March has arrived, bringing with it some heavy clouds and global conflicts. It feels like this makes the acts of noticing the lighter moments of warmth and the promises of new growth all the more essential for the soul. With that in mind, we have a few opportunities on the horizon that invite togetherness, encourage a collective dreaming of new possibilities, and offer a chance to celebrate the significant positive changes we are able to make locally, in both the near and more distant future.
Shared working day — 11th March 10–5pm
On Wednesday 11th March we have our first shared working day at Amber Mill. The team will be at the mill in Oakerthorpe from 10am-5pm with tea and coffee, some small snacks, and possibly some interesting books. There are some loose themes of network weaving and future planning up for discussion.
Join us to work independently, collaboratively, creatively, or take some time to read, craft, share food or enjoy a local stroll. This Month is a bit of an experiment, and we are open to feedback and inspiration going forward as to how we can best make the time and space work well for all.
Venue: AMFREC — Amber Mill Furniture Rural Enterprise Centre
(Bring your own lunch, heating facilities (toaster, microwave, oven, hob) are available if needed).
“How To Fall In Love With The Future” Training — 15th April 9.30–5pm
On Wednesday April 15th we are hosting a ‘How to fall in love with the future’ workshop with author Rob Hopkins. Rob is known for helping to unlock creativity, courage and playfulness in the face of big challenges. We’re inviting friends and collaborators from across Amber Valley who’ve been taking action, sharing ideas, sparking creativity and nurturing connection in the places they care about as part of Make/Shift. Alongside some curious allies and supporters from Derby and Derbyshire. As we move into a new phase of our work with Make/Shift we’re excited to bring people together and stretch our collective imaginations into the future.
If you’re curious about how we can fall back in love with the future of the places we live get in touch hello@wearemakeshift.uk
Movers & Shakers Story Day — 20th May
Wednesday May 20th is our story day for the whole of the Movers and Shakers community. A chance to share stories of all the projects and journeys that have made up the three rounds of this community fund, as well as explore the learning experiences of the different panel members who have worked together over the past 18 months to learn, design and make decision about the fund. Look out for a booking link soon.
Monthly Meet-ups — 18th March 6.30–8pm
Our next Movers and Shakers Meet-up is on 18th
March, from 6:30 to 8 PM. It will be Ian’s final meet up in his current role with Make/Shift, so we hope to celebrate his contributions with lots of tea and cake.
Thank you to those of you who joined us for the February meet-up. We had a cosy evening at Infinite Wellbeing Community Centre in Heanor. A friendly welcome included hot drinks and dreamy tray bake cakes, the old-school cornflake tart was very popular. We enjoyed a gentle check-in, and some deeper chats about the freedom of the term ‘mucking around’ in the context of an open ended creative session, and dipped our toes into the the waters of the BIG question… ‘what IS culture?’. This later question arose due to the current intention for Heanor, Ripley, and Alfreton town councils to enter a joint expression of interest for the Town of Culture programme. There was a joy in joining the dots of creative activity across these borders and finding common threads to unite in times of uncertainty. We look forward to continuing the conversation over the coming months. A huge thanks to Daisy, Abi, and Rebecca from Infinite Wellbeing for their generosity, guided tour of the venue, and back story of the work they do, including how and why they do it. Daisy was just about to start her Tweens Creative group, we hope that is going well. Abi also shared an update on replicating some of her popular craft groups in a new location, Ripley, and how well that is being received.
If you’re interested in getting involved or finding out more about what we’re up to as part of Make/Shift.
Come along to one of our monthly meet-ups
Drop me an email: Lizzie@wearemakeshift.uk
