The Drystone Chronicles

Last year (2019) the arts and culture sector grew by £390 million, a record in any industry, contributing £10.8 billion to the UK economy.

Then the curtain fell. The lights went out. Coronavirus hit.

Four friends from Derbyshire set about finding what they could do to help their creative communities. Sidestepping the issue was not an option when building and re-building are so needed.

Drystone, unanimously agreed from the outset, was to be a not-for-profit initiative aimed at harnessing and encouraging creativity throughout Derbyshire and beyond. The ambition is to make Drystone as central a part of our communities as the walls themselves.

However perceived the cultural landscape has shifted with recovery best served by building from the ground up – “a stone at a time,” recognising the roles of writers, actors, musicians and all like-minded players to better our wellbeing and bring communities together.

Drystone is striving to make good those shared experiences currently in suspension.