On Saturday 20th November 2010 the lively demonstration and march called by Notts Save Our Services assembled on the Forest Recreation Ground. Well over one thousand residents, workers, service users, pension and welfare recipients, parents, teachers, university and school students from all over Nottingham and Notts brought themselves along on a misty morning, and carried placards and banners against cuts. We marched to Nottingham city centre down Mansfield Road and many more people clapped from the pavement or hooted horns as we passed. At Speakers’ Corner a rally was held with many speakers explaining the effect of the cuts and encouraging more people to get involved with Notts SOS. Queens Street had to be closed to accommodate everyone.
Watch a video of the march as it left the Forest (links to photos are further below) and an edited video of some of the speeches on the podium and singing before and on the march.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-CktNNTb44&feature=player_embedded#!]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzGj-xvhZbA]
Read press release advertising the march and rally: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/679.
Read collected media including photos following march and rally on Notts Indymedia: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/697
Look at pictures of the march and rally from the Trades Council website: http://www.nottstuc.org/2010/11/pictures-from-todays-demo.html
Lots more photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideonmack/sets/72157625306734629/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshcunninghamphotography/sets/72157625492249146
BBC Nottingham news article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-11803578 (only 500 though! Journalist must have counted or estimated numbers at the beginning when the march was assembling whereas we did a proper roadside count on Mansfield Road). Anyway ITV News said it was 3000! See also Evening Post website coverage.
More reports and media to follow.
Well done to all that marched. We hope this will inspire more people to get involved with Notts SOS. In January we will hold a conference in Nottingham to work out a wider strategy as we know there are many and diverse ways the government cuts will affect our lives. In the meantime we hope that more anti-cuts groups will form whether around a specific campaign like Save Gedling School or with a general ‘save our services’ aim. Notts SOS planning meetings are held on Mondays in the International Community Centre. Details of these meetings and other planned events can be found on our website.
To find out just some of what’s happening in Nottingham and Notts, read our Newsletter –
Notts SOS Newsletter No. 1: [Word version] [PDF version]
