Melbourne Village Voice August 2022

by Lucy Stephens

A TV production company behind comedian Johnny Vegas’ Carry on Glamping show has asked for permission for a temporary “field of dreams” at Melbourne Hall.

An application currently lodged with South Derbyshire Dist details for proposed month

The letter from Plum they will be filming fo ries for the “up beat C ‘Johnny Vegas: Carry o Melbourne Hall”

The letter goes on t that the show “ w consist of a temporary 28 day opening of a small scale, eight berth, glamping site The Field of Dreams in collaboration with Johnny Vegas and Lord and Lady Kerr, of Melbourne Hall”

The district coun cil has been told that the intention, if the pro ect is successful, is fo manent site at Melbour to open for a complete season in 2023, should an application for full planning permission be successful

For the September series, Plum Pictures say that Johnny would be staffing his camp site with local people and turning to the area’s food and

drink producers to provide sustenance for guests

The letter said: “Channel 4 have expressed a desire to grow the Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping brand across further series if all goes to plan, with further multi episode series of the glamp site and eating heartwarming r the wider South Der

sites proposed in the on One is a triangular een Pool Cottage and and the other is to the of the road leading ay from the pool and wards Park Farm

Eight vintage vehicles re proposed to be situ ted on these two parcels of land during September They in clude a 1950s trans formed bus; a Citroen camper; an American school bus; a fire truck and a verted helicopter cants have stressed re not intending any operational development’ but only asking for a change of use for 30 days

They added that the proposal represented an exciting opportunity for Melbourne to present it self as a tourist destination on a national plat form

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Path is open to walkers again

THERE is some good news for local walkers, ramblers and joggers! The path at Broadstone Holt, linking the main footpath running along the bottom of Bog Lane with the path alongside Staunton

Harold reservoir has now been reopened for the public to use

Landowner Dr Howard Joynes announced to Village Voice that, following talks with Severn Trent and the National Forest, he was delighted to be able to reopen the path

One family of walkers, who were visiting the area from Burbage in Leicestershire, said they were “delighted” the footpath was open again and happy that it avoided the long detour round

The route was closed off at the start of lockdown when access to the reservoir was also closed by Severn Trent because of covid Anti social behaviour and vandalism on and adjacent to the path also caused significant concerns for the landowner

Dr Joynes said it would remain open for the foreseeable future and would be closed only in the event that it needed to be for main tenance work, if Severn Trent or National Forest asked for it to be closed, or if there was a recurrence of similar problems

He also asked the public to be vigilant and report any instances of anti social behaviour to the police

Airport to hit million mark

MORE than a million passengers are ex pected to have passed through East Mid lands Airport over a two month period leading up to the end of August, latest fig ures suggest.

The airport has reported volumes of passen gers are up by nearly a whopping 800 per cent compared with the same period in 2021

ellers who choose to fly from the East Midlands, with the top 10 being Palma de Mallorca, Ali cante, Faro, Malaga, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Dublin, Barcelona, Dalaman and Menorca

Meanwhile, during July the airline flybe also started daily services between East Midlands and Belfast City airports

REOPENING UPDATE

Currently open Wednesday 10am - 8pm ursday to Sunday 10am - 4pm for breakfast, lunch, homemade cakes, scones and a whole counter full of goodies

- Booking is required for A ernoon Teaank you all so much for your patience in what will hopefully be the last of many changes we’ve had to make! Much love, Lou and the team x

But the 1 3million people expected to have de parted and arrived through the airport over July and August still represent just two thirds of pre Covid numbers

The airport issued advice to passengers to pre pare for expected levels of traffic over the sum mer, saying people should arrive for check in or bag drop off at exactly the time suggested by their airline and not before or after

Airport leaders also reminded passengers of rules around carrying liquids and electronic items

Since travel restrictions were lifted earlier this year, airports across the UK, Europe and beyond have seen increases in passenger numbers as people make up for lost time and head off on hol idays

At East Midlands, demand for passenger flights has been growing steadily throughout the year

While total passenger numbers in July 2021 averaged 1,500 per day, in July 2022 the airport was seeing 14,000 people passing through every 24 hours

This summer, the airlines that serve East Mid lands Airport are flying passengers to and from more than 50 places

Mainland Spain and the Spanish islands con tinue to be the most popular destinations for trav

Clare James, East Midlands Airport’s manag ing director, said: “We’re delighted that this pop ular route is being well served by flybe Direct connectivity to Belfast is a boost for this region, and the new route provides frequent and easy ac cess to Northern Ireland for people who are visit ing for leisure or business

“It’s also great news for tourism in the East Midlands and we offer a very warm welcome to visitors who want to explore everything this re gion has to offer ”

Dave Pflieger, flybe’s CEO, said: “We’re over joyed to be starting flights from East Midlands Airport to Belfast Our commitment will always be towards offering customers choice whilst pro viding the great value we’re known for, and we think this is a fantastic route to represent that ”

CHARGING POINTS

NEW fast charging electric car points have been installed in the Assembly Rooms car park in Melbourne

The car park is the latest in the district to get the new electric vehicle charging points

They are operated as part of the electric ve hicle charging network, which aims to make a charging system accessible to all residents across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

Liza flees Ukraine to start new life in Melbourne

by Lucy Stephens

A 24 YEAR OLD woman who has begun a new life in Mel bourne after fleeing war torn Ukraine says she feels safe again although she worries daily for those she has left be hind.

Liza Nahirniak is now living in Melbourne with the Jansen fam ily after fleeing her native Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February

Liza found sanctuary with the Jansens thanks to a mutual con tact

Having first fled her homeland for Italy, she was then linked up with them and is now living in Melbourne

She said: “I’m happy to be here, and I’m happy to live with this wonderful family, but I’m still very angry and upset because of the situation at home That’s still the same ”

Liza had been working and living alone in Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, when the Russians invaded on February 24

“In the month before February 24, we’d had a lot of information every day, but we didn’t believe it,” she said “The Government was trying to prepare us ”

On the day the Russians attacked, Liza described waking up in the morning to find her phone rammed with messages from friends and family telling her the news

They all contained one simple, stark, central message: “It has started ”

Moving across the city to stay with friends, Liza lived in Kyiv for 10 days The inhabitants of the flat where she was staying moved all the furniture up against the windows and slept in the hall at night in preparation for attack

One night, locals heard the Russians were intending to bomb the city: “I understood then that my life would finish,” said Liza, fight ing back tears

“I made a picture for my parents and sent it to them I couldn’t stop crying ”

When day dawned and the bombs had not dropped, Liza knew then that it was time to flee

“When I woke up, I decided to leave my life, leave my flat and leave my city,” she said

Walking to the railway sta tion in Kyiv, Liza found herself in vast crowds of people all with the same idea in mind, and it was touch and go as to whether she could board a train out of the country so great were the crowds of people trying to get out

Eventually she managed to scramble aboard a departing train and, after a brief stop over with a grandparent, made her way to Italy

It was from there that she made arrangements with the Jansen family to come to Mel bourne The mutual contact, who ran the English classes she attended in Kyiv, had now also evacuated

Since she has been living here, Liza has joined the Mel bourne Festival team and has met many others living locally who have also fled Ukraine She is now looking for a job

Andrew and Victoria Jansen and their children, Tom and Eve, have welcomed Liza warmly into their home

“I knew that this was some thing that we could do very, very easily,” said Andrew “It was not a lot for us but it would mean a huge amount to somebody in Ukraine We were more than willing to open our doors and I guess we also thought that for Tom and Eve it would be a wonderful opportu nity to meet someone new and experience another part of the

world ”

“It’s a blessing for us,” added Victoria Liza has left behind not only her life and her job, but her older sister (in Italy), and her parents who are still living in Mykolaiv in Southern Ukraine which has been the target of heavy shelling by Russian forces in recent weeks

“It’s horrible in Mykolaiv My parents haven’t had any water for four months For the whole family it’s unbelievable They are collecting rainwater, but still don’t want to leave,” she said, “because they spent seven years building our house, and the family was raised in Myko laiv

"Still, my parents are happy

because I’m safe and I’m so happy to be here, but it’s very hard to accept what is happen ing at home and to build my life here ”

Phone box ideas

RESIDENTS of Aston on Trent are being asked how best to use a beautifully restored red phone box

The phone box was donated to the village by a resident and has been restored by the parish council

The parish council has now in stalled the phone box and has opted for commemorative Plat inum Jubilee branding Resi dents are being asked what the final use for it should be

Schools win funding

ASTON and Findern pri mary schools are among those to have won funding from East Midlands Air port after entering its eco garden competition

The contest was launched by the airport earlier this year

Schools were asked to design and create eco gar dens which would substan tially boost biodiversity and lead to improved well being

Twenty six schools from across Derbyshire, Leices tershire and Notting hamshire submitted designs, and Aston and Findern were among the winners.

The schools will benefit from support by Der byshire Wildlife Trust, paid for by the airport, to help deliver the schemes

Following the success of this project, East Midlands Airport will make avail able further funding for more schools to create eco gardens Any school within the airport’s community fund ‘area of benefit’ can submit proposals Funding will be awarded if the sub missions meet the criteria set out in the competition

Melbourne,

to

an extremely personal yet professional service at a reasonable cost, both in Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

l Liza with Andrew and Victoria Jansen and (below) with her sister Lena

SOUTH Derbyshire’s Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), the local charity working to improve quality of life for people in South Derbyshire, wants local residents to be better aware of all the services it of fers

Liz Gumby, who is network manager for the CVS, told the recent local area forum at Melbourne Sports Park about the work they were doing

The food bank, on Hill Street Baptist Church in Swadlincote was kept very busy and, with the eco nomic crisis expected, even more in demand She said some 449 adults were being supported with emergency food parcels.

Home from Hospital supports people who are at risk of admission to hospital or those being dis charged, and continued support can be provided for up to six weeks.

Help at Home can provide practical answers to those who need some help or adjustment to be able to stay independent at home. Since the service began in September 2021 they had had 70 referrals Simi larly Safer Homes offered free advice to those who are vulnerable or victims of crime. Some 93 people had been helped with this scheme

She said the CVS was also always looking for vol unteers to help with transport and for the befriend ing service, which supported isolated people in the community with either face to face, phone calls, or connections to local groups.

Full details are on the new website at www.sdcvs.org.uk

Cllr Martin Fitzpatrick, chairing the meeting, thanked the CVS team for all of the work they did, which he described as “just phenomenal!”

‘Graduation’ day for nursery children

THE journey to school is starting for this set of young ‘graduates’ from Pud dleducks Nursery in Melbourne

This is the first year since the covid pandemic that staff have been able to welcome parents and carers back into the nursery.

During the year they have hosted an Easter craft afternoon, play and stay sessions for parents and carers and a

picnic and sports day to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee More than 100 guests turned out to the nursery to enjoy this event.

Those departing Puddleducks this year visited Jangala soft play in Hilton for their leavers’ trip where they were excited to have the whole place to themselves

Part of their experience was to travel

to and from Jangala soft play by mini bus, which thrilled the children as some of them had not been on a bus be fore. Leaders at Puddleducks thanked volunteers at the Castle Donington Vol unteer Centre for driving the minibus

They said: “We wish all our children every success as they make the transi tion into school and hope their time there will be a happy one.”

Melbourne crime figures ‘are low’

CRIME figures for the Melbourne area have been relatively low, with a “very low level of anti social behaviour”, a recent area forum meeting was told by the local police team

Opening the quarterly meeting on July 14 at Melbourne Sports Park, Cllr Martin Fitzpatrick paid tribute to previous chairman, Cllr Jim Hewlett, and he made three announcements about child summer activities, which would in clude 100 free sessions for children and families, the Festival of Leisure which took place in June, and the Parklife 2022 events running through the summer Police also told the room there had been no re ports of drug crime in recent months

The police reported that speeding had been a priority and various targeted activities had been highlighted on social media They had also fo cused on the following: attending events during the jubilee celebrations; parking outside schools; and anti social behaviour, as well as being in volved in the anti knife campaign with school talks, test purchases and promoting the amnesty surrender bins

One local resident queried the reported figures on drugs, saying he was regularly seeing inci dents of drug abuse in Melbourne The police team responded that they were not getting re ports and needed the public to call in any suspi cious activities

Another local resident raised the issue of speeding and dangerous driving along Derby Road, particularly where the paths narrowed and the road was restricted

Asked if speed bumps could be installed County Cllr David Muller replied that he was well aware of the problems in Melbourne, and

suggested the local Speedwatch were invited to do checks Whilst he said speed bumps “would not happen” for various reasons, he would assist any campaign for a pedestrian crossing

The resident said he was considering setting up a petition n GRANTS and funds for projects which could impact crime and disorder are available in this area

Chris Smith and Kevin Stackhouse, officers from South Derbyshire District Council (SDDC), told the area forum that various grants and funds were available to bid for Mr Smith said there was still £4,000 available in the partnership fund for projects which could impact on crime and disorder or anti social be haviour He also mentioned the Police and Crime Commissioner ’s fund, and the second round of ASB Prevention, which provides grants of up to £5,000 to address neighbourhood problems

Full details are on the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner ’s website

Mr Stackhouse, the council’s strategic director for corporate resources, mentioned a number of initiatives from the district council First is help to adapt homes to make them safer and to get properties up to standard Second is a scheme to help people who cannot be discharged from hos pital because their properties may not be suitably adapted

He also announced that the council was bid ding for funding to assist with its carbon neutral objective and had been successful so far in obtain ing £1 5m to impact on council homes

Finally, he mentioned the forthcoming review of the next phase of the Local Plan: he said there would be a close look at leisure provision and fur ther public consultations

Anne-Marie’s Channel swim a record breaker?

A 57 year old woman from Stanton by Bridge could be entering the record books after being part of a relay team that swam the English Channel in July.

Anne Marie Lawrence was one of four swimmers in their 50s and 60s who com pleted the feat in aid of Dementia UK

She and team mates Pete Moyes, Phil Field and Theresa Tomlinson the Robin Hood Swimmers took turns to swim for an hour to complete the 21 miles between Folkestone Harbour and France

The four could now enter the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest mixed relay team to swim the Channel, which they did in 15 hours and two minutes well under their target of 16 hours

Anne Marie said she did not take part in the chal lenge to beat any records, but for the joy of open water swimming and to raise money for a cause dear to every member of the team

“Dementia is something that we have all been af fected by,” she said “As our society gets older, it's going to be an even bigger issue ”

The challenge to swim the English Channel had been three years in the planning by the Robin Hood Swimmers

To complete the feat officially, swim mers are not allowed to wear wetsuits so Anne Marie trained without one throughout the winter, at least twice a week at Spring Lakes open water swim ming venue in Long Eaton

With water in the English Channel measuring anything between 11 and 19 degrees during the swim crossing sea son, one of the qualifying requirements for relay team members is to swim for two hours in water of 15 degrees or under which Anne Marie completed at Spring Lakes in water measuring a somewhat chilly 13 8 degrees!

So what is it like to ac tually swim the Chan nel?

Anne Marie said the water close to the British shore was very pleasant, clear with a “glassy” feel on the surface “It was just like swimming through velvet,” she said

The four spent their inter swimming time on a support boat where Anne Marie said her supplies of peanut butter and jam sand wiches had been particularly welcome

The shipping lanes in the middle of the Channel brought choppier waters, and the trickiest part of the endeavour was landing in France at 10 30pm

“It was pitch black,” she said “I couldn’t judge where I was and where the rocks were, whether they were close or quite a distance away ” As part of training for the event, Anne Marie undertook some some big open water challenges including the Great North Swim in Lake Windermere and the seven and a half mile swim at Lake Ullswater

Why does she enjoy open water swim ming so much?

“Swimming, for me, is just a smile on your face when you get out,” she said “First of all, I love the community It’s the people And I also really love the na

ture of it You could carry a lot of worries with you and they just wash off in the water I’m not the most confident person

Sometimes I think it’s amazing what you can do if you’ve got support from people and you just put yourself forward for things You never know what you can do until you try

“Especially at 57, you think some of the bigger challenges are beyond you but I have to say, I don’t know if I would have been able to do that at 47 without all the swimming challenges I’ve done “I’m also mightily relieved I’ve done it I can enjoy the summer now without being so nervous!”

Fly-tip woman fined

A WOMAN must pay £434 after pleading guilty to two offences in relation to a fly tipping inci dent on Arleston Lane near Bar row upon Trent Gayle Megill, of Masefield Av enue, Derby, received fines of £200 and was ordered to pay costs of £200, and a victim sur charge of £34, totalling £434 all to be paid by September 1

In early September 2021, an accumulation of garden waste on Arleston Lane was identified by officers of South Derbyshire District Council as having been dumped at the entrance to a farmer ’s field

The council’s Community Safety Enforcement Team iden tified that the waste had origi nated from a vehicle registered to Ms Megill

In an interview under caution Ms Megill admitted to dumping the waste She agreed to pay a fixed penalty notice to discharge the offence

Having received the fixed penalty Ms Megill failed to make any payments and did not respond to reminders

Councillor Stephen Taylor, chair of the council’s Environ ment and Development Service Committee, said: “This case shows that the council is willing to take legal action to help stop fly tippers who target quiet loca tions in the district ”

l Anne Marie with her fellow swimmers, Pete Moyes, Phil Field and Theresa Tomlin son

receives society’s Gerry Shaw

A SEASONED performer who first trod the boards for Melbourne Operatic Society aged nine has been honoured with an award

Melbourne Operatic Society voted for its current producer, Gary Askam, to receive this year ’s Gerry Shaw memorial prize

The society said they were “delighted” to re sume their annual Gilbert & Sullivan per formance of Trial by Jury and HMS Pinafore in April 2022 three years later than sched uled due to coronavirus Society members vote for a worthy recipient of the Gerry Shaw memorial prize each year Gerry Shaw helped to reform Melbourne Operatic Society after the war years and was a prominent early producer until the early 1980s

His daughter, Geraldine, who sadly died last year and was herself a stalwart of the so ciety, donated a cut glass bowl in memory of Gerry

The award has been presented for the last 15 years to a member “who has gone the extra mile” for the society, “over and above their role”

This year ’s award, with an overwhelming majority of votes, was presented to Gary Askam

Gary first performed for the society aged nine as a midshipmite in 1980

He has since performed on many occasions with Melbourne Operatic Society as well as other local musical companies

This year ’s Trial by Jury and HMS Pinafore was his 11th production for the society as pro ducer and director

The society said: “He brings to the society a wealth of experience and know how through other musical contacts as well as being a tal ented producer

“He well deserves this year ’s award ”

Festival gives Ukrainian artists a hand

UKRAINIAN artists and their families have been getting involved in the next Mel bourne Festival.

At the Creative Melbourne Gallery, everyone is busy getting ready for Melbourne Festival in Sep tember but there is much more happening behind the scenes this summer to encourage young peo ple to get busy and get creative, the team says

The festival normally holds family activities at The Rectory over the festival weekend

During August the gallery is working with a group of young artists from Ukraine who are de veloping their own work to exhibit and sell at the festival this year, and helping to create big paint ings of life under the sea with huge sharks, tur tles, octopus and fish to decorate the rectory garden during Melbourne Festival

Each Monday in August the Methodist Church has kindly allowed the festival team to use the lawn next to the Creative Melbourne Gallery for weekly workshops for families to drop in and cre ate artwork, for the festival and to take home, be tween 11am and 1pm

The festival team got their creative juices flow ing during the first session with children from Melbourne and Ukraine, aged between two and 12, all out in the sunshine working together to create a six metre long mural filled with multi coloured fish, sharks, turtles, whales, starfish, sea anemones, jellyfish and even a diver and a mermaid!

Sharon Brown from Melbourne Festival said

the team had decided to start the festival feeling early with the weekly workshops which East Mid lands Airport has funded

“It was lovely to see the local children and the Ukrainian children having fun together and fam ilies catching up,” she said

The Monday workshops will continue until Au gust 22 so families are welcome to drop in and join the fun, added Sharon

Over the past few months a number of artists from Ukraine have moved to South Derbyshire

The group includes painters, an illustrator, photographers, a writer, and musicians In the lead up to the festival they are preparing work to sell at the gallery and during the festival to raise money to send home to Ukraine

The festival team said space would be set aside for the artists from Ukraine for as long as it is needed

If you would like to find out more about how you could help them please contact the gallery

We will be including information about the Melbourne Festival Art & Architecture Trail in the September Village Voice The trail is happen ing on September 17 and 18

Entry to the trail is still £5 per adult for the weekend and under 18s are free If you would like to help out at this year ’s festival, any support will be gratefully accepted, the festival team said

For more information on this ,you can contact info@melbournefestival co uk or call 07765 819428

l Gary Askam receives his award from chairman Mike McGhee.

BEATING THE HEAT

CHILDREN were let out early from school and animals took shelter from the sun as the local area sweltered in the July heatwave

With temperatures breaking the 40 degree record in many places in the UK on July 18 and 19, schools and other organisations took action to protect customers, children and animals.

Henry Dunnicliff, of Melbourne, has been recording temperatures since 1963 and said the heat over those two days was the highest he had seen in that time, hitting the 38 5 degree mark

Local schools like Chellaston Academy al lowed students to wear cooler PE kit over the two day heatwave

Students at Chellaston were also permitted to leave early with the worst of the heat occurring in the afternoons over the two days

Other primary school children in the area were allowed to go to lessons wearing cool clothes from their own wardrobes rather than school uniform, and parents could also collect them earlier than the official end of the day and in some cases keep them off altogether

At Melbourne Animal Farm, owner Carla Shaw said animals were provided with extra hay plus cold fruit and salad treats to help them deal with extreme temperatures.

She said animals were also encouraged to stay in their shelters as much as possible, and were given ice pops and iced fruit in water to help them drink more

Rabbits and guinea pigs at the farm were given regular cold water and wet, cold micro fibre clothes were placed in their enclosures to lie on

The ewes and lambs were taken into the barn at the enclosure to give them more shade.

And the goat on the right found a novel way of keeping the piping hot sun off his back.

for bell ringers

CAN you help keep Melbourne Parish Church’s bells ringing?

If so, the church’s bellringers would like to hear from you

The parish church next to Melbourne Pool ur gently needs more volunteers to keep its bells going

The bell ringing team has reported it no longer has enough volunteer ringers for each week’s services

They would like to recruit and train more peo ple to join the band

Christian Peckham, who has been ringing bells for more than 30 years, said it was an enjoyable hobby and that Melbourne’s parish church was one of only two in Derbyshire to boast 12 bells He said new ringers would have the chance to earn a little pocket money when ringing at wed dings, “especially useful for teenagers” as he put it

Plus, he said bell ringing was good for keeping the body physically fit It would also allow people to learn a new skill

Christian said: “Bell ringing is a social activity and there’s the chance to join in with outings where we visit other churches, as well as drinks together after ringing and sometimes other activ ities like playing skittles, taking part in barn dances, going to dinners and rounders matches

“There’s also the chance to visit other towers, sometimes in very interesting places such as his toric cathedrals, and even going abroad ”

The church’s bell ringers said some initial training would be given “intensively”, and “for a short period of time”

Once ringers are up and running, Sunday mornings and a couple of hours’ evening practice a week is all that is needed

Any age of ringer can go along, ideally from 12 upwards, and there is no need for people to be strong or exceptionally fit

Anyone interested should contact Christian on christianpeckham6@gmail com to arrange a first lesson

There are also a couple of open day and evening sessions where people can have a look at the bells and have a go Anyone is invited to go along if in terested

These will be held from 7pm to 9pm on Tues day, August 16, or from 3 30pm to 5pm on Satur day, August 20

Alternatively, the group can be contacted through Facebook, by looking up “Melbourne Parish Church Ringers South Derbyshire”

Engineering firm’s factory walk

MELBOURNE based Acres Engineering wel comed families to their base in Castle Lane to mark National Manufacturing Day

The company specialises in making custom solutions for clients in the UK and overseas

It opened up the shop floor on July 7 to give visitors a glimpse of what goes on in a busy engineering firm

Acres set up a factory walk, allowing people to stop at different process spots including de sign, fabrication, laser cutting, powder coat ing and assembly

As well as hearing from the Acres team, a “virtual welding experience” went down very well

Village gets a new orchard

A NEW community or chard has been set up in Ticknall to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Ju bilee.

The parish council found several suitable sites and, after talks with landowners and tenants, have decided on the field between Bantons Lane and the Arch

The land is owned by the National Trust and rented to Ticknall resi dents who graze sheep there.

Seven trees have been planted in order to break ground and start the process

A parish newsletter to residents said much of this work had been carried out by Jennie Lloyd, who had ordered trees, which were then planted by National Trust volunteers Jennie and some others have been watering them during hot weather

Volunteers were being sought so a detailed plan could be made to make the orchard a success for the community

LEGION’S NEW TIKI BAR GETS THE THUMBS UP

MELBOURNE has taken a turn to wards the exotic with the Royal British Legion Club opening an out side Tiki bar

Designed and built by husband and wife team Wayne and Amy Winfield, the bar sits in the garden area and will be open when the weather allows.

It will stock draught beer and cider as well as soft drinks, bottled prod ucts and spirits.

Royal British Legion committee chairman Brendan O’Neill said: “With

the club set so far back from the road, we wanted to create a visual feature which would draw attention from the kerb

“Future plans hope to open up the view of the club to try and make it more appealing visually and therefore attract new customers.”

Bar manager Amy Winfield said: “It’s designed to be a bit of fun on sunny weekends and offer an alternative to the indoor bar ”

Visitors at the opening event seemed

to appreciate the new feature and wel comed the initiative.

One customer Dean Sylvester (pic tured above) said: “It’s great the Le gion club is showing that it’s not all warm beer and blazers This is a fun place to be, and the Tiki bar helps to promote that.”

The club is open from noon at week ends and 4 30pm weekdays The club says dogs and “well behaved” children are welcome

No membership is required

Andrea’s thanks to local community

A MELBOURNE facialist judged one of the very best in the UK has paid tribute to the local community for helping businesses pull through Covid together

Andrea Simpson, who runs a skin clinic in the Market Place, has a waiting list nearly a year long and a slew of awards to her name

Having run her business for only three years, she has been a finalist for Skin Clinic of the Year in London’s Professional Beauty Awards, placing her in the top six in the country

She has also been judged one of the top five facialists in the country after being named a finalist in the Beauty Associa tion of Beauty Ther apy & C o s m e t o l o g y / C o n federation of Inter national Beauty Therapy and Cosme tology Awards, and she has more indus try accolades besides

It's not bad for a one woman business which could not actually give any tangible facials for over a year after the beauty industry was shut down over lockdown

So how has Andrea achieved such success?

“I had my hands on the business for the whole time,” she said

“Working with my current clients, I was doing their skin reviews by Zoom I was busy with

phone calls They could order their skin care on line I’d deliver them from the manufacturer to their door

“Covid wasn’t something you could change It was there I’m always a glass half full person I just made the best I could of the situation None of us had got any control over it ”

Today, Andrea has managed to increase her client base, hav ing attracted new online customers over lockdown who have now started going to her clinic

She has people going to see her from all over the country, from as far away as Wales and London, who she says have now grown to love Melbourne too, stay ing overnight and enjoying local shops and cafes

But as far afield as her customers come, Andrea said she would always be grateful to the local community for its support during Covid, saying one man even leaves bags of vegetables he has grown in his allotment on her door

“I think the local community just pulled to gether,” she said

“They were looking out for one another, staying in touch with one another The support from the community has kept us going and I’ll always be grateful for that

“You never forget kindness ”

l Staunton Harold reservoir.

National

in link-up with reservoirs

by Lucy Stephens

THE National Trust is taking over managing the land surrounding Foremark and Staunton Harold reservoirs in a new collab oration with Severn Trent Water

The partnership, which started in July, is the first of its kind between the National Trust and a regulated water company

Severn Trent is carrying on managing the reservoirs and water supplies while the National Trust is taking on the buildings, landscapes and estates

The National Trust said its aim was to boost biodiversity in the area as well as further enhanc ing the site for visitors

The initial agreement is for the trust to manage the reservoir sites for 25 years

Foremark and Staunton Harold Water, along with the 2,000 acre estate at Calke Abbey which is also managed by the National Trust have di verse wildlife habitats including heath grassland, ancient woodland and open water, home to species such as ivy leaved bellflower, giant bell flower, heather and digger wasp, which is nation ally scarce

They are also good places to spot buzzards, jays and great spotted woodpeckers

Stewart Alcock, general manager at Calke Abbey, said: “We’re extremely pleased to be work ing with Severn Trent on this new partnership, which will enable us to manage the land for both people and nature, improving levels of biodiver sity to help tackle the nature crisis

“We have a shared ambition to enrich environ ments and create strong connections between peo ple, places and nature Working together we can build on our strengths to benefit visitors, the nat ural world and the provision of high quality water

“Both Foremark and Staunton Harold have areas of woodland and grassland; by working to gether we’ll be able to improve habitat quality

and create more connectivity both within and be yond the sites ”

He added: “Foremark Water and Staunton Harold Water offer peaceful areas for people to just enjoy the view and spot wildlife, and walking trails through woodland or along the water ’s edge Both are a place for all seasons, come sun shine, rain, frost and snow; a place loved by fam ilies, walkers and nature enthusiasts alike

“Of course, we are at the very early stages of this work, and there is a lot of detail to work through but we are excited about the future and the opportunities that working together with Sev ern Trent offers ”

Laura Ward, from the visitor experience team at Severn Trent, said: “This exciting partnership will see the National Trust become responsible for the running and management of Foremark Water and Staunton Harold Water visitor sites in Der byshire

“Severn Trent continue to manage the reser voirs at each site, which remain a vital part of our network in the area

“We know these sites are special and important places for many people Through working to gether with the National Trust, we’re excited about what the future holds ”

The National Trust will be developing a nature conservation management plan that will aim to improve existing and create new habitats for wildlife to increase the populations of birds, but terflies, bees and wildflowers

There is also a plan to improve public access by making existing routes more accessible

Two rangers have moved from Severn Trent to the National Trust as part of the partnership, and new job roles have also been recruited

Several volunteers for Severn Trent have also moved over to the National Trust, and the plan is to extend volunteering at both sites

A BROTHER and sister from Mel bourne are showing off their animal handling skills very early in life

Bertie and Iona Stanley, aged seven and five, have already got several prizes under their belt for showing their animals at a string of county shows

The siblings’ parents, Ben and Tori Stanley, run Park Farm in Melbourne as well as their own butchery in Kings Newton Most recently Bertie (pic tured left and right) took first place in the junior section at a national compe tition, the Great Yorkshire Show, for

his Texel ew Shoot His si Proud mu dence to go ring on their strong sheep “But they h with their in a knowledge “Bertie’s e one point de back to the hands full bu kept her und “I had my B

Memorial match to celebrate life of Thando

PLAYING the beautiful game and bring ing people together that was what a memorial tournament to Melbourne Dy namo player Thando Ndlovu was all about.

Some 10 teams and 90 players gathered at Melbourne Sports Park on July 24 to play in a football tournament and unveil a memorial bench to Thando, who sadly lost his life in the River Trent in July 2021

The day was about celebrating the life of a young man with a sunny outlook on life whose central desires were playing football and enjoying people having a great time

Thando’s family and many of his friends went along to Melbourne to take part in the tournament before heading down to the pavilion to officially open a memorial bench to the former Chellaston Academy pupil

In an emotional finale to the day’s proceed ings, they released balloons into the sky to mark what would have been Thando’s 16th birthday a few days before

The tournament was won by the Kobra Kars, whose captain, 16 year old Karsen James, had first been introduced to Mel

bourne Dynamo after being ing session by his friend Th Thando’s dad, Jabulan first happened, I didn’t k Everyone was so helpful fr “It’s days like this that k the support you’re getting f where you go people talk an they really feel they can he

“This is what Thando wa ing people together The id is to do something like this people together and see laugh ”

After Jabulani officially memorial bench by cuttin brother Gugu told those pr for all your support tod Thando was all about, hav ing football ”

He added: “You are just We love you all ”

Words and Pictur LUCY STEPHENS

l One of Thando’s favourite sayings, inscribed on his me morial bench

e, Melbourne Park Fruit ster Iona came in fifth m Tori said: “The confi out and even get in the own and handle a young is amazing! had put the practice in so dividual sheep had built and understanding we lamb Fruit Shoot at cided she wanted to go pen and Bertie had his t he battled through and er control

Border Leicester sheep at

the show and even I was overwhelmed with nervousness and I’ve done it a million times before, so we were so proud of them to crack on ”

Bertie and Iona, who is pictured on Page 1, are proud owners of a Texel sheep flock at Park Farm, as well as which Bertie also has his own herd of Longhorn cattle

His bull, Herbert’s Herd Isaac, has also won breed champion at the Der byshire and Staffordshire shows, and was also the second best of 150 cattle shown in the latter show His cow, Herbert’s Herd Honey, also won re

serve breed champion at both shows Bertie and Iona often compete to gether and spend lots of time with their animals at home on their farm, helping with lambing, keeping tabs on the health of their flock and stock checking To prepare for shows, they wash and trim their animals, and train lambs to walk quietly and stand in the ring

Tori said: “Showing and livestock are the most amazing grounding for children for so many aspects of life, teaching them confidence, independ ence, respect and responsibility ”

g taken to a train hando

i, said: “When it know what to do om day one keep us going, and rom them Every nd you realise that elp s all about: bring ea that we’ve had every year: bring people having a opened Thando’s g the ribbon, his esent: “Thank you ay This is what ing fun and play amazing people es: S

Large, purpose built, heated dog kennels and cat chalets in Ingleby. Large, secure, grass exercise paddocks for resident dogs, allowing active or sedate to be exercised to their requirements.

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

has

with

have

are also very

and is now giving

while

Please

TOP LEFT: Thando’s friends and family releasing balloons to mark what would have been his 16th birthday.

ABOVE: The memorial tournament’s winning team, the Kobra Kars with the trophy

BELOW: Jabulani Ndlovu cuts the ribbon of Thando’s memorial bench, watched by Thando’s mother, Nom bulelo, and brother Gugu.

Wilfrid’s Barrow.

Medicinal Plants and Herbs with Lynne Tann-Watson

Saturday, 13th August

1:30pm - 3:30pm

Illuminated Calligraphy

Using 24c Gold with Sheila Smith

Saturday, 17th September

10:00am - 4:00pm

Create

Creative Writing with Alison Mott

Saturday, 8th October

10:00am - 3:00pm

Come and be inspired to put pen to paper in this wonderful 1000 year old setting.

TALKS

Wednesdays at 7:00pm £3 including light refreshments - No need to book 3rd Aug. Vikings in the East Midlands 7th Sept. The Alabaster Men of Burton 5th Oct. Saints & Rogues in Barrow upon Trent

EVENTS

For more information and booking please email stwilfridsbarrow@gmail.com

Tudor Banquet

Saturday, 3rd September 2022 7.00pm | £15 per person.

A night of merriment as the food is served, the wine is poured and music starts to play. Come in your best Tudor dress and tights (or as you are) for an evening of fun. Three course meal, bar, live entertainment.

Heritage Open Days

10.30am - 4.30pm | No need to book | FREE.

Saturday, 10th September 2022

Church Tour at 11.00am. Village tour at 2.00pm. Make a calligraphy bookmark and have a go at writing using a quill.

Sunday, 11th September 2022 Church tour at 11.00am. Village tour at 2.00pm. Corn dolly making. Tea, co ee, cake and cream teas available.

1000 AngelsCommunity Art Installation

Sat 10th - Sun 11th December 2022

10.00am – 4.00pm | FREE

The

A RECORD crowd of more than 2,600 people turned out to enjoy Melbourne’s Carni val after a two year break

The sun shone, the marchers marched, singers sang and many ice creams were eaten on a day when it was clear people just wanted to get out and enjoy themselves once again

Excitement for the day’s fes tivities began in the time hon oured way with the assembly of the floats in Castle Square

With the theme of ‘Melbourne Does Musicals’ there was plenty of opportunity for those putting floats together to show some creative flair and general fabu lousness

This they did with an array of rock stars, chimney sweeps and cheer leaders, but it was Dame Catherine Harpur School’s Al addin themed float which won the contest Melbourne Wildcats came second with their ‘Cats’ theme, and Melbourne Rugby Football Club third with ‘School of Rock’

Huge crowds lined the streets to watch carnival committee members Penny Mitchell and Tim Margett lead the way with their heroic Les Miserables marching, followed by carnival queen Isla Robertson driving in state, plus five floats, 15 motor bikes and 10 vintage vehicles

An absolute stand out was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a spe cially designed vehicle complete with wings and Tracey Ridley draped in yards of muslin as Truly Scrumptious

Welcoming people to the event on the main stage, com mittee chair Rachel Hill said: “Welcome back Melbourne we have missed you! It’s wonderful to see you all here after a two year absence ”

Rachel thanked her carnival team for organising the event,

RIGHT: Carnival Queen Isla Robertson

Eden Mousley Metcalfe

ABOVE: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mickleover Gymnastics Club in action.

BELOW: Melbourne Town Band leads the carnival parade.

Pictures by: MARTIN, LUCY and EDITH STEPHENS

Photography © Severn Trent

a record breaker!

local businesses who enthusias tically entered the shop window competition, those who took part in the procession, stall holders and food vendors who supported the day, DG Light Haulage for providing lorries, plus Melbourne Junior and In fant schools for continuing to offer the playing fields as a venue

Guest of honour John Ward officially opened proceedings with: “Ladies and gentleman, it’s my pleasure to declare Mel bourne Carnival open, and to welcome you all to this event I’m sure you will all have a great time around the stalls, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it ”

Big crowds stayed to watch a packed programme with per formances from Oakden Dance, AChoir ’d Taste, and Melbourne Town Band, followed by Lon don’s West End hit musical Jer sey Boys

In the main ring there was fiery magic from ‘Dangerous Steve’, followed by a brilliant display from the girls at Mick leover Gymnastics Club

Among many younger visi tors were Skye, Florin and Eden Mousley Metcalfe from Church Gresley, who had been on the Dame Catherine’s float Their mum, Natalie, said: “I wasn’t sure what to expect from the carnival but it’s bigger than I thought it would be ”

Winner of the shop window competition was Melanie Louise Ayland whose shop is on Derby Road

She said she loved putting to gether her musical themed dis

play celebrating the Wizard of Oz, complete with bicycle, scarecrow, red sparkly shoes and even Toto the dog, played by her own border terrier, Larry Melanie Louise, who set up her shop selling British made artisan accessories for the home just over a year ago, said: “It’s a lovely community to work and live in It was just really nice for

everybody to come together for the carnival

“I love dressing the window, I’m always changing it around “When it was the competi tion, I knew I had got a bike and I had got a dog! It was very exciting to win

“Myself and Jo Sutton, who works here, had a good giggle making the scarecrow and put ting it all together ”

ABOVE: Dame Catherine Harpur School’s winning float

BELOW: The Melbourne Wildcats float making its way through the streets.

TOP: Melanie Louise Ayland, winner of the shop window com petition.

ABOVE: The tug of war gets under way.

RIGHT: Dangerous Steve wows the crowds

VILLAGE VOICE Postbag

NDP REFERENDUM AWARENESS

I write concerning the Neighbourhood De velopment Plan (NDP) referendum re ported in the July issue, because of my great dissatisfaction with SDDC’s poor “public consultation” on the Plan late last year Who knew it had even happened? I had no idea that this consultation had taken place until my referendum card ar rived and prompted me to investigate re cent progress

NDPs have to be prepared in strict con formity with a process laid down by govern ment In accordance with the legislation, the parish council and our local NDP group carried out a first consultation on a draft of the plan, publicised in the May 2019 issue of your newspaper Then it all went quiet, lockdown happened, and the NDP seemed to go “off the boil”

The rules of NDPs require a mandatory second public consultation on an amended and updated draft, this time organised by the local authority (i e South Derbyshire District Council), using means that make public attention likely in the area con cerned Significant amendments had been made in 2020, and the consultation quietly happened late in 2021, but evidently passed most of us by

It turns out, upon investigation, that a consultation notice appeared on the SDDC

website and in a few Facebook pages, or ganisations were contacted, and a hard copy was put in the library

But, without any signposting to these places via hard print, how were ordinary residents supposed to have any reasonable chance of knowing about this important event?

A newspaper notice or news feature, at the very least, would normally be expected on such occasions, and Village Voice would have been the obvious “vehicle”

The NDP hadn’t been big news since be fore lockdown, and the referendum sud denly “crept up on us”, as one commentator put it By then it was too late to say any thing other than “yes” or “no” Comments on the draft had effectively been “disabled”

I have asked the district council for their views on the consultation, with only a hold ing reply as yet I note that the council’s “Statement of Community Involvement” talks of working with partners in the local community when undertaking publicity for consultations It talks of being inclusive, and of using press releases and leaflets, but I see no evidence of this Statement in action in our case

There is some “spin” in July’s Village Voice comparing our 18 44% voting turnout favourably with Hilton’s, which was

13 79% Hilton’s was actually one of the poorest local turnout rates I have found in a (non exhaustive) trawl of NDP referen dum results in our district and neighbour ing ones

Melbourne has a reputation for a good turnout rate for statutory public elections, so the poor showing for this one appears atypical, and may reflect the general lack of awareness and consequent reticence in the voting I certainly felt under engaged and poorly informed after the early stages of the process So did everyone else I have spoken to, unless they were actually in volved in preparing the NDP

I cannot agree that the referendum out come represents an “overwhelming” vote in favour, as trumpeted in the July issue From my perspective it was underwhelm ing and casts doubts on the effectiveness of the consultation process

Philip Heath, Blanch Croft, Melbourne

of the Parish Council

Melbourne Parish Council Chair’s Report - August 2022

In May the Parish Council elected me as Chair of the Parish Council. It is an honour to have been considered and a privilege to accept. With the help of my fellow councillors I look forward to delivering a service to you to the best of our abilities.

In July the Neighbourhood Development Plan referendum was held and I'm pleased the Plan was accepted. Yes, a disappointing turnout, which is understandable as it has been a number of years since the public were canvassed for their concerns and aspirations. Now it has been passed and in place let's make it work to our advantage.

Development Plan may be viewed via the

Council website.

had

Chapels. Movement of the gable end walls has prompted this survey, the result being that our refurbishment plans need to be changed to cover this anomaly. Fortunately it appears we have caught the issue in time.

had

followed by the recent Fete

JOYOUS NIGHT OF MUSIC

FRIDAY, July 22, was a special occasion when I attended Melbourne Assembly Rooms to see Mel bourne Operatic Society perform ‘Songs From The Shows’ What a joy to see them present this classic performance for the first time in three years due to the covid pandemic

To start the show off and to get the audience in the mood, master of ceremonies, Mike McGhee had us all ‘laughing and groaning’ in equal amounts with his now renowned ‘corny stories’ of which, one in particular sheds new light into the word ‘Fascinate’, or where Mike’s story is con cerned, ‘Fasten 8 Shiny Buttons’

The evening had so much content; the operatic society packed approximately 27 different rendi tions throughout the evening

There were super songs by the chorus, ensem ble, soloists, duets and two of the songs, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, had audience participation

Examples of superbly performed songs were: Tonight, I Know Him So Well, Over The Rainbow, Nessun Dorma, Mammia Mia, Cavatina, My Heart Will Go On and A Million Dreams, to name just a part of the programme

To close the first half of the show, we were pre sented with three songs from WS Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan’s The Sorcerer, which certainly whet the audience’s appetite It left them with ex

cited expectations for next year

This was a taster of this classic comic opera, first performed in 1877 The operatic society will perform The Sorcerer next April at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton

The evening included an interval where the so ciety’s members kindly served drinks and snacks to the audience’s tastefully decorated tables And there was also a raffle

I do not on this occasion wish to single out any individual performances, as I felt that all Mel bourne Operatic Society members deserve high praise, recognition and appreciation for a wholly superb show

As always, additional thanks to conductor and show creator, Keith Reaveley, accompanist David Henshaw and flautist, Alison Henshaw

To conclude, ‘Songs From The Shows’ was a thoughtfully designed and created programme of many classic songs and ditties

It was performed exceptionally well by an im mensely talented group of people, who devote so much of their own time to entertain many appre ciative audiences

Don’t forget to put this year ’s Christmas Con certs in your diaries: Melbourne, Thursday, De cember 15, and Castle Donington, Saturday, December 17 Rest assured, you will not be dis appointed Colin Barker

School on the up with a good report

do

Terry Summerlin Chair, Melbourne Parish Council

A ONCE troubled secondary school taking pupils from Mil ton and Findern has completely turned things around with its latest official inspection

John Port Spencer Academy in Etwall was visited by Ofsted inspectors for the first time since joining the Spencer Acad emies Trust in 2018

With nearly 2,000 pupils on

roll, the academy is one of the biggest secondaries in the coun try

The report published in July gave the school a rating of ‘good’ a dramatic improvement since it was rated inadequate before joining the trust

John Port was rated ‘good’ for its quality of education, sixth form, leadership and manage

ment, behaviour and attitudes

The only area not judged good was ‘personal development’ Academy principal Karen Squire said: “We are now con tinuing on our journey to get John Port an Outstanding rat ing on our next inspection

“Thank you for all your sup port over the past five years ”

THE wedding took place at St George's Church, Ticknall, of Rebecca, daughter of Stephen and Andrea Hancock of Tick nall, and Sam Rooth, son of Gill and Fred Rooth of Chellas ton The couple have been together since meeting at secondary school.

n A council spokesperson told Village Voice:: “The council has received a letter from Mr Heath about the Melbourne Neighbourhood Planning Referendum The council will respond as appropriate in due course ”

Village Voice welcomes

opinions.

Zade’s working to earn his trip to South Korea

A TEENAGER from a Scout group in Weston on Trent is ‘making’ his way all the way across the world after winning a spot in the globe’s biggest Scout camp.

Zade Mee, a member of the Trent Explorers Group, is keeping busy in his workshop making chess sets, skull soaps, lights made from cans and a host of other crafts to help pay for his ticket to South Korea He has been chosen as one of 3,240 young people from the UK to take part in the World Scout Jamboree from August 1 12 next year

Already skilled with his hands at the age of 14, the Long Eaton school pupil loves to make things using a range of techniques in cluding pyrography and woodworking

To help fund the £2,500 he needs to raise to go to South Korea, he held a sale of home made crafts at school, as well as standing at local fairs selling his wares and setting up his own page on Etsy

Mum Philippa said: “The school has been really good at recog nising Zade’s talent and they’ve always given him lots of positive encouragement for all the good things he has made and done ”

Zade has been selected to go to the World Scout Jamboree as one of six representatives from South Derbyshire

He will be one of 50,000 young people from almost every nation in the world taking part in the camp, a cultural and adventure fes tival in which young people will be sharing their skills

It will be the largest scout camp to be held since pre Covid

The Jamboree offers young people the chance to learn new skills that they can use in other aspects of their lives as well as campaign for change on key world issues that matter to them

Zade, of Shardlow, said: “It’s a huge opportunity Not a lot of peo ple get to do something like this at my stage in life ”

“Zade always wanted to go all over the world,” said his mum “He’s got the chance to do it really, really young It will be nice for him to see something completely different ”

Long Eaton School principal Richard Peel said: “We’re so proud of Zade for being chosen to take part in the World Scout Jamboree It’s a fantastic opportunity for him and we hope he has a great time ”

Between now and July 2023 Zade will attend training camps and team building events preparing for living on the hot and humid site in SaeManGeum, Korea

UK Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: “Congratulations to Zade and all those who have been selected to go on this amazing adventure!

World Scout Jamborees only happen every four years and tens of thousands of Scouts from across the world attend each one

“Young people will experience different cultures, languages and cuisine while learning new skills

“After two very difficult years, it is so important that these young people have this opportunity The 2023 Jamboree, hosted by Korea, is set to be one of the biggest and most exciting yet The theme is ‘Think big Dream wild Act together ’ focusing especially on how we can be trailblazers in creating a sustainable world together ”

To get in touch with Zade and find out more about where he is selling his crafts, contact roarsome crafts@gmail com

MP BACKING RAILWAY HQ BID

SOUTH Derbyshire’s MP has lent her support to the city of Derby which has been shortlisted to be the UK HQ for Great British Rail ways

The city is one of six nationally to be in the running to be chosen as the railway headquarters The others are Birmingham, York, Crewe, Doncaster and Newcastle

MP Heather Wheeler said: “As well as having a long 180 year plus rail history, what sets Derby apart is we remain home to a thriving rail ecosystem Europe’s largest rail cluster ”

Further she said: “Although we have over 800 Government jobs in Derby already, hosting GBR will be a feather in our cap with a real prospect of 100s more jobs being based locally ”

Johnny Vegas

in one of the magical glamping vintage vehicles here at Melbourne Hall this September.

by Lucy Stephens

l Zade Mee working on a home made chess set

Common Touch...

CLIMATE change and the record high temperatures we experienced in July are caused by human activity, all environmental scientists agree.

Human inaction and governments that have delayed any remedial action will just make it worse: action is re quired now.

It’s clear businesses who have influence on our polit ical system and put profit before people have brought us to this point. There are other ways to do business and still make a profit, the difference is how they make money and what they choose to do to with any profits Very little gets taught in business schools at universities about these alternatives, and those in power don’t know about them or are unwilling to promote them

The way out of the climate crisis will require large scale co-operation not acting individualistically

It’s sad to hear nothing being said from either prime ministerial candidate about climate change apart from threats to renege on current ‘green’ promises, but this is not unexpected

Whistlewood Common arose from the Transition Town movement, which realised waiting for govern ment action wouldn’t do what was needed to slow cli mate change. People started positive projects in their local areas, including community power generation schemes, solar panel buying groups, creating local cur rencies, awareness and educational events, also healthy eating and local food growing projects

In Melbourne we did some of these and then wanted a bigger space to put our permaculture principles into action We achieved this with help from supportive part ners and locals; nearly 10 years on our site is productive in growing food, fuel, environmental awareness, educa tion and wellbeing.

We cannot wait for governments of any colour and their short termism to get things moving. There needs to be citizens’ assemblies to decide on actions needed, and our Government will have to make these happen; they just can’t be trusted with long term issues. We will all have to become more active in political life, it’s our planet our life and we have to take back ownership

If you can grow your own food this can be a positive political (small ‘p’) action which should be encouraged. Food should now be grown anywhere it can be It’s a shame in Melbourne and other places that good agricul tural land gets built on. In the future this will be shown to be a mistake

We have to value our local food growers but also do what we can to grow, so join us at Whistlewood, join our co op and show people there is another way

DENYS was born in a stone cottage on Trent Lane, Kings Newton, to parents Mau rice and Esther Collyer Maurice, a market gardener, one of the hundred or so in Mel bourne at the time, ran his firm on Jawbone Lane

It was a hard life to be born into, with the depression of the 1930s making it even tougher

Denys would describe himself as a shy child who was not encouraged to excel aca demically He was interested in electronics, building radio sets from scratch, and later said he felt he was capable of greater things than to join the family firm, later renamed as M Collyer & Son

He vividly remembered the day that Mel bourne was bombed He was getting ready for school when he was ushered back in doors as the blasts rocked the town

He didn’t particularly enjoy the years after leaving school when he couldn’t get his ideas for change and progression taken seriously, but he prevailed and the business did well, investing steadily in equipment, greenhouses, land and irrigation systems

The family had been staunch supporters of the Melbourne Baptist Chapel for gener ations, and Denys attended Sunday school, marched as the standard bearer in Whit sun parades and joined the choir with his rich bass voice

As locals would say ‘he wanna frit of wok’, he could certainly graft! He was tall, strong and worked tirelessly He learned to work with horses, drive the tractor, lorry and the family car, and took dance, piano and saxophone lessons He even wrote a play, submitting it to the BBC for the radio ‘play for today’ series!

He enjoyed dances in Melbourne and Repton, and there he met his love, Lorna Redfern from Milton They were married in 1959, and set up life together in Trent Lane Son, Nigel was born in 1962, and Hayley ar rived four years later

Tragedy struck in 1972 when Lorna be came ill and died, leaving Denys with two children to look after The wider family sup ported him, with Maurice and Esther step ping up to look after Nigel, and Lorna’s sister Sheila, taking Hayley into her home

OBITUARY

choir singing events, travelling to Germany several times, and hosting German choris ters on the return visit

He was widely known as a “careful” driver, and in fact never had to buy new brakes, because he never went fast enough to wear any out! It was a mission for him to arrive at Derby market in the lorry, having never stopped at a traffic light Once he alighted his van at the market surprised to see a box of lettuce, accidentally left on the van roof still in place; no one else was sur prised however

In the 1970s he accepted the opportunity to become chairman of the local NFU branch, taking it very seriously

He joined the national vegetable growers committee, which met at grand offices in Kensington several times per year The NFU insisted on paying for first class rail travel; however, Denys found that by catch ing the 5am off peak train he could make a tidy profit and walked across London to see the sights

As the decline of market gardening in Melbourne continued, he found supplemen tary sources of income looking after large private gardens, often turning up on his tractor to make it easier and quicker He also joined the team at ‘The Depot’ in Kings Newton controlling access to the storage units and caravan parking

It was during this time that his love of singing gave him some strength and dis traction He joined Melbourne Operatic So ciety in 1972, rehearsing weekly and participating in annual productions for over 40 years He also joined the re formed Mel bourne Male Voice Choir, following in his father ’s footsteps

In 1980, Denys married Ruth, who had been working on the market garden, and he became an active stepfather to Caroline, Al ison and Sarah and a supportive step grandad Married for 42 years Ruth commented recently that he had never once raised his voice or argued with her about anything, as was his nature

They enjoyed regular holidays, often on

After retiring in his mid 70s he would be found most mornings tending Nigel’s front garden so that he could see granddaughters Lorna and Lucy as they went to the school bus and would often be back there to greet them on their return later in the day

He was also active in the local Probus group

He continued actively working until well into his 80s; but the onset of illness reduced him to inactivity for the first time in his life

To the very end, he remained true to his core beliefs and values undemanding, qui etly suffering, a decent man, a gentle man, and moreover, a Gentleman

Denys’s funeral procession fittingly took him over the bumpy fields he farmed in Kings Newton and every one of the many attendees was given a pack of radish seeds his “signature” crop

Melbourne,

Approx 16hrs a week

Wage dependant

Opportunity to increase

future. Sage experience a must. Some FileMaker experience bene cial.

Main tasks to include:

Entering supplier invoices onto Sage. Matching invoices to purchase orders.

Paying suppliers, VAT, PAYE/NI, corporation tax. Reconciling bank statements.

information or to

contact Helenhelen@pid-labelling.co.uk Tel: 01332 864895

Four wins in a row boost Ticknall

TICKNALL Cricket Club’s first team had a magnificent month of July, climbing from a relegation position to sixth in the table winning four games on the bounce.

The month didn’t start well, however, when a rain affected game against Alvaston and Boulton at The Grange resulted in a heavy defeat by eight wickets

With a little trepidation Ticknall then travelled to local rivals Swarkestone, riding high at the top of the table for their next game It did not start well as Ticknall collapsed to 14 for three, but a su perb 126 not out by Greg Cork saw them put on a competitive score of 225 for nine after their 50 overs

A tense game ensued as Swarkestone slowly crawled their way towards the total but losing wickets at regular intervals However, Ticknall stuck in there and completed a great win by three runs

The confidence taken from this success led them on and a win at home against Langley Mill by 51 runs saw the month gaining mo mentum Opening bat Paul Borrington scoring a fine 142 was the star of the win

Ticknall then travelled to Marehay and produced another com fortable win by 78 runs, the star on this occasion being Rahib Ali guiding the team with a fine 101

The final league game of the month was at home to Alrewas and produced a fourth consecutive win with a 94 run victory led by a majestic 106 off 87 balls by opening bat Tom Wood

Ticknall seconds, however, had a disappointing July, producing only one home win against Uttoxeter by five wickets

Defeats against Alvaston and Boulton, Abbots Bromley, Breadsall and a one run defeat by Swarkestone has meant improvements need to be made

Ticknall third team continue to be consistent Having played six games during July they were undefeated with three draws and three good wins Bowlers Khan, Wilson and Lucas all had five wicket hauls and batsman Howell has been a consistent performer with scores of 47, 75 and 86

Ticknall has now a distinct upbeat feel about the club and sup porters are looking forward to the month of August, but the job of retaining premiership status is not complete and the first team must continue to battle in every game to produce the results that are necessary

CALLING all runners anyone who wants to do a charity run in pretty local countryside has until the end of this month to enter the Stephen Price Memorial 10k in Aston on Trent Dubbed the ‘Pricey10k’ after the nick name of Stephen Price in whose memory the race is held, this will be the second event of its kind in the village

Stephen Price was a keen runner and resident of Aston; he died suddenly in 2018 aged only 37

The event and accompanying two mile family fun run were founded in 2019 in his memory

The two events could not be held in 2020 and 2021 because of covid

Entries are open until August 31

It is not possible to enter either event on the day

This year three charities and local groups will be benefiting from the proceeds of the run, which have been chosen by Stephen’s

daughter Freya

They are Aston School Parents Associa tion, the the PTA at Aston Primary School, where Freya will be entering year six this year; Pride Park Girls under 11 football team, for which she plays; and heart muscle charity Cardiomyopathy UK

Stephen’s widow and Freya’s mum, Michelle, said all entrants were encouraged to wear sweatbands in Stephen’s signature blue, white and red stripes if they already had these from the last event or request free sweatbands as part of their race entry

Participants are also encouraged to cross the finish line making his own ‘airplane’ move

She said: “Hopefully the race will be a big success, and it’ll be great to see everyone out there running in their red, white and blue stripes again ”

Local craftsman Bob Neill, also of Aston, has made wooden plaques for this year ’s Pricey 10k He will be on hand to engrave

the first, second and third placed 10k and fun runners medals on the day

Michelle said 10k entrants would receive a free race T shirt as part of their entry up until August 17

Race organisers are also still looking for marshals to help the event run smoothly

Please email contact@sp10k co uk if you are able to help

The Pricey 10k and family fun run are happening on September 11 with the main run setting off at 9am and the fun run at 9 05am

Both events will be starting and finishing at The Recreation Centre on Shardlow Road in Aston on Trent 10k race runners must be at least 15 years old, while the fun run is open to all ages; children aged 11 and under are asked to be accompanied by a re sponsible adult

Anyone who would like to enter or find out more can do so by looking up the event’s website: www sp10k co uk

Any

relating to this application must be made in writing to the Licensing Authority by 29 consecutive days after the date of this notice. It is an o ence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application. The maximum ne on summary conviction for this o ence is £5,000.

LEFT: Stephen Price with his airplane finish.

RIGHT: The plaques made by Bob Neill for this year ’s event.

MELBOURNE Tennis Club had a very busy month of July with more than 30 matches played

The men’s A team won both their Burton league matches 4 0 Howard Cheshire/Andy Flem ing, Gaz Haddon/Stewart Else starred in the top of the table clash with Abbots Bromley, while Howard Cheshire/Paul Hill, Andy Fleming/Andy Dawkins did the business against DL Lichfield

The men’s B team drew 2 2 with CURC as Mark Bagnall/Graham Oppenheimer earned two wins This was fol lowed by a 4 0 win against Bar ton CURC with pairings Mark Bagnall/Graham Oppenheimer and Jonny Oates/Harry Broster claiming the points

The men’s C team drew with Alrewas and then beat Barton 4 0 with the team of Paul Fox,

Andy Riley and Finn Spencer and John Mayers, which leaves them fourth in the table

The ladies A top the table in Burton league division three after a good win over Burton B with both pairs Pat Milham/Pam Oliver and Emma Guest/Lesley Heath winning all four rubbers

There was also a 4 0 win over Lichfield Friary with Lesley Heath/Karen Brenchley and Ju dith Hancock/Nicola Tomlinson winning all four rubbers

Melbourne’s ladies B team currently sit in fourth position after a great away win at Den ston with a 4 0 scoreline from Carolyn Crocker/Shirley Wind sor and Emma Guest/Mair Vater

The ladies’ B team in the Der byshire league lost their chance of promotion by losing to

D/Lloyds 5 3 with one unfin ished match as the pairings of Allison Noble and Vicky Barton, Carolyn Crocker and Shirley Windsor, Sallie Allen and Layla Sherriff couldn’t quite claim the much needed win

The club’s mixed A team in the Burton league are currently in second spot after a 4 0 win over David Lloyd with Lesley Heath/Roger Spencer and Ju dith Hancock/Andy Dawkins winning all four rubbers

The mixed B team are still top of the table and looking good to hold this with the mixed C side in third position after beating Etching Hill B 3 1 thanks to Graham Oppenheimer and Alli son Noble and Roger Spencer/Di Sylvester Lowe

Relegation fears eased after win

MELBOURNE Town first team had a tough July, but a win in their last game of the month pulled them further away from the relegation zone

They began with an eight wicket defeat at home to Hartshorne firsts Town could only amass 148 9 off their allotted overs with Mark Rossi on his return top scoring with 42 It was a total the visitors reached with ease

A week later visitors Alvaston and Boul ton seconds scored a huge 261 8 with Hamayan Wahid taking 3 19 In reply Mel bourne were 139 all out, Muhammad Nadeem top scoring with 62

Making the short trip to Swarkestone to take on their top of the table seconds the home side batted first and scored a massive 311 8 despite 4 27 from Sohail Hussain

Melbourne made a good effort in reply, finishing on 250 7 with Faisal Mehmood (82), Usama Awais (62) and Matt Barmby (44) all scoring well

Abbots Bromley were the next to visit Melbourne and batting first scored 241 all out with Nadeem (4 20) and Hussain (3 65) leading the way A collapse from 131 3 to 155 all out saw Town slump to an 85 run

by Alex Slater

defeat, Nadeem (42), Awais (35) and Barmby (30) all once again batting well

A superb knock of 92 by Nadeem sup ported by 41 from Barmby helped the first team to a respectable 241 all out in their next match The hosts Uttoxeter looked well set on 160 3 but an amazing spell of 5 57 from Nadeem ably supported by Mehmood and Hussain, who took two wick ets apiece, shot the home side out for 224 and an amazing 11 run win for the first team

Melbourne Town’s second team currently sit top of their division and cemented that spot with three wins out of four A good spell of 3 16 by Paul Scrimshaw helped restrict Alrewas to 157 8 and, in reply, 49 from Lara Shaw plus 40 not out by skipper Fraser Radcliffe took Town to a four wicket win with just 11 balls to spare Sutton on the Hill conceded to give the seconds their next win, which was soon fol lowed by a crushing eight wicket victory at home to Wootton seconds with over 16 overs to spare

The visitors could only score 126 all out as Ranjit Rathore (4 21) and James Hog wood (3 20) did the damage and in reply Sam Adcock top scored with 60, supported by 31 not out by Ash Elwell

The seconds ended the month with a win ning draw as they scored 248 3 batting first as Rathore (57 not out), Shaw (48), Scrimshaw (44 not out) and Adcock (42) all contributed but Rosehill Meths seconds in reply came very close as they finished on 243 4 with Rathore taking (3 44)

Melbourne Town third team also had a good month and began with a 48 run win away at Tutbury 4ths Town scored 200 8 batting first with Joe Jenkinson smashing 54 supported by Tony Papas (33) and Ash Elwell (33) It was Elwell (5 34), Liam Lan ders Sung (3 50) along with 2 15 from Jenkinson who shot the hosts out for just 152 The thirds smashed 280 5 a week later with Papas and Jenkinson leading the way with 66 and 62 not out respectively with Bruno Rost (50) and skipper John Collins (32) completing the scoring

Stainsby thirds could only score 134 5 in reply as Town claimed a winning draw

A day later it was skipper John Collins’ turn as he scored a remarkable century, finishing on 102 in a huge partnership with Chetan Patel (74) to score 272 4 off their allotted overs

Then youngsters Nathan Smith (3 33), Tom Bagnall (3 37) and Liam Landers Sung (3 39) all bowled well as the hosts Ash bourne were all out for 237, giv ing Town a 35 run victory

The thirds ended the month against Stainsby thirds and were bowled out for just 69 The visitors cruised home by seven wickets despite 2 6 by Will Web ster to finish the month

The club would like to thank its ball sponsors for July: Gate way Surveyor, Melbourne Fish & Chip shop, Steve Malkin, Newton Self storage, Crane & Walton Solicitors, PB Land scapes and Baggies Cricket Caps

l Melbourne Town Cricket Club’s under 13s sponsored by Lion Court