Frequently Asked Questions

Derbyshire Makes is a new, three-year programme of cultural activity across the county, an inspiring celebration of making in all its forms. It launches 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 will explore how Nature can reinvent us through walks, talks and more, while Women Who Make will see 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 and Bolsover are both part 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 Countywide, Marketing and Hub strands of Derbyshire Makes.

Following the tender process, Local was appointed to lead on the Countywide and Marketing strands, and Arts Derbyshire were 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 (available late March) to take part in our Dare to Dream mass making project, and getting stuck into countywide projects including Women Who Make and MAKE Room.

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 Countywide page or visit the Festival page.

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 are taking place indoors and some on grass fields.

Events taking place as part of the annual Derbyshire Makes Festival will be family friendly and suitable for all ages unless specified.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of events taking place in multiple different venues, we are unable to provide BSL interpretation.

Yes! Absolutely everything that is happening as part of Derbyshire Makes will be 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 will be provided free of charge, however there may be opportunities to reuse waste materials from home (more details on this to follow).

All of the events will be 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.

Absolutely! Derbyshire Makes includes a year-round engagement programme for people across Derbyshire and beyond, and 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.

Download our resource pack (available from late March) 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.

We’ll be launching Women Who Make on International Women’s Day (8th March), so sign up to our mailing list to be the first to find out more about opportunities to get involved.

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.

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.

There will indeed! Workshops for Dare to Dream and MAKE Room will be 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. More details to follow soon.

Yes – we’ll be asking people taking part in Dare to Dream to upload photos of their creations to an online gallery from the end of March onwards. More details to follow soon.