News from producers around Derbyshire

Dandelion is a striking exhibition of paintings by artist Ed Burkes, winner of the eighth Jonathan Vickers Fine Art Award. This body of new work has been inspired by the people, heritage and landscape of Derbyshire.
Opens Friday 11 September at the Museum & Art Gallery

Bondholder Rolls-Royce has signed with Virgin Galactic to design engines that would power the world’s first supersonic jet since Concorde was retired in 2003.

Moreover, the Derby-based technology company has also announced an engagement agreement to explore the pairing of one of its propulsion systems with aerospace company Boom Supersonic’s flagship supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture, aiming to build the world’s fastest civil aircraft.

Bondholder Bombardier's merger deal, valued at more than six billion euros, with French company Alstom has received the green light, subject to EU conditions.

The combined Bombardier/Alstom business will create the world’s second largest train manufacturer, with the capacity to take on the top manufacturer, China’s CRRC Corp, and preserves a joint bid with Hitachi for the £2.75 billion contract to build new high-speed trains for HS2.

The Government has agreed a £6.85m investment to help create a new permanent home for the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre on Infinity Park Derby, creating 70 new roles.

A huge new inward investment, creating 4,500 jobs, has been announced today.

The £300m SmartParc - a 140-acre campus on the former Celanese site - will combine world-class food production facilities with shared utilities, amenities and services to provide a highly sustainable production base for food manufacturers.

The announcement has been hailed by city leaders as a “massive boost” to Derby’s post-Covid recovery plan.

I've just launched a writing development programme for UK-based 16-25-year-olds in partnership with RADA and the Royal Society of Chemistry!

LoveLit will be offering an online workshop Editing with Sophie Draper providing an overview of the process of editing fiction on 26th September.  Tickets for our series of online workshops are selling fast, booking essential on Eventbrite. Tickets cost £12, for more details or to book please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/editing-with-sophie-draper-tickets-115334207720

The final preparations are being made to welcome members back to Derby Libraries. A phased re-opening of our sites will take place over the next month, allowing as much use of library facilities as is safe and practical at this time.

While we are very much looking forward to seeing our members again, inevitably there will be changes to the services available, and opening hours. The safety of our customers and staff is our priority.

The Home Library Service has now resumed, and Derby Local Studies and Family History Library is taking enquiries, by phone, text and email.

Genre Fluid, the self-confessed ‘not quite a poetry show, not quite a comedy show’, has been named best solo show at this year’s Morecambe Fringe Digital Festival.

Written by Derby based spoken word artist Dan Webber, ‘Genre Fluid’ is a study into labels in the arts, in everyday life and in the LGBTQ+ community.

The show has toured extensively since 2019, being performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Reading Fringe Festival and The Leicester Comedy Festival and was about to begin a second run of tour dates when the Coronavirus pandemic hit.

Firstly, thank you very much for all the lovely messages and continued support over the last few months. You may have noticed communication went a little quiet but don’t you worry, April Young has been busying herself, creating new sculptures, developing new paintings and coming up with ideas for the rest of 2020. Making plans, Plan A, Plan B and all the way through to Plan Z so the Anvil can share contemporary art with you in as many safe ways as possible.  

Reopening! Thursday 3^rd Sept 2020