As the summer holidays get underway, I would encourage local people to make the most of the new ticket arrangements at Nottingham Castle, which reopened a month ago today. It is £12 for adults and kids aged 15 and below go free for entry for the whole year

This is set to particularly benefit local residents, who we hope will come back again and again over the summer, whether it’s to immerse themselves in the fascinating galleries, descend into the amazing caves beneath the castle, or simply stroll around the beautiful grounds and take in the stunning views over the city.

Already over 20,000 people have visited the historic site in its first month and have discovered the great range of interesting things to see and do, including:

• New visitor centre and café
• Hood’s Hideout adventure playground in the dry moat
• Robin Hood Adventures and Rebellion Galleries offering modern, interactive experiences
• The newly reinvigorated Brewhouse Yard museum
• A Land Train.

There’s also a series of open theatre shows taking place on the site in August, a special Windrush exhibition and other events planned over the summer.

More here

There’s plenty of other holiday activities in Nottingham throughout August that will keep you and your family entertained.  Nottingham Beach opened yesterday and will be in place in the Old Market Square for the whole of the school holidays, until Sunday 3 September.

There are also Active Nottingham School Holiday Activities, Nottingham City Library Holiday Activities and Holiday Arts Club taking place throughout the summer break. Other ideas to plan into your summer schedule include:

Week 1 

• Children’s Bread Baking | Green’s Windmill – Saturday 29 July – 10:15am 

Week 2 

• Summer School at Wollaton Park – Tuesday 1 August – Thursday 3 August  
• Summer Family Activities: Dress Rehearsals – Nottingham Contemporary – Tuesday 1 August – Thursday 24 August 
• Biscuit Baking – Thursday 3 August & Saturday 5 August
• Games Day | Green’s Windmill – Friday 4 August – 10am-4pm
• Nottingham Riverside Festival – Friday  4 August – Sunday 6 Aug 

Week 3 

• Jungle Book Theatre Performance – Monday 7 August – Friday 11 August 
• Hoopla – Forest Recreation Ground – Wednesday 9 August 

Week 4 

• THE HARE & THE MOON | Lakeside Arts, University of Nottingham – Saturday 13 Aug & Sunday 14 Aug 
• Scone Baking – Thursday 17 August & Saturday 19 August – 10:15 
• Games Day – Friday 18 August – 10am – 4pm 

Week 5 

• Fruity Cupcake Baking – Thursday 24 August | Saturday 26 August 
• Games Day – Friday 25 August – 10am – 4pm   
• Bulwell Bogs Family Fun Day – Saturday 26 August – 11am-3pm.

Information about more events is available here

Nottingham City Council will be carrying out overnight resurfacing works on key city centre routes this August. These works starting next week will mean the roads are completely resurfaced with new tarmac, creating a new road surface that is expected to last for around 25 years. 

This project is funded by Transforming Cities via the City Centre Cycle Routes project, following earlier works to add cycle lanes to these areas. 

To keep disruption to a minimum, works are taking place: 

• Overnight between 8pm – 5am
• On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, with no works on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights
• During August when traffic is normally lighter.

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As we see extreme heatwaves and wildfires in Southern Europe, it is clear that our efforts to tackle the climate crisis are more vital and urgent than ever. Our changing climate makes extreme weather events much more likely, including heatwaves, flash flooding, and wildfires. In the UK, June 2023 was the hottest year since record began in 1884. 

As scientists have confirmed this week, the climate crisis is largely driven by activities we do that burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere - for example driving a petrol car, flying in a plane, and heating our homes with gas.

In Nottingham, we have set an ambitious target to protect future generations by becoming a carbon neutral city by 2028. We need everyone to get involved if we are going to reach our aim. Here are some things you could consider to reduce your carbon footprint:

• Calculate your carbon footprint so you can understand where you could minimise your emissions
• Travel actively or using Nottingham's brilliant public transport services
• Improve the energy efficiency of your home with personalised tips
• Reduce the amount of things you buy and consume
• Eat for the planet by reducing the amount of meat and dairy in your diet.

Our Green Rewards app has loads of ideas to help you get started on your sustainability journey. And for getting involved, you could win prizes each month. Sign up now.