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.

In our last episode, we featured a conversation with former Nottingham Arena/NIC CEO Geoff Huckstep. Onto the latest edition and it's rather fitting that we feature the current CEO Martin Ingham. He joined the operation initially as finance director and became Chief Executive when Geoff retired in 2016.

In this podcast, Martin takes us behind the scenes of the arena and shares some of his proudest moments and gives a fascinating insight into running such a huge operation.

Also, listen out for a few stories of when things haven't quite gone to plan:

*when was he booed off his own stage?

*what happens when the ice melts before an... ice show?!

*how to deal with a last minute show cancellation (before the days of social media)

Find out in this latest episode of The Nottingham Arena at 25.

So far in this series, we've been telling the story of the Nottingham Arena and National Ice Centre-from conception to planning, to building and everything in between.

This episode focuses on the human side of the operation - Geoff Huckstep joined the business in 2003 and here, he gives an honest account of his time as CEO.

From the struggles of the early days, to his feelings of joy when things are going well, Geoff shines a light on what it means to be a great leader and how to overcome obstacles. It's a fascinating insight into how to go about positioning a new venue on the national and international stage, especially at a challenging time for the city of Nottingham.

We really hope you enjoy listening!

While telling the story of the Nottingham Arena and National Ice Centre over the last 25 years, we want to feature every part of the venue.

With that in mind, we'll be showcasing ice sports soon and taking you behind the scenes, as well as meeting some of the people behind the scenes.

In this episode, it's all about the Nottingham Panthers.

In the last few days, they've become 2025 Playoff Champions in a dramatic games that saw them win then lose, then win again!

You'll hear from fan favourite and ex player David Clarke reflecting on this momentous win, as well as his own time on the ice in Nottingham.

Firstly, someone with a long association with the club and the venue-he started off as equipment manager and is now Chief Operations Officer, Adam Goodridge.

The story of the early days of the Nottingham Arena and National Ice Centre continues in this episode.

Colin Dyson may not be a familiar name to many people, but he had a key role in the planning and building of the venue-at the time, he spent 13 years doing this and has some really interesting insights into the process. He's also a huge Panthers fan and I'd like to personally thank Colin for helping to put me in contact with several other great guests for this series.

Secondly, you'll hear from Graham Chapman-at the time, Graham was Deputy Leader of Nottingham City Council-the authority's backing was crucial in the Arena getting built and here, he outlines some of the challenges involved.

We want to feature every part of the venue to mark our 25th birthday and there'll be a full episode devoted to the Panthers very soon.

What a weekend for Panthers fans-they made it to the final....they won, then they lost...but in the end, they did win and became Playoff Champions 2025-congratulations to the whole team and what a fitting year to do it!

In this special bonus episode, we chat to someone who doesn't give many interviews-he joined the club many years ago as equipment manager. These days, he's Chief Operations Officer, Adam Goodridge.

Don't forget to check back for our full Panthers episode and for more on our Arena/National Ice Centre story.