News from producers around Derbyshire

Circuit veteran Bluesman Mike Francis on his 40th Anniversary on the road, relates the Story of the Blues playing traditional and contemporary material from his celebratory new album being launched at the Festival. Rolling Stones biographer Martin Elliott is quoted as saying “If Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson were alive today they’d probably sound like this guy” about Mike. “It’s easier to say who Mike Francis hasn’t played with” John Peel.

Horticulture staff and students at Derby College have won a coveted gold medal at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2016 at the NEC for their unique plant border created to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis.

After last year’s sell-out run of ‘The Ghosthunters' Club’ receiving great reviews, Terry Naylor’s award-winning 'Cul-de-sac' theatre company once again take over Scrivener's Bookshop with something a little different. 'Return To Eredurf' is a Terry Pratchett inspired fantasy, penned by Janet Hopley - one of the shop's bookbinders.

Comedians are like you normals; we get old! (If we are lucky).

Getting old is weird and sudden. One minute you’re young and the next you aren’t.

If our cells are completely replaced lots of times over our lifetime, what about our personalities?

Are we the same people we started out as?

If we could conjure them up, what would our former child selves think of us now?                             

Impressed? Or appalled?

Did we break their promises? Fulfil our dreams?

Would we even recognise each other?

Derby and Ashbourne family-owned funeral directors G Wathall & Son have donated a table bench to Becket Primary School in the city centre to enhance their newly-created community garden.

Two Derby College Art & Design students have won bursaries from Derby Decorative and Fine Arts Society to support their move into Higher Education.

St Peters Quarter Business Improvement District has published its plans for continuing the work underway in the area of the city centre between the Cathedral Quarter and Intu Derby shopping centre.

Road closures for the cycle stage of the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon on Sunday July 17 have been confirmed. Competitors will complete a circular route from Markeaton Park, into the Cathedral Quarter and back to the park with roads along the closed road cycle route closed from 8.45am and 4.30pm.  

Derby’s popular Night Market by Sheena Holland will join the programme for the first night of this year’s Derby Festé in September.

Around 40 stalls feature locally produced arts, crafts, food and drink and vintage fayre will be in the Market Place and underneath the Guildhall arches between 5pm and 11.15pm on Friday September 23 with free entry. The Night Market attracted up to 20,000 visitors when it was held in the Cathedral Quarter streets last November and then 10,000 in March this year.

Lifeguards and teachers at two Derby swimming pools are planning a 26 mile sponsored swim – the equivalent of the English Channel – to raise money for vital maintenance on the life-saving equipment available to the public.