City centre beach enjoyed by hundreds from Hucknall and Bulwell axed because of Covid

The beach takes place every summer in the Old Market Square and would normally have opened next week to coincide with the start of the school holidays.

But Nottingham City Council and the Mellors Group, which has Bulwell roots, have revealed there will not be a 2021 instalment.

Bulwell’s Coun Eunice Campbell-Clark, the city council’s portfolio holder for leisure, culture and schools, said: “The beach is hugely popular with local families so we know many people will be really disappointed it won’t be going ahead this year.

“We’ve been considering the city’s summer programme very carefully over the last few weeks, weighing up the specific risks associated with each event. There are still a number of events that can go ahead safely but the Beach presents particular issues due to the nature of the event, the number of people attending and its location in the middle of a busy city centre.

“While most restrictions have ended today as part of step four of the government’s national roadmap, Covid cases continue to rise in Nottingham and around the country so it’s absolutely vital that we go carefully.”

A spokesperson for Mellors Group said: “We’re also very disappointed to cancel this year’s Nottingham Beach event. However, safety comes first and with the rising number of cases around the UK and Nottingham, both Mellors Group and Nottingham City Council decided the best thing to do would be to cancel this year’s event and wait until it’s safe to throw a party to remember next summer. We know that this isn’t the best news but we hope that everyone understands our decision."

The beach joins Splendour and the Riverside Festival as events that have had to be cancelled this year due to ongoing uncertainty around Covid. Splendour organisers dhp have confirmed the event will be back in 2022 and that they are currently talking to acts from this year’s line-up to check their availability for next year. People with a ticket for this year are being urged to hold on to it as it will be valid for 2022’s festival.

There will still be plenty of great events and attractions in Nottingham this summer.

Nottingham Castle has reopened following its £31m transformation and Wollaton Hall hosts the Titus: T.rex is King exhibition with the first real T.rex skeleton seen in the UK for over a century. The Nottinghamshire Pride Festival was postponed earlier in the summer but will now take place on Saturday, September 11.

Other events include:

Outdoor cinema screenings with The Luna Cinema coming to Wollaton in August and Newstead Abbey at the end of July.

Arboretum Sunsets Festival at the beautiful Arboretum park with live music for all tastes, quizzes, bingo nights, comedy, food and beer festivals.

Open air theatre at Wollaton Hall and Newstead Abbey until August 20.

Clifton’s own Jake Bugg headlining The Hundred, a brand-new cricket competition with lots of music and pitch side entertainment thrown in, with the first game for Nottingham’s team, Trent Rockets, at Trent Bridge this Saturday, July 24.

The ever-popular Bands in the Park with shows planned at the Arboretum and at Victoria Embankment for August and September.

For more information, visit www.whatsonnottingham.com.