Recently, a friend took me on a mystery car journey to the Peak District town of Whaley Bridge,which nestles in Derbyshire. Having never visited this part of the peaks before, I was curious. We walked past shops, and flower-fronted houses, before she pointed out a warehouse. ‘I thought you’d like this place, it has some books in it.’ I learned it was called the Transshipment Warehouse and Whaley Bridge Canal Basin, where I discovered more than just books, but a whole community project.
The building housed all manner of paraphernalia: from a large model of a helicopter, suspended from the ceiling, banners advertising a ‘Fab Market’ on the second Saturday of each month, a food bank, and music playing. I was intrigued. The interior of the warehouse looked like a community space for adults and children alike, with areas of artwork. We walked across a small bridge, over some water, where previously, barges would have moored and turned. There followed a room full of second-hand DVDs, LPs, and a sign saying there was more upstairs. I followed my friend up to the next floor to find an attic room full of books of all types and a tea-room. As we browsed the books, I noticed a sheepdog happily wandering around the place, and a man sat at his desk/counter.
Nev Clarke, the man behind the counter, set up the Whaley Bridge Canal Group in 2011 when he first moved to the area. At the time he was involved in a project called ‘Whaley Wharf Weekend,’ a once-a-year event which used the Transshipment Warehouse and surrounding area for this. Other than that, the warehouse was going to waste, laying derelict for around 30 years or so. In the 70s and 80s it had been used to hire, build and fit-out boats under the Coles Morten name. In 1972 it was listed as a Grade II Listed Building, and because of its condition, was put on the Heritage at Risk Register.
He commented: “Whaley Bridge Canal Group has done it’s best to turn around a derelict and redundant piece of land and building and transform it into a community asset. Over the intervening years we have built on this and established ourselves as a real community hub. This really became apparent as lockdown hit.”
With the help of those volunteers, Nev improved the area, put shrubbery in, built some picnic furniture and generally converted it into a comfortable place. “Our aim is to bring people together to help rejuvenate and maintain one of the town's great assets and links to the past; to create a village green type space for the town, bringing a range of events and activities that (not only) enriches the community but puts them at the heart of it.”
The group conserves the area of the Whaley Bridge Basin, the Transshipment Warehouse, and the towpath up to Bridge 32, and acts as a central hub. Since that time they have opened a book shop, coffee shop, craft courses, Foodbank and Men’s Shed. Nev: "The Men's Shed that we launched nearly three years ago now, has a core group of members and not all just men. Mental health and well-being is at the core of what we offer as a building, even if it isn’t always what people see.”
High Peak Heritage Crafts was launched in November 2020 to bring creative craft activities to the area, and continue to preserve the heritage of the canal basin. They now run a wide range of classes and workshops in pottery, woodwork, comic book/Manga art, lino printing and stained glass, to name a few. They’ve even had a ‘Prosecco and Pottery’ class, which sounds appealing!
Nev explained, “When Covid took hold in 2020 we were the only group in Whaley to continue to make our presence felt and provide safely managed events for our town and surrounds. We organised markets, a summer event, Christmas storytelling, all under closely followed risk assessments and Covid guidelines. Undeterred, throughout the Winter of 2020/21 we kept ourdoors open to the public, as a place of refuge and escape from the realities of the world. We did this not with the intention of income coming in as a result of it, but because we knew that people needed us.”
They also run a monthly ‘FAB’ Market with clothing, arts, crafts, drinks and freshly made products by local artisans. The town’s first Foodbank has also been established, to help people in need. Donations are always gratefully received. He continues: “We remain the only foodbank in the High Peak to operate on a soft referral basis and haveseen a steady rise in people needing (it) as they fall through the gaps in the benefit system. Wehave become a vital support cog in our community and we will continue to provide help and support where we can, including opening up on Christmas Day and providing takeaway meals for those on their own or in need of respite.
“We have persevered, running at a loss some weeks, in order to keep the courses going. We’ve even offered free courses to some of our Foodbank customers. We’ve done the same with the books for sale in our bookshop, we offer free cookery and children’s books to those using the Foodbank.”
Finances are very much hand-to-mouth and they rely on the generosity of volunteers and donations. “We have a small amount of reserves but that can very quickly dry up.”
For more information about this essential and inspiring community space - or to donate to the group's efforts, please CLICK HERE
Many thanks to Paul Moore for his images. Paul's photography work can be viewed on his site HERE
