This is the final episode in the current series of this podcast.

We've been telling the story of the Nottingham Arena/National Ice Centre from conception to planning to building with all the highs and lows in between.

This episode celebrates the achievements of 2 long-serving members of staff - Lee Smith is senior events manager and has been here for over 20 years; Cherry Knight joined the organisation in 2004 and only recently retired.

Hear them both in conversation, along with their own personal highlights from working in the East Midlands biggest entertainment venue.

A reminder that you can catch up on all the episodes so far here:

Nottingham Arena @ 25 | markdennison8

(also available on Spotify/Apple/Audible)

In our last episode, Martin Ingham (CEO of the Nottingham Arena and National Ice Centre), took us behind the scenes-he pointed out the best seats in the house, described how he was once booed off his own stage and shared some of the great success stories of the venue over its 25 year history.

This time, Martin describes the impact of Covid on the arena and on the entertainment/sports industry as a whole and gives an insight into how the sector is recovering in 2025.

Also, you'll hear from Donna Gately-she's General Manager and has worked at the arena since 2002. She describes how she came to work in Nottingham, what makes her proud and how important teamwork is in this industry.

Donna also recounts her funniest moments in her career so far.

We really hope you enjoy this episode!

In this series, we've been telling the story of the Nottingham Arena and National Ice Centre from conception to build, with some of the pioneers involved in the project , as well as Olympic gold medallists Torvill & Dean.

In episode 8, we took you behind the scenes with CEO Martin Ingham who told you about the time he was booed off his own stage and just whereabouts in the arena are the best seats in the house?

This is a brand new, bonus episode featuring a Nottingham superstar.

Jake Bugg was born in Nottingham 6 years before the arena was built...he started playing gigs as a teenager and performed at Glastonbury aged 16, having been featured on BBC Introducing.

He's played the arena before and here, he shares his experience of those shows, touring America and what's next our favourite Clifton lad.

This interview was recorded backstage at the Arena, just before an acoustic performance at a gala dinner for the 25th anniversary.