Belper Photographer Becomes 1,000th Member of ‘Made in Derbyshire’

The long-running campaign celebrating everything that’s great about Derbyshire has reached the milestone of its 1,000th business member.

Fine art photographer and haiku poet Emma Clinton has just been accepted as the 1,000th member of the ‘Made in Derbyshire’ campaign, with her Belper-based business PhotoHaiku.

Joining scores of local producers from Belper such as Julie Swindel, Jelly Roles, Andy Meyers, Mark Langley, DerwentWISE and Pete Castle the directory is a valuable resource for finding businesses unique to the area.

Derbyshire County Council are the lead partner in the ‘Made in Derbyshire’ campaign, working with other local councils, cultural groups and tourism organisations to promote and boost the local economy through its products, culture, festivals and sporting events.

County businesses, local arts and music groups, museums and tourist destinations have all been encouraged to sign up to the campaign, which launched in 2015.

Emma, from Belper, is a self-taught photographer with an MA in creative writing. She exhibits and sells her work at various art and craft markets and events across the county.

Her work often inspires her to write complementary traditional Japanese haiku poems.

“Haiku” is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. The poems consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables (17 in total).

The poems Emma writes then overlay photographs she has taken to create PhotoHaiku.

Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture and Tourism Councillor Barry Lewis said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Emma and PhotoHaiku as our 1,000th business to join Made in Derbyshire.

“The campaign celebrates poets, writers, artists, engineers, businesses and craftspeople who give this county its rich and unique character and help us to boost the county’s economy through their work.

“It also nurtures new talent and reinforces Derbyshire as an exciting cultural destination for visitors from all over the world.”

Emma, who set up PhotoHaiku in 2016, said:

“Being a member of the Made in Derbyshire campaign helps to reaffirm to my potential customers the fact that my work is rooted in Derbyshire − a place rich in heritage, culture and outstanding natural beauty with a vibrant creative community.

“People are more and more interested in the unique qualities of places and Made in Derbyshire is working to communicate what the county has to offer.”

Find out more information about Made in Derbyshire (opens in a new window).