It?s wonderful to see the huge changes that are underway as work progresses in the Broad Marsh area. Complementing the new Nottingham College and Broad Marsh Car Park, Bus Station and Central Library buildings, the surrounding streets are a far cry from what was there before.

One area I?m particularly impressed with is what used to be ugly scrubland around the tram viaduct in front of where the new college now stands. This is now a pleasant parkland area and lovely walking route into the city, with new planters, trees, benches and tables and stepped areas for further seating, along with colourful murals on the columns of the tram viaduct.

A great feature of this work is the removal or reduction of traffic from the area, with a section of Canal Street reduced to buses, taxis and bikes only, and a new cycle lane linking up with the one along Castle Boulevard. The section of Carrington Street alongside the new car park and library is now fully pedestrianised, with new paving, benches, planting and trees, along with heritage-led improvements to building frontages. At the top of Carrington Steet, Collin Street will get similar treatment and will provide a link via the ?green heart? element of the reimagined Broad Marsh site to Listergate and the city centre beyond.

There?s more to do and some work starts next week to resurface Middle Hill which will require some overnight closures. Find out more about this and the rest of the progress here.

It?s great to see that The Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library has now delivered a total of 400,000 free books to under-fives, which is a fantastic gift to the children of Nottingham.

The Imagination Library is proven to improve children?s literacy levels so that they are more likely to be ready to start school when they turn five. Age-appropriate books are addressed to the child personally every month from birth, allowing them to build up a library of 60 over five years.

The charity remains reliant on the generosity of sponsors and fund-raisers like the Domlal Foundation, which pledged ?12,500 in 2021, and Eden PR which donates its time free of charge to support the promotion of the Imagination Library.

At the moment the scheme only has the funds to support the current enrolment and has had to stop enrolling new children in some areas of the city. Therefore, now more than ever, we really need the support of people and businesses to donate. Just ?2 can help pay for a child to get a new book, while ?125 pays for a child to get a book every month from birth until their fifth birthday.

Donations can be made through the website here. Every little really does help.

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Action Fraud have issued another warning about criminals pretending to be Ofgem to scam people around energy rebates. In just two weeks in August, over 1,500 different scam emails were reported. Remember ?energy companies and Ofgem will not push you to give them your details. Please be on your guard if you receive any emails or texts about applying for an energy bill rebate by a certain deadline.

Do you have a smart meter? Ahead of the expected 80% rise in energy bills from 1 October, customers are being reminded of the danger of allowing energy companies to estimate your bills, which could lead to paying too much or too little and racking up large debts. Check if you can get a free smart meter now from your energy company.

Nottingham Green Festival is back at the Arboretum on Sunday 11^th September. Now in its 29^th year, Nottingham Green Festival provides a place for everyone to learn and explore ways to become more environmentally friendly and ethical in their everyday lives.

The event will have loads of family friendly activities, live music, tasty vegan catering, and stalls from local green businesses. The City Council?s Carbon Neutral Team will be attending this free event, with loads of information on how you can support Nottingham to become the first carbon neutral city in the UK by 2028. Drop by the stall between 12-6pm to speak to the team!

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