It was all aboard to meet esteemed Nottingham author Clare Harvey as she took to a very special tram to launch her latest novel.
The Dame Laura Knight tram hosted the event – because its namesake, the Nottingham born world-renowned war artist, is at the centre of Clare’s latest novel, The Night Raid.
It tells the story of Dame Laura’s work on a portrait of two Nottingham munitions factory girls escaping from the past.
For Clare, keeping history alive is a passion – one she couldn’t wait to share with a group of schoolchildren from George Spencer Academy who boarded the Dame Laura Knight at the NET depot, Wilkinson Street, for the book launch.
From there, Clare headed across the city to a number of venues well-served by the tram network, delivering a talk and book signing at Djanogly Art Gallery, Nottingham Lakeside Arts, before a meet the author event at Lady Jayne's Vintage café, and a book signing at WHSmith in the Victoria Centre.
“It really was an excellent day,” said Clare. “It seemed so appropriate to make Dame Laura’s tram the centrepiece of the event and to have young people along, with a keen interest in history, meant a lot to me.”
Dame Laura had a tram named after her last year in recognition of a 70-year career during which she became, in the 1930s and 40s, the most famous female artist of her day, the first artist to be made a Dame and the first woman to be elected to the Royal Academy.
NET Marketing Manager Stephanie Moss-Pearce said: “We were delighted to host Clare’s book launch. We have always reflected the city’s rich history with the naming of our trams, and few are more deserving than Dame Laura Knight. “It was a day that will live long in the memory for all who were involved. We wish Clare and her book the very best of success.”