Welcome to this Spring edition of our quarterly e-newsletter! Many of the sites and attractions in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site are offering fun activities for all the family over the Easter holidays and we have a full line up below. There’s lots to look out for if you’re interested in arts, live music and crafts, plus its World Heritage Site Day on 18th April!

Easter Activities in the World Heritage Site
There’s loads to do for all the family in the World Heritage Site this Easter. Here’s a quick overview:
Cromford Mills
16th April Talk: Old images newly found from the Derwent Valley
17th April Kids at Cromford
20th & 21st April Spring into Easter
21st & 22nd April Artisan Market
Visit Cromford Mills’ Website
Cromford Canal
21st & 22nd April Leawood Pump House is in steam and Birdswood Canal Boat will be Horsedrawn
20th, 21st & 22nd April High Peak Junction Railway Workshops Open Days
24th April Easter Egg Hunt between Cromford Canal and High Peak Junction
Visit Website
Visit Birdswood’s Website
Strutts North Mill, Belper
21st April  Heritage Walk   Ancient Tracks of Cromford
Strutt’s North Mill’s Heritage Walks start on 21st April continuing for the rest of the year
Visit Strutt’s North Mill’s website
Derby Museums & Pickford’s House Lots of different activities for children are available over the Easter break!
Visit Derby Museums’ Website

18th April is International World Heritage Site Day!
On 18th April every year activities and events take place all over the world to raise awareness of the current 1092 World Heritage Sites. World Heritage is among the priceless and irreplaceable assets, not only of each nation but of humanity as a whole. Protecting and preserving this valuable asset demands the collective efforts of the international community.
The Derwent Valley Mills is the only World Heritage Site in the East Midlands and one of only 31 in the United Kingdom. This international designation confirms the outstanding importance of the area as the birthplace of the factory system where in the 18th Century water power was successfully harnessed for textile production.
Guided Walk 2pm Belper MarketPlace

We are celebrating the theme of Rural Landscapes with a walk led by Heritage Co-ordinator Adrian Farmer exploring what is meant by a “relict landscape” – one of the key reasons why the Derwent Valley Mills was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. The walk will start at 2pm at The Market Place in Belper, and will include the ancient landscapes of Bullsmoor and the Belper Parks. No need to book – just turn up!

Sunday May 19th – An Afternoon of Arts at Strutt House
Strutt’s North Mill Museum hosts an exciting free event showcasing arts and music inspired by the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and North Mill Museum collections on Sunday 19th May.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see inside the Grade II* listed Strutt House and enjoy a range of specially crafted pieces of music, poetry and performances by local artists. There’ll also be the opportunity to get hands on with creative textiles workshops led by artists Seiko Kinoshita inside Strutt House and Toni Buckby on The Makory, Derby Museum’s Mobile Museum of Making. This fabulous event is part of Belper Arts Festival and the national Get Creative Festival.
There’ll be tea and cake available too!
This event is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund & Arts Council England as part of our Great Place Scheme, and co-ordinated by arts organisation Beam.
Click here for the full programme!

Creative Courses May – July 2019
The next series of creative workshops inspired by the World Heritage Site are due to start in May at Strutt Centre, Belper.
• Printmaking local landscapes – 10 week course starting Friday        May 3rd for 10 weeks 10am – 12pm
• Needle Felting Workshop Saturday 18th May
• Spinning of Yarn Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June
• Weaving Workshop Saturday 13th July
These courses are offered at a reduced rate or free of charge thanks to funding received from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England as part of our Great Place Scheme.
To book contact: 01629 533 090 or email alfreton.ace@derbyshire.gov.uk

Learning Tour for researchers
We’re holding a free Learning Tour on 21st September open to anyone who is interested in starting or developing their own research into the fascinating heritage of the World Heritage Site.
This is a free full day tour taking in the key areas of the Site and the Derbyshire Record Office.
This tour is also part of the Great Place Scheme!
For more information and to book, contact 01629 533439 or email environmentalstudies@derbyshire.gov.uk

Look out for our next edition in the Summer!