FINE weather encouraged people to turn out for over 60 events which took place during the third Discovery Days weekend for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
Events ranging from horse-drawn canal boats to guided tours and vintage bus rides to Shakespeare's take on the seven deadly sins, took place to help people better understand and enjoy the World Heritage Site which runs from Derby Silk Mill in the south to Masson Mills in Matlock Bath.
The free vintage bus which operated took people up the valley from Derby's Silk Mill on Saturday was full on both journeys. In the Silk Mill itself, the 1623 Company performed Sinful ShaXXXpeare to appreciative audiences.
A guided tour of the Joseph Wright Gallery in Derby Museum and Art Gallery was well attended, and there was a walk around Joseph Wright’s Derby, passing his Iron Gate home.
In Belper, the highlight was a two-night celebration of water through light and music, co-ordinated by Belper-based Fleet Arts. Children's and adult workshops were held beforehand to create light boxes for a procession and a multi-media hour-long presentation which was projected on screens around the bandstand.
Dancing Daleks and Doctor Whos went down well in the River Gardens on Sunday morning, and Morris dancers in the Market Place also drew a crowd. The Ripley Morris Men also performed in Milford and Ambergate.
At Darley Abbey Village Hall, a presentation of songs and stories from Derbyshire by Pete Castle and Keith Kendrick delighted attendees.
There were guided tours of the historic communities of Darley Abbey, Milford, Belper and Cromford.
And over 100 people turned out to see the final public opening of Herbert Strutt School in Belper before its closure in February. Many of them also took the opportunity to watch the Samuel Slater DVD produced last year by Maypole Productions, which was screened in one of the classrooms.
Poetry and tree trails started from Belper River Gardens, and it was a busy weekend for Masson Mills, Strutt's North Mill and Heage Windmill. At the latter, vintage tractors were on show and a balloon race proved popular. In the North Mill, children had the chance to get their ‘Hands on History’ with genuine historical artefacts available to handle. At Masson, children could learn how to weave and take part in a competition to guess the number of bobbins in a drum.
A celebration of prolific author Alison Uttley took place at Belper’s Unitarian Chapel, and at the Ritz Cinema Dr Andy Minion introduced special screenings of Women in Love, Ken Russell's 1969 film partly filmed in the Belper area.
Cromford Canal was again one of the busiest venues, with a horse-drawn narrow boat travelling between High Peak Junction and Cromford Wharf, and the Gothic Warehouse had displays by local artists, the Friends of Cromford Canal, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the Arkwright Spinners.
Outside, a children's workshop to make woven model boats proved popular and over 300 people watched traditional rope-making skills being displayed.
"It was such a joy to see so many people enjoying and appreciating the World Heritage Site," said Co-ordinator Adrian Farmer. "Judging from the feedback we've had so far from attendees, everyone really enjoyed the weekend.
"All these activities, most of which were free, couldn't have been held without the hard work and commitment of so many people associated with the World Heritage Site. A big thank you goes to them all, and I hope they'll help us put on an equally special series of events next October."
A fourth Discovery Days series of events is expected for October 2008. More details will be announced after Christmas 2007.