Purple Flag award recognises Nottingham as a vibrant and well-managed city

Across the UK, just like the Green Flag for parks and the Blue Flag for beaches, the Purple Flag is a mark of quality assurance awarded to towns and cities which demonstrate a real commitment to creating vibrant, safe and well-managed visitor destinations. For Nottingham, this means that the city centre has been independently assessed, and partners have been recognised for their hard work and dedication to achieving high standards of destination management. The Purple Flag award is important for residents and visitors to Nottingham because it gives them the reassurance that every aspect of their visitor experience is being fine-tuned to make it the best it can be. 

Vibrant and exciting events 

Nottingham’s Purple Flag recognises our home as a big city with a small-city vibe. Whether you’ve lived here for years or have just arrived as a student or visitor, Nottingham offers a friendly welcome for all. Youthful and fiercely independent at heart, Nottingham punches above its weight with what it offers people who want to socialise in the city – major sporting and entertainment venues within easy reach of the city centre, bars, restaurants and night clubs of all sizes and catering to all ages and tastes – with frequent, safe, affordable and well-managed public transport options at the end of the night.  

Add into the mix the varied events and activities run by It’s in Nottingham and partners including Nottingham City Council – including the Ay-Up Market – and the result is a broad social and cultural mix which brings in thousands of people each year.  

Recognised partnerships and safety initiatives  

Initiatives like Safe Space Notts, run in partnership with the Consent Coalition, are well-established in Nottingham, and were highlighted for what they offer to venues and consumers, from regular high quality training to a user-friendly website which makes finding a welcoming and safe venue quick and easy - just in case. Nottingham’s Best Bar None scheme, one of the largest city-based schemes in the UK sees around 100 licensed venues recognised annually for their hard work and commitment to staff and customer welfare, accessibility, and creating memorable social experiences. 

It’s in Nottingham, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Partnership and the Nottinghamshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, alongside safety partners including University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, have been credited by the Purple Flag awarding body as creating and maintaining strong effective, strategic partnerships to ensure safety in the city centre is a priority focus for all.  

Innovative publicity and marketing  

During their visit to Nottingham, Purple Flag assessors noted the positive impact that street art has on the cultural diversity and attractiveness of the city centre, from the popular Art Fest with its centre in Broad Marsh and Nottingham’s Green Heart, sponsored by It’s in Nottingham, to the unique, celebratory Purple Flag mural on Belward Street which raises the profile of the award in a new and very Nottingham way. 

Alex Flint, CEO It’s in Nottingham said: “This award recognises the hard work of the It’s in Nottingham team and of our valued and important partners across the city – without whom we couldn’t deliver this outcome for Nottingham.  

“We’re very keen to share the news that the Purple Flag award not only shows that we are working together for our city, but also the wide range of safety initiatives, exciting events and activities which have been highlighted by assessors, and which make Nottingham a place people enjoy visiting and spending time in.” 

Nottingham's Purple Flag Partners -

The It's in Nottingham team would like to express gratitude to the partners across Nottingham who have made this award possible, including -  

• Nottingham City Council
• Nottinghamshire Police
• The Nottinghamshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
• Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Partnership
• University of Nottingham
• Nottingham Trent University
• Consent Coalition
• Street Pastors

Check out all our Business Crime Reduction Partnership schemes and initiatives you can equip your city centre business with, to make Nottingham a safer and more vibrant place to work, study, live and play.