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Love Notts this February half term

School is out! Half term is here and there is so much to do, see and explore across the county. You might be tying yourself in Notts trying to work out what to do – but you and your families will fall head over heels for our top picks of things to do during half term.

This half term you could:

• Walk a magical fairy trail at Rufford Abbey Country Park
• See touring family theatre show Boxed In at Inspire Libraries
• Experiment at the Festival of Science and Curiosity
• Take part in free Lunar New Year crafting sessions at your local library
• Search for the first signs of spring as you explore our country parks.
• Find SEND specfic activities on Notts Help Yourself 

There really is something for everyone, and it’s all right here on our doorsteps. That’s a lot of reasons to #LoveNotts.

Latest news

New fostering tree at Mansfield Central Library

We unveiled a new mural at Mansfield library to highlight the importance of foster care and the need for new foster carers in Nottinghamshire. Young people from Sutton Road primary and nursery school joined us to share what family means to them and highlight how important it is for every child in Nottinghamshire to grow up in a safe, loving home environment. Find out more about fostering and how to add your leaf to our fostering tree.

Join us for SEND engagement events

We are holding engagement events in March for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and other stakeholders. Come along, get involved and share your ideas for how we can improve SEND services.

NottAlone Live

This Children’s Mental Health Week, 5 – 11 February, NottAlone hosted two exciting events for invited schools to bring children and young people to. They attended workshops, talks and performances themed around mental health and wellbeing. More than 1,000 children attended and enjoyed activities including dance, art, yoga and climbing as well as musical and spoken world performances. NottAlone supports children and young people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to access local, tailored mental health support and advice. On the website there is tailored information for parents and carers to support the young people in your own life. There’s also specialised advice for professionals working with young people. Search for @NottAlone1 on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram to see snapshots from the events as well as mental health and wellbeing tips for young people on Instagram, and advice for parents, carers and professionals on X.

What's on

Magical fairy trail

Rufford Abbey

Embark on a whimsical journey through woodlands, meadows, and lakes, where fairies and pixies await.

The trail is on daily from Saturday 10 - Sunday 25 February.

Trail sheets are £2.50 per child (prize included), they are available from the Courtyard gift shop from 10am - 3:30pm.

Magical Missions!

Inspire Libraries with Nottingham Playhouse

Join Marian on a magical mission which takes us far away from Sherwood Forest, with guidance along the way from the Magical Major Oak. A playful and interactive practical session for children aged 2 to 4 and their grown-ups. 

• Kirkby in Ashfield Library -  Wednesday 28 February, 10.30am
• Sutton-in-Ashfield Library -  Wednesday 28 February, 2pm
• Worksop Library - Thursday 29 February, 10.30am
• Retford Library - Thursday 29 February, 2pm

Competition

Win a family theatre trip to see Boxed In

We have four tickets (there must be at least one adult in the group) to see Boxed In at Mansfield Central Library on Friday 16 February at 11am. 

Boxed In is a playful show about (mis)understanding the rules. The show explores the unspoken barriers of attitudes, social etiquette and behaviour that surround us. How do you know a barrier is there if you can’t see it? And if you can’t see it, how can you remove it?

To be in with a chance of winning tickets to the performance send an email with your name to competitions@nottscc.gov.uk by midnight on Sunday 11 February. Please check that you are definitely able to attend the performance (Friday 16 February at 11am) before submitting your entry. 

Suitable for ages 3 - 6, accompanying children under 18 months are free and do not require a ticket.