ALL ABOARD

words: Frieda Wignall

Not to brag, but travelling across Nottingham is easier than tying your shoelaces. Okay, not quite, but we do have the award-winning Nottingham City Transport bus service and our beloved NET trams to get us around. If you’re anticipating being a frequent bus user, NCT offers student passes that will give you unlimited travel for the academic or calendar year. A Robin Hood travel card covers both trams and buses on a pay-as-you-go basis, and NCT and tram operator NET each have handy apps on which you can purchase tickets or track buses. Without a travel pass, a student single ticket is roughly £1.80 via bus or £2.10 via tram. Here’s our handy guide on how to get arahnd tahn.

University of Nottingham

University of Nottingham University Park

● Hopper Bus 903 - runs regularly Monday to Saturday until 11.25pm ● Orange Line 34, 35, 36 - every few minutes ● Nightbus N34 - runs through the night until 3.45am ● Pink Line 28, 30, 31 - for Jubilee Campus ● Tram - stops at Queen’s Medical Centre, University Park and University Boulevard

University Park to Sutton Bonington Campus

● Hopper 901 - running regularly from East Drive, University Park, Monday to Friday until 11.30pm ● Skylink - runs via East Midlands airport approx. every hour

University Park to King’s Meadow Campus ● Hopper 901 - from East Drive

Doorstep Delivery

If you’re not living on campus, take… ● Orange Line 34, 35, 36 or the tram to and from Lenton, Beeston and Chilwell ● Pink Line 28, 30, 31 to and from Lenton, Radford and

Wollaton

● Navy Line 1, 3, 4, Grey Line 53, 54 or the tram to and from Clifton ● Turquoise Line 77, 78, 79 or the tram to and from

Arboretum

● Green Line 5, 6, 7, 11 to and from West Bridgford and

Lady Bay

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent University City Campus

● Close to many major bus routes in and out of the city centre ● Tram - stops in the middle of campus

City Centre to Brackenhurst Campus

● Lilac Line 26 - every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes; hourly evening and Sunday daytime buses ● Nightbus N26 - from Nottingham every Friday and Saturday night at midnight, 1.30am and 3am

City Centre to Clifton Campus

● Navy Line 4 - every 7 minutes at peak lecture times; every 30 minutes in the evenings ● Nightbus N4 - runs through the night until 3.15am ● Tram - stops at Rivergreen, a 15 minute walk from Clifton Campus

Trent Barton

If you need to travel beyond the city centre, Trent Barton buses serve counties across the East Midlands, including wider Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Perfect if you need to travel to places or visit people who live slightly further afield!

E-Scooters

If public transport ain’t your jam, you can whizz (safely and responsibly) from A to B using one of our shiny yellow e-scooters - download the Wind Mobility App to see where you can find them.

nctx.co.uk trentbarton.co.uk thetram.net

CARBON NEUTRAL NOTTS

illustration: Natalie Owen

Thanks to its love of solar panels and electric transport, Nottingham has become the UK’s most energy-self-sufficient city. That’s a title we are dead proud of, and we are always trying to improve and expand on what we’re doing – so much so that Nottingham City Council has launched a campaign to make the city carbon neutral by 2028. So, how has Notts painted itself this lovely shade of green?

Trams

By now, you’ve probably noticed the big green machines zipping around town. Our electric-powered tram network spans 18km throughout Notts, and is a great way of getting around the city without emitting any harmful gases. There are stops right outside both universities, meaning you can easily hop on – with your validated ticket – and get yourself to the city centre or the train station when it’s time to visit home.

Parks

Would you believe that 20% of Nottingham is parkland, and around 70 of those parks are Green Flag award winners? As well as being the perfect place for you to take a walk or a stress-relieving jog after a particularly difficult seminar, there are lots of free events held in the parks throughout the year. Both universities have also received Green Flag awards for their efforts in keeping their campuses environmentally friendly. By maintaining a healthy habitat for any wildlife that has settled on campus and producing as little waste as possible, the unis have cemented their green status.

Eco Cars and Buses

Nottingham was the first city in the country to build a brand-new green lane just for buses, taxis and bikes on an existing road, and we’re also home to a fleet of double deckers which are powered using renewable biogas. These buses are expected to emit 3,500 tonnes less CO₂ into the air, and will help Notts have the lowest spread of emissions in the country. To become a Go Ultra Low City, the city has also introduced charging points along its streets for electric vehicles and buses.

Awareness

While the city has already made leaps towards a more sustainable future, we’re far from done. At the heart of the Nottingham 2028 plan is a desire to not only play a part in reducing the threat of climate change, but also that residents can be protected from the impact and made more resilient. Changes that will be implemented – such as trees, wild plants and green spaces added to the city centre, the use of deep mine water to heat homes and the installation of water fountains to reduce single-use plastics – will also help reduce bills and, hopefully, improve the mental wellbeing of our citizens.

Five Small Changes for a Greener Lifestyle

1. Try leaving a bit earlier and walking to places

It will help you to get some fresh air, great for both your body and mind

2. Get on yer bike

Both universities offer a rent-a-bike service for less than the cost of a textbook - so tone your thighs as you save the world

3. Turn off the lights when you leave a room

There’s a reason your mam’s always harping on about Blackpool Illuminations

4. Whack on a jumper instead of turning up the thermostat

The coin you save on heating now can be spent at the pub later

5. Make sure to recycle!

You should know to do this by now, but a reminder is always helpful

If you spot a problem where you live, like rubbish, graffiti or dog poo, let your local council know so they can sort it.

nottinghamcity.gov.uk/reportit

IT’S ALL HOOD

words: Jamie Morris

With the green hat, archer’s bow, and occasionally a goatee, Robin Hood is a true icon of Nottingham. Our home-grown legend has been featured in thousands of different stories around the globe since his conception hundreds of years ago – here are some of the most notable examples of his pop culture presence...

On the big screen

1991’s Prince of Thieves is far from Robin’s first cinematic appearance, but it’s certainly one of the most memorable thanks to its all-star cast. Kevin Costner dons the tights in this interpretation, facing off against Alan Rickman as the Sheriff – we also see Morgan Freeman as fugitive Azeem and Sean Connery as King Richard.

A couple of years later, Men in Tights gave us another iconic take on the hero, this time taking itself much less seriously. Director Mel Brooks loosely follows the story beats set by Prince of Thieves, but fills the film with jokes and musical numbers to keep it light-hearted.

hoodOn TV Before Men in Tights, there was Maid Marian and her Merry Men, a BBC comedy series created by Blackadder actor Tony Robinson. Initially created for children, the show was also appreciated by parents for its underlying social commentary and pop culture references.

The outlaw returned to the BBC in 2006 with a grittier series simply titled Robin Hood. Jonas Armstrong took the lead role in a story intended to have clear parallels with modern-day politics, but it gradually came to a halt due to numerous actor departures over the course of its three-year runtime.

In animation Perhaps the most recognisable version of Sherwood’s hero is Disney’s Robin Hood, featuring the titular character as a charming fox and his pal Little John as a bear. The songs are super catchy and the classic hand-drawn animation can’t be faulted, making this one of the best depictions of Robin Hood out there. A version of the character with a French accent appears in the first Shrek movie, voiced by Vincent Cassel. ‘Monsieur Hood’ and his Merry Men are featured as minor antagonists in this depiction, performing a musical number as they attempt to slay Shrek, before being singlehandedly defeated by Princess Fiona.

In literature

Marian by Ella Lyons reimagines the legend from the love interest’s point of view, moving to Nottingham from the countryside. In this retelling, the Robin Hood she falls in love with is a young woman who wants to become a knight, and ends up protecting her from the king. Mad Cave Studios’ current Nottingham comic-book run also takes a fresh approach to the legend, following the Sheriff of Nottingham as he tries to hunt down the Merry Men in a ‘True Detective-style medieval noir’.