Melbourne Village Voice September 2022

TREE

by Lucy Stephens

A COPPER beech tree is at the centre of a wran gle over a well publicised housing application in the heart of Melbourne

Plans to knock down the former Senior Citizens Centre at the bottom of Church Street and build three houses on the site which includes the old bowling green have now been withdrawn

A public meeting of Melbourne Parish Council on September 6 heard from district councillor Jim Hewlett that conflicting planning advice was behind the withdrawal of the plans, which are expected to be resubmitted under a revised scheme

One point of discussion has been over the beech tree which is in front of the Senior Citizens Centre A de sign and access statement accompanying the original proposals alludes to the fact that the scheme has been designed to incorporate the tree, as it was considered to be an asset to the surrounding conservation area

The statement goes on to say that keeping the tree has limited the design potential of the site, as its roots must be preserved

Parish councillors were told that keeping the tree had been part of the district council’s pre application advice on the plans, as sought by Melbourne Hall Es tate

But they were further informed that the planning officer who gave this advice has now left the district council The person now doing the job has a different view, which is that a traditional street in Melbourne would not have featured a tree in front of a house

Eric Lee, the architect who has submitted the plans on behalf of the hall, said that the plans had been withdrawn in order for further advice to be sought

The parish council meeting also heard that the lat est advice from the district council’s planning depart ment questioned the ‘jitty’ that forms part of the plans, as well as the height of one of the houses

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TWO NEW CLINICS FOR HEALTH COMPANY

THE Melbourne business owners of health company Andra have been branching out with two new clinics Andra, which has a Melbourne base in Derby Road offering nutrition, pi lates and physiotherapy, will be launching a new clinic at Breedon Pri ory Health Club next month Staff from Andra will be running a Thursday and Friday clinic at Bree don, offering all of their usual services with the addition of physio and nutri tion health assessments.

Owner Rose Smith, who runs Andra with her husband, physiotherapist Simon Foskett (pictured outside Andra Health’s new base at Four18 Wellbeing in Derby) said: “We’re really excited to be opening another clinic and adding a health assessment serv ice

“The idea is that we’ll be giving peo ple the chance to see a physio even if they don’t necessarily have a problem, just to get everything checked out It’s a great option for people if they have

previously had some niggles, are start ing a new training programme or per haps want to optimise their fitness regime. We’re also offering nutrition checks for people who might like to find out how good their diet really is, or what areas they can improve to help with their fitness goals ”

Andra also now has a new base in Derby, at Four18 Wellbeing on Burton Road in Littleover, having moved from its previous location at the David Lloyd gym.

Crossing petition gathers support

A PETITION supporting a pedestrian cross ing on Derby Road in Melbourne has had significant support, reports FRANK HUGHES.

REOPENING UPDATE

open Wednesday 10am - 8pm ursday to Sunday 10am - 4pm for breakfast, lunch, homemade cakes, scones and a whole counter full of goodies - Booking is required for A ernoon Teaank you all so much for your patience in what will hopefully be the last of many changes we’ve had to make! Much love, Lou and the team x

The idea of such a crossing in the centre of Mel bourne has rekindled discussions on social media about one way systems, traffic calming and dan gerous driving through the village Derby Road resident Max Higton raised the topic at the last Local Area Forum when it was suggested to him that he could raise a petition That is exactly what he has now done and, in a matter of weeks, he has had 168 supportive sig natures

There seems a common agreement that some thing needs to be done about the speed of traffic on Derby Road, the danger to the young and eld erly in particular, and the perpetual stand offs

But, as always, there is less common ground

about what would fix it

Max’s suggestion of a pedestrian crossing some where between the Post Office and Chapel Street has been supported by many, but also opposed by some on grounds that it would be too close to the junctions Others with long memories have recol lections of a previous crossing in that vicinity

Former county councillor Linda Chilton com mented that there were strict criteria for the po sitioning of a crossing, which she had looked into previously

This includes something like 100 pedestrians for 1,000 vehicles in a four hour period, while the width of the road needs to be sufficient to have a refuge in the middle

Max said that the response to the petition has “gone well, with mostly positive and supportive feedback” and he is considering how to take the idea forward

WELL-DRESSERS’ AGM DATE

THE team behind the Aston on Trent Well Dressing weekend is holding its annual general meeting next month, and all are welcome to go along

The Aston Well Dressers’ AGM is being held at 7 30pm on Monday, October 3, in The Malt pub in the village

The meeting is open to the general public Those who may wish to join the committee ei ther in a formal or non formal role are particularly welcome

The group says there are a few positions to fill “ includ ing fairly major ones such as the chair, secretary and festival co ordinator”

Steve Aynsley from the Aston Well Dressers said: “Although this seems like a few big holes in the organisation need to be filled, we do actually have a very strong, experienced and enthusiastic committee who are already planning events for the following year ”

The next event to be held by Aston Well Dressers is the ChrismAston Fair and Market to be held in the War Memorial Hall on Sunday, November 20, from 11am to 5pm This is a free event that includes stalls, music, food and drink Steve added: “Please come along to the AGM There is no obligation to join the committee but all the help you can offer will be received with great ap preciation ”

Red hot summer for our firefighters

by Lucy Stephens

BONE DRY ground and soaring tem peratures led to firefighters in Mel bourne having one of their busiest summers in years.

Melbourne fire station watch manager Andrew Astle has reported an unusually busy period with 10 fires in the village alone far more than usually occur even in the summer months

In addition, Melbourne’s fire crew has been called out to many out of area fires and has even had a very rare call to be on standby in the neighbouring county

With temperatures nearing 39 degrees in this area during the July heatwave and further extremely hot weather in August, Melbourne’s firefighters dealt with a wide range of incidents including a serious house fire and grass blazes, as well as help ing one person with heat exhaustion

At one stage in August, Derbyshire’s fire service was so stretched that there were only three engines left on call in the whole of the county

Things started to get busy during the heatwave in July when Melbourne’s fire crew were asked to be on standby in Lough borough, along with firefighters who had travelled from as far away as Belper and Chapel le Frith, as Leicestershire’s serv ices were so stretched

Over the next couple of weeks Melbourne firefighters received several call outs and, on August 6, were one of six crews tackling a large grass fire in Woodville

Then, on August 11, they turned out to a serious house blaze on Derby Road which was big enough to need eight fire appli ances, of which the Melbourne crew was the first to attend

The second crew to turn up had come all the way from Stapleford

Firefighters used breathing apparatus, hose reel jets and the aerial ladder plat form to tackle the blaze

Members of the public also stepped in to assist emergency crews by running hoses down the street as the blazing house was some way from the nearest hydrant

Andrew said: “We are really thankful for the people who helped us because we were extremely stretched It was a real chal lenge and we were grateful to the public who helped us ”

House owners Frank and Victoria Hughes had nothing but praise for the local firefighters who were first on the scene

“After the fire had caught hold on the roof, they bravely fought from both outside and inside the building, in really challeng ing conditions A total of eight fire crews had to attend the blaze to get it under con trol Many passers by and neighbours also very kindly helped out at the initial stages,” said Frank

The couple would like to say a huge thank you to the firefighters, but also to the many members of the local community who have offered help and good wishes A spe cial mention, too, to Rickey Diamond and his roofing team, who attended soon after the blaze to erect a temporary roof struc ture helping to prevent further damage from the elements

The next day, firefighters were once again called out to a field fire in Cresswell Model Village near Bolsover

The fire was so serious that 50 residents had to be evacuated, and crews from eight fire engines were on the scene

There was no let up for Melbourne’s busy crew who, after spending several hours in Cresswell, were back nearer to home the following night after a cyclist phoned to re port that 100 square metres of Robin Wood near Ticknall were alight

Crews (pictured below) worked solidly for 12 hours overnight to put out the deep seated forest fire

Around a week later there were two

grass fires on the outskirts of Melbourne, one in around a 30 metre patch on Derby Road and the other in Breach Lane

The busy few weeks were rounded off with a further corn field fire at Castle Don ington

Andrew said: “In my 20 years it has been the busiest time as a firefighter, the service hasn’t seen this level of calls since 1976

“I would like to praise my watch at Mel bourne for their hard work and commit ment during this busy period They have all had to maintain full time employment outside the service while responding to calls We are extremely grateful to the gen eral public who have supported us and fol lowed our advice on social media ”

Melbourne Fire Station is currently re cruiting more on call firefighters Anyone interested can go to the fire station on Cas tle Street on Tuesday evenings at 7pm, or visit the Derbyshire Fire & Rescue web page

Melbourne to host new musical event

A NEW music event is set to take place in Melbourne next year and well known BBC broadcaster Mark Radcliffe is its patron.

Is Melbourne a big village or a small town? Perhaps the question will never be settled, but it has sparked the title of this new music extravaganza.

The ”Big Village Small Town” music event is set to take place over the second bank holiday weekend in May 2023 Andy Heafield, manager of the Assembly Rooms, is one of the or ganisers and said the idea had been sparked by the success of the jubilee concert put on by the parish council which had been enjoyed by so many people.

He said several venues in Mel bourne had signed up to host gigs over the weekend’s festivities, in cluding Amalfi White, the parish church, The Alma, Melbourne Sports Park, The Spirit Vaults, Creative Melbourne Gallery and Melbourne Inn

The plan is to start the festival in this way next year, with a view to introducing an outdoor concert in 2024, and to use local suppliers and tradespeople too Mark Radcliffe, patron of the Big Village Small Town, said: “Having performed my one man show in Melbourne recently to a sell out and enthusiastic audience, I was only too happy to become the patron of the 2023 Big Vil lage Small Town music event when asked. I believe it will bring musical life into the community It’s a beautiful place to live and the event will allow others to share in it as well. I look forward to seeing you there.”

Anyone who is interested in getting involved in Big Vil lage Small Town should email info@melbourneassembly rooms.co.uk

l Firefighters at the scene of a field fire in Derby Road, Melbourne

in grants up for grabs

A POT of nearly £1 25million is still available for grants for community groups and chari ties, Derbyshire County Council has said

The money is available via the Derbyshire Grants Scheme which was launched by the county council in January

So far 75 grants totalling just over £283,000 have been dished out, which leaves nearly £1 25million still to be awarded by the end of 2023

Community groups, clubs, local charities and non profit or ganisations have had a cash boost

The grants have helped set up a singing café, paid for the hire or purchase of equipment, to train staff and volunteers, re furbish premises, launch sports and fitness projects, create gar dens and support green initia tives, as well as supporting summer holiday activities, dis cos for children with special needs and activities for Brown ies and Scouts

To find out more and apply for a grant, visit

byshiregrants

RIGHT: Michael Cook in The Manger gallery.

ABOVE: a piece of artwork he did aged

10

BELOW: ‘Prince and Duke’, horses which used to live in The Manger gallery when Michael Cook’s home was a working market garden.

Artist happy working away in a manger

ART galleries come in all shapes and sizes

The Manger Gallery in Kings Newton is no ex ception As its name suggests, once it was home to the horses who pulled carts for the family’s market garden business but they are now long gone

For locally born and bred artist Michael Cook who along with four of his siblings, a nephew, and his partner Paul lives in the Kings Newton farm buildings where they all grew up, the horse’s old stable was the ideal peaceful spot for showing both his own work and that of artist col leagues

With a year round series of thoughtfully dis played imaginative artworks, always on a theme, Michael says visitors love the contemplative quiet of the old farm outbuilding that more than half a century ago was home to faithful horses Prince and Duke

“When I came back to live here again, this was full of everybody’s junk,” he says, gesturing around the gallery, “ but I could see that it could be a lovely, simple space I think the sim plicity of it could be part of its appeal It has an atmosphere I think that comes from the mixture of it being a domestic space and a gallery, and maybe there is something a bit chapel like about it

“Certainly, visitors often find it very peaceful, very contemplative ”

The same thoughtful atmosphere that per vades The Manger Gallery infuses Michael’s own work, with its semi dreamlike quality and spiri tual themes

What inspires him? Is he religious?

The former Chellaston School pupil is now a regular worshipper at Melbourne Parish Church home to a recent exhibition with textiles artist Michelle Holmes which is now set to grace the in terior of Coventry Cathedral and has been an artist in residence at a monastery in Mirfield

He is also working on paintings for an exhibi tion at Derby Cathedral next year

by Lucy Stephens

But, despite his own relationship with the church and with faith, Michael says he does not come from a religious family and feels his work is as much inspired by the farming community and countryside in which he grew up as by the church

He says: “From childhood I was surrounded by this atmosphere of marketing gardening coming to an end There were empty buildings, unused machinery and sacks There was an atmosphere of melancholy I think a lot of my work comes from how that felt to me, a bit sad, but with a kind of quiet joy too ”

Having drawn constantly since he was a child: “The most exciting Christmas present I got was always a massive drawing pad and a huge pack of felt tips,” he says Images that crop up time and again in Michael’s work are elements from the natural world that surrounds our corner of Derbyshire: nests and eggs are a common theme

But alongside elements from nature, he is also interested in exploring ideas that are uniquely human: poetry and words often inspire his work, and the current exhibition at The Manger is called “All Fools II” a re visiting of a subject that fascinates him

"The fool is an image that always crops up in my work," he says

I m attracted to the idea that there s an inno cence in people that the world may see as foolish in a negative sense, but which the fool embraces We see it in saints, poets and artists, and I think the world is always in need of those ”

All Fools II brings in artists from Devon, Cum bria and Edinburgh, as well as Michael’s own work Forthcoming themes include trees, this Au tumn, and next year: icons

The Manger Gallery is open all year around but a visit must be pre arranged

See www hallowed art co uk/ for more

Dancers on top of world

LOCAL dancers including young sters from Melbourne and Weston on Trent have been showing their best moves in a major national com petition.

Members of the Hardy Alexandra dance and performance school, based in Derby, hit gold at the All England Dance Finals in London

After qualifying at a series of local com petitions and then regional finals, junior and senior teams travelled to High

Wycombe to compete in the dance world’s top national competition

Senior contemporary troupe The Hand maid’s Tale wowed the judges to win the gold medal, gaining almost perfect marks from some adjudicators Their routine so impressed that they were invited to re turn to perform it again at the competi tion’s closing gala

Just last year the same dance won gold at the Dance World Cup, so to achieve the double was cause for celebration for the dancers and for school principals, Alexandra Mahjouri and business partner Jay Hardy

The school qualified a record number of solos, duets, trios and groups for this year ’s national fi nals and, as well as the shiny gold, achieved sev eral more bronze and sil ver medals

One of the youngest fi nalists, Melbourne school pupil Forrest Mahjouri, five, won bronze with his trio partners in a Three Little Pigs song and dance routine

Meanwhile Chellaston school sixth former Daisy Cooke, of Weston on Trent won bronze with her trio partners in sen

ior character dance A Letter From War, as well as competing as a soloist

Since opening in 2013 and moving to new premises in 2020, the school has gone from strength to strength and now has more than 200 pupils

aged from two to 19, training across various dance disciplines

Their students are regularly shortlisted for exciting stage oppor tunities and the school is a finalist at the National Entertainment Awards later this month

Pictured left are the Three Little Pigs, Ella Jenkins May, Forrest Mahjouri and Primrose McDermott and (above) The Handmaid’s Tale dancers

LEFT:

RIGHT:

BOTTOM: Cllr Terry Summerlin, Jane Carroll, Margaret Gildea and Sheila Hicklin at the opening of the new look lounge

Assembly Rooms beaming again

THE latest renova tion works at Mel bourne Assembly Rooms have raised the roof quite lit erally.

Current work to the building has in volved a spend of £78,000 of which £5,000 has been pro vided by Melbourne Parish Council and has included the re moval of the former low ceiling in the lounge to reveal a glo rious oak beamed ceiling high above Melbourne Parish Council had its first meeting after the sum mer break in the newly refurbished lounge, where parish council lors have been meeting for years

l Much of the glazing to the windows at the As sembly Rooms features mismatched glass When the building was a school, if a stray foot ball broke a window the responsible child’s par ent was responsible for fixing it with new glass Today, it is clear to see that the result is glass panels of all different designs

Parish council chair Cllr Terry Summerlin said: “It’s quite a transformation from what was there before Congratulations to the MARs board for their hard work ”

The new look or old look lounge now has the same oak beamed ceiling as the neighbouring main hall, which has already been refurbished

As well as revealing the ceiling, the work to the lounge has also revealed a high window which al

lows more light into the room

The windows of the one time school classroom are also now at their full height and not cut in half by the low ceil ing as they once were

The overall work to the Assembly Rooms has involved a total refurbish ment of the lounge, including a fresh lick of paint, new floor ing and kitchen, and the creation of a door into an outdoor area plus a ramp to get in and out

There has also been £250,000 of ex ternal work to the building paid for by South Derbyshire District Council, which has included the resurfacing of the car park, re laid drainage, repointed and re placed brickwork, refurbished bell tower, all win dows repaired and repainted, a lowering of the wall between the Assembly Rooms and Lothian Gardens, and an outdoor area created too

The next plan for work to the 125 year old As sembly Rooms building is to look at a greener, more efficient energy system

Students really do make the grade

TEENAGERS from the local area have achieved exceptional GCSE results including one set of straight nine grades.

In the first year of actual exam sitting since pre Covid, year 11 pupils have done themselves proud after a tough two years including months of remote lockdown learning

One Chellaston Academy student from Melbourne, Weronika Tomala, scored a straight set of nine grades, the equivalent of the old style A** Of all the students sit ting their GCSEs in 2022, only 2,193 achieved all nine grades

With her stellar marks in English litera ture and language, maths, history, Spanish, graphics, physics, chemistry and biology, Weronika is now going on to sixth form at Chellaston where she will be studying maths, physics, chemistry and history

“I was very happy to get the results I got,” said Weronika, adding that in the lead up to the exams, with uncertainty sur rounding whether the exams would go ahead, “ everyone was a bit on edge”

“Congratulations to everyone in general,” she said “Well done to everyone who got re sults that they are happy with ”

Weronika’s mum Goska said: “She’s an amazing girl She has worked very, very hard and she deserves all her results ”

Weronika’s friend, Amy Fleming an other Chellaston Academy pupil from Kings Newton is also going on to the school’s sixth form to study chemistry, history and

maths, armed with seven nines and two eight grades

“I was kind of in shock,” said Amy “I wasn’t expecting that good a set of re sults! I thought: ‘this isn’t real’ ”

Although lockdown learning has been ex tremely hard for young people, there have been some interesting influences and ef fects Scientists from around the world working together to produce vaccines to fight Covid spurred Amy on in her desire to work in pharmacy

She said: “During Covid, with everyone struggling I liked the thought of being able to help people ”

Amy is considering doing an extended project as part of her sixth form studies which will look at the extremely topical issue of why vaccines are sometimes mis trusted

Proud mum Louise Fleming said: “All the year 11s at Chellaston Academy were really well supported by their head of year, Tom Howard, as well as the head teacher at the time, Ryan Metters

“It was not easy for them with Covid Mr Howard was their head of year throughout their time at Chellaston and was really supportive throughout ”

Another top achieving Chellaston Acad emy pupil was Hal Hilton, also of Mel bourne, who scored six nine grades and three eights

“It was a big relief, I was very pleased,” he said Hal had not personally found working

from home too challenging, saying it had been a situation that “you had to deal with we didn’t get much of a choice!”

Hal is going on to sixth form at Chellas ton Academy to study chemistry, biology and maths, and hopes to be a doctor

“I feel like it would be quite rewarding and I’d like to help people,” he said

Tabitha Shepherd, of Ticknall, was also delighted with her nines and eights after studying for her GCSEs at Derby High School

She said: “The GCSE exams didn’t feel they would be ‘normal’ from the start in 2020 Therefore, when I got my results, I felt immense relief after two years of stress and hard work

“It was more difficult to ask for help and be proactive when a term of year 10 was en tirely online, and even in year 11, Covid was still doing the rounds

“I couldn’t entirely believe exams would occur until February 2022

“We had to keep up to date with the fre quent government and exam board state ments, for they would change their plans often

“Much of the information provided was as clear as mud, and parts of it were just wrong

“An ‘impossible’ maths question that made national news didn’t help with stress either Overall, I felt even with consistent efforts and hard work, the experience was a rollercoaster and I’m very grateful mine ended on the up ”

RECORD-BREAKING A-LEVEL RESULTS

CHELLASTON Academy has announced record breaking A level results this year, bucking the national picture which showed a decline in attainment

The academy, whose catch ment includes Melbourne, Aston, Weston, Stanton and Barrow, reported its best A level results ever, including last year ’s teacher assessed grades

A level students this year had not experienced sitting public exams since their Standard As sessment Tests in primary school, having been given teacher assessed grades for their GCSEs because of Covid

Friends William Lacey and Ryan Wilmot Simmons, of We ston on Trent, have both cele brated top grades

William is off to Oxford Uni versity to read maths having achieved A* grades in maths, further maths, chemistry and physics, plus an additional A* for his extended project qualifi cation (EPQ)

Ryan will be studying physics at Durham University armed with A* grades for maths, fur ther maths, physics and his EPQ, plus an A for chemistry William and Ryan said they were delighted with their results and felt that Chellaston Acad emy had done a good job in preparing them for their exams despite the difficulties of remote

learning during lockdown

Ryan said: “I thought our school did well with regular mocks in which they tried hard to replicate the exam experi ence ”

William said he had been “ex tremely surprised” by his grades: “You sit the exams, and you have an idea of how well you’ve done, but two months later you just have no clue!” he said

Chellaston has reported 66 2

per cent of its A level grades were at A* B; 42 5 per cent A* A and 99 7 per cent at A* E Its average A level grade was a B

The school has also reported most students have achieved their first choice of path after school, with three pupils off to Oxford or Cambridge, another winning a place to study veteri nary medicine and more who have met the requirements to begin degree apprenticeships

Reports and pictures by LUCY STEPHENS

Delighted at results

CHELLASTON Academy says it is delighted with the examination results achieved by its Year 11 students “despite the national pic ture, which shows a decline in attainment compared to previous years”

The school says that 58% of its students achieved a grade five or above in both English and mathematics and 78% have achieved a grade four or above in both English and mathematics

“The average grade across all GCSE and Level 2 entries is a strong grade five and over a half of all students achieved at least one grade seven In addition, 82% of all of our vocational entries achieved a grade four equivalent or above,” the academy said

“We would like to say a special well done to Weronika Tomala, who has achieved grade nines in all of her subjects, and Suzannah Bedford, Isabella Bennett, Anna Dawson, Amy Fleming, Hal Hilton, Isaac Kirk, Matty Paterson, Jasmeet Taggar and Neve Thompson, who achieved grade nines and eights in all of their subjects This is an exceptional achievement ”

l Weronika Tomala and Amy Fleming.

l Ryan Wilmot Simmons (left) and William Lacey, both of Weston on Trent, with their A level results.

It’s carry on with the glamping – next year

ALTHOUGH the planned pop up glamp ing at Melbourne Hall has been curtailed for this year there are plans to carry on with the project for 2023.

Speaking for Melbourne Hall, Roger Lowe said they had been working with Johnny Vegas from the glamping show since he had appeared here in May and he had been keen to bring the second se ries to Melbourne for a trial run in Sep tember, with a view to running a full site in 2023

Mr Lowe said: “Although the Septem ber pop up has been postponed it has given us a feel for how to run it next year, and we had already taken the decision to proceed before his decision to withdraw from this year ’s filming ”

Planning permission for this year was granted in August and there will need to be further work with South Derbyshire District Council, planners and council lors to get the necessary permissions in place

The plan is to have eight to 10 vehicles

by Frank Hughes

on the two sites which will be adjacent to the cottages to the east of the weir on Pool Road

“We are optimistic it will go ahead next year,” Mr Lowe said, and that “…it will bring added value to the estate, as well as enhancing tourism, through prime time TV exposure, bringing benefits to local businesses”

He also said that the events which were planned for September were not now tak ing place He said he was happy with how the year had gone so far with the events that had taken place.

Obviously, the events do require a heavy investment and need to be sustain able, and it had been decided that run ning them into September was not economically viable

Nonetheless they are working with partners for a full programme of events in 2023

Where did Aussie sailors stay in 1941 Melbourne?

WHICH Melbourne families put up two Aus tralian sailors here in 1941? That’s a ques tion being asked in a U3A project.

It was a homecoming of sorts when five members of the Australian Navy enjoyed a stay in Melbourne during the Second World War

The sailors had been helping out in London after the Blitz and came to Melbourne when the Australian Navy contacted the local vicar to ask him to find families to take them in

Being from Melbourne over on the other side of the world, it was felt that the original version here in Derbyshire would be the ideal spot for the sailors to enjoy some leave

Now the story of the Australian sailors is being uncovered by Sue Webster, of Melbourne When Sue’s mother Olive died she found a photograph of all five sailors, along with an autograph book, amongst her effects

One of the five men Peter Mouchemore had been billeted with Sue’s grandparents, Bill and Sally Adcock, who had a bakery in Melbourne in the premises where the air ambulance shop now is on the corner of Derby Road and Blanch Croft

Sue took on the job of investigating the sailors’ Melbourne stay as a project for the U3A, of which she is a member

The location of three of the men’s billet in Mel bourne is known: along with Sue’s grandparents,

by Lucy Stephens

one stayed with the Laban family in Blackwell House, while a third stayed with Percy and Mar ian Smith in High Street

Sue said: “I would love to find who the other two sailors stayed with I have photos of all of them that I found in my mother ’s effects after she died

“It’s so long ago now but it’s just a quirky little piece of information and it’s a shame if it all gets lost

“I just would like to complete the story It was something I wish I’d asked my mother about when she was alive I didn’t find all the informa tion out until after she died It’s piecing it all to gether now My mother did talk about them, so I knew about them but I didn’t know all the details

“One of the men actually came back to Mel bourne in 1986 ”

The five men were called Peter Mouchemore, Keith Rae, Richard Field, Donald Clark and Eric Coad

Anyone who knows where the other two men were billeted or has any information to share with Sue, can email her on suepaphos@yahoo com She has details of the men’s service history which might help put the final pieces of the jigsaw together

Heather congratulates new PM

BRITAIN’S new Prime Minis ter, Liz Truss, has been congrat ulated by local MP Heather Wheeler

Ms Truss became Prime Min ster on September 5 after win ning the Conservative Party leadership contest over rival Rishi Sunak

Mrs Wheeler said: “I am thrilled to be able to congratu late Liz on winning the party leadership contest and on be coming Prime Minister “I supported Liz during the

last part of the contest and I be lieve that she will make a su perb Prime Minister which is important as we have difficult times ahead

“Our new Prime Minister has the experience, of over eight years serving in cabinet, along with the straightforward Con servative values which the country voted for so emphati cally three years ago

“Our Prime Minister will take forward the trade agree ments she made as Trade Sec retary and our strong support

for Ukraine, as Foreign Secre tary “Finally, the Prime Minister knows she must act on the cost of living and energy prices and I look forward to these policies being announced over the next week

“On a separate note, I wish to thank the Rt Hon Boris John son MP for the colossal amount of work that he has done includ ing guiding us through a world wide pandemic, a war in Europe and getting Brexit done ”

HELLO SAILORS (back row, second from left) Bill Adcock, Sue’s grandfather, and her grandmother Sally (seated, wearing a sailor ’s cap), with Olive Webster seated (front row, middle). The group photo was taken at Stanton by Bridge near the River Trent.

Village’s characters are brought to life

FROM an angel to a lead thief 10 colourful characters from more than 1,000 years of history told their fascinating tales in a unique production at Breedon Priory Church

The audience who went to the beau tiful historic hilltop church on Septem ber 3 were treated to performances of ‘Breedon Lives’

This show told the stories of charac ters whose lives were intertwined with that of the church from the Breedon Angel himself all the way to Kathleen Kenyon, a celebrated archaeologist who conducted an excavation of Bree don hill in 1946 before it became a quarry

Audience members learned how the famous carving, believed to be the old est representation of an angel in Eng land, probably arrived at the church 150 years after it was actually built

Also that when the Bishop of Lin coln arrived to inspect what was then a monastery in 1441, he found “much amiss”, and told one canon that for the next month he was to eat only one type of flesh on the two week days it was permitted

by Lucy Stephens

The play told the tale of the some what excitable Henry Shirley of Staunton Harold, who was extremely annoyed never to have been given a peerage, while the one time pauper of Breedon, Francis Commins, never for got his home village after becoming a rich stone mason in London, and gave some generous bequests to Breedon

Perhaps the most colourful story came from Thomas Allt, a talented en graver whose work can be seen on his own family’s gravestones in the church’s cemetery

But Thomas unfortunately hit hard times with five children to feed, and ended up being given 12 months’ hard labour for stealing lead from Breedon Priory’s roof which he then tried to flog in Melbourne, only to be caught

That was not even the worst to hap pen to Thomas, who was later hit with four years’ penal servitude for stealing a hen

Breedon Lives was written and per formed by Pudding Bag Productions and paid for by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund

WHO remembers the fancy dress competitions at Melbourne’s Whitsuntide parades?

Cousins Arthur and Joy Kinsey, originally from Melbourne, are looking adorable at the age of three in this shot taken at Castle Square during the parade celebrations in 1938

Now 87, the cousins were that year ’s first prize winners of the Whitsuntide parade’s fancy dress competition, having been kitted out as the Oxo children Arthur, who now lives in Littleover, said he could not quite remember the picture being taken but had very happy memories of the Whitsuntide pa rades, which used to involve games for children taking place on King’s Field next to Melbourne Pool

ABOVE: Characters from Breedon Priory Church’s past brought to life in the “Breedon Lives” performance.

LEFT: Thomas Allt’s beautiful work on his parents’ gravestone.

l Arthur and Joy Kinsey pictured today

Artisan show pulls in a huge crowd

MORE than 4,000 people went to the elegant grounds of Staunton Harold Hall to enjoy its first ever artisan show Leigh Wood, of Metal Manipulation at The Ferrers Centre, who organised the two day festival with his wife, Rebecca, and Caroline Large of the hall, said the aim be hind starting it up was “ to put Staunton Harold on the map”

He said that the total number of more than 4,000 peo ple who had gone along to enjoy viewing the work of 75 artists had exceeded expectations in the first time the

show The their w ellery lunch “We artist Org show gust 5

£10,000 of artwork sold at

MORE than £10,000 worth was sold at an annual exhib with some buyers picking p from as far away as London The Dame Catherine Arts mer Exhibition is held ann in aid of Ticknall’s pr school over the August ban iday weekend

This year saw £10,680 of sold, ranging from £10 to th picture sale a Steve Smith for £950.

Around 100 people att the preview evening on Sat August 27, and there around 1,000 visitors ove weekend

Amanda Harmer, chair o ernors at the school, said o ising the show this year had challenging with spiralling of living and with many p being away after not having able to travel or meet u events such as weddings long

But she said that, despite challenges, organisers pleased with how the show

The weekend’s activiti cluded a café organised by

l Artist Ingrid Hill busy at work

had been held ere were many different types of artist showing work, including metal craft, textiles, paint and jew , plus a range of food stalls for visitors to enjoy by Staunton Harold’s lake as they browsed e had good footfall, a good atmosphere, and all the s want to come back,” said Leigh ganisers are already planning next year ’s artisan at Staunton Harold, which will take place on Au 5 and 6 of art bition, pieces n. s Sum nually imary k hol work he top piece ended urday, were er the of gov organ d been g costs people g been up for for so these were went es in Josie

tannual village exhibition

Raine and children’s tie dye workshop which was well at tended.

The show now has an on line presence, which started during Covid, which Amanda said had helped sales It en abled people to either view artwork before going, or re visit pieces after seeing them at the exhibition in order to solidify the decision to buy. This year the show has seen

buyers from as far away as Hull, Bristol, London and Northampton, with regular customers going along to the event as well as some new faces.

Pictured (far left) at the exhi bition are (l r): Bria Adling ton, Josh Price, Fiona Durston Smith and Oliver Durston Smith

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For visiting cats, comfortable chalets with viewing windows and outside runs. Now taking day boarding dogs which includes socialising and o lead exercising in our large enclosed paddocks.

Katie has passed her dog grooming exams with a distinction and is now giving our residents and day dogs the opportunity to have a trim or full hair do while staying with us. None residents are also very welcome.

Call: 07376 716462 or email: alicia@ashfarmhydrotherapy.co.uk

Please contact us on:

Warning over driveway firm

A WARNING has gone out to South Der byshire residents about a business in the area which is cold calling people and offer ing to clean driveways

A message from police on behalf of Derbyshire Trading Standards said: “Derbyshire Trading Standards would like to warn residents that there is a business operation in the South Der byshire area who are cold calling residents, par ticularly those who are elderly or vulnerable, and offering to clean their driveways

“The business has been persistent and tried to pressurise residents to have work done

“Trading Standards advises against dealing with any trader who approaches you on the doorstep Most reputable businesses do not deal in this way

“If you think that you need work doing on your home or garden you should obtain quotes from three or four reputable traders

“Derbyshire County Council provides a Trusted Trader scheme All the businesses who

sign up have been checked out by the Trading Standards team To find a Trusted Trader in your area, call 01629 533190 or visit www der byshire gov uk/trustedtrader

“Remember, you don’t have to open the door to anyone you don’t know ”

If you do decide to answer the door, take the following steps:

n Lock all of your other doors before answering the front door Some fraudsters work together, one keeps you chatting while another gets in through the back door n Stop Think about whether you’re expecting anyone

n Chain Put the door chain on, look through the window or spyhole to see who’s there n Check Ask for an ID card and examine it carefully ”

Anyone with concerns about this matter can call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 2231133 or Derbyshire Police on 101

Winter volunteers needed

VOLUNTEERS throughout the county are being called on to help clear snow and ice from Derbyshire’s roads and pave ments this winter

Derbyshire County Council would like to hear from resi dents and farmers willing to help keep their communities safe when bad weather hits to supplement work carried out by the council's own gritting teams

Town and parish councils, schools and voluntary commu nity groups help to clear snow in their areas as part of the coun cil’s Snow Warden Scheme Each group is given a free delivery of up to a tonne of bagged grit and given training and advice on how to clear snow and ice safely

Anyone taken on as a contrac tor will get £250 for signing up plus extra payments for call outs

Town and parish councils, schools and other community groups interested in volunteer ing can find out more and sign up by sending an email to snow@derbyshire gov uk

Gallery celebrates its first birthday

THERE were first birthday celebrations at the Creative Melbourne Gallery, and some special guests went to help blow out the candles.

The High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Michael Copestake, chief executive of South Der byshire District Council, Frank McArdle, and district council chair Paul Dunn all turned out to the gallery on Church Street to help mark the occasion.

The Arts Melbourne Team signed the lease on Welling ton House on September 1, 2021, and celebrated their first anniversary slightly before the year was up, on August 15.

The special guests found out about Arts Melbourne’s exciting plans for this month’s festival, as well as those afoot at Creative Melbourne Gallery and Studios.

A

Sharon Brown from Arts Melbourne said: “We were delighted that Frank McAr dle and others from South Derbyshire District Council were keen to share our progress with Cllr Paul Dunn and the High Sheriff of Derbyshire.

“Telling the group about what we have done in the past year made me realise just how far we have come.”

The Wakes are back

PEOPLE are being invited to go to Melbourne Assembly Rooms this month to find out how to use a defibrillator when someone suf fers a cardiac arrest

The course is being put on by Melbourne’s Community First Re sponders, who work with the ambulance service mainly to assist with cardiac arrests before emergency crews arrive on scene

David Hudson, who is also now a voluntary South Derbyshire community trainer for East Midlands Ambulance Service, is run ning the session in the Assembly Rooms on Wednesday September 14, from 7 9pm

ALL the fun of the fair is set to return to Melbourne next month with the return of the Wakes

The latest meeting of Mel bourne Parish Council heard that John Holland, from the family which have been running the Wakes for many generations, was once again bringing the funfair to the town from October 13 16

During the visit the High Sheriff met the directors of Arts Melbourne and the three resident artists who have studios at the gallery: Patrick Twiss Prentice, Trish Scullin and April Young They also got the chance to see what the artists are working on in their studios in preparation for Mel bourne Festival.

l Back row (l r): Dana Copestake, Phil Dobby and Frank Hughes of Arts Melbourne; front row: High Sheriff of Derbyshire Michael Copestake, Sharon Brown, Derbyshire District Council chair Paul Dunn and Lesley Dunn (Photo: Liza Nahirniak)

MELBOURNE

Helping to save church

FANCY a trip up a tower to see some stunning Der byshire views? Or watching a spot of Maypole dancing?

It’s all on offer at the beautiful parish church in Weston on Trent this month where a newly formed com mittee to help save the ven erable building is holding its first ‘Derbyshire Day’.

The event is being organ ised on September 24 by Friends of St Mary’s Church after a meeting earlier this year heard that the old building was in financial difficulties and may face closure

The community and fam ily fun day will feature stalls, crafts, Indian food, demonstrations, Maypole dancing, children’s activi ties, music, trips up the church tower and home made cakes

The group is organising the day to help raise vital funds to keep the old church going for the local

community.

St Mary’s, which enjoys a peaceful spot just outside the village, is a grade one listed building with a long and fascinating history

It is home to a stunning alabaster monument of the Sale family, plus some inter esting carvings and beauti ful views afforded to those with enough energy to climb up the tower

Dwindling congregation numbers have meant it has now become a ‘festival church’, which means it is open for important dates in the Christian calendar but not regular Sunday wor ship

Leaflets were dropped round to local residents’ houses earlier in the year to garner support for the church, and the Friends of St Mary’s group formed in order to offer their help

For more details about how to support the church, and about the Derbyshire

Just the ticket

under threat No.9 bus service rescued

A BUS service offering Melbourne passen gers public transport to Ashby and the air port has been saved from being scrapped for the time being

The number 9 service, which runs from Bur ton on Trent to the airport, via Ashby and Mel bourne, had been due to stop running this month, to the dismay of passengers who rely on it to get to work, see relatives, and in some cases go to school

The service was run by Midland Classic but has now been taken over by Diamond Bus, which has confirmed that the service’s “short term fu ture” has been secured after discussions with Derbyshire County Council

The county council said: “We’re aware of the is sues with this service and are talking to the op erator about what support we might be able to offer ”

A spokesperson for Diamond Bus said: “We are extremely pleased to be involved in constructive discussions with Derbyshire County Council to secure the short term future and viability of the Number 9 Service

“Both management of Midland Classic and more recently, new owners, Diamond Bus East Midlands have worked in conjunction with local authorities to ensure the 9 can continue to oper ate its existing timetable between Ashby and East Midlands Airport, and a number of other much needed services in the area are also able to continue

by Lucy Stephens

“We are committed to providing a robust bus network to support a growing community, but in the current economic climate and post pandemic, bus services need to become viable commercially in the long term

“We need local communities to support their local network and come back to travelling more by bus

“To continue to maintain a strong network, we will need to see a significant growth in passen gers and we will be working closely with local au thorities over the coming months to encourage the long term recovery of local services ”

One user of the number 9 service is Carol Goodwin, of Stapleford, who uses it to see her mother

She said: “My mum lives in Melbourne and I really need that bus because I don’t drive I meet my son in Long Eaton and we get the bus from there to the airport and from the airport to Mel bourne ”

Carol said without the number 9, she would need to travel by bus to Derby and get to Mel bourne from there, which would be more expen sive and take a lot longer

She said it was “fantastic” to hear the service was not currently being stopped, as her mum had been upset to think she might not get so many visits

Disabl d V Vhicle Adaptation

THOMAS COOK MEMORIAL COTTAGES

Applications are invited for the position of

Live-In Caretaker

Light duties include cleaning and managing the Mission Hall and liaising with residents and suppliers on maintenance issues.

Day, see the church’s Face book page: Friends of St Mary’s Church Weston on Trent.

l St Mary’s Church in Weston on Trent with (above) the alabaster monument of the Sale family.

Full job description on application by September 30th to: Jim Hewlett, 2 Bishops Court, Melbourne, Derby

Festival celebrates its 21st birthday

IT will be 21st birthday celebra tions for the Woodland Festival which will be held at Elvaston Castle and Country Park this month

The popular event turns 21 this year and is being held over the weekend of September 17 and 18

Organised by Derbyshire County Council, it is aimed at the whole family and celebrates traditional and contemporary woodland crafts

There will be professional demonstrators showcasing their skills including wood carving, turning, willow weaving and bushcraft to furniture makers, tools, arts and sculpture, plus opportunities to have a go at some crafts too

There is also an outdoor the atre with storytelling, working horses, arts and crafts and tra ditional fairground rides

Councillor Carolyn Renwick, the county council’s cabinet member for Infrastructure and Environment, said: “Our Wood land Festival gets bigger and better as it turns 21 It attracts many visitors back year after year by offering an impressive line up of activities in a beauti ful and spacious outdoor setting at Elvaston ”

Doughnut team in top baking award shortlist

MELBOURNE’S Project D are earning national recognition after being shortlisted for a presti gious baking award.

Luxury doughnut company, Project D, has been an nounced as one of three bakeries to be shortlisted for the Online Bakery of the Year category in the respected Baking Industry Awards 2022

Announcing the shortlist, judges said: “The brightly

coloured and cheekily named products were delicious and we had trouble selecting from among the fashion able fillings ”

They also praised Project D’s website as ‘easy to nav igate’ and said its ‘products arrived swiftly in pristine condition on every order ’

In 2021, the company founders, Max Poynton, Jacob Watts and Matthew Bond, beat off competition from al most 5,000 others to be named among the UK’s brightest new entre preneurs

The trio won a Great British En trepreneur Award which counts the founders of The LAD Bible, Tangle Teezer and Grenade as former win ners They impressed judges includ ing Cath Kidston, former Dragon’s Den star James Caan and Ann Sum mers’ creator Jacqueline Gold

The bakery, which sells hand crafted, brightly coloured and Insta gram friendly doughnuts across the UK, also picked up two trophies at the Derbyshire Live Business Awards for Start up Business of the Year and SME Business of the Year

It also won the Entrepreneur of the Year title in the Generation Next Awards, which were delivered in partnership with the University of Derby and form part of East Mid lands Chamber ’s new network for professionals and business owners aged under 35

And in the chamber ’s own busi ness awards the company scooped

It’s a deal

the title Small Business of the Year, and picked up an award in the Most Innovative category at the Market ing Derby Food and Drink Awards

Operations director Max Poynton said: “We could never beat the award success we had in 2021, but to be shortlisted in the Baking Industry Awards is a real ho nour in our trade it’s the equivalent of the Oscars

“It’s particularly pleasing to be nominated in the on line category because we thought this would be a short term measure to get us through the pandemic, but in fact it has been the catalyst for the success and expan sion of Project D ”

The Baking Industry Awards recognise and celebrate the transformation of the industry, over the past year, and acknowledge the skills, creativity and business acumen of bakery businesses and the baking sector

The awards have been running for more than three decades, celebrating the best the baking industry has to offer

In the online category Project D is up against Lottie Shaw’s, a Yorkshire based bakery producing traditional baked goods, and Lovingly Artisan, based in the Lake District, which delivers sourdough loaves

LINCOLN

... four councils form a new authority

IT was a “big day for the East Midlands region” according to Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Levelling Up and Communities, when he announced a Devolution Deal for the four upper tier authorities in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire

FRANK HUGHES was there to witness the occasion

WORTH £38million every year for the next 30 years, the offer was made to the four councils to form a new Mayoral Com bined County Authority (MCCA), similar to those al ready in place in Manchester and the West Midlands

At a showcase event hosted at Rolls Royce, the leaders of all four authorities namely Derbyshire and Notting hamshire County Councils, and Derby and Nottingham City Councils were present to sign the Devolution Agreement

The Secretary of State said he had always thought the East Midlands should be part of the devolution process and de scribed it as an area which qui etly and steadily went about its

business, creating jobs, gal vanising potential and innova tion “The East Midlands delivers,” he said, “ and its achievements should be widely celebrated”

The timetable leading to de volution would first see a con sultation period from this November until January 2023, then legislation to formalise the structure going through West minster with a target to have the first mayoral elections in May 2024

Across the region there are some 19 lower level authorities, such as South Derbyshire Dis trict Council, but the devolu tion process will not result in scrapping or merging any lay ers of local government

Instead, the deal would move existing funding and powers to the region from central Govern ment, and the focus for the MCCA would be wider issues, like transport, regeneration and employment

Among the benefits, advo

cates say, are that it will bring more prosperity to the region, more opportunities with a fully devolved adult skills budget, an opportunity to combine local transport plans into a single in tegrated plan, a greener future through working more effec tively on a larger scale, and the chance for better and more housing with an additional £16 8 million every year to build new homes on brownfield land

In a joint statement, Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Notting hamshire County Council, Barry Lewis, Leader of Der byshire County Council, Chris Poulter, Leader of Derby City Council, and David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “We welcome the £1 14 billion devolution deal from the Government on offer for our region

“It’s fantastic news We want to make the most of every penny so this can be used to make a real difference to peo ple’s lives

“As leaders, we have all fought for a fairer share for our cities and counties, and a big ger voice for our area, to give us the clout and the influence we deserve, and to help us live up to our full potential ”

l David Mellen, Barry Lewis, Greg Clark, Chris Poulter and Ben Bradley signing the deal.

l Matthew Bond, Jacob Watts and Max Poynton

Derby Scouts meet Derby Scouts

SCOUTS from 107th Derby and Trent Ex plorers, which include young people from Aston, Weston and Shardlow, met their Derby counterparts from the USA who had travelled to this area from all the way across the pond

The Scout group welcomed 30 Boy Scouts of America from Derby Connecticut for a special reception in Derby

Around 60 US and UK Scouts plus sup porters met up for curry, campfire and overnight tent stay at Drum Hill Scout Camp followed by a day at Alton Towers

They also enjoyed a private tour of the Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill from its director, Tony Butler, along with a catered reception and the chance to meet the mayor, Councillor Robin Wood He made time to chat and pose for photographs with many of the young people and, in his inspirational address, explained how the skills and values he himself learned as a Scout, have been useful to him throughout his life

He presented a paperweight to Troop 3 Scoutmaster Randy Ritter to pass on to the mayor of Derby Connecticut The US guests also made presentations to the mayor and to the UK troop leaders

The groups also took part in a live Derby Monopoly activity organised by prospective Queen’s Scout candidate William Lacey, from Weston on Trent, which gave them the chance to explore and photograph city high lights

This particular special relationship began in 2013 when Scout leader Stuart Cooke, also of Weston, went in search of Derby connections and ended up making contact with Randy Ritter, his US counter part

Back then, 16 members of 107th and Trent undertook months of fund raising to fund their trip to enjoy home hospitality, a

visit to New York and a camp at t troop’s lakeside site

They also delivered a gift and wishes from then Derby mayor Cou Lisa Higginbottom

A reciprocal visit from 29 memb Troop 3 then took place in 2015 The greeted by the former Lord Lieuten Derbyshire, Sir Willie Tucker, and g tour of Derby Council House by th mayor, Councillor Paul Pegg, who w sented with a key to the city of Derb necticut by Alderman Felicia Monac

The 2015 contingent stayed in

Steve lands top a

EAST Midlands Airport is one of the most important airports in the UK, its new man aging director has said

MAG (Manchester Airports Group), which owns and operates East Midlands Airport (EMA), has appointed Steve Grif fiths as EMA’s new managing director, re placing Clare James

Steve has moved to the East Midlands from London Stansted, where he led the business through the Covid 19 pandemic and drove it to become the UK’s fastest re covering airport

Steve will take on an expanded manag ing director role, responsible for all finan cial, commercial and operational performance at the airport including over seeing the next phase of EMA’s cargo devel opment strategy

He will also take the lead on MAG’s over all operational transformation across its three airports

MAG CEO Charlie Cornish said: “Steve’s track record speaks for itself, having navi gated Stansted successfully through the pandemic and overseen an impressive re covery He will bring this considerable ex perience to East Midlands, as we look to maximise the contribution it makes both for passengers from across the Midlands

Wednesday 14 September: CPR Session

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September

Melbourne Festival

Art and Architecture Trail

Saturday 17 September:

Breathwork for Wellbeing

Wednesday 21 September:

Promise Auction

Saturday 24 September:

Ferment!

A gathering at Whistlewood Common of like-minded individuals to celebrate, explore and learn about fermented and real foods, www.shop.whistlewoodcommon.org

Wed 28 September - Sat 5 November

Still Life & Wild Life Exhibition

Creative Melbourne Gallery, Wellington House, Church Street. Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm

See main ad on Page 8 for more details.

Fri 30 September and Sat 1 October

Coffee Morning

Craft & Cake Sale in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Wesley Hall, Potter Street 10am - 12 noon See main advert on page 11

Tuesday 4th October

Melbourne Community Care Coffee & Company

Melbourne Assembly Rooms 2 – 4 pm Meet friends... bring friends... make friends.

Thursday 6 October:

Melbourne Area Derby u3a

Find out more about the u3a at Melbourne Assembly Rooms, 2.30 - 3.30pm.

Anyone who is retired or thinking about retirement is welcome to pop in to our open event which showcases all our activity groups. www.u3asites.org.uk/melbourne-area email madu3ainfo@gmail.com

Mr Griffiths (pictured) said: East Mid lands Airport is one of the most important airports in the whole country, forming the backbone of express freight that powers the growth of advanced manufacturing and other high value industries It is the hub that connects much of the UK to the world’s most important markets

“I am looking forward to working with the fantastic team at East Midlands to fur ther strengthen that critical national role and realise the huge potential of the freeport, while continuing to deliver excel lent customer service to the airport’s loyal passengers and supporting local communi ties

and to driving global trade

“I would like to thank Clare James for the excellent job she has done during her time at EMA since the start of the pan demic Clare has led the airport as it han

“Alongside my leadership of East Mid lands Airport, delivering our operational transformation programme will be funda mental to MAG’s growth across the group I want to capitalise on the unique opportu nity we have as a national airport operator to lead the way with how to run airports that customers want to use, and airlines want to fly from ”

l Mayor of Derby Councillor R

Tennis club men grab promotion

MELBOURNE Tennis Club secured its first promotion of the 2022 season as the Men’s A team that plays in the Burton League secured a top two spot in division four during the month of August.

The team did it with two wins and a draw beginning with a 4 0 success against Netherseal as the pairings of Howard Cheshire/Phil lodge and Jesse Goscombe/Andy Dawkins both won two points each Then, against Lichfield Friary, the pairings of Howard Cheshire/Andy Fleming and John Cowley/Roger Spencer both won two points each in another 4 0 victory

The men ended the month with a closely fought 2 2 draw against Abbots Bromley with Howard Cheshire/Phil Lodge and John Cow ley/Alex Harvey earning a point each

The club’s Men’s B & C teams did not have a game in August but

the D team had a rare win by beating Etching Hill 3 1 with both Hughes/Chandler and Panes/Cooper picking up useful points

The Ladies B team put themselves in with a chance of promotion as well as they beat Burton 4 0, thanks to the pairings of Allen/Vater and Crocker/Noble and go into their last match with Lichfield Friary needing a victory to secure a top two spot

The Ladies’ C team is currently sitting in third place after win ning one and losing one of the two matches in August, losing to Spital 1 3 but beating Church Broughton 4 0 thanks to Harvey/Sylvester Lowe and Squires/Chandler partnerships

The club’s mixed B team is currently top of the table as we go to press with two matches left to play later in September

Finally the Mixed C team sits comfortably in mid table after a draw with Spital 2 2 and losing 3 1 to CURC in the month

FUND-RAISING FOR A NEW CLUBHOUSE

CHEESE was eaten and wine was drunk at Kings Newton Bowls Club this August and it was all for a good cause

The club held a cheese and wine evening to raise funds for a new club house Local expert David Scott matched up excellent wines with a va riety of cheeses to entertain those who went along

Due to the heatwave which was in

T

force at the time, the ground was hard enough to withstand tables and chairs on it with no damage done to the green

The 62 guests who went enjoyed themselves. Prizes were donated to a raffle which raised another £300 for the fund.

The various leagues the club play in are drawing to a close, although the floodlit leagues are due to start soon.

he Common Touch...

SEPTEMBER is a bountiful month with lots of Whistlewood apples and pears ripening; there’s plenty to har vest now our orchards are eight years old

This month our apple press hire starts to really get busy and we’ll be having it available for you to come and press your own apples at two events this month (bring your own clean containers to take juice home in).

We’ll be at the Arts Festival on Sat urday, September 17, with our mini apple day stall. Come and try some flavours of apples and pears you won’t see in the shops

Then on the following Saturday we are really excited to be bringing back our Ferment Event We will be celebrating fermented foods with some great talks on a wide range of topics including an introduction to permaculture; we like to think we are also fermenting ideas as well as food

There will be various stalls for you to buy food and drinks from, forag ing walks and workshops on making sauerkraut, kimchi and apple cider vinegar There’ll be amazing vegan food available for lunch and, in the evening, by Vegan Revelation and Earth Alchemy two fantastic Der byshire businesses focused on in creasing health and wellbeing through food

If you’d like to know more about eating more vegan food this will be the place for you

Fermenting food is a great way to preserve gluts of a harvest and, what with food prices rising, fermenting and preserving techniques are even more popular now than ever There is a real growing movement around the art of fermentation in its many forms with inspirational people like Sandor Katz

Interest grows in the health bene fits of lactic acid fermented foods and live culture foods not just for

The Friday evening men’s first team, captained by Paul Chambers, has been the most successful, achieving promo tion to division one with two matches left.

Both the Tuesday evening mixed team captained by Richard Robinson and the Thursday afternoon men’s Vets second team led by Bill Bunston also have excellent chances of gaining promotions, the club reports.

your gut flora but your whole body Around the world people have been creating all sorts of fermented prod ucts for thousands of years; it’s an exciting journey to start exploring these foods and this history. Check out our Facebook page for details and also info on hiring the apple press. There will be the chance to camp overnight on the 24th and everyone is invited to join in a forag ing walk and breakfast the next morning

There are micro organisms, yeasts and spores all around us in the soil and the air; these processes of pre serving food harness some of their power to make the most amazing tastes Many we are familiar with as everyday foods, bread, cheese, beer, wine and cider. Some we may not have discovered yet, so come and learn new skills, be part of our grow ing food conscious community at Whistlewood

KATHERINE PARRISH

End of season nerves for Ticknall

The month commenced with a tricky visit to third placed Ock brook but another fine win by 37 runs ensued Ticknall amassed a highly competitive score of 284 aided by an opening partnership of 160 by Borrington and Ali with Borrington making a fine 107 Ali scored 71 and Cork contributed with a 67 Ockbrook lost regular wickets and the victory was completed

The second game of the month was at The Grange, the visitors being Denby Again, a fine batting performance by Borrington with another century aided by Ali with a half century and an opening partnership of 146 saw Ticknall put on a good score of 261 Denby could only muster 204 all out with Khyser taking four wickets for

TO ADD to this sizzling summer of sport, following the Lionesses’ achievement and the Commonwealth Games, another sport ing fixture closer to home drew in the crowds at the Sporting Partnership when Melbourne Rugby Club took on Melbourne Town Cricket Club in a 20 over “bash”

With more pre match sledging than you would see on Browns field in winter, the rugby club were playing down their chances of repeating their feat last year when they won the similar fixture, but played with a soft ball

This year there were no such concessions and, with some pre match net practice and the rugby boys taking on plenty of extra fluids before the game, the cricket team certainly looked the more serious con tenders

Groundsman Paul “Scrimmy” Scrimshaw had also done an excellent job of preparing a wicket to encourage runs, which, as he said, was “far too good for this lot!”

With the cricket team batting first there was a shock when the first wicket fell to the third ball of the first over from a Scott Whiteford delivery and a further set back when the second wicket fell with only 14 runs on the scoreboard

With fielders possibly used to a different shaped ball there were a few dropped

catches and occasional lack of acceleration in chasing down boundaries, and the cricket club ended up with a creditable 148 runs for seven wickets, with captain Chet Patel top scorer on 39

Next it was the turn of the lads in mauve and green and there were some strong in dividual batting performances as MTCC struggled to take wickets After some early hesitancy with the score on 26 a pair of wickets fell successively to Sam Barker de liveries Then some solid stances, in partic ular from Devon Illiff who retired just short of 50, saw the runs clock up notwith standing some very dodgy signals for sixes from umpire Jules Raine (which were

quicky overruled) With just five wickets falling and with four overs to go, the rugby club smashed their target to win the game comfortably

The game, played in the best spirit of sportsmanship, showed what a wealth of talent we have locally and the strength of the clubs Whilst the cricket club is still seeking additional recruits, the Rugby Club clearly has strength in depth

Jules Raine, who was instrumental in or ganising the match said after the game “ a special thank you to MTCC from all of us at the rugby club It’s a great social event which encapsulated the spirit of sports in Melbourne ” Frank Hughes

23 in 10 overs to make it six wins on the bounce

This, however, was the highlight of the month as a trip to Alfre ton stopped Ticknall in their tracks with a heavy defeat by eight wickets The only bright spark of the day was a gutsy 63 by Cork

The last game of the month, again at The Grange, saw Ticknall facing second placed Sandiacre A poor batting performance meant Ticknall only made 201 for nine in spite of an entertaining 43 by debutant Matt Holdgate Sandiacre cruised to 202 for five with overs to spare winning by five wickets

With three games left, Ticknall are still glancing over their shoulders but one win would surely see them retaining their pre mier league position

Ticknall second team had a difficult July but started August with an upbeat performance at home to Wootton, winning by 14 runs The star of the victory was Will Orpin, taking four wickets for 41 in 9 1 overs

This was the highlight of the month, however, as it proved to be the only win Defeat at Dunstall by two wickets was followed by another defeat at home to Spondon by four wickets although Hughes (66) and Holdgate (79) put on a partnership of 130 out of a total of 230

The final game of the month saw yet another defeat away from home to Hilton by 12 runs Chasing 245, a fine batting performance by Jacques (140 not out) could not quite bring the team to a vic tory

Ticknall thirds continued their consistent performances with a win and three draws The win against Sutton saw the opposition bowled out for 41 (Hughes four for 12), the team completing a 10 wicket win Draws against Rosehill, Chellaston and Melbourne made August another good month

Ticknall seconds are looking to finish the season on a high and a couple of victories would be nice Ticknall third team just need to continue in their present form and to finish undefeated would be a very satisfactory season

TICKNALL Cricket Club’s first team approached August with a great deal of confidence after completing four straight wins in July, writes David Fox

l Ticknall first team.

l Melbourne Town Cricket Club’s under-11s hardball team for the 2022 season sponsored by Adrian Wagstaff Health Management

TWO DEFEATS AND A WIN FOR DYNAMO

MELBOURNE Dynamo Football club has begun the 2022/23 sea son with some mixed results for the senior section

The first team is playing in the Central Midlands South League and their Reserves are now in the Midlands Regional Alliance Premier League

Only the club’s first team has started the league season.

They began by entertaining Holbrook St Michael’s Reserves and Dynamo took an early lead through Ben Cooke But that was as good as it got as Dynamo disappointingly fell to a heavy 5 1 defeat

Another home game followed as this time Kilburn travelled to the MSP and, despite a goal from Oscar Supple, Melbourne were beaten 3 1

However, the first team did end the month with a win as they made the long trip to Rowsley 86 Reserves and came away with a deserved 3 0 victory as goals from James Smith, Jack Good band and an own goal secured the points aided by a penalty save from Tom Cox.

Town team on the verge of promotion

MELBOURNE Town Cricket Club’s second team had a superb August. They won three of their four league games as they look to secure promo tion.

They began the month with a brilliant run chase away against Brailsford seconds

The home side set Fraser Radcliffe’s men a difficult 254 to win, but Sam Adcock (50) and Ranjit Rathore (49) led the way along with Marcus (30) and Fraser Radcliffe (30) It was down to Paul Scrimshaw to finish the chase with three balls to go, with him ending on 46 not out

Promotion rivals Chellaston thirds were next up for the seconds A superb spell of 6 22 from James Hogwood saw the visitors shot out for 162 and in form skipper Fraser Radcliffe controlled the reply with 63 not out in a five wicket win

Away to Ilkeston Rutland thirds opening bowlers Julian Humpidge (3 16) and Paul Scrimshaw (2 39) helped to keep the home side to just 144 8

Fraser Radcliffe (54) and Ashley Elwell (33) eased Melbourne to a comfortable four wicket win with 15 overs to spare

The seconds’ final match of the month was against local rivals Ticknall thirds and a remarkable opening stand from Marcus Radcliffe (99) and Lara Shaw (87 not out) helped Town register a huge 255 4 off their allotted overs

Despite 3 38 from Rathore, Ticknall held on for the draw on 184 5

It leaves the Melbourne team needing just seven points to claim promotion and one more victory to win the league title going into the last month of the season

The club’s first team has been the total opposite to their seconds and struggled in the month of August, losing all four of their league matches beginning with a home de feat by Breadsall firsts

Only skipper Alex Slater (33) held firm as the firsts were bowled out for just 134 and, despite a decent spell of 4 30 by Julian Humpidge, the visitors claimed a four

wicket victory

A long trip to Wootton wasn’t fruitful as only Muhammad Nadeem scored runs with 64 in a total of just 114 and subsequently a heavy nine wicket defeat But a week later Town batted a lot better, scoring 255 9 at home to Dunstall seconds

A destructive knock of 85 by Faisal Mehmood, which included seven sixes, and a quite brilliant 70 by the returning Andy Potts helped the first team to their total, but the team’s bowling let them down as the visitors cruised to an eight wicket win

Alex Slater ’s men ended a difficult month away to high flying Spondon thirds Again, Melbourne batted well: Mark Rossi (61), Usama Awais (52) and Sam Adcock (46)

They posted 225 all out but, despite two wickets for Hogwood, Town fell to their fourth consecutive defeat of the month leav ing them a lot to do if they are to stave off a second successive relegation

The club’s third team had just two league matches in August They amassed 249 6 as they entertained Ilkeston Rut land fourths in their first game, skipper John Collins leading the way with a superb 100, ably supported by Ranjit Rathore (60) and Nathan Smith (37)

However, that was as good as it got as the visitors eased to a comfortable eight wicket win Their final game of the month saw Town host a strong Nutbrook thirds

Two wickets apiece for Chetan Patel and Cory Jones helped stem the flow of runs as Nutbrook scored 268 4 In reply the thirds were shot out for a meagre 48

The club would like to thank all their ball sponsors for the month of August These were Rob Hogwood, Nick Bowes, JP Springthorpe & Co, Scallywags Nursery and Albert Wood

l Matt Holdgate in action for Ticknall Cricket Club Reports round