We increasingly rely on volunteers who carry out invaluable work across all Nottingham City Council services, and this Saturday we are celebrating them and their contribution to our city at Nottingham Arboretum between 11am ? 3pm.

The Volunteer Celebration Event will provide an opportunity for volunteers to connect with others, share their experiences and discover other volunteering opportunities in the areas. Come and join our Celebration Event with live music, arts and crafts, Tai Chi demonstrations as well as other family friendly activities.

Volunteers include:

• Nottingham Green Guardians who help to maintain and improve our green spaces from caring for nature reserves to planting over 13,000 trees in the last year
• Nottingham Museums Service volunteers who help with the smooth running of Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, Newstead Abbey, Brewhouse Yard and the soon to reopen Nottingham Castle
• Nottingham Libraries service volunteers who help children with their homework, deliver books to those who can?t travel to libraries and teach new skills to all
• All the amazing people who volunteer in any way in Nottingham to improve our city.

Another group are our Nottingham Clean Champions who help to keep our streets clean of litter, and they have planned Nottingham?s first-ever Big Spring Clean weekend as part of the celebration. With our clean teams, they are running litter pick events around the city this weekend ? if you?re signed up as a Clean Champion, please come along!

The big weekend celebrating our planet is taking over Nottingham this weekend, and I?m looking forward to taking part. Green Hustle Festival is jam-packed with events and activities from inspiring talks, live music, pop-up gardening, and more.

Officers from the City Council will be attending to talk to visitors about our ambition to be a carbon neutral city by 2028 and giving advice on what you can do to play your part by reducing waste, travelling sustainably, improving green spaces in the city, and improving the energy efficiency of your home.

Head down to Old Market Square to join in with the main festival between 11am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday, and have a look at the hundreds of fringe events that are taking place all over Nottingham. Join in with the Green Hustle litter pick on Sunday 4 June in Old Market Square ? meet at the Left Lion at 10am

I will be visiting the Green Hustle and hope many of you will join me in enjoying the many attractions. Plan your visit to the festival.

A collaborative bid led by Nottingham City Council has successfully secured ?277,671 of Government funding to accelerate progress towards local climate goals.

The bid to the Net Zero Living: Fast Followers competition was submitted in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council, Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council.

The project will enable the region to create a plan to engage with local communities on ways they can reduce their carbon footprints ? for example by having a heat pump installed at their home. An energy plan for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will also be created, which will allow the region to map out a clear pathway to reducing energy from fossil fuels and carbon emissions.

Achieving net zero targets in the region requires partners to work together, and the Fast Followers funding will build on the positive collaboration between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to date.

More here