May 1st has been marked as a celebration on international working class movements for over a century. Nottingham held a march and rally, starting at Victoria Park in Sneinton on April 30th. Elsewhere in the East Midlands, Derby held its annual commemoration of the Silk Mill lockout on April 30th and Chesterfield held a Mayday march and rally on Monday May 2nd.

On the newswire: Chesterfield Mayday 2011 | Nottingham Mayday 2011 | Mayday Events, Victoria Park Nttm

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It was noted that turnout on both Nottingham and Chesterfield events was disappointing, a situation apparently reflected in London. This is perhaps surprising given the events around the anti-cuts movement over the last few months and Tory plans to abolish the Mayday bank holiday in favour of a nationalist celebration later in the year. This may have been connected to the royal wedding which took place on April 29th, or perhaps the two long weekends which offered the opportunity for an extended holiday.