Pondering what’s giving him the positive feels going into 2026, our Environment Editor takes a walk (or more likely a cycle or skate) down St Ann’s Well to tell a small but inspirational tale of hope.
In 2025, many things in Nottingham heartened me - Green Heart hums with bees, birds and dragonflies as its triumph of a planting scheme comes into maturity. Nottingham Canal continues to see community-led renewal. Nottingham College spruced up their Canal Street beds and planted a mini Miyawaki forest on Sussex Street.
Even those controversial roadworks on the not-previously-winning-many-beauty-prizes Maid Marian Way seem to be making the city’s own urban motorway an increasingly green and welcoming area.
Let's not pretend it's all rosy though - homelessness is worse than ever, violence plagues young lives, and these political failures create an oppressive environment which makes some feel less safe, not least of all those at the sharp end. Making a bad situation worse, access to culture and creativity is at risk, with City Arts' Hockley hub facing the threat of closure.
Despite this backdrop, we've even seen several new shops (particularly on Lister Gate), and weekly bar and restaurant openings - this all means more people spending more time, and hard-earned, locally.
City suburbs were a riot of activity. In December we highlighted Wild About Sneinton, a community-created party of planting and regeneration which actually happened twice in 2025 (we called it annual - sorry). Students planted 3,000 trees to launch the ReWild Yourself Community Hub at Bluecoat Beechdale Academy. Nottz Garden Project continue their ragtag campaign to bring food growing to the streets Radford and Hyson Green. 26 community gardens thrive across the city and ‘Friends of’ groups tend our Green Flag awarded parks and other green space. Green Hustle planted 5,000 trees on parks in Aspley and Bestwood and are in the process of upgrading a 6,750m² wildflower meadow. You can get involved with all of the above.
It was a spontaneous bit of neighbourhood magic on St Ann's Well Road near me that got me most hopeful though. Maybe it's of small significance to you or the wider biosphere, but I see it nearly every day. Many studies agree that the state of where we live affects how we feel, but I think we all know that already.
Now local residents get involved in their own public gardening there seems to be less litter too. A bit more pride in the air? I think so
History detour... St Ann's was once farmland. An early mention of The Hunger Hills comes in 1304 (now remembered in Hungerhill Road). The area gains its name from a chapel built for Saint Ann, (Jesus’ maternal nanar) next to a well then famed for its healing powers - soothing sore eyes, by Lenton Priory monks in 1409. By 1577 the area had come to be known as 'Sent Anne Well' and in the 17th century the well was the destination of an annual Easter parade led by the Mayor of Nottingham. Housing development began in 1845 during the enclosure acts that allowed Nottingham's expansion in order to house an exploding population of lace workers; by the 1870s there were 10,000 back-to-back working class houses, then demolished and replaced 100 years later.
Today it still boasts an animal farm in Stonebridge City Farm (it’s amazing and charity-run, please support them as much as possible). The famous St Ann's Allotments are, it’s said by local historians, the oldest in the world. It's a community that feels more rooted and stubborn than other more studenty and upwardly-mobile city areas.
When I moved in three years ago, a couple of rows of railing-top planters sat abandoned and dilapidated, filled with litter. Nine of the original ten still stand, and were in that same state until five of them suddenly sprang to life in July. Yellow, orange and red blooms brightened St Ann’s Well, about where it mysteriously becomes The Wells Road (I tried to find out why but didn’t get any strong answers). Laminated signs cable-tied to the railings read:
"These containers have been planted by students from a local special school as part of a community gardens project. Please water us!"
I learned which school it is on good authority - but as they didn't out themselves I won't say. It might well have been a 'beg permission' rather than an 'ask forgiveness' situation, as guerrilla gardening often is. But I see you. Thank you.
By the next Friday someone had taken it upon themselves to plant up one of the other four. By the Sunday that weekend, finally inspired to act, I nipped to Woodthorpe Plant Shop and filled one up myself. Soon, the remaining two magically filled.
What heartened me most is how it just took that little act - a teacher’s idea - to spark a chain reaction. I’d always meant to do something about those planters myself, but never pulled my finger out. This was the gentle nudge we all needed.
Whilst planting it I received warm smiles, words in a range of accents, and beeps of encouragement from a City Council van. One elderly fella passing huffed that "they'll all be ripped out by tomorrow" - sir, they haven't.
Now local residents get involved in their own public gardening there seems to be less litter too. A bit more pride in the air? I think so.
It feels like once a year in these pages we have to say it how it is about the climate - pretty s**t. We've passed the first tipping point with coral reefs. The sixth mass extension is accelerating. Africa's forests are now expelling more carbon than they capture. As predicted here in November 2021 we’ve exceeded 1.5°C of global warming. Professor Kevin Anderson told the recent National Emergency Briefing that we're well on for 2°C of warming by mid-century and could hit 4°C by its end - that's civilisational collapse.
Yet here in St Ann's, I feel oddly hopeful… Yeah, Earth is doomed, but as Artist Martin Rayment - frontman of the Nottingham band named Earth is Doomed! - put it at their epic Hockley Hustle set over at LeftLion neighbours The Grove - it's meant optimistically. "Earth is doomed - so go and do something about it".
That’s the point of this ramble through Notts’ green happenings. Let this be a year of change, however small you start. You might just inspire the next person. Then push, push harder, and don’t rest until our whole society and beautiful planet is back in balance.
This school's little intervention in St Ann's and the community action that followed has been a sight for this Environment Editor's sore eyes.
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