Challenge Nottingham

🔎 Family Arts Explorers at National Justice Museum !

Our Family Arts Explorers have been busy discovering some of Nottingham’s brilliant cultural spaces this summer.

At our recent visit to the National Justice Museum, two groups of families stepped back in time with a tour of the Gaol and historic courtrooms, before taking part in a treasure hunt in a Victorian Narrow Marsh, getting creative and drawing their own maps inspired by what they’d explored. 🗺️✏️

Families had a brilliant time exploring together, getting creative and experiencing the museum in a fun and welcoming way.

Family Arts Explorers is part of ChalleNGe’s Child Friendly Creative City programme, bringing families from across Nottingham together for free visits to the city’s arts and cultural venues. Along the way, families get to enjoy creative activities and share their feedback to help make Nottingham’s cultural spaces even better for children and families.

What a fantastic day at Hoopla! 🎨✨

It was wonderful to see so many children and families stopping by the ChalleNGe Summer Arts Pop-up, enjoying creative activities and making art together.

A huge thank you to Sarah Manton Sarah Manton for running our stall and creating such a welcoming, creative space throughout the day.

Missed us? There's still time to catch Hoopla! this summer:

📍 6 August – Forest Recreation Ground (behind Homemade Café)
📍 11 August – Melbourne Park, Aspley
📍 13 August – Bulwell Forest Garden

Hoopla! is a free, family-friendly outdoor festival for children aged 0–4, packed with puppetry, music, play, performance and art, produced by City Arts (Nottingham) . We'd love to see you there!

FamilyFun ArtsForAll Nottingham

It’s Global Day for BAF Team on Bulwell Hall Park! We’re having an amazing day full of creativity, dancing and music!
Here until 5pm today. Completely blown away with the variety of stalls, activities and amazing people involved. Big shout out for Nicola Curzon for bringing us all together! OVP

Birds and boats galore! We’re excited to welcome hundreds more pupils to Squire Performing Arts Centre to see Un Ocean d’Amour with French theatre company La Salamandre and take part in artist-led workshops today and tomorrow! Nottingham Puppet Festival Connecting Notts Sarah Manton Bryony McCombie Smith.

LOOK! Y9+ Drama & English Teachers!
FREE Hands-on Teacher CPD
Mon 23 March 2026, 3.30-5.30pm at Lakeside Arts.

This immersive session will:
- Explore creative approaches to teaching Macbeth through drama, visual storytelling, and classroom activities
- Provide ready-to-use resources to support literacy, comprehension, and engagement
- Help you unlock the play’s themes, characters, and language in ways that resonate with students
- Give teachers tips to support students to complete their written exam

Sign Up! https://bit.ly/4lFOIiT

✍️ Interested in writing? Join this event at Wollaton Hall, and be inspired like young people were last year!!

‘A brilliant and informative insight into creative careers’,
‘Excellent variety of speakers, Inspirational for young people’,
‘Very inspiring to hear from people from different backgrounds’, ‘Very informative – I learnt a lot as a student considering a career in writing.’

📅 Tuesday 10th March 2026
⏰ 4pm - 7pm
🎫 £2.90 per person (includes booking fee)
🚗 Parking charges apply

Aimed at students and young people aged 14-25, enjoy a series of talks and activities with professionals from various backgrounds, to share how they use written language in their lives and careers.

➡️ Discover more and plan your visit:
https://wollatonhall.org.uk/writing-for-life/

Register your free place
Thurs 2 July 2026, 1.30-5.30pm
You’re invited!
Join colleagues from across Nottingham for this year’s in‑person Summer Gathering / Creative INSET, a free event designed to spark inspiration, connection and fresh ideas for your school’s creative journey.

This year’s theme — Creativity, Inclusion and Belonging — speaks directly to the heart of what teachers do every day. Expect:

✨ Hands‑on creative workshops led by brilliant local arts providers
✨ Practical ideas you can take straight back to your classroom
✨ Updates and insights from the SEND/Galleries Group and the Nature Connections projects
✨ A chance to explore Nottingham College’s City Campus
✨ Dedicated time to start shaping your Cultural Rucksack opportunities for 2026/27

Whether you're teaching in primary or secondary, this is a chance to step away from the busy day‑to‑day, reconnect with your own creativity, and gather new approaches to support your pupils’ imagination, wellbeing and sense of belonging.

Come and be inspired, informed and revitalised.
Free places are available - register now to secure your place.

We’re excited to be supporting to help connect people across Nottingham with an opportunity that builds confidence, skills and community.

From 21 March to 8 April, volunteers, aged 16-24 years, can give just 4 hours to local community projects — and earn a ticket to an exclusive Tinie Tempah show at Rock City.

Nottingham RockCorps is a powerful way for young people to:
✔ Gain hands-on experience
✔ Build confidence and transferable skills
✔ Strengthen their CV
✔ Be part of something positive in their city

If you work with young people, or know any! Please share this opportunity across your networks.

Sign up now 👉 www.nottinghamrockcorps.com

Get ahead and sign up for our next Primary Culture Meet, Mon 27 April 4-5pm.

Join for an online update with arts providers to hear first hand what’s coming up across the arts, culture and creativity sector. Stay at the heart of these exciting conversations, one of the key characteristics of a Cultural Rucksack school - helping you plan more meaningful, creative experiences that link classroom learning with Nottingham’s vibrant cultural scene.

Come along, get inspired, and discover new opportunities for your pupils this term. We warmly invite all schools to join in!

https://bit.ly/PrimaryCultureMeetApr2026
(Photo credit: Lakeside Arts)

Spring is in the air and our latest newsletter for Primary colleagues has landed too! See what connections and opportunities you can grow to build a cultural entitlement in your school. Its bursting with ideas, resources, exhibitions and so much more across Nottingham.

Share it in your teams and sign up for future editions
🎯 https://bit.ly/4f28PU9

Schools can also submit ideas for their own action learning proposals for up to £1500 towards Nature Connections projects; and also bring Ideas to our 'Test and Pilot fund' to support pupil visits to galleries, theatres and museums in Nottingham.

✅️https://bit.ly/PrimaryENewsMar26