Notts Groups

The Soft Skills Crisis: What Nottinghamshire's Organisations Need Most — And Can't Seem to Find

Ask Nottinghamshire's group leaders and small business owners what skills they're struggling to find, and the answers might surprise you. It's not coding or data analysis topping the list — it's conflict resolution, financial literacy, and the ability to have a difficult conversation without everything falling apart. We dig into the human-centred capability gaps quietly holding local organisations back.

Jul 28, 2026

Clocking Out for Good: The Nottinghamshire Professionals Rebuilding Work on Their Own Terms

A growing number of Nottinghamshire professionals are quietly walking away from the 9-to-5 grind — not to retire, but to rebuild. We spoke to people who've renegotiated their roles, launched portfolio careers, and designed working lives that actually fit around them, to find out what sustainable work really looks like when you strip away the corporate gloss.

Jul 28, 2026

Running on Empty: The Hidden Crisis Facing Nottinghamshire's Event Volunteers

Across Nottinghamshire, community groups are quietly struggling to find people willing to step up and run events. The experienced organisers who once held everything together are burning out or stepping back — and the pipeline of replacements is worryingly thin.

Jul 9, 2026

Where Did All the Mentors Go? The Guidance Gap Holding Nottinghamshire Back

Nottinghamshire is brimming with ambitious young professionals and hungry new business owners — but many of them are quietly looking outside the region to find the experienced guidance they need. We dig into why local mentorship is harder to come by than it should be, and what some forward-thinking groups are doing to change that.

Jul 9, 2026

The Handshake Before the Contract: Why Nottinghamshire's Best Business Connections Happen Off the Clock

Forget the name badges and elevator pitches — some of Nottinghamshire's most valuable professional relationships are being forged over pub quiz answer sheets and five-a-side football. We look at why the county's casual social scene is quietly functioning as one of its most effective business networks.

Jul 8, 2026

More Than a CV Line: How Young Nottinghamshire Volunteers Are Quietly Building Brilliant Careers

Across Nottinghamshire, a generation of under-30s are discovering that giving their time to local groups pays back in ways nobody warned them about. From running scouts in Gedling to coordinating food banks in Beeston, young volunteers are picking up skills, contacts, and confidence that employers are genuinely clamouring for.

Jul 8, 2026

Profit With Purpose: How Nottinghamshire's Entrepreneurs Are Building Businesses That Actually Give Something Back

Across Nottinghamshire, a quiet but compelling shift is underway. A growing number of local entrepreneurs are ditching the purely profit-first model and deliberately building ventures that weave community benefit into their very foundations. We take a look at what's driving the trend — and what it might mean for the county's business landscape.

Jul 7, 2026

Kitchen Tables and Garden Sheds: The Freelance Revolution Quietly Changing How Nottinghamshire Works

Across Nottinghamshire, a growing wave of creative freelancers is ditching the co-working desk and the city-centre commute in favour of something altogether more personal. From garden studios in Beeston to café corners in Arnold, these solo workers are building professional lives on their own terms — and finding community in the most unexpected places.

Jul 6, 2026

Stalls to Storefronts: How Nottinghamshire's Independent Makers Are Betting on Bricks and Mortar

For a growing number of Nottinghamshire's creative entrepreneurs, the leap from market stall or online shop to a permanent physical premises is less a gamble and more a calculated act of faith. We spoke to the makers who took that leap — and found out what really happens when you put your name above a door.

Jul 6, 2026

Better Together: Why Nottinghamshire's Savviest Business Owners Are Cosying Up to the Competition

Forget undercutting and one-upmanship — a growing number of Nottinghamshire businesses are discovering that working with their rivals is actually better for the bottom line. From shared referrals to co-hosted events, the county's business community is quietly rewriting the rules of competition. Here's how they're doing it, and how you can too.

What Your First Nottinghamshire Networking Event Won't Prepare You For (But We Will)

Networking events in Nottinghamshire have their own flavour — and if you walk in expecting the polished, pitch-heavy atmosphere of a London business breakfast, you're going to have a strange morning. This is an honest guide to the unspoken rules, the subtle dynamics, and the genuine opportunities that define the local professional scene, written for anyone who's ever stood in a hotel foyer with a lukewarm coffee wondering what on earth they're supposed to do next.

New Life in Old Walls: How Nottinghamshire Is Turning Forgotten Spaces Into Places That Actually Work

Across Nottinghamshire, buildings that once sat half-empty or fell into quiet neglect are finding remarkable second acts. From market halls to former factories, local people and organisations are transforming civic infrastructure into buzzing co-working spots, maker spaces, and social enterprise hubs. It's a quiet revolution happening right under our noses — and it's changing what community actually means in the East Midlands.

Beyond the Group Chat: The Real Tech Keeping Nottinghamshire's Community Groups Running

Forget Facebook and WhatsApp — Nottinghamshire's clubs, charities, and volunteer groups are quietly building impressive digital setups to keep things ticking. We looked at what's actually working on the ground, and what still needs a rethink.

Small Town, Big Ambitions: Why Nottinghamshire's Market Towns Are Winning Over a New Wave of Entrepreneurs

Southwell, Bingham, Retford, Worksop — these aren't names that typically appear in think pieces about entrepreneurial hotspots. But talk to the business owners setting up shop there, and a surprisingly compelling picture starts to emerge.

Pottery, Plot Holders, and Print Studios: Why Nottinghamshire's Niche Groups Are Quietly Redefining What Community Looks Like

Across Nottinghamshire, a new kind of community is taking root — one built around shared obsessions rather than shared postcodes. From foraging walks in Hucknall to linocut evenings in Arnold, passion-led groups are pulling people together in ways that formal organisations often can't. We spoke to the founders behind some of these grassroots collectives to find out what's really going on.

Network or Go It Alone? A Straight-Talking Guide for Nottinghamshire's Independent Business Owners

Joining a local business network sounds like a no-brainer — until you're sitting in a hotel meeting room at 7am wondering if this is really how you want to spend your Tuesday. For sole traders and small business owners across Nottinghamshire, the question of whether to network formally is one worth thinking through properly. Here's the honest version.

The Quiet Backbone: Meet the Everyday People Who Keep Nottinghamshire Running

Behind every thriving community initiative, sports club, or local business network in Nottinghamshire, there's usually someone who never sought the limelight. We sat down with a handful of those remarkable individuals to find out what drives them — and what the county would look like without them.

Jul 4, 2026

Clicks, Chats, and Church Halls: How Nottinghamshire's Community Groups Are Embracing the Digital Shift

From WhatsApp groups to Zoom AGMs, Nottinghamshire's community organisations are finding clever ways to stay connected in a world that rarely slows down. We look at how local groups are blending the best of the old and new — and what it really takes to make it work.

Jul 4, 2026