Melbourne Village Voice August 2019

CAFE’S 70-YEAR STORY COMES TO AN END

by LUCY STEPHENS

MORE than 70 years of history in Melbourne is coming to an end this month with the closure of the much-loved Welcome Café on Derby Road

The Welcome has been trading in the village since 1948 when it was opened by Sid Gregson after he came out of the RAF

The café has been run by Sid’s daughter, Jo Slater, for the past 28 years along with his grandson, Alex Slater – newly appointed comanager up at Melbourne Sports Park Sid passed away aged 95 in November 2017

Jo (pictured right) said that now she has found herself in her 70s the time has come to retire from cooking breakfasts and lunches from 7am to 4pm, six days a week, with the other day taken up with shopping for supplies and washing the tablecloths!

The café will be shutting its doors for the final time on August 22

Jo said: “It’s like when my dad passed away, it’s just the end of an era ”

The Welcome Café has been much loved over many years – not just for its great, honest, inexpensive, unshowy home-cooked food but for the social service it has provided for the local community, with hot meals delivered to the elderly

But Jo said she felt there were many other things that were now in place for the elderly in the local area, such as the newly formed lunch club at the Assembly Rooms and various schemes from Mel-

bourne Community Care

“There are lots of things now, which there never used to be,” she said “Shopping is different, the high street is different, everything is different ”

Gone are the days when, as Jo remembers, families would sit around salting vegetables such as runner beans to preserve them, in the absence of modern freezers

Over the years she has also noticed a change in eating habits, with many more people these days

asking for vegetarian and vegan food

But some things have remained perennially popular: it seems many a Brit still loves any kind of home-cooked sponge pudding

So, is she planning on cooking in retirement? After a well-deserved holiday in Cornwall, Jo said she was not planning to put away her saucepans completely

“I’m hoping to keep on going,” she said “One of my customers has been in touch with the YMCA at Burton, so I might cook once a week for the homeless ”

In the meantime, she thanked all of the Welcome’s customers over the years – which include many people who would bring her produce from their gardens or allotments to cook with

“Thank you to all my customers for their support over the years,” she said

l Children from Aston pre-school went along to help celebrate Aston Brickyard’s new local nature reserve status Story and pictures – Page12

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HUNDREDS of pounds have been donated to help kickstart a new girl guiding programme in Melbourne

Starting in September this year, the “new, modern and exciting” programme needs materials, such as four hours of unit meeting activities; skill builder badge information for leaders, plus handbooks and badge books for the girls to support them through guiding Cllr Linda Chilton, Melbourne ward member for Derbyshire County Council, donated £700 from her Community Leadership Scheme to help Melbourne’s Monday and Tuesday brownie packs fund the new resources

Girl guide leader Alex Ireland said: “The new programme promises to be as challenging, exciting and appealing for the oldest girls in each section as it is for youngest, whilst being modern and relevant for girls today and give them opportunities to gain skills for life The structure gives girls more choice about what they do and offers a variety of activities and experiences, from adventure, to personal development, technical skills and making a difference in their local area ”

Guides given a £700 kickstart

150 new homes plan put forward again

PROPOSALS for 150 homes in Aston-on-Trent have been put forward once again by the builder who was two years ago refused permission for a development of the same scale in the same place.

Gladman Homes has submitted plans for the large housing development off Weston Road in Aston

The same developer was denied permission to build 150 houses in the same location back in 2017, but is now giving the idea another go

Gladman said in a covering letter that the scheme would have many benefits for Aston

The letter said up to 150 homes of between one and five bedrooms would be provided, of which 30 per cent would be affordable

Gladman went on to say this would generate £2 5million in council tax over a decade, with claims that the 360 new residents would generate a “total gross expenditure of £4,300,000 annually”

The developer has also said the new homes would include provision for a new community facility or GP surgery on Weston Road

Local organisation SAVE (Save Aston and Weston Village Environments) has already put together a flyer voicing its objection to the scheme

An extract reads: “SAVE will be raising an objection and we offer below some of our key basic reasons

“Infrastructure: This development of 150 houses is outside the settlement boundary of the village

“A key factor of the proposal

is that the village has sustainable transport links, in particular a bus service to Derby This is not correct There is in fact no service on a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday and just six buses Monday to Friday We therefore believe that Aston should now be a ‘local service village’ as is Weston

“Phase 3 of Richmond Retirement Village is starting now, producing another 37 new care apartments Notwithstanding that, Moor Lane development is well under way and will soon be populated The traffic congestion along Weston Road and at Cuttle Bridge is becoming quite onerous Drivers are becoming very frustrated and there is a serious accident waiting to happen ”

The Village Voice reported in our May issue how the No 73 bus from Aston to Derby had recently stopped its Saturday service

When Gladman applied to build 150 homes back in 2017, there were 300 objections and it

Roads hit by floods

took members of South Derbyshire District Council’s Planning Committee just 10 minutes to throw out the scheme on the basis it was not in the Local Plan Gladman appealed to the Secretary of State against the decision, but later withdrew the appeal – Lucy Stephens FLOOD waters made headlines in the north of Derbyshire, but there were some issues in the local area too

On August 1, police warned how roads and low-lying agricultural ground at Barrowupon-Trent and Swarkestone were affected by flood water and said drivers should be careful Twyford village access road, Church Lane at Barrow and Ingleby Lane were among those flooded

Old sawmill could be houses

THREE new four-bed houses with double garages could be built in the village of Milton in new proposals submitted to district planners

The homes are proposed for a piece of land just outside the village which used to be home to an old sawmill, originally built to supply timber for the Burdett estate at Foremarke Hall

The Church Commissioners for England, which own the land – along with a lot of the surrounding area – are asking South Derbyshire District Council for permission to knock down timber agricultural storage sheds plus a derelict old red brick building, likely to have been part of the original sawmill complex, to build the houses

The Church Commissioners were also owners of farm buildings at Common Farm in Milton’s Main Street, for which planning permission was granted in 2017 to create three new homes

The current application for the old sawmill site also includes provision for 12 car parking spaces

Part of the 0 45 hectare site is within the Milton conservation area

A planning statement accompanying the drawings said the “proposed high quality, small scale housing (for three new dwellings)” was acceptable because it would help address the identified housing need in South Derbyshire, and that small to medium sized developments could make an important contribution to meeting an area’s housing requirements

The statement said: “In addition, the development will:

n Increase housing supply;

n Increase population in Milton to the benefit of local spending on convenience and leisure, thus sustaining and enhancing the local economy and key services; and,

n Create jobs through the construction and sales period ”

It goes on to say: “The proposed development will replace these disused and decaying buildings with a much needed more appropriate use This in turn will significantly enhance the site and the surrounding area ”

Philip helps BBC solve painting riddle

IF YOU are a follower of the BBC TV programme “Fake or Fortune” you would have spotted presenter Fiona Bruce in Melbourne in a recent episode

The programme investigates whether a piece of artwork is genuinely what it purports to be; on this occasion the work in question was a portrait of Peniston Lamb, elder brother to William Lamb, who became Prime Minister in the early 19th century, and part of the Melbourne family

The painting had been attributed to Maria Cosway for over a century, but art expert and co-presenter Philip Mould had a hunch it was by the more renowned portrait artist Sir Thomas Lawrence, increasing its value by a cool £500k

The investigation took the team to Chatsworth, to various art experts, to archive records and, following the Melbourne connection, eventually to our local history expert Philip Heath, chairman of the Melbourne Historical Research Group and archivist at Melbourne Hall

Philip explained the background: “Chris Boreham, a BBC researcher, had identified the former houses of the Lamb family, including Melbourne Hall, on the grounds that the portrait could have hung in any one or more of them at different periods

The initial holding reply to the enquiry was that the portrait was unlikely ever to have been at Melbourne Hall, because it was little used by the family in Peniston’s time

“Nevertheless, I was asked to look into it and it soon became clear that the portrait had in fact belonged to Peniston’s brother, George Lamb, who lived at the Hall from 1824 to 1834

“In 1831 he fitted out the library, which still exists much as he left it, and hung the portrait there along with that of a third brother, William They might be there still, but for the fact that their sister Emily removed them to Brocket Hall, another family house, in 1858 ”

On the programme Philip showed Fiona what he called “a rather tatty looking book” written by Caroline Lamb, which documented a reference to the painting being commissioned originally for Peniston’s tutor at Eton More importantly, however, he had also found an early reference to the original artist as Thomas Lawrence on a list of paintings due to be removed from the Hall It was a clinching piece of the evidence trail

When a dossier of all the evidence was

put before the world’s leading experts on Thomas Lawrence they concluded the painting had indeed been misattributed and happily confirmed its provenance as a work by Lawrence

Philip said: “It was fascinating to be involved in the making of the episode, and to see how the evidence was gathered, edited and assembled for the screen But the origins of the portrait were rather quickly passed over towards the end of the programme, and I think viewers would have been interested to learn more about the circumstances in which it was painted

“The tutor at Eton, Dr William Langford, was known to be a ferocious flogger in an age when a sound beating was thought to be the cure for most ills William was one of

Dr Langford’s favourites, and escaped with only three floggings in three years ”

It was common at the time for “leaving portraits” to be made for tutors

Philip also raised the glossed-over story of a second Peniston portrait and poses this question: “How do we know which of the two versions is the one that hung at Melbourne? The provenance of the second version was not explored, but the labels on the back of the featured portrait tally very well with the documented descent of the painting that was once at Melbourne ” – Frank Hughes n You can watch Fake or Fortune on BBC One, Thursdays at 9pm and catch the latest episodes on BBC iPlayer Images courtesy of the BBC

FOOTBALLING BATTLE OF THE SEXES

EVER wondered what would happen if a women’s football side played against men?

Just that happened in Melbourne on July 13 when a Battle of the Sexes took place at Melbourne Sports Park

The charity game was played between Melbourne Dynamo players and a women’s side featuring current Derby County Ladies’ player Cara Newton, ex-Arsenal player Lauren Walker, and organiser Jess Stevenson, formerly of Melbourne

Mixing things up in the spirit of the game, the men played in pink and raised money for breast cancer charities while the women played in black for prostate cancer charities

Jess, nee Simnett, works for the FA and put together the ladies’ side after a “conversation” at a party in Ticknall in which the subject of who played

better football out of men and women was keenly debated!

The event, sponsored by George Simnett & Family Funeral Directors, saw the men romp home 6-1 but a return match is planned for next year

And, what was perhaps more important, the game raised £1,000 apiece for each charity Mum Wendie

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Simnett is pictured far right and George Simnett far left.

l Fiona Bruce (left) with Clem Cecil and Philip Heath discuss the painting (pictured below)

Open day serves up some tennis fun

WIMBLEDON may be done for another year, but interest in the sport locally continues to grow at a pace

Melbourne Tennis Club organised an open day on July 21 as part of the Lawn Tennis Association’s Nature Valley Big Tennis Weekend The initiative aimed to attract more people to come and try tennis for free, and around the country some 1,200 venues were taking part.

Organiser Pat Milham said: “What a great afternoon we all had with the sun shining and over 100 people visiting the club. It was great to see so many people on and off the court at Melbourne Sports Park

“It was particularly nice to see so many youngsters having a go, the youngest being only three years old.

“Tennis coaches Howard Cheshire and Gareth Haddon had set up games and drills on court for all to have a go and off-court the star attraction was the bouncy castle. A team of ladies ran a superb homemade cake stall and tombola and sold strawberries and cream

“There was also face painting, biscuit decorating and the most popular ‘Bin the Ball’ competition, won by Amy Fleming ”

BELOW: (l-r) Isla, Lily, Olivia and Indy practise their skills

LEFT: Ellie, Hugo and Ethan.

Our

New bar is given go-ahead

THE Valentine and Wills gin-theme bar has got the go-ahead to open on the site of the former Mileburne restaurant in Melbourne, with the approval of a licence by South Derbyshire District Council

The licensing committee, having heard all the evidence from owner Paul Willmore, took only a matter of minutes on their deliberation

One objection from the public had been received, which mostly concerned noise and anti-social behaviour, but Mr Willmore addressed the points in his supporting evidence

He said he himself had lived and grew up at No 55 Derby Road, next to the Alma, and it was fair to say that Derby Road had never been a quiet place to live There had been 14 pubs in Melbourne and now there were hardly half that number, with a doubled population

He also pointed to the fact that there had been 11 “pop-up” events in the past year and there had been no complaints nor any incidents He said that other nearby venues had been given licences or extensions recently and he was asking only to be treated equitably

He addressed the concerns about noise from live music, saying it was self-limiting; the venue was small and if music was too loud it would be self-defeating as customers would leave

One objection from environmental health had been withdrawn after discussions to allay concerns, and Mr Willmore felt that he had the support of the overwhelming majority of local residents

After a break to consider the application, Cllr Julie Patten, as chair of the committee, announced that she was pleased to advise that the licence was approved Mr Willmore said he was “absolutely delighted at the outcome” He indicated that he hoped to be operational in time for the Melbourne Festival in September

Claire’s ultra-marathon charity effort

TRAINING for a marathon is one thing but one fit runner from Melbourne is planning on going that bit further

At the end of this month Claire PeaceBittner takes part in an impressive 33-mile ultra-marathon for a local charity

Claire, who has only been running for just over three years having started out at the Melbourne jogging group, will be taking on the Peak District 33 on August 31

The race will see her complete 33 miles up hill and down dale from Castleton to Baslow and back

It’s certainly a test of endurance since, as well as the distance involved, participants will also need to negotiate some 5,000 feet of ascent too!

Claire is doing the race in aid of the Staley family’s Little Stars charity, which is aiming to transform the fetal medicine and neo natal intensive care departments at Royal Derby Hospital, in memory of their daughter Lyra

“I’m friends with the family and I think what they’re trying to do is amazing,” said Claire, who has been running for at least 30 miles a week to train for the event

“I know I can do the distance but I’m more nervous about the terrain and the amount of ascent,” she said

The Peak District ultra-marathon is a trail run, taking participants along the Monsal Trail as well as renowned beauty spots such as Froggatt and Curbar Edge

Because of the nature of the terrain, runners also carry their own supplies

Claire has been travelling up to the Peaks to train, sometimes with friends, but the actual event sees runners undertaking much of the challenge alone – again, because of the type of terrain and long distance

But Claire (pictured running at Hassop Common, near Calver) will be spurred on by the knowledge that every step will be raising more money for Little Stars: “When I’m running, it will keep me motivated and keep me focused to know I’m raising money for Little Stars,” she said

And that’s not all, as in the autumn she is also taking part in what has been dubbed Britain’s most beautiful marathon, which takes place around Kielder Water in Northumberland, also for Little Stars

Ali Staley, who is in charge of the Little Stars charity – for which a group of local people completed the gruelling Three Peaks challenge in June – said: “Alan and I are so grateful that Claire has decided to raise money for Little Stars

“The continual support from our local community has been incredible and the fact that individuals are taking on such tough challenges for us is overwhelming Their compassion and determination are simply remarkable

“There are simply no words to express just how thankful we are

“We wish Claire all the best with it ”

To support Claire in her ultra-marathon for Little Stars, you can donate here: www justgiving com/fundraising/alison-staley-little-stars

Free village hall comes with 43 new homes

NINE years after Breedon-on-the-Hill lost its community hall, it is to get a new one –along with 43 new homes.

At a meeting of North West Leicestershire District Council’s Planning Committee in Coalville on August 6, it took just under half an hour to green-light the application by Cameron Homes to turn the village’s disused former garden centre into a housing development and village hall

That was despite objections from around 30 residents, whose comments included disappointment at the loss of businesses previously accommodated at the garden centre

Breedon-on-the-Hill Parish Council, on the other hand, supported the proposal

Parish council chairman Ray Morris said at the meeting: “As a statutory consultee we considered this application very carefully – knowing that there were numerous objections from local residents but ultimately determined that this application should receive our unanimous support

“Breedon Parish Council is committed to policies which foster good community spirit It is extraordinary that a parish of our size does not have a village hall in which social, sporting, exercise and similar activities can take place

“Within this application, the developer has committed to building a suitable village hall for the benefit of the community at no cost to the community ”

Cllr Morris went on to say that while the parish council shared the disappointment over

Group bids to run library

A LOCAL group has come forward to run Melbourne Library, Derbyshire County Council has said

The local authority is in the process of transferring 20 of its libraries to community management, and earlier this year appealed to local groups to come forward Out of those who submitted interest, 10 were strong enough to be accepted – of which one was Melbourne’s Business cases are now being drawn up to show whether groups’ ideas are sustainable

Windows are damaged

TWO windows on a property in Derby Road in Melbourne, along with the nearby bus shelter, were damaged by what police said was a “small, round, BB type pellet”

The damage happened some time between July 31 and August 2

Anyone who saw someone committing this damage or has any information that could help police is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 19*406894

the loss of businesses, councillors “recognised that this is the prerogative of the landowner as a brown-field development” and also took the “realistic view” that any replacement of the sheds with commercial structures would likely bring increased rents

A village hall was lost to Breedon when the county council evicted the then community group, Breedon on the Hill Community Association (BOTHCA) from the hall they were using It was attached to St Hardulph’s Primary School

BOTHCA had been using the hall for free, having paid £3,000 to help set it up in the 1960s, but the trouble started when the county council brought in hire charges in 2004, which BOTHCA refused to pay

The council offered to buy out BOTHCA for £92,197 in 2007, but was turned down

The whole affair escalated into a major court battle with costs running into the millions, which BOTHCA eventually lost at the high court in 2010

Cllr Morris said at the meeting that the new village hall would have standing room for 100 people

He also said that “following the disastrous flooding in the centre of Breedon three years ago,” the new development would have attenuation and mitigation measures which would reduce flood risk below current levels

The plans were unanimously approved

Lucy Stephens

Church windows attacked again

BALL bearings have been shot at Elvaston church again, police said

The church had put metal grilles on its windows after similar incidents last year

But further attacks took place at the end of June The

new damage, to a window and glass fronted notice board, was caused by ball bearings being fired at the windows between 4pm on Wednesday, June 26, and 1 30pm Sunday, June 30

PCSO Claire Robbins from Melbourne’s Safer Neighbour-

hood Team said: “We are saddened to hear that there has been a repeat of this damage, particularly as the church had taken steps to try and prevent further incidents

“It’s mindless vandalism that costs the church a lot to repair ”

Beware the Asian hornet

Country Living with

Robert Parker

Keeping a weather eye on the harvest

HARVEST started here on about the 20th of July, a full two weeks later than last year Seven days later it ground to an almighty stop with two consecutive days of an inch of rain on each day. Forecasts look very unpromising for at least seven days and I’m starting to feel very concerned. All winter barley and oilseed crops are now very ready to harvest and are starting to deteriorate.

Wind and rain smashes the brittle barley nearer to the ground and some of the ears are dropping to the ground, which will make it impossible to gather with combine

Add to this the price is in freefall on the prospect of a good yield which will create a surplus This is the whole stupidity of farming which no sane business person would entertain entering into We’re in the lap of the gods

The same might be said about Brexit

We have a new prime minister who insists that we will leave the EU on the 31st of October I don’t know about you, I have the feeling he doesn’t really know how it’s going to be achieved

The chaos that could ensue could be

severe and I have the gut feeling that the EU masters could have great delight in making it as difficult as possible for us.

They can’t seem to see that we all need each other and inter country trading should continue at all costs.

Certain farming sectors are very worried at this prospect Large percentages of our sheep meat goes to France and they are willing customers, but can anyone tell me how they are going to find alternative supplies quickly?

New Zealand meat used to come here before we joined but have found better and nearer markets elsewhere.

Grain trade is another concern. We can export up to three million tonnes overseas and conversely bring in product from the EU if our grain is poor quality, which looks likely this season

This is one hell of a mess and I don’t think anyone has the complete answer to the situation we find ourselves in

Every day new bodies come forward with scare stories about ‘no deal’ consequences, but in all honesty no-one knows

VILLAGE Voice readers are being urged to help keep a look out for the Asian hornet, a big threat to the bee population, writes Melbourne bee-keeper Christian Murray-Leslie

I wrote a letter to the newspaper last year about the menace that the Asian hornet is expected to pose to British bee-keepers Last year a number of nests were located and destroyed in England, but with some in all probability being missed

This year we are expecting a huge increase in Asian hornet predation (the preying of one animal on others) from August onwards until October This is because:

1 There was an explosive increase in Asian hornets in Normandy last year with 4,565 nests reported; obviously there could have been many more, which remained undiscovered as they are often very difficult to find

2 At the time the mated hornet queens were dispersing from the nests in France (up to 200 queens per nest) warm southerly winds were, unfortunately, blowing across the Channel This, when added to stowaways on ferries and holiday makers’ cars, makes us very vulnerable and nervous

3 So bee-keepers are being asked to be very vigilant and it would help greatly if members of the public reported sightings without delay so nests can be detected and destroyed Defra’s bee unit now have some clever technology for locating nests including

radio trackers, heat source (IR) tracking cameras and surveillance drones

The Asian hornet has to be distinguished from the European hornet which does not pose a significant threat to honeybees, although some individuals will grab the odd bee and I have certainly seen this

The European hornet (pictured bottom left) is larger than its Asian relative and has an abdomen like that of a wasp and a very noticeable reddish brown thorax It is a large and impressive beast and at first sight looks like an enormous wasp

The Asian hornet by contrast is a smaller and a very rapidly flying insect (flying at about the same speed as a honeybee en route to its hive) It is much darker overall than its European cousin, with just one broad yellow band on its abdomen and also a very thin yellow band near the base of the abdomen The other characteristic feature is its yellow legs (above) It characteristically flies up and down outside beehives ‘hawking’ bees on the wing and then carrying them off to feed its larvae (Hives have been known to be destroyed in a just few hours by a concerted attack)

Suspected sightings should be reported to alertnonnative@ceh ac uk with a photo or a dead specimen sent Sending evidence is essential as last year, Defra’s national bee unit was overwhelmed with reports, all of which turned out to be European hornets Failing this and in the first instance I would be very happy to have a look at any specimens or suspected nests (phone: 01332 862921)

CHILDREN got the chance to get up close and personal with some furry and feathered friends when Animal Magic from Melbourne Hall paid a visit

Scallywags Nursery in Melbourne held a pet day in July, to give children the chance to learn more about how to look after animals

Goats, sheep and chickens resident at Melbourne Hall were brought along for the day for the benefit of the nursery children

Sarah Butler, from Scallywags, said the nursery had held a pet day in the past, but this was the first time Animal Magic had been involved

Scallywags also has its own rabbits, guinea pigs and fish

“It was a day to teach the children all about animals, different types of pet and how to care for a pet,” she explained

Children were also able to bring along their own pets for the day, with ponies, cats and dogs being brought along to join in the fun

“The children loved Animal Magic,” she said “Alice (who runs Animal Magic) got the animals out and they got to hold them and feed them if they wanted ”

The idea behind the day was to give children the experience of how to interact with animals if they had not previously had the opportunity

“So many children don’t know how to handle animals, nor how to act appropriately in that environment,” she said

Around 210 children were involved in the day across the nursery’s sites in Melbourne and Chellaston, with others who weren’t in nursery on that day also going along with their parents to take part

Bench memorial for cricket lover Dave

A NEW bench at the “Dave Potts end” of Melbourne Town Cricket Club’s ground has been unveiled in memory of a lifelong lover of the game.

Dave Potts passed away earlier this year and, on a cool evening at the end of July, a large crowd of his family and friends gathered at the Melbourne Sports Park building for a fitting ceremony to remember a true stalwart of local cricket

Dave’s wife, Gail, thanked all those who went along to see the bench being unveiled by their children, Harry and Charlotte

“It means such a lot to us as a family that you’re all here,” she said

Dave, along with his dad, Tel, and brother, Andy, and later Dave’s son, Harry, was a passionate devotee of cricket, having made his debut for Melbourne Town in 1985 when he was 14

Gail raised a smile amongst the crowd by recounting his many cricketing experiences of which she suggested perhaps one of the lesser mentioned by Dave was when “ Harry bowled both he and Tel out at the Legends’ game back in 2010 when Harry was eight years old – ask them about it later, I’m sure they’ve both got different versions of events!”

She said: “It is a fact that Dave simply loved cricket and our early courting days consisted of me following him around Derbyshire, more often than not on cold, windy Saturday and Sunday summer afternoons

“It was either that or I’d struggle to see him as

Pub waits for B&B plan decision

THE owners of Harpur ’s in Melbourne have purchased one of the houses opposite the public house, and have applied for a change of use to convert it into three new bed and breakfast apartments

In the design statement the architects have outlined the limitation to expanding the existing business, so made the purchase of 2 Victoria Mews to provide the additional B&B accommodation linked to the pub

It details that “ the proposal will increase the viability of the existing public house, which is well located within the village [and] will provide the area with a high-quality boutique B&B and added service area for the increasing popularity of Harpur ’s”

A spokesman for Harpur ’s said: “As Melbourne and the surrounding area, including the airport, gets busier there is more demand for accommodation, so we are looking to offer a couple of extra rooms as we cannot expand Harpur ’s We offer an excellent standard of accommodation so always attract a good clientele, which is good for the village ”

No changes to the external appearance of the former dwelling or the site are planned Internally the ground floor will be converted to a self-contained unit, with the first floor converted to two ensuite bedrooms

Whilst there is one parking space associated with the property the application refers to the availability of parking behind the public house on Chapel Street

“Car parking will be less of an issue as guests will park in the Harpur ’s car park and not on the road ”

The consultation period on the application has closed and a decision is awaited

Use

he either played cricket, coached or was being coached literally seven days a week However, it must have been love because he managed to persuade me to take over from him making the teas for the Second Eleven which he had actually done himself most weekends as well as captaining the side and making sure that everything else was ready for each match ”

The bench itself was provided by Toons Furnishing Superstore of Castle Gresley, for whom Dave had been associated for nearly 25 years as a laminate and wood floor fitter

Toons’ Managing Director, Huw Williams, said at the unveiling ceremony: “Dave is still missed today by his friends and I am pleased that this donation of a bench will allow friends and family to sit on it and remember the good times that they had while Dave was alive ”

Gail also thanked Jason Ratcliff, who supplied the materials and his time, to provide the concrete base for the bench, and to Paul Freeman for supplying the straps and bolting the bench down so it will be kept safe

Installed at the cricket field at Harry Potts’ request, the bench is a permanent legacy of Dave, who, during his career for Melbourne, took 553 wickets, scored 1,627 runs and made 302 appearances

Aged 19, he also set up and coached Melbourne’s first ever junior side, taking a team of under-13s including his brother, Andy, through three years of junior cricket – with some of these young cricketers still playing for the club today

1,000-plus pieces of art on display

MORE than 1,000 pieces of art will be on display in Ticknall over the bank holiday weekend

The Dame Catherine Arts Summer Painting Exhibition weekend has been going for 26 years and this year will include work by around 180 professional and amateur artists

This year three artists will be demonstrating: felt artist Liz Emery, natural materials artist

Jane Bevan and Giles Davies, who recently appeared on the BBC’s Home is Where the Art is, with his work created using recycled magazine cuttings

There will be sea-themed activities for families, interactive street theatre, craft and art workshops, plus food in the tea

room

The event is held on Sunday, August 25, and Monday, August

12 Noon till Late

26, with entry £2 and children free

There is a champagne preview on Saturday, August 24

Tickets £8 to include a free weekend pass

For more information, you are asked to call 07817902499

Alternatively you can email arts@damecatherines org, or see the website: www arts damecatherines org

l Back row: Sue Potts, Andy Potts, Thomas Potts, Charlotte Potts, Gail Potts, Harry Potts, Oliver and Anna Dawson, Sarah Dawson, Tel Potts; front row: Xander Jackson, Toby Potts, Isla and Thea Jackson and Katie Potts

THIS year ’s writing competition for Melbourne Junior School organised by Rotex – former members of Melbourne Rotary –was on the contemporary theme of the environment, and the junior pupils certainly rose to the occasion

Organisers Margaret Sharp and Kate Dumelow said it was so hard to pick winners because all of the entries were of such a high standard

Winners were Sophie Short (year 3), Oliver Rice (year 4), Annabel Tipton (Year 5), Ewan Bird (Year 6) and overall winner Samuel Wood Samuel’s story was about the devastation to the rain forest and the impact on a young orang utan

A special prize d d t H l J d H ll h had taken a diffe raise concern abo letter was read ou the school, and it

Pam Adams wa cellent work done yearly litter pick to their very own

Festival Fringe

Tickets 07765 819428 or www.melbournefestival.co.uk

Friday 13th September

7.30pm for 8.00pm

Funhouse Comedy Club

Writing winners ce to ember phen

Royal British Legion, 87 Derby Road, Melbourne DE73 8FL

Another great line-up for this popular Festival event which is always a highlight of the programme. Headlining is STEPHEN GRANT one of the UK’s funniest, hardest working and most respected comedians www.stephengrant.com. Supporting are DIANE SPENCER www.dianespencer.tv/ and Carl Jones with compere Dave Bryon.

Saturday 21st September

7.00pm for 7.30pm

Hot House Jazz

Sponsored by HIGHFIELD DRINKS GROUP www.high elddrinksgroup.co.uk

Melbourne Assembly Rooms, High Street, Melbourne DE73 8GF

An evening of inspirational Jazz with the award winning and internationally acclaimed Tickets £10, Concessions £5 Derby www.hhmusic.co.uk

Friday 4th & Saturday 5th October

7.00pm for 7.30pm

A Choir’d Taste Anniversary Concert

Melbourne Assembly Rooms, High Street, Melbourne DE73 8GF

Ten years ago A Choir’d Taste grew from Melbourne Festival choral workshops. We are proud to welcome Melbourne’s talented mixed voice choir returning with a selection of their favourite pieces to bring us a spectacular end to the summer. Directed by their Musical Director, Paul Marshall. Tickets £10 - A Choir’d Taste 07990 582381 info@achoird-taste.co.uk

Saturday 5th October

7.00pm for 7.30pm

Choros Amici

presented by The Friends of Melbourne Parish Church Melbourne Parish Church, Church Square, Melbourne DE73 8EN

The Friends of Melbourne Parish Church bring Choros Amici - the Choir of Friends - to Melbourne Festival Fringe. Their mission is to sing music to the highest possible standard, to entertain and inspire audiences, and, above all, to have fun whilst doing it! Former winners of Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year. Licensed bar. Tickets £10

Friday 18th October 7.00pm for 7.30pm

LIVE JAZZ WITH THE DIME NOTES

Melbourne Parish Church, Church Square, Melbourne DE73 8EN

The Friends of Melbourne Parish Church and Melbourne Festival welcome The Dime Notes. The Dime Notes dig back into the blues-drenched sounds of clarinet-driven 1920’s New Orleans jazz, unearthing a repertoire of stomps, blues, and forgotten gems of the era from musicians such as Johnny Dodds, Jelly Roll Morton and Red Nichols. A rare chance to hear great jazz in a fantastic setting. Licensed bar. Tickets £10

LEFT: Michelle and Freya Price finish the Brooksie’s Bash in

10am - 5pm

much-loved and very talented race in his memory 10k – or “Pricey 10k” as it has beeing held in Aston on September 15 phen’s wife Michelle along with a for Stephen’s family – Michelle, his and niece Dylan and Annie – when s “Brooksie’s Bash” at Foremarke n last year, just a few weeks before an emotional day, with it being the won in 2018, only a few weeks before tant for us as a family to be there s very keen to go along wearing her in memory of her daddy She found d passionate runner who was chaire running club ricey 10k was also a resurrection of phen won twice to honour his memory in some way, ds in the village, the idea of resurut,” she explained unner as a child and when he and ided to get fit for their wedding in o out for short jogs together disheartened by my lack of progress continued and quickly became an races,” explained Michelle Stephen with his running - getting n fields and along roadsides on Suneer as he ran past After Freya was orting role also, and used to shout er voice! I’ve still not quite got used aving to get up on a Sunday morning to go and stand somen the cold and rain, waiting for a glimpse of Stephen as he would run past with a big smile and a wave ”

2019 is the FIFTEENTH Melbourne Festival. It is still mainly organised by volunteers and is a ‘not for profit’ 0rganisation. This year 150 artists will be in 70 houses, gardens, businesses and halls in the heart of Melbourne.

Along the Trail there is live music at 3 BUSK STOPS, fantastic food from local suppliers at the Food Fayre and Food Court. Families can join our ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in the gardens at The Vicarage, Pool Cottage and at STORY STOPS around the village.

Entry is by wristband for sale on the Trail - Adult £5, Under 18’s FREE.

New for 2019 – Park & Ride at Tori & Ben’s Farm Shop

Call: 07765 819428

email: info@melbournefestival.co.uk

melbournefestival.co.uk

The Pricey 10k will also include a two-mile family fun run Both races will start and finish on the playing fields at Aston Recreation Centre

Proceeds from the race will raise money for ‘Funds for Freya’, a web page set up by one of the family’s friends, with the purpose of supporting Freya in the future, enabling the family to do things together as family The race will also raise money for Recreation in Aston, the race hosts, a local community group which aims at getting children and adults more active

To enter the Pricey 10k, visit www evententry co uk/stephenprice-memorial-10k-aston-on-trent or the Recreation in Aston website

Those who do not wish to run can still be involved by going along to support and spectate on the day, or volunteer to help out with marshalling

Michelle said: “Hopefully the Pricey 10k will be a success, and a fitting tribute to Stephen Although it will be an emotional day for myself and his family and friends, I’m looking forward to seeing all the runners in their Pricey sweatbands which each runner will receive as part of their race entry fee ”

– Lucy Stephens

PUBS SHOWA HIT

FACING tough competition from Wimbledon, World Cup cricket, a grand prix and the carnival, Melbourne Historical Research Group (MHRG) still managed to pull in very good numbers for their exhibition on Melbourne Pubs, Past and Present

As well as detailing all the known pubs from Melbourne and Kings Newton dating back over many centuries, the exhibition over the weekend of July 13 and 14 also had details of the many “beerhouses”, offlicences and maltings in the area

Packed with detailed information, the display included some excellent personal accounts of “misspent days” in pubs and several scandals, but also balanced that with an account of the local temperance movements set up by Thomas Cook With a mix of photos, maps and documents the exhibition also included family trees from associated families and a history of the bottles (glass through to plastic)

Of particular interest was the similarity of the “beerhouse” concept to today’s micro-pubs, where for a small fee paid to the excise collector, virtually anyone could open their house and sell beer A bill called the “Beerhouse Act”, passed in 1830, abolished the tax on beer, extended licensed opening hours and paved the way for the beerhouse By 1840, eight such locations had been established locally Sadly, the idea

Jane discovers surprise family connection

THE exhibition on local pubs turned out to be a revelation for one Melbourne resident.

Jane Whyatt was reading the display board about the strange death of two friends at the Crewe and Harper in 1929 and recognised the name of one of them as being connected with her own family

The story, as reported in the Derby Daily Telegraph for April 3, 1929, was that a man called Joseph Gadsby, chatting in the precincts of the pub had a sudden seizure and fell Sadly he died

Melbourne in mourning, according to a later edition of the paper Both are buried in Melbourne Cemetery.

Jane said that after some research by a member of the Melbourne Historical Research Group it was confirmed that indeed Joseph was her great grandfather, on her mother ’s side, and it was a complete surprise to learn of his fate but said he would have been happy to die in a pub!

Sue Webster, who originally uncovered the story, said: "What a lovely ending to

only lasted a few years, before further regulation brought licencing under the control of magistrates

Barry Thomas, who with Sue Webster led the project for this exhibition, said that the oldest reference to pubs in Melbourne dated back to 1577, when six were known in Melbourne and three in Kings Newton Sadly, the records did not provide details, but one was almost certainly on the site of the White Swan Whilst MHRG had previously done a similar exhibition in 2003, they had built massively on the information and acquired lots of photographs and many more local anecdotes

A favourite find of Barry’s was the Framework Knitters Arms, an establishment serving the cottage industry on Blanch Croft Unfortunately, it became the subject of complaints and eventually had to be closed due to poor behaviour!

One other lovely snippet concerned a certain Mr Charlie Brazier, who was reported to have hung his hat on the Belisha Beacon adjacent to the Lamb Inn on his way in and picked it up on his way out That way people knew where he was!

MHRG, with many people playing a part, does a fantastic job of cataloguing the history of our villages and presenting it in a way which is both informative, interesting and captivating

Frank Hughes

PASTOR STEVE TO RETIRE

MELBOURNE is losing one of her men of the cloth with the retirement of Pastor Steve Blackaby from the Baptist church

Pastor Steve came to Melbourne back in 2017 to take on the post in Chapel Street, but is now retiring as he prepares to enter his 70th year

Catching up with the Village Voice as he was getting ready to depart Melbourne, he explained that the opportunity had come for him to move closer to his five grandchildren who live further south, and it was “just the signpost in the sky” he looks for in life

The minister said farewell to the Baptist church at the end of July

He felt the time was right to step back from pulpit ministry, and continue his relationship with God on a more one-to-one basis “One-to-one works for me as well as one-to-20 or 40!” he joked On his sermons, he added: “I

can be a bit magazine-style in my delivery, but hopefully the bits people are meant to remember got through – the good and Godly bits!”

Melbourne Baptist Church has been going since the 18th century, with Thomas Cook a regular congregation member in his day

This was Pastor Steve’s first job in a Baptist church, his previous ministry being at Anstey Chapel in Hertfordshire Before arriving in Melbourne, he had spent a year in Eyam, where he was a tour guide in the local church

He said he had very much enjoyed his time in the local community, which to him felt like “the Isle of Wight in the Midlands”!

And, ending on a positive note for local parents, he has also been most impressed with the polite behaviour of local teenagers: “I’m impressed with the teenagers who give way on the pavements!”

some 10 minutes later and his body was carried to his nearby cottage in Moira Street

One of the chatting friends, Charles Taylor, had caught Joseph and helped carry his body away Returning to the pub with the other bearers, Charles also suddenly pitched forward and died instantly Joseph was aged 74 and Charles 66.

That day the men had attended the funeral of Capt Andrew Kerr of Melbourne Hall, as Charles had been a worker on the estate. There was no inquest into either of the deaths as both had died of “natural causes”.

The funerals of the two friends took place on Saturday, April 6, with all of

the sad story about Joseph Gadsby. Results like that make all the research worthwhile!"

The photograph (above) shows a group from that era outside the Crewe and Harpur Sue would like to find more names for the group of men.

Alfred Tivey is in the centre wearing a boater, with two sons to his left Alfred took over the tenancy of the pub around 1901.

If you do have any clues as to other names she would love to hear from you (www.mhrgderbyshire.wordpress.com).

There is also a walk of the pubs planned for September.

It will be free, but tickets will be needed in advance through the website

LEFT: John Glaze behind the bar of the Sir Francis Burdett ABOVE: Terry and Wendy Sowerby at The Packhorse pub, Kings Newton BELOW: Elsie Johnson serves a customer at the White Swan

WHAT’S ON

YOUR GUIDE TO EVENTS IN THE AREA

S aturday August 17: Melbourne Produce Show.

Senior Citizen's Centre, Melbourne. Entries open to residents and allotment holders of Melbourne and Kings Newton, and members of Melbourne Garden Club. Entries accepted from 9.30-11.30am; show opens to public at 2pm; certi cates presented at 2.30pm and auction of produce starts at 3pm.

Saturday August 17: Fortnightly volunteering at Whistlewood Common. 1pm - 4pm.

Join the team to help develop its community woodland, then relax with a cuppa around the re.

Friday August 23 - Sunday August 25: The Taphouse Beer Festival. The Taphouse, Annwell Lane, Smisby. 30 local and national beers, ciders and perrys. See main ad on page 9 for more details.

Saturday August 24 - Monday August 26: Dame Catherine Arts

Summer Painting Exhibition. Champagne preview, August 24, 7.30pm10pm. Tickets £8 to include a free weekend pass. August 25: 8am - 7pm. . August 26: 8am - 5pm. Entry £2. Children free.

Sunday August 25: Summer Party at Harpur’s, Melbourne. See main ad on page 7 for more details.

Sunday August 25: Tea and Cakes by the River. To raise funds for St James’ Church, Swarkestone. Meet at 1, Hall Farm Cottages in Church Lane. All proceeds go towards church funds. 1pm - 4pm.

Thursday August 29: Miss Marple comes to Melbourne. Jo Mallard talks about forensic police work. Melbourne Parish Church. 7.30pm. Free entry.

Friday August 30: Film showing: Wild Rose, Melbourne Film Club. Melbourne Assembly Rooms. 6.30pm for 7pm start. Bar open. £5 on door or in advance from 01332 863522.

Friday, September 6: The Schmoozenbergs (gypsy jazz), Melbourne Assembly Rooms. Doors open at 7.30pm for 8pm start. Tickets £10.

Saturday, September 7: Village Folk presents Merry Hell Melbourne Assembly Rooms. Doors open at 7pm for 8pm start. Tickets £15.

September 9 – October 14: Pilates for wellbeing class at Whistlewood Common. Join Chloe from Andra Health for this six week class, to learn moves to strengthen, tone and stretch muscles and calm the mind. 1-2pm. Book in advance at Andra Health - 01332 863922, info@andrahealth.com or Whistlewood.

September 14 and 15: Melbourne Festival Art and Architecture Trail. Trail guides: £5 for both days. Enjoy art by 150 artists in 70 venues. See main ad on page 8 for more details.

All information correct at time of going to press. Please check before travelling.

CARNIVA

THINGS were distinctly fishy in Melbourne as the town celebrated its fete and carnival on July 13

This year ’s theme being “Under the Sea”, there was very much a focus on plastic pollution in our oceans at this year ’s procession – a topic that has risen to prominence after Sir David Attenborough brought it to the public’s attention in the latest series of Blue Planet

Many of Melbourne’s shops had got into the spirit of things with creative window displays on the aquatic theme, with Melbourne Florist and Gifts crowned the winner after creating a mermaid who languished elegantly in the window

The procession set off from Castle Square at 11 45am, with Oakden School of Dance taking the prize for best float

Chants of “Save our Seas” echoed through the town as the procession made its way down to Melbourne Junior School playing fields, where big crowds descended to

Pictures: TINA BAKER

e t s a g f m s p w i B F w i k t h s s

Oscar Howard receives the Melbourne Dynamo’s Tony Coffey Award with Michael Coffey and Donal Miller. Bakanalia entertained the crowd.

LEFT: Melbourne Carnival chair Rachel Hill with Freddie and Niall

RIGHT: Star of the Ocean Evie with Daniel and Evie

RIGHT: The Oakden School of Dance float receives the winners award from Margaret Buxton.

LEFT: Melbourne Dynamo FC’s float

Boarding

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enjoy food and refreshment stalls, plus entertainment from Pure Steel, local dance schools Oakden and Tindles, school choirs, and local musicians

Families enjoyed sitting chatting on the grass, enjoying the sandpits and having a ew cuddles with the furry friends at Animal Magic from Melbourne Hall

This year ’s carnival chair, Rachel Hill, said: “The whole committee were really pleased with how well everything went and we just want to thank everyone for supportng a brilliant carnival

“Thanks go to our guests of honour, the Buxtons, our marshals, Melbourne Dynamo Football Club (FC), Rotex and others who were on the gates, the fire service for helpng with getting the banner up in the market place, as usual, and for being great in the procession and on site, the scouts for helping set up the tents, and the police for supporting both on the procession and on site too ”

info@coppice-kennels.co.uk

Evan Lyons and Blake Furniss try out the boat with Staunton Harold Sailing Club’s Stuart Mansfield and Luke Harmer.

the practice is now o

text messaging service. Any patients who wish to receive these will need to complete a text messaging consent form, available at reception. Please note, we cannot o er this service unless a consent form has been completed.

Guests of honour, Margaret and Dave Buxton

Jelly fish from the Athenaeum

Adults fancy dress winner Marie Dunning, and childs winner Grace Humphries.

Michael a charity high-flier

A FORMER chair of the district council has handed over £10,000 to his chosen charity, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance

During the past two years of being chairman of South Derbyshire District Council, Ticknall resident Michael Stanton helped to raise vital funds through family-friendly community events such as a concert by pupils of Foremarke Hall at Repton and an ‘Evening of Song’ with the Gresley Male Voice Choir

The charity flies two regional air ambulances across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, and provides a rapid response to trauma and medical emergencies

Mr Stanton met charity volunteer John Burney at the district council’s offices in Swadlincote who did the honours and collected the latest £3,796 cheque

In his previous year as chairman, Michael had raised £6,212, making it a grand total of £10,008 in just two years

Michael said: “The service and its team provide life-saving missions, especially where ambulances can’t access during an accident like busy motorway junctions I think they do a fantastic job ”

Wildlife haven volunteers rewarded

COUNTRYSIDE officials and supporters of a valuable wildlife project in Aston-on-Trent went to the site to celebrate it being formally designated a Local Nature Reserve

Local volunteers who have spent years working to turn the nineacre formerly industrial Aston Brickyard into a wildlife haven were rewarded for the efforts earlier this year, with news it had officially been made a nature reserve

The legal status gives the site protection from development so that the flora and fauna that have come to thrive there, including a rare species of butterfly, can continue to do so

The White Letter Hairstreak, a high priority species for Butterfly Conversation after numbers were affected by Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970s, is one of the rare butterflies to have made their home at the site

Ken Orpe, butterfly recorder for Derbyshire, who was at the celebration event on July 9 with his wife Pat, said 25 of the 30 species of butterfly in Derbyshire had been spotted at Aston Brickyard

He said: “This site is now protected; it’s got legal protection so it won’t get built on, and all of the work we’ve done here has

been put to good use

“If butterflies find the right habitat, they will stay Butterflies are important because they pollinate plants, like the bees do They also indicate the health of the countryside – if you don’t get butterflies, you know you’ve got a problem with spraying If you’ve got lots of butterflies, you’ve got a good environment ”

A group of volunteers first came together in 2012 to transform the Derbyshire County Council-owned former brickyard into a wildlife sanctuary for the benefit of the local community

They meet monthly on the

site and carry out conservation and development work according to a ten year management plan: planting native trees, coppicing, felling, clearing undergrowth, maintaining access to trails, developing the wildlife pond and bee colony, and creating habitats

Around 1,000 native English trees have been planted at the site, including ash, rowan and buckthorn

Cllr Trevor Ainsworth, chair of the county council, said at the celebration event: “It’s brilliant – it’s bringing communities together of all ages

“They’ve done so well in such a short time to get it here ”

Trevor Taylor, of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement, it just shows the commitment and passion of everybody that’s made it ”

Kevin Gibbons, who came to the celebration event from a similar project in Staffordshire,

added: “These are the most active group I’ve ever seen for getting things done!”

The Aston local nature reserve has trails around the site, seats made from upcycled materials, a story glade, special habitats for butterflies and photo

posts at particularly attractive spots

The site is enjoyed by local walkers, as well as children from Aston pre-school who like to come along and enjoy the outdoors from time to time

Louise Riches, from the preschool, said: “It just means we can get out of our setting – it’s somewhere we can walk to with the children ”

“They love it!” added Vanessa Earith from the group “It means we are out in nature ” Around 17 volunteers work at the site every month

The Common Touch...

Nowwe’re cooking on wood

EARLIER this year we finished our cob built pizza oven. Cob is a traditional and very sustainable building material made of subsoil or clay, straw and sand, which I mixed with my own feet! The oven is a work of art, decorated with flowers and animals

Cooking pizza in your own garden has recently become very popular - the new BBQ you could say; burnt sausages are so last year.

At our festival of Brazilian culture in July our volunteers were cooking in the wood fired pizza for about six hours, a pizza marathon getting through 7 1/2 kilos of dough OK, not exactly Brazilian but I have it on good authority that Brazilians love pizza.

It’s fun to watch the flames licking the logs, the pizza base bubbling up and the cheese melting and dancing on top. There is something about wood fired pizza that tastes so good.

Getting the pizza in and out using a traditional ‘peel’ – a sort of pizza paddle – requires a bit of practice.

We found that hazel wood was good for keeping the oven really hot When cooking with fire the type of wood you choose is important: oak, apple, maple, ash and beech are popular, providing flavour through their smoke The wood must be

extremely dry and well seasoned

If you’re cooking in the garden this summer you’ll probably be using charcoal. At Whistlewood we have a BBQ area and we get our 100 per cent pure charcoal from Heartwood Community Wood Fuel Group, another local co-operative also supported by the National Forest. Most processed charcoal and briquettes you can buy will have chemicals added and could have come from somewhere in the world where deforestation is happening (not good in your food or the environment) Using locally produced charcoal from managed woodlands for an occasional BBQ is a ‘greener ’ option Using a gas BBQ is not a sustainable option; OK you might need more patience with wood but you’re rewarded with better flavour in your food Wood deserves respect, though, and shouldn’t be used wastefully. If we only need to boil a small amount of water we use a ‘Ghillie-Kettle’ or a rocket stove; they can boil water quickly using only a few sticks

I’m sure we'll be firing up the pizza oven again over the summer and in the coming years want to run courses on how to build a pizza oven to share the skills and the love of wood fired pizza.

– KATHERINE PARRISH (Whistlewood Common)

l Cllr Trevor Ainsworth, chair of Derbyshire County Council, Paul Finn, from Derbyshire County Council’s countryside service; John Holloway, secretary of the Friends of Aston Brickyard (FAB); Claire Watson, a volunteer at the brickyard (seated left); Susan White, from the county council’s countryside service; Richard Taylor, also from the countryside service; Ken Adams, chair of FAB, and Tash Hyde at the new Local Nature Reserve sign

Park & Ride fund booster at Festival

VISITORS to the Melbourne

Festival will be able to use a new Park & Ride service being introduced this year, and they will be helping local causes at the same time

The new Park & Ride is being put on with the support of Tori & Ben’s Farm Shop in Kings Newton

The parking charge at the Kings Newton shop will raise funds for Melbourne Community Care and Melbourne schools’ parent teacher associations

Those parking in the centre of Melbourne are asked to make sure access for buses and emergency services is still maintained

Meanwhile, organisers of the festival have this to say about the 2019 event: “The excitement is building for the Melbourne Festival Art & Architecture Trail The banners and bunting are going up at the end of August and the dates for your diary, in case you haven’t spotted them, are 14 and 15 September

“We are sure it is going to be a fantastic weekend, so put on your comfy shoes and head into Melbourne! Trail entry has been £5 per adult for over 10 years, Melbourne Festival is a not for profit organisation so please buy a trail guide and join in the fun ”

The festival trail opens at 10am and many local residents have opened up their homes and gardens for the occasion, with nearly 150 artists and makers exhibiting, showcasing creative talents from across the East Midlands

Popular exhibitors Barbara Bagley, Thomas Petit Glass and Steven Mcloughlin (pictured) are returning to the trail, with new faces including Patrick Prentice and Audrey Edbrey Festival director Sharon Brown said: “Expect a party atmosphere this year as this is the fifteenth festival, the whole trail is decorated with flowers made by local stitchers, live music, fantastic food and fun activities for youngsters, and the young at heart, with “A Rumble in the Jungle” at Pool

Prize cow success has family over the moo-n

FAMILY farmers from Melbourne celebrated a “once in a lifetime” event as their prize cow became the first in her breed to take the top spot at the leading Midlands agricultural show, it’s believed

Blackbrook Zabrina, of Tori & Ben’s farm in Melbourne, beat off stiff competition to be named Supreme Interbreed Beef Champion at the Ashby Show in July

Tori Stanley – on behalf of Blackbrook Zabrina’s official owner, their four-year-old son Bertie (who was born at around the same time) – said this was a “once in a lifetime” event as it was so rare for Longhorn cattle to win the title over larger, more commercial breeds, and as far as she was aware it had never been

done before at the Ashby Show Blackbrook Zabrina was bred by Ben Stanley’s mother Pat, who farms in Leicestershire, and is part of their son’s own herd, which so far comprises three cows and a bull Tori said she simply burst into tears when she heard the news “The reason why we show

Top

marks for school in national tests

FINAL year pupils at a South Derbyshire primary school have been congratulated for “excellent” results in their national tests

All year six pupils at Aston Primary achieved the “expected” standard in maths in this year ’s Standard Attainment Tests (SATs) –against a national average of 79 per cent

Year six pupils in state schools complete SATs tests in maths, reading comprehension and in spelling and grammar to measure their level at the end of their primary education

Pupils’ writing ability is also measured internally in schools, although it can also be externally moderated by inspectors

The national average for reading fell from 75 per cent to 73 per cent, but Aston pupils achieved an impressive 92 per cent

They also achieved 96 per cent in SPAG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) compared with the national average of 78 per cent Aston pupils’ score for writing was 10 per cent above the national figure

The school said: “It is particularly pleasing that 88 per cent of Aston pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with 65 per cent nationally ” Head teacher Lindsey Kalirai added: “We’re so proud of the progress our pupils have made and the fantastic results they have all achieved With their hard work and the fantastic support from our staff I am sure they will go on to achieve great things ”

Boris gives Heather a change of job

LOCAL MP Heather Wheeler has been handed a change of job by new Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Mrs Wheeler has been appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Her responsibilities include South Asia and the Pacific

Cottage, The Vicarage and elsewhere around the trail ”

Posters are going up around Melbourne for this year ’s Festival Fringe, and concert tickets are already on sale They can be obtained from Forteys in the Market Place, by phone on 07765 819428 or online from the festival booking office: www melbournefestival co uk

The festival starts with the comedy night, this year featuring Stephen Grant, and organisers say tickets are selling fast Highlights after the trail include the return of youth jazz band Hot House Jazz on September 21

A Choir ’d Taste take to the stage at Melbourne Assembly Rooms on Friday and Saturday, October 4-5 Meanwhile, at Melbourne Parish Church on

October 5, Choros Amici will be taking the stage

This year ’s festival ends with an evening of live jazz with The Dime Notes

For more, contact info@melbournefestival co uk

The South Derbyshire MP moves to her new job after spending 18 months as the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with responsibility for supported housing and homelessness

Mrs Wheeler said: “I am both honoured and humbled to be asked by the new Prime Minister to serve in his Government as a Minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ensuring good relations with the rest of the world is particularly important as we leave the EU when we will be able to negotiate our own trade deals ”

Welcome to Titchy Town

– an interactive role play centre based in South Derbyshire.

Titchy Town is an indoor play village designed especially for little ones up to 8 years of age. Children can freely explore six di erent play zones - Titchy Town is designed to allow your child’s imagination to run wild whilst they role play in a safe environment. You can participate in your child’s play, or just sit back and watch them learn as you enjoy a mug of freshly brewed tea or co ee and an amazing homemade cake from our little co ee shop.

Where are we?

We are based on the site of Scallywags Private Day Nursery in Chellaston (Rowallan Way, DE73 5WX). Please use the Scallywags car park and you will nd the entrance to Titchy Town o Rowallan Way by following the signs. Disabled and pushchair access is available.

How it works

Titchy Town works on a roll up, pay and play basis with sessions lasting 90 minutes. On your rst entry you will be issued a loyalty card and for every nine sessions you attend you will receive your 10th entry free of charge! Payment is cash only until we establish if a card machine is required.

Opening Times

is it’s our shop window, to show everyone how much we love our cattle and how much we look after them,” she said

Two weeks later, Tori and Ben went on to win Reserve Interbreed at the Heckington Show with their home bred heifer Melbourne Park Fizz, born and bred at Park Farm

l Bertie with his father Ben, Blackbrook Zabrina, and Tom Spalton (left).

Horsley’s hat-trick celebration

THE day after England’s triumph in the Cricket World Cup, the Chip & Pin hosted a special gathering of local, national and international cricketers and enthusiasts

They came together to celebrate the anniversary of Melbourne-born Jim Horsley’s hat-trick against the touring Australians 100 years ago to the day, on July 15, 1919

Jim Horsley, who lived in Quick Close and started his cricket career playing for Melbourne Town, went on to play for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

His cricket career was interrupted by his service in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War

Amongst those attending the occasion were some of his descendants who took along several pieces of his cricket memorabilia including the original, and highly treasured, 1919 match ball

The evening, organised by cricket enthusiast and host of the ‘Talking Bails’ cricket blog Andy Heafield, started with a

question and answer session with the president of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Harold Rhodes, who took the audience through his own cricket career representing England, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire from 1953 to 1975

The original picture, framed and restored, of Melbourne

Town CC’s 1907 league winning team was presented to Tel Potts by Harold Rhodes; the framed scorecard from the match against Australia alongside the Horsley Hat-Trick Beer clip was

presented to the landlords of the Chip & Pin, David Carpenter and Elaine Chadwick, who said: “The Chip & Pin celebrates all that is good about English beer; nothing goes better with beer than cricket and we were happy to host this very special event It was a superb evening and one we were proud to be a part of ”

In honour of the event, local brewer Tollgate developed a one-off specially brewed bitter ‘Horsley Hat-Trick’ that proved to be especially popular with the capacity audience

VILLAGE VOICE Postbag

We have precious little time left

I AM puzzled that Robert Parker in July’s Village Voice should be – and I quote his words – “slightly amused, but more annoyed to see our legendary environmentalist David Attenborough preaching at Glastonbury”

Surely this amazing nonagenarian is to be congratulated for trying to influence the many thousands of people present to be more environmentally responsible

In addition I don’t think that Robert’s statement that “all the attendees at the event would claim to be good environmentalist people” is necessarily true and certainly shouldn’t be assumed

I suspect they need preaching to as much as

the rest of us if we are to change our behaviour Humanity is facing an existential nightmare in the next few decades and we have precious little time left to anything about it

Let’s face it, compared to the likely consequences for humanity from climate change the problems from Brexit pale into insignificance

However, I do agree with Robert that the dumping of litter at festivals and on the road side is deplorable and inexcusable

I believe the organisers at Glastonbury, at least have made the festival ‘Plastic Free’, which is a good start

Christian Murray-Leslie

I AM writing to congratulate Melbourne Town Bands for the excellent turnout for the carnival

The excellence of your presentation was remarked on by many people – discipline of marching and attention to detail of your clothing I have never seen such a standard of creases in trousers, black shiny shoes and crisp white shirts and blouses

You came down the street as if strings were attached to either side of the formation, pulling you forward – very moving to the watching public

I was so proud of you all, well done and please keep it up

Remember, this kind of spectacle moves people more than you realise – recalling for them many memories of past carnivals

Please return next year if you can – Melbourne has missed you Mrs Noreen Travers Melbourne Town Band President 1994-2007

Bands made me feel very proud

l David Carpenter from the Chip & Pin with Harold Rhodes

AN intricately designed well dressing celebrating 45 years since the first annual village walk in Aston-on-Trent formed the theme of this year ’s ceremony

Aston’s well dressing weekend took place over July 6 and 7 with proceedings starting off – as is traditional – with a blessing ceremony

Members of Aston Community Choir with representatives from the well dressers, the clergy, local children and the parish council were at the opening ceremony with Ken and Ann Adams (pictured left), who organised the first walk 45 years ago

Steve Aynsley, of Aston, who organises the annual village Astonbury music festival, said: “The weekend was once again successful, despite a rather damp start, with entertainment from Brookside Jazz, the Junkyard Angels, Inside Information, the Antiques Road Show and the Newhall Brass Band conducted by Kevin Holdgate

“For the children there was Dave Chaney and his magic and puppet shows and stalls to suit everyone ' s taste New committee members, petallers and associated helpers put in a sterling effort over the weeks leading up to the weekend and funds raised will be divided by S A V E (Save Aston and Weston Village Environments) and Aquabox, a charity based in Wirksworth who provide water and specialised equipment to countries in need ”

The well dressing ceremony in Aston has been going since 1997, when it started following the discovery of a 1920s map showing where the village’s wells and pumps had been

Every year, a local artist creates the main image which is then transferred on to clay on large, wooden, specially soaked boards

The images themselves are created using natural materials such as petals, eggshells and feathers

Drones the police’s new flying squad

DERBYSHIRE Police are making greater use of the latest aerial technology to help save lives and catch criminals with the launch and recent expansion of the dedicated “drone squad”

Derbyshire Constabulary says: “Since its inception, the unit has been deployed on a wide variety of incidents, including searching remote locations for missing people, helping in the hunt for a wanted man, providing an aerial view of drugs operations and directing firefighters tackling the Saddleworth Moor wildfire

“Like other forces in the UK, we know how valuable drones can be in a wide variety of incidents

“Whether it’s using the thermal imaging camera to locate someone in a remote location, monitoring a live incident from the air, or aiding a longer investigation with aerial images of a scene, our drones are more than up to the task ”

The Drone Unit has recently

Another operatic society success

MELBOURNE Assembly Rooms was the setting to the back by popular demand show, performed by local performers, Melbourne Operatic Society As always, the audience wasn’t disappointed

The show covered a multi-era array of songs and amusing stories dating from 17th century to present

We were hit with the song Seventy Six Trombones as a starting taster followed by nearly 30 other performance choices, examples being Fiddler on the Roof, Wicked, Gigi, The Greatest Showman, HMS Pinafore, Sweet Charity, Les Miserables, South Pacific and Gipsy

A Melbourne Operatic Society show would not be the same without a contribution from Gordon Fletcher and we were not to be disappointed with his narrating of The Bricklayer ’s Story As always, very funny

What a finale the audience had Firstly Les Plimley and Keith Reaveley ‘belting out’ Nessun Dorma in their own special imitable way, to the delight of all, followed by the whole chorus sing a medley of songs by Frank Sinatra

As with all performances, the show was ‘knitted together ’ by conductor, Keith Reaveley and cccompanist, David Henshaw

Melbourne Operatic Society is a very talented and dedicated group of people, who give much of their spare time to entertain people in the communities of Melbourne, Castle Donington and Long Eaton and for that they should all be very much commended, acknowledged and thanked – Colin Barker

expanded as a result of extra investment through this year ’s increased council tax precept

There are now 16 drones available across the county and 28 officers trained to be pilots, alongside their main roles

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Gibson said: “We have known for a long time about the great benefits drones can bring to policing, and we’ve worked closely with other forces while developing our own team and bringing them to Derbyshire

“The core principle of policing is to preserve life and having drones that can be quickly deployed to find a missing or stranded person using thermal imagery, and then guide officers to that person from the air, is a fantastic tool to have ”

There are in force tight restrictions about the flying of drones and from November 2019 owners of drones weighing over 250 grams will be required to register with the Civil Aviation Authority

LEFT: Aston Brownies display

ABOVE: Weston C of E Primary School’s ‘Forest Schools’ theme

RIGHT: Aston Pre-school’s dressing

FAR RIGHT: The WI’s Beatrix Potter inspired arrangement.

POTTERS MINI SKIPS AND

SITUATIONS VACANT

VACANCY: Clerk to Governors at Weston on Trent C of E Primary School

Required to attend evening meetings six Mondays through the year and to take and circulate minutes. Also general administrative support for the governing board much of which can be completed working from home. Some training sessions during the day may be needed. The role equates to three hours per week although the workload will be variable. Hourly rate £8.91- £9.22.

For further details please contact the Chair of Governors at chair.westoncofe@gmail.com

Melbourne Dental Practice require full time dental nurse.

Must be GDC registered, but may consider training for the right applicant.

Salary dependant on experience.

For more information...

please call Clare Jackson on 01332 862942

Minibus trips

Monday 19th August – Bakewell - £10 per person Leaves Melbourne at 9.30am

Thursday 5th September – Loughborough £5 per person - Leaves Melbourne at 10.00am

Wednesday 18th September – Burton on Trent £5 per person - Leaves Melbourne at 10.00am

Wednesday 25th September

Richard III Exhibition Centre, Leicester £5 per person - Leaves Melbourne at 9.30am

& Company Coffee

Tuesday 3rd September

Melbourne Assembly Rooms between 2 – 4 pm

Meet

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 9.30am to 1pm

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Unit 3 Russell Yard, Derby Road, Melbourne

THEY’RE CHAM-PEA-ONS!

AFC Poddington Peas are happea and proud to claim the Melbourne six-a-side league title for the second time

In true Melbourne League Champions style, the team will be celebrating their win at Zeerah’s Indian restaurant in Melbourne

Poddington Peas became the kings of late goals, comebacks and winning while not at their scintillating best – the true hallmark of champions! They won an impressive 20 out of 24 games this season and their total football brought free flowing goals, something we have become accustomed to associating with the team Team captain, Patrick Rowell, said: “Once again it’s been a great season of football for the team We’re looking forward to new challenges next season and have our eye on winning the League Champions title for the third time in a row; it would be a great hat-trick!”

Surreal Madrid were worthy runners-up, another impressive season for Warren Nicol’s men They strung together a late

Ticknall

TICKNALL Cricket Club is looking forward to the final few weeks of the season

A club spokesman told Village Voice: “As we reach the midpoint of the season at Ticknall Cricket Club, there has been plenty to be positive about after the great successes of 2018

The club’s first team (pictured) currently sits fourth in the Premier League and was due to play Sandiacre at the Grange in the semi-final of the Premier Cup on August 11

The seconds and thirds remain competitive in their respective divisions of the league

At junior level, the club has had an excellent season all round with teams playing in the South Derbyshire leagues at Kwik Cricket: U11, U13 and

charge for the title with seven wins from their last eight games of the season but it wasn’t quite enough for them to claim the top spot! Hottenham Coldspur continue to challenge at the top end of the table and finished the season in third place All 13 teams in the

league had their own highlights with moments of brilliance from all teams

The open age adult Melbourne 6-a-side league plays on the state of the art 3G artificial grass pitch at Melbourne Sports Park every Sunday evening (68pm), all year round All stan-

dards are welcome n Does your team have what it takes to win the league? The new season kicks off in September To join, interested teams and single players can contact the league on 07513 30 6000, melb6aside@outlook com or via Facebook

U15 age groups, while the U19s play in the ECB Cup The U12s and U14s both got

to the South Derbyshire District Cup finals with the U14s beating Elvaston

At county level, the U13s beat Mickleover to be crowned county cup winners while the U15s lost narrowly to Long Eaton in the County Cup final Great results all round!

The club adds: “The amount of matches and training taking place at the club on an almost daily basis puts a huge strain on facilities, but thanks to the excellent work of the grounds

team, the quality of the ground and ‘surrounds’ remain excellent

“Our operations committee are working tirelessly to ensure that our cricket provision is supported through the best possible ‘off field’ support in terms of events, catering, sponsorship and fund-raising

All in all, there’s plenty to be proud of this season at Ticknall Cricket Club as we look forward to the last seven weeks of the season with excitement ”

Changes at the top for Dynamo

MELBOURNE Dynamo Football Club has had some changes in its management committee

Gerard Cantwell is the new chairman, while Matt Webster joins the committee as his vice-chair

Meanwhile, Rich Docherty has taken up the role of leading the club’s soccer school

Melbourne Dynamo FC is still growing in size and strength with 22 teams from under-7s to adults

Following this year ’s successful World Cup for the women’s game, the club said they were “delighted” to announced three new girls’ teams: under 9s, under 10s and under 13s

James O’Toole is the manager of girls’ football where 45 players are already involved in weekly training

The club is expecting girls’ football to continue to grow in popularity and plan on supporting this growth as much as possible

Andy Ryley is also in the process of creating a new website which, it is hoped, will bring “excellent improvement” to the club’s com-

munications

The club relies on volunteers to keep it going, not least the team managers and coaches who give their time and skills for free

A revamped managers and coaches club to support the club’s coaching is being led by Don Miller

The club says: “Whilst the club enjoys excellent facilities, with the continued growth in the number of teams and ongoing investment in training and pitch requirements, it is vitally important it increases its revenue streams

“A new sub-committee managing funding, sponsorship and social events is planned, for which the club requires additional volunteers ”

THESE young tennis players are South Derbyshire champions after winning through in a major county tournament Melbourne Junior School pupils Louis Ryley, Belle Hilton, Layla Sheriff and James Banister (pictured) won the South Derbyshire finals when they took part in the Derbyshire School Games in Chesterfield on July 9

The four had been chosen to represent the school at the Area School Tennis Competition which was held at Melbourne Sports Park on July 21 – one of eight schools to take part.

The team won the overall competition,

David wins the Bash Trail Race

going forward to represent South Derbyshire at the school games competition where over 1,000 young people from primary, secondary and special schools across Derbyshire took part in different activities.

Six Derbyshire districts competed in the tennis, with Melbourne Junior School winning the finals for South Derbyshire when they beat St Andrews CE Methodist Primary School, in North East Derbyshire, 5-1

All four children are members of Melbourne Tennis Club where they are coached under Howard Cheshire

The club said it was very proud to be associated with the young players

THE Brooksie Bash Trail Race had another successful year, with more than 300 runners entering the 10-mile event

The race starter was Michelle Price, the wife of last year ’s winner

David Pettit (above) was the first male home in 69 mins, and first female was Jamie Whittaker from Erewash Valley RC in 74 mins

In the 5k race, started by Pascale Holden, South Derbyshire Road Runners had a clean sweep with Andrew Windle in 21 mins and Nikki Reeves in 23 mins as first male and female over the line

At the event, £900 was raised for Derbyshire MIND, which also had a stall there

l Gerard Cantwell (above) and Matt Webster (below)

l Melbourne Town 2nd XI: back row (l-r) Simon Fletcher, Alex Roome, Fraser Radcliffe, Matt Grimmett, Ash Elwell, Ben Radcliffe; front row (l-r) Bruno Rost, Julian Humpidge, Dan Marshall, Ranjit Rathore and Archie Turton.

Town still on target for promotion

MELBOURNE Town Cricket Club had a successful July with the first team maintaining their lead at the top of Division 4-South.

Looking a good bet for promotion this season, they began the month with a hard fought 93-run victory away at Hilton Melbourne’s innings was held together by skipper Matt Briers, who scored 43, and some late order hitting by Marc Towell (28 not out)

They finished on 162-8 but this total was soon deemed more than adequate as Towell (5-22) and Alex Slater (4-27) ripped through Hilton’s batting and the home side were bowled out for just 69 Melbourne batted much better the following week as 71 not out by Alex Winter plus 60 from Mark Rossi and 33 from Slater took Melbourne to 230-6

Three wickets apiece for Briers, Towell and Nadeem bowled Rolls-Royce seconds out for just 126, handing Town a 104-run victory

An away trip to Burton followed and the home side had Melbourne in trouble on 107-8 despite 31 from Tom Shearsby It needed a last wicket stand from Sunny Dhiman (16 not out) and Marcus

Radcliffe (15) to take Melbourne to 144 all out

An inspired spell of 3-9 from Muhammad Nadeem, along with 3-34 by Liam Glenn, bowled Burton out for just 110 to give Town a 34-run win

The first team’s final match in July was rained off at home to Derby Congs, which left Matt Briers’ team with a healthy lead going into the final seven matches of the season

Melbourne Town 2nds consolidated their mid-table position as they started the month with a close 15-run win at home to Allestree first team Melbourne scored 238-7 batting first, with 75 from Alex Winter plus 60 by opener Simon Fletcher and 40 by Ben Radcliffe, batting well

Radcliffe completed a good match by taking 4-45 supported by 3-50 from Ranjit Rathore as the visitors were bowled out just short

A week later, the seconds claimed a superb winning draw away to Burton The Melbourne total of 221 all out was thanks to a quite brilliant 127 by Ranjit Rathore, ably supported by Aashwin Mohan (42) and Naveen Joseph-Matthew, who took 4-59 to restrict the home side to 210-7

The week after, Melbourne again batted well as Matt Grimmett (93), Gurwinder Singh (62) and Ash Elwell (46) all scored heavily to take Town to a respectable 232-8 But visitors Mickleover Seconds eased to a comfortable seven-wicket win with five overs to spare

A rained-off match against Clifton ended the second team’s month as they currently lie in fifth place

Melbourne’s third team had a difficult month but started with history at the MSP as the club hosted two league matches at the same time – some achievement for the club They celebrated in style as they crushed Allestree seconds by a remarkable 226 runs, Melbourne rattling up 281-4 declared, batting first This was mainly down to a quite brilliant 156 by opener Paul Scrimshaw as he hit the second highest individual score ever in the club’s 150-year history He was supported by Tim Jackson (36 not out) and Tony Papas (34)

Then Alex Roome (6-20) and Lara Shaw (2-17) bowled Allestree out in just 16 overs for a paltry 55

A day later, the thirds entertained top of the table Wirksworth fourths and, despite 34 from Simon Fletcher and 27 by skipper Papas, they were bowled out for just 134

Figures of 4-26 from Toby McCabe and 3-39 by Alex Roome took the thirds close to victory, but Wirksworth just sneaked home eight down

A brilliant 65 not out from Bruno Rost plus 35 from opener Scrimshaw took Melbourne to a respectable 172-7 a week later at home to Breadsall thirds then Lara Shaw (4-55) and Toby McCabe (4-58) bowled well but again Melbourne just got beaten, by two wickets

The third team ended the month with a heavy defeat to high flying Castle Donington’s first team

Donington scored 230-5 and then bowled Melbourne out for just 76 Melbourne ended July in a comfortable mid-table position

The club would like to thank all its match ball sponsors for July, which were: Melbourne Parish Council, Lee Tallis, Lion Court, Crane & Walton Solicitors and Acres Engineering