Melbourne Village Voice February 2016

MUM’S GIFT OF LIFE TO COMPLETE

by Lucy Stephens

A MELBOURNE mother has given the precious gift of life to a complete stranger by letting him have the thing he needed most –one of her own healthy kidneys.

Alison Thornhill, who works as a dispenser at Melbourne’s Well pharmacy and co-owns The Fair Trading Place, is one of only a few hundred “altruistic donors” in Britain – living people who give organs to strangers – and she volunteered to give away one of her kidneys last year.

Around 18 months before she underwent the operation in Nottingham, Alison had seen a Facebook post shared by a friend appealing for kidney donors for a young boy with no kidneys who had been on the waiting list for several years and was having to undergo dialysis for 12 hours at a time.

Alison (pictured at work) said the post “struck a chord” with her and she rang up the hospital the following day to see if she would be eligible to donate.

Sadly, after undergoing tests in Nottingham, it was found she was not a match for Matthew Pietrzyk, whose story has since featured in national newspapers.

Matthew, 10, has now waited for seven years for a new kidney after both his had to be removed because of the congenital nephrotic syndrome from which he suffers. His mother tried to give him one of hers but his body rejected it.

Alison said she was “very disappointed” when she found she was not a match for young Matthew. But she decided to go ahead and carry on having

the tests necessary for the operation anyway in the hope that someone else could benefit.

She said: “I’d got that far to donate to a little boy I’d never met, it seemed logical to see if there was anybody else.”

Alison underwent a day of tests at Nottingham City Hospital – “there are a lot of tests but they are not invasive” –and, having been given the green light, underwent the procedure on September 23 last year.

The operation went well and she was in hospital for a week and then off work for the next six, suffering with the main side effect of kidney donation, tiredness.

But now Alison is back at work and feeling as well as ever.

Then, just after Christmas, came the icing on the cake: letters from the man who had received her kidney and his mother, thanking Alison for her “selfless act” in giving “this amazing gift of life”.

The recipient told how he had suffered from renal failure since he was six, and now had a 12-year-old son whom he struggled to spend time with because of his illness. On hearing the news that an altruistic donor had been found, he said “I started to shake and my legs turned to jelly”.

The letter went on to say: “…I thank you for this amazing gift of life: still to this day it blows my mind; I think about what might have made you come to this decision and how amazing a person you must be.”

A further letter to Alison from the recipient’s mother told how she, as with Matthew’s case, had tried to donate her own kidney but it wasn’t a match.

She said: “I don’t know if you’re a parent yourself, but if you do have children you’ll have experienced the uncontrollable need to protect them and keep them safe… A mother’s love may be the most powerful force in this world but in this case, as I wasn’t a match for him, I was powerless…You were a stranger who, as a positive match for a transplant, did have the power and ability to help him…”

Alison said, in the words of her husband Tim, the letters were “the perfect end”.

She said: “A couple of weeks of discom

Continued on Page 12

Road closure nightmare –Page 3

shed –Page 7

Helping people to go digital

PEOPLE from South Derbyshire are being given an opportunity to brush up on their digital skills.

The “Dig-It” project from South Derbyshire’s Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB) was kickstarted last year when research showed that 20,000 people in the county had never been on the Internet – a worrying statistic in today’s information age.

Swadlincote-based CAB team launched Dig-It which offers free sessions throughout the area. These sessions give people the opportunity to learn about a range of digital skills, including online shopping, using a smartphone, doing job searches, Skype and Microsoft packages including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.

Two sessions have already been held in Melbourne Library and the next one is planned for 10.30am on Friday, February 19.

Also available this month are two sessions at Swadlincote Library on Monday, February 15, at 11.30 am and Monday, February 29, at 11.30am.

n A COFFEE morning to raise funds for the charity Childreach International was organised by Ellie Bickerton (seen here shaking hands with Derby’s Deputy Mayor Mark Tittley) in conjunction with Elvaston Communities Group.

Also in the photograph are communities group committee members Carole Griffiths and Eve Wilson, local residents Ruth and Rebecca Grace and Indu Chera, who demonstrated her skincare products. Ellie raised over £401 towards her target.

University students raising money for the charity will be travelling to Tanzania to build a school in a very poor area.

AIRPORT

SMASHES

CARGO tonnage handled by East Midlands Airport in 2015 outperformed its annual record for the second year running.

The airport handled a total of 322,918 tonnes during the calendar year, a 4.5% increase on the previous year, which was the busiest in the airport’s 50-year history.

In particular, December was a record month and the first time in a single month that cargo throughput exceeded 30,000 tonnes.

ITS CARGO RECORD

Andy Cliffe, Managing Director at the airport, said: “These recent figures are very welcome, especially just one week after we have held our jobs fair, where we showcased over 350 available positions across the airport site, in particular with DHL and UPS.

“The airport plays a major role in regional growth and economic benefit, particularly in the provision of jobs, and the cargo side of our business is one that is seeing significant growth.”

Witnesses sought for Argos van theft

WITNESSES are being asked to come forward after an Argos delivery van was stolen from Aston-on-Trent, under the nose of the driver.

The Mercedes Sprinter Argos van was parked on Moor Lane in Aston at around 9am on the morning of Friday, January 15, when it was stolen.

The driver had got out of the vehicle when a thief jumped in and drove it away, the parcels waiting for delivery still inside.

A meeting of the Melbourne Area Forum heard how several local people had witnessed the incident and tried to dial the police on 101 in order to catch the thief red-handed, but could not get through.

Reports as to exactly what happened vary, but – according to the police report – the driver was approached by a man while he was getting out of his van, who shoved him out of the way.

The offender was described as around 5ft 10ins, in his 30s, clean-shaven at the time of the inci-

dent and wearing a blue woolly hat, black jacket and jeans. The van was later found on Chellaston Lane. It was empty.

Argos said its representatives were “working with the local police to investigate the incident”.

Responding to claims that several people had tried to report the theft while it was going on but could not get through on 101, a spokesman for Derbyshire Constabulary said: “We are sorry that the callers in this incident experienced a delay in the 101 phones being answered.

“There are times when the call centre is taking a large number of calls and, on those occasions, we are unfortunately unable to answer some calls as quickly as we would like.

“However, we would always urge people to keep trying on the 101 number if they have information on an offence, or 999 if an offence is occurring there and then.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call 101, quoting crime number 2139/16.

–Lucy Stephens

Road closure causes 12-mile diversion

by Lucy Stephens

THOUSANDS of workers and school children have been enduring double commute times as repairs continue on a burst water pipe which has shut the main road between Melbourne and Derby.

Secondary school-age children have been having to get up extra early to catch buses into Chellaston Academy. These are running nearly half an hour earlier than normal – with the earliest pick-up times starting at 7.20am – to cope with a 12-mile diversion route.

A letter from the academy to parents revealed that teachers had only been told about the closure of the A514 two days before contractors were due to start work.

Deputy head Steve Ellis in the letter thanked parents “for your support in circumstances which are beyond our control”.

Businesses in the area have also reported a massive drop in trade because of the closure.

Becks Field, plant area manager from Swarkestone Nursery, said things were “very quiet” on the second day of the road being closed, but added that several customers had made a special effort to make the longer trip to show their support for the garden centre.

Brendan O’Neill, owner of Melbournebased Midlands Music Services which runs music lessons for 142 children, has staff travelling from Derby to this area to teach. He said: “I’m working with it – we’ve just had to prepare the staff and get them used to the diversions. I can’t see it being anybody’s fault – it’s essential repair work and I’d rather be a little bit longer or my staff be late for a few lessons than fall in a

sewer.”

Anne Heathcote, chair of Barrow-uponTrent Parish Council, said that people living locally were having to make 35-mile round trips to get into Derby while the work was carried out, but added: “It’s just a pain, but we know it’s only two weeks and not two years. It’s one of those things that has just got to happen.”

John Harrison, district councillor for Melbourne, said: “In essence, it’s an incident that could not have been anticipated and everyone is now doing their best to repair it and get things back to normal as quickly as possible.”

Severn Trent said that the damage to the pipe was found about a week before the

road was shut, with the water supplier obliged to take a few days to negotiate with the council’s highways department and inform customers before taking the decision to close the A514.

Zelia Lyne, from Severn Trent, said: “We’d like to apologise to anyone affected by this work, but it’s absolutely necessary to do these repairs to avoid the damage getting worse and sewage leaking into the area, which could cause flooding and pollution for our customers.

“We’ve been out and spoken to local businesses, farmers and staff at Chellaston Academy to tell them what we’re doing. We’ll keep everyone informed as work progresses and we’re really grateful for their

understanding and patience.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to reassure our customers that we have the situation under control and repairs to the pipe are ongoing. We’ll get everything back to normal as quickly as we can. Again we’d like to apologise for any inconvenience.”

Engineers have been working from 7am to late evening to carry out the work, but not through the night.

To call Severn Trent for further information or about other water-related emergency, dial 0800 783 4444.

HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW

We can help with marketing, promotions and recruitment needs for businesses big and small. To discuss your advertising requirements or how we can help you, please contact Nicola Mortimer on 07584 025852 or email ads@melbournevillagevoice.co.uk

l FIT Fat Blokes – a get fit course run in Melbourne by Mark Rotherham –has been going since 1999. The group’s oldest dedicated member is 69. Each session consists of one hour circuit training and the blokes have fun whilst getting fit.

NEWS in brief

n LIVE theatre returns to Melbourne Assembly Rooms on February 11 at 7.30pm when Red Earth Productions present their version of Oliver Twist, courtesy of Live and Local.

n A 50-year-old who illegally dumped packaging and cardboard in South Derbyshire has been told to pay more than £1,700 by a court.

The Stapenhill resident, fly-

tipped the commercial waste on land off John Street, Church Gresley, in March last year.

n MELBOURNE Rugby Club will be holding one of its special marquee events on March 5 when the 1st XV will play their fixture against Bakewell at Cockshut Lane at 3pm. This will be followed by the under 14s match at 5pm.

The marquee bar will be open

from 12.30pm and will be open all day. Live music will be provided by Agent Utah from 8pm and there will be hot food.

The club is hoping for lots of support from the public for this free event.

n THE next meeting of the SDDC Overview and Scrutiny Committee will take place in Melbourne Assembly Rooms on Wednesday, February 10 (6pm).

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Country Living

with Robert Parker

IT is the second day of February and I am wondering what happened to January – and I’m sure loads of people are thinking the same.

When you were still in school and in later teenage years, January lasted an eternity, but in old age it just flies by.

Today the sun is shining brightly and, although there’s a very strong wind, it’s mild and you start to think of spring.

Having been into the fields they seem to be drying up and we are very anxious to get out there and get the show on the road. A large backlog is building up as the wet winter has kept us confined to the yard.

A large acreage of crops has to be sown and crops in the ground need nutrients and weed and disease control as soon as they are ready. We’re not going to be short of work in the near future.

n A lot of controversy is being generated by the new technology of “fracking” for oil throughout

the country. I admit to not knowing a lot about the process, but I would say that gathering energy without disturbing large areas of land has to be an attractive proposition.

Quite a few sites have been identified in Derbyshire and are at the planning stage, but of course not all will succeed.

Just think of the disturbance caused by opencast coalmining in the past in our area. More recently wind turbines and field scale solar panels are very visually intrusive, although I think the turbines don’t look out of place.

Most of these industries need government subsidy to succeed and this is being gradually reduced as capacity is filled.

Of course, the drop in crude oil prices in recent years is making the new ideas not as viable, but I think this will only be temporary. We must continue to search for renewable sources of energy that don’t damage and pollute our countryside.

n SPRING is bustin' out all over, as these daffodils snapped in a King’s Newton garden can testify. They are a fine witness to a mild winter and a very early spring.

People will say that winter isn't finished yet, as both February and March still may come to bite us, but "the golden daffodils dancing in the breeze" are still a sight to gladden the heart, and lighten the dark days.

Bob’s works of art

BOB Neill from Aston on Trent is one of the leading exponents of pyrography in the UK. He has demonstrated in the USA, Belgium, Germany and as far away as The Falkland Islands.

On a more local note he is exhibiting his work at the Ferrers Gallery, Staunton Harold, until March 20.

He can be seen demonstrating his craft at the gallery on February 14 from noon till 3pm, and can be contacted on 01332 792036 or via e-mail bob.neill1@btinternet.com

Pictured is an example of Bob’s work.

(Pyrography is the art of decorating wood or leather by burning a design on the surface).

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l AS a surprise for the pupils of Aston on Trent School and paid for by ASPA (the school’s PTA group) a local mobile planetarium was set up to teach and inspire the children about the stars, planets and space. This is a followup to the live launch they watched of Major Tim Peake’s space trip. Pictured are Katie, Izzy, Dylan, Archie, Lily and Rees.

Affordable housing aimed at local people

REPRESENTATIVES from Trent & Dove Housing Association, Ursula Bennion (Chief Executive Officer) and Alison Millard (Lettings Manager) were present at the meeting to inform the council of the current situation in Melbourne regarding the provision of affordable housing for rent and shared ownership.

Trent & Dove HA has worked with the district council on sites in South Derbyshire with the objective of locating people from local areas in housing available locally taking into account the balance of social needs in an endeavour to get it right.

The association has housing officers dedicated to local areas and, as part of its broader objectives, provides various peripheral services, including family support, to assist in the tenancy.

With regard to the new development in King’s Newton, the housing association has taken on board 21 dwellings. In the first stage of occupancy of 10 properties, all but one tenant has a connection with Melbourne and one with South Derbyshire.

Within that number, three tenants have entered into shared ownership agreements.

For the next phase of 11 properties, there are already three shared ownership agreement applications, but allocation of properties will not take place until nearer the handover date in August and will be subject to the declared requirements at the time.

It is the intention of Trent & Dove HA that all properties in its portfolio will remain as affordable rental properties.

n District councillor John Harrison informed the meeting of several issues, the first being that it is likely that there will be an increase in Council Tax by two percent.

n The topic of a combined authority, linking Derby, Derbyshire and the district councils with their opposite numbers in Nottinghamshire is not a done deal.

Submitted as an East Midland application, it has been renamed North Midland because of the exclusion of Leicestershire.

The Derbyshire group is very unhappy with the proposals, especially with regard to the requirement for an elected mayor.

n There have been changes introduced at the Severn Trent Water station above the reservoir in the

TOM MILLS reports from the Febuary meeting of Melbourne Parish Council

use of certain chemicals.

An alarm signal was sounded every month to warn of a chlorine gas escape and the danger it meant for the town. This monthly signal was a test only and required no action.

There has not been a test signal for some time and, following enquiries, it has been advised that an alternative chemical is now used – hypochlorite – which is much safer and does not result in toxic gasses. Hence a warning signal is no longer required.

n The question of maintenance of the road forming The Crescent in Melbourne has been under discussion for some time, and Cllr Harrison gave the latest information.

Unadopted roads are not maintained by any local authority. Residents of the road are each responsible for a section of the road equivalent to the width of their frontage. In similar situations throughout the UK, residents form their own committees and engage legal support to come to a resolution.

Other points from the meeting:

l Following the resignation of Cllr Rose Minifie, the role has been advertised and applications were due by February 5.

l Neighbourhood Development Plan Open Day will take place at the Assembly Rooms on February 20, 10.00am to 2.00pm.

l The Safer Neighbourhood meeting resolved to allocate £2,500 towards CCTV improvements in Melbourne. Concern was expressed by local parish councils that there is not enough communication feedback from the police on progress being made about incidents known to the public.

l The budget has been set for 2016/17 with a precept of £65100. This is an increase of 3%.

l The cemetery chapel is to be used for at least four events during the year. The first will be on Mothering Sunday, March 6, between 10am and 1pm.

LOCAL

MP Heather Wheeler was in Melbourne in January to visit manufacturing business Positive ID, and take a tour of the facilities.

The visit was arranged to coincide with the commissioning of a new Jetrion 4900 digital printing press and laser cutting finishing equipment and to declare the £330,000 machine fully operational.

Positive ID has grown from strength to strength over the last five years, benefiting from government initiatives and schemes including apprenticeships and growth fund initiatives.

The company has more than doubled its workforce and sales in the last five years in a very competitive market and during difficult economic times.

Manufactured by EFI, the inkjet print technology and the laser station allows for any size or shape to be manufactured in a single process, rather than in multiple operations.

Commenting on the investment, John Mayers said: “The Jetrion allows us to deliver high quality full colour labels to our customers in a fraction of the time of normal analogue/flexo print methods.

“We remain dedicated to investment in the business and improving lead times and quality for our customers and this machine is a step towards that goal.”

Pictured poised to cut the ribbon are (l-r): John Mayers (Managing Director PID Labelling), Heather Wheeler and Wendy Earp, chair of Melbourne Parish Council.

Sub-station row may be sorted

A LONG-RUNNING wrangle over where to put a sub-station supplying electricity to 350 homes in Melbourne looks set to be concluded soon.

Western Power Distribution need a four metre square piece of land in the village in order to re-

site one of their sub stations, which is currently situated near the High Street.

The station, which measures about two metres square, needs to be within a certain distance of the old one so that Melbourne’s electricity supply does not fall below statutory levels.

WINTER WALKS TO WARM YOU UP

FOR those who enjoy their winter walking and are keen to try new or different walks in the company of other like-minded souls there are a range of organised events available to enjoy in the next couple of months.

Thursday, February, 11 at 1.30pm: the Dimminsdale Snowdrops Walk. This follows a circular route to view Dimminsdale snowdrops and return through Calke Abbey estate. Meet at Circular car park, Calke village SK375227 at the northern end of the cul de sac above Staunton Harold Reservoir. The walk is approximately three miles. Dogs are not allowed. The walk leader is Dot Morson and the charge is £2.

Saturday, February 20: Winter Wonderland Walk, at Rosliston Forestry Centre. Meet at 1:45am for a 2pm start in main foyer at Rosliston Forestry Centre, Burton Road, Rosliston DE12 8JX. Walk approximately two miles, cost £2.50 per person (includes hot chocolate).

Thursday, March 3, 10am: A Different Flavour of the Forest. Begining along part of the National Forest Way and continuing to the villages of Caldwell and Linton. Return is via Top Wood. Panoramic views & spring flowers should add interest. Meet at Honeypot Tearooms, Rosliston 10.00am for coffee & to order lunch before starting the walk at 10.30 am DE12 8HZ SK250161. No dogs please. The walk is approximately five miles and is led by Dot Morson. Cost is £2 per person.

But the debate over where to put the new sub-station has been rumbling on for at least 18 months.

Representatives from South Derbyshire District Council, which owns a lot of land in the village, have been working with Western Power to try to find a spare corner of land in the village but more than ten locations have been put on the table and rejected as unsuitable.

One site, on the corner of Quick Close and George Street, was put forward, but local residents felt it was too near their homes.

The Village Voice understands that an alternative location nearby has now been found.

A South Derbyshire District Council spokesman said: “A potentially suitable site has been identified and fresh terms have been issued to Western Power Distribution in the hope of concluding negotiations.”

l A group of children from Maple class are pictured with the Golden Trainer for having completed the furthest distance in that week. They are back row, l-r: Cameron, Lucas and Lucy; front row: Charis, Evie, Stanley and Henry.

They’re on the road to Rio

THE countdown to this year’s Olympic Games has begun – and nowhere more than at Melbourne Junior School where pupils have been challenged to run every step of the way, quite literally.

Children at the school are between them undertaking to jog the entire 9,000 kilometres distance between our South Derbyshire village and the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where this year’s Olympic Games are being held.

Under the scheme, organised by school PE coordinator Jim Jenkinson, each class must run 1,000 kilometres, with children aiming to complete a kilometre a week.

The young runners at the school, aged between

seven and 11, compete to win a coveted Golden Trainer, which is presented weekly to the class whose members have clocked up the greatest distance, which they do largely in weekly batches of laps round the school playground.

Children and staff have also been given the opportunity to add extra distance during their time off, either by walking, running, cycling or swimming.

After three weeks, according to the map, the children have already reached the Bay of Biscay on their arduous journey.

Such is the enthusiasm for the project, there has been speculation that they may even arrive early ...

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THERE IS a small yet important part of Snowdonia sitting here in Melbourne … and it is unlikely you could ever guess what it might be.

Standing in pride of place in Terry Statham’s workshop is part of one of the heritage steam engines from the Snowdon Railway Company. And it could not be more at home, nestled in Ramsley between the site of the King’s Newton military railway yard and the old Melbourne Station.

Terry’s services were called upon through the railway company’s insurers, as the boiler was starting to show signs of corrosion, despite being only around 25 years old.

“I am in a bit of a niche market,” said Terry “as there are very few of us around who have the skills and experience to do this kind of work.”

The job has entailed cutting through the “barrel” (the bit the chimney sits on) to separate it from the firebox. A completely new and thicker steel barrel has been manufactured and it will need to be welded back together before all the fittings for pipes are restored.

“My specialist skill is in high pressure welding,” explained Terry, “which is essential for repairing pressured vessels like this one.”

Terry said his work is not just a business, it’s a hobby and a lifestyle, and he is often found in his workshop very late into the day.

After serving an apprenticeship at Aiton’s of Derby and then 15 years at a power station, his passion for steam engines was awoken one day at a traction rally.

“That was it,” he said. “I was hooked!”

Being made redundant at a difficult time for the family, he decided that he would set up on his own. Now, aged 57, he is in his element surrounded by chunks of steel, industrial machinery and heavy lifting gear.

“Traction engines, steam boats and locomotives are my main work, making and repairing boilers; whereas most places just

make from new, I can repair them,” he said. His work has been exported as far away as New Zealand and Australia.

The steam engine should be back in working order by mid-March after its re-fit, ready to haul passengers five miles up the

and for the 120th anniversary year of the service.

–

iconic mountain, with gradients of 1 in 5, for the spectacular views over Snowdonia,

Frank Hughes

l Barrel of laughs ... Terry Statham in his workshop.

£750 prizes for top talent

MELBOURNE Festival has just launched its 2016 Emerging Talent competition, with a total of £750 in prize money to award.

The competition has become an integral part of the festival, designed to involve young adult artists in the annual event and support them both financially and with mentoring.

It is aimed at those aged 18 to 25, studying or having recently completed studies in the creative arts and who live, work or study in the East Midlands.

Festival director Sharon Brown said: “I am delighted that we are able to continue to promote the Emerging Talent competition and we are hoping it will again attract a high standard of entry. Its reputation as a prestigious award is continuing to grow.”

In addition to the £500 first prize, the winner will be invited to exhibit work at

the 2017 Festival, and this year he/she will have the benefit of mentoring from Luke Tarpey, of the Tarpey Gallery in Castle Donington.

The focus of the competition is fine art work, but it is open to artists working in various media such as textiles and photography.

Over the past two years the shortlist has included graphite drawings, oil and watercolour paintings, embroidery, photography and mixed media.

The theme for this year is “Our World” which is sufficiently broad to give artists an opportunity to use their imagination.

Full details of the competition are being circulated to universities, colleges and sixth forms, and are available online at www.melbournefestival.co.uk/emerging-talent-award

The closing deadline for proposal entries is March 14.

Having your say on local matters

MELBOURNE’S Neighbourhood Development

Plan meetings continue to take place regularly and a drop-in event is being held on Saturday, February 20, from 10am-2pm at Melbourne Assembly Rooms. This is an opportunity for

HE’S GOTTA LOTTA BOTTLE...

local residents to express their views on current issues facing Melbourne and, more importantly, to let the team know how you see the Melbourne of the future.

The group currently involved with the Neighbourhood Development Plan is

seeking volunteers to help organise and run meetings, design and conduct surveys.

If you are interested in helping in any way you can contact Steve Spear at steve.spear@gmail.com or call him on 01332 865054.

BURNS Night came and went with only a small number of public events to mark the occasion locally. The Dragon at Willington was one of the few venues to celebrate with a Burns Night dinner. The evening included entertainment and also featured the tradition of piping in and addressing the Haggis.

An alternative form of entertainment took place at Hansons Auctioneers. What better way to celebrate Burns Night than with a few bottles of whisky to accompany your haggis?

In this case, miniature bottles, of course. For collectors or drinkers who like a wee dram from time

Retirement living & property options in

to time, Hansons Auctioneers auctioned an exceptional private collection of whisky miniatures on January 25.

Collected over a 40-year period, it represents almost every distillery in Scotland with some very rare and old examples. Many whiskies were distilled in the 1960s and 70s, some aged up to 50 years and all in miniature bottles.

The Johnstone Collection was auctioned as individual lots and raised £15,000.

Specialist valuer John Keightley is pictured with the collection.

Throughout the day there will be the following presentations which you are welcome to attend.

10.30 Dr Carol Holland, Director of & 14.00 Research for Healthy Ageing at Aston University

11.30 Paul Jackson,

Aston’s booster for butterflies

BUTTERFLY populations across Britain may be taking a nosedive but a conservation project in Aston-on-Trent is managing to boost numbers, including a species once feared extinct.

Conservationists say that increased use of pesticides and fewer wild flowers in the countryside are to blame for the sharp decline in the country’s butterflies over the past 40 years.

But, thanks to the efforts of hard-working volunteers at the former brickyard site in Aston, numbers are gradually on the up – in their small corner of South Derbyshire at least.

The Friends of Aston Brickyard Plantation (FAB) formed in 2012 to transform the centuriesold former quarry into a peaceful wildlife haven.

Derbyshire butterfly recorder Ken Orpe and wife Pat, who have been a conducting a weekly count on the site between April 1 and September 30 since the year 2000, have found that since the conservation group started in 2012 butterfly numbers have more than doubled from 537 to 1,087 last year.

There was a high of 1,514 butterflies in 2005, plunging to a low of 461 in 2011 – but since the conservationists have had a hand in the once overgrown site, numbers have been steadily on the increase again.

Another success story is the numbers of species recorded there, from 2000 when 19 species were recorded, to 2015 when 24 of the 25 species ever seen there were spotted.

One of Britain’s rarest butterflies, the White Letter Hairstreak, is managing to find one of its few survival areas at the site. The Hairstreak has suffered a 96 per cent decline in numbers across the country over the last 40 years, mainly due to Dutch elm disease, and at one point it was feared to have become totally extinct.

But Aston is home to the Wych Elm, whose sucker growth allows the hairstreak to survive, and volunteers have also planted disease resistant elms to try to help.

One of the most striking butterflies to populate the British countryside, the Common Blue, is also recovering with 35 seen last year – having been all but lost on the site in 2012.

This year the FAB group aims to plant a wildflower meadow and pond at the site. Ken said butterflies were an important indicator of the general health of the countryside, “a bit like the canaries were for the miners”.

He said: “No butterflies means that the countryside is in trouble, including probably too much pesticide being used.

“A wildflower meadow will provide nectar for the butterflies and some of the plants will provide food for certain caterpillars as well. The pond will add biodiversity to the site to attract frogs, newts and dragonflies.”

A butterfly bank has been created at the Der-

byshire County Council owned site to further encourage survival, with 90 tonnes of sub soil provided by Aston’s Dave Frost, 20 tonnes of limestone given by Longcliffe Quarries, and machinery also provided free by another local businessman.

More volunteers are always welcome to help FAB carry on its conservation work. They meet Derbyshire County Council countryside officer Steve Cresswell on the second Tuesday of the month from 10am to 1pm.

Work is varied and includes widening footpaths, cutting back brambles and building bug hotels. The next meeting is on March 8. The group has a Facebook page which contains plenty of information, and anyone interested in the Butterfly Conservation charity can find out more on http://butterfly-conservation.org

– Lucy Stephens

TOP: The Brown Argus (photo: Brian Johnson). ABOVE: The Common Blue (photo: Colin Bowler).

LEFT: The White Letter Hairstreak (photo: Colin Bowler).

David and Patrick Smith would like to thank family and friends for their support and kindness following the sad death of their mother, Margaret Smith, aged 89 years.

Also thank you to The Reverend Brian Norris and The United Reformed Church for a lovely service, John Springthorpe for their care and professionalism and Melbourne Royal British Legion.

Christian Rose

Photos of places that could win you prizes

THE National Trust in the Midlands is launching a photographic competition to encourage people to share what inspires them about the special places they look after in the region.

This is a chance to win one of five £100 vouchers courtesy of their official recommended outdoor retail partner, Cotswold Outdoor.

The Midlands offer a huge variety of special landscapes and places to enjoy and explore, many of which have provided inspiration over the years.

The competition is free to enter. All you have to do is show what inspires you at a National Trust place in the Midlands.

All entries must be submitted by social media, either via the National Trust Midlands Facebook page (National Trust in the Midlands) or Twitter account (@NTMidlands) and include the hashtag #NTMidsInspire

The closing date for all entries is 11.59pm on Sunday, February 28, and full terms and conditions can be found at: http://bit.ly/1njdfvm

Carnival countdown starts here

MELBOURNE Fete and Carnival is in safe hands once more following the first committee meeting of the year.

Under the chairmanship of Tracey Ridley, the role of secretary is filled by Gemma Bettelley and the treasurer is Andy Parish.

The date for this year’s event has been set for July 9, and the theme is ‘Once upon a time…’

Prior to the Carnival, the Miss Melbourne event will again be held at the Melbourne Royal British Legion Club on Friday, May 13.

Tracey Ridley said: “With some new mem-

bers joining the committee this year, we have a full team, to plan another fantastic day.

The event will include the procession, stalls, stage events, arena acts … and much more.

The new carnival committee members pictured (l-r) are: back row –– Rhona Kirkham, Bex Stead, Gemma Holden, Andy Owens, Sarah Stainthorpe and Edward Ridley; front row – Emily Starkie, Ali Staley, Tracey Ridley, Rachel Hill and Gemma Bettelley.

Missing from the picture is Andy Parish.

Celebrating with Rams’ ticket offer

THIS year's South Derbyshire Day will take place on Tuesday, February 23.

The theme will be a celebration of volunteering, recognising those who have made a notable contribution within the voluntary sector helping to provide one of many services to the community.

The celebration of South Derbyshire and the contribution made by its volunteers will take place at the home of promotion-chasing Derby County Football Club.

For the second time, SDDC will be celebrating South Derbyshire with an evening match – kicking–off at 7.45pm.

This will be Derby County’s sixth local area affinity day, with the match events programme used to celebrate the district of South Derbyshire.

Discounted tickets to watch the Rams’ clash with Blackburn Rovers are on offer as part of the annual event, when those who freely give up their time will be recognised both in the match day programme and during the game on the iPro Stadium pitch.

Paul Clement’s high-fliers have ambitions of securing promotion to the Premier League this season and will be hoping to take all three points.

Those living and working in South Derbyshire can purchase tickets priced at £17.50 for adults,

£12.50 for over-65s, £9 for under-18s and £5.50 for those aged under 12 by visiting Swadlincote Tourist Information Centre, based at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, in West Street, or by calling 01283 222848.

These specially priced tickets are not available direct from Derby County.

Cllr Bob Wheeler, Leader of South Derbyshire District Council, said: “The work of our volunteers plays a vital part in the community, but we know they don’t do it for the recognition.

“However, South Derbyshire Day gives us the perfect opportunity to say thank you in a very public way, to show them exactly how much we value their efforts.

“As always, our thanks go to Derby County for their kindness in assisting us.

Derby County President and Chief Executive Sam Rush said: “Derby County has worked closely with South Derbyshire District Council in recent years to stage South Derbyshire Day at the iPro Stadium and we’re pleased to be doing so once again in 2016.

“It’s a great initiative for the local community and I am sure it will, as ever, prove to be a popular event.”

Chance to learn to play the drums

ARE you over 16 and like drumming? If so, there is something that might interest you taking place at Markeaton Park Craft Vil-

lage over the next few months.

A series of drumming sessions are planned, one each month from 7pm-8.30pm.

The next session will be held

on Wednesday, February 24, and then every four weeks. No drumming experience is necessary and spare drums are available for use in the session.

EAST Midlands Airport has held its second ‘Big Job Fair’ in the Check-in Hall at the Passenger Terminal Building and an additional job fair at the Clifton Cornerstone some days later.

With more than 350 jobs up for grabs with a number of different companies based at the airport, the events attracted 1,100 visitors.

The vacant positions focussed around passenger services, concentrated on serving passengers flying in and out of the airport, including airlines, check-in agents, shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and the airport itself.

There is no feedback yet on how many of the 350 vacancies have been filled, some of which are seasonal posts, but last

year’s event was successful in recruiting applicants to fill all the vacancies and successfully fill over 1,250 jobs across the course of the year.

The airport also has its own academy, a dedicated employment and education facility for adults, which works with partners, Stephenson College and Job Centre Plus.

Tutors from the college were on hand to talk about the academy and how it could benefit local people who are currently unemployed.

The academy aims to help unemployed people in the East Midlands region develop their workplace skills and give them the opportunity to apply for the vacancies on site at the airport.

350 jobs at airport Warehouse complex to go ahead

DESPITE many objections, a massive warehousing complex near Castle Donington, which could create 7,000 jobs, has been given the green light.

East Midlands Gateway is a proposed Strategic Rail Freight Interchange on a site north of East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire. The site is being promoted by, and would be developed by, Roxhill (Kegworth) Ltd.

Associated with the scheme will be large scale road improvements and a new direct rail link connecting to the existing Castle Donington branch freight line, providing access to the national rail freight network and to the UK’s major ports.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has not personally been involved in this decision because of his potential interest, since his constituency is near to the site. The decision has in practice been taken by the Minister of State for Transport, Robert Goodwill, but the decision has by law to be made in the name of the Secretary of State.

Roxhill will build the development on farmland north of the airport and west of junction 24 of the M1.

There will be 10 warehouses along with a freight terminal which will handle up to 16 trains per day, alongside container storage and HGV parking.

n THE 2016 Melbourne Quiz got off to a good start at the Royal British Legion Club.

The first two teams took to the stage with Andy’s Army (pictured on the left), officials Phil Dobby (timekeeper) and John Elliott (question

master) and (on the right) Three Owls and a Mole.

The remaining first round competitions will take place on February 5 and 12 with second round games on February 19 and 26. A draw for the quarter-finals competition will be

made after the second round is completed with games taking place on March 4 and finals night on March 11.

Quiz nights start at 7.30 prompt, so go along and support your team –it’s always good fun.

n LADIES from Breedon Women’s Institute finished the year off in style with a special invitation to visit the ballet at Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

Ten lucky ladies joined other WI members from around the country for a trip backstage and a fantastic performance of the Nutcracker.

Breedon WI returns to its usual meeting schedule on the last Wednesday of the month – 7.30pm in the community room at St Hardulph School.

Society back in focus

MELBOURNE Photographic Society will be holding its first photo exhibition and coffee morning on February 20 (10am-noon) in the Thomas Cook Memorial Hall. All will be welcome to attend and enjoy a coffee and a cake and view the members’ work.

Scissors sister Vicky blow waves goodbye

by Lucy Stephens

A MUCH-LOVED Melbourne hairdresser has finally put her scissors away after more than 45 years working in the same village salon.

Vicky Bosworth, 59, was only 14 when she first started working at the hairdressers on Melbourne’s High Street, next to Dove’s Garage.

At that time she was working for her elder sister Sandra, who had taken over the premises from Norman Dove’s sister, Joy.

Now Vicky has bid an emotional farewell to generations of local customers who have been coming to see her for all that time, some of them having been clients even before she started.

She says: “I can’t begin to thank them for all their kindness and generosity, and all the good wishes.

“Because Melbourne is a small village, all my customers I know and I look on them as friends. I’ve had ladies here who have brought in their children and now those children are bringing in their children – it just carries on.

“I have loved it. I know I will miss that side of it, but I won’t miss the standing up!”

When Vicky started shampooing clients in 1971, she and her sister used to lay coal fires before the appointments started at 9am. When she was undergoing her three-year training in Derby, apprentice hairdressers learned to curl hair by heating tongs in the flame of a Bunsen burner! They would then test the hot tongs on greaseproof paper; if it singed, then the tongs were too hot.

Fashionable hairstyles for ladies in the 1970s were feather cuts, with hair cut close to the top of the head and feathered out at the sides. Women would aspire to look like British

supermodel Twiggy, who championed the style.

But while fashions come and go, hairstyles over the decades are often interesting indicators of deeper social change.

Vicky notices a more relaxed attitude to hair nowadays, with women unafraid to tell the world they dye their hair by experimenting with more dramatic shades – whereas in the 70s and 80s, women would colour their locks as close to their natural shade as possible so as to hide the grey, but would “rather die” than tell anyone they were doing it.

“You didn’t often get older women with longer hair,” she remembers. “And I think years ago you wouldn’t have had your hair cut as a child. When you left school, the first thing

l

you wanted to do was have your hair cut because it made you into a woman.”

In all the years Vicky has been cutting hair, she has only been through four pairs of scissors – she says for people in her trade scissors are like “an old glove” and tough to give up; instead, professionals have them sharpened so as to keep them going as long as possible.

And if there’s one style that has endured throughout? “The bob never goes out of fashion,” she says.

Vicky plans to spend her retirement gardening and travelling with husband Keith, and looking forward to the arrival of her first grandchild in the spring.

The salon is continuing at the same premises under Heather Slater.

Alison’s precious gift

Continued from Page 1 fort and a few months of being really tired is a small price to pay for knowing the difference it’s made to his life.”

You can add your name to the organ donor register by visiting https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-to-donate/

If you do register, it is important to tell your family so that they are aware of your wishes if you die. Currently, the wishes of one in ten people who have registered to donate organs are overruled by their family.

For more information, see the website... http://www.giveakidney.org/

n Altruistic organ donation has become more popular since 2006 with the passing of the Human Tissue Act; before then, donations were only between family and friends. In 2007/8 only ten people in Britain gave a kidney to a stranger, but now there are more than 100 live donors a year.

n The average age of someone giving an altruistic donation is 52.

n Around 90 per cent of the organ transplant waiting list need a kidney – that’s more than 6,000 people. But fewer than 3,000 transplants are carried out each year. Almost a person a day dies waiting for a transplant in the UK.

n Humans only actually need one kidney to live a full and active life.

n Each kidney transplant saves the NHS around £200,000 over a decade, taking into account the cost of dialysis versus the cost of the operation and associated medication.

l When Vicky started at the salon, styles such as Twiggy’s were all the rage.

1973 ... and Vicky has almost waist length hair.

PUPILS TURN INTO CAR STU-DENTS ...

GOT a dent in your car? Ask a youngster from Melbourne to bash it flat for you.

Hammering out dents in car panels was one of the skills that a party of 28 children from Melbourne Junior School learned on a day-trip to Toyota.

The Japanese car manufacturer held the interactive workshop to allow the children, aged between eight and 11, to “see, hear and touch engineering and manufacturing in a safe learning environment”.

During their day at Toyota the children learned about Japanese culture and Toyota’s origins, plus the concept of “Kaizen” – continuous improvement – and how a car production line works by means of a demonstration made from Lego.

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WENDY’S COURTYARD

Made to measure curtains, valances, pelmets, tie-backs and cushions, etc.

l Vicky Bosworth is pictured with colleagues, customers, friends and husband Keith on her last day at work, celebrating with a drink and a bouquet of flowers. New salon owner Heather Slater is standing far right.

Andy clocks on as watch-manager

MELBOURNE’S Fire Station has a new permanent watch-manager installed after a period of having temporary managers since Kevin Illiffe retired.

Andy Astle had applied for the post and has had the good news that he has been successful.

“For me, it’s an exciting time to find myself in this position,” said Andy. “We have overcome the difficult situation we were in, with staffing and closure issues, and the Fire Service seems to be investing more in retained officers and using them more in the community.”

With new Chief Fire Officer Terry McDermott at the head of the organisation there has been an initiative to recruit more firefighters across the organisation, and there has been a greater emphasis on community involvement.

“There are three main priorities locally at the moment,” said Andy: “recruiting to get our numbers up to strength and retaining those we have; concentrating on skills and development, and getting more into the community to do the advice and prevention role.”

Although, fortunately, call-outs to fires are still relatively low level, some recent incidents demonstrated the need for more preventative advice.

“Just before Christmas we had a call-out to a

house fire in Swadlincote which had been caused by a dishwasher overheating, and before that a call-out in Chellaston was to a house fire where an electric blanket had set fire to the bed.

“It is important that domestic appliances get regular safety checks.”

In addition, the crew had attended a road traffic accident in Hartshorne, a vehicle fire on Robinsons Hill, which fortunately turned out not to be a fire, and they were called to a mains water flood on Castle Lane, where a pipe had been ruptured.

“Our main aims are to prevent fires and other emergencies, to protect people and property and to respond to emergencies when we need to. I want to ensure that the team in Melbourne are adequately resourced and trained to do that,” said Andy.

He is very proud to be keeping it a family tradition, as his father, Dave, had been sub-officer at the station.

“In Melbourne it is a bit of a family tradition, but we are still looking for more people to join us to enhance our numbers and capabilities,” said Andy.

More information can be obtained from http://www.derbys-fire.gov.uk/fire-stations/melbourne/ or by calling into the fire station.

Tracking the history of St Pancras Station

DR MIKE Higginbottom gave an interesting talk on St Pancras Station to Melbourne Civic Society in January.

He traced its history from its origins as the Midland Railway Company’s gateway to the north in the 19th century to its

present Eurostar gateway into Europe.

Agreed to be one of the wonders of Victorian engineering, it was built by William Henry Barlow, assisted by Roland Mason Ordish, a noted engineer who came from Melbourne.

The next meeting of the Civic Society will be on Monday, February 29, at 7.30pm in Melbourne Assembly Rooms when James Marriage will tell the history of the lute and demonstrate how it is made and played.

THE first snowfall of the winter brought lots of people out to Brown’s Field in Melbourne to enjoy it while it lasted.

Lucky for some, it was a Sunday and no school to worry about.

TOP: Ayesha Jordan, Julie Jordan, Victoria Stringer and George Stringer with their snowman.

RIGHT: Henry and George Stringer challenge the slopes.

ABOVE: Lone sledger Rebecca Baker.

When Brown turned to white

Spotlight on the need for 600 new homes

OFFICIALS from South Derbyshire

District Council were on hand at Melbourne Assembly Rooms to explain the Draft Local Plan Part 2, which will set the strategy for homebuilding across the region.

Part 1 of the plan, due to be adopted in the next few months, set out the strategy for large scale developments, while Part 2 outlines the options for smaller developments in local villages. It identifies the need for 600 additional homes between now and 2028.

The plan details the “settlement boundary” around villages and seeks to contain development within those boundaries, whilst outside the villages more stringent restrictions will apply.

It lists a number of sites which have been deemed potentially suitable for building and indicates that up to 400 of the 600 homes will need to be built in 10 “key service villages” – like Melbourne and Aston-onTrent. The remainder will be spread across nine “local service villages (such as Ticknall) and 21 “rural villages” (like Stanton by Bridge and King’s Newton). It also contains policies for protecting the environment and green spaces, policies covering infill, rural developments, education, retail and infrastructure.

Mrs Nicola Sworowski, policy planning manager, said: “It is great to see such a good turnout and this level of community interest. It is very important that people let us know what they think, by completing a consultation questionnaire and returning it to us.”

The consultation document and questionnaire is available online at www.south-derbys.gov.uk/localplanpart2 and a copy can

l Representatives from SDDC, Nicola Sworowski (Planning Policy Manager) and Tony Sylvester (Planning Services Manager) stand by as Melbourne residents Shirley Blatch and Giuliana Williams scrutinise some of the data provided.

MOTHERS DAY

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2 course meal for £12.95 or 3 course £15.95

Children:

2 Course £9.95 or 3 course £11.95

Tel: 01530 834742

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be found in the local library. The consultation period ends on February 12.

Also at the drop-in event there was an exhibition of the draft strategy for open space, sport and community facilities. This sets out the vision, strategic direction and an analysis of need in relation to built sports and community facilities, playing pitches and open spaces.

It will inform the Local Plan and the Sport, Physical Activity and Health Strategy for South Derbyshire, which will govern future funding applications and allocation of resources.

The document details that the population of the district is predicted to increase by 36% to nearly 140,000 in the next 12 years; it is ageing, with a predicted increase of

about 13,500 residents aged over 55 by 2028.

Worryingly, it asserts that 41% of adults in the area do not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines, so “increasing participation levels is both a national and a local priority”.

The intention is to draw up a list of projects and prioritise them, so the policy team need to know about all open spaces, playing pitches and community facilities and they are inviting community groups to notify them of potential projects.

Consultation ends on February 26 - more information is available on the website www.south-derbys.gov.uk.

–Frank Hughes

Laughs are back at the Legion

COMEDY night returns to the Melbourne Royal British Legion on March 18 with another bill of top comedians.

Returning to Melbourne will be the very popular Tom Binns. Tom has made two previous appearances in his alter egos: hospital DJ Ivan Brackenbury and psychic Ian D Montfort. Now he has a new persona as himself –a stand-up comedian!

Headlining will be Stuart Goldsmith.

Souper start for homeless group

THE first Melbourne Community Soup event raised over £50 for The Padley Group, which works with homeless and socially excluded people in Derby.

A small but select gathering enjoyed homemade soup and bread before listening to short presentations on behalf of The Padley Group and The Brooke, an animal welfare organisation dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules.

There was the difficulty of choosing which to vote for between two good causes to support.

Organiser Liz Hepplewhite said: “This was a bit of a try-out and I was really pleased it went so well. We had lots of offers to make soup and people turned up and paid £4 or more to eat soup

and support us on the night.

“The only thing missing was people from the community wanting to raise funds. It doesn’t have to be an established organisation.

“Anyone who wants to start a group or a project that will fix a local problem, help people in the community or improve the environment can submit a proposal.

“We’ll pick four different ones who can present on the night.”

The next Melbourne Community Soup event will be on Thursday, February 25, at Melbourne Assembly Rooms, starting at 6.30pm.

If you want to make a bid, pick up a proposal form from Forteys on the Market Place or email liz.soup @yahoo.com.

Stuart is an internationally award-winning comedian, with a reputation for smart, accessible stand-up. Surprisingly candid about his exploits, sexploits and textploits, he likes to get his teeth into love, romance and the downside of getting what you want.

He is also a host on The Comedian’s Comedian podcast which shines a light on the creative secrets of fellow comics, such as Rhod Gilbert and Sarah Millican.

Completing the line-up will be Micky Kerr and compere Dave Thompson.

Tickets are available online at www.wegottickets.com/event/33 9914 or from RBL and Forteys, and proceeds from the night support the Melbourne Festival.

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l Liz Hepplewhite (standing centre) and Rik Pipe are pictured at the first Community Soup gathering in January.

MARGARET CHRISTINE SMITH

1926 - 2015

MARGARETwas born in Aston on Trent on March 5, 1926. She was the only child of Victor and Gertrude Seal, or Vic and Gert as they were known.

Having spent a happy childhood, Margaret became a nurse at Aston Hall Hospital and really enjoyed her vocation. The friendships she made during her nursing career continued with past colleagues right up to her death 70 years later.

She spent many happy hours attending social dances at the then Weston Camp during WW2 and it was at of one of these dances that Margaret met Joe Smith, a market gardener from Melbourne. They married in 1947 at Aston on Trent Church and moved to live in Melbourne.

Margaret then swopped her nursing career for vegetable growing, together with looking after their two sons, David and Patrick.

The whole family worked in the market gardening business

SUSAN MARY DIXON (NEE HARTLEY) 1951-2015

SUE Dixon died at the Nightingale Macmillan Unit after three years fighting bile duct cancer. Her funeral at Melbourne Parish Church was well attended by people from all walks of Melbourne life.

Susan was born in Cambridgeshire in 1951 and joined the Women's Royal Naval Service in 1973, where she met her husband Paul, a fellow R.N. photographer. They both left the Navy and returned to Cambridgeshire, nearly four years later.

Their move to Melbourne came in 1980, when Paul took a job in Rolls-Royce photographic

OBITUARIES

until they retired in 1995 when they made the decision to finish vegetable growing. Unfortunately, Joe died after a long illness in 1997. Margaret missed him dearly but continued to enjoy her cottage at Highfields and joined various groups in the village.

She was very proud of her family and saw both her sons diversify into different businesses based at Highfields, David to bottling spring water and Patrick to selling old T20 tractor parts.

Margaret and Joe had together enjoyed Rotary and previously Round Table, making many lasting friendships from both organisations. Margaret was also a past president and chairman of Melbourne Inner Wheel club. Later in life she became a member of the Wednesday Group, meeting weekly at the Assembly Rooms.

Margaret enjoyed a full and happy life surrounded by her loving family, always happy to listen and be interested in what they were all doing. She was taken ill at her granddaughter’s 21st birthday party and sadly passed away peacefully shortly afterwards at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Margaret leaves David, Patrick and five grandchildren. all of whom she adored. The family would like to thank all friends for their support together with the staff at the Royal Derby Hospital, John Springthorpe, The United Reformed Church and Reverend Brian Norris at this sad time. Margaret will be sadly missed but never forgotten.

department. Initially they moved into the Lilypool on Castle Street, but by 1988 three children had come along and so

they moved to the current family home in South Street. Until the cancer diagnosis, retirement was not an option for Sue, continuing to develop her work with West Midlands Ambulance Service, a late career move following earlier jobs as an Ofsted school inspector and prior to that a childminder. To most of Melbourne however, Sue will be best known for her differing contributions to the community, whether it was as chair of the Infant School Governors, heading Melbourne St, John Ambulance, or in the WI to name but three. Sue is survived by husband, Paul, her three children Sophie, Michael and Richard, and three grandchildren: Josiah, George and Jerimiah.

A TOTAL of £5,000 was raised for charity over the Christmas period from the efforts of two groups and the generosity of local people.

The Melbourne Charity Band, comprising players from various bands in the area, visited local inns and restaurants in the two weeks prior to Christmas, culminating in playing carols in Melbourne Market Place on Christmas Eve morning in foul weather.

Through their efforts, £4,400 was raised for their chosen charity Cancer Research. This included £390 from Melbourne residents who braved the weather to make a donation.

The members of the band would like to thank all the local people who gave generously and the proprietors of the restaurants for making them so welcome.

A further £600 was raised for the National Children’s Homes by the Melbourne carol singers who toured various homes in Melbourne and King’s Newton on Christmas Eve night. Pictured are members of the Charity Band playing in aid of Cancer Research with Elaine Dunnicliff and Marion Dunnicliff fronting the group.

Arrowing in on national success

IF YOU go down to the woods today … you might find some archers practising their skills at a Weston club that has already produced two young national champions!

Flynn Smith, 10, and Chloe Nash, 14, were both victors in their categories at the National Field Archery Society competition in 2015, and this year they hope to continue their winning streak.

Flynn and Chloe (pictured) are members of the Wasp Archery Club, which meets in the woodland at the Ukrainian Youth Centre in Weston-onTrent every weekend.

And, after only a short amount of training, they have both started to excel at a national level.

Flynn, a pupil at Aston-on-Trent Primary School, was inspired to take up a bow after watching The Hunger Games films, featuring the heroine Katniss Everdeen, who uses her impressive archery skills to fight against evil oppressors. He started attending the Wasp Archers last spring and in the autumn carried off the UK’s Boy Cub Bowhunter trophy.

Flynn goes along to the Wasps every week with dad Neil, who was inspired to take on the bows and arrows himself having seen how much his son enjoyed the sport.

Flynn said: “It’s a fun sport because I get to go in the woods and do some exercise.”

Chloe, meanwhile, is a two times national

champion having been named Junior Girls’ Bowhunter at the same championships last year. She goes along to the archery club with granddad Brian.

Field archery differs from other forms of the sport in that it involves participants walking around woodland and shooting at mock-up animal targets, whose distance away they must judge for themselves.

Points are based in whether the shot would wound the animal or kill it.

The Wasp Archers have been going for around eight years under president Steve Jenkinson and vice-president Phil Nadin. As well as their regular excursions into the woods, the club also sometimes competes in darts competitions, using their arrows instead of darts.

Steve said: “We’re just interested in getting kids out into the woods and away from their keyboards.”

The Wasps meet every Saturday at 10.30am in the woods at the Ukrainian Centre. There are about 20 members of all ages, with plenty of young people, and anyone is always welcome to go along.

The first session is free and there are bows and arrows available to borrow. Thereafter the cost for a session lasting up to four hours is £1.50 for children and £3 for adults.

–Lucy Stephens

Top award for landscape firm

PB LANDSCAPES, based in Melbourne, has been highly commended in the ‘Best Traditional Patio Transformation’ category at the national 2016 Bradstone Assured Awards.

The annual awards recognise landscapers who demonstrate excellent levels of workmanship, design expertise and customer service.

An expert judging panel, including TV gardener David Domoney and Professional Builder magazine editor Terry Smith, selected worthy winners from each category.

PB Landscapes owner Paul Bignall was presented the Highly Commended award by host David Domoney and Bradstone’s commercial director Toby Stuart-Jervis, surrounded by over 100 landscaping professionals at an awards ceremony at The Manor Hotel, Meriden.

Mr Bignall said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that our hard work has been recognised by Bradstone, and to have it showcased amongst so many of our peers at an awards ceremony was a really proud moment. Our aim is to deliver the best work

Calke Gardens re-open on Saturday 13 February 10am-5pm

Explore the garden paths and buildings and wonder how much effort and planning went into all the food production. With the flower and vegetable beds still in winter mode, snowdrops on the Auricula Theatre bring a welcome splash of pale colour.

Half-term fun in Squirt’s Stable

Saturday 13 - Sunday 21 February 11.30am-4pm

Step out of the cold and into the fun-filled activity space of Squirt’s Stable. Children of all ages will find something to do – whether it is dressing up or examining a collection of natural history specimens. What will catch your eye?

Calke Abbey re-opens for the season

Saturday 20 February

Come inside the House that highlights the dramatic decline of the English country mansion. Still slowly waking up after the winter, the gloom of the rooms lends itself to the air of dereliction. Imagine if this was your own house…

Membership of the National Trust is a fantastic way to support the conservation work at Calke – in the House and Gardens as well as our internationally important protected parkland. And unlimited access for one year too. Prices go up on March 1st so February is a great time to join. Call into the Ticket Office for information.

Calke Abbey new season opening

Restaurant & Shop: Daily 10am - 5pm Park & National Nature Reserve: Daily 7.30am - 7.30pm, dusk if earlier House: Re-opens seven days a week from 20 February 2016

Gardens : Re-open from 13 February 2016

information

using the best products every time – and to win this award is the icing on the cake.”

Pictured (l-r) are: David Domoney, Paul Bignall and Toby Stuart-Jervis at the awards ceremony.

Normal park admission applies to all visitors.

For more information on what’s on at Calke this spring please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calke or telephone 01332 863822

Jane’s ‘bits and pieces’ work of art

LOCAL artist Jane Bevan has been successful in obtaining an important new commission from Derby Museum to collaborate in their brand new gallery ‘Inspired by Nature’. The gallery is now open to the public and features Jane’s work entitled “All the trees that ever were” in a display which mixes objects and art to reflect the way we have used the natural world to adorn ourselves, our homes and habitat.

Jane has a lifelong love of museums and is passionate about preserving them, saying: “I have worked for 25 years in museums, mostly on the contemporary art side, and the opportunity to create something big and new was very appealing.

“I was amazed and so excited to be chosen, as it is so rare these days for artists to get commissions.”

She has been busy working on the exhibition since she heard at the end of last year.

The museum has adopted a new style in demonstrating its collection, moving away from the traditional categorised approach to a more thematic style, and chose nature as the theme for the new gallery.

“Her piece has transformed the gallery,” said Andrea HadleyJohnson, who is co-production manager at the museum. It is made from natural items foraged locally in South Derbyshire, and then painstakingly tied, bound, stitched and coiled together to shape into a line of small sculptures and vessels.

“If I am out and about in places like Robin Wood, I will always have a bag for collecting items,” Jane said, and the piece features some rare and unusual finds.

An inspiration for the work is also the Japanese Wabi-Sabi, a philosophy which focuses on rustic simplicity, freshness and quietness.

“It is about taking the time to appreciate the local environment,” Jane explained, “and using time slowly to both enjoy and to make objects.”

Local museums like Derby are more than ever under threat from lack of funding but still manage to remain free to visit to inspire

people to be part of the living story of our area. Jane’s artwork will doubtless inspire many who see it, just to take a bit more time to appreciate the detail and wonder in nature all around us.

except Monday.

Be a charity volunteer

Treetops Hospice Care is looking for volunteer assistants at its charity shop in the courtyard at Melbourne Hall. The role is unpaid, but you will get invaluable retail experience within a friendly team. Previous experience not essential. Full training provided. All enquiries to the shop or on 01332 865 566.

www.treetopshospice.org.uk

| Registered Charity No. 519540

Open 7am to 8pm ~ Every Day ~

www.wagtailstorage.co.uk

You can see it at Derby Museum on the Strand, open every day

– Frank Hughes

Panto success story

A THOROUGHLY entertaining series of performances from some brilliant local actors and singers made this year’s pantomime, Aladdin, from Aston Players one of the best yet.

Superb scenery, costumes, sound and lighting added an enormous degree of professionalism to the whole proceedings. Directed by Jenny Hunting and heralding the return of Jessica Lemon as Princess Jasmine, the pantomime found everyone on top form.

Barbara Upton stepped in to choreograph both the children and adult chorus lines and the result was dazzling. Great performances from Katie Wilkinson as Aladdin and her father Rob as Widow Twanky set the benchmark for the whole cast with John Sibley taking a sinister role this year as the evil Abanazer.

Jenny's daughter, Julia James, reprised her comedy role of some years ago as Wishee Washee and everyone gave a stunning performance from Catherine

Jackson as the Genie to Delia Gascoigne as the Empress, Livvy Cavanagh as Tingaling, her sister Lottie as the Slave of the Ring, Jamie Armstrong and William Evans as PCs 39 and 27, and Lauren Hyde and Isobel Orduna as Hi and Lo respectively.

A strong adult chorus comprising Chris Knott, Gill Walker, Patricia Wint and June Asprey complimented the 13strong junior chorus, who were just wonderful.

Behind the scenes, a team of skilled helpers worked really hard throughout rehearsals and the performances to bring to the villagers of Aston a truly amazing production. Thanks also to the prompts, Tracey Lockhart, Debbie Lockie and Bev Shakish.

The chosen charities this year are Rainbows Children's Hospice and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance.

Water works to keep us well

ARE you drinking enough water?

Chances are you are not, according to local dietitian expert Helen Bond, who has been on national TV to explain why.

“New research by Robinsons has revealed that 70% of people have gone for seven hours or more in the day without drinking any water,” she explained.

“On top of the fluids you take with food, which account for about a fifth of your fluid intake, men need to drink

about two litres and women about 1.6 litres of water per day to stay well-watered.”

Helen (pictured left) went on to explain that even a small reduction in fluid intake can result in mild dehydration, which can lead to lethargy, tiredness and headaches.

“Many people are citing being too busy during the working day to grab a glass of water. The national media have picked up on the Enjoy Drinking More

Water campaign, and Helen was invited down to Isleworth studios in London to appear on the Sky News programme.

“It was quite daunting, but also quite exciting,” she said. “A very unusual experience.”

Helen has been a practising and state registered dietitian for 20 years with a degree in the subject from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, and is often quoted in national newspapers as spokesperson for the British Dietetic As-

sociation. She regularly features on BBC Radio Derby as a nutrition expert.

“It does not have to be water on its own – a hot drink of tea for instance, will contain about 300ml, depending on the cup size, so it all adds up. The taste, colour and flavour of drinks often encourages us to drink more often, so one of the easiest ways is to drink water from a variety of sources.”

Cheers!

– Frank Hughes

SITUATIONS VACANT

Date set for the annual Weston Run

THE annual Weston Run takes place this year on Sunday March 13 at 11am.

The popular event, organised by 107th Derby Scouts, is open to both experienced and fun runners, with all entrants receiving a commemorative award.

The five-mile road race, run under UK Athletics rules, and two-mile fun run, set off from the Ukrainian Centre at Weston on Trent.

negotiable depending on experience.

Are

You

MELBOURNE COMMUNITY CARE SHOPPING TRIPS/SOCIAL OUTINGS

MINIBUS TIMETABLE - FEBRUARY - MARCH 2016

For further information, cost of trips, or to book a seat, either call in the Community Care

O ce, Mon-Thu 9:30am-1:30pm; Fri 9:30am-12:30 or telephone 863585 (answering machine when o ce is closed). All journeys subject to number of booked passengers, minimum number required is 8, maximum 12.

• WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REQUEST A LATE CANCELLATION FEE.

• TRIPS ARE OPEN TO ALL but please note Community Care do not provide escort assistance.

• For information on our “escorted trips” please contact the Community Care O ce (863585).

• EVERY FRIDAY MORNING WE PROVIDE A DOOR-TO-DOOR SHOPPING SERVICE TO SAINSBURYS SUPERMARKET, MELBOURNE. Escort assistance can be provided if required. Telephone the o ce for more information or to book a seat on the bus.

DEPART MELBOURNE DESTINATION DEPARTURE

FEBRUARY

APPROX.

Mon 22nd 09:30am Woodlands Garden Centre, Hinkley 2:00pm

FUTURE...

Tues 1st MARCH 09:30am BURTON-on-TRENT (Octagon Centre) 2:00pm

Tues 12th APRIL 09:30am BURTON-on-TRENT (Octagon Centre) 2:00pm

Community Care will be commencing a full timetable of “days out” from MARCH 2016. Advertised in the o ce window and the local Village Voice newspaper. Our advertised trips are open to all. Please contact Victoria on 863668, she would love to hear from you…

• Ideas for new places to visit always welcome.

• Do you have a favourite place you like to visit or do your shopping?

• Would you like changes to our departure/return times?

• Do you prefer mornings or afternoons?

O ce: Unit D, William's Yard, Derby Road, Melbourne DE73 8JR

Full entry details can be found on the website of the 107th Derby Scouts www.107derbyscouts.org.uk.

Registration is available on the day, but entrants are encouraged to register in advance to beat the queues.

See westonrun@107derbyscouts.org.uk for entry forms.

Postal entries to The Weston Run should be sent to The Smithy, 23 The Green, Astonon-Trent, Derby DE72 2AA to arrive no later than Friday March 4.

You are asked to send a s.a.e. for the race number in advance, or you can collect your number on race day.

Nothing artificial about United performances

AS A result of the fantastic new facilities that the Melbourne Sporting Partnership has provided, Melbourne United has been able to play on throughout January despite rain of Biblical proportions.

The “billiard table” grass pitches remain in great condition, as do the Under 16s, Under 15s and Under 14s teams.

The Under 16s had a 100% record as did the Under 15s, leaving them top of their division and just two wins away from the open top bus tour.

The Under 14s are undefeated in January also, and steadily establishing themselves as a team to contend with.

The roller coaster season that the Under 17s find themselves in continued in January with a crushing 4-1 win over Heanor and a not so crushing 5-2 defeat in the local classic against Chellaston.

The under 13s are developing a very strong backbone.

The juniors’ games were mostly called off due to monsoon Mary and rainfall Ronnie, but the new artificial grass pitch kicked into action with the junior teams able to hold a series of friendlies and training sessions.

Even the AGP was interrupted by snowfall Suzie, but the club is rapidly becoming the envy of the surrounding area with its state of the art facility – it could just do with three of them.

When play finally resumed on grass the two Under 9s teams had mixed feelings with the Juniors winning well, and the Dynamos undeservedly losing in a close and pulsating cup tie.

The Under 10s also narrowly missed out in the cup against Heanor, despite playing the better football for all of the game.

The Under 11s won their cup game and are now breathing down the neck of the leaders with a game in hand whilst the Under 12s haven’t played a competitive game since November!

The club’s very junior juniors continue to thrive, grow and develop. With three Under 7s teams and two Under 8s making a name for themselves on the artificial pitches of Derby, the club has a strong base for the future.

A club spokesperson said: “We are keen to encourage boys and girls of all ages to come along and join Melbourne United. The soccer school is thriving with facilities that are second to none.

“All we need now is a period of dry so that the qualities of the children’s play can triumph.”

MELBOURNE UNITEDUnder 16s: back row (l-r) – Harry Foxon, Darius Fern, Matthew Harrington, Alex Griffiths, Jacob Smith, Jacob Murrock, Charlie Stanley, Fraser Ratcliffe, Elliott Thompson and Mike Thompson (manager); front row (l-r) – Andrew Else, Sean Barnes, Noah Girvan, Tom Wilson and Marcus Hudson.

Injury time hopes for the rugby club

MELBOURNE RFC 1st XV continue to battle with injuries in their league games, with coach Matt Derbyshire constantly battling to get fit players on the field.

However, there may be light on the horizon with players coming back from injury.

The first game of the year, away against Bakewell, was played at Matlock, at the third time of asking. Matt Derbyshire had a very young squad with six of last year’s colts starting, and 15 of the 18 man squad under 24. Will Judge and Rob Foster were the old boys.

The match was played on a muddy, sticky pitch with gentle rain falling throughout. Bakewell had a mixed side of bulk and youth; Melbourne had youth.

Bakewell opened the scoring with a penalty for a 3-0 lead which they held until half-time.

The whole match saw Bakewell trying to keep it tight with a 10-man game, ably defended by Melbourne, who tried to play a bit more expansively – which was not particularly conducive to the conditions.

Melbourne scored two tries in the second half.

First of all a turnover on Melbourne’s own 10m lineout saw quick hands to Tommy Howard on the wing who finished well in the corner. After 77mins Page scored an opportunistic try off a scrum after a number eight pick-up by Jack Pearce.

Melbourne held out for a 10-3 win. MOTM was Mark Coyne.

West Bridgford visited the green grass of Cockshut lane, which lasted all of 80 minutes and now resembles a tough mud course. Dave Smith sponsored the match ball.

Melbourne welcomed back Ben Burchell.

Despite early pressure Melbourne conceded two tries to West Bridgford. Firstly they conceded a penalty try after a string of broken down scrums in difficult conditions. Joe Nicholson was yellow carded at another scrum and WB scored soon after for a 12-0 lead.

Danny Stanniforth reduced the deficit with a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

The second half saw the arrival of the rain, and another tight half. After 63 minutes, Page played an advantage to chip to Tommy Howard, who gathered the ball just outside Melbourne’s 22, showing a clean pair of heels to beat three players and score under the posts. Stanniforth converted. Melbourne pushed but could not find the decisive score.

Final score 10-12. MOTM: Page.

The short trip to Notts Casuals followed. With players coming back, Melbourne earned a valuable away win. Rob Foster scored within three minutes of the start after the ball was recycled through a few phases.

That was to be the only score of the entire game as Melbourne won 5-0. MOTM was the returning Michael Lowery.

Southwell were due to play at Cockshut Lane but refused to play on the pitch – game rearranged for March 12.

THE Stags opened 2016 with a 41-0 win over Newark 4s in a double header. Dave Lowson’s squad of 21 included four new faces.

Tries came from Al Hollingsworth, Sean Moran, Andy Martin, Trim Doyle, Scott Buxton, Darren Perry and Sam Hancock in a dominant performance played on the 1st XV pitch.

Next saw a win against Notts Casuals 24-3 with tries from Sean Moran, Tim Naylor and John Askew, with nine points from Chris Fulton making his season’s debut.

Next was a 29-29 draw at Moderns with tries for Perry, Coles and Etherington, and Chris Fulton scoring 14 points.

January 23 saw Melbourne field three sides for the first time in a while. The Knights finally got a game at Derby University 3g pitch against Long Eaton. They had 15 including four U17s and ran out 34-5 winners. Tries for Ollie Cope (2), Matt Lamin (2), Andy Martin and Dan Walker, with Will Cresswell scoring four points.

l MELBOURNE Swifts Table Tennis Club has anything up to 20 children attending the junior practices. The aim is to introduce the young people to the sport, encourage them to improve and to enjoy it so that they will perhaps become premier league players in the future. Fancy a go? Contact Secretary Nigel Webster for details on ncwebster@hotmail.com.

SPORT in brief

ASTON on Trent Village Cricket Club is now affiliated to both the Derbyshire Cricket Board (DCB) and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

In 2016 the club will be running an under-11 team in the SDCDG Kwik Cricket League and a friendly seniors team playing on selected Sundays and evenings.

With a focus on local players, whatever your age, ability or experience you will be welcome to go along and get involved. Junior training will start on April 14 and it is hoped that some winter net sessions for juniors and seniors alike can be

arranged.

Funding is vital to support the ambitions of the club and it is grateful for recent donations from within the village and to have Phoenox Systems as the main sponsor, plus additional sponsorship from BreconWater.

Local club fund-raising starts with a race night on Saturday, March 19, in Aston Memorial Hall.

n MOVES are afoot to restart the Melbourne Singles Darts league at the Alma Inn.

The league will run from the first Monday in April and each Monday through to completion. If you’re interested you are in-

vited to leave your name on the Facebook post or e mail melbournedarts180@gmail.com.

n WINTER Training for Ticknall Cricket Club U17s and senior players will continue until March 20, excluding February 14.

The sessions will take place at Chellaston Academy Sports Hall from 11.30am-1pm at a cost of £3 per session

Sessions will be led by head coach Howard Dytham with support from other Ticknall Cricket Club coaches and managers as required.

Any queries please contact Howard on 07771 718998.

Picture: TINA BAKER

Pavilion taking shape

CONSTRUCTION work is continuing on the Cockshut Lane site in Melbourne where contractors A&S Enterprises are building the community sports pavilion, car park and tennis courts.

These facilities will complement the artificial grass pitch recently opened on the same site.

Despite the recent spate of very wet weather all parties are confident the new facilities will be finished as scheduled this summer. Bypassers to the site can see the building coming out of the

ground, and the roof structure will soon be in place.

The photograph (above right) shows representatives from the Melbourne Sporting Partnership, South Derbyshire District Council, build contractors and architectural team in front of the recently erected sign board.

The board illustrates what the finished sports pavilion will look like and recognises the key stakeholders in the project.

THE bad weather in January meant very little local football was played but the matches that were possible saw the teams do well.

MELBOURNE DYNAMO moved up to second in the league with their only game of the month, a comfortable 4-0 home win against Matlock CFA.

Veteran striker Dave Brough rolled back the years with a superb hat-trick, and 17-year-old Toby Foxon scored the other goal, his first in senior football.

MELBOURNE DYNAMO COLTS managed two games in January, beginning with a 5-1 home defeat by top of the table Duffield Dynamo with Toby Foxon getting the consolation.

The roles were reversed the following week as Dynamo Colts beat Chesapeake 5-0 away from home. Goals from Conor Poynton, Bradley Halford, Reza Khan, Ewan Ferguson and Toby Foxon completed a great month that saw Mick Poynton's men climb to third in the table.

TICKNALL RANGERS also climbed their league in their only game of the month with an entertaining 5-3 home win against Royal Oak Newhall.

Leading scorer Matt Archer grabbed a brace, one a penalty, with a Jake Harrold header plus clinical finishes by Ian Hall and Alex Slater seeing Ticknall turn around a 2-1 half-time deficit to claim a vital three points.

Simon Kerry, site manager

Stephen Vaughan, architect Heath Avery Limited; Malcolm Roseburgh, cultural services manager, SDDC; Tom Williams, Melbourne Sporting Partnership; Zoe Sewter, open

and development manager SDDC; Roger Boucher, quantity surveyor Astam Ltd; and Keith Miles, structural engineer.