Derbyshire Makes History launches

The Derbyshire Makes History two-year programme will celebrate the county’s heritage of makers and innovators and will support the sector through tailored skills development initiatives to strengthen the local cultural economy.

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK's heritage. Derbyshire Makes History is made possible with a grant of £249,950k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we are able to deliver this countywide programme celebrating Derbyshire's making heritage and upskilling local makers with the support of businesses and educational institutions.

Derbyshire Makes History, with its exclusive heritage focus is set up to complement the wider three-year Derbyshire Makes programme, funded by Arts Council England’s Place Partnership fund, which uses money from the National Lottery, and Derbyshire County Council. Derbyshire Makes History will support the local cultural and heritage sectors through the following strands:

✨ Small grants programme aims to support the heritage sector to take part in Derbyshire Makes Festival.

✨ Short films: commissioning of six new short films celebrating Derbyshire’s industrial heritage.

✨ Mobile outreach with Derby Museums’ The Makory touring to communities with a free exhibition and hands-on activities.

✨ Sector support including Peer to Peer mentoring, Volunteer and Trustee development, and a Heritage Crafts Bursary scheme.

The funds will help build a stronger, more resilient heritage sector, through new partnerships with local industry and investment in sector skills.

From the Potteries of South Derbyshire (including Sharpe’s Pottery, Bretby Art Pottery and T.G. Green & Co Ltd) to Textile Mills along the Derwent Valley (including Masson Mills and John Smedley Textiles), to Iron & Brickworks (Stanton Ironworks and Butterley Bricks) powered by the coalfields of North Derbyshire, these making and cultural practices are central to Derbyshire’s industrial and cultural heritage.

The Industrial Revolution left an indelible mark on Derbyshire, where the county became a hub of innovation. Our primary focus will be Derbyshire’s industrial heritage of making and we will explore and celebrate four key industries: Textiles/Knitting, Ceramics, Mining and Quarrying.

Many of our most treasured artefacts were produced by skilled craftsmen and women, who carried in their heads, hands and hearts, skills and techniques that have been passed down through generations.

This two-year programme will engage heritage sites, local businesses and educational institutions to capture and share the untold stories of our industrial making heritage in accessible ways, to ensure they are not forgotten.

Activity developed through Derbyshire Makes History will be showcased in Derbyshire Makes Festival taking place across the county from 11th April to 16th May 2026, including a day in each of our Hub towns.

Derbyshire Makes History is set up to complement the wider three-year Derbyshire Makes programme, with an exclusive heritage focus, which is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to champion and support the heritage sector.

Derbyshire Makes is funded by Arts Council England’s Place Partnership fund, which uses money from the National Lottery, Derbyshire County Council, and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Their vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage they are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. They believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Over the next 10 years, the National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

heritagefund.org.uk

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund