Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some frequently asked questions about Derbyshire Makes – and, if you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to contact us.
Derbyshire Makes is a new, three-year programme of cultural activity across the county, an inspiring celebration of making in all its forms. It launched with a free festival, an annual event taking place each spring across six distinct local Hubs. Threading its way between these is the workshop and gallery on wheels The Makory – while our mass making project Dare to Dream invites thousands of people to get stuck in from anywhere in the county.
Roaming art programme MAKE Room explores how Nature can reinvent us through walks, talks and more, while Women Who Make is a year-round programme of activity celebrating artists, makers, designers and activists who identify as women.
Inspired by Derbyshire’s unique relationship with making, each year will build on the last.
Derbyshire Makes is an Arts Council England Place Partnership funded programme, which uses money from the National Lottery.
Derbyshire County Council has already secured 50 partners to support the delivery of Derbyshire Makes – see our Partners page for the full list.
But wait! There’s still plenty of time for new partners to come on board: visit our Support Us page for the chance to be a part of Derbyshire Makes.
Spread across the county, the six Hub locations are a reflection of Derbyshire’s unique industrial heritage, with stories local to the area guiding our programme of making activities at each. As part of our focus on community engagement, the Derbyshire Makes team is also working with community arts organisations already rooted within their location – drawing on their existing knowledge and connections.
In addition, Bolsover, Chesterfield and the wider North East Derbyshire area are both Arts Council England Levelling Up for Culture and Priority Places, making them the focus for additional Arts Council England engagement and investment. Heanor is one of Arts Council England’s Creative People Places programme, which funds partners to empower residents to decide what kind of creative activity they want to experience on their doorstep.
Find out more on our About page.
Derbyshire County Council led an open tender process, allowing any interested organisations to submit a bid to lead on the Projects, Marketing and Hub strands of Derbyshire Makes.
Following the tender process, Local was appointed to lead on the Projects and Marketing strands, and Arts Derbyshire was appointed to lead on the Hub strand.
People from across Derbyshire are invited to be a part of Derbyshire Makes by attending the annual free Festival, downloading our resource pack to take part in our Dare to Dream mass making project, and getting stuck into Projects including Women Who Make and MAKE Room.
If you are an individual, group, organisation or school that wants to get involved in MAKE Room, then please fill out this form and we'll get back to you within 7-10 days.
If you are an individual, group, organisation or school that wants to get involved in Dare to Dream; or you can donate fabric or materials; are you are an artist that would like to deliver a workshop, or you are a business that would like to offer support; or want to get involved in another way, then please fill out this form and we'll get back to you within 7-10 days.
Opportunities for artists to take part in Derbyshire Makes will be listed on the News section of our website, and on social media – you can also sign up to our mailing list to be among the first to hear about new opportunities.
If you’re interested in becoming a Derbyshire Makes partner, contact marketing@derbyshiremakes.co.uk to find out more.
Find out more on our Projects page or visit the Festival page.
Absolutely! Derbyshire Makes includes projects for people across Derbyshire and beyond. You can take part in our mass making project Dare to Dream from anywhere in the county, throughout the year.
Check out our What's On page for events taking place in the coming months.
There is indeed! Workshops for Dare to Dream and MAKE Room are taking place at locations across the county – make sure your name is on the mailing list to find out more.
But you can also take part in Dare to Dream from the comfort of your own home. Download our resource pack.
All of our event listings are posted on our What's On page – it’s your guide to what’s going on across the county for Derbyshire Makes.
You can also sign up to our mailing list to be among the first to hear about the programme as it develops.
Yes – anyone taking part in Dare to Dream can upload photos of their creations to our Digital Loom.
Look out for MAKE Room at our Heanor and Glossop Hubs during the Festival – and we'll be revealing more details about where workshops will be taking place across the county soon.
If you are an individual, group, organisation or school that wants to get involved in MAKE Room, then please fill out this form and we'll get back to you within 7-10 days.
Check out the Women Who Make page for event information and sign up to our mailing list to be the first to find out more about opportunities to get involved.
Download our resource pack to take part in our Dare to Dream mass making project – led this year by Alex Murphy, Derbyshire resident and recent contestant on the BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, and Textiles and Mixed Media Artist Sue Reddish. You can upload a photograph of your creation on our Digital Loom.
We have produced a resource pack with lots of ideas to get you going and some practical techniques that you might use to make your banner. Have a look at that, and talk to friends and family, encourage people to share their skills and stories.
You don't have to be an experienced sewer. You could use a variety of techniques to make your banner, what’s important is how it communicates your dreams and ideas about Derbyshire.
You can paint, stick, stitch, knit, print, embroider or embellish your piece. We think the richness of the pieces displayed on the Digital Loom will be in their variety. Some pieces are made by children, some by adults, some who have lots of experience making and some made by those who are having a go for the first time. All are welcome!
Any size or shape - the size of the piece should reflect your idea and the materials you’ve chosen to use to make it. It could be a beautifully detailed embroidery which might be the size of a postcard or a giant painted bedsheet with your motto on it. And everything in between.
The Dare to Dream project is encouraging everyone to reuse and recycle materials where you can; use fabric you already have at home, it might be an old shirt or an unused tablecloth. Charity shops are a good source for fabric and often have sewing threads too.
Ask around, it’s surprising how many people have a stash of fabrics at home that they might want to donate to you. Community groups might also be a good source of materials, and if they don't have any themselves, they might know where you could go. There are organisations like the Scrap Store in Derby, where for a small joining fee you can access their resources.
Follow the instructions on the Digital Loom page. Take a photograph of your work and upload it on the site, tell us a little about yourself and the idea behind your work. In a couple of days it will appear on the Digital Loom and you can direct all your friends and family to see it exhibited there.
Wherever possible, wheelchair accessible locations have been chosen. However, it is recommended that you check each event listing for further information as some festival events take place indoors and some on grass fields.
Unfortunately, due to the large number of events taking place in multiple different venues, we are unable to provide BSL interpretation.
Events taking place as part of the annual Derbyshire Makes Festival are family friendly and suitable for all ages unless specified.
Yes! Absolutely everything that is happening as part of Derbyshire Makes is free to attend. Visit our What's On page to find out more.
No – just come as you are. All of the materials for our workshops are provided free of charge, however there are opportunities to reuse waste materials from home for our Dare to Dream mass participation project.
All of the events are taking place in town centres or at locations with existing cafés, bars and restaurants. Some of the Hub locations are also providing food and drink on site – find out more on our Festival page.