April 2026
Monthly Recap of April
April was buzzing in the Meadows! We celebrated the launch of our very first Repair Café, enjoyed our regular Action Day and Edible Meadows sessions, and put some exciting new plans in the pipeline. Keep reading to find out what’s coming next!
Are you going to Nottingham’s Climate Assembly?
Nottingham's first city-wide Climate Assembly starts this weekend. A climate assembly is a deliberative democracy process where a diverse, representative group of citizens are randomly selected to learn about, deliberate on, and recommend solutions for climate change policies. Sixty people from across the city have been selected to take part, exploring the question: “What would we like the environment of Nottingham to be in the future, and how can we move towards it?”
The Meadows DIY Club has been working on a stand which will be used throughout the weekend! Check it out.
“Rather than simply choosing between options, participants deeply engage with evidence, hear different perspectives, and reason together. Climate change impacts everyone differently, and everyone has different ideas about what should happen. This is why decision making needs to involve local communities, otherwise they risk being unfair.” - Nottingham Climate Assembly
The weekend of Climate Assembly action kicks off this Saturday, 9 May, 11am–5pm at Nottingham Contemporary, with the Nottingham Green Partnership Exhibition. It’s open to everyone - no booking required, just turn up!
Join a fun, thought‑provoking day for all ages. Discover local climate action projects, meet the community groups shaping Nottingham’s sustainable future, and take part in free planting, arts and crafts workshops.
Don’t miss our exciting mural activity, and stop by to learn more about our projects and what’s coming next.
We’d love to see you there!
Meadows Menders Repair Café: A great first event!
Our first Repair Café at AMC Gardens was a fantastic success, bringing people together for a day of fixing, learning, chatting, and giving well-loved items a second life. From small household items to treasured belongings, it was wonderful to see so many people coming along to get involved!
Across the day, 49 items were brought in, with 28 repaired - saving plenty from going to waste and proving just how valuable a little repair know how can be. Take a look at the repairs in action below.
A huge thank you to all our amazing repairers and volunteers for generously sharing their time and skills, and to everyone who came along and made the event such a warm and friendly occasion.
Keep your eye out for details of our next Repair Café session, we’d love to see you there!
What the Edible Meadows got up to this month
During April’s Edible Meadows we had a great session. We sowed veg and flower seeds, planted lettuce, broad beans and sunflowers, added compost to the potatoes, and sorted some of the pathway with cardboard and woodchip.
We also spent time litter picking and weeding together. It's amazing what can be achieved in just two hours and so lovely to see everybody chipping in to look after our local spaces. We even welcomed two new faces - the more the merrier!
Check out the photos
Join us next time on Thursday 21st May, meeting at the Bridgeway precinct at 5:30pm. Sign up here.
April’s Action Day
During last month’s action day, we were called in by Jola at Victoria School to help create new raised beds for the children and refresh some older ones. We were glad to step in!
After a slightly chaotic start with half the team at the front and half at the back of the school, we quickly regrouped and got moving. Despite it not being our usual Saturday slot, eight volunteers showed up and we got to work. In just 1.5 hours, we built five raised bed borders, battled a few stubborn drill bits, and fixed the trellis with cement thanks to Alex and Jola’s husband, which is now solid and secure.
Sunshine, good energy, and elderflower juice to top it off made it a pretty perfect session. Then it was off to the hub for dhal and a consultation that sparked some really interesting conversations - more on that soon!
Join us for June’s Action Day on Saturday 6th June, meeting at 10am at the Bridgeway Centre. Sign up here.
Green Learning Update
Recently, our Green Learning Assistant Alice has been working with pupils at Greenfields Community School to plant seeds, create birds’ nests and create new gifts from old materials. She also helped with a litter pick led by Greenfields, picking up lots of litter around the school area.
At Victoria Primary School, the students have been learning about rivers, the animals that live there, and how they are affected by pollution and climate change.
Bike Ride & Picnic with Nottingham Cycling Style
Join Nottingham Cycling Style for a relaxed group ride and picnic on Saturday 9th May, 10:45am–3pm. We’ll meet at 1881 Café, Victoria Embankment (NG2 2JY).
It will be sociably paced and a medium-long ride on tracks, bridleways and towpaths - 95% traffic free!
Bring your own picnic or pick something up at Cropwell Bishop Co‑op on the way. We’ll stop for lunch at the scenic St Mary’s Church ruins, with shaded spots and views over open countryside. Black Hairy Footed Bees like to nest in the church masonry, they are a sight to behold.
On the return, there’s the option to stop for a drink at the bike-friendly Embankment pub.