There's been some more good news this week with the announcement that Reuters is going to set up a sub-editing operation in Nottingham's Chapel Quarter so that staff can escape the high cost of living in London.
According to Richard Marby, Reuters' European Editor, it's purely voluntary, employees can choose whether to make the move or not, they'll keep their London salaries and get up to £5000 to help them relocate.
The office is going to be up and running by the end of this year so we thought we'd help anyone thinking of relocating by writing a (tongue-in-cheek) Survival Guide to Nottingham! If you fancy moving up to the Midlands (where the living is easy and the average house price is just over a quarter of that in the capital) this is for you...
According to Richard Marby, Reuters' European Editor, it's purely voluntary, employees can choose whether to make the move or not, they'll keep their London salaries and get up to £5000 to help them relocate.
The office is going to be up and running by the end of this year so we thought we'd help anyone thinking of relocating by writing a (tongue-in-cheek) Survival Guide to Nottingham! If you fancy moving up to the Midlands (where the living is easy and the average house price is just over a quarter of that in the capital) this is for you...
The Chapel Quarter
Understanding the locals
Nottingham may be only 130 miles from London but we sure do talk differently to you southern folk.
Cob
In Lancashire it's an oven bottom, in Liverpool it's a nudger, to you it might be a bun or a bap or a roll – but to us it's a cob. Ask for a bread roll in a bakery up here and you'll get some very strange looks.
Aye up me duck
I know you won't believe me but people in Nottingham genuinely use this as a greeting, it pretty much means, "Hello my dear". Honestly!
Fuddle
If someone invites you to join them in a fuddle don't be offended. Round these parts it means a communal meal where everyone contributes some food, like you might do at work for a special occasion.
Nesh
It's a few degrees colder here than in London so the weather might take a bit of getting used to and if you complain about it in the meantime the locals will call you nesh = someone who feels the cold.
Mardy
If someone calls you nesh you could get mardy, that's what us Midlanders call it when you're in a bad mood.
Getting around
By bus
Nottingham has the best public transport in the country – our buses run around the city and beyond night and day, they're on time, they're clean, they're not over-crowded and there's some special bus etiquette you should know about...
People queue for buses. Let me say that again, people queue for buses. They stand in a line on the pavement and when the bus arrives everyone gets on in turn. Sometimes people even do that, 'After you', 'No, after you' thing.
It's amazing.
And even more amazing is that if there too many people to stand in line, everyone remembers the order everyone else arrived at the bus-stop in so that they can still get onto the bus in turn even though there isn't an actual queue. It took me a long time to get used to this one.
The other weird thing is that bus drivers smile and say 'Aye up' when you get on and passengers say 'Thank you' when they get off. People even make eye contact with each other sometimes and there are reports of strangers striking up good-natured conversations on public transport.
By tram
We don't have enormous metal tubes packed full of commuters screeching through tunnels in the under-belly of the city but we do have clean, green, modern machines called trams.
They're above the ground, they're reliable, they're never over-crowded and they're a very nice way to travel. Again, beware the friendly people who might smile at you or try to pass the time of day with a conversation!
Nottingham may be only 130 miles from London but we sure do talk differently to you southern folk.
Cob
In Lancashire it's an oven bottom, in Liverpool it's a nudger, to you it might be a bun or a bap or a roll – but to us it's a cob. Ask for a bread roll in a bakery up here and you'll get some very strange looks.
Aye up me duck
I know you won't believe me but people in Nottingham genuinely use this as a greeting, it pretty much means, "Hello my dear". Honestly!
Fuddle
If someone invites you to join them in a fuddle don't be offended. Round these parts it means a communal meal where everyone contributes some food, like you might do at work for a special occasion.
Nesh
It's a few degrees colder here than in London so the weather might take a bit of getting used to and if you complain about it in the meantime the locals will call you nesh = someone who feels the cold.
Mardy
If someone calls you nesh you could get mardy, that's what us Midlanders call it when you're in a bad mood.
Getting around
By bus
Nottingham has the best public transport in the country – our buses run around the city and beyond night and day, they're on time, they're clean, they're not over-crowded and there's some special bus etiquette you should know about...
People queue for buses. Let me say that again, people queue for buses. They stand in a line on the pavement and when the bus arrives everyone gets on in turn. Sometimes people even do that, 'After you', 'No, after you' thing.
It's amazing.
And even more amazing is that if there too many people to stand in line, everyone remembers the order everyone else arrived at the bus-stop in so that they can still get onto the bus in turn even though there isn't an actual queue. It took me a long time to get used to this one.
The other weird thing is that bus drivers smile and say 'Aye up' when you get on and passengers say 'Thank you' when they get off. People even make eye contact with each other sometimes and there are reports of strangers striking up good-natured conversations on public transport.
By tram
We don't have enormous metal tubes packed full of commuters screeching through tunnels in the under-belly of the city but we do have clean, green, modern machines called trams.
They're above the ground, they're reliable, they're never over-crowded and they're a very nice way to travel. Again, beware the friendly people who might smile at you or try to pass the time of day with a conversation!
A tram
Myths & Legends
Glastonbury has King Arthur and his Knights, Scotland has the Loch Ness Monster, Cornwall has the Beast of Bodmin, and we have a man in green tights. Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men is a legend, sadly he didn't really exist but you can still go on tours led by the Sheriff of Nottingham (not the real Sheriff of Nottingham) or Robin himself (not the real Robin) around the city.
The other myth you might have heard about Nottingham – that there are 7 women for every man – isn't true either I'm afraid. Apparently it goes back to the days when lace-making was the main local industry and the story goes that thousands of women were brought into Nottingham to do the work, and outnumbered men.
Glastonbury has King Arthur and his Knights, Scotland has the Loch Ness Monster, Cornwall has the Beast of Bodmin, and we have a man in green tights. Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men is a legend, sadly he didn't really exist but you can still go on tours led by the Sheriff of Nottingham (not the real Sheriff of Nottingham) or Robin himself (not the real Robin) around the city.
The other myth you might have heard about Nottingham – that there are 7 women for every man – isn't true either I'm afraid. Apparently it goes back to the days when lace-making was the main local industry and the story goes that thousands of women were brought into Nottingham to do the work, and outnumbered men.
Our local legend
Despite that Nottingham is an awesome city, we've got two top Universities, some of the best schools in the UK, amazing stuff to do at the weekend (the National Water Sports Centre is on our door-step, the Peak District is up the road, there's the River Trent, Sherwood Forest and loads more).
We've also got great culture (Nottingham Playhouse, the Theatre Royal, the Lace Market Theatre, the Royal Concert Hall, Broadway Cinema), a multitude of wonderful eateries (Iberia, escabeche, World Service, Hart's, and too many other great restaurants and pubs to mention)... and soon we're going to have a new addition to the thriving business scene. Why wouldn't you want to live here?!
Feel free to leave a comment and tell us your favourite thing about Nottingham. Ta-rar for now!
We've also got great culture (Nottingham Playhouse, the Theatre Royal, the Lace Market Theatre, the Royal Concert Hall, Broadway Cinema), a multitude of wonderful eateries (Iberia, escabeche, World Service, Hart's, and too many other great restaurants and pubs to mention)... and soon we're going to have a new addition to the thriving business scene. Why wouldn't you want to live here?!
Feel free to leave a comment and tell us your favourite thing about Nottingham. Ta-rar for now!
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