Returning soon to Dronfield Hall Barn: Kid's craft activities
We're pleased to announce that our popular kid's craft activities will be returning to the Barn this summer, beginning Thursday 5th August!
Get creative and beat the summer holiday boredom with the help of our volunteers, who will be running the activities every Thursday from 10am-3pm. You can get involved for just £2.50 per child, but please note that children must be accompanied by an adult. Turn up on the day, with no pre-booking required.
There will be a different theme to the activities every week, so make sure you don't miss out on the fun. The first week's theme is "Creatures" - come along and learn how to make your own egg box caterpillars, paper plate snails, as well butterflies, dragonflies and wool spiders, and take part in our bug trail in the Barn gardens.
Activities will be held on the following dates:
- Thursday 5th August
- Thursday 12th August
- Thursday 19th August
- Thursday 26th August
Please help us spread the word of these activities with your friends and family.
Education & Business Partnership at the Barn
Building corporate links has become increasingly important to both Dronfield Hall Barn and Eckington Secondary School. Over the past few years, Eckington School has formed a close relationship with the Barn.
In 2019, the first group of Year 12 business students began researching how the Barn could become more attractive to business users. By understanding the needs of local businesses, the Barn has seen a gradual increase of commercial bookings in recent months. In 2020, the students’ project was handed over to another group of Eckington School business students. This year’s group have built on their predecessors’ work, by researching over 130 nearby businesses. This has achieved firm links between the community hub and a range of local businesses from manufacturers to distributors.
Through the projects, Eckington School students have been able to develop their understanding of how businesses work. The relationship between the Barn and Eckington School is mutually beneficial, and allows students to get hands on business experience as well as developing key attributes such as leadership, initiative and communication. Students have access to fields they are interested in and would like to pursue further. This is useful, as schools can only provide classroom education; having this business experience can make all the difference on CVs, personal statements or job applications. This close bond played a role in the school achieving a gold award for careers education. As a result of this, Eckington School has nominated the Barn for an Education and Business Partnership Award from the East Midland Chamber of Commerce. The Barn has been shortlisted, with the winners to be announced in October.
However, it is important to recognise this is just the start of the relationship. Every year group that passes through Eckington School will provide new ideas and unique skillsets. Although the Barn will face new challenges, the school is confident every group of its students will work hard to solve them. In addition, it is hoped that new departments will take the opportunity to work with the Barn, with digital media or photography students helping to enhance the marketing of the Barn, to further build on the corporate links that are so important to both Dronfield Hall Barn and Eckington School.
Mat Troke Photography Showcase
We'd like to send a big thank you to Mat Troke Photography, who has recently blogged about his experiences of photographing weddings at the Barn.
Mat has been the photographer at countless weddings at the Barn since we first opened to the public in 2016, and always manages to capture some stunning images.
Click here to head to Mat's website to read the blog post in full
Barn Shop Page Revamped!
Have you visited the Dronfield Hall Barn shop web page recently? We've just revamped the books category, and there's plenty of great reading material to be found.
From exhibition publications, local history books, walks guides and leaflets, and more, there's something for you! Everything you see on the website is also available to be purchased on your next visit to the Barn, but if you'd prefer to order online via our website, just click here to head to our shop page.