The Oz Experience – Derby

🎮 A daring Oz adventure🏎️ Navigate your city streets🎟️ Hunt for clues and solve puzzles⌛ 2-3 hours to complete👋 Perfect for friends and families📍 All quests within ½ mile radius📱 Immersive app-only experience⏰ Play anytime The Story Dorothy and her friends have been captured by the Wicked Witch of the West – and it’s up to you to set them free. Glinda the Good has opened a secret portal to Derby, granting you the power to see into Oz through an enchanted emerald lens. But saving the day won’t be easy… Follow the Yellow Brick Road, crack puzzles, uncover hidden clues, and evade the Wicked WitchÕs dark magic as you race against the clock to rescue Dorothy and her companions. Book Here! 00

Trance In The Woods 2026 – A New Chapter Begins

Following an unforgettable legacy at Elvaston Castle, Trance In The Woods is proud to announce its biggest move yet. For our landmark 25th Anniversary edition in 2026, the festival will be relocating to the stunning Thoresby Park, an expansive site set to elevate the experience for every attendee. This exciting new chapter comes with significant upgrades: Goodgreef, one of the UK’s most iconic dance music brands, celebrates 25 years of trailblazing events in 2026. To mark this milestone, Trance In The Woods is stepping up to become the biggest edition in its history, an anniversary celebration unlike any other. The full line-up announcement is coming soon, promising a breathtaking mix of trance legends, emerging talent, and world-class production set in one of the UK’s most enchanting festival locations. Save the Date: Friday 29th – 30th May 2026 Location: Thoresby Park, Nottinghamshire NG22 9EP POST LINE-UP ANNOUNCED: Nottinghamshire – [Friday 29th – 30th May] – ATA Events & GoodGreef are thrilled to announce the first phase of the Trance in the Woods 2026 line-up, marking the 25th anniversary of the iconic GoodGreef brand. Set to take place on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th May 2026 at Thoresby Park, near Ollerton, Newark, this two-day festival promises a weekend of immersive trance experiences across expanded festival grounds with secret sets, a woodland area twice the size, and next-level production. The initial line-up features a stellar roster of world-class DJs and producers, including Billy Gillies B2B Maddix (UK exclusive), Bryan Kearney B2B Mauro Picotto (exclusive), Chicane, Judge Jules, David Rust, Eddie Halliwell, John O’Callaghan, Will Atkinson, Nifra, Rob Tissera, and many more. With over 50 DJs confirmed and secret guests yet to be revealed, attendees can expect non-stop music and unforgettable performances. Phase One also showcases an impressive selection of support artists from A-Z, including Anselli, Dan Harrison, Euphoric Relay, Jordan Tilstone, Steve Arnold, and others. Additional guest appearances are planned, adding to the excitement of this milestone edition of Trance in the Woods. Festival Features: Friday Highlights (Campers Only): Saturday Highlights: Tickets are available via FIXR.co.uk and Skiddle.com from Monday 13th October. Early booking is recommended to secure access to what promises to be a landmark celebration in trance music. For more information: trancinthewoods.co.ukSave the Date: Friday 29th – 30th May 2026Location: Thoresby Park, Nottinghamshire NG22 9EPTickets: Available via FIXR and Skiddle from Monday 13th October 00

QUEENSBERRY ‘UNDER THE LIGHTS’ – BRITISH & COMMONWEALTH TITLE SHOWDOWN BOOKED FOR 28 FEBRUARY AT VAILLANT LIVE, DERBY!

THE VACANT BRITISH welterweight championship will be on the line when Owen Cooper goes up against Constantin Ursu at Valliant Live in Derby on Saturday February 28, live on DAZN. This will be the first Queensberry Championship Boxing event at Vaillant Live. The card will feature 10-round action at super lightweight, with Olympian Luke McCormack taking on Kane Gardner, plus at middleweight, with Ben Fail facing Mason Cartwright. Tickets can be purchased from vaillantlive.co.uk. Pre sale tickets are available from 12pm on Monday 19 January and the general sale starts at 12pm on Tuesday, 20 January.  Promoter, Frank Warren: “This is a cracking little show and a showcase for our up-and-coming talents. This is where prospects get to prove themselves as potential contenders and show us all that they belong on the major events moving forward. “The British title fight between Owen Cooper and Constantin Ursu should be a real banger and it is one I am looking forward to greatly because these fights nearly always deliver the goods and Owen’s fights always do anyway. “We expect big things from Luke McCormack and Ben Fail and they will both be tested in a big way on February 28.” 00

Dates for your diary!!!

Happy Trails: Welcome to Lalaland 15 January – 10 April 2026 Level Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley DE4 2EL Your adventure starts here! ‘Happy Trails: Welcome to Lalaland’ invites you into artist Carla Dee’s vibrant, joy-filled universe. Doodle-tastic and inspired by local life, this colourful, interactive exhibition sparks smiles, creativity and loads of fun. Bring the walls of the exhibition to life, revealing colourful characters along the way. Which local landmarks can you recognise? Escape into a world where anything is possible! Happy Trails: Welcome to Lalaland is suitable for all including day centres, school/community groups and families. Entry is free! For more information about the exhibition and to book visit: www.levelcentre.com/happytrails LEVEL Spotlight Award 2026: Souvenirs – Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive 15 January – 10 April 2026 Level Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley DE4 2EL ‘Souvenirs – Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive’ is an exhibition by LEVEL Spotlight Award 2026 artist Helen Grundy. Presented in LEVEL Centre’s Gallery Corridor, this provocative and humorous exhibition showcases a series of surreal digital and paper collages – each one a souvenir from the artist’s life. Free to visit. Find out more about the exhibition here: www.levelcentre.com/spotlight2026 Thingamabobas – February Half Term events 17 – 21 February 2026 Level Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley DE4 2EL Roll up, roll up, join the Circus! For one week only come and experience Thingamabobas, a fantastical installation that’s hands-on, interactive and one-of-a-kind! Visitors of all ages are invited into a whimsical, sensory world, to meet a circus troupe of bizarrely wonderful machines inspired by acrobats, jugglers, and unicyclists. But that’s not all! All activities are free! Find out more and book a workshop here: www.levelcentre.com/thingamabobas Biodiverse Sensory Garden at LEVEL Centre Year Round Workshops and Groups Level Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley DE4 2EL Welcome to LEVEL Centre’s Biodiverse Sensory Garden – a space for the whole community to enjoy. Workshops and groups run year round – keep an eye on our website and socials for all the details! Opportunities for all ages and abilities. Or maybe you’d even like to join our team of garden volunteers – no experience necessary! Visit our website to keep up to date on what’s happening in our garden: www.levelcentre.com/garden Volunteer at LEVEL Centre! Level Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley DE4 2EL Volunteering at LEVEL Centre is an opportunity to make a real difference. Not only will you enjoy a truly rewarding experience and gain new skills, but you’ll also be providing vital support to our small charity. Opportunities available both in our art centre and our outdoor areas. And don’t worry if you don’t have experience of volunteering – full training and support will be given from our friendly team! Find out more here: www.levelcentre.com/volunteer 00

Derbyshire’s Rumpus to tour The Haunted Bride

North Derbyshire-based theatre company Rumpus is to tour a revival of The Haunted Bride, a “spine-chilling” play by John Goodrum based on Charles Dickens’ To Be Read at Dusk. In 2025 Rumpus toured The Ripper Files!, buying into the public’s massive interest in Jack the Ripper. Now the company is reviving another of Goodrum’s adaptations. He said, “The Haunted Bride was hugely popular on its first outing in 2011. Having spent 2025 largely in the grotesque, equally popular reality of Jack the Ripper, it’s refreshing to return in 2026 to the romantic supernatural fantasy world of Charles Dickens.” The Haunted Bride involves 19th century tour guide Giovanni Baptista meeting up with cockney ladies’ maid Carolina Hodgkins ten years after they had an extraordinary and unsettling experience. They had accompanied newlyweds Thomas and Clara Manning on their honeymoon to the Riviera. Gradually the two of them unfold the horrifying tale of Clara who is haunted by a dream in the nights leading up to her wedding. At the peeling, overgrown Italian palazzo where they are to spend the next few weeks, the intangible dread that haunts her reaches its terrifying climax. Goodrum who also designs The Haunted Bride will play Baptista while Sarah Wynne Kordas will be Carolina.  Both have worked together before. Sarah Wynne Kordas was Adelaide and Goodrum played George Love in Karoline Leach’s The Mysterious Mr Love in the 2024 Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal. And both were in Goodrum’s The Comedy of Terrors which toured in 2025.  The Haunted Bride will be directed by Karen Henson, with sound design by David Gilbrook. It will open at the New Theatre Royal, Lincoln on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 February. It will run until the beginning of June and will take a break over the summer before touring again in October. There are currently no dates in Derbyshire, although The Haunted Bride will be performed at Rotherham Civic Theatre on Sunday 4 October and The Brewhouse, Burton-on-Trent on Thursday 29 October. The full list of dates is available at the Rumpus Theatre Company website. 00

Get your running shoes on! Get involved with your very own Derby running club!

The Derby Runner Run Club is a running group suitable for runners of all abilities based from The Derby Runner store in Spondon. With expert knowledge from local coaches, we will bring you structured sessions once a week that will give you the opportunity to improve all aspects of your running, from running form to speed and tackling hills. The sessions are held every Monday and start at 7pm. Please arrive before this so we are able to start on time. The sessions are FREE of charge. *Please respect our neighbours when parking your car and ensure you don’t obstruct anyone’s driveway.* Session Plan for Most Mondays: Warm up (length around 1.5 miles max) The session; The main session itself will always be made up of short periods of faster running (between 30s – 3 mins) with rest periods in between of similar lengths. The goal of each session will be explained at the shop, before the warm up commences. Cool down (length = back to the shop!) https://www.derbyrunner.co.uk/pages/aboutus 00

Derby Chamber Music Society & Music at Duffield

Sunday 8 February 2026 at 4.00pm Bemrose Recital – Martin Cousin (piano) PROGRAMME: Brahms Klavierstücke Op.118, Rose Fantasia Op. 24, Schumann Fantasy in C Op. 17  Martin Cousin is regarded as one of the most exceptional pianists of his generation, having been awarded 1st prize at the 2005 Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition (Seregno, Italy) and Gold Medal at the 2003 Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition (London). Martin is also a member of the Aquinas Piano Trio and his hands were featured on the big screen in the Oscar-winning film “Shine”, for the scenes involving Rachmaninov’s 3rd Concerto.  This concert is presented in collaboration with Derby Chamber Music Society.  Ticket prices: Adult £20, Concession £19, Student £8 (free if at school and accompanied by a paying adult) The Multi Faith Centre, University of Derby, Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB Individual tickets are available at the door or from Caroline Morgan (Tel: 07977 091171) and also online at www.musicatduffield.com or www.wegottickets.com 00

DERBY’S LONGEST ESTABLISHED FAMILY-OWNED FUNERAL DIRECTORS WELCOMES PEOPLE TO ITS FREE BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPS

Derby’s longest established family-owned funeral directors is inviting people to attend its award-winning bereavement support group. Fay Bloor, Bereavement Support Coordinator and trained counsellor at Wathall’s, runs four free meetings a month and offers one-to-one counselling sessions in Derby – and places are now available. She said: “Some very firm friendships have been made from people attending Dandelions Bereavement Support. “People come together to talk about their grief and how it feels to lose a loved one, finding comfort from the groups.” “Our relaxed meetings give people the chance to share their feelings with others in a similar situation, which can sometimes be easier than talking to friends and family, particularly if those around them are navigating their own grief.” Dandelions Bereavement Support launched in 2014, and is an award-winning service provided by Wathall’s. It was set up by Wathall’s Managing Director, Helen Wathall MBE, after seeing that families in Derby needed support following the loss of a loved one. She said: “Families would come to us to arrange a funeral, and I very quickly realised that they needed more help. It appeared that families were looking for on-going advice and I wanted to do more to support their grief journey.” “I chatted with my team and we set up Dandelions Bereavement Support.” Fay now runs the groups with support from Sarah Legg, who works for Wathall’s as a counsellor, and Helen’s daughter, Charlotte Wathall. She said: “Dandelions Bereavement Support has grown so much and as a service we have had to expand multiple times.” “We now run four meetings a month and these are well attended. Over the years, it has been really lovely to see friendships made and people making positive adjustments in their lives.” “Every meeting, we give people the opportunity to talk about their loss, openly and freely, and the groups provide peer support and empathy to help everyone feel less alone.” “With our specialist training we listen to how people are feeling and understand their grief journey.” You do not have to book in advance to attend Dandelions Bereavement Support. The groups run at the same time every month and you are welcome to just turn up. Here’s where they are: Ashbourne Dandelions – Meet on the first Wednesday of the month, from 1.30pm-3pm at the Minor Hall, Ashbourne Leisure Centre, Clifton Road, Ashbourne.  Derby Dandelions – Meet on the second and last Tuesday of each month from 1.30pm-3.30pm at St Peter’s Church, St Peter’s Street, Derby. Evening Dandelions, Derby – Meet on the first Tuesday of each month from 6-8pm at Derby Rugby Club, Haslam’s Lane, Derby.  For more information on the bereavement support services available at Wathall’s, contact Fay via email at fay.bloor@wathalls.co.uk or visit Wathall’s. 00

Derbyshire Dales Trail Run (Derby, Derbyshire) Sunday, 13th September 2026

Experience the beauty of the Peak District National Park with the Derbyshire Dales Trail Run, offering three incredible distances: Half Marathon, 15k, and 9k. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Bakewell Showground, this trail running event showcases the very best of the region’s natural scenery. The adventure begins on the iconic Monsal Trail, following the serene River Derwent with majestic Chatsworth House visible in the distance. The course winds through rolling countryside and the picturesque village of Edensor, offering panoramic views that highlight the charm and beauty of the Peaks. A thrilling descent prepares runners for the final challenge, a small but rewarding climb into the tranquil Manners Wood. From there, the home stretch builds anticipation before an exhilarating finish that tests your endurance and determination. Whether you’re tackling the Half Marathon (21k) for the ultimate challenge, the 15k for a rewarding mid-distance run, or the scenic 9k for a shorter, enjoyable trail experience, this event promises unforgettable views, varied terrain, and a true sense of accomplishment. What You Get: Take on the Derbyshire Dales Trail Run in the Peak District and experience the perfect blend of scenic trails, historic landmarks, and the thrill of open-country running in one of the UK’s most iconic national parks. BOOK NOW! +10

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