Notts Going On — Spring Festival and Long Stairs
Seasonal wines and days out, a grade II listed home in Cropwell Butler, open steps, and more...
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Notts Going On
By Eve Smallman and Sam Swain
What’s On 🗓️
Spring Wine Tasting Night 🍷
When: April 23
Where: Jenkins, Sherwood
How much: £30pp
One of Sherwood’s chicest bars is hosting a first look at its seasonal wine selection. Hosted by expert sommelier Raj Solanki, you’ll enjoy eight carefully chosen wines, alongside a selection of artisanal cheeses. Raj will guide you through each wine, sharing the stories, characteristics, and flavours that make them different. Too busy this week? Jenkins also has a great charcuterie menu, with a bottle of wine and board for two for £30.
Do if: You want to refill your wine cabinet with fresh flavours now the sun’s starting to shine.
BBC Concert Orchestra: Friday Night Is Music Night 🎶
When: April 24
Where: Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham
How much: From £15pp
In this special live edition of BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night is Music Night, the BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Karen Ní Bhroin and Nottingham’s own pianist Clare Hammond come together to celebrate the best in classical music from the big screen. Expect favourites from Amadeus, Chocolat, Up!, Out of Africa and many more.
Do if: You fancy swapping your film night for a film music night.
VW Spring Social 🚗
When: April 24-26
Where: Thoresby Park. Newark
How much: From £10pp adult, £5pp child
Head down to the gorgeous Thoresby Park for a glorious day out filled with VW models. Whether you want to show off your own or see other beauties, there will be over 100 vehicles to view. There will also be over forty traders to shop, live music to dance to, and family entertainment to see. To make it a full weekend, camping options are available.
Do if: You always turn your head whenever a beautiful car or van goes by.
Lived Fiction 🎭
When: April 25
Where: Lakeside Arts, Beeston
How much: From £12pp, concessions available
Experience dance from multiple perspectives in an evening of masterful performances by disabled, neurodivergent and non-disabled creatives. Stopgap’s choreography will have new meaning through audio description, projection art, and creative captioning. This is a relaxed performance, and there will also be a touch tour at 5pm. Tickets are down to the final few.
Do if: You’d like to see some of the finest dance out there – Stopgap is a global leader of inclusive dance.
Spring Festival at the Secret Walled Garden 🌷
When: April 25-26
Where: Wollaton Park, Nottingham
How much: £2pp, children free
Learn about the history of the Secret Walled Garden during this fun weekend, with facts about what was grown and how the garden looked in its heyday over 100 years ago. You can also meet the volunteers restoring its heritage and growing flowers and vegetables there. This will all be accompanied by refreshments and home bakes, books, and plants for sale. On the Sunday, you can also see Victorian bread oven demonstrations.
Do if: You’d love to discover one of Nottingham’s hidden gems in its finest spring form.
More events:
Food and Drink 🍽️
Hot Property 🏡
This Grade-II listed home in Cropwell Butler is perfect for those who love both regency charm and contemporary touches. Highlights include the dining room with intricate wooden panelling, the open-plan kitchen diner with light grey shaker cabinets, and the living room with an ornate fireplace. Upstairs is just as chic, with a principal bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite, as well as five others which are also impressively sized. Outside, the patio is a blank canvas to be played with, as is the enormous lawn. The guide price is £1.975m and it’s marketed by Savills. rightmove.co.uk
News 🗞
🙌 Big steps: One of Nottingham’s most enigmatic historical landmarks, Long Stairs, officially reopened on Sunday for two hours after a restoration project. The stairs were shut and partially destroyed when the slum area was cleared in the 1930s. Over eight years, volunteers led by heritage campaigner Janine Tanner raised £20,000 for clearance and safety work. We visited and it was great to see the hard work pay off and the long queue of people. bbc.co.uk
💸 Fixing up: Newstead Abbey and Nottingham Playhouse have both received money from the government’s Arts Everywhere Fund, which awarded 130 venues around the company a share of a £127.8 million funding boost. The abbey’s £1,550,747 funding will go towards essential roof and drainage repairs, while the theatre’s £285,574 funding will go towards a new lift and energy-efficient lighting. gov.uk
📚 Feeling bookish: Sherwood Library has finally opened after a six-year absence. The opening of the new building in Spondon Street on Friday started with a ribbon cutting ahead of an opening weekend programme of events. Councillor Neghat Khan, leader of Nottingham City Council, told the BBC, “We know how much this library means to local people, and it’s fantastic to see it brought back to life as a bright, modern and welcoming space.” bbc.co.uk
Scores on the Doors 🏆
🌳 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest took a huge step toward Premier League survival with a 4-1 win over Burnley. The Reds fell behind just before halftime, but a Morgan Gibbs-White hat trick, as well as a last-minute Igor Jesus strike, put Forest 16th, five points clear of Tottenham Hotspur. Forest also progressed to the Europa League semi-final, their first European final for 42 years, with a 1-0 win over Porto. Morgan Gibbs-White scored the goal to set up a tie against Aston Villa.
🦌 Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town drew twice in the last week – first a 0-0 away draw with Leyton Orient, before surrendering a two-goal lead against Luton to draw 2-2. The Stags are 15th in League One.
🐦 Notts County
Notts County’s promotion hopes took another huge hit with a 2-1 defeat at home to Barnet. Notts’ only goal came through Jodi Jones, and leaves them 5th in the League Two table – two points behind third-place Cambridge, who have a game in hand.
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