EMR welcomes families to visit their Community Rail Ram in Derby this summer
- Part of the Ram Trail running until 22nd August 2021
- Community Rail theme designed by local artist
- Ram design features visitor attractions along Derwent Valley and North Staffs CRPs
East Midlands Railway has teamed up with Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) from both Derwent Valley and North Staffordshire lines to sponsor a ram that is situated outside Derby station this summer as part of the Derby Ram Trail.
The Community Rail themed Ram will be situated outside Derby train station until 22nd August, meaning there's still plenty of time to use our services to come and visit. EMR is encouraging visitors to discover the trail of rams across the city, a free, fun and safe activity for families to enjoy in the summer school holidays.
The ram sculpture is based on the mythical Derby ram from the 18th Century song, which according to legend was ten yards high with enormous horns and a huge flowing fleece. The story tells how people came all over to see the huge Derby ram.
Each ram has been designed and decorated by a different well-known or emerging artist. The EMR Ram has been designed by local artist, Holly Aspinall, she said: “The Railway Communities Ram shows the work of East Midlands Railway Community Rail.
“The ram depicts visitor attractions near stations along the Derwent Valley and North Staffordshire Lines. Also represented are the teams of volunteer station adopters that help to look after each station.
“Volunteering gives the opportunity to meet new people, to feel part of a community and to improve overall wellbeing and I have used fun, energetic shapes and bright colours to show this”.
Donna Adams, Community Engagement Manager for EMR said: “There are many ways in which Community Rail benefits local communities, and we wanted our ram to represent this.
“Our station adoption scheme not only helps tackle loneliness and improves the health and wellbeing of our volunteers, but wider Community Rail supports social development and tourism too.
“We hope passengers travelling through Derby this summer will come and visit our Ram outside the station.”
Claire Sandys, CRP Officer for North Staffordshire Line said: “The splendid Community Rail Ram represents the many places of interest within easy walking distance of our stations between Derby and Crewe, along with the activity of our wonderful volunteers.
“During the summer, we hope that many Ram Trailers will travel to Derby by train."
Alastair Morley, CRP Officer for the Derwent Valley Line said: “Our communities, scenic countryside and fantastic destinations along the Derwent Valley Line have been wonderfully captured in our bright and colourful Community Rail Ram, that sits proudly at the front of Derby Station.
“We hope people will be inspired to travel this summer and experience a trip on the scenic Derwent Valley Line.”
Jenny Cuadrado, Derby Museums’ Head of Fundraising said: “We are thrilled to be working with East Midlands Railway on the project, both helping showcase some of the fantastic attractions easily accessible along our local train network and also helping promote a greener way of travelling into the city once it is safe for our visitors to do so. The EMR ram will also be positioned in a prime location at the train station, encouraging even more city visitors and local residents to enjoy the trail.”
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Contact Information
James Coxon
Media Relations Manager
East Midlands Railway
07919 217917
Notes to editors
About Derby Ram Trail
- Is a spectacular free art sculpture trail which will be in Derby until Sunday 22nd August 2021. A flock of fabulously colourful and unique rams will take you on a trail around the beautiful city of Derby. The ram sculpture is based on the mythical Derby Ram from the 18th Century song, which according to legend was ten yards high with enormous horns and a huge flowing fleece. The story tells how people from all over came to see the huge Derby Ram, and we are excited that people are once again flocking to Derby.
- The Derby Ram Trail is brought to you by Derby Museums, together with Wild in Art and Presenting Partner Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID). Wild in Art is a leading producer of creative events that transform places into free, family-friendly outdoor art galleries.
- Proceeds raised from The Derby Ram Trail will contribute to Derby Museums’ Endowment, helping to secure the future of our free museums for everyone to enjoy. Every pound raised will be doubled by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
@derbyramtrail | #DerbyRamTrail
About Wild in Art
- Wild in Art is the leading producer of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy. It brings together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures.
- Since 2008 Wild in Art has animated cities across the world including Manchester, Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town and São Paulo, and created trails for the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Historic Royal Palaces and Penguin Random House.
Wild in Art events have:
- Enabled over £15m to be raised for charitable causes
- Injected £2.4m into local creative communities
- Engaged over 850,000 young people in learning programmes
- Helped millions of people of all ages to experience art in non-traditional settings
- The Wild in Art apps are available to download from the App Store and Google Play.
About Derby Museums
- Founded in 2012, Derby Museums is an independent charitable trust that manages three museums in the city, the Museum and Art Gallery, Pickford’s House and the new Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill and holds and curates all the art and collections within them, including the world’s largest collection of paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby. www.derbymuseums.org
- Derby Museums inspires all generations to be makers, artists and thinkers. It aims to bring as many of the objects and treasures in the collections into the public domain as possible and to present them in ways that delight and inspire via education and learning programmes, events and exhibitions, in order to share knowledge and inspire creativity and making amongst the people of Derby.
- As a charitable trust, Derby Museums relies on funding and grants from organisations, as well as donations from businesses and the general public, all of which is gratefully received in order to ensure that admission to the museums remains free for all. It is also a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England.
- Derby Museums has been awarded a Heritage Endowment Grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of its Endowment Campaign Over the next four years Derby Museums aims to raise £1 million that will be matched pound for pound by The Fund. This will create a £2 million Endowment Fund that will be permanently invested to provide an income to help to support Derby Museums’ long- term future.