FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR THE NEW ‘HOPE VALLEY ART TRAIL BY RAIL’ FESTIVAL

Children attending the first Hope Valley Art Trail By Rail event.

A MAJOR new arts festival centred around Hope Valley and its railway stations got off to a flying start when it was launched earlier this autumn.

More than 150 people attended the inaugural ‘Hope Valley Art Trail by Rail’ event, which aims to encourage both residents and visitors to explore the very best of the area’s art and culture by train – as well as on foot and by bus.

Visitors were able to hop off at key railway stations along the Hope Valley line to meet 18 locally based artists, with many hosting hands-on creative experiences.

The event, which took place on Saturday, September 27, was organised by Hope Valley Climate Action in collaboration with the Community Rail Partnership and the Friends of the Hope Valley Railway Stations with support from High Peak Community and Voluntary Support (CVS).

Organiser Emily Gait, who is also Move More Community Engagement Officer for Hope Valley Climate Action, said: “It was an absolute joy to see so many people enjoy the first Hope Valley Art Trail By Rail festival – and we’re now looking to build on this success.

“I’m so grateful for all of the support we received from our volunteers, the artists who participated and led activities and, of course, everyone who came along to discover a new artistic passion.

“People who visit or live in the Hope Valley aren’t always aware of the train or bus services that exist in the area, so I hope that this event provided some clarity surrounding the sustainable travel options available as well as discovering more about art.

“I hope this event is the start of something new for Hope Valley and look forward to making this happen again next year – and beyond.”

The 18 artists were based at different venues across Hathersage, Grindleford, Bamford, Hope, Edale and Castleton.

Among those taking part was Karen Perkins, who led collage and sketching workshops in both Hathersage and Grindleford.

Karen explained: “The opportunity to help organise and subsequently participate in the first Hope Valley Art Trail by Rail event was immensely rewarding – and it was great to see so many people take part.

“I personally used the train to travel between running a sketching workshop in Hathersage and a collage workshop in Padley Chapel, near Grindleford station.

“Some lovely collages were created about people’s railway experiences as well as some excellent sketching by those who’d never done it before.”

Another artist who opened her studio in Hope for the festival was Sarah J Cooper, who said: “There was a real buzz about the event throughout the whole day.

“My studio was busy with visitors and art chatter – and I can’t wait for next year’s event.”