Council leader says better promotion of county will create more jobs and boost economy

And with the right focus, the numbers could be even better.

Nottinghamshire is fortunate to have some great locations, like Trent Bridge, the National Watersports Centre, Rufford Abbey and Sherwood Forest.

Of course, the legend of Robin Hood will always figure prominently, but there is also great history.

It even goes back as far as the ice age, thanks to Creswell Crags, and and not many counties can claim to have formed a country.

But that’s exactly what happened with the Pilgrims, led by William Brewster of Scrooby, who travelled across the Atlantic in 1620 on the Mayflower to settle in what is now the USA.

The final, decisive acts of both the English Civil War and the Wars of the Roses happened in Nottinghamshire, Mansfield was the location for the birth of the Quaker religion, while Jeremiah Brandreth, leader of the Pentrich Revolution – Britain’s last armed uprising – was from Sutton-in-Ashfield.

So Nottinghamshire has a fantastic story to tell, but we all need to get better at telling it.

A new visitor economy strategy was agreed by councillors this month with the aim of increasing visitor numbers by 20 per cent by the end of the next decade, creating 2,900 jobs and an additional £240 million for the local economy in the process.

And modern technology can help bring the county’s amazing past to life.

You can download a copy of the new visitor economy strategy at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk

In the meantime, the council would love to hear more stories about little-known local history or unusual traditions in your part of Nottinghamshire.

Please email Laura Simpson at [email protected]