Family firm Luke Evans Bakery in Derbyshire has tasted a slice of success after its granary loaf was awarded the title of Best Wholegrain Loaf in Britain at one of the UK’s biggest food and drink exhibitions.

It was the first time that the Riddings-based bakery had entered an award in living memory.

The 400g Country Grain granary loaf took top slot at the awards, staged at the Farm Shop & Deli Show at Birmingham’s NEC – part of a large exhibition of trade shows aimed at the food and drink sector.

The Small Producer Quality Food Awards in partnership with Co-op, are now in their third year and designed to help small producers get in front of the people that matter. Are you a business with less than 10 staff? Are your annual sales no greater than £2 million?

More than 100 Derbyshire loos have been reviewed through a new TripAdvisor-style app.

Brand new app Cleen, allows hygiene-conscious users to review washrooms and toilet facilities in venues and businesses and so far, Derbyshire has seen reviews in a number of venues including leisure centres, restaurants and bars.

The app which is free to download has seen positive feedback with just over 60% of the reviews with comments ranging from;

“Lovely clean toilets nice hand wash and hand cream” to “very clean facilities, in an old brick building but kept beautifully.”

The co-owner of one of Derbyshire’s most popular farm shops has been appointed to the board of directors of FARMA, the trade association supporting farm retail.

Kay Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop near Duffield with husband Steve, was voted into the position at the association’s annual conference held at The Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort in North Lincolnshire.

Kay hopes that her appointment will give a stronger voice to small and medium-sized farm shops across the country.

City Arts and the Insitute of Mental Health are looking for submission of artwork inspired by mental illness, or created by artists living with mental health issues. For our 2018 open summer exhibition we are asking artist to respond to the theme “Traumascapes and Landscapes of the Interior”.

An alliance of cultural organisations from across England launches a new national body to develop and promote the role of arts and culture in supporting the country’s health and wellbeing (launch 13 March 2018).  

'HOMAGE' - Stephen Snoddy and
Sculptural Work - Richard Perry
The Old Lock Up Gallery

Friday 16th February 2018
10am - 3pm

Dronfield Hall Barn

We are pleased to invite artists to apply to participate in WORK, an ambitious and innovative two-year practice development programme that will support animation and moving image artists to develop, produce and exhibit films in collaborative contexts.

Working with partners across the Midlands - Fermynwoods, Thrapston; Junction Arts, Chesterfield; Vivid Projects, Birmingham; and QUAD, Derby – the programme will explore ideas and the realities of what ‘work’ means for the way we live today, engaging directly with the experiences of contemporary working lives.

Over 60 gins and 60 rums… Easter bank holiday weekend!

The Gin and Rum Festival are organising its first Gin and Rum Festival which will be held at the iconic Roundhouse in Derby.

The festival will take place over two days Saturday 31 March and Sunday 1 April, with two sessions running per day. Doors open from 12pm until 5pm followed by the evening session 6pm – 11pm.