Foundation Derbyshire Award

PRESS RELEASE

Foundation Derbyshire Award for arthur+martha CIC

We are delighted to receive a Foundation Derbyshire Award for the arthur+martha CIC project Stitching The Wars. This is a community quilt embroidered with reminiscence from older people living in rural Derbyshire affected by the two world wars. Ian Tansley from Rathbones who presented the award last week to Lois Blackburn and Philip Davenport from arthur+martha was particularly keen to highlight the contribution made to the quilt by people with dementia.

Lois Blackburn, Ian Tansley and Philip Davenport at the Awards Ceremony

The award citation from Foundation Derbyshire included this statement: "One in three people over 65 will develop dementia, with the number of people affected by dementia set to double over the next 40 years. More than ever we are seeing local volunteers and the community reaching out to support those affected, with arthur+martha showing how this work can be achieved in a beautiful and supportive way."

Lois Blackburn commented: "This is public art made by the public and we've been delighted to witness its growth and the richness of experience it contains. It is touchable history, a quilt hand-stitched, with contributions by over 400 older people including fragments of their stories. One of the great joys of the project has been to witness the pleasure of people with dementia who have taken part, turning memory from a thing to be feared to a thing to be relished. This quilt is a precious contribution to us all."

The project is ongoing and a second quilt will be made during 2015; both quilts will then be exhibited in galleries and libraries in the East Midlands and the North West.

We are also pleased to share a delightful new film made by film maker John Felix, showcasing a couple of the participants Madge and Tom. 

The project has been supported by Arts Council England, Foundation Derbyshire, Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Dales Council, Age UK, The Alzheimer's Society and The Farming Life Centre. We would like to thank the many, many people who have participated and whose work has made this a very special project.

Detail of the Stitching the Wars Quilt