Category Archives: Uncategorized

I’m now conducting my marketing and copywriting business as Natter. You can find out more at www.nattercomms.com.

I’ll hopefully have some new book news soon, which I’ll publish here.

So a lovely, long bank holiday weekend looms ahead, but how best to spend that time? Here is my pick of what to do. It just so happens they mainly seem to involve food and drink, but I’m sure I’ll still find time to eat a ton of chocolate.

Friday

Homemade at the Forest Recreation Ground

Homemade has recently opened their third café in the pavilion on the Forest Recreation Ground, and from the pictures I’ve seen on their Facebook page it looks amazing.  I know it isn’t really a special Easter event, but I had to include it in my list as I can’t wait to go, and I figured the laziness of a bank holiday weekend is the perfect time to.  For those of you that don’t know Homemade, they are a set of lovely independent cafes that serve delicious food, and cakes that are to die for.  If you can’t make it to the Forest, there’s always the Pelham Street one, or the one in Sherwood.

Saturday

Taste in the Park

When the weather is nice I think you can’t beat wandering around a street market, eating food, having a drink and listening to some live music. This event, organised by Nottingham StrEAT, promises to be a family event with a focus on local businesses and talent.  It is going to be in the gorgeous Park Estate, tucked behind Nottingham Castle, and will be on from 12-6pm.  I’ve been following them on twitter for a while now, and the variety of stalls they have been tweeting about has got me really quite excited.  You can see the full list of who will be there here.  It’s going to be the first of a series of monthly events, so fingers crossed it’s good enough to keep us going back all through the summer.

Record Store Day

Record Store Day was originally started in the USA in 2007 to celebrate independent records shops and the music that they promote.  It was taken up by the UK’s independent record stores soon after, and Saturday will see the seventh celebration.  There isn’t a huge amount going on in Nottingham compared to some other cities, but anything that promotes Nottingham’s independent businesses is, in my mind, well worth supporting.  There will be live music and DJ’s all day at The Music Exchange, plus they will be stocking loads of exclusives especially for this event.  In the evening they are then partnering up with Leftlion to put on a Record Store Day party at Nottingham Contemporary with even more live music.  For more information you can visit the national Record Store Day website here, the Nottingham Record Store Day facebook page here, and Leftlion’s overview of what’s on here.

Sunday

Melting Pot: Hyson Green’s Food and Culture Festival

This event, held at the New Art Exchange, is actually going to be taking place on both the Saturday and the Sunday of the Easter weekend.  It’s a celebration of the diversity of Hyson Green, showcasing the different food, music, art and culture the area has to offer. You can find out more about it here.  For the first few years after moving to Nottingham I lived around Hyson Green and Forest Fields, and I have always loved the vibrant mix of cultures that can be seen in the area, so I’m looking forward to this.

‘All Hail The Ale’ Festival at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

If bank holiday Sunday’s are good for anything it’s enjoying a cheeky tipple without having to worry about work the next day.  As if answering our calls Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is holding a real ale and cider festival over the whole bank holiday (it actually runs until Wednesday).  The only information I can find on it is on the Experience Nottinghamshire website, but how much do you really need to know?

Monday

Papplewick Pumping Station in Steam

Despite having wanted to go since I moved to Nottingham, I’ve never been to Papplewick Pumping Station.  It’s not that I haven’t tried, it just wasn’t a very successful trip as it wasn’t open when I did.  I later found out that the Victorian water pumping station is manned entirely by volunteers, and so is only open on Sundays for a couple of hours, as well as when they set it in action on special steam days.  This Sunday and Monday are steam days so I’m determined, rain or shine, to finally go and have a look.  It only gets cranked into action eight times a year so I feel you need to make the most of it while you can.

If any of this isn’t for you, but you still feel like doing something, fear not as there is loads more on.  You could try looking at the what’s on guides of the Experience Nottinghamshire, Nottingham City Council, or It’s In Nottingham websites.  Whatever you decide to do I hope you have a great time, and the weather holds out for us all.