‘Forget Made in Chelsea – give me Made in Derby every time!’

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.

Last month, I took a few days off to travel to London to reunite with some friends from my university days.

It was over 30 years ago that we were first thrown together at what was then known as Roehampton Institute (now the University of Roehampton).

For all three years of my studies, I lived out of halls, in a somewhat depressing bedsit in Putney, living off my signature dish of scrambled eggs on toast.

Like a lot of places, Putney has changed a lot since those days – the money from Chelsea and Fulham having spilled over to the other side of the Thames – and the place now has a very upmarket feel.

I thought as much as I sat in the beer garden of one of the pubs we used to drink in, carefully sipping my £8.50 pint!

Anyway, the conversation turned to careers, and one of my old uni chums asked me why, instead of staying in London all those years ago, I decided to return to Derby to eventually become a business journalist.

“Because it’s one of the best cities in the country,” came my reply.

After the sniggering had died down, I pointed to the sky, where, seemingly every five minutes, a huge passenger jet could be seen making its descent into Heathrow.

“See that? Rolls-Royce engines – made in Derby. The Elizabeth Line trains you travel to work on – made in Derby. Even the station I arrived at this morning – St Pancras International – was made in Derbyshire.”

The sniggering abated – and the conversation quickly turned to what pubs we got barred from back in the day.

Truth is, I revel in seeing these reminders of my home city when I’m on my travels, whether it be someone in a Derby County shirt on a Cypriot beach or craning my neck to see a Rolls-Royce powered jet fly over a Putney beer garden.

Derby has made a contribution that stretches far beyond its city boundaries – and continues to do so to this day.

For example, last month we reported that a new fleet of London Northwestern Railway trains, built at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, had entered into service.

They are expected to carry millions of passengers to and from London Euston railway station every year.

Conceivably, homes in London could one day end up being powered by technology developed by our very own Rolls-Royce after its offshoot, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the preferred bidder to build mini nuclear power stations for the UK.

Derby’s manufacturing muscle is not just well regarded in London – it is valued across the world.

It is no coincidence that when considering the location of where to build the Toyota GR Corolla, bosses at the Japanese car giant chose the Burnaston factory, just outside of Derby.

In terms of day to day living, while some consider London the place to be, overheating house prices, coupled with improved transport links and the promise of a better work/life balance is resulting in some of its residents upping sticks and considering places like Derby.

It’s a phenomenon witnessed by the sales teams at Wavensmere Homes, which seemingly can’t build homes in Derby fast enough.

For example, at a recent sales event for its most loyal clients, it sold an incredible £11.6 million worth of off-plan homes.

Of course, to attract people from London, Derby needs to continue work on upping its game in terms of things to do.

In 2025, the city made a positive start, with the likes of Vaillant Live and Derby Market Hall opening their doors.

A quality food and drink scene is also essential. There are some really high-quality places to eat and drink in Derby and the surrounding area (where the prices are a lot lower than London!).

Hopefully, we’ll see plenty of nominations for them following the launch of this year’s Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards.

Don’t get me wrong, I love London – but in small doses. Wherever I am in the world, I’ll always end up gravitating back to Derby.

Talking of gravitating, this week more than 300 delegates gravitated to Derby for our annual Derby Property Summit.

Featuring respected keynote speakers and panellists, it was held for the first time in the spectacular Vaillant Live.

Together they received a fascinating insight into Derby’s regeneration future – with the venue itself a perfect illustration of the city’s ambition and intent.

While London is all very busy and exciting, Derby provides myself and my family with everything we need.

And if someone told me that I could move to London tomorrow, I’d turn them down in favour of Derbados.

Of course, I’m biased – I was born in the city, and I work for an organisation called Marketing Derby!

So, in the interests of journalism, here’s a more objective opinion.

It’s a first-person piece we published in June, written by Ananya Venkatesa, who had been on a graduate placement at the University of Derby run Derby Theatre, working as its development officer.

She left Glasgow to take up her two-year placement, which has now come to an end. Here’s what kind of impression Derby made on her:

Have a safe and productive July and I look forward to catching up with you again soon.