Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire UK
Collaboration Kindness Carbon Sensitivity
Overview | Matter | Inspiration | Ropewalk | History | Engagement | Sustainability | Process | Learning | Updates | Gallery
If you are a dreamer come in
If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer
If you're a pretender come sit by my fire
For we have some flax golden tales to spin
Come in! Come in!
Shel Silverstein | Writer, Cartoonist, Songwriter & Muscian
Riddings Community Flax Project
Community Flax Growing In Riddings, Derbyshire | Project Overview & Aims
The Riddings Community Flax Project is a contemporary textile art initiative in Derbyshire rooted in the heritage of Amber Valley and the village's deep flax history. Once a place of global industrial significance, Riddings provides the setting for this community-focused creative trial.
The project explores how I can connect local people with their shared history, promote wellbeing through Nature and creativity, and revive interest in sustainable textile practice. Working with flax as a heritage fibre allows us to reconnect with our long-overlooked industrial stories and create a renewed sense of place through creativity and heritage storytelling.
The work aims to develop an accessible, community-centred approach to growing, processing and making with flax while building awareness of environmental responsibility, local identity, creative experimentation, and shared learning.
Why This Project Matters
Amber Valley has a rich but often forgotten flax and rope-making history. Ripley, Waingroves and the surrounding areas once supported significant fibre production, including the Ripley Flax Mill and British Hemp & Flax Development Co. These stories are important to our region yet increasingly fragile.
By growing flax in community gardens, pots, buckets and shared neighbourhood spaces, the project helps us recognise our industrial heritage in daily life, nurture belonging, support creative wellbeing and celebrate local craft identity. The project encourages gentle participation and a sense of pride in our shared heritage. I spoke about the origins of this project on BBC Radio Derby’s Secret Derbyshire.
Flax Growing Inspiration & Community Intentions
The Riddings flax journey began in 2024 with a walk through Waingroves Community Woodland and its historic ropewalk. This visit sparked the idea that flax could grow in my own front garden, where the soil is heavy clay and shaped by the presence of old mining workings.
This project also draws on the University of Derby and its concept of Nature Connectedness, which explores the relationship between people and the natural world. These ideas influence how I co-create with participants through careful listening, empathy and place-based awareness.
My partner, a mining engineer with knowledge of Derbyshire's industrial landscapes, helped reveal how deeply the land, local stories and community memory are connected. This insight encouraged further research into Ropewalk Waingroves, where I discovered accounts of rope production by James and Thomas Roberts during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
How A Ropewalk Sparked The Flax Journey
On a bright day, my partner and I wandered through a local country park. I was new to the area and trying to understand the landscape, which can be a challenge for someone with very little sense of direction. He is a mining engineer who has worked across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, the North East, and Wales, and was keen to share his industrial knowledge and heritage. I came from generations of weavers in Lancashire and had studied a textile manufacturing degree, so our interests overlapped in ways that felt both familiar and grounding. As we walked, listening to a commentary on local mining history, we reached the Ropewalk. As a contemporary community textile artist, my instinct to notice textile stories is always present, and I asked about the significance of this quiet stretch of land.
They probably made ropes here for the pit, he replied, and in that moment, the direction of my creative journey shifted.
I returned home thinking about flax and hemp as historic rope-making fibres, and wondered if flax could grow in my own front garden, where the soil is heavy clay and the occasional small piece of coal appears. The idea of experimenting with a heritage crop felt exciting, playful, and rooted in place.
Curiosity led me to search for Ropewalk Waingroves, where I found an entry on The Ripley and District Heritage Trust website. From an adapted version of Frank Mansey's Guide to Ripley's Heritage Part Two, the account described a rope-making walk where James Roberts and his brother Thomas manufactured ropes using a line of posts and a windlass. This activity took place from the mid-nineteenth to the twentieth centuries. At first, I thought this described the site I had visited, but a deeper investigation suggested it was a second location. The discovery opened up further exploration and laid the foundations for the research phase of this project.
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Derbyshire
Flax Origins, Global Histories & Our Local Story
Flax is one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history, with evidence of its use dating back nearly thirty thousand years. It was first grown in the Fertile Crescent, where early civilisations such as those of Mesopotamia and Egypt used flax to make linen for clothing, rituals, and daily life. In many early texts, including the Bible, flax served as a metaphor for value, craft and cultural expression, underscoring its significance in shaping early societies.
During the Middle Ages and later, during the Industrial Revolution, flax production expanded from small-scale domestic making to large-scale manufacturing. As machinery developed, flax processing became an important part of engineering, innovation and local industry. This history leads directly to Riddings and Derbyshire, where flax processing played a vital role in industrial development and the growth of fibre technologies.
These stories form the backdrop to this project and are central to my research, skills development and creative response as I explore how a heritage fibre can shape new forms of community textile practice today.
Community Engagement & Participation
The Flax Project aims to create a person-centred space for community engagement through this tiny heritage crop. It focuses on the practical aspects of growing and processing this gentle plant while also recognising the unique interactions that occur when people come together to create. In these settings, conversations emerge naturally, friendships develop; shared activities can foster creativity and cultural connections within the community and between neighbours. Using my understanding from the Creative Agents programme and research into Stephen Willat's ideology concerning community engagement, there will always be a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all ages and skill levels. The project encourages collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Individuals can explore their creative expression while connecting with the rich heritage of Derbyshire textile arts that they might never have known, the stories and skills of the place they call home. Through hands-on workshops and dropping in on growing (my belief is that the work of the community artist should be where the participants are), the project highlights sustainable practices, prompting participants to reflect on their relationship with Nature and the resources they use. Following Willats' approach of creative evaluation allows for diverse ideas and perspectives to shape the project's direction. Additionally, the project will expand its educational outreach by building strong connections with local schools and initiating intergenerational learning opportunities. Creative listening is the hub of the Flax Project. Through a welcoming atmosphere, noticing, tools, and support, the initiative aims to inspire innovation, foster social cohesion and ownership, and reduce loneliness and isolation. I have been fascinated and inspired to recognise who is not in the room and to go out and find them. This effort is designed to leave behind a lasting community legacy that could encourage similar initiatives in the future, should there be a desire to continue this important work.
Environmental Practice & Sustainability
Flax is a gentle, native, forgiving and low-impact plant that significantly supports soil health, enhances biodiversity, and promotes environmentally responsible textile production. (We are specifically using a European variety of flax, as the New Zealand type can become invasive.) By growing the variety that previous generations of Derbyshire folk did in our local environments, whether in community gardens, personal gardens, or containers, we connect with our heritage, revive lost skills and knowledge, whilst ensuring that everyone can join in, irrespective of transportation challenges, time limitations, financial means, caring responsibilities, etc. This local accessibility encourages increased use of green spaces, nurtures sustainable practices through the sharing and use of local tools and 'things' (no need to buy), reduces the environmental footprint linked to transportation, and highlights its importance in our climate strategy. My intention is to trial the sowing, growing, and processing of flax to ensure that every aspect of our practices is as climate considerate as possible. This European flax offers numerous benefits for soil health. Its gentle root system stabilises the heavy clay soil, improving its porosity, filtration, water retention, biodiversity, microbion and future working. Growing flax offers further benefits, as it has low water and nutrient requirements, reducing the need for excessive water use and fertiliser inputs. As its leaves decompose, they contribute organic matter that enriches the soil. Additionally, incorporating flax into crop rotations can break pest and disease cycles that affect other plants (my second season will incorporate crop rotation). This holistic approach strengthens the community's understanding of how materials are created, from field to fabric. It encourages slower, more mindful creativity and cultivates a deeper appreciation for Nature as defined by Derby University's Nature Connectedness ideology. Guided by these principles, I work with communities to emphasise care, reuse, and respect for our natural resources. This initiative offers a hands-on approach for us to delve into sustainability as a community. It strengthens our shared dedication to eco-friendly practices and shapes my journey as a climate-conscious textile artist.
Process & Partnership
The project follows a harmonious yearly rhythm that encourages participation and fosters community connections, whether for the whole programme or merely dropping in and out as life demands require. Key stages include sharing seeds from previous harvests, sowing, nurturing plants, harvesting, retting, processing fibres, spinning, and conducting initial weaving tests. Each phase is intentionally structured to engage all ages and skill levels, creating opportunities for hands-on learning and creativity while keeping costs down and sustainability intentions high. Supported by local residents, Waingroves Community Woodland, neighbourhood groups, and those who generously share their time, stories, and skills, these relationships are vital in anchoring the project within the local community. Additionally, partnerships with local schools and organisations will enhance educational outreach, ensuring the project offers a platform for artistic expression, heritage recognition and cultural exchange. This collaborative approach builds new mycelial networks of belonging that enrich the community by gently nudging towards a shared appreciation for traditional crafts and sustainable practices.
Learning & Vision
Learning and reflection are woven into every stage of the project through Creative Listening, simple conversations and community feedback. These insights help shape the work, strengthen community understanding and support new ways of thinking about local heritage and creative practice. This project forms the foundation for a wider journey exploring local fibre, community creativity and sustainable textile practice in Amber Valley. Future stages may include expanded growing sites, portable loom research, flax spinning development, community workshops and sharing outcomes through exhibitions and stories. The long term aim is to grow a connected network of makers, growers and storytellers who celebrate the heritage and ecological importance of flax in our region.
Contemporary Community Textile Artist Flax Growing Updates
As I take on this flax adventure to build my knowledge, skills and network, I will update this page with my mingling, mastery, mistakes and memories. Please come back regularly if you are a fellow flax traveller for updates. I'd love to hear from you. We're stronger together.
Project Gallery | Flax & Textile Artist Growing Adventures
