Light Night returns to illuminate Nottingham on Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 10pm.

The event is free to attend and people of all ages are invited to explore the city after dark. You can see more than 30 immersive and interactive light-based installations, performances, and activities across the city centre.

Some of the incredible light sculptures and installations are:

✨ Our Beating Heart at Old Market Square

✨ Geist at Sneinton Market Square

✨ Neon Dreams On Their Way To You at Nottingham Castle

✨ The World Has Gone Pear Shaped at Sussex Street

✨ Un-Reel Access at Sneinton Market Avenues

✨ Waterfall of Lights at Binks Yard

Other performances and experiences include Tom Dale Company at Nottingham Contemporary, local artists on the Binks Yard music stage, Standing Ground at St Mary’s Church, Pugin Illuminated at Nottingham Cathedral, City Arts pop-up carnival performances outside Nottingham Central Library, and Art Matters at the Robin Hood Statue.

Light Night visitors can download the free It’s in Nottingham app to plan their visit, or pick up a printed event guide from the Tourism Centre on Smithy Row.

In line with the city’s ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2028 (known as CN28), the majority of installations for Light Night are powered by zero-carbon electricity using Nottingham City Council’s green energy tariff.

The Council is working collaboratively with businesses, residents, and public sector and community organisations to deliver significant reductions in Nottingham's carbon emissions, in order to play our part in tackling the climate crisis.

Read more and see the full programme here…

Residents are being urged to register to vote in upcoming elections for the East Midlands Combined County Authority and Police and Crime Commissioner.

Voters across Nottingham, Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire will go to the polls for the first-ever elected East Midlands Mayor on Thursday 2 May, after councils gave the go-ahead to devolution for the region. 

You will also be able to vote for a Police and Crime Commissioner, who is responsible for policing across the county, ensuring the delivery of an effective and efficient police service.

Voters need to be on the electoral register by 11.59pm on Tuesday 16 April to vote in the upcoming elections. Anyone over 16 can register online, although you must be 18 to cast a vote.

It takes just five minutes to register and all you need is your National Insurance number. You can register to vote here…

We’ve teamed up with the county council to pursue the idea of expanding the water fluoridation programme across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Fluoridation has been shown to reduce the likelihood and extent of tooth decay in adults and children. In both of our council areas, children’s dental health is worse than in many other parts of the country, and, in the UK, tooth decay is the most common reason for children between the ages of six and ten to be admitted to hospital.

Locally, there is an average of more than 750 hospital admissions each year for tooth extractions in children and young people.

Last week, my colleague Councillor Linda Woodings, who has responsibility for health, and our Director of Public Health, Lucy Hubber, joined their county council counterparts, Councillor John Doddy and Jonathan Gribbin at Nottingham train station.

John and Jonathan later hand-delivered a letter, on behalf of all the partners, to the Department of Health and Social Care in London, seeking approval from the Secretary of State for the extension of the water fluoridation scheme in our area.

You can read more here…