Countywide News Sheriff of Derbyshire, Theresa Peltier, and members of the Barnes family to the Big Bell Centenary Celebration service on December 10, alongside the chairman of North East Derbyshire District Council, Coun Martin Thacker, and Consort Jean Spencer. At the service the Bishop of Repton, the Rt Rev Malcolm Macnaughton, rededicated the bells and anointed ringers’ hands with oil. Afterwards the schoolroom was packed for bell-themed refreshments. The bells were rung several times throughout the morning, and the Barnes family also chimed the bell inscribed with their family name. The following day children from nearby Wigley School climbed the tower to enjoy a go at bellringing, and decorated paper bells for a display in the church at Christmas. The celebrations are not over yet, as the celebrations will continue until Bell Sunday on May 12. To try bellringing at Old Brampton or elsewhere, visit facebook.com/BellRingingDerbyshire or derbyda.org.uk/learn-to-ring.
Above: Elizabeth Fothergill with Ken Harrison after the presentation of his Nuclear Test Medal.
Surprise medal presentation ON January 14, Royal Engineers veteran Ken Harrison, (87), of Matlock, was presented with the Nuclear Test Medal by Mrs Elizabeth Fothergill CBE, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, at Shirland Golf & Country Club. Over 80 people attended a surprise luncheon there, including family, friends and senior members of the Royal Engineers Association, to celebrate Ken’s incredible achievement. A founding member of the golf club, Ken Harrison is a survivor of Operation Grapple, the testing of the British atomic and hydrogen bombs on Christmas Island in the late 1950s. Ken was a witness to all five of the tests conducted. The survivors of those tests have now been recognised by the Government and awarded a Nuclear Test Medal. The event was organised in collaboration with Javid Asghar, manager of The Hay Hotel in Shirland, Honor Hancock, managing director at Shirland Golf & Country Club, and Dave McDonnell, a retired WO2, Royal Engineers. When Ken received his medal by Royal Mail in a jiffy bag, the trio decided to host a surprise luncheon for Ken. Ken said: “I am filled with joy and want to express my sincerest thanks for this wonderful surprise.” 12 Reflections February 2024
Dave McDonnell said: “It was wonderful to have had the opportunity to have Ken’s medal awarded to him in a manner befitting his contribution to this nation’s security and I would encourage Service Associations to seek out those remaining veterans, both military and civilian, and consider doing the same.”
Old Brampton’s Big Bell Centenary Celebrations A BIG celebration took place at Old Brampton in December. The six bells in the parish church tower were 100 years old in 2023, so village had been celebrating with events throughout last year, including two fayres and the December special service, writes Susan Hall. In 1923, the five old bells were recast at Loughborough Bell Foundry, and augmented into today’s heavier ring of six bells. This was paid for by Edwin Clay Barnes of Ashgate Lodge, who was, at that time, a churchwarden and High Sheriff of Derbyshire. It was wonderful to welcome the then High
Above: The Old Brampton bellringers with, centre from left, Coun Martin Thacker, the Bishop of Repton and Theresa Peltier.
FANCY THAT A SURVEY by UKFitness.pro, the nation’s largest community of personal trainers (PTs), shows that Derbyshire is the county with the lowest-paid fitness professionals in all England. To be precise, the survey only covered 18 counties – but It’s in Derbyshire, on average, that PTs charge only £29.50 per session, making it the county with the lowest rates among those analysed. For comparison, PTs in the southern counties of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire charge significantly higher rates, averaging £51, £47.50, and £45.50 per session respectively. The analysis also delved into gender disparities in PT rates. In Derbyshire, male PTs charge an average of £28 per session, whereas female PTs charge an average of £31 per session.
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