Wesco Anixter Supports Youth-Led Animation Initiative for Bolsover’s Bright Winter Nights
Chesterfield’s Wesco Anixter is funding a new art project that has enabled young people in Bolsover to turn their special interests and imaginations into digital artwork, which will be projected inside Bolsover Castle next month. This sponsorship is made possible by Wesco Cares, the company’s corporate philanthropic program that aims to support communities where employees live, work and deliver.
The art piece, titled Our Digital Tapestry, was commissioned by Junction Arts and will feature at this year’s Bright Winter Nights event. The piece showcases the ideas and inspiration of students from Stubbin Wood School and families attending Neurohub, a welcoming local space for neurodivergent youth.
Over eight workshops, 43 young participants collaborated with Junction Arts to create visuals using light drawing photography, surreal collages, and acetate drawings. At the same time, sound artist Tim Baker led audio sessions with Stubbin Wood students, blending traditional instruments like drums and guitars with creative sound-makers such as rice tubes, foil, and rain sticks to explore tone, tempo and melody. Visual artist Will Lindley then transformed these creative outputs into Our Digital Tapestry, a digital animation celebrating young people’s passions and identities, which will be projected at Bolsover Castle’s Riding School.
Our Digital Tapestry will be one of three new artworks at this year’s Bright Winter Nights event. Now in its third year, the Junction Arts event showcases unheard voices through large-scale projections, soundscapes, and interactive artworks, transforming the castle into a glowing canvas of community spirit and creativity.
This year’s theme, “Hear My Voice,” ensures that all artworks are co-created with young people from Bolsover, including students from Shirebrook Academy and members of Boza Youth.
Junction Arts Project Manager Kylie North said: “Our Digital Tapestry is a youth-led animation professionally produced to create a beautiful and immersive film for The Riding School at Bolsover Castle. Visitors will experience artwork that stimulates the senses through sight and sound.”
“We are proud to support our local community by sponsoring Bright Winter Nights, an amazing event that celebrates Bolsover’s history and its future, added Sophie Whitfield, Sustainability Leader EES EMEA from Wesco Anixter. “The young people involved have been incredible, sharing their creativity and interests, which form the heart of this exciting new artwork. We are excited to see it displayed next month.”
Bright Winter Nights will take place on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 November, 4.30 p.m.to 7.30 p.m., with a dedicated quiet session from 4.30 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.. Tickets cost £3 for adults, £2 for children and under 5s are free. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on the English Heritage website.
Notes to Editors
About Wesco Anixter
Wesco International (NYSE: WCC) builds, connects, powers and protects the world. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wesco is a FORTUNE 500® company with more than $22 billion in annual sales and a leading provider of business-to-business distribution, logistics services and supply chain solutions. Wesco offers a best-in-class product and services portfolio of Electrical and Electronic Solutions, Communications and Security Solutions, and Utility and Broadband Solutions. The Company employs approximately 20,000 people, partners with the industry's premier suppliers, and serves thousands of customers around the world. With millions of products, end-to-end supply chain services, and leading digital capabilities, Wesco provides innovative solutions to meet customer needs across commercial and industrial businesses, contractors, government agencies, educational institutions, telecommunications providers, and utilities. Wesco operates nearly 800 branches, warehouses and sales offices in more than 50 countries, providing a local presence for customers and a global network to serve multi-location businesses and global corporations.
About Junction Arts
Junction Arts is one of the UK’s longest-running community arts charities, established in 1976, it will celebrate its 50th birthday next year. They help communities facing social barriers to create a better future through the arts. The charity’s festivals, workshops, and events give people the opportunity to be creative, learn new skills, and build stronger communities.
About Brights Winter Nights
Launched in 2023 by Junction Arts to celebrate 30 years of the Bolsover Lantern Parade, Bright Winter Nights has quickly become a highlight of the winter calendar. Each year, the show combines large-scale projections, soundscapes, and interactive artworks to transform the castle into a glowing canvas of community spirit and creativity.
