Voices of Derby
Derby - Bidding to be City of Culture 2025
Welcome to Culture Derby's ‘Voices’. Here is a group of people who represent Derby and support our bid to become City of Culture 2025. The ‘Voices’ group has been created to ensure that the bid is shaped people from Derby, thereby ensuring our City of Culture ambition is relevant and meaningful to people and communities across the city.
I would like to support the bid for Derby to be City of Culture 2025. This is such an wonderful opportunity for Derby and I applaud Adam’s continuous work and ambition for my home town.
Molly Windsor
As Derby is so close to bigger cities like Nottingham people sometimes assume that bigger means better and Derby gets overlooked. People couldn't be more wrong, Derby is a little city with a big heart that is packed full of life. We're known for our innovation around technology and industrial progress but innovation is happening everywhere and Derby explores culture in so many different ways. As a local production company we're excited to be part of that diverse landscape as we play our part in making festive theatre accessible for all. We like to think outside the box and that's because we're in a city that encourages that mindset. Being awarded the City of Culture will be so valuable to Derby because it will show everyone that whilst we may have engineering in our roots we have culture in our heart! It's time people noticed Derby properly for the wonderful city that it is and for all in can be in the future.
Abbi Burns
Derby should be celebrated because;
Firstly the Arts (all sectors) bring people together. Green spaces and Parks in Cities are so important.
Arts and Green Spaces bring communities together.
Art makes me happy, overwhelmingly happy. Which is great to share. Nature has always inspired me and my works. Derby has many beautiful parks but more work needs to continue to keep them clean, tidy, safe and accessible. The Arboretum is a hidden gem tucked away off a busy road in Normanton. Growing up in Normanton the streets were becoming more cluttered with rubbish and fly tipping.
Id like to see the streets in Normanton, PearTree and Cavendish cleared up - maybe adding trees too.
Creating more activities for the residents.
I live in Sinfin now and I would like to start here and get the community involved in activities. The local library would be a great place to start.
Use Sinfin Nature Reserve as inspiration to get people together and create art.
Let's make Derby 2025 City Of Culture - Together
Bhabhinder Gill
As an artist who’s immensely proud and invested in the development and wellbeing of my fellow artists in the city, I’m supporting the 2025 bid for City Of Culture. I believe that if successful, we will be able to amplify and shine a light on the great artists from many disciplines and diverse backgrounds that we have here. We aren’t a city that is currently rich in artistic support or infrastructure like the bigger cities. Every artist here has to graft 100% to get themselves recognition and opportunities. Many artists from other cities take their own opportunities for granted and are afforded a sense of entitlement. In Derby we aren’t afforded such attitudes. I believe that the organisations that exist need to continue to work together to develop the talent of the city, and a successful bid will only fuel, and help this cause.
Jamie Thrasivoulou
I'm supporting the bid as we have some fantastic artistic talent and great cultural things happening in Derby and Derbyshire that need to be known!
Lauren Nicole-Whitter
As a queer nuerodivergent live artist and live art curator working in the City of Derby I am supporting the Derby City of Culture bid. The investment could not only support the development of live art in Derby, but also could be pivotal for the lives of Queer, Deaf, Disabled and nuerodivergent individuals, by improving access to services and providing much needed opportunities in the Derby arts and cultural sectors.
Pierce Starre
All three sectors – business, public and voluntary as well as the residents of Derby, encompass a spirit of cohesion and general ‘can-do’ attitude and recognition as a City of Culture will only further elevate the city’s ability to encourage more investment into celebrating the contributions of people of all abilities and backgrounds.
Amo Raju CEO of Disability Direct & Entrepreneur
I love Derby; I was born here. As a touring musician, I see a lot of beautiful cities, but nothing quite beats Derby. The people are so welcoming and supportive of the local arts. Being part of the music scene, I have experienced support from other artists, as well as the surrounding community. It really makes everything worthwhile. We are very lucky when it comes to talent in Derby. You can go out any night of the week and you'd experience it. We have an abundance of poets, artists, actors, musicians, I could go on. Winning City of Culture would put Derby on the map and be recognised as the cultural heart of England.
Harriet McDonnell
I'm supporting the bid because Derby is a city with a constantly evolving culture. I'm an artist and creative strategist working in the city and everywhere I turn there is a bubbling up of ideas and a convergence of collaboration. We quietly excel at creating and it's time we inspired others as a City of Culture.
Kelly Herrick
I am most passionate about bringing people together. I come from a fitness background and I have hosted multiple events in Derby city to support charitable and valuable causes. Most recently, the Visionary Summit at DCFC’s Pride Park stadium for Anti-Bullying week 2021 whereby I invited Sports and Music panellists to discuss their journey to inspire our community. I also presented the 2021 Derby Youth Awards after winning the “Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award” last year for choreographing a flash mob for Kidney Research UK. I enjoy being innovative with the events I create, and I hope to continue this through my work for the City of Culture!
I am supporting this bid to support young people with finding their creative outlets. In addition to this, supporting the elderly and senior citizens to keep active through classes that I teach such as Chair-Based exercise. I would also like to be a representative of South Asians to promote opportunities and encourage them that our voices can be heard. I believe we can achieve this from an ambitious group of collectives that our city certainly has!