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6 January 2009 | Our local time: 06.12 GMT | ||
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Nottingham in the East Midlands lies on the River Trent and has a population of about 660,000. There are good rail connections to London and the north-east from the station, and the NET light railway moves people from here around the city.
The heart of Nottingham City Centre is the Old Market Square. Most of the main shopping streets surround the square and The Council House is at the top of the square. Inside the Council House is the Exchange Arcade, a shopping centre. A bohemian quarter of the city known as Hockley has arisen in recent years; this is situated close to the attractively redeveloped Lace Market area.
Nottingham is a sporting hotbed for football, cricket, skating, tennis and rowing with a number of major venues on the south side of the Trent. The annual Nottingham Goose Fair in October is one of Europe's largest travelling fairs, with a history that dates back over 700 years.
Boots the Chemist was founded in Nottingham in 1849 but is no longer a research-based pharmaceutical company. A combination of former Boots researchers and university spin-off companies have spawned a thriving pharmaceutical/science/biotechnology sector. BioCity, the UK’s biggest bioscience innovation and incubation centre, sits in the heart of the city and houses around thirty science-based companies.