Legacy Makers is a community history project led by Bright Ideas Nottingham and the Slave Trade Legacies Family.

The project begins with the bicentenary of St Matthews Church in Darley Abbey. The church was built by Walter Evans, local mill owner, in 1819. Starting at St Matthews Church, our volunteers will explore what was happening in Darley Abbey during this time.

Legacy Makers is being led by Bright Ideas Nottingham, a pioneering social enterprise that
co-ordinates a range of community-led arts, cultural, heritage, education and well-being
projects across the East Midlands, supported by a £87,300 grant from the National Lottery
Heritage Fund, together with additional support from Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site
Great Place Scheme.

Our volunteers will also be looking at how their enslaved African ancestors are connected to the wealth of Darley Abbey through the cotton trade. We will be building on our knowledge from previous phases of the Slave Trade Legacies project where we explored the hidden connections between the history of enslavement and Derwent Valley Mills. We will be exploring the untold story of the Evans Family’s cotton supply chain and their connection to enslaved labour in the Americas.

We plan to work with local children from Walter Evans Primary School as well as bring history alive through learning about and participating in early nineteenth century songs, music dances, political speeches and even recipes!

The research that is gained from the project will be used by our volunteers on the project to create activities to teach people about the untold histories we will have uncovered. These activities include: a concert at St Matthews Church in 2020, a pop-up digital exhibition and a new interpretation board to be put up in Darley Abbey.

This website and blog will be used to share our research and discoveries to a wider audience and show all of our achievements on our Legacy Makers Journey!

Please find the full press release below: