Melbourne Village Voice April 2022

No. 353 April 2022

l Steve Hogan (left) and Zenon Finiw about to set off.

by Frank Hughes A MELBOURNE businessman and parish councillor has driven a van all the way to strife-torn Ukraine to hand over vital medical supplies.

Steve Hogan said he felt he had to do something to help as the business he manages, VR Safety Limited, has a team of IT developers based in Ukraine.

The Melbourne Parish Council member, said: “I just felt when it was all kicking off: ‘I’ve got to do something’.”

With the help of two facilitators from the Ukrainian Youth Centre in Weston-on-Trent, he set off to Lviv in Western Ukraine on Saturday, April 2. All three were planning to share the 1,342-mile drive.

The trio took a van containing two generators, medical supplies, ultrasonic medical equipment, sleeping bags, blankets, tactical gloves, socks, ballistic armour, laptops, and water donated by a local canning firm.

With visas organised by the

STEVE’S UKRAINE MERCY MISSION

youth centre, Steve and the facilitators drove through Poland to cross into Ukraine.

The team of eight Ukrainian IT developers working at VR Safety

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Limited had been based in the country’s capital city, Kyiv, but managed to escape to the Lviv region.

Steve has reported that one

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member of the team was still “safe” in Chernihiv, which has been heavily bombarded by Russian forces.

Another team member is in Kherson, where he was said to be “relatively safe”.

Steve said: “We keep in touch through an app called Telegram, where we can keep track on everyone.”

Steve added the youth centre’s team had been “excellent” in making all the arrangements and translating all the necessary documentation to make the trip. The intention was to meet local Government officials to hand over supplies.

He is planning another visit in the future, assuming all goes well with this trip.

A contact working as a paediatrician in the Children’s Cardiac Centre in Lviv has sent a list of equipment that is needed, and Steve said he hoped to make connections with companies which specialise in such kit. The list includes items for diagnostics, intensive care, surgical equipment and general inpatient equipment.

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Classical Easter concert performance for church

Photo challenge to help church celebrate its 900th birthday

2 Village Voice April 2022

ONE of the pinnacles of the Easter classical repertoire is to be performed in Melbourne Parish Church by internationally renowned musicians.

The chamber performance of The Seven Last Words of Christ by Joseph Haydn is being brought to a Melbourne audience on Easter Monday by international viola player Graham Oppenheimer, of Ticknall, and friends.

Graham’s fellow musicians, like him, have performed throughout the world. They have played in renowned orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), the Halle, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, London.

This will be the second time that Graham has brought his musician friends to play in Melbourne Parish Church.

He said everyone had enjoyed it so much last time when they gave a sell-out performance that they had asked to come back.

“They loved the last concert,” said Graham. “They loved playing in the church. It’s one of the churches we have so enjoyed playing in.”

The Seven Last Words of Christ was commissioned for the Good Friday service at Cadiz, where the original orchestral version was first played in 1785.

Graham, who also teaches the viola at renowned music school Chetham’s, said: “It’s a wonderful piece of music. It’s very atmospheric, very evocative. Each of the movements is based on a word and each word is going to be read before each of the movements.

“It’s spiritual, thoughtful music and the idea is we wanted to create an event that was special for the church.

“This is the right setting and the right occasion for this piece. I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Seven Last Words of Christ will be performed at Melbourne Parish Church on Monday, April 18. Doors open at 7pm for a start time of 7.30pm.

KEEN photographers are being urged to take part in a new challenge to help Breedon Priory Church celebrate its 900th birthday.

It is hoped to fill the church with photographs past and present between June 2-4.

Ability or age does not matter, and submissions are welcome in the following categories: Breedon Church in the Landscape. Any shot featuring the church or taken from the top of the hill will be considered.

Breedon From All Angles. Any shot featuring an aspect of the church or churchyard, large or small.

Children’s Category. Open to anyone under the age of 12; can be any part of the church or churchyard Historic Breedon. Any old photographs of the church or activities associated with it. The church says: “If you can write a few lines telling us about it, even better! If you have images but cannot scan them, please contact us for help.”

The heritage team at the church will print out photographs ready for display, so all local people need do is submit photos.

More details and an entry form are available from the church porch, or via email at breedonheritage@gmail.com. Entries and forms need to be received by email by Friday, May 6.

Changes to the local policing effort

l Graham Oppenheimer and friends performing in Melbourne Parish Church.

REOPENING UPDATE Currently open Wednesday 10am - 8pm Thursday to Sunday 10am - 4pm for breakfast, lunch, homemade cakes, scones and a whole counter full of goodies - Booking is required for Afternoon Tea Thank 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

SPEAKING at the area community meeting held by South Derbyshire District Council, police inspector Mike Sisman explained that there had been some staff changes in the local safer neighbourhood teams.

The meeting was held virtually on March 29.

After some PCSOs (police community support officers) had been successful in gaining posts as police officers, there was likely to be a bit less visibility of the team until they got back to a full complement.

He also responded to concerns raised about contacting the police on the 101 non-emergency number, saying that there had been issues, but reminded the meeting that the 999 number should continue to be used for any emergency call.

Melbourne parish councillor Nigel Collyer, responding to information that events such as Download were resuming at Donington this year, asked whether arrangements for pedestrians walking from Melbourne to and from the events needed to be reviewed. He was informed that there had been a suggestion to run a bus service to and from the event.

Liz Gumby from South Derbyshire Council for Voluntary Service provided an update on some of the services which were now back up and running after Covid. This included the Active Travel service, providing transport to medical appointments at GPs or hospitals; the befriending service, where more face to face contacts were able to take place; Safer Homes, which helped ensure

by Frank Hughes

homes were safe and secure; Handyperson or Help at Home, for those who needed small jobs, such as installing a grab rail, or changing light bulbs; and Connections, which aimed to support people getting to groups to tackle isolation and loneliness.

Details of all services are on the https://www.sdcvs.org.uk website.

She also made a plea for volunteer drivers to come forward to support their services.

The local authority update was provided by strategic director Kevin Stackhouse, who mentioned initiatives to improve health and wellbeing, with the council publicising its “five ways” to help make improvements in lifestyle.

He also mentioned the Bikeability scheme coming to schools, similar to the old Cycling Proficiency schemes.

Kevin also referred to the climate target for South Derbyshire District Council, which is for the council to be carbon neutral by 2030; the council had already declared a climate emergency. He mentioned a number of initiatives taking place, including a forthcoming rigorous audit, funding opportunities, funding for the installation of electric vehicle charging points, and a partnership with Toyota to convert refuse vehicles to Hydrogen fuel. Finally, he mentioned an initiative to provide jobs for younger people through modern apprenticeships.

HALL EVENTS APPLICATION GRANTED

AN application to hold a programme of events at Melbourne Hall has been granted – but the number of days has been scaled back.

A meeting of South Derbyshire District Council’s Li-

censing Committee on April 5 granted an application to hold comedy, music, cinema and food events on the grounds.

Originally, the applicants had asked for a maximum of 42 event days a year, but this was

reduced to 30. As previously published in the Village Voice, each event is planned to have a traffic management and noise management plan. The events will take place between April and October.

Snow leads to Melbourne life of the Romans

Newsletter launched

Village Voice April 2022 3

MELBOURNE Historical Research Group has launched its own free online newsletter which will mainly contain articles about the town's local history.

If you would like to subscribe go to the group's website and sign up on the mailing list page.

The website can be found by going to www.mhrg.org.uk.

The group expects to produce the newsletter three to four times a year.

by Lucy Stephens

RICH Romans once lived in Melbourne – but if it had not been for a flurry of snow, we might never have known.

Wesley Hall on Potter Street was packed as residents turned out to hear Georgia Day, of the University of Leicester’s archaeological service, present the findings of an exciting dig in Melbourne that unearthed the biggest treasure trove of Roman remains ever found in the village.

In a talk on March 28 organised by Melbourne Civic Society, Georgia told the rapt audience that evidence of a late Roman settlement in land next to the cemetery had come as a surprise to archaeologists who were only there to fulfil planning conditions.

Furthermore, snowfall meant that the trench where the remains were found had actually been dug two metres away from where it should have been. Had all gone to plan, evidence of a Roman settlement in Melbourne might never have come to light.

She said: “Finding this was quite unusual and quite exciting.”

Archaeologists visited Melbourne as part of the planning process ahead of homes being built on land at Smith Avenue.

On first arrival, the team built six trenches, of which the first five only revealed remains dating from the post-medieval era.

But in the final trench, experts found a large quantity of Roman pottery, which, as Georgia said, there had been no indication they would.

The group from the University of Leicester returned to Melbourne in May 2021 to conduct a much bigger search.

They found substantial remains indicating a Roman settlement in Melbourne dating back to the late second century to early fourth.

Archaeologists think the site in Melbourne was in use for around 100 years. What has been found was a small scale rural working site. It is thought it would have served a settlement in this area – which has not been found.

Among many exciting remains to be uncovered were those of a small working furnace for processing lead, and a malting oven. This would have been used for malting grains to make beer.

Other finds included the handle of a small glass jug, indicating that the Romans living nearby would have been wealthy; fragments of drinking cups, and the kind of tiling that was used for underfloor heating – showing, again, that nearby residents had money.

Georgia said: “It’s fair to suggest that the settlement this serves is most likely a villa.”

Romans in the area were, she said “… living, they were working, they were playing. They were part of a wider community”.

Georgia finished her talk by thanking the local community.

She said: “Thank you to everybody who came and talked to us when we were working on site. It was very refreshing. One of the joys of this site was how lovely the local community were to us so thanks very much for having us.”

Spring sharing

THINGS are beginning to blossom at Calke Abbey – and the National Trust wants everyone to capture the moment.

The trust’s yearly celebration of the blossom season involves asking people to share images of the beautiful spring sight on social media, using the hashtag #BlossomWatch.

The idea is to lift spirits by encouraging people to enjoy nature.

At Calke Abbey in Ticknall, one of the first signs of spring is the sight of blossom sweeping over the walled gardens.

Early spring sees peach blossom flowering in the Peach House in the walled kitchen garden, followed by plum and apple blossom later in the season.

Other blossoms in the estate include blackthorn and hawthorn.

l Chris Naisbitt and Georgia Day from the University of Leicester’s archaeological service. Chris is holding a Neolithic flint and Georgia a piece of Samian ware. Left is a table of pottery finds.

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Julie would like to thank family, friends and neighbours for their kindness and support, their cards and flowers and their donations to Cancer Research which totalled £181.50.

INSULATION GRANTS

TWENTY council homes in Melbourne will get extra insulation thanks to newly awarded grant money.

South Derbyshire District Council won a grant from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs under the Greener Homes Scheme.

The homes in Melbourne, mainly in the Penistone Rise area, have been chosen for extra insulation, which is expected to bring down residents’ energy costs.

Cllr Martin Fitzpatrick, one of Melbourne’s district councillors, reported to the parish council that the work was expected to be completed within 12 months.

WRONG DEPOT LOCATION

IN our article ‘4,700-Homes Settlement For Area?’ in the March edition of the Village Voice, the location of a potential rail depot was incorrectly stated as Tonge station.

The article should have said that the depot’s location was being considered near Tonge. We apologise for the error.

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GUIDES ARE SCOUTING FOR SOME NEW FACES

Dancing siblings shine in Blackpool

4 Village Voice April 2022

GIRL guiding groups in Melbourne are up and running – and they would love to see some new faces.

Melbourne has Rainbows, Brownies, Rangers and also two Guide groups who all meet at the Guide & Scout hut on Packhorse Road.

The Guides meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have room for more girls to join.

Anna Wright is the leader of the Tuesday night Guides’ group, which her daughter Martha attends.

She said: “The more Guides we have, the more fun we can have. It’s a really good opportunity to learn some independence.

“They learn about being themselves, they find out who they are. They learn how to express themselves and about teamwork, leadership and life skills.

“There are some really good opportunities and experiences that they may otherwise never get another chance to try.

“As the Guides get older and progress through to Rangers these experiences can look really good on their CV, university application forms or as a talking point in job interviews.”

Martha, 11, added: “It’s fun. You get to do lots of different activities.”

These activities include craft, cooking, map reading, STEM activities and sports. This year there are several trips planned, including going to see the Women’s Euros in Sheffield on July 17, and to a girls only festival weekend called Wellies and Wristbands at Waddow Hall in Lancashire in August. A county camp in North Derbyshire is set for July 2023.

The groups are open to girls aged between 10 and 14. To inquire further, you can email 2ndmelbourne@gmail.com for Tuesday nights or 1stmelbourne@gmail.com for Thursday nights.

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MELBOURNE ballroom dancing siblings Daniel and Lottie Sabin have had another successful contest in Blackpool.

Daniel Sabin, a year six pupil at Melbourne Junior School, won another nationwide IDTA (International Dance Teachers’ Association) Medallist of the Year title for the Stardance category, Latin & Ballroom, in the boys eight to 10 years category.

Progressing from the heats to the final, Daniel danced the fox trot, quick step, cha cha cha and samba to win the title this year.

It is the second time Daniel has won a title, having previously won the Rosette Title for the age six to eight years category.

Daniel’s sister Lottie also competed on both days of the competition, in Latin and Ballroom.

Lottie was recalled on both days so judges could see her dance again, but did not make the final rounds.

Lottie and Daniel dance at the Stargaze Dance Academy in Alfreton. Parents Liz and Karl said they were proud of both children’s achievements.

THE old Star Micronics building on Chapel Street in Melbourne is going to be knocked down and the site redeveloped – after lying empty for six years.

Proposals to demolish the building and erect seven houses on the land were approved at a meeting of South Derbyshire District Council’s Planning Committee on April 5.

The former industrial building has been empty since 2016 after the business relocated to Derby.

The number of homes proposed to be built on the site has been reduced from nine to seven.

That was after councillors had voted at a previous meeting on February 8 to defer their decision on the application, saying the site would be overdeveloped if nine houses were built there.

Councillors had been concerned that nine homes would mean not enough parking and too small gardens for families.

Developers changed the plans to give larger amenity areas to some of the houses. In one area of the site, where four detached properties were proposed, there are now only two with a larger footprint.

The plans involve knocking down all buildings on the site, moving the sub-station, and building seven two-storey homes.

Facing Chapel Street there are proposed to be

by Lucy Stephens

two detached houses and a terrace of three.

Two further detached homes are planned for the interior part of the site.

At the centre of the development will be a garage court with parking spaces.

Five of the new homes have three bedrooms, and the other two are four-beds.

A council report said: “The proposal has been amended in response to the concerns raised by members at the meeting on 8th February. It is considered that the reduced number of dwellings on the site results in a less dense development with sufficient amenity provision for each dwelling and parking levels which meet, and in part exceed, the levels set out in the council’s design supplementary planning document.

“The proposal is an acceptable design and, subject to conditions controlling materials, landscaping and boundary treatments, would enhance the character of the conservation area.

“It would not harm the amenity of surrounding residents, and other technical issues (highways, noise, contamination and drainage) are considered to have been resolved or controlled by condition.”

Villagers unite in bid to keep their church open

VILLAGERS are rallying round to help save their church, which has a congregation of just four, from having to shut its doors.

There are fears that the picturesque St Mary’s Church, a grade one listed building just outside Weston-on-Trent, may have to close due to lack of funds and a massively depleted congregation.

Leaflets were dropped into hundreds of homes in Weston inviting people to attend an open meeting to garner support for the church.

Now a group of residents have formed to help look after St Mary’s with voluntary cleaning and other maintenance duties in a bid to keep it open.

There is also a move for St Mary’s to become a ‘Festival church’, which would see it open for major dates in the Christian calendar such as Easter and Christmas, but not regular Sunday worship.

If this goes ahead, the church would also be available for weddings, christenings and funerals by advance booking.

Jayne Williamson, church warden of St Mary’s and one of a congregation that has now dwindled to four, said: “I started coming to this church in 2002. I would be devastated if it shut.

“My husband Craig and I started as regular worshippers and then we took the reins.

“Closure would be the last resort for me and Craig.”

l An alabaster monument in St Mary’s Church of the Sale family from the 1600s.

But Jayne said she had taken heart from the public meeting held in Weston Village Hall which 65 people attended.

She said: “Everybody was there to save the church. The comments were absolutely unbelievable – it was quite emotional for me and Craig.”

Rev Tony Luke, who looks after Weston parish along with others in the area including All Saints at Aston-on-Trent, said: “In terms of the congregation, it wasn’t very good before the pandemic and, as we come out of the pandemic, it

has dwindled to very few.

Obviously, moving forward, that’s unaffordable.

“The church is in a very picturesque place but it’s well out of the village, so it’s never been easy to attract people to come up there.”

St Mary’s has a long and interesting history.

Construction began in around 1200 and the interior bears some fascinating signs of the past.

Contained within its walls is a spec-

Carnival king or queen crowning

Village Voice April 2022 5

tacular alabaster monument dating back to the 1600s, which depicts the Sale family: Rev Richard – rector of the church from 1575 to 1625 – his wife, their eight children and two stillborn infants.

Scratch marks in the stonework of the tower stairwell are thought to have been made by the muskets of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s men as they kept watch over the tower, while elsewhere there are visible markings made by village folk to keep witches out.

The church door even has an upsidedown lock, thought at one time to ward off the devil.

Rev Luke said: “We’re not going to try and put services on every Sunday but focus on major festival times.

“As a resource for the community, it’s a lot better that it’s there and available.

“It’s very positive that clearly the community can take some responsibility for the building, to keep it open and available as we come out of the pandemic.”

Congregation members at St Mary’s have come up with a range of ways in which people can help the church survive. There is a 200 club, a lottery drawn each month in which 65 per cent of proceeds go to the church. People can also join cleaning or maintenance groups.

For more, see the church’s Facebook page: Friends of St Mary’s Church – Weston-on-Trent. Or you can contact Jayne on 0779 653 7645.

IT’S time for Melbourne to crown a new king or queen.

Melbourne Fete & Carnival is back on again this year and, as with tradition, a contest to crown the king or queen will be held in May. The contest, in association with Miss Melbourne, is being held at the British Legion on Derby Road on Friday, May 6.

Open to all children living in or attending school in Melbourne, the contest will pick a king or queen along with six attendants.

The winner will receive a trophy and the seven children will travel around the procession, greeting the crowds on carnival day, Saturday, July 9.

The contest is £1 to enter and the doors open at 6.30pm to 7pm.

Carnival organisers would very much like to see as many children come along to be in with a chance of being crowned king or queen for the day!

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Steve wins community award

6 Village Voice April 2022

ASTON resident Steve Aynsley was a surprised but delighted recipient of the village’s Excellence In The Community Award this year.

He was presented with the accolade at the annual parish meeting on April 5, in recognition of his contribution to several village groups, consistent fund-raising efforts and willingness to volunteer whenever required.

Steve is currently chairman of the Aston Well Dressers and one of their leading fund-raisers with his annual Astonbury concerts.

He is also a trustee on the War Memorial Hall Committee, representing both the Well Dressers and

the Aston & Weston Branch of the Royal British Legion. He is an active member of the latter, assisting with the Remembrance Sunday Parade, being their deputy Standard Bearer and representing the branch in 2018 at the GP90 parade in Ypres.

He is a keen member of the local history group and gave a talk on Old Alvaston Village and Alvaston Old Hall at their Tuesday night monthly meeting in February.

Steve is the Health and Safety consultant and occasional working party member of FAB (Friends of Aston Brickyard) and is also a member of the Aston Art Group and Neighbourhood Watch.

Other nominees for the award included Laura Bowler, landlady of The Malt at Aston; Stephen Clennell, owner of Aston Village Shop; Mrs Lindsay Kalirai, headteacher at Aston on Trent Primary School; Cathy Razzell of Aston Community Choir; and The Village Walk Committee as a collective entity.

The judging panel for this year's award was led by Cllr Ed Hicklin, and all members of the panel agreed it was a tough decision as all nominees were worthy of their nominations and should be commended for their contribution to village life in Aston on Trent.

Steve is pictured receiving the award from Cllr Hicklin.

AT MELBOU URNE HALL ANTON DU BEKE

THE KINGDO OM CHOIR

Children’s charity booster

EASTER came early for families after a mortgage firm named Melbourne’s Me & Dee its charity of the year.

Create Finance, of which Melbourne’s Aaron Forster is a director, started off its year of support by donating Easter eggs for families using the charity’s services.

The company, an award-winning specialist mortgage broker based in Derby, also donated two Kindles, two Amazon Fire tablets and a Nintendo Switch for use by poorly children in isolation, as well as 30 Peter Rabbit books to babies staying in special care over Easter.

Now the company is appealing for further donations of new technical equipment such as tablets, iPads, Kindles and other devices to give to children.

Established by Maria Hanson MBE, Me & Dee supports families of children with life-threatening, shortening, or terminal illnesses and conditions.

Maria’s work involves creating special memories for families who come to the charity for support.

In Maria’s experience, items such as iPads are particularly appreciated by children who spend extended and very isolated periods of time in hospital.

The Easter eggs donated by Create Finance will be distributed to the families on the charity’s books.

Maria said: “We are so very proud to be partnered to Create Finance as their charity of choice for 2022.

“This support began with a discussion about Easter egg donations and they have since supported a very poorly family with a day out to Cadbury World.

“Create Finance plans to launch an appeal for tablets, iPads and other devices for very poorly children in isolation, extended hospital stays and invasive treatment.

“We are deeply appreciative of this support, which enables us to create memories for many more families facing short and uncertain futures together.”

Aaron, from Create Finance, said: “Create Finance is proud to support Me & Dee as its chosen charity of the year. Being given a gift like this provides the child with a much-needed distraction from their daily medical care and brings a smile to their faces.”

Anyone able to support Me & Dee by giving these items or who would like to make a donation to the charity is asked to get in touch with Me & Dee on 01332 297011.

Alternatively, anyone may take any donated, new devices to Create Finance’s office at 35 Friar Gate Studios, Ford Street, Derby, DE1 1EE or they can be contacted via marketing@createfinance.co.uk

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Village Voice April 2022 7

Celebrating World Book Day

Church casts a net for the new Joseph

CALLING all secret – or not so secret – musical theatre stars: could YOU be Joseph?

All Saints’ Church in Astonon-Trent is looking for someone to play the role made famous by the likes of Jason Donovan and Philip Schofield for what they promise will be a “spectacular production” – provided a cast can be found.

The show, which is planned to be staged in the church itself, was originally planned for 2020 but had to be put off due to Covid.

However, as yet no-one to play the lead role has been found.

Richard Chamberlain, of Aston, who is producing, said it was planned to turn the church into a “unique theatrical venue” for the show, which will also include a cast member from Bill Kenwright’s 1990 touring production.

He said: “We are planning to convert All Saints’ Church in Aston into a unique theatrical venue. We will be installing a full lighting rig, staging, sound equipment as well as hiring a fabulous 10 piece band. We plan to put on a spectacular production – but we need cast.”

The production of Joseph is a fund-raiser for the church bell-

SCHOOL pupils in Aston-on-Trent have been showing their love of reading in some surprising and colourful ways.

On World Book Day in March, there was more than a whiff of magic in the air as many children dressed in characters from Harry Potter.

Head teacher Lindsey Kalirai said: “It is an inspiring event for children to share their

PETER’S PRIZE FOR THIRD YEAR IN ROW

favourite books and celebrate the characters in them. World Book Day is a perfect opportunity for all staff to share their favourite literature.”

Meanwhile, Freya the Highwayman trotted up to school one day on her trusty steed, Robbie. Year five pupils at the school, of which Freya is one, have been reading The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes.

A CRAFTSMAN running artisan courses near Melbourne has won a top prize for his work – for the third year running.

Greenwood Days, run by Peter Wood, has been awarded ‘Experience of the Year’ at the Leicestershire Tourism and Hospitality Awards.

Peter, pictured receiving the award from Martin Peters, chief executive of Leicestershire Promotions Ltd, said: “It’s a great testament to all the parts that make up Greenwood Days – the lovely wood we run the courses in, the fantastic tutors who are all so generous with their skills, the people behind the scenes who make everything run smoothly, and finally all the wonderful students who come out and enjoy the centre.”

Peter’s win means Greenwood Days will now be put forward to the national awards.

by Lucy Stephens

ringers at Aston.

As well as raising money, another aim is to give amateur performers the opportunity to perform alongside professionals in all aspects of theatre.

Producers have recruited professional musicians and technicians as well as one of the performers.

Alongside Joseph, other key roles have yet to be cast, and there is also a shortage of choir and ensemble members.

This means the show is now in doubt and may have to be cancelled if more people to fill roles cannot be found, said Richard.

Adults and children are needed, and rehearsals are due to start this month.

Richard said: “In 2020 the group was ready to go, but Covid-19 caused the loss of several members of cast who are unable to take part this year.”

Anybody interested in taking part in the production should contact producers via the Facebook page called Joseph In Aston. Alternatively, the producers can be contacted via email at josephinaston@yahoo.com

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Airport gearing up for the buzz of a busy summer season

8 Village Voice April 2022

A QUARTER of a million passengers are expected to move through East Midlands airport this Easter season, according to latest estimates.

The airport said it was gearing up for the “all-important summer season” and expected passenger numbers to be between 75 and 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels this year.

The start of the airport’s summer season was on April 1, the end of term for some schools.

The season runs from April to October and it is during these months that the airport sees two thirds of its total annual passengers.

Over Easter alone, around 250,000 passengers were expected.

During the summer, the airlines that serve the airport adjust their flight schedules to accommodate more demand while increasing both frequency and numbers of destinations served.

Between them, Ryanair, Jet2.com, TUI, Flybe, Aurigny and Blue Islands will fly to more than 50 destinations this year.

For many people, jetting off this Easter will be their first overseas trip since before the pandemic brought international travel to a standstill.

Thanks to the vaccination roll-out, all UK travel restrictions have now been dropped, making it far easier to travel.

However, the airport said passengers were encouraged to check rules that apply in the countries to which they are travelling, which may differ to the UK’s.

The airport is also advising those who have not flown for a while to prepare for their journey well in advance, and to remind themselves of the rules around security and hand luggage.

The contrast between the start of this summer season and last year’s could not be starker.

Twelve months ago, the passenger terminal doors were shut, and planes grounded. When international travel did resume, the impact of restrictions, testing and general uncertainty resulted in passenger numbers not exceeding 20 per cent of pre-Covid levels. The airport lost two consecutive summer seasons as a result of Covid.

Clare James, East Midlands Airport’s managing director, says: “I started in post in July 2020, and this will be the first time I’ve seen the passenger operation in full swing. The last two years have been pretty bleak for this industry. It’s clear that people are very keen to getaway for a hard-earned break or to visit family and friends.

“I’m very much looking forward to the buzz and energy that passengers bring to this airport and to welcoming people back as they start travelling again.”

With the recovery of aviation set to continue in earnest ahead of the summer, East Midlands Airport is recruiting for operational roles.

The bulk of the vacancies are within the airport’s security teams, but other jobs are available with the airport’s retail and hospitability providers, airlines and ground handling businesses.

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60 sparkling years for diamond duo

l Peter and Christine Elliott in their garden with a card from Her Majesty the Queen, and (below) a photo of their wedding day.

THIS pair of diamonds from Melbourne have just celebrated 60 years of happy married life.

Peter and Christine Elliott enjoyed a family celebration to mark their diamond wedding anniversary on March 24.

The pair met as teenagers at Lancaster Youth Club in Derby.

In the early days of their courtship they enjoyed dancing together at The Rialto in Allenton, as well as playing table tennis and watching motorbike scrambling together.

They tied the knot at St Michael and All Angels Church in Alvaston in 1962 – on a “lovely day” as Christine recalled.

But the lovely weather of March 24, 1962, soon turned and it later snowed, causing the couple to have to stop on their way to their honeymoon in Blackpool.

However, they made it, and on their return, set up home together in Alvaston.

Christine spent her early working life as a nurse, having trained at the Derby Royal Infirmary and Aston Hall Hospital.

But when family came along – son Mark and daughter Mandy – the anti-social 12-hour shifts were not conducive to bringing up children, so she went to work for Rolls-Royce instead.

Peter was born and bred in Melbourne and, like many other young people in this area, began his working life in market gardening.

He too went on to work at Rolls-Royce, where he spent 38 years.

The couple came back to live

in Melbourne, moving to The Pingle – in new houses built on the site of knocked down cottages where Peter had been born.

Over the years Peter and Christine have travelled widely together, enjoying walking in the countryside and seeing the sights of the world.

When in Melbourne they spend time in their garden and Christine volunteers at Calke Abbey, where she is a room steward, and Treetops Hospice Shop.

But they both said they had been taken by surprise to realise they had been married for six decades!

“Honestly, I don’t know where it has gone!” said Christine. “I just can’t believe how fast time has gone by.”

Peter, 82, and Christine, 79, are planning a trip to America later this year with family. The pair’s family are daughter Mandy and her husband Mark, grandchildren Jake and Shannon; son Mark, his wife Lili, and grand-daughter Yuan Yuan.

Glowing report for school

Village Voice April 2022 9

LEARNING at Melbourne Infant School is ‘good’ in every aspect – says a new glowing report.

The infant school was visited by education watchdog Ofsted in April for the first time in 15 years.

The inspection found the school good in all areas, pointing out that since the last inspection the framework for judgement had seen a complete overhaul.

Inspectors Christine Watkins and Gayle Bacon met teaching staff, had a phone conversation with the local authority, visited lessons, spoke to pupils, looked at pupils’ work and listened to children reading aloud.

The report said: “Pupils are proud of their school. They understand the ‘STAR standards’ that express the school’s key values.

Pupils speak readily about the importance of being kind, trying your best and looking after their school.

They show positive attitudes to learning.”

The report went on to say that children were starting to “settle back into school behaviour routines after periods of time learning remotely”.

It added: “Leaders and staff are assessing any gaps in pupils’ knowledge due to the pandemic.

There is a strong focus on early reading and mathematics. Pupils receive extra support to help them

by Lucy Stephens

catch up quickly.”

Inspectors said pupils were “confident learners” in maths, and that leaders and staff prioritised reading and a love of books widely across the school.

With most children developing as “fluent, confident readers”, the inspectors also found that pupils with special educational needs were well catered for.

“Skilled staff provide wellplanned support for pupils with complex needs,” inspectors said.

The report went on to say that pastoral support for pupils at the school was ‘strong’, with a rainbow nurture room to help support pupils struggling to manage their behaviour or emotions.

The school said: “As a staff we have continually worked hard to provide the children with a good education and start to school life.

“It's been such a long time since our last inspection and so many things have changed. We are very proud of its findings and look forward to putting the actions into place to make our school even better than it already is. As our motto states we will 'Shine brightly and reach for the stars!' The children really did shine on the two-day inspection and couldn't have made us more proud!”

TALL PAUL TALKS ABOUT HIGHLIGHTS

SCHOOL children heard some truly tall tales when they were visited by Britain’s tallest man.

Paul Sturgess, a former professional basketball player turned actor and motivational speaker, was at Weston Primary School to talk to children about his life – as well as bounce a ball or two.

Standing at 7ft 7.26 inches, Paul is officially Britain’s tallest man. In his basketball career, during which

he played for the famous Harlem Globetrotters, he was also the world’s tallest player.

Paul told children at Weston how he might get a few stares while going about his life, but that his extreme height had also led to a successful career.

As well as chatting to the children, he also gave them a chance to show off their own ball skills in the school hall.

Known as ‘Tall Paul’, the 34-yearold has also appeared on TV and in film, in Doctor Who and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

School head teacher Sarah Burns said: “It was great to have Paul in to talk to the children all about how it doesn’t matter how ‘different’ you are, you can still enjoy success in your life.

“Our pupils really enjoyed his visit.”

10 Village Voice April 2022

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HUGE efforts have been made in the local community to collect, sort, pack and transport humanitarian aid to send to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Centre in Westonon-Trent has been a hub of packing activity over recent weeks with many, many volunteers turning out to collect and pack up a wide range of supplies.

Local schools have been appealing for donations too – and have reported a generous and heartfelt response from families.

Melbourne Junior School, Weston-on-Trent Primary and Chellaston Academy have been just three of the schools to have asked for donations.

At Melbourne Juniors, a request went out for toiletries for adults plus nappies, blankets and towels.

Weston Primary School said they had contacted the centre – which is in the village – to see what they could do to help.

Volunteers told the school they would be taking resources to people made homeless by the conflict.

The school said on its website they were “truly touched” by the generosity shown by families.

At Chellaston, the school community collected donations between March 7-11.

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by Lucy Stephens

Staff sorted, packed and boxed up everything received with the help of year 10 and sixth form students.

The student leadership team and assistant head teacher, Laura Jones, took them to the centre.

The school said it was “overwhelmed” by the amount and quality of the donations.

Many people in the local community have been stepping in to help get lorry loads of goods out to Ukraine.

Several of these volunteers are themselves of Ukrainian heritage and said they wanted to support their homeland, while others have been moved to help after pleas from local councillors and watching the horrifying situation unfold via the media.

Local organisations like Scout groups also played a big part in the volunteer effort.

Over the last month, volunteers managed to organise and pack up enough supplies for two large lorry loads of humanitarian aid to help those either fleeing from or stuck in Ukraine.

Pictures were then sent showing the lorry loads of goods on their journey to the war-torn country.

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“We wanted to support the Ukrainian people,” said Denice.

St Mary’s Church at Weston is next door to the Ukraininan Centre on the outskirts of the village, which has been a hub for donations over recent weeks.

Pictured are (l-r) Harmoni Louise Wheldon-Thompson, seven, with Weston church warden Jayne Williamson and Denice Craven, lighting a candle for Ukraine.

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Residents get to quiz their councillors

12 Village Voice April 2022

ADDRESSING the annual general meeting of Melbourne Parish Council, chair Cllr Sheila Hicklin said she was pleased to see members of the public there, raising issues and engaging with the council.

After speeches from councillors Hicklin (as chair and on the Facilities Committee), Hogan (Planning and Strategy Committees), Summerlin (Burials Committee), Smith (Highways Committee) the public were invited to ask questions.

One resident, referring to the plan for a car park adjacent to Melbourne Hall, asked why Melbourne needed another car park. She also raised the issue of cars speeding through the village, particularly on Chapel Street, and urged the installation of speed bumps.

Cllr Smith said the issue of

speeding on Chapel Street had not been highlighted previously, and Derbyshire County Council, the lead authority on highway issues, no longer installed speed bumps.

Another resident asked about the plans for the Senior Citizens and Bowling Club site; concerns were expressed that development there would destroy this picturesque view of Melbourne. The council was unable to comment, as no application for development had been submitted.

Concerns were also raised about the application for a licence for events at Melbourne Hall, which, in the resident’s view, could have up to 5,000 visitors per event, and asked whether the council felt this benefited the village.

Cllr Hicklin responded that

some will think that it will bring benefit to the village, whilst others will not. The resident was also assured that the licence application had been changed to indicate a maximum of 800 to 1,000 visitors.

The final topic of discussion was the perennial problem of dog fouling, which Cllr Smith described as “the scourge of the village” and one which incited him personally and as a councillor.

There clearly had been a dramatic increase in the dog population during lockdown and, unfortunately, a small number of irresponsible dog-owners were not clearing up.

The council was committed to prosecuting owners when evidence could be obtained and to do all within their power to address the issue.

Gallery spring exhibition

THREE prestigious local artists are featured in the new spring exhibition entitled Light and Shade at Creative Melbourne gallery, which is open until the end of April.

Sculptor Rachel Carter is featuring some of her “woven” bronze figures and a bronze “Seed” piece commissioned for the Durose Country Park housing estate near Breadsall. She is known for large outdoor sculptures and has recently gained renown for her “Pilgrim Woman” project – sculptures celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower and inspired by women held in Boston jail in the early 17th Century.

Val Hudson is a fine artist who draws on a wide spectrum of ideas and influences. Her work has a dreamlike quality and she sees them as the starting point for a conversation with the viewer, who is invited to reflect on their non-verbal reaction. Her work in the gallery is created in wax and oil, which creates a transient and textured finish with fabulous subtlety of colour.

Kerri Pratt is an award-winning and firmly established Midlands artist whose work featured in the BBC TV programme Show Me the Monet and

subsequently was exhibited at the Mall galleries in London.

Much of her work is of urban, industrial or man-made landscapes, and she successfully captures sub-conscious connections and relationships we make with things and places, often triggering hidden memories.

“I like to draw attention to apparently insignificant things that are taken for granted, overlooked, mundane and banal,” she says.

Speaking at the preview of the Melbourne exhibition she said she was” delighted to have been asked and thought the whole exhibition looked fabulous”.

The exhibition also features work from one of the resident gallery artists, Patrick Prentice and several other Melbourne-based artists and creators.

Progress on establishing the gallery as a community venture will be developing further with the first workshop due to take place there on April 23 and the availability of “pods” to hire on the second floor, for anyone wishing to have a space to work within the creative environment.

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Church proves a dramatic setting for artists’ work

l Michael Cook and Michelle Holmes on the exhibition’s opening night at Melbourne Parish Church with some of their work below.

AN ARTISTS’ partnership forged at Melbourne Festival resulted in an exhibition in a dramatic church setting.

The exhibition called What are you looking for? was staged during March in Melbourne Parish Church by local artists Michael Cook and Michelle Holmes.

Centred around questions Jesus asks in the gospels, the exhibition was specially designed to use architectural features of the building.

One painting, Why Are You So Afraid?, was hung from the church’s West End gallery over the font. Another pair of works, exploring the question of sight, were hung near the church’s unusual ‘squint’ – a feature enabling a view of the altar in an area of the church where it is not easily visible.

Michelle said she was “delighted” by how the exhibition had turned out.

She said: “It has been a real privilege to make pieces of work for this space.

“Michael and I visited lots of times before we started creating the work. We wanted it to fit in with the existing fabric of the building.”

Michael and Michelle met when both were showing their art at Melbourne Festival – in which the parish church is used as an exhibition space.

Michael said: “I’m pleased with the way the exhibition looks. Obviously, you can’t ask for a finer setting.”

‘What are you looking for?’ ran from March 9-27.

Jubilee trees planted at schools

HERITAGE apple trees have been planted at local schools in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Pupils from Melbourne Junior School and Sale & Davys Primary in Barrow-upon-Trent witnessed the planting of the trees. Both ceremonies were part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project, celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne – the longest ever reign for a British monarch.

The Newton Wonder apple trees, a variety first discovered in the thatch of The Hardinge Arms at Kings Newton in 1870, were donated by Swarkestone Nursery.

Griselda Kerr, of The Dower House in Melbourne, prepared the ground for the planting of both trees, one in the grounds of Melbourne Junior School and the other on land near the forest schools area enjoyed by pupils at Sale & Davys Primary.

The Queen’s representative, The Lord-Lieutenant for Derbyshire, Elizabeth Fothergill, visited Melbourne to help plant the tree, while the Vice Lord-Lieutenant for Derbyshire, Colonel Paul Wilson, went along to Barrow to do the honours.

Mrs Fothergill told pupils in Melbourne: “You will be able to watch this tree grow. When some

Village Voice April 2022 13

of you come back when your children are at this school, and see this tree grown into a really big tree you’ll say: ‘I remember when the platinum jubilee was at our school and we planted that tree’.”

“Thank you so much for inviting me this afternoon.”

The planting at Melbourne Junior School took place on March 24, and the ceremony at Barrow a week later.

It spelled quite a difference in the weather – while the tree was planted in Melbourne in beautiful sunshine, those attending the following week stood with teeth chattering in freezing rain and snow.

Colonel John Williams, in Barrow, thanked everyone for attending, Swarkestone Nursery for providing the tree, and the parish council for allowing it to be planted on land near the Susie Dixon Memorial Park.

He told the audience: “This tree will be here in 100 years’ time when perhaps none of us will, so it’s vitally important that the Queen has asked us to do this.”

After each tree planting, Griselda led the assembled company in giving three cheers for Her Majesty the Queen.

ABOVE: Lord-Lieutenant for Derbyshire, Elizabeth Fothergill, planting the tree with pupils from Melbourne Junior School, watched by Griselda Kerr (left), head teacher Jane Whirledge, Cllr David Muller and John Jackson from Swarkestone Nursery.

LEFT: Sale & Davys School head teacher Sarah Briggs with pupils from the school and Vice Lord-Lieutenant for Derbyshire Colonel John Williams, and Griselda Kerr.

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Pupils’ colourful eggsamples

EGGS-CITING displays were on show at Melbourne Infants School when children were asked to take part in a decorating contest to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The Easter ‘Eggstravaganza’ involved children decorating a hard-boiled egg celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.

Designs of the eggs incorporated an event from the last 70 years, such as the first man on the moon, England’s World Cup football win, and the Queen’s coronation.

Some eggxtremely eye-catching designs were produced by talented youngsters!

All entries were put on display in the school hall for everyone to admire.

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Dog owners alerted after lambs attacked

14 Village Voice April 2022

TWO lambs have been killed in South Derbyshire by an out-of-control dog, say police. The incident happened on Sunday, April 3.

Police said that, unusually, they had been contacted by the owner to say their dog was worrying livestock and they could not get it under control.

Kerry Wallington-Waite, police community support officer supervisor for Derby South, said in a Neighbourhood Alert email: “By the time the dog had been brought back under control it had killed two lambs and injured three others; that number may yet rise once the flock has been checked.”

She went on to say: “Owning a dog comes with responsibility, that responsibility extends to making sure your dog does not chase or injure livestock.

To those who are thinking “my dog wouldn’t do that”... “my dog is properly trained”, in our experience all of those we deal with don’t believe their dog would have ever chased or attacked livestock – and that is exactly the reason why the dog is not under proper control.

“There are several outcomes when it comes to dogs worrying livestock; perhaps the most thought-provoking for owners should be the outcome that the landowner shoots the dog, which they are entitled to do in law, to protect their stock. The owner can then still face a day in court and a hefty bill.”

She added: “To dog owners, it is simple: your dog, your responsibility, keep it on a lead around livestock or where you believe livestock may be present.

“To those who may witness livestock worrying, please report it and, if possible, gather any evidence you can; photographs are particularly useful but please only take photographs if it is safe to do so.”

Anyone who witnesses any incidents involving worrying of livestock is asked to contact police either on Facebook with a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary, via direct message on Twitter to @DerPolContact, by calling 101 or filling out the online contact form www.derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us. You can also phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 500 111.

Legion’s centenary thanks VILLAGE VOICE Postbag

RECENTLY the Melbourne branch of The Royal British Legion jointly with the club celebrated the fantastic achievement of its 100th anniversary.

This saw a weekend of events organised by the branch and club through Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is therefore only right that we take the chance to thank a few people without whom the weekend would not have been the success it was.

Firstly to our Friday night entertainment, Meet the Flanagans, who as always didn’t fail to entertain. They always get the crowd going and this night was no exception.

Saturday was our 100th celebration service where we rededicated the branch standard. We need to thank Rev Alan Winfield and the choir for use of the church and providing such excellent musical accompaniment. Further thanks go to Brendan O’Neill and members of Melbourne Town Band for the brass accompaniments and fanfares which further added to the spectacle.

We should mention our esteemed guests for attending; in particular The Lord Lieutenant for Derbyshire Mrs Elizabeth Fothergill, whose presence was warmly welcomed. Thank you also to our other guests from the council and other local or-

ganisations of which there are too many to list individually.

The celebrations continued into the evening with music supplied by members of The Nottinghamshire Band of the Royal Engineers, who played a range of popular tunes from the last few decades. It made for a fantastic evening, and it should be men-

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TOP: Andy Boardman, with the standard, and Rev Alan Winfield.

ABOVE: A concert held in the Royal British Legion.

Pictures by David Reay.

tioned they donated their time for just the price of a few drinks. A bargain indeed.

Sunday saw the return of one of our favourite performers, Penny Diamond, who has supported the branch, club and poppy appeal with free concerts over the years. We are very grateful for this support as again, no charge was made to us.

Also thank you to the support performers who came with Penny to support for free. It really polished off the weekend.

I should also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of each committee that gave and continue to give their time for free. These events, this fantastic club and the charity fund-raising would not happen without these dedicated volunteers. I would also mention the team of staff that run the establishment day-to-day. They do a fantastic job.

Finally, thank you to everyone that turned out and supported us over the weekend. Without an audience and people to support the club it will not remain open. It’s a family friendly environment with all welcome. It would be a shame to lose this valuable part of our community. If I have failed to mention anyone, my apologies; so many people did and do so much I cannot remember them all.

Hope to see you at the next big anniversary!

Andy Boardman Branch secretary

Please contact Christine or Sarah

07870 547357/07770 769246 info@melbournelets.co.uk

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The Common Touch...

THIS month we at Whistlewood Common are celebrating Earth Day on the 22nd April from 1pm till late and have many sustainable activities planned. We’re very excited about it!

The afternoon events are all free, and will include things like willowweaving a ‘bug’ with renowned local craftsperson Maggie Cooper, from 2pm until 4pm. You’ll need to book a place but it is a free workshop.

There will also be hobby horse making, recycled crafts, willow lantern making, crochet school, plant sale and beeswax wrap making and lots more.

Bring a picnic for lunch time and join us to enjoy the amazing woodland we’ve created and take part in

our skills share; there will be some other refreshments on sale too.

If you’ve not been before, well this will be a great day to pop up and see us and bring your family. Some of our amazing Duke of Edinburgh teenagers will be helping us out; they have contributed so much to our project over the years and we’re really proud of these fantastic young people – you know who you are!

Earth Day has been going for some time now as an international event and promotes all things sustainable and advises us on how we can take action on climate change. This year’s theme is ‘Invest in Our Planet’.

Check out www.earthday.org for info on this fantastic project.

In the evening from 7pm we will be hosting a pop-up restaurant – ‘Dinner in the Dark’ event with a vegetarian/vegan meal cooked by our very own potter and chef extraordinaire, Andy Mason.

The evening will be spent celebrating this amazing planet we live on, all by candlelight.

Enjoy this two-course meal of beautifully prepared home cooked food (bring your own alcoholic beverages) and soft drinks in our lovely strawbale round house.

Check our Facebook events page for ticket details and also info on our afternoon event.

– KATHERINE PARRISH

TAKING A PEW ON NEW CHURCH SEAT PADS Church bells are given a boost

Village Voice April 2022 15

VILLAGERS in Aston-on-Trent have been practising their sewing skills to make colourful new seating for the local church.

Members of Aston Craft Group came up with the plan to make new cushion pads for the choir stalls at All Saints’ Church after comments that the old ones were looking a little shabby.

Group members Carole Bagnall and Janet Gidlow (pictured) made up kits with everything needed to make a tapestry panel.

Carole said the response to the project had been “lovely” with around 35 people taking on the job.

She said: “Individuals who had no experience at all were pleased as punch with their work and requested more kits. Those with much greater skills said how relaxing it was in its simplicity.”

Aston sewers finished 72 panels, which were then joined into blocks of six and backed with new material to cover 12 cushion pads.

Carole added: “Nobody knows how long the old covers had been in place; they have been the same as long as anyone can remember!”

Idea that could win your school a £20,000 prize

SCHOOLS in this area are being urged to come up with ideas for gardens that improve diversity, with the chance of winning up to £20,000 to make them a reality.

East Midlands Airport is putting up the cash for the project, offering schools the chance to win a share of its £120,000 community fund.

The fund, which this month celebrates its 20th birthday, has been boosted lately due to increased numbers of fines for noisy planes.

Now the airport is asking schools to submit designs for gardens or green space that “substantially improve diversity”.

Submissions judged to have the most positive environmental impact will be awarded funds to turn designs into reality.

Schools eligible to apply for the grants are those within the airport’s ‘area of benefit’, which covers a radius of around eight to 10 miles from the airport and includes the postcodes covered by this newspaper.

East Midlands Airport started its community fund in April 2002 to support initiatives in places most affected by its operation. Communities benefiting are those most flown over by aircraft approaching and departing the airport.

It has handed out more than £1.3million over the last 20 years.

The eco garden competition runs until May 27.

Judges will include representatives of the airport’s corporate social responsibility team, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the parks, green spaces and environmental management teams at South Derbyshire District Council.

The panel is looking for “designs that incorporate innovative ways to make any space that

by Lucy Stephens

schools have environmentally richer and more diverse, whether that’s transforming an area of concrete, improving the biodiversity of a playing field or growing food”.

The airport said: “Schools that have little outdoor space are urged to consider vertical gardens, making the most of walls and fences. Schools are also encouraged to highlight how an eco-garden could be used for outdoor learning, recreational use and to improve wellbeing.”

Clare James, East Midlands Airport’s managing director, said: “Our commitment to improving sustainability and biodiversity extends beyond controlling what we do on our own estate.

“I urge all eligible schools to get involved in this exciting project, which will be hugely beneficial on so many levels.

“Not only will it lead to the creation of new wonderful and rich green spaces and be a valuable learning experience for the children who participate, but it will also shine a spotlight on the importance of responding to today’s climate challenge.

“Addressing this is one of my key priorities as I help steer the airport towards recovery from the pandemic. I’m fully focused on how this can be achieved sustainably and to help accelerate our progress towards becoming a net zero carbon business by 2038, and a net zero carbon industry by 2050.”

To find out more about how to get involved, and to access supporting resources, schools should visit www.eastmidlandsairport.com/eco-garden.

SUNBURN? HERE’S THE ANSWER

DID you know lavender can help protect against sunburn? And that many people simply do not like orange flowers in their gardens?

Those titbits and many more were shared by BBC Gardener’s World presenter Nick Bailey, who gave a fascinating talk to Ticknall Garden Club.

The well-known plantsman, who has run the Chelsea Physic Garden amongst many other ac-

colades, gave his talk in a packed out Ticknall Village Hall.

The talk, Scent Your Garden, was all about how to create a garden full of fragrance all year round.

Covering such questions as to why plants make scent – to pull in pollinators and ward off predators – and which were best to offer year-round perfume, the audience was full of questions for Nick when he had finished his talk.

CHURCH bells in Melbourne have been silent over March after being refurbished for the first time in more than 25 years.

The bells in the parish church were last overhauled in 1996.

Over the last few weeks, with some of the mechanisms starting to wear out, the clappers and pulley wheels were sent for refurbishment.

It was hoped they could be back and ringing again in time for Easter Sunday.

Bellringers at Melbourne are also hoping to recruit volunteers to join the band as numbers are currently down and they would like to keep the bells ringing for years to come.

Anyone interested in learning to ring and joining the band is asked to contact Christian Peckham at learn2ring@melbourneparishchurch.co.u k or by phoning 01332 988664.

Heritage Workshops and Talks at St Wilfrid’s An Anglo-Saxon church in Barrow upon Trent FREE Parking available on the Parish Car Park, Twyford Rd.

WORKSHOPS For more information and booking please email stwilfridsbarrow@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page at St Wilfrid’s Barrow.

Calligraphy with Sheila Smith Saturday, 16th April 2022 10:00am - 4:00pm | £10

with Sheila Smith Saturday, 17th September 2022 10:00am - 4:00pm | £20 Create a stunning medieval style letter for framing or making into a card.

Creative Writing

Children’s Photography with Stephen Saunders Saturday, 14th May 2022 10:00am - 12 noon or 1:00pm - 3:00pm | £5 Please bring a memory stick for copies of photographs.

Stone Carving with Elizabeth Whatnall Sunday, 26th June 2022 10:00am - 12:30pm or 1:30pm - 4:00pm | £25 Create a beautiful piece of carved limestone.

All materials supplied.

The BIG Barrow Archaeological Dig Saturday, 23rd July 2022 9:30am – 4:00pm | FREE Bring a trowel, dustpan and brush and metal detector if you have one. Meet at the field end of Chapel Lane. No need to book.

Medicinal Plants and Herbs with Lynne Tann-Watson Saturday, 13th August 2022 1:30pm - 3:30pm | £10

Illuminated Calligraphy Using 24c Gold

with Alison Mott Saturday, 8th October 2022 10:00am - 3:00pm | £10 A short tour of this beautiful space will surely inspire you before you put pen to paper.

TALKS Wednesdays at 7:00pm £3 including light refreshments No need to book 6th April History in Your Hands 4th May A Walk Through the Church in the Middle Ages and What Lies Beneath the Floor 8th June Moonings & Mawmings Fascinating stone carvings 6th July The Beautiful Harp 3rd August Vikings in the East Midlands 7th September The Alabaster Men of Burton 5th October Saints and Rogues in Barrow on Trent

www.stwilfridsbarrow.org St Wilfrid’s Barrow Tel: 07841 480 691 Email: stwilfridsheritage@gmail.com Church Lane, Barrow upon Trent, DE73 7HB

16 Village Voice April 2022

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18 Village Voice April 2022

W ha a t ’s On VENTS IN OUR AREA YOUR GUIDE TO EV Continues until 23rd April:

Exhibition - Light & Shade Creative Melbourne Galler y, We Welling ton House, Church St. Galler y open: We ednesday to Saturday 10am - 4pm See main ad on Pa age 11 fo or more deta ailss.

Saturday 16th April:

Breathwork for We elllbeing Whistlewood Common. 10am - 11.30am. £20. www.shop.whistlewoodcommo on.org.

Saturday 16th April:

Full Moon Firewalk Whistlewood Common. 7pm - 10 pm. £40. www.shop.whistlewoodcommo on.org

Monday 18th April (Easter Monday): International Chamber Music for Easter

Haydn’s ‘The Seven L ast Wo ords of Christ’ OP..51 performed by Graham Oppenheimer & Friends.

Melbourne Parish Church, 7.30pm - £10

Sunday 24th April:

Inspired by Trees We ellbeing Experience Day for 18 1 - 25 year olds.

Whistlewood Common. 10am - 3.30 pm. £10

27th April - 21st May:

Exhibition - Spring Tides Creative Melbourne Galler y, We Welling ton House, Church St. Galler y open: We ednesday to Saturday 10am - 4pm See main ad on Pa age 11 fo or more deta ailss.

Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May:

Ticknall Village Fete 11am - 4pm - Free entr y

Thursday 5th May:

Melbourne Area Derby U3A AGM and training on resuscitattion. Assembly Rooms, 2.30pm. madu3ainfo@gmail.co om www.u3asites.org.uk/melbourn ne-area

Friday 6th May:

Melbourne Carnivall King or Queen Conttest in association with Miss Melbourne.

Royal British Legion, Derby Roa ad. 6.30pm for 7pm.

Open to all boys and girls living g in or attending school in Melbourne. £1 to enter.

Friday 20th May:

An Audience with Anton Du Beke e Live at Melbourne Hall. Tickets from £29.0 0 See main ad on Pa age 6 fo o r m o r e d e tail s .

Saturday 21st May:

The Kingdom Choir Live at Melbourne Hall. Tickets from £24.95 See main ad on Pa age 6 fo o r m o r e d e tail s .

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n MELBOURNE Rugby Football Club is the proud recipient of this year’s Freeman Award, presented at the village’s parish council Annual General Meeting in March.

Handing over the award, which is given annually in honour of Dr Brendan Freeman, Elizabeth Freeman said it was her “pleasure and privilege” to make the award to the club.

She said her husband would have been “very proud as he was a great

QUIZ FINAL PROVES A HIT

FINALS night of the Melbourne Village Quiz proved to be a tense occasion with four teams all vying to be crowned 2022 champions and for the prestige of holding the coveted shield for a year.

A Choir’d Taste and Lythgoe’s Legacy competed in the first semi-final with Lythgoe’s coming out on top, before the Four Tenors lost out to Surplice to Requirements in the second semi.

In the play-off for third place the Four Tenors beat their mixed voice singing rivals!

The culmination of weeks of quizzing then came down to the final two and, although it began as a tense contest, Surplice eventually pulled ahead in the last two rounds to record a com-

supporter of the club,” and that “Melbourne can be very proud of its rugby club”.

She added: “But the award is for the other good work the club does, and in particular the annual Christmas collection on the Santa Sleigh.”

Accepting the award on behalf of the club, Ian Lucas said it was a real honour to receive it.

He said that the Christmas fundraising event was one everyone loved

fortable win, pushing Lythgoe’s Legacy into second place.

Finals night also has a second important purpose, and that is to present a cheque to the quiz’s chosen charity. Despite there having only been six weeks of quizzes this year, instead of the usual eight, a staggering £1,200 had been raised

to see, bringing all of the community together.

He also said there was a fight every year to be Santa Claus!

This year Community Care, Melbourne Junior School, and the Melbourne Sporting Partnership had all benefited from the funds raised.

Pictured above at the award presentation are (l-r): Gary Lakin, Paul Bettelley, Elizabeth Freeman and Ian Lucas.

for Treetops Hospice.

Laurie Kennedy, representing Treetops, gave an interesting presentation on the difficulties faced by the charity sector during the pandemic and how they had coped during the last two years. She thanked everyone for the generous donation.

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The village owes a debt of thanks to the organisers, quizmaster, quizzers, scorers and timekeepers for maintaining this long-standing competition and their fund-raising efforts.

Pictured above (l-r) are the members of the winning team: Jane Perry, Clive Avery, Rachel Reid and Mathew Perry.

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The use of this or previous editions of Village Voice for marketing or canvassing of advertisers is strictly prohibited.

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Judo Jamie skippers side to glory

PETER TAKES OVER TOP ROLE AT BOWLS CLUB

Village Voice April 2022 19

KINGS Newton Bowls Club has a new chair, Peter Barton.

At the club’s most recent annual general meeting, Graham Leech finished as chair after six years, and Peter took over the role.

In addition, three new committee members were elected: Peter Balfour, Paul Chambers and Alan Holbrook.

The club said if all went to plan, this would be an exciting year for them with the building of a new clubhouse and community space.

The green opened for play on March 26 and league matches are due to start in late April.

Ten teams have been entered in various leagues, meaning there will be a team playing every day bar Sundays.

The club also has a new website, which, although still in development, shows all upcoming fixtures, club news, membership details and forms.

The green has already been selected for two representative competitions – a Burton federation league fixture and the South Derbyshire junior merit finals day.

ASTON-on-Trent’s top Judo player, Jamie Spencer-Pickup, captained Wolverhampton University men’s team to first place in the National University championships.

The weekend started well on the Saturday when Jamie fought his way through in the individual competition final, beating an excellent opponent to win gold. This takes him later in the year to the European University Championships in Poland.

On Sunday both the Wolverhampton ladies’ and men’s teams fought through hard preliminary rounds to get to the final, both teams taking gold.

For the men, Jamie, as captain, is pictured lifting the vase.

He was said to be very proud of all his team players who stood up well through some tough rounds.

Rugby team still well placed Narrow victory at Newark keeps the 1st XV in second spot

MELBOURNE Rugby Club’s first team entered April still second placed in the league after a win away to Ashbourne.

Tries from Page, Percival, Travers, Brough and Pearce, plus three conversions by Holden helped secure a final scoreline of 17-31 for the green and gold firsts, with Edward Saunders named star player for Melbourne.

The victory against Ashbourne came at the end of a highly successful March for the first team, who showed their mettle against Newark with a narrow 22-19 win.

It was Melbourne who started strongly, dominating the early exchanges as their set pieces and willingness to attack with pace and width saw them create a couple of good opportunities, whereby points went begging.

Seven minutes into the game, a strong maul by the green and gold should have seen them re-

warded with seven points only for it to be taken down short of the line.

No penalty was forthcoming and play was quickly moved as Newark managed to turn over the ball and look to move it wide. As they moved towards the halfway mark, quick-witted scrum half Page intercepted the ball and sprinted clear to claim the first blood of the game. Holden converted, bringing the score to 7-0.

As was the underlying tone of the game, the hosts soon returned with points of their own, as they found a gap in the Melbourne defence which was slow to respond. A drifting line saw them exploit the mistake and they broke through to go within two points.

Melbourne continued to have the lion’s share of possession, but it was a balanced game. The green and golds were on the score card after 34 minutes as Burrough benefited from the impres-

sive maul which drove the hosts from the opposition 22 over their line and was dotted down for a converted score to make it 15-4.

Suddaby was entered into the fray to add some energy on a hot day, but was almost immediately shown a dubious yellow card for a two man tackle whereby his leading arm could not physically wrap around the tackled player.

Down to 14 Melbourne came under pressure and Newark took full advantage with a sweeping move that caused an overlap in the far fifteen that they executed well to move just a point behind.

After half-time, Suddaby’s reintroduction was almost immediate as Melbourne began to grind the game out. Iliffe in superb form was driving the team forward. Suddaby was replaced by Rohan Welsh due to a blood injury. He came on and was immediately in the thick of the action,

Cricket on way R H MOTORS

THE 2022 cricket season is quickly approaching and Ticknall Cricket Club is ready.

During the long cold winter months, the club has not hibernated.

The pavilion has been redecorated, the wickets and grounds prepared for the new season, the patio area in front of the pavilion in the process of being extended to increase the outdoor seating area and – most importantly of all – the players have taken part in preseason training.

Ticknall supports many teams of all ages. The seniors have three teams which play in the Derbyshire County League. The first team plays in the Premier Division and competes against teams across Derbyshire and of a high standard of cricket.

The second and third teams compete in lower divisions more locally but no less competitively and provide competition for established players as well as developing up and coming cricket stars of the future.

There are nine junior sides with expert tuition at hand who play competitive games during the summer in the South Derbyshire Junior League.

Ticknall cricket ground is situated at the edge of the village in an idyllic setting next to the church with free public access on foot and in vehicles. There is plenty of space around to watch, with refreshments and bar facilities available in the pavilion. There is even a small playing area for the kids.

There is a game most Saturdays during the summer and many Sundays. The bar facilities are available during the games and in the evenings. What better way to spend a summer’s day out without travelling miles?

It all starts on Saturday, April 23, when Ticknall first team take on local rivals Swarkestone in The Derbyshire Premier League.

Further information and future matches can be found on the club’s website at ticknallcc@gmail.com.

SERVICING OF ALL MAKES AND MODELS DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIRS

making a superb covering tackle on the back foot to halt a Newark side looking to bounce back.

Penalties began to creep into the game and it was a nervous final 20 minutes for both sides.

Mack Welsh replaced McHale due to injury and Newark pulled the scores level with two penalties.

It was Melbourne who finished the stronger however. With little between the sides the final 10 minutes saw the green and gold compose themselves, playing through the phases which they were rewarded for. They were awarded two penalties, the second of which was struck neatly through the posts for victory.

The win came after a solid performance from the firsts against Southwell the previous week, with the green and golds emerging with a win of 50-18.

Thanks to Matt Derbyshire for this report.

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Football team gets a new kit sponsor

20 Village Voice April 2022

SPORT

YOUNG footballers from Melbourne have been playing so well they have been moved up a division – and they have some new kit courtesy of a local business.

The Melbourne Under-10s ‘Lightning’ side were promoted to division one of the junior football league just after Christmas.

Their final game in the new league was due to be played on Sunday, April 9.

Now Roger Lowe, owner of Stable Ales at Melbourne Hall, has stepped forward to sponsor the Lightning with their new football kit.

Steve Irwin, co-manager of the team, said:

“We’re delighted to get sponsorship from a local company and we’re grateful to Roger for helping us to move to our new kit.”

Roger said: “The team at Stable Ales were happy to partner with the Melbourne Dynamos team; many of the families and parents involved in the team have been supporters of our local business since we started so we were only too happy to support as team kit sponsor.”

Boys from Lightning enjoyed pizza at The Brewhouse to celebrate their smart new kit.

Roger Lowe and Ian Earl are pictured with some of the Dynamo players.

TOWN CRICKETERS HOPEFUL

MELBOURNE Town Cricket Club is hoping 2022 will be its best season yet as all three senior teams aim to gain promotion from their respective leagues.

The first team is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2021 season which saw them relegated, but a couple of new signings, one particularly

exciting, should see them at the top end of the league and aiming for a quick return.

The club’s second team will once again be led by Fraser Radcliffe and, after only missH ing out on promotion last seaLB O L N O ARK AU N T O N - T son by a few points, the obvious N - FOREM - WILSON - ST O T S - aim is to go one better for his NE N - WE A R R O W young team.

R K E S T O - I S L E Y WA LT O B N O D TO BAST WYFOR O N - A M E - K I N G S N E W W The third team will be capT S L U H tained by John Collins for the T URN NE S TO N - M E L B O - S WA R K E S T O first time and, whilst being the N O T N L I O E IDG TO N platform for the club's juniors to BY - M R S B E Y W B ON O N experience senior cricket, the A LT O N - S TA N T THULST SLEY W I N O D T R S O aim again is promotion after a TWYFO T - E LVA R E N T - B R E E D N strong showing last year.

E R T N

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MELBOURNE Dynamo senior football teams had just five matches in March with a couple of huge cup wins included in those games.

Dynamo’s first team consolidated their second place spot in CMFL division one in their first game of the month. They came from 2-0 down away to beat Ripley 3-2 with Jake Peverley, Jack Goodband and Ben Cooke getting the all-important goals.

A week later Gav Salisbury’s men entertained high-flying Cromford and Wirksworth, this time in the quarter-final of the division one cup but, despite an Oscar Supple strike plus a Carl Allsop header, they went down 3-2 and bowed out of the cup.

Melbourne Dynamo Reserves put in a great team performance as they beat Derby United 3-1 at home with goals from the in-form Finn Charles, Conor Poynton and a Jack Scothern screamer seeing them through to the Junior Cup quarter-final.

A quite stunning 7-3 home win against Ashbourne FC from the division above in the challenge cup last 16 followed a week later as Joe Shadbolt, Finn Charles and Conor Poynton all scored braces.

Another goal for the prolific Jack Scothern completed the rout.

Unfortunately, they failed to win through to the semi-finals in their last game of the month as Adam Dolman’s men went down 31. Derby United got their revenge as a Conor Poynton finish was just a consolation.