Thousands of people in Leicester will receive unique Diwali postcards through their letterboxes this week, sharing stories of people’s experience of the Festival of Lights – a major part of the city’s cultural calendar for more than 40 years. Over 10,000 homes will receive the postcards tomorrow (16 October), which form part of We Bring Light: Leicester’s Diwali Legacy, an anniversary research project set up to celebrate an event that is central to the identities of the South Asian community. Supported by fintech company Marshmallow, the two-year project has been driven by the city arts organisation Inspirate, whose executive director, Jiten Anand, grew up in the Belgrave community – the traditional heart of Leicester’s Diwali celebrations. It comes at a time when support for the festival in Leicester has been reduced due to funding constraints at Leicester City Council, which last year withdrew its financial backing for the long established Diwali lights switch-on event. Jiten said: “Generations have celebrated the Diwali lights switch-on and we are here to honour their story. We want to bring hope and light to the people of Leicester and the rest of the world. “The legacy of what Diwali festival has brought to the local, national and global South Asian diaspora will always continue. Hopefully, our project can add to that story – we’re an arts organisation telling the story of the city’s heritage and want to do what we can to keep Diwali alive.” Specially designed by artist Sharonjit Sutton, the Diwali postcards are one of five elements of the We Bring Light: Leicester’s Diwali Legacy project. They are also the culmination of two years of work by lead researcher Malini Chakrabarty, who spoke to generations of people in the city’s South Asian communities about their lives and experiences. Alongside the postcards reaching thousands of homes, the project also includes a short documentary film created by film maker Kieran Vyas, a website designed by Sharonjit Sutton, a display of glowing Diwali lanterns designed and crafted by children in local schools, and a mural on Belgrave Road created by acclaimed artist Shiraaz Ali. Meghan Elliott of Marshmallow said: “We know how important community and connections are, which is why we’re proud to sponsor We Bring Light. “This project shines a spotlight on resilience, diversity and human connection and supporting it is a natural extension of our mission to empower those who step outside the norm to create brighter futures for themselves and their families.”

Derbyshire nursery founder Margaret Mason OBE has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Nursery World Awards, recognising her extraordinary contribution to early years education across the UK over more than 70 years. Margaret, who founded Children 1st Day Nurseries in Long Eaton in 1988, has dedicated her life to giving children the best possible start. From one nursery on Breedon Street in Long Eaton, she built one of the UK’s most respected nursery groups – educating and caring for thousands of children and employing hundreds of people across Derbyshire and beyond. Many of her nurseries were recognised by Ofsted as Outstanding, a reflection of the high standards and strong values she championed throughout her career. Alongside running her nurseries, Margaret also played a key role in improving quality across the whole early years sector in the UK. She became the first Chair of the National Day Nurseries Association, helping to raise professional standards and give a national voice to private and voluntary childcare providers. Her commitment to children and families has been recognised nationally too. In 2017, she was awarded an OBE for Services to Education. Last year, Margaret completed the sale of the Children 1st group to national nursery provider Storal, ensuring the future of the nurseries she created. She has retained one setting in Derby, Maggie’s Day Nursery and Forest School in Breadsall – which continues her approach to early years education. Maggie’s is also home to the Margaret Mason OBE Children 1st Trust, a charity Margaret established to support vulnerable children and families across Derbyshire. The Trust helps to provide essentials and emergency childcare to families experiencing hardship, ensuring that every child can access care and learning when they need it most. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Margaret by Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, at a ceremony in London on Saturday 27 September. Paying tribute to her impact, he said Margaret had “a life dedicated to making the lives of others better – and that is a true lifetime achievement.” Commenting on being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, Margaret Mason OBE said: “I am honoured to have received this award and feel so proud of what we’ve achieved. This award isn’t just mine – it belongs to every member of our team, past and present, who has shared that same passion for giving children the very best start in life. “When I opened my first nursery, I just wanted to create a place where children could feel happy, safe and inspired to learn. I never imagined it would grow the way it has or touch so many lives.”

Nottingham is setting its sights on becoming a host city for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035, with a reliance on Nottingham Forest’s re-development of the City Ground. At a meeting of its Executive Board next week, the City Council will decide whether Nottingham should proceed as a part of the UK bid to stage the event due to be submitted to FIFA at the end of November. If the UK proposal to host the event is successful, with a decision by FIFA due in April 2026, Nottingham would be one of up to 20 cities shortlisted as a part of the bid. A final selection of between 14-16 host cities and stadia is expected to be made by FIFA in 2030. The Nottingham host city bid would be subject to Nottingham Forest’s re-development of the City Ground and compliance with FIFA stadium requirements. In a document for the Executive Board meeting the council notes that if this re-development does not take place or is delayed, the opportunity to host the tournament in the city would not be possible. The council added that the bid represents an “ambitious once in a lifetime opportunity for Nottingham to host a truly world class sporting event.” Expected England-wide economic outputs hosting the tournament is forecasted to be £1.9bn GVA and creating 31,000 jobs, plus significant benefits of social value, volunteering, participation and a feel-good factor. It is expected that Nottingham, if selected as a host city, would host seven matches as a part of the tournament. Based on this it is estimated that the host city GVA would be in the region of £20m.