Fringe involves a potentially prohibitive investment if you consider the cost of hiring tech, renting somewhere in Edinburgh and potentially losing income from other work. It is not uncommon for performers to lose money once all associated costs are factored in. Of course, another consequence of the pandemic is that Edinburgh won’t go ahead at all this year, and it is unclear what impact this will have in the long-term. Since the Government announced stricter measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in March and clubs closed, there have been some indications that the issues of financial precarity will remain on the agenda after social distancing rules have been relaxed. There has been an acknowledgement of the inequality within the industry. Next up, a comedy streaming site created a fundraising campaign for comedians who have lost their income. Interestingly, while the campaign has raised nearly £100,000, there are still some who felt that the fundraising was misdirected – this demonstrates the extent to which people associate stand up performers with wealth and TV famei ignoring the fact that the industry is actually precarious for many. The lockdown has also led to new innovations, with comedy club Just the Tonic creating Working from Home, a regular online comedy experience featuring headline names that costs £5. This suggests that there actually is willingness by the audience to pay for online comedy, and it may provide an accessible live event experience that continues post-pandemic. However, the most interesting response to the crisis is the formation of the Live Comedy Association (LCA). On their website, they describe themselves as “Representing and connecting the UK Live Comedy Industry to ensure we survive and thrive in the face of COVID-19 and beyond”. Anyone working within the industry – from festival organisers, promoters, comedians and tech – are eligible to join. The LCA represents a desire for a more unified voice that has not been present before. It is not a trade union though, and this may make it difficult for stand-up comedians to take the lead and demand better working conditions. However, having a unified voice that represents the industry may make it easier to lobby for changes. This may become especially significant when making the case that comedy should be understood as an art, and therefore eligible for Arts Council funding. Up until now, this has not been the case, meaning that many performers couldn’t access the emergency funding that has helped other creative industries. Time will tell what effect the LCA will have on the industry. However, in the absence of a strong trade union presence, it will be important that the conditions of the lowest paid within the industry are taken into account. If there is to be real change, there needs to be some kind of industry standard for how comedians should expect to be remunerated, that takes into account how the tradition of low and no pay in the business creates unfair barriers for working class comedians. @claire_sedgwick livecomedyassociation.co.uk

words: Dr Claire Sedgwick photo: Louise Clutterbuck

Lockdown Laughs In a time when the world needs laughter more than ever, we see how some of Nottingham’s funny people have been coping during lockdown... Darrell Martin - Stand-Up comedian and Owner of Just the Tonic... Imagine running something at the moment that relies on lots of people being squashed into a room. Basically, COVID has wiped out 100% of my business. I started Working From Home, which is like an online magazine-style format show, but a lot more raw and real. I’m not trying to recreate a comedy club – it’s a very silly format, but it’s working. Even though I’m booking really, really big name acts like Jon Richardson and Jason Manford, people are still reluctant to pay for something that’s online. It’s only £5, and you’d easily pay at least £20 to see those sort of names in a theatre. But it is working. I start with a little introduction, have a chat with the comedians, we play some film clips and stuff like that, and then the comedians do what they want to do. Some do bits of stand-up – either a piece to camera or something pre-recorded – and others do sketches or interviews. Then I intro and outro them with records from a jukebox. It’s hard to say exactly what it is, because it’s really evolving each time. But they’re funny, and not what

you’d expect. We’ve had a lot of positive responses, but obviously some people are still complaining, like one guy who emailed me to say it wasn’t what he expected. It’s only a fiver mate, don’t lose your knickers. The two-metre rule is going to make it pretty much impossible to re-open clubs properly, but with onemetre it might be a bit different. The biggest problem is with drinks, because you’re always going to get that constant flow to the bar. With a live event you’ve got to pay the artist, as well as extra staff for extra cleaning, all with less customers than usual. I just can’t see it being financially viable any time soon. I’m looking at February or March, if I’m honest, when it’s hopefully gone away or they’ve got some sort of vaccine.

Even though I’m booking really, really big name acts like Jon Richardson and Jason Manford, people are still reluctant to pay for something that’s online

Working From Home – 5th Pilot: Schools Out For Summer featuring Johnny Vegas, Jonathan Pie and Matthew Horne live streams on Saturday 11 July at 8.30pm. Tickets are £5 justthetonic.com

Scott Bennett - Nottingham Writer, Stand-up Comedian and Shed Fanatic

When I started my career I drove hundreds of miles in torrential rain to the middle of nowhere to perform to two people and a dog, for no money at Bobby Winguts Cackle Dungeon. And do you know what? If I got offered that gig tonight, I’d probably snap their hands off.

The whole industry has ground to a halt. My last live gig was on 14 March, and I haven’t stepped on stage since, which is very surreal for someone who has performed five times a week for the last ten years. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time – I had such great momentum building, lots of opportunities and a new tour planned for the Autumn. I was also taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe, which obviously didn’t happen. So it has derailed the year completely. I did feel quite angry and resentful for the first few months, but now I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it was something completely out of my control. I had the idea to do a weekly-streamed stand-up comedy variety show from my shed. Fifteen shows later and we are still going strong. We’ve got a real community of followers now and with the interest from BBC News, SKY News, Five Live and some of the local papers, the first show got over 25,000 views. We have viewers in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Middle East – the reach has been amazing. I’ve built new fans, which is something that would never have happened if it wasn’t for the pandemic.

diary of the whole pandemic, something I think will be really useful to look back on once this is all over. My wife Jemma, who is also a performer, is in the shed with me and we have my parents on speed dial at the other end of the phone. They play us out every week by singing down the phone and playing the ukulele. Listening to them do a cover of The Urban Spaceman with my mum playing the Kazoo, was the first time since this crisis began that I realised just what a long haul this could be. I can’t wait to get back to performing again. As much as I enjoy my shed shows, I can’t keep bellowing punchlines into a webcam for the rest of my career. It’s like a cross between Babestation and B&Q. When I started my career I drove hundreds of miles in torrential rain to the middle of nowhere to perform to two people and a dog, for no money at Bobby Winguts Cackle Dungeon. And do you know what? If I got offered that gig tonight, I’d probably snap their hands off. scottbennettcomedy.co.uk youtube.com/ScottybComedyUK facebook.com/scottybcomedy @scottbcomedyuk

I write for the show every week, covering topical stand-up about the crisis, sketches, characters and songs. It’s been a really good way of keeping a funny

Susanna Clark - Comedy Agent and Producer Founder of Ingenious Fools agency There was a massive explosion of online content in the comedy community within minutes of lockdown being announced. Pubs and theatres closing down is every comic's worst nightmare – because all of their gigs, their entire careers, for the next six or twelve months are completely gone. Both of the comedy nights I run were immediately suspended, the launch of brand new events such as the Mansfield Comedy Festival at The Old Library Theatre, and local promoter Tommy Tomski’s new Arrows and Skits comedy showcase, were put on hold. Comedians generally have overactive imaginations, lots of energy and are always full of ideas, so they need an outlet for that. Artists often say that performing is like a drug so in order to fulfill that fix, many very quickly started up incredible online live entertainment shows that are available to watch on Zoom, Facebook, Twitch etc. Comedians comment on what is going on in the world with their own unique point of view but, in a sense, at first it was as if they had lost that unique perspective, because everyone was experiencing the same thing.

However, now things have moved on, comics are finding their groove with it and I have seen some very funny lockdown material! The fear is that when things return to normal, promoters will focus on more well-known, established comedians. That might mean that it becomes really difficult for new comedians to find work. Nottingham-based comedian, Benny Shakes, was starting to be booked for larger paid gigs, but now he feels he may have to start climbing the ladder all over again. We may lose a lot of new talent because of this, as the opportunities may not appear until the industry is back on its feet. Howl at the Den and the Mansfield Comedy Festival will be back, we had everything ready to go, and were just about to begin marketing before lockdown, so at least it’s not a case of starting over. facebook.com/IngeniousFools

The fear is that when things return to normal, promoters will focus on more well-known, established comedians. That might mean that it becomes really difficult for new comedians to find work. interviews: Ashley Carter & Megan Evans Illustration: Raphael Achache photos: Fabrice Gagos and Tom Morley

interview: Jared Wilson illustrations: Seth Smith

Hop Art Meet Seth Smith, aka the Art of Beer. He’s spent the last half-decade creating illustrations inspired by the nation’s favourite alcoholic beverage. This year he’s drawn 41 of the city's best boozers in conjunction with Nottingham Craft Beer Week and soon they’ll be available as free postcards at a pub near you… Where did all this begin? At the start of 2015, I was listening to the Guardian Football Weekly podcast. One of the journalists, Jonathan Wilson, was talking about a challenge he was embarking on: to drink 500 different beers in a year. I thought that was a good idea too. I’m not sure it was in hindsight. As I began to record and share the beer diary on Instagram, I soon realised how dreadful I was at taking photos. So, I saw it as an opportunity to improve my creative skills and I began to create alternative illustrations of every beer I drank. Five years on, and I’m still going. What do you get up to when you’re not drinking or illustrating beer? I’m a Creative Director at a Nottingham design agency, a very proud dad, a part-time Forest fan and a full-time Spurs fan. What was the first beer you ever drew? Fursty Ferret by Badger Brewery. That one, and many of the following 200-300 illustrations were pretty tripe. That’s okay though. I genuinely believe the best way to learn is by doing. Instagram has been a brilliant platform for me – the constant stream of publishing has fuelled a continuous sense of self-evaluation and experimentation, which has helped hone my craft, in both the day job as well as an Instagram artist (if that’s what I am).

I began to create alternative illustrations of every beer I drank. Five years on, and I’m still going There’s quite a lot of good art in craft beer. Who are your favourites? As the beer scene has exploded in the last few years, beer hunting has become a ‘thing’. Taste remains king, but brands are having to work harder to create shelf-appeal, so the can has become a canvas – a collectable one at that. Regarding illustrators, check out Drew Millward. He creates striking, layered work that has a compelling energy that I continue to get drawn to over and over again. His work for Northern Monk and Leeds International Festival is iconic. I’m infatuated with the new can designs from Play Brew Co (Double Dash and Lazy Daze). The brand agency, Alphabet, has created a series of funky, retro illustrations, paired with some super juicy colourways. Tastes good too. Who do you think does the best artwork in the Nottingham beer scene? Kev Grey, the artist for Black Iris Brewery. His work is simple but bold – often with a playful twist, and the black and white palette has great standout on the shelf. For me, the brand has nailed it, the brewery found, and now own, a highly recognisable ‘visual space’. You illustrated 41 pubs and bars for Nottingham Craft Beer Week. How many of those have you actually had a beer in? 32. Awks. That will be 41 very soon.

You're not the only beer-related artist in Notts. Have you come across Beermat Doodles? I’m definitely aware of their work. I’d hoped to get a Beermat Doodle this year… but then COVID-19 happened. I love the idea though. Put me down for next year.

As the beer scene has exploded in the last few years, beer hunting has become a ‘thing’. Taste remains king, but brands are having to work harder to create shelf-appeal, so the can has become a canvas - a collectible one at that If you had to name a handful of your favourite beers, what would they be and why? The beer that really got me into beer is Bad Kitty by Brass Castle, a robust and fulsome vanilla porter. My current go-to, easy-drinker, is currently Deya’s Steady Rolling Man. This well-balanced pale ale is soft and juicy, and never fails to deliver. One of my favourite summer beers is Pink Moon, from Nottingham’s very own Liquid Light. For me, it was the standout beer of the 2018 Nottingham Craft Beer Festival. It really changed my perception of fruit beers – it’s light, fresh and delicate, brimming with an infectious raspberry flavour. Best beer of 2019 was Neon Raptors’ 20,000 Containers Under the Sea. A spectacular, full-on raspberry and vanilla imperial stout. Best lockdown beer (so far) could be of one of many from Verdant and Track. Rip It Up from Pomona Island has been bought more than once in the last few weeks – beery Bucks Fizz (serve with ice)! I could go on... When lockdown ends, what pub are you planning to visit first? I’ve got a soft spot for all the Castle Rock pubs. They’re proper. Honest. No frills, but always friendly and welcoming. Good grub, great beer selection. Job done. My local (which isn’t actually local) is the Poppy and Pint. Like any good pub, it feels like a second home. James (the landlord) and his team have created a fantastic vibe; it’s one of the few places I can switch off, no matter how busy my day has been. I hope James is reading this, as I would love a pint of East Mids Pale Ale, or perhaps Headband to begin with, followed by a smooth, sweet, luscious porter (Stay Puft will suffice). Make it happen please James! A set of 41 limited edition Art of Beer postcards featuring Nottingham Craft Beer pubs and bars will be given away free to customers at each venue when they re-open. This is a project run in association with It’s In Nottingham. See the images from the postcards opposite and visit nottinghamcraftbeer.co.uk for a full list of venues where you can get them. theartofbeer.store @the.art.of.beer

leftlion.co.uk/issue125

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Crafty Crow 102 Friar Lane NG1 6EB

SESSIONS BEING BOOKED FROM

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SAVING YOUR ... SUMMER

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pitcher perfect words: David Langley photos: Penny Lane

go nuts for doughnuts

We may not be able to hog the 2p machines at Penny Lane on Fletcher Gate right now, but luckily you can mix up your own pitcher of their Sangria at home. It’s perfect for afternoon drinking in the sunshine, and – if you close your eyes really hard – you can try and imagine being on a Spanish beach instead of being in your back garden… Sangria

Ingredients 15ml strawberry liquor (they recommend Lejay Lagoute Fraise) 10ml sugar syrup 15ml cherry brandy (they recommend Giffard) 80ml red wine

Method 1.

Put all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and – you guessed it – shake.

Pour everything into a mini jug filled with more ice and orange wedges.

Top with sprigs of mint and party accessories (after all, is it a summery drink if it hasn't got jazzy umbrellas?).

Doughnuts. Just that one word alone can make you salivate. But sometimes when you sink your teeth into one, it doesn’t taste as good as it looks. Dry. Chewy. Not good stuff. The boys at Happy Dough Lucky – Sach, Lewis and TK – are aiming to change all that. They’ve spent a load of time perfecting their recipes and flavours, so their brand new vegan doughnuts are as delicious as can be. We chat to Sach Nijran about their upcoming launch and why you should give their bad boys a shot… The name Happy Dough Lucky may ring some bells – that’s because they’re well-known as the little pizza pop up in The Lacehouse. The proper Italian-style dough and fresh, rich flavour helped make its mark on the Nottingham foodie scene. But while they enjoyed a slice of success with that, they always had the sweet treats in mind, and last summer they decided to make a start. This meant going on a food pilgrimage (preCOVID) – what better excuse to go on a trip to Italy than researching doughnuts? Sach explains, “We love to travel, and after seeing how Italian bakeries work, we really became passionate about not just giving people food but improving the whole experience.” From this, every little authentic detail has been considered – they spent almost two weeks working on the packaging alone and, when they’re able to re-open, customers will be able to see the bakers making the doughnuts by hand in their open kitchen. The amount of time spent on these details, however, doesn’t compare to the time they spent making the doughnuts themselves truly special. “We've experimented with seventeen different dough recipes, proving them all at different times. The amount of proving makes all the difference on how much yeast you can taste in the final product,” Sach says. “Our doughnut dough has got the airy fluffiness that is required for the perfect doughnut. For the perfect pizza, you need that extra yeast flavour going through it.” And if that didn’t sound like hard work enough, their bakers are even in the kitchen at 2am kneading to ensure that the dough is as fresh as it can be.

Another exciting element that the doughnuts have is the fact that they’re vegan. Sach continues: “Although vegan food has improved so much in the past few years, it always felt like the desserts are a poor man's version of the real deal. We just didn't want that – we wanted it to be as good.” Their toppings are set to be extravagant while maintaining that freshness their pizzas are so well-known for. Sach tells me, “For example, a lot of companies will buy in their red velvet cake to sprinkle on top of the doughnut, however, we make our own for our pink velvet cake, so we know exactly what goes into it and can make it for our tastes.” The pink velvet recipe is top secret, mind – we tried guessing it but they stayed tight-lipped. They’re launching on Deliveroo this month for a limited time of twelve weeks, so if you’re wiping dribble off your chin just looking at the photos, you better get ordering ASAP. After all, there is no occasion that doesn’t call for a box of warm, fluffy, mouth-watering doughnuts.

Want to win a year’s supply of free doughnuts? All you have to do is... 1. Follow @thebakerybyhdl on Instagram and like them on Facebook 2. Share the post onto your story 3. Tag 2 friends you’d share them with in the comments happydoughlucky.co.uk @thebakerybyhdl

pennylanebars.com @pennylanenottingham

E PU XCLU BODRVEYOSIVE R E FORGA LAS OF OVE GER 20 Y EAR R S

secret garden THE BODEGA SECRET GARDEN OPENS THIS SUMMER FOR OUR SOCIALLY-DISTANCED SESSIONS.

PINTS • TUNES • COCKTAILS • MATES BODEGANOTTINGHAM.COM/SECRETGARDEN

Dancing into the Future This month, despite Nottingham’s bars and pubs reopening, the city’s nightclubs as we know them remain shut. Fortunately for all of the dancefloor addicts out there, some folks are coming up with a solution. Eileen Pegg speaks with promoters to understand what clubbing might look like in the current climate... Nerves are normal before an event, but on 13 March as promoters Audiobahn were getting excited for their next Bar Eleven dance, things were more uncertain than usual. The standard social media post to hype up the crowd also reminded guests to stay home if they felt unwell, noting that it might be the last chance for a ‘mucky rave’ for a while. Ten days later, the UK went into full lockdown with all but essential shops ordered to shut as the nation was instructed to stay at home. Three months after that, the biggest easing of restrictions to date was announced with news that in July pubs, hotels, restaurants and hairdressers were set to join the shops in reopening again, with reduced social distancing enabling this. Nightclubs as we know them remain only as a memory. There are, however, small movements showing us what clubbing might look like in the near future, including right here in Nottingham. Nitty hosted what it described as the UK’s first social distanced party in a Nottinghamshire forest in May, while on 11 July Polytechnica will be the first of a handful of promoters using The I Club’s outdoors space for a series of summer events. Though clubs were shut in March, people quickly adapted to the new lockdown environment, making way for busy live-stream schedules. Globally, large-scale efforts such as Resident Advisor’s Club Quarantaene provided entertainment while also raising funds for a number of causes. Locally, a revival of independent radio has seen MyhouseYourhouse and Mimm Radio rise from the ashes, City Beat grew with new live chat-shows, Connect For Music continued to broadcast and Phlexx Records welcomed guests from all creative fields. Even festivals took place online, with Nottingham Outdoor Jazz Festival, Nottingham Global Roots Festival and more using streaming technology to connect to their audience. However, the warm, fuzzy feeling of social interaction experienced at music events is difficult to replicate through a screen. Not to mention the sound quality of tinny laptop speakers vs fully kitted out venues. Anyone who’s gingerly attended six-person meetups over the last few weeks will agree that conversation largely focuses around the fact “it’s so good to actually see other people” with additions of, “sorry if I say anything weird…” James Morsh, part of the UK party collective Nitty who brought together almost forty dancers in May, said of his event, which grouped guests together by their households, “Bottom line is, with everyone staying at home, it’s not good for your mental health.” He continued, “It was done to start a conversation about how we can kick-start

the hospitality industry again. We’ve got to come up with forward-thinking solutions to problems, and the fact that we did it shows that it can be done.”

We want to do something to let people be with the music in the moment. To unite them for a good cause Polytechnica – Staś, Kamil (Easy Audio) and Lukas (Xa'him) – added, “The pandemic changed us just as it changed the world, and it hasn't finished yet. But [at the time of interview] Notts hasn't seen a new case of COVID-19 in a week! We want to do something to let people be with the music in the moment. To unite them for a good cause.” Though guidelines are loosened, the nation is divided into camps of people who welcome the slow return to pre-lockdown life while others wonder if it’s premature. At a time when the racial justice protests of the weeks before were met with similarly mixed views, in comparison this is simply assembling for a ‘right to party’ (or shop, or drink a pint), rather than human equality. For some, the new guidelines present a risk to carefully consider, while for others it’s an opportunity to make bold moves. When looking at Nottingham’s bars ahead of the approved openings on 4 July, while Bodega has announced outdoor table-service plans, places like Junkyard shan’t be pouring public pints just yet. Some don’t have the facilities or funds to meet the measures needed to operate – something which Music Venues Trust argues would require a £50 million cash injection. The I Club, with an easily accessible large courtyard, is set up well for outdoor events – not dissimilar in format to Bodega’s Summer Garden. When asked about how it might work, Polytechnica said, “The outdoors space is big enough for 200 people with social distancing in place. There is security there, toilet attendants, table-service, card payments only - all the measures to keep you safe.” Noting that ticket holders will be given a ‘booth’ for two people max per household, graphics showcasing the proposed layout of the area are shared on social media. Polytechnica continues, “Everything is professionally prepared and ‘safety on the dancefloor’ recently got a new meaning. Booths are not some plastic cells – they allow speaking to friends. And you don't have to sit in them either, just dance and enjoy the moment.

When you look at this from a different angle, people have more space to express themselves.” While this setup might seem clinical to some, when compared to the growing number of illegal raves and street parties, it’s much easier to control, with every guest named and contactable. When speaking of his party, James agreed that keeping things in line with restrictions seems to be the best way to move forward, “After the first three or four hours it was going well then suddenly the police came. “I explained what we were doing, showed them… the bin we have to keep everything tidy, fire extinguishers, social distancing - everyone was in their [2m] boxes, we showed them all of the emails [from the council, explaining plans to host the event as part of filming a documentary on social distancing partying] and explained when we were planning to pack down and they were happy with that.” Here in Notts, the promoters putting on these distanced events are relative newcomers. For the larger names such as Detonate and Wigflex, fans are waiting excitedly for their respective summer festivals which have been rescheduled for autumn. Though Polytechnica’s end goal is to merge Nottingham talent with the growing scene in their native Poland, each event so far is hosted with local DJs, perhaps keeping overheads low, while also keeping ticket prices at £10 per person (or at Nitty, free). Polytechnica also plans to donate funds raised to a LGBTQ+ charity, during the month that would have seen Hockley awash with local Pride celebrations. With such a changeable environment, it’s difficult to plan too far forward. As Polytechnica says, “For now, we’re just focussing on our July party and want to be prepared 100%. Winter is months away. Clubs may reopen and we'll be there if it happens. Who knows what the second part of the year will look like? Starting in a positive way is our goal.” James however has his sights set further ahead: “I’m planning to put a proposal to Nottingham City Council, to… look to do something else similar. In my opinion, the only way we could kickstart the events industry is using the trace and track app or something, and make it mandatory... if you’ve been told to self isolate then you won’t be allowed in.” As Nottingham’s bars, pubs and restaurants open up again, how do you feel about dancing events like this? We’d love to hear your thoughts as we continue to adjust to life alongside COVID-19. Let us know at music@leftlion.co.uk

words: Eileen Pegg photo: Nitty

Flying High interview: Emilie Mendham

With the aim to empower womxn all across Nottingham – with particular focus on womxn of colour – FlyGirl is set to launch later this year. We caught up with Avarni Bilan, one half of the Wigflex team, to see what it’s all about… What inspired you to start Flygirl? The idea for FlyGirl has been brewing for a few years now, but it wasn’t always clear exactly what form it was going to take. I always knew that I wanted to create a comfortable and safe space for womxn to learn, empower and support one another within; but as the idea was developing it then became really clear to me that the only way I would ever be able to do it authentically would be if it works to represent womxn of colour. I wanted to create a very practical response to the clear lack of representation that womxn of colour experience on a daily basis and be able to unapologetically address topics that may largely only apply to these womxn. But, it has always been very important that FlyGirl is open to all womxn, regardless of race. As a woman of colour in the UK it can unfortunately be very normal to feel like you’re constantly inhabiting places that aren’t meant for you, so I wanted to create a space that was specifically for these womxn, without ever denying a place at the table for any other womxn who want to get involved. How are you planning to help Nottingham’s womxn? FlyGirl is essentially an event series that includes a broad range of workshops, talks and parties which create opportunities for womxn to learn new skills, meet new people and feel a strong connection to the local Nottingham community. Most importantly we want to provide the practical tools that womxn can use to elevate themselves professionally and personally. There will be a good mix of wellbeing, vocational and social events all year round. Our first event will be a community interaction workshop where womxn from all over Nottingham can come together and specify the practical things that they need or want and we will work to make it happen. As you explain on your Instagram, it’s important to lift up womxn of colour and empower them. Why do womxn of colour need to be empowered more than other people in society? As a woman of colour myself, it is hard to approach this topic without sounding biased. But when you consider the fact that womxn are 75% more likely to face discrimination in the workplace than men (whether that be wage or sexual harassment related), and race-related hate crimes that were reported to the police in England and Wales in 2020 are up 11% from last year (totalling over 75k incidents), it’s really hard to avoid the fact that womxn of colour are some of the most marginalised people within our society. The definition of empowerment is ‘authority or power given to someone to do something’, and when you’re empowering womxn of colour you’re really just giving them the authority or power to be everything that society has repeatedly told them they aren’t for years on end. From my own personal experiences as a British-born Punjabi woman, I feel that the combination of my race and gender has significantly impacted the way that I’ve been treated throughout my life and I know that a lot of other womxn of colour feel the same.

We strongly feel that the black trans community is particularly vulnerable at this time and will be working closely to address this over the coming months through various workshops and initiatives. Part of the Black Lives Matter movement has led to educating companies as to how they can be actively anti-racist. Has that impacted FlyGirl, or made you want to do anything differently? Without a doubt the BLM movement triggered FlyGirl to finally get out there and become public-facing, because for months I had been worried about how the concept would be received. After seeing all of the positive support that the movement was generating it gave me the confidence to move forward with FlyGirl in the knowledge that it’s genuinely something that is needed and wanted within the city. The support that has been flowing in since we first launched is unbelievable – people from Nottingham and further afield offering money, expertise, free body therapies and talking therapies, plus their time to really help the platform to grow and positively impact as many people as possible.

As a British-born Punjabi woman, I feel that the combination of my race and gender has significantly impacted the way that I’ve been treated throughout my life and I know that a lot of other womxn of colour feel the same That being said, we don’t at any point want the FlyGirl messaging to dilute the BLM message. We are focusing on womxn of colour, but BLM is about black lives, not every racial group that isn’t white. This is really important to us. Categorising people as ‘BAME’ or ‘of colour’ doesn’t really say anything about them apart from the fact that they’re not white. A black woman and an Asian woman will both have a different set of race-related experiences to one another and it’s important to acknowledge this. Unfortunately, there are still jobs, opportunities and rooms that are open to Asian womxn but not to black womxn and it’s important for people to understand that if we really want to bring about change. A key element of FlyGirl was always going to be based around supporting black and brown owned businesses. We will be working closely with aspiring black and brown female business owners by helping them to access public and private funding, providing them with business advice, and support them with research and marketing for their prospective endeavours, all free of charge. We are also in the process of building a BAME directory for professionals and advisors that corporations can visit

when they are looking to hire. Providing businesses with the platform to actively seek out diverse candidates will be a key way of establishing whether they are being real in their support, or just virtue signalling. Why is FlyGirl important for Nottingham right now? Unfortunately Nottingham has a serious problem that few are willing to address. Nottinghamshire Police have reported a steady increase in hate crimes over the past five years and something needs to change. Our community is extremely diverse, but this isn’t authentically represented in many corners of the city and we need to address why this is. FlyGirl certainly won’t fix all of these problems, but we will be offering a space for the local community to come together and find solutions that work to level the playing field and promote understanding for one another. What can people expect from FlyGirl now and in the future? We have the keys for our own city-centre building which is housed within the Creative Quarter. I’m really excited to be able to invite all of our following here, as it will be a creative community space prime for networking opportunities and socialising. Once we are able to open, we’ll be launching a series of events that all Nottingham womxn will be welcomed to attend. Is FlyGirl something you needed when you were younger? Without a doubt. Much of what FlyGirl is all about is simply a response to things that I’ve been unable to find for myself. I went to a predominantly white school in Nottingham then moved on to working in environments where I was virtually always the only person of colour. I would take certain bad behaviours from others on the chin, as they were supposedly just ‘part and parcel of being brown’ and seemingly ‘harmless’. As I’ve got older and my friendship group has become more diverse, I have been able to dissect many of these experiences for what they really were as the patterns tend to repeat themselves for many people of colour, albeit in different ways. Being able to connect with others who are able to authentically understand your own life experiences in a way that validates how you may have felt at the time (when maybe no one else did), is a very powerful thing. I would say that I certainly feel more empowered and confident in my own skin when I am around other people of colour. Many of our events will be open to younger audiences too, so that this process of promoting understanding, empowering one another and building confidence can start sooner. FlyGirl’s first event is going to be a community consultation to understand what our local womxn from Nottingham need. Want to get involved in FlyGirl? Check them out on Instagram for updates or email avarni@fly-girl.co.uk for any general enquiries or to discuss partnership opportunities. @flygirl.x

MelonyX Worth the Wait (Single) MelonyX (AKA Georgia Copeland and Nadia Latoya) had already been showcasing their talent with performances at Peggy’s, NAE, Camden’s Electric Ballroom and Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here Festival with their irresistible vocal harmonies and captivating stage presence. Luckily, quarantine hasn’t stopped them from continuing to shine. Debut single, Worth the Wait, confirms just that; this project has been a long time coming, but MelonyX’s ambitions are set for the long-term. Lyrics state the journey that these songstresses have been on together, and where they plan to take us. Delivered with class and a large helping of soul, the down-tempo but uplifting synth-heavy track works on many layers, both offering a solid summertime hit, while also marking the duo’s confident arrival. Eileen Pegg

Unknown Era A State of Affairs (Album)

Re Teu This Feeling (Single)

Unknown Era's eighteen-track double album came out last month and it's a beast. A State of Affairs is available on vinyl, CD or most digital platforms and follows their debut EP from 2015, making it long overdue. A mashup blend of ska, reggae, hip hop and punk mixed with good old Nottingham swagger gives a high energy sound that will get everyone dancing, along with lyrics that are intelligently aware of our modern times. Bassey

The icy double-layered vocals of Re Teu cut through the chordal piano and atmospheric opening of new track This Feeling: the song drips with a prevailing strength that characterises Re Teu’s music, gradually building to an outbreak of emotion, rich in texture. Combining folksy, percussive elements with synth ornamentation, alongside drones and electric guitars to create a broad, expansive sound, Re Teu epitomises the feeling of risking everything for someone. Hannah Massey

After Daylight Requiem for the Dying World (Album)

Soft Girls & Boys Club Yoga for the Dead (Single) and Hymn 255 (B-side)

After Daylight’s third album is an experimental and suitably chaotic musical interpretation of the crisis that currently affects our lives. Despite the bleak canvas that inspired this album, an underlying feeling of hope still shines through, particularly on the lead single, Seeing The Other Side. The multi-instrumentalist takes you on an emotive journey through the album and it is best enjoyed during the moments of quiet reflection we are increasingly exposed to right now. Rory Evans

We’ve been big fans of local quintet Soft Girls & Boys Club for many moons now, enamoured with their exquisite brand of melancholy-tinged psychedelic dream pop. New single Yoga for the Dead, recently released on Phlexx Records, sees the boys kick things up a gear with the track’s droll lyrics and gently swaggering riffs making it a proper addictive listen. B-side Hymn 255 is deliciously buoyant too, the bass lines subtly driving things to hallucinatory new heights. Becky Timmins

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.

Philclarkful Imagine if the Happy Mondays developed a love for funky guitar solos and shacked up in Sneinton. Got that in your head? Good - that’s the best description we’ve got for the hazy beauty of Philclarkful - the new project of, you guessed it – Phil Clark. You’ll have seen PC leading some notoriously sick live bands around NG, including Mowbeck and Kiss Corona. Now, he’s gone full Elon Musk and started doing everything himself. Loads of quirky sounds and big catchy melodies. facebook.com/philclarkful

Saffron Gray Old school RnB, sprinkled with 2020 pop sass: that’s a pretty good one-liner for what to expect from Saffron. Working with NG songwriters Chawe, Andretheproducer and Jonni Scott, she’s basically got a 0115 dream team behind her, topped off with silky, soulful vocals that glues the package together nicely. A belter of a voice, killer songwriting and she’s even nailed the branding. When the world isn’t corona’d, you better get ready to see Saffron everywhere. instagram.com/iamsaffrongray

leftlion.co.uk/issue127 49

interview: Alex Kuster photos: Lamar Francois

Find Your Focus You may have spotted Lamar Francois around Nottingham BC (before COVID) shooting a multitude of events, people and scenes with an approach that combines mindfulness in photography with a keen eye for getting the perfect shot. Alex Kuster caught up with the writer and photographer over Zoom to see how he’s been doing during lockdown, and what his future plans look like… How have you been throughout lockdown? It's been an interesting period for me. Going into lockdown, I was very busy trying to prepare for the year and then, all of a sudden, everything changed. I've used the period to step back a little bit and reflect on my work and what I've been doing so far. A lot of what I've been doing has been in and around where I live and Bilborough. With things locking down I haven’t been able to be out making images or travelling to places for a few months now – like everyone – and I look forward to picking that up. I wanted to keep busy by focussing on things in and around the home that I usually see. I live in a shared home and I've just been photographing little bits and pieces, trying to find the beauty within the surroundings that I have. It is quite a mindful approach, just trying to be in tune with my surroundings. How did you first get involved with photography? I think I was always curious about it. My mum would take a photograph whenever I achieved something and we had lots of albums. I first got the chance to practice my skills about twelve years ago when I started my astrophysics course at the University of Nottingham. In my first year, they had a photo society, and as part of that you can borrow a DSLR camera. It gave me time to understand the technical and the artistic sides. For me, it's always been an experiment. So this might seem very counterintuitive, but when I was first practicing photography, I would always use manual modes, rather than using automatic modes because I'm always interested to see how everything built up together. How do you combine mindfulness and photography? Photography gives you those opportunities to be mindful. For example, one central part of being mindful is not to make judgements. There’s a lot of freedom in photography, and it can be an expression of how you feel in the moment. There is something called the ‘beginner's mind’, which is something I first discovered with meditation. The idea is that you don't bring your own biases and pre-judgments into a new situation. You're looking at the world through a box. You can control what is in that box, and how various elements play together. And that's very, very different to how you see and perceive things in normal, everyday life. Finally, the idea of being non-striving, although this differs based on the fact that I shoot commercially

as well. But when it comes to the personal side of things, the whole idea is that a photograph is just a moment in time, and you will get many of these moments presenting themselves. Are you making the most of them? A lot of it is about letting go of the idea of trying to be perfect every time.

You’re looking at the world through a box. You can control what is in that box, and how various elements play together. And that’s very, very different to how you see and perceive things in normal, everyday life How did you make your hobby your profession? A lot of hard work and a lot of time! I've also been quite lucky; back in 2012 I was given a prize at the Young Creative Awards. After I graduated, I needed to find paid work and I was lucky enough to find work with the University. They were very understanding, flexible and accommodating, but it is hard work. I maybe didn't realise when I first took up photography that there were very few obvious pathways in, and a lot of it is about networking and finding those soft ways in. Photography, in a lot of ways, isn't really employable. So there are no people posting jobs that say: ‘Hey, I need a photographer. I will pay you £20,000 in a year’ or anything like that. You have to be known for something and gradually build things up. I've been able to put myself into a position where I've got a base of ten to fifteen clients, and I've been lucky to work with some fairly high profile organisations along the way. For example, I photographed the Nottingham Caves for the Cave City Festival last year, which was for Nottingham City Council. What would you say to someone just starting out? The first thing I’d tell them would be to just see what happens and what you’re drawn to. Once you start looking at things you get an idea of the sort of images that speak to you. Also, it’s important not to worry about whether the particular technical details of the image are right, but rather to just explore, use the camera and dig deeper.

What projects have you undertaken during lockdown? I've been photographing the view from my bedroom window for the past year and a half. I found I can make a really interesting scene with it, looking across the window with a very, very wide lens. Also, with there being so many different weather conditions and times of day, there are so many possibilities. I want to show that you can get completely different results out of what may look like the same mundane piece of scenery. Who are your favourite fellow Notts photographers? I think Nottingham has got a very interesting, wide and fervent creative scene with a lot of interesting people. Probably one of my favourites is a chap called Peter McConnochie who goes by the name of UrbanScot. His style is very personality-led portraiture, which is very different to what I do. He's been able to keep that project running for a while, and it's been thoroughly captivating. I guess my favourite, and the photographer that influenced me the most, is a chap called Scott Wilson. He used to live in Nottingham, but is now based in Denver, Colorado. His take on the urban landscape was something that really inspired me, and proved pivotal to my growing up and developing my work. He has a really bold style which is similar to mine. He actually became quite notable for overcoming stage four cancer, and in going through that he’s been able to produce a lot of fabulous wildlife work that’s quite well publicised in the United States. What are your plans for the future? I want to see if I can use this time to grow my business further and take on new clients, but I'm also expanding what I do in terms of offering prints. I've been selling them on my website, as well as my Nottingham calendar project, which in recent years I've used to raise funds for Autism East Midlands. This is a cause that’s very important to me because I'm on the autism spectrum. It's very important to be able to show those of us on the spectrum can do well and find our way. And finally, I've got a photo book coming out, which is like a pocket guide to Nottingham which showcases some of the quirky things that have happened within the last two or three years. picturedbylamar.co.uk facebook.com/lamarfrancoisphoto

It was one of the worst wartime disasters in British history, as well as the country’s biggest involving an explosion. The month marks the 102nd anniversary of the Chilwell Catastrophe, in which a World War One ammunition factory exploded, killing 134 Nottingham workers and injuring dozens more... There’s a reason World War One is still referred to as the Great War, as never before in the field of human conflict had warfare been enacted on such a large scale. Less than a century after Napoleon was finally defeated at Waterloo, warfare had moved on to such an extent that the ordinary soldier, though still important, had been sidelined by the rapidly evolving nature of technological warfare. Artillery was nothing new on the battlefield – General Han Shizhong used it to capture the city of Fujian in 1132 – but the sheer scale, accuracy and impact of artillery had been revolutionised. The total number of shells fired during the war is estimated to be in the high hundreds of millions, if not billions, with the German army alone being said to have fired over 350 million rounds during the four-year conflict, and shell explosions estimated to have accounted for around 60% of deaths on the battlefield, as some artillery could hit targets up to 80 miles away. The staggering demand for artillery shells posed a problem for a British army that was hopelessly ill-equipped at the war’s commencement. Woolwich arsenal could not match the demand, leading to such a shortfall of shells that, over a year into the war in 1915, artillery units were still having to heavily ration the amount of shells they could fire in a day. Once news of the scandal reached the breakfast tables of the British public, then Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George persuaded the Prime Minister that there was a desperate need to create a Ministry solely tasked with munitions production. Determined to find men of “push and go” George tasked Viscount Chetwynd with finding a site suitable to host a factory large enough to meet the demand for explosive shells, as well as investigating the most efficient method of producing them. Time was of the essence. Chetwynd had no experience in either explosives or shell production, but understood the importance of efficiency and endeavor. He settled on Chilwell as the site, and soon established an experimental unit – named the National Shell Filling Factory – in which, over the next three years, the majority of British artillery rounds fired during World War One would be produced. The site was on flat ground, with good road and rail links, but also placed in enough of a dip that, should an explosion occur, surrounding areas would be shielded. His next problem came with finding workers. The heart of Britain’s engineering workforce had been ripped out, equipped for war and sent to the Western Front, and older workers proved too difficult to retrain – even those that could adapt were far too few in number. The answer? Britain’s great untapped workforce: women. Prior to World War One, women played little part in manufacturing, save for some light and often poorly paid

work. Suffragettes had been campaigning for the vote for half a century, and carried that battle into the War with the demand to work and support the effort. Emmeline Pankhurst met with Lloyd George and arguments raged as valuable time was wasted, but eventually women were permitted to work in the factory. This brought with it a range of new changes to the factory, including the building of new toilets and the provision of canteens, as a large number of them were severely malnourished.

The blast was heard for over 30 miles, even shattering windows two miles away in Long Eaton Often overlooked as an integral cog in Britain’s war machine at the time, female workers often out-performed their male counterparts, quickly proving themselves more than able, and making a mockery of the debate that had raged to keep them out of the workplace. Smaller hands and more nimble fingers made them adept at performing the more delicate tasks involved with shell production and by 1916 the Chilwell factory had produced over a million shells, 25,000 mines and 2,500 large bombs for the RAF, all less than nine months since production began. Employing 4,000 women (around 40% of the total workforce) who routinely worked 12-hour shifts, the National Shell Filling Factory would go on to produce over 60% of the total shells used by Britain during the war. At its peak in June 1918, the factory produced 46,725 shells in a single 24-hour period, setting a national record. The work was not without its dangers, however. The workers at Chilwell were the first to exhibit the yellowed skin and green hair that came as a nasty side effect to handling TNT, and chest pains, nausea and skin irritations were a constant complaint. Many became ill, some died, but work continued, as human safety was but a minor distraction in the grand scheme of efficient productivity. The nature of the work led to two more constant safety concerns: explosion and sabotage. The first seems like a natural byproduct of creating such a large number of explosive materials every day, and the latter also has an air of inevitability about it, considering the integral role the Chilwell factory was playing in Britain’s war effort. Then, in July 1918, just four months before the end of the war, a devastating explosion tore through the factory. It’s hard to comprehend the sheer scale of the destruction it caused, but the blast was heard for over 30 miles, even shattering windows two miles away in Long Eaton. Body parts were blown into the air, scattering bloody red ribbons around the land of neighboring farms, and early reports of sixty deaths were sadly optimistic. In total, the blast killed 134, severely injuring another 250 as

Chilwell became the biggest explosive disaster in Britain’s history. So brutal was the impact, that the majority of the victims could not be identified, and what remains could be recovered were buried unnamed in a mass grave in Attenborough village. No true explanation for the incident has ever been found. Smaller explosions had occurred at the factory before, but nothing remotely close to this scale. Some have speculated that disaffected electricians sabotaged the plant, whereas others have rumoured IRA or fifth columnist involvement. Sabotage had long been suspected within munitions production factories, as a disproportionate number of shells failed to explode during battle. Over a century later, those unexploded shells are still being discovered in Flanders Fields, averaging at least one fatality a year, including two as recently as 2014. The extent of the problem – which has become known as the ‘Iron Harvest’ – is such that there remains a dedicated Belgian army squad, DOVO, which deals with the collection and destruction of the dormant shells, which unearths around 100 tons of munitions every year, many of which would have been manufactured right here in Nottingham. Scotland Yard launched an investigation into the Chilwell explosion, and Lord Chetwynd was convinced his factory had been sabotaged, even going as far as to name who he suspected to be the culprit. However, the event remains shrouded in mystery as the report was never published, and Chetwynd would never learn of its findings. Today, a small obelisk to memory of the victims stands on the site of the explosion, inscribed with a bizarrely statistical memorial: “Erected to the memory of those men and women who lost their lives by explosions at the National Shell Filling Factory Chilwell 1916–1918. Principal historical facts of the factory. First sod turned 13 September 1915. First shell filled 8 January 1916. Number of shells filled within one year of cutting the first sod 1,260,000. Total shells filled 19,359,000 representing 50.8% of the total output of high-explosive shells both lyddite and amatol 60pd to 15inch produced in Great Britain during the war. Total tonnage of explosive used 121,360 tons. Total weight of filled shell 1,100,000 tons.” Even in death, the workers lost to the explosion are remembered only for their productivity. It’s incredulous that Britain's largest loss of life during a single explosion during the Great War came not on the battlefields of France and Belgium, but in a factory in Chilwell. More incredulous still is the fact that those 134 victims, many of whom remain unknown, continue to rest without justice. The Big Notts Quiz Answers

1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (d) 5. (c) 6. (c) 7. (c) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10. (c) 11. (c) 12. (a) 13. (a) 14. (d) 15. (d) 16. (a) 17. (b) 18. (d) 19. (b) 20. (a) How did you do? 0-4 – Pain Meadows 5-9 – Poorvil and Dean 10-13 – Tryin’ Clough 14-17 – Robin Good 18-20 – Sleaford God

LeftLion Magazine - July 2020 - Issue 127

Articles inside

Out of Time: The Chilwell Catastrophe

Find Your Focus

Nusic Box

Music Reviews

Flying High

Dancing into the Future

Go Nuts For Doughnuts

Hop Art

Lockdown Laughs

Class Clowns

Death in Exile

F for Film: Hollywood's Diversity Problem

Art Works: Naa Ahinee Mensah

Art Works: Kai-Yan Lai

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These...

The Big Notts Quiz: The Finale

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Book

The Honey Effect

Change of State

History Makers

Gay Up, Me Duck

Your Disco Needs You

Queer Today, Gone Tomorrow

Rainbow Reels

The Show Must Go On

Next Steps...

Can You Hear Us Now?

Generation Now

Snap Notts: Anti-Racism Protest

Pick Six: Kitty Tray

City Stylin'

Overheard in Notts

Talkin' with The Thompsons

Notts Goss with Jenny Joss

Editorial