COLUMN: Market town tourism is on the increase

Despite the unpredictable nature of our Wirksworth micro-climate, visitor numbers to the town seem to be increasing all the time.
Sue CooperSue Cooper
Sue Cooper

In my own mind this is a result of the new Wirksworth Mini Guide.

You may have seen this already – the picture on the front is Iain Mackay’s watercolour of Greenhill.

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This picture is also featured in a range of his cards that we sell in Webster’s and perfectly sums up the character of Wirksworth.

Jim, our project coordinator, was responsible for the guide’s production and he has had a huge smile on his face since the distributor told him it’s going like hot cakes all over Derbyshire!

Last month, the trustees had a further meeting with Heritage Lottery Fund and are now putting the final touches to the bid documentation ready for submission during August – exciting times!

In their few spare moments, they are working on a number of grant applications to other sources.

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These will provide the match funding we are required to contribute towards the cost of the renovation and conversion of the Webster’s building.

On a more local note, we are planning a big fundraising ball at Wirksworth Town Hall on November 19 when Wirksworth based band Facsimile will be playing.

They are known for their brilliant covers of indie and rock music and should ensure the ball is the massive success we need it to be. Please save the date in your diaries.

All of our volunteers are looking forward to a day trip to the National Civil War Centre, in Newark, at the beginning of September.

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This should be a very interesting and educational day out as we get a special tour and talk on the challenges and experiences faced in developing this new visitor attraction.

This will be important for us, as we will be coming across similar challenges of our own in the near future. Apart from that, it will be a fun day out as we don’t have the chance to get together as a group very often and it should lead to some interesting conversations on the bus back to Wirksworth!

For further information on Wirksworth Heritage Centre visit the website wirksworthheritagecentre.org

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