Community arts charity Junction Arts wants to record your stories and memories of free events and workshops for 50th anniversary project
Derbyshire based charity Junction Arts has launched an ambitious project to celebrate its 50th anniversary, backed by a £56,000 award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The community arts organisation has unveiled its 50 Stories for 50 Years initiative that will capture and preserve the personal memories and creative impact that Junction Arts has inspired across the county since 1976.
From bringing dinosaurs to life in South Normanton and creating one of the UK’s biggest and longest-running light processions — the Bolsover Lantern Parade — to pioneering STEAM innovation with young people, Junction Arts has been a catalyst for creativity, community pride and resilience for generations. Every year, thousands of people take part in its free events and festivals, making art and culture accessible to all.
Events will take place in Bolsover, Shirebrook, Creswell, Chesterfield, South Normanton and Pinxton during February and March for people to come along and share their memories.
Participants, artists, volunteers, partners and staff whose lives have been shaped by creativity and who in turn have helped shape the cultural life of Bolsover, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire will contribute to the heritage project.
The recorded stories will form a new digital archive preserved for future generations, alongside a documentary film and a touring exhibition created by artists responding to the collected stories. The exhibition will feature at Junction Arts’ flagship festivals, including the Chesterfield Children’s Festival, Tapton Lock Festival and Bright Winter Nights in Bolsover.
Emily Bowman, managing director of Junction Arts, said: “We know statistically and anecdotally that Junction Arts has transformed lives — but now, for the first time, we have the chance to preserve and celebrate this remarkable heritage. Our 50th anniversary in 2026 is a vital moment to safeguard a unique strand of cultural heritage — the stories of creativity, resilience and connection in post-industrial and rural Derbyshire. This project will help us evidence the long-term legacy of participatory arts while celebrating the people at the heart of it all.”
Junction Arts, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in December 2026, began life as South Normanton Community Arts and worked from the old New Street School delivering creative opportunities for children and families in former mining communities along the M1 during the Seventies. Through the 1980s and 90s, the organisation expanded across Bolsover District and evolved into Junction Arts — a new name for a growing organisation pioneering participatory arts and public art projects.
The iconic Bolsover Lantern Parade, established in 1994, remains one of Junction Arts’ most beloved achievements, attracting thousands of people each year to witness the unforgettable spectacle of hundreds of community-made lanterns lighting up the town.
More recently, Junction Arts, which is now based in Chesterfield, has gained national recognition for its free family festivals and innovation in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths), including work for Bradford City of Culture, contributing to an exhibition at the Science and Media Museum.
Further information on the 50 Stories for 50 Years heritage project can be found at junctionarts.org/50stories