Melbourne Village Voice January 2023

DRINKS and cheer have been flowing with abundance in local pubs over Christmas and New Year with landlords and ladies reporting an incredibly busy festive season

The joyful news comes in sharp contrast to early 2022 when pubs were reporting a serious downturn on takings with the Omicron variant keeping people away

But this time around pubs said they had seen a very busy festive season with lots of new faces keen to enjoy a sociable time over Christmas

Laura Bowler, landlady of The Malt in Astonon-Trent, said: “We’ve been really, really busy over the festive season I couldn’t have asked for more – it has been perfect We’ve been really well supported by everybody

“From what we are seeing, it’s just like being a pub again

“We have had lots of different groups in It has been a really, really good Christmas and New Year Everyone is smiling again and happy ” Simon Morgan, co-owner of The Spirit Vaults

in Melbourne, said: “We’ve been very busy – a lot better than expected We’ve certainly noticed a big difference, a lot of new faces around Christmas time ”

Tony Matthews, landlord of Chequers in Ticknall, said: “There have been a lot of walkers around, and I think the weather has helped It has been good

“People are lovely I think people just wanted to enjoy Christmas, and they have done ”

Meanwhile, over at Amalfi White on Derby Road, Melbourne, a spokesperson said: “Amalfi White has had a truly wonderful Christmas period, from looking after work colleagues at their Christmas parties, interacting with locals at the Melbourne Christmas light turn on, helping families celebrate their Christmas Day and ringing in the New Year with friends, along with our new team members, new decorations and new musicians every Sunday in December

“We look forward to celebrating again in 2023 with more of our guests’ special occasions and milestones!”

CHAPEL STREET, MELBOURNE

Superb 5 bed family home in central location. Presented to a high standard throughout and bene tting from low maintenance enclosed courtyard. Bespoke kitchen dining room with pantry and plenty of storage. Living room with feature replace. 5 double bedrooms with plenty of storage plus family bathroom and shower room.

EPC - E. £1800 PCM / DEPOSIT £2075

20 KIRBY DRIVE, CHELLASTON

Modern 5 bed detached property with garage and enclosed garden. Open plan kitchen/dining/living space with utility and WC. Light and airy living room. 4 double bedrooms plus a single/o ce. Main bedroom with en suite. Family bathroom with shower over bath.

EPC - B. £1600 PCM / DEPOSIT £1845

12 MOIRA STREET, MELBOURNE

Newly refurbished 2 bed bungalow with large garden and plenty of o -road parking. Modern kitchen with some white goods. Light and airy living room with bay window. Bathroom with shower over bath. 2 bedrooms looking out to the garden.

EPC - D £1200 PCM / DEPOSIT £1380

9 KINGS MILLS LANE, WESTON ON TRENT

2/3 bed property on a corner plot with driveway, garage and mature gardens. Large living/dining room with feature replace. Kitchen leading to conservatory. Downstairs WC plus o ce/3rd bedroom. Upstairs are 2 double bedrooms and a family bathroom.

EPC - C. £950 PCM / DEPOSIT £1090

5 HATTONS COURT, MELBOURNE

3 bed terraced property with o road parking and garage. Quiet location with low maintenance garden and access to playing elds at the rear. Fully equipped kitchen with all white goods. Pleasant living room with patio doors. 2 double bedrooms plus 1 single bedroom and family bathroom.

EPC - D. £950 PCM / DEPOSIT £1090

1 CASTLE MILLS, MELBOURNE

Smartly presented 2 bed ground oor property in over 55’s development. Dining kitchen with some white goods. Spacious living room. 2 double bedrooms, 1 with tted wardrobes. Shower room with plenty of storage. ORP for 1 vehicle plus use of a communal garden.

EPC - D £775 PCM / DEPOSIT £890

COMING SOON

Fully furnished 2 bed apartment in Breedon on the Hill

King sends a thankyou card to council

by Frank Hughes

THREE topics dominated the discussion at the first Melbourne Parish Council meeting of 2023 – devolution, dog fouling and setting the parish precept

Ahead of the main business, however, a card had been received from King Charles III, following the council’s message of sympathy sent after the Queen had died

It read: “It was so very kind of you to send me such a wonderfully generous message following the death of my beloved mother Your most thoughtful words are enormously comforting and I cannot tell you how deeply they are appreciated at this time of immense sorrow ”

Back to the main agenda, district councillor Jim Hewlett asked the council for opinions on the devolution consultation which was concluding on January 9

As reported in the Village Voice (September 2022), a deal to set up a combined mayoral authority between the city and county councils in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire had been agreed, with a potential financial benefit of £38million

About half the parish councillors were unaware of the plan, and there was some disquiet expressed that this could lead to another tier of bureaucracy or, worse, a dilution of local democracy

Concern was also expressed about the added costs, although Cllr Hewlett said he had already written to our MP to seek assurance that the savings made from devolving powers from London would outweigh the potential costs

He also assured councillors that it would not impact on parish councils as part of existing structures of local government

Cllr Sheila Hicklin had asked that the perennial problem of dog fouling was on the agenda as she considered it had increased in the winter months and she wanted residents to be aware that the council understood the extent of the problem

Various ideas were offered, which included increased and more heavy-handed warning signage, the provision of pet poop bags, and better bin provision

A more radical idea was offered by Cllr Mick Usher, who had re-joined the council this month, suggesting that a register of offending dog DNA was created to deter re-offending

The council agreed that the highways committee should re-examine the matter and Cllr

Cllr Smith made the point that the problem was being caused by a small minority of irresponsible owners Above all, reporting of offending pooches was needed from members of the public to aid prosecution, preferably with photographic or video evidence

It was noted that only one prosecution had ever taken place

The parish precept was agreed at a rate of 13 4%, which would work out to an 11 2% increase (around £5 35) per annum on a Band D property

Whilst councillors understood that this headline figure would appear high to council taxpayers Nigel Collyer made the point that the grant (Section 136 funding) from the district council had been frozen for around five years, effectively reducing the proportion of the money received to cover mandatory costs

At that time it was recognised that Melbourne had been getting more than a fair share of district funding, compared to other councils, but that had now worked through Cllr Collyer suggested it was time to challenge the status quo

It was agreed that the parish council would write to the finance team at South Derbyshire, seeking to address this issue

Hewlett said he would consult with the Safer Neighbourhood Team on the legal position on taking doggie DNA

by Melbourne Parish Council from King Charles III, which is being held by Councillor Terry Summerlin above.

WHAT unites a school in Weston-on-Trent and another 7,000 miles away in Africa?

The answer might be surprising because one of the similarities is hedgehogs!

Children at Weston-on-Trent Primary School are getting to know all about what life is like in Tanzania

Weston Primary has forged new links with Eden Vision pre-school in the East African country where the nephew of class teacher Martin Stephens is currently working

Staff at the school in Arusha, a city close to the Serengeti National Park, shared details of children being educated there including where they live, their brothers and sisters, favourite toys, animals and colours

Pupils at the Weston school have written back to their counterparts in Tanzania, sharing details of their own lives at school and home Their letters were delivered by Martin’s sister, Alison, who visited the school just before Christmas

A Zoom call with the head teacher and staff at Eden school revealed some interesting differences and similarities between life in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro and Weston-on-Trent

Children in Weston found out that pupils in Tanzania also enjoyed spotting hedgehogs at

school from time to time, along with ducks and dogs But their school is also home to some creatures less often spotted in South Derbyshire such as monkeys, lizards and snakes!

Also common to both schools was the fact they both had a head of school and six class teachers Martin said: “For children in our school it has been really interesting to learn about how they might live and be educated in Tanzania

“It’s very important to us at Weston that our children have a broad understanding of life in lots of different cultures They really enjoyed hearing about the school day over in Tanzania, which starts slightly earlier than ours at 8am All 152 children at their school have breakfast on the premises, which is always Tanzanian porridge!”

Martin’s nephew, Alfie Moyler, is head of partnerships and fund-raising at the Umoja Maono project which encompasses Eden Vision preschool

The pre-school caters for children aged from two to eight

It is estimated that in Tanzania there are around 5 1million children aged between seven and 17 who are not in school

Around a third of young Tanzanian children are forced to work in dangerous conditions due to

IT is never too late to become a ballerina –that’s the message from a ballet class in Melbourne specially for the over-55s

The ‘Silver Swans’ dance class meets in Melbourne Assembly Rooms on Thursday mornings during term time

Run by Tindles Dance Studio, organisers say it helps improve mobility, posture, coordination and energy levels, as well as being enjoyable too!

Designed by the Royal Academy of Dance, the Silver Swans programme is suitable for

both beginners and experienced dancers.

There are no age or physical restrictions to joining, and leaders say it is a safe environment where all abilities and people are welcome.

All students of TDS Dance Studios receive a certificate of achievement and a medal at the end of the year.

Classes are run in Melbourne and Hilton

See www tindlesdance co uk for more information.

l Some of the Silver Swans in Melbourne with their certificates of achievement to mark the end of 2022.

team are now building a new school in the area so that more youngsters can be educated

l Children at Eden Vision pre-school in Tanzania, some of whom are sporting the uniform of Weston-on-Trent Primary School, with which their school has forged links

FOUR landlords in South Derbyshire have been served with £200 fixed penalty notices for failing to carry out an EPC assessment to check their properties’ energy efficiency

News of the fixed penalty notices was told to members of Ticknall Parish Council in a report from local district councillor Kerry Haines

Cllr Haines reported to the council that new laws introduced in April 2020 made it a legal requirement for landlords to ensure their private rented properties met a minimum energy performance

There are thought to be just over 5,000 rented properties in South Derbyshire

Early in 2022 councils in Derbyshire were awarded funding to improve energy performance in the private rented sector

South Derbyshire District Council’s work over the last six months has meant that 11 properties were brought into compliance with the new laws following informal warnings; nine properties were identified as exempt from the law – for example, because they are listed – and legal compliance notices were served on the remaining 10 landlords, six of whom carried out the necessary legal work to improve their properties

Chart toppers booked for Melbourne concerts

MELBOURNE Assembly Rooms has managed to extract not one but two rabbits from a hat, booking concerts for legendary singers and chart toppers of the 1970s with first Tony Christie and then Kiki Dee

Legendary singer Tony Christie first found international fame with hits like I Did What I Did For Maria, Walk Like A Panther, Las Vegas and, of course, the number one single (Is This The Way To) Amarillo However, he is appearing at the Assembly Rooms in April in his new collaboration with crossover folk band Ranagri celebrating his Irish roots (his grandmother and grandfather played in a ceilidh band) with songs that are featured on the album The Great Irish Songbook that came out in 2015 Following on from the success of The Great Irish Songbook, Tony and Ranagri have recorded a second album together, The Great Irish Songbook Vol II Tony, who doesn’t live that far away, near Lichfield, said: “I’ve sang in the other Melbourne (Australia) many years ago and it will be a pleasure to perform at the original one; it’s a different show and doesn’t include my many hits but it’s music I am proud to

perform and a great part of my heritage ”

Kiki Dee will be performing in November alongside long-time collaborator Carmelo Luggeri For almost two decades, Kiki and Carmelo have been touring their spellbinding acoustic live show across the UK and Europe Performing in this stripped back fashion allows each of their exceptional talents to shine through and create a wonderful and warm sense of intimacy for the audience The set will include new versions of her hits including Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, I Got The Music In Me, Loving & Free and the stunning Amoureuse along with songs from her critically acclaimed album A Place Where I Can Go

Both artists will be appearing as part of the Assembly Rooms association with local promoters, Village Folk

Assembly Rooms Manager Andy Heafield, the man responsible for booking them, said: “To get artists of this calibre to come to our venue is a real coup However, part of the allure to come here is two-fold; how we treat our performers and also the reputation the venue now has among artists and audiences alike ”

The Assembly Rooms is proving to be a ‘hit’ venue with many more concerts due in 2023 including the first-time venture, a four-day festival ‘Big Village Small Town’ over the late May Bank Holiday with its patron, national broadcaster Mark Radcliffe

They have already secured the services of several nationally known performers including Edwina Hayes, 3 Daft Monkeys and the hit show

‘Simply Dylan’

l Tony Christie and Ranagri (above), and Kiki Dee with Carmelo Luggeri (right)

AFTER a three-year wait it was party time again for a New Year ’s Eve celebration at the MSP

The event was first organised by a group of friends back in 2019 However, the impact of Covid saw subsequent events cancelled.

Organisers Mark Chandler, Wendy Nuttall, Linda and Peter Upe welcomed their guests with a glass of fizz and bid everyone

eat, drink and be merry.

A smorgasbord of delicious mains and puddings was provided by Penny Heath before it was time to take to the dance floor.

Glasses were charged again with fizz and the New Year welcomed in the traditional manner with Auld Lang Syne.

The event was organised as a non-profit making evening with any surplus being donated to local cancer charities.

Evening bus service is back on the road

BUS travellers in Melbourne and Ticknall were handed a perfect Christmas present with the reinstatement of a highly valued evening service.

The number two evening service serving Derby, Melbourne, Ticknall and Swadlincote began running once again in December

And operator Arriva has also announced that, thanks to support from Derbyshire County Council, there are now additional evening journeys serving this area too

A notice on Arriva’s website says: “We’re really excited to be bringing back evening services between Swadlincote, Melbourne, Chellaston, Shelton Lock and Allenton, both into and out of Derby, seven days a week

“Thanks to support from our partners at Derbyshire County Council, route two will operate additional evening journeys from Derby through to Melbourne and Swadlincote ”

The new evening services are running from Monday to Saturday and will leave Derby between 18 49 and 21 49

There is also an extra departure leaving Derby at 23 19 that will go as far as Melbourne

In the other direction, leaving from Swadlincote, there are another three buses leaving at 19 20, 20 20 and 21 20 These services will go through to Derby with an additional bus leaving at 23 00 that will go as far as Allenton Arriva also said it was bringing back evening

by Lucy Stephens

services to and from Derby on Sundays, but these would be following a different timetable

The reinstatement of the number two evening service brings to a close a two-month hiatus after the service was suspended suddenly in early October – much to the dismay of all those who used it for many reasons including getting to work, attending social gatherings, and visiting loved ones in hospital

At the time Arriva said it had made the decision after the subsidy that enabled it to maintain the evening service had been withdrawn

The operator said it had not made the decision lightly but a combination of reduced passenger numbers due to the pandemic, plus higher operational costs, meant some services were no longer economically viable without Government funding

KINGS Newton held its Christmas Evening at the Scout and Guide HQ on Packhorse Road

Entertainment was provided by duo BB and AJ, who entertained the assembled company with some festive music

Margaret Hagues, chairman of the Kings Newton Social Group, said a good time was had by all

MORE than 600 people enjoyed being beneath angels’ wings in a stunning display put on at St Wilfrid’s Church in Barrow-upon-Trent

Around 1,000 angels made by 1,040 children and 150 adults from paper and poppy seed heads were suspended from the church’s ceiling and shown to the public over a weekend in December

Because many people have sent messages saying they had missed the angels, event organisers are opening up the display again on Sunday, January 22, between 1 30pm and 4pm

Visitors will be able to admire the angels and enjoy a cream tea before they are taken down after Candlemas

The event was part of a National Lottery Heritage funded project to share the building’s 1,000 years of heritage

Llynda Baugh, heritage activity delivery manager, said: “It was wonderful having the church full of people who also took the time to look at the treasures it holds ”

The picture on the right (of the angels) and the one on the front page, is by Ian Hodgkinson of PictureIt Media.

LOCAL residents are being offered free taxi journeys to a range of routine health appointments in a new scheme running until the end of March

The “Grab a Cab” project is being run by Derbyshire County Council and gives anyone living in the county – but not Derby City – a pre-paid taxi ride both to and from specified health appointments

The scheme covers transport to pre-arranged appointments including vaccinations for Covid19, flu, shingles and other jabs provided on the NHS

Free taxis are also being offered for residents wanting to travel to screenings including for abdominal aortic aneurysms, cervical cancer and bowel cancer Diabetic eye screenings are also covered under the scheme

The only criterion is to be a Derbyshire County Council resident

The service has no age limit and is not means tested so those who use it do not have to be receiving state aid in order to qualify Derby City Council residents are not eligible for the scheme

The Grab a Cab project is running until March 31

Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member

for health and communities, Cllr Carol Hart, said: “We know that some people may struggle with getting to routine health appointments, which is why we’re offering free transport to help them

“Attending invites for screening programmes and vaccination appointments is important in helping prevent serious diseases and illnesses from developing

“If you need support with transport to any of the eligible appointments in our Grab a Cab scheme then please get in touch ”

Phone lines for the free transport offer are open between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday

To arrange free transport to one of the prearranged health appointments call 01629 536173

The team will take details including a person’s name, address and details of the appointment, as well as whether they will need a wheelchair and if they are taking someone along with them

The council has said the team cannot guarantee they will be able to provide free transport but say they will make sure callers are kept fully informed

For more information on this scheme visit www derbyshire gov uk/grabacab

Thank

I WOULD like Village Voice readers to know about our amazing Christmas raffle fund-raiser held by Melbourne Community Care that ran all through November until Thursday, 15th December

Together we created three hampers from donations made via our volunteers, committee and the public, a homemade patchwork quilt and a homemade Christmas cake, made my me

To be in with a chance to win, we asked people to place a donation in an envelope, seal it and write their name and contact number on the front of it Then pop it into the office or place it in the box when we were at the local market or at late night shopping

We had an incredible response, raising a grand total of £550 To say we were amazed, is an under

statement! We are so very grateful for the response and our amazing community This money will help us to help those within our community, to keep our office running and our minibus operating

We are so very lucky to live in our amazing community

As a volunteer, I feel so lucky to be part of this team, it helps me as much as it helps our community

Thank you also to everyone who has helped me in 2022 by continuing to donate to the food bank, and to those who donated hats, gloves, socks and scarves for children in Derby The response has always been amazing

Angie Cooke Melbourne

Among

and bicycle tyres John Blunt, Staunton Harold.

l Alison Thornhill (left) and Angie Cooke.

Classes to glasses for school teacher Chrissy

by Lucy Stephens

THERE’S a new face behind the bar in Melbourne’s increasingly bustling evening café scene

Chrissy Neville, of Derby, has taken on the quirkily decorated Monkey Bar Lounge on Derby Road as its new owner

Chrissy said she had always wanted to run her own café bar and so jumped at the chance when she saw The Monkey Lounge had been put up for sale by former owners Tracy and Dave Motzkeit

The 28-year-old is a busy lady, being a primary school teacher during the week, as well as running her own dance school in Brailsford on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings

Chrissy took over at The Monkey Lounge in December and is currently opening from Friday to Sunday She said she was planning to keep the café’s off-thewall décor but would be making some additions to the menu such as bottomless brunches

She said: “I’m a primary school teacher but I’ve always wanted to run a café Friends and family often come to Melbourne, so it seemed like a great opportunity

“I’m hopefully going to keep everything running here as it was and I’m really looking forward to working with the local community

“I think this place offers somewhere different, with its quirky décor It’s the perfect place to host a hen party or a baby reveal

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this I think a lot of people would see this as a challenging time to start something like this, but I think it has come at the right time in my life to give it a go ”

A few weeks before Christmas, during the very coldest part of the festive season, the rugby club peered into the grotto (slightly leaky old shipping container) and unwrapped the sleigh, fired up the lights and dusted off the Slade LPs (Oh all right, downloaded, trying to create an atmosphere!)

After its appearance at Melbourne’s world-famous Christmas shopping event, just as the mercury dipped well below freezing, the sleigh embarked upon its journey, with music playing and the tiny tractors in no way holding people in cars up trying to get home

We covered every street in Melbourne, Ticknall and, for the first time, parts of Chellaston With eager volunteers from all age groups and even some senior players (who may have been promised a trip to the pub/s) we knocked on doors, visited various local establishments and generally saw smiles and Christmas spirit rise as we traversed the villages

As always the smiles of the children and generosity of the people makes it all worth it But not only that, they were generous at this time, of all times – the most financially and politically unstable period in my lifetime And I remember the miners’ strikes!

We raised a new record amount, over £3,500 in little over a week! The funds are being split between Melbourne junior and infant schools, Melbourne Community Care and First4Food food bank

THE recent Santa’s Sleigh raised record amounts for local good causes, writes Chris Baggott from Melbourne Rugby Club

CHRISTMAS scenes decorated with spark plugs, Scrabble tiles and spectacles made an unusual display in Weston-on-Trent.

The annual Christmas tree festival was held in St Mary’s Church in December and local organisations once again stepped up to the challenge with some brilliantly imaginative creations

Castle Donington Service Centre continued a theme that has been developing over several years by providing a nativity scene made from car parts

Mechanically-minded visitors may have spotted clever use of spark plugs, springs, spanners, nuts, bolts and pistons which were used to create a festive display of a shepherd, tree, and baby in an unusually metallic looking manger

Aston-on-Trent Tea Dancers decorated their tree with Scrabble tiles spelling out the names of their favourite dances, while Chellaston Opticians found pairs of glasses a refreshingly different type of bauble Weston WI, meanwhile, decorated a windowsill with stylish references to all their activities this year

The tree festival had some new additions this year, with the 107th Scouts from Aston, Weston and Shardlow choosing to decorate a tent outside the church instead of their usual tree

The “Tent of Light” was advertised as a hub for food, toiletries and personal items such as hats and gloves to be donated to the Padley Group

Jo Cooke, from the Scouts’ group, said local resi-

dents had “ the tent wi

As a res were able t toiletries a Group to su homelessne Festival the church festive char Inside th Badwal ent The raff more than Scouts a was very w £190, befo church and In 2022 come a ‘fes main dates A group f to help ma upkeep The festi lessons

and

ABOVE: A nativity scene created out of car parts, contributed by Castle Donington Service Centre Ltd

RIGHT: Hannah Newton serves hot chocolate with daughters Hollie and Elyse, and elves Karen and Yumi Kithara from Aston-on-Trent looking on FAR RIGHT: Church warden Jayne Williamson next to a tree contributed by Chellaston Opticians, with pairs of spectacles as the decorations

The many donations made to the Tent of Light after just one hour

by Lucy Stephens

rallied round amazingly”, quickly filling up th donations ult of the generosity of locals, the Scouts o deliver 19 bags and boxes of food, nine of nd three of warm clothes to the Padley upport their work eradicating poverty and ess visitors were also encouraged to explore s new outdoor copse area, decorated with racters

he church, Aston-on-Trent teenager Satia tertained visitors with Christmas songs le, refreshments and craft stalls raised £450 for church funds lso sold hot chocolate and hot soup, which elcome on a chilly day and made a further re expenses, to be shared between the the Padley Group St Mary’s Church announced it would betival church’ – providing a service for the in the Christian calendar rom the local community has come forward intain the church with regular events and

val ended with a candlelit service of nine d carols led by Rev Tony Luke

A MELBOURNE beauty salon owner said she was “overwhelmed” by the sheer volume of gifts bought by local people for children who might otherwise not have got a present at Christmas

Kelly Dolphin, owner of Melbourne Treatment Rooms in William’s Yard, put out an appeal asking people whether they would be prepared to support in her in buying Christmas presents as part of the Derek’s Tree charity

The long-running Burton-based Derek’s Tree helps children who may go without at Christmas by providing them with a gift from Santa

The charity works by advertising gifts for children who have been referred to its services, by means of tags placed on a tree in Coopers Square Shopping Centre in Burton The presents are then bought by volunteers so they can be given to children for Christmas

This year the charity provided gifts for more than 4,000 local children – an even greater number than last year

Organisers also noticed a “significant increase” in requests for warm items such as pyjamas, which they have put down to the cost-of-living crisis

Kelly said that for the past 15 years she had supported various charities at Christmas instead of sending cards, and this year decided to back Derek’s Tree

She said: “The thought of a kid going without a Christmas present just breaks your

heart ”

Kelly said she had been “completely overwhelmed” with the number of people who had responded to her appeal on social media

Gifts bought for children through Kelly’s Derek’s Tree appeal have included Asda vouchers, Duplo, bath bomb kits and clothes

One of the requests that had particularly touched Kelly was for a pair of football boots

She said: “This 12-year-old can now play football with his friends – it’s what a present means that counts ”

Paul Miller, treasurer of Derek’s Tree, said: “Thank you for all the gifts generously donated to Derek's Tree this year; we are very grateful and it has touched our hearts and made so many children happy to receive a gift this Christmas This year, due to the cost of living crisis, we noticed a significant increase in requests for blankets, cosy pjs and snoodies

“We have given gifts this Christmas to over 4,000 children in the local area, which is even higher than the number of children last year, but we couldn't have achieved this without the support and their generosity of local people

“Derek's Tree is not just a Christmas charity, but works throughout the year to help children in need in the local area, whether this be a new mattress, or bed, or even bedding Over the last 12 months we have assisted a number of families with children who needed our help However, please note that referrals can only be made through the appropriate support agencies ”

l Kelly Dolphin from Melbourne Treatment Rooms surrounded by gifts donated for Derek’s Tree by residents of Melbourne and Ticknall

LOCAL amateur artist Jean Eustace has raised £875 for charity from the sale of her “House of Mouse” Christmas cards

She said that the idea originally came from a local shop owner who saw one of her paintings and asked her to make some cards; then another friend persuaded her to have a stall at a craft

fair

Since then each year has raised progressively more for charity.

Jean has distributed this season’s proceeds to a number of good causes, including me&dee, Melbourne Junior School, the Trussell Trust food banks, the Padley Group and Feeding Britain.

She said: “This year ’s step into the

unknown was encouraged by Matt at the Welcome Cafe who persuaded me to do it. With the help, encouragement and generosity of his business, Melbourne Florist, Wayne Spiers family butcher, Azorieblue and, of course, all those who bought the cards, we have raised this amazing amount. Thank you all.”

Charity shop proves

FIREFIGHTERS RESCUE SWAN

FIREFIGHTERS are not just there for tackling fires – on New Year ’s Day in Melbourne they were called out to rescue a swan

They turned out to Melbourne Pool shortly after 3pm on New Year ’s Day after receiving reports of a swan in difficulties at the base of the weir

A crowd gathered to watch as two firefighters descended to the weir by ladder to rescue the stricken bird

A blanket was wrapped around the swan as it was carried from the water and handed to watch manager Andy Astle back on dry land

The swan was then handed to a specialist from the Midlands branch of Linjoy Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue for a check over, before being released back to its family in the pool.

Andy said it had been five years to the day since firefighters from Melbourne had been called to rescue another swan which had got into difficulties at the pool.

SHOPPERS at Melbourne’s air ambulance charity shop have helped to pay for more than 150 life-saving missions over the past five years, new figures released by the charity have revealed.

The air ambulance shop on Derby Road has seen a rise in both donations and purchases over recent months with people keen on hunting down a bargain as well as supporting a highly valued charity at the same time

Now the charity has revealed that over the past five years its Melbourne branch has helped generate £281,001 53 in sales for the charity

This has funded more than 150 life-saving missions throughout Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and further afield too

Over the same time period, the shop has also received a whopping 27,571 bags of do-

by Lucy Stephens

nated goods

However, charity leaders reiterated that they always wanted more donations as they receive no government funding in order to carry out their vital work

A spokesperson said: “We continue to require support from the local community with further donations of new and preloved items, as these provide vital income for the charity

“We receive no government funding so rely on the support of the local community to keep our life-saving service operational Without the support our crews wouldn’t be able to provide pre-hospital critical care at a number of incidents including road traffic accidents, sports events, medical emergencies – such as cardiac arrests and accidents at home – and other incidents needing expert pre-hospital medical interventions

24/7, 365 days a year

”

Each life-saving mission undertaken by the air ambulance costs around £1,700

Areas served by this area’s air ambulance charity include Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland

The air ambulance’s aim is to give people who need its services best chance of survival and recovery, with its helicopters flying at 185 mph and carrying the latest medical equipment

Melbourne branch manager Claire Hadley said the branch had seen a definite rise in support from the local community, possibly in part influenced by the cost of living crisis as well as the desire to be sustainable

She said it was hard to say which were the most popular items, but there was a definite trend towards shopping in charity shops and spying brand new items amongst the rails

January:

Beneath Angels’ Wings

Display at St Wilfrid’s Church, Barrow-upon-Trent. Come and see this glorious display of 1,000 angels and enjoy a cream tea too.

1.30pm - 4pm:

Saturday 11 February and Sunday 12 February, 2023:

The Dower House Garden, Melbourne

Open under the National Garden Scheme, from 10am - 3.30pm on both days. Teas, coffee and cake will be served.

Walkers are on the night path

A WEEKLY night walking group is attracting people from miles around who want the chance for some exercise and chat at the same time

The Elvaston Night Walks group was started in January last year by Thulston resident Fran Smith, who wanted to enjoy some fresh air as a way of relieving the stress of her NHS job

Because Fran intended to walk at night after work, she decided to set up a group to stay safe –and said her first ever walk attracted 14 people

A year later, the Elvaston Night Walks group is going strong, attracting regulars from as far away as Ilkeston and Swadlincote

It has also been officially recognised by South Derbyshire District Council’s Get Active in the Forest scheme

Fran, who has now left her job in the NHS and started up her own Reiki and Shiatsu practice, said: “Last Christmas, I was working in the NHS in a very pressurised job, not getting any fresh air, and living in this beautiful place but not being able to enjoy it

“I sat there and thought I had to do something about this On my first walk I said I’d be going at 7pm and anybody was welcome to come – 14 turned up!

“I was thinking of doing it just through the dark nights and stopping in April, but when it came to the changing of the seasons, people said this was the only exercise they got!

“It has been lovely I just think it’s a really different way of getting some exercise, some fresh air Walking is good for you and free!”

Walkers who go along to the group every week say it is also a good chance to be sociable while getting exercise, and they have met people living in the local area they did not previously know

The group meets on Thursdays at 7pm on the village green at Thulston It is free to take part and the walks are generally around five kilometres in length, with participants returning around 8 15pm You can find out more from the group’s “Elvaston Night Walks” page on Facebook

LOCAL patients who chose to die at home have benefited from an end-of-life nursing service, thanks to a grant jointly given by Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity and NHS Charities Together

The grant of £213,480 helped fund the Treetops Hospice Roaming Nurse Service for 15 months, from January 2021 to March this year

Each evening, the Treetops Roaming Nurse team of a registered nurse and healthcare assistant, respond to calls for assistance from patients referred to their Hospice at Home service and Treetops nurses The Roaming Service team can visit up to seven more Treetops patients each evening, administering medication, and helping with personal care

During the 15 months of funding, Treetops Roaming Nurses has cared for more than 630 patients

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive, NHS Charities Together, said: “We are so proud to have helped fund this invaluable project at Treetops Hospice The Roaming Nurse Service has enabled

hundreds of patients in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to die in their own homes – a personal choice that means a great deal to them and their loved ones We thank everyone who fund-raised and donated to help make this service possible ”

Jill Matthews, Chief Officer, Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity said: “Receiving a framed Treetops nurse tunic as a recognition of the grant provided by Derby and Burton Hospitals to fund the Roaming Nurse Service is a wonderful way to say thank you to our generous supporters, kindhearted volunteers and the charity team

“All of these individuals and organisations have helped provide this very valuable service to local people when they need it most ”

The Roaming Nurse Service was set up by the local charity as part of their emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to help alleviate unprecedented pressures on the NHS at the time

An initial grant from Barclays Foundation and a car loan from Toyota Manufacturing UK Ltd helped to kickstart the Roaming Nurse Service in 2021

“IN come the Mummers” was the shout in several local pubs in Ticknall and Melbourne as a troupe of heavily costumed amateur actors entertained festive revellers with their traditional folk play.

First in is Old Father Christmas to introduce the action, then valiant St George arrives, boasting that no one is his equal. Rising to that challenge is a soldier known as Bold Slasher, traditionally a Turk; the two of them fight, and the soldier is slain.

Luckily, a doctor is on hand to advertise his services and he administers a magic potion to bring Slasher back to life.

An “owd Hos” enters the scene, adding to the surreal atmosphere, then in comes Beelzebub carrying a club and a saucepan, collecting cash with menaces! The whole show ends with a rousing chorus of carols

led by a squeeze box, time for a drink, and then some more carols.

The origin of this folklore is shrouded in mystery, but it became a popular way for actors and locals to raise some extra cash for Christmas

Nowadays the Mummers do it for fun and to raise money for charity. Lots of heckles this year were directed to the Doctor, with jibes about waiting lists and strikes!

The actors were Brian Crosbie (music), Tony Razzell (Owd Hos), Robin Raine (Beelzebub), Peter Wood (Slasher), Roger Spencer (St George), Phil James (The Doctor), and Richard Read as Father Christmas.

Thanks to the generosity of pub-goers, a sum just shy of £800 was raised to give to Ashby Food Bank

l Walkers gathered by the village green in Thulston for their last walk of 2022, which involved a stroll looking around local advent windows

SOUTH Derbyshire Community Volunteer Service wants to hear from community groups, charities, social enterprises and any organisations around Melbourne who may help with its aim of targeting loneliness and isolation

‘Connect South Derbyshire’ is aiming to improve social connectedness in the area with a new initiative

They report: “The isolation experienced during the pandemic has resulted in a longer-term increase in people experiencing loneliness Pre-pandemic, research suggested that around one in five (20 per cent) people reported feeling ‘often’ or ‘always’ lonely Since lockdown that figure has increased to 41 per cent of UK adults reporting they feel lonely

Helen Adcock, a community development officer running the project, said: “To achieve this, we need to directly change our relationship with communities to enable better wellness and resilience, which will lead to improved health outcomes and reduce use on services such as the NHS We want to play a critical role in supporting people engage with their communities by becoming a direct-access gateway to knowledge, advice, culture, and information to increase population health by reducing loneliness and isolation ”

To get in touch email Helen at helena@sdcvs org uk or her office phone number is 01283 219761

l Members of Melbourne Operatic Society in full voice at their Christmas concert

Operatic society concert’s feast of fun promise is well and truly delivered Choir hits the festive spot

WHETHER it’s the pure joy of the Hallelujah Chorus or the gentle pathos of Away in a Manger, music really does hit the festive spot like nothing else

And the 2022 festive season well and truly got going in The Assembly Rooms in the company of Melbourne’s A Choir ’d Taste, who performed their glorious Christmas concert over two packed-out nights

The beautifully judged programme hit all the right emotional notes ranging from some knock-out beautiful solos to splendidly rousing choral singing, which coupled with many dazzling sparkling outfits combined to send the audience out into the night literally full of the joys of Christmas

Proceedings began with some works by Handel, introducing the audience to the first soloist of the night: Melbourne-based tenor Tom Stanyard, who had people moved to tears later on in the evening with his sublime rendition of O Holy Night

Part of the joy of the evening was that the audience were given the chance to open their lungs with the whole room rising to their feet and singing their favourite carols too

Joining A Choir ’d Taste and Tom Stanyard were further soloists in the form of soprano Isobel Chesman and countertenor David Whitworth, whose gorgeous singing talents have graced choirs of national acclaim such as The Sixteen and Gabrielli Consort

Isobel’s A Little Road to Bethlehem was simply lovely and when the pair got up to sing ‘He shall feed his flock’ from The

Messiah it really was a huge treat for this audience

Highlights of the night were A Choir ’d Taste’s rendition of Jingle, Bells, a fantastic elevation of the time-honoured classic to something much zingier and fresher

Likewise ‘Go, Tell it on the Mountain’ – a personal favourite – was brilliantly sung, as was Zither Carol, and Schönberg & Boubil’s ‘Bethlehem’, all leading up to the fabulously joyful Hallelujah Chorus to end the evening

With musical accompaniment provided by a string quartet brought together by Dora

MELBOURNE Operatic Society chairman Mike McGhee, introducing their annual Christmas concert, promised us a Feast of Festive Fun – and that is indeed what they delivered to a full house in Melbourne, writes FRANK HUGHES

Despite a slightly reduced programme with some singers suffering from winter illnesses, the concert included a varied selection of seasonal songs and readings A word cloud of lyrics for the evening would have had Gloria, Angels, Shepherds, Santa and Noel heavily prominent

There was a good mix of songs from the entire chorus, from the lively gospel spiritual Go Tell it on the Mountain to the bright A Christmas Gloria, with Alison Henshaw providing flute accompaniment on this contemporary piece

The “Ensemble” took on the pensive Waiting for Bethlehem’s Light, with Caroline Saxelby’s flute accompanying, and the 1930s swing-style What Will Santa Claus Say?

The ladies treated us to a fun rendition of A Jolly Jingling Carol Medley, whilst the men’s chorus encouraged us to go wassailing, with a smile and a song!

Strong solo performances from Helen Blatch, Paul Blackmore, Mike Tebbutt and David Henshaw, two amusing readings with Helen Blatch telling us the story of the Messiah in a Yorkshire accent, and David Henshaw reading a ‘Tripadvisor ’ style review of the Nativity, and Keith Reaveley’s reworking of “A Policeman’s Lot” all added to the variety of the evening

The operatic society showed that they are still in good shape with this concert, with some new faces joining the troupe and, as ever, David Henshaw’s solid keyboard skills, and Keith Reaveley’s strong musical direction pulling the whole show together

One thing absent this year was a preview of the next operatic performance, which will be The Sorcerer, at the Duchess Theatre Long Eaton, from April 19-22 Clearly they are keeping that in the back pocket for now!

Chatzigeorgiou, in true festive spirit there was even a risqué story from musical director Paul Marshall – whose silver sequinned jacket nigh-on stole the show – plus a nativity-style long trip from Saturday night’s pianist Simon Russell, who drove all the way from Nantwich to lend his skills to the evening: a round-trip of 110 miles!

At the previous evening’s concert, Derby Cathedral musical director Alexander Binns provided piano accompaniment

Choir member Margaret Gildea gave thanks to Bryan and the team who set up the

stage; Maggie, Judy and team for decorating the hall; and Debbie and friends for managing the front of house and the raffle – plus Andy Heafield and the Assembly Rooms team for running the bar and Pete Gough for the lighting

Proceeds from the Christmas concert raffle were due to be donated to Prostate Cancer UK, and thanks were given to Forteys, Wayne Spiers, Sainsbury’s Local and The Honest Wine Company, Castle Donington, for their donations to the raffle hamper

Harriet draws on pupils’ skills

A HIGHLY skilled local artist whose work has been shown to hundreds of thousands of viewers on TV has been helping primary school children discover their own creative talents

Harriet Merry, a collage artist who was featured on the prestigious Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year programme, went into Weston on Trent Primary School to help children there create their own artistic versions of themselves

Harriet, who is also a parent at Dame Catherine Harpur ’s School in Ticknall, was in Weston Primary to teach children her singular method of creating portraits involving specially painted papers and a collage technique

“I really loved what the children came up with,” she said Harriet was featured on the Portrait Artist of the Year programme in 2022 – one of around 60 to win a place on the show out of 2,000 applicants

She was one of a group of artists creating a portrait of wellknown classical soul musician Alexis Ffrench, who was so impressed with her collage portrait of him that he named it his favourite

Harriet said: “It was really good fun doing the programme, and really scary! I was so nervous to do it I didn’t really know what to expect I did a self portrait and got a call from Sky which I thought was an audition to go on the show I had just started doing collage and I was really nervous about doing it in front of people with a time limit and on TV But, actually, on the day I had lots of fun ”

Since going on the programme, Harriet has been doing many

more of her collage portraits including extensive work at Derby Refugee Solidarity where she teaches English “I’ve met some of the most wonderful people ever there,” said Harriet

“I’m doing a portrait project with them and it’s about ‘seeing’ these people I want to show that these people are real people, not just numbers in boats: people who are strong and courageous and have children and wives and mothers and fathers like us There’s something about creating a portrait of someone that says ‘I see you’ ”

Anyone interested in booking Harriet for a workshop can get in touch with her via her website which is www harrietmerry co uk

For more on Derby Refugee Solidarity see http://derbyshirerefugeesolidarity org/

JANUARY brings New Year ’s resolutions but the changes we need to see will not just be for this year but for all our futures, for our very existence!

The beginning of the new year has seen a great programme on Radio 4, ‘Rethinking Climate’ with Amol Rajan which I can recommend listening to on the BBC Sounds App.

We know that we need the politicians to do the ‘right’ thing for our green future but we as individuals can put the most pressure on those in charge. In history big social changes have been achieved by the power of ordinary people.

It’s not good enough to just do more recycling, fewer car journeys, less flying etc. We need to put pressure on politicians, we need to educate and encourage friends and relatives to speak out too.

There are lots of climate action groups and movements to join, including Whistlewood, to actively take part in the improvement of our environment. Even the wildlife groups connect to politics either with a big or little P!

The power of working collectively is something we know about at Whistlewood; when visitors see what we’ve achieved as a community it blows their minds. It also shows that if you want to create benefits for your community and environment doing it together is the way to achieve a bigger effect than you can alone.

In fact, the simple green changes you can make on your own or with your family will be fairly easy things to do and are good New Year ’s resolutions. They’ll be things that’ll be cheap and easy to keep up with too!

Let the Village Voice know what kind of things you’ve decided to do to make your household more green.

In 2023, we don’t need climate doom, we need climate action. It feels safe and easy to stay the same and not embrace change, but it feels a hell of a lot better deciding to do it for yourself than being mandated to change. Get ahead of the curve – we are more capable than we ever imagine.

– KATHERINE PARRISH

l Harriet Merry’s portrait of herself, and Bewar from Derby Refugee Solidarity; and (below) with pupils at the school.

Black belt rewards for karate students

YEARS of training and dedication have paid off for a group of students led by a Melbourne instructor – they have been awarded their black belts in karate

Mark Rotherham, of MRKD, said his martial arts academy was getting “stronger and better” with a group of students being given their black belt grading in December

He said: “It was a long grade and hard work by students who have trained week after week for many years of pure dedication, some from seven years old.”

Mark congratulated Mark Evans, Jude Evans, Deborah Harrison and Thomas Harrison on their first dan black belt; Katie Howat, Charlie Small, Robert Mead and Caolan Duggan on their second dan black belt; and Luke Spear on his third dan black belt

Mark said: “How these guys have got better. I am a very proud sensei.”

Mark also thanked the grading panel, who he said were a big asset to the club: himself, sixth dan; Joe Small, fourth dan; Mandy Rotherham, fourth dan and Elaine Croshaw, fourth dan.

Mark and Mandy Rotherham are pictured with students who achieved their black belt.

Weather wins in a damp Dynamo month

MELBOURNE Dynamo Football Club’s month of December was a lot like the weather – almost a wash-out

The senior teams managed only one game each, both of these coming in the first week

The Dynamo first team had a sensational 3-1 home victory against Mickleover FC Reserves to get through to the Derbyshire divisional cup south semi-finals A double from Jack Goodband plus an Oscar Supple strike secured the win

Melbourne Dynamo Reserves had a disappointing visit to highflying Bargate

Rovers as goals from Harry Foxon and George Poynton were mere consolations as Ross Carcary’s men went down 4-2

The first team entered 2023 lying in second place in the Macron Store Nottingham Division One, just three points off top spot with a couple of games in hand to go With the Derbyshire Cup semi-final to come there’s a lot still to play for in the last four months of the season

Dynamo Reserves currently sit in a disappointing seventh position in the Mel Williams MRA Premier Division, looking for a huge improvement in their recent

form to start to climb the table, but they do have a Derbyshire Cup semi-final to look forward to in the new year

Matt Brian leads the scoring stakes for the first team with eight goals closely followed by Jack Goodband, who has seven, with youngster Charlie Tovell one behind on six league goals for the season

Joe Shadbolt leads the scoring charts for the Reserves with an impressive 10 league goals with Harry Foxon in second place weighing in with seven and Finn Charles in third place with four league goals so far in this campaign

Cricket club padding up for new season

IT MAY only be early January but Melbourne Town Cricket Club is already working hard behind the scenes for the 2023 season which is less than four months away

The senior section has been recruiting in the off season in readiness to run five senior sides next season with three league Saturday teams, a hugely successful Sunday friendly side and a midweek 20/20 team The club will continue to run its ladies softball team with a lot more fixtures plus a home festival

The club will run junior teams at most age groups: two u9s teams plus a side at each of the u11 incrediball, u11 hardball, u13s, as the well as the well attended All-stars course for 5-8 year olds on a Saturday morning and the new ECB initiative Dynamoes

cricket aimed at 8-11 year olds

Winter practice nets begin this month for the junior section on Saturday, January 21 (2-4pm) at Chellaston Academy for eight weeks with the senior sessions starting a little later in the middle of February The club always welcomes new faces so anyone wanting to go along to the senior or junior sessions is asked to get in touch with Alex on 07966933583

An ambitious project to completely renovate their two practice nets is next on the development plan The club is actively looking for local businesses to sponsor the club by way of an advertising banner or matchball If this is of interest contact Alex on 07966933583 or email the club on cricket@mtcc club

MELBOURNE Tennis Club will be running the most league teams in its entire history in the 2023 season with five teams in the Derbyshire league plus an amazing 12 teams in the Burton leagues

On top of this the club’s junior section goes from strength to strength with several teams being entered into the Derbyshire leagues this coming season There are several inter club tournaments planned as well as the popular club championships Anyone wanting to join the club, either senior or junior, should get in touch with Sallie Allen on 07939599310