The Derby Ram Trail
In May 2021, as we emerged from a difficult period of lockdown, 30 colourful and unique ram sculptures descended on the city of Derby to form a spectacular discovery trail. Shepherded to the city by Derby Museums, in partnership with Wild in Art and Derby’s Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID), the trail offered an opportunity for meeting and connecting safely with others outdoors after months of isolating.
All designed and hand-painted by a team of 28 artists, our rams made for a colourful herd, with themes ranging from Royal Crown Derby to Rambo (get it?). They were sponsored by 32 generous local organisations and businesses, and a special app was developed by trail partner Bloc Digital inviting people to find each one.
With rams free ranging from the train station to the Museum of Making, the trail encouraged people to get back into their communities, to explore new areas and to support local businesses. As they rambled, visitors went on to contribute around £1.4m to the local visitor economy- a vital necessity of the city’s recovery after lockdown.
Little lambs were invited too, with a Schools’ Mini Ram Trail taking place at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Made up of 30 mini rams, all of which were designed and decorated by Derby school children. We had over 4,050 children from 21 schools submit a design for the mini trail, and we had some very proud young people come to visit their mini ram on gallery!
The Trail lasted for three months and attracted around a combined figure of120,000 local and international visitors to the city, a vital injection of footfall after months of lockdown. At the end of the trail, the herd of sculptures came together for a special Ram-union weekend, giving everyone a last chance to see them together. An auction was hosted, and 30 ram sculptures helped us to raise an impressive £172,000 for Derby Museums’ Endowment Fund (doubled to £344,000 with match funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund).
The ram was adopted as both a symbol and mascot for Derby as on ode to the old folksong ‘The Derby Ram’. The city is home to statues and our local football club are known as The Rams, so the trail was a strong continuation of Derby pride and history. Most importantly, the Derby Ram Trail brought joy and smiles to many people who took part, achieving its aim of increasing visitors from near and far, and increasing the pride that locals have for their city. 13 of the 15 rams can still be spotted around Derby today!
