‘A Sense of Chesterfield’ will be a new heritage arts trail which will help guide visitors and residents around Chesterfield town centre.
The new tactile heritage trail will be created with new heritage information boards, digital content and public artworks.
There are several organisations working together to develop this project, including community groups like the Chesterfield Civic Society and Chesterfield and District Local History Society.
Almost £80,000 of funding has been awarded to this project by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players.
Creative facilitator Charlotte Land has been delivering engagement workshops with schools and local community groups to develop themes for the trail that reflect Chesterfield’s lesser known heritage. Charlotte is a qualified teacher, creative practitioner, and experienced engagement consultant with over a decade of experience in developing inclusive, participatory, and place-based projects that centres community voices and curiosity.
Chesterfield-based agency, Defeye Creative, has been appointed to create a series of videos which will be used to complement the heritage trail through digital content.
Rhubarb Design House has been appointed to create the trail information boards and develop a long-term identity for A Sense of Chesterfield.
Access & Inclusion UK has been appointed to ensure that the trail and all digital content is fully accessible and can be experienced by the whole community.
Public art
Sculpture Works, are developing designs for a series of sculptures that will guide people around the trail designed to reflect the themes developed by our community.
Sculpture Works was established in 2004 by Denis O’Connor and Bernardine Rutter and based in Wirksworth. They have established a fabrication workshop and design studio that specialises in developing public art. They are an award-winning company that creates site-specific sculptures, way-markers, floor trails, railings, gates and seating, for both urban and rural sites within the private and public sectors in the UK and Ireland.
Poetry
Five poets have been appointed to create poems inspired by the trail themes which will be accessed from information panels accompanying the public artworks. The poets include:
Emma Birdie, a writer based in North Derbyshire. She has worked with a variety of organisations, such as Writing East Midlands, The National Trust and English Heritage to facilitate writing workshops for all ages and abilities. Her work is often rooted in the landscape, with an interest in histories both shared and personal. She has worked as the Wintertide Writer-in-Residence 2023-2025, as well as having her work featured in a variety of publications, such as The WEMterns Zine and Quasar Anthology.
Kate Burns, a poet, facilitator and researcher living in Chesterfield. Her poetry is rooted in community and advocacy. Often drawing on myth, legend and the environment, her work explores identity, place and transformation. She has written and delivered poetry, workshops and performances for Bolsover District’s Cultural Corridor, local schools, Platform 31’s Creative Women’s Network and Creative Revolution Chesterfield (CCEP), as well as contributing poetry to campaigns for the Women’s Equality Party. Alongside her creative practice, she is a doctoral researcher at the University of Derby, where she is developing poetic approaches to explore lived experience.
Charlotte Lunn, born and raised in Chesterfield, is a published poet, workshop facilitator and bookseller. She runs the events programme at Scarthin Books and has been a guest poetry facilitator with Derbyshire Writing School. She offers editing and mentoring services and has been commissioned by Shottle Hall, Derwent Valley Mills, Disability Direct and Beam Arts UK. Her debut poetry collection Metamorphosis was published in 2021 with Verve Poetry Press and she is currently working on her second as part of her masters course at The Poetry School, London.
Matthew Hedley Stoppard was born in Chesterfield and grew up in Clay Cross. His first collection, 'A Family Behind Glass', was a Guardian Readers' Book of the Year. His poems are widely published, and he has appeared on BBC Radio 3, 4 and 6Music. His second collection, 'The Garland King', explores working-class customs, and he is currently working on a third focusing on North-East Derbyshire, which will be published early 2027.
Tyler Turner is a poet, facilitator and PhD researcher based in Bolsover, specialising in youth participation, community engagement and coal mining heritage. She is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Heritage Lottery-funded Margaret Cavendish’s Mind Lab project at Bolsover Castle and the Lead Writer for the Bolsover Young Writers (Writing East Midlands).
