Once Upon a Time at Cromford Mills
Step into a fairy tale kingdom and meet knights, princesses and dragons. Visit Cromford Mills on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th May for a weekend of magical fun for all the family.
Enter the fairytale with enchanting craft workshops throughout the day where you can make your own fairy or elf door and a fairy or knight puppet to take home. Then help Snow White find the seven dwarfs and join in with a variety of games to play that are fun for all the family. There will be storytelling sessions for families including a signing workshop from Tiny Talk, and guided storytelling walks around the canal wharf.
Meet the alpacas and discover more about these fascinating animals. Or come along and see the Barn Owls, the White Faced Scops Owl, the Great Grey Owl and all their fluffy friends, and hold one of the owls too if you wish. There will also be face painting, literacy crafts and stalls.
Arkwright’s Café’s will be offering a special themed menu throughout the weekend with plenty of fairytale treats to choose from including fairy cakes and edible wands. Why not come dressed as a character from your favourite fairytale and enter the free prize draw!
A key location within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, there is plenty to see and do all year round at Cromford Mills with fascinating activities for all the family: discover more about this unique valley in the visitor centre where you will find interactive displays and film, meet the mighty Sir Richard Arkwright in the audio visual experience, dress up in Georgian costume, take a narrow boat ride or let one of our guides take you on a tour to bring the extraordinary history to life. There are also plenty of walks, trails, shops and places to eat to keep the whole family entertained.
The events are part of a multi-million pound restoration of the Cromford Mills site funded by National Lottery players through a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £4 million. Other charitable donors towards the project include The Monument Trust, AIM Biffa Award, The Garfield Weston Foundation, J P Getty Jr Charitable Trust, Headley Trust, Sylvia Waddilove Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation, and the Architectural Heritage Fund.
The Once Upon a Time Weekend at Cromford Mills is free, although there will be a small charge for some of the activities. For further details please visit www.cromfordmills.org.uk or phone 01629 823256.