A quilt created by housebound older residents as part of a vital arts project set up during lockdown is touring the county. 

The project entitled A Necklace of Stars was created by Arts Derbyshire with Derbyshire County Council Public Health and Derbyshire Home Library Service, funded by Arts Council England. 

A team of artists – artist Lois Blackburn, poet Philip Davenport and songwriter Matt Hill – worked with nearly 100 participants, talking for months over the phone. 

The quilt, and an accompanying soundtrack of poems and lullabies is now touring the county and will be on display at Buxton Museum & Art Gallery from 28 September until 6 December. 

Philip Davenport said: “Art isn’t usually considered to be an emergency service, but during the lockdowns this was a life-line to isolated people. 

“Out of something terrible we managed to conjure some little glimmers of hope.” 

Derbyshire County Council Leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, said: “The lockdowns were difficult for us all, but particularly for people who were already isolated and couldn’t be visited by friends and family in their own home. 

“A Necklace of Stars, by enabling people to create beautiful and meaningful art with others in the same situation, allowed them to make connections and tackle loneliness.” 

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