Local councillor Howard Borrell is leading the charge on Derbyshire Day celebrations - after all, we have so much to celebrate!
Derbyshire Day has been around since 2006 when Radio Derby decided that Derbyshire needed a day to celebrate what makes it special - just like many other counties have done for many years (Yorkshire Day was created in 1975). They settled on the flag (above) and the date 22 September after the two were chosen by listeners in a vote. The flag will hopefully be flying above the town hall on the day.
Since then it's only really had any presence in the south of the county and, even then, only when Radio Derby had the resource to organise events.
For a long time, I've felt it odd that there has been no promotion in our "neck of the woods" and decided to try and find out a little more. A few emails eventually triggered contact from Radio Derby, who confirmed that the date is fixed but celebrations were sometimes held on the nearest Sunday to gain a bigger audience and there was nothing to stop other parts of the county participating.
So, let's make 2020 the year when we launch Derbyshire Day in the north of the county. So many activities and events have had to be cancelled this year that it seems too good an opportunity to waste.
Already several organisations have expressed an interest - for instance, both Casa and Peak Edge restaurants will be producing a menu on the day that uses solely Derbyshire produce, Brampton Brewery and Brampton Manor will also be participating, and Brimming with Beer at Brimington intends to celebrate the day by highlighting Derbyshire brews.
Of course, major events may occur in the future but they're never going to feature during a pandemic. Let's start small, sow the seeds and hope that the idea catches on and becomes a fixture in the calendar as we celebrate how fortunate we are to live in what, I'm sure many of us believe to be, the most beautiful county in the country.
You may wish to celebrate the day as a family or with friends (suitably social distanced, of course) but if you choose to eat at home why not, at least, support some of our wonderful local food producers and maybe end with a beer, wine or gin also produced in Derbyshire? If you are one of those producers, why not use the day as an opportunity to promote the huge range of quality products on offer?
Words & Images: Howard Borrell (Pictured)
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