NottAlone.org.uk, a website sharing local mental health advice and support for people of all ages in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, is thrilled to announce the launch of its brand-new podcast, The NottAlone Podcast, coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May).

Co-hosted by NottAlone founders and educational psychologists Dr. Orlaith Green and Dr. Maddi Popoola, the podcast encourages real and open discussions about mental health and wellbeing.

Dr. Orlaith Green, NottAlone co-founder and Principal Educational Psychologist and Head of Service for Psychology & Inclusion Services at Nottinghamshire County Council said:

“The message we are trying to put out there is that life comes with challenges, but no matter what you’re going through, you are not alone."

You ‘May’ not have heard but this half-term, group discount bus travel is back, bringing unbeatable savings for travel across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Starting Saturday 25 May, bus passengers can save up to a whopping one-third on travel costs thanks to the Nottinghamshire and Greater Nottingham Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP), a collaboration between the city and county councils and local bus operators.

Special group tickets are available from CT4N, Nottingham City Transport (NCT), Stagecoach East Midlands, and trentbarton. These discounted group tickets are designed to make days out with friends or family more affordable during the school holiday and the offer lasts until Sunday 1 June 2025.

Foster for East Midlands was proud to support Foster Care Fortnight, the UK’s largest campaign to raise awareness of fostering, led by national charity The Fostering Network.

This year’s theme, The Power of Relationships, celebrated the vital connections that sit at the heart of every fostering journey. From the deep bonds between foster carers and children to the support of social workers, friendships within fostering communities, and relationships with birth families—these connections shape lives, create stability, and open doors to brighter futures.

Talented young people took to the stage on Thursday 15 May to showcase their skills at a special Foster Care Fortnight celebration for Nottinghamshire’s fostering families and fostered children and young people.

Fostering's Got Talent, organised annually by Nottinghamshire County Council, saw the local fostering community come together at West Notts College’s Create Theatre in Mansfield to celebrate the young people’s talents as well as to meet and socialise with fellow foster caring families.

This year’s event showcased skills including dancing and singing. The winner was selected by audience votes. The winner received tickets to the live semi-final of popular ITV show Britain’s Got Talent in London, courtesy of Fremantle and Thames TV.

Retailers in Nottinghamshire are being reminded that from 1 June, it will be illegal to sell, offer to sell, or supply single-use or ‘disposable’ vapes. The new law applies to all shops and online retailers. All single-use vapes are included in the ban, even if they do not contain nicotine. 

Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards is advising retailers to stop buying new stocks of single-use vapes and to sell any existing stocks before the ban comes into effect. It will also be a legal requirement for retailers to arrange for any unsold single-use vapes to be collected by a registered vape recycling service by 1 June 2025.

Gamston, near Retford, is among the places to undergo mosquito surveillance this summer as part of a national project to understand mosquito activity across Britain.

The UK Health Security Agency is working with Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to increase surveillance on land along the River Idle near Retford, Nottinghamshire, where nuisance biting from Aedes vexan mosquitoes has taken place in previous years.

Work has already been undertaken in Gamston to improve the natural environment by reshaping the wetland and reducing the flood risk to minimise suitable habitats for the mosquitoes, which has greatly improved the issue.