Believe in Derby – not everything you read!

Here, in his latest monthly column reflecting on the news over the past month, our Press and PR Executive Robin Johnson looks at the headlines.

Someone once said to me that there must be a huge magnet buried somewhere underneath Derby.

Don’t worry, there isn’t. They were actually making the point that out of the people who do leave the city for whatever reason (work, education, family etc) – many gravitate back.

I’m one of them. Three years studying for a degree in London wasn’t enough to turn my head.

I came back to Derby and wanted to work for my local paper – which I eventually did.

And it was a real privilege when working for the Derby Telegraph to report on the city and county’s business community – and to continue to do so now through my work with Marketing Derby.

Every year, I always look forward to the announcement of the King’s Awards.

Formerly the Queen’s Awards, they are basically the most prestigious accolade a business can win.

In May, the latest winners were announced – and I was delighted to see three Marketing Derby Bondholders on that list – Midland Lead, HSG UK and Whitehouse Construction.

Congratulations to all of them – and we here at Marketing Derby hope that their success will inspire others to put themselves forward for next year’s awards.

Another Marketing Derby Bondholder that is celebrating Royal recognition is John Smedley, the historic fine knitwear manufacturer.

In May, the company celebrated being granted the Royal Warrant by King Charles III.

It has come during what is a very special year for the company, as it celebrates its 240th anniversary.

The firm is toasting the landmark in a variety of ways, including the commissioning of a stunning new mural, which depicts the story of the business through time.

Another business that could well be deemed as ‘fit for Royalty’ is Morley Hayes.

In May, the hotel, restaurant and golf complex was named as one of the UK’s top hotels by TripAdvisor.

It was the only hotel in the Midlands to earn a place in the prestigious Best of the Best Hotels listing. An amazing achievement.

Now then, I’m well aware that when it comes to Derby making the headlines in May, there is an elephant in the room (not at the hotel at Morley Hayes, I hasten to add).

Over the past few weeks, much has been said and written about a rather unflattering survey published in May by ‘Which?’ about Derby.

I won’t lie. As someone who is part of a team working so hard to improve Derby, it was disappointing – not to mention frustrating – to read.

I don’t really want to get drawn into a detailed analysis of whether the results of the survey were right or wrong.

Instead, I’ll just give you some of the headlines from the past month, which offer a snapshot of the city’s direction of travel.

Building our visitor economy is a key priority for the city. Some of the foundations are either already in place – or will soon be in place.

Take, for example, Derby Museums’ Museum of Making.

In May, it was named one of the best museums in Europe.

It was one of only three UK museums among the 50 finalists – and it was one of only six this year to be awarded a ‘special commendation’.

In terms of things to do, Derby is home to the FORMAT International Photography Festival, which draws in thousands of people from all over the world every two years.

In May, the theme for the 2025 event was announced.

Our shopping offer continues to improve. Last month, Derbion announced the latest big name to take space at the shopping centre – leading British fashion and lifestyle brand White Stuff.

It follows news that more than £5 million is being invested in three major new concept stores for JD, New Look and Ann Summers.

Some of the 4,000 people who took part in the Which? study would do well to visit the Derby City Lab, which is also inside Derbion.

Here, they can learn all about Derby’s exciting future – not just pie in the sky schemes, but real projects that together will make Derby a better place to live, work and play.

Some of these schemes were showcased by Team Derby at the recent UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), which took place in Leeds.

UKREiiF is a huge deal in the UK real estate sector – and during the event, the efforts of Team Derby, along with its partners, were supported by the newly-elected East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward.

At this year’ UKREiiF, there was a real buzz around the plethora of schemes focussed on Derby city centre, such as the new Performance Venue, the revamped Market Hall and the Heart of the City project (which includes the transformation of the former Assembly Rooms site).

These schemes are not just pretty CGIs. They are really happening.

I certainly hope the researchers at Which? will return to Derby and do their survey once they are all online.

Yes, there is much work still to be done here. We are in the middle of a period of great change.

If I had one takeout from it all, it is this…

A key message that came out of a panel session organised by Team Derby during UKREiiF was that we need to “believe in our city”.

Investors believe in us. That’s why you can currently see so many new schemes rising out of the ground across Derby.

Now, it’s about time we started believing in Derby – not everything we read!

Anyway, have a safe and productive June and I look forward to catching up again with you soon.