Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of the public and our staff has been the priority of Derby City Council. It is with regret that we are now announcing that all outdoor events, and events at Derby Arena and other venues, will not be running until at least the end of August.

In the meantime we will work to put measures in place to ensure that events are run safely for the public and staff members, ready for when we are able to start hosting them again.

We might not be able to hold our annual Dronfield Wildlife & Natural History Group photography competition this year, but you can still get involved with a fun online competition we're running instead!

The theme is of 'nature', and you can enter up to five photos taken at any time within the last year. Images must not have been previously entered in our previous photography competitions. Please list image titles and dates taken in your email.

Treat yourself in some creative me time

Derby Museums today launches its brand new microsite, Derby Museums from Home, making new online content accessible throughout the lockdown.

The hashtag, #MuseumFromHome, first emerged on social media in March as museums around the world were forced to close in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. It has since grown to become a global phenomenon with museums near and far taking to the web to showcase their collections digitally and engage with their audiences in all manner of creative and innovative ways.

I'm excited to let you know that OPEN iso online will be available for you to view from 9am tomorrow morning via the galleries website: please click on the link below (not live until 9am)
https://www.theoldlockupgallery.org/open-iso-online
The exhibition is a diverse show of over 130 pieces of work by 77 artists from across the UK: many thanks to all of the exhibiting artists for making the show possible!

Ok all you fabulous people, artists, organisers, audiences, partners, contractors, vendors and volunteers. In these uncertain times, it’s good for the soul to have something to look forward to, and the Festival Team, like everyone else, is really looking forward to the time when we can meet up with friends and family again.

The coronavirus lockdown has stopped many choirs in their tracks since they can no longer meet to rehearse but that’s not been enough to deter Kinder Choirs of the High Peak. Singers from as young as seven, to more experienced Youth Choir teenagers, have been learning and practising a new song at home and their efforts can now be heard on youtube .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIpDUX3kL4M

We are inviting image makers around the world to participate in documenting the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic charting the time before, during and after the lockdowns. The images can express your thoughts, feelings and the world around you at this extraordinary moment in our collective lives.
 
Take part by uploading your images and captions on Instagram, using the tag #massisolationformat. Follow @massisolationFORMAT to see the highlights so far.  
 

Whilst theatre companies across the world have responded to the current lockdown by posting past productions online and hosting Zoom box readings of plays, Derby based theatre company Oddsocks Productions have taken an altogether more ambitious route in order to keep in touch with their audience and are attracting new and unusual ones in the process.