Show & Tell - History in the Hospital

Our latest project sees Living Derby team members stationed in Derby Hospital every Friday in June. Sited in different areas every week, the team have been looking after the card wall project as well as engaging staff, visitors, patients (even delivery men!) in the Show & Tell. Each week a number of items from the Hidden Histories archive have been on show and people have been able to look, touch and handle different artefacts from the hospital's history. Pictured is the original hand and torch from Florence Nightingale's statue on London Road. The statue was vandalised in the early 1980's and the hand recovered by a gardener on the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary site, where he uncovered it in a flower bed!

The Card Wall Project is currently asking the question "What is your most treasured object?". We have had a huge response with answers ranging from "my grandfather's watch" to, "the teddy I have had since I was one". We would love to hear your responses and can fill out a card on your behalf if you would prefer. Just email hannah@livingderby.com, naming your object and a brief description of why it has meaning to you. If you would also like to enclose an photograph or drawing of the object, even better! Alteratively, just pick up a card from the Card Wall in the hospital - which will be sited in the Main Entrance in June.

If you have a story to tell about your experiences working in or visiting Derby Hospitals, or even have an artefact such as an object, letter, book or photograph that you would like to tell us about or donate into the archive, please contact hannah@livingderby.com or use our contact us page.

Hidden Histories Desktop images free to download

The Hidden Histories Calendar is over halfway through its year already! If you would like to download one of the images from the calendar for use as a desktop image, click here to visit our downloads page.

Hidden Histories - Phase Two

Since the successful launch of the Hidden Histories Calendar in Derby Hospitals, Living Derby has been continuing to develop the Hidden Histories Project and will shortly be installing a History Wall at the newly named "Royal Derby Hospital". This wall will provide an opportunity for staff, patients and visitors alike to contribute their memories and images to the Hidden Histories Archive. In the meantim, you can download the current calendar images as desktop images by clicking here. We will put up each month's image as the year progresses, so keep checking back for your favourite.

Dale book arrives!!

Following sleepless nights on the part of Living Derby team, the staff at Dale School and the pupils from the editorial committee - the book is finally here! Just in time for the actually centenary on Tuesday the 25th of November at 6.45pm! There will be a launch ceremony - members of the school's past staff and pupils. We're expecting songs from the school choir, lots of cups of tea and many, many shared memories... To order a book, click here.

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Pupils from the editorial committee get their hands on the book first.

Hidden Histories Revealed

The first phase of the Hidden Histories Project was completed today, after several weeks of work with Derby Hospital. Jo Bell and Hannah Fox tracked down a number of hidden artefacts from the collective histories of Derby Hospital sites - past and present. These objects, photos, letters etc. were used to trigger off conversations with hospital staff and to spark off creative thought. The project has culminated in 100 A3 calendars that count down the months to the official opening of the new hospital site. The calendars have been distributed throughout the departments of the hospital, and our hope is that more artefacts and stories will be revealed! For more images from the Hidden Histories Calendar - click here.

Phase 2 of the Hidden Histories project is currently being planned and will take place throughout 2009.

If you have a story to tell about your memories of working within Derby's Hospitals - please contact us here. We would love to add your memories to the archive!

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