Melbourne Village Voice July 2013

Village Voice No 248 July 2013

Melbourne & District

BY GEORGE! HE’S COUNCILLOR AT 18

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The new curate – Page 6

AT 18, George Hudson is believed to be the youngest person ever to hold a seat on Melbourne Parish Council – and probably in any of the surrounding villages.

He was asked to stand up and read out his own letter of application for a seat at this month's council meeting, saying why he should fill a vacancy.

THE DAY the circus came to town ... Melbourne’s Carnival got into Big Top mode as the sun scorched down.

Mandy Rotherham, trapeze artist (above), holds the winning trophy for Puddle Ducks Old Fashioned Circus float with clown Angie Beardow looking on.

Picture special of the annual event on Pages 12-13.

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Following a secret vote he was declared the preferred candidate and invited to take his seat immediately.

“I was surprised and a little nervous when I was asked to read out my letter but happy to do it,”said George.

“I was pleased that the application had been taken seriously and delighted to be selected but to be invited to take a seat as a parish councillor was completely unexpected and a bit scary.”

Parish Council Chair, Cllr Jane Carroll said “I’m delighted to welcome George to the parish council. He will bring with him a new dimension to the council and be a good representative for the young people of Melbourne.”

George (pictured) is a student at Chellaston Academy studying for his A-levels in Politics, Geography and Biology. He was also part of the Chellaston team that visited Uganda in 2012.

He lives at home in Woodhouses with his parents and younger brother, Ross, and has aspirations of attending university at some point to read politics.

He is looking forward to his role with the council and in the local community, listing local politics as one of his interests and gardening, a pastime at home for over 10 years, which has led to a part-time job at Heath’s Nursery.

His interest in graphic design has also led to another part-time job at Melbourne Print.

George is a ‘volunteer’ and has regularly helped at events such as Melbourne Carnival, the festival and at the late night shopping.

Night at the opera – Page 14

He decided to apply for the council seat after reading in the May Village Voice that Cllr Cliff Crawford had stood down.

He believed that he could offer a young person’s perspective on issues affecting the community, citing such things as speeding traffic, highway maintenance and provision of facilities for the young.

George obviously had hopes that his letter would be taken seriously and not dismissed because of his age. After being invited to take his seat, he took it all in his stride.

Commenting on his Uganda experiences in 2012, George admitted that, it had "opened my eyes” and made him realise “how lucky we are in the UK” to have opportunities that are not as easily available to others.

He is “grateful for the experience” and looks forward to returning in the future.

George understands the bureaucracy of local government which can impact on the time it takes to get things done and he is prepared for that.

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2 Village Voice July 2013

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Norton races into hall DONINGTON Hall has been a country estate home, a prisoner of war camp, a refugee camp, an international airline’s headquarters and now it is set to be the home of one of the UK’s iconic brands – Norton Motorcycles.

Having purchased Donington Hall from British Airways for an undisclosed amount earlier in the year, Norton are set to move their operations from a location just a mile up the road, near the racing circuit, to the hall. The move is set to be completed by September.

They will be using the adjacent building, Hastings House, to allow them to grow the manufacturing business, focussing on “built in Britain by British hands” to continue making the Commando 961 marque the brand is renowned for.

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USA in 2008. The motorcycles are designed, engineered and manufactured in the one location, and are now being exported globally to territories within Europe and more recently to North America. Also, after a 30 year absence, British bikes will be exported to Japan.

The bikes are characterised by superior quality and road holding and styled in the best of British Roadster tradition.

“The move to Donington Hall was just a perfect fit for us,” said CEO Stuart Garner. "It is so close to the racing circuit, it is ready-made for our operation with little fit-out required and it enables us to retain all our skilled local staff. We will of course be recruiting additional staff to assist in the growth programme.”

Although still uncertain of the use for the hall itself, the business is keen to establish and retain links with the local community and local businesses.

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● THE WESTON on Trent Scarecrows fund-raising event attracted a good turnout of visitors to enjoy the displays and the fine weather.

The winning entrant was the Goddard family with Spam Busters (pictured). The Lawson family won the children’s choice with Tribute to the Hobbit, and the most unusual was Big Crow by the Boyd family. The awards took place at an afternoon tea party ceremony. The event raised £2,000 for the Village Hall and the youth user groups.

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TICKNALL - DERBYS

MELBOURNE Community Centre Ltd, now known as Melbourne Assembly Rooms Ltd, held its AGM on Monday, June 24. The intention to change the name was minuted at last year's annual meeting.

With approximately 10 per cent of the membership attending, the current chairman, Phil Dobby, addressed the meeting and advised that a positioning statement had been prepared by the board of directors in lieu of a statement of intent, representing where the MARs board wish to be in five years’ time. He also spoke of the successes and progress of the venture to date.

Reports on finance, premises, development and marketing were presented by board members and a message from South Derbyshire District Council was also presented. District Cllr John Harrison confirmed that SDDC is prepared to extend the lease to 25 years, and the subject of three months’ notice will be addressed.

MARs has operated prudently during the year and there is a small surplus in the end of year account.

Small changes and improvements to the building have been undertaken but the major changes are dependent on applications for grant funding being successful.

Inefficient energy use continues to be the biggest drain on resources. Praise was given for the efforts and successes of the development manager in expanding the use of the centre and his contribution to making it a venue of choice for many groups and organisations.

Proposals for changes to the constitution were tabled and discussed. Regarding membership of Melbourne Assembly Rooms, all current members attending the AGM were presented with a membership card.

Membership is free and is available to residents of Melbourne and the surrounding area. It is also available to users of the facilities and to members of groups and organisations that use the facilities.

In accordance with the constitution, two members of the board were required to stand down at the AGM and voting took place to elect two new board members. The conclusion of the voting returned Phil Dobby to the board and new member Carol Warburton. The chairman proposed that a vote of thanks be sent to Brian Dollamore for the contribution he has made over several years to bring the formation of MARs to where it is today.

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Village Voice July 2013 3

£600,000 boost for town sports project THE GRASS gets greener for Melbourne sport to the tune of £600,000 … thanks to a new funding boost.

The town's Sporting Partnership is delighted with news of the latest grant from the Football Foundation. It is terrific news for the partnership and Melbourne, whose soccer stars may soon be playing on a state-of-the-art synthetic pitch located at the Cockshut Lane recreation ground.

Intentions to include a synthetic pitch had been a feature in the site plan and the grant is linked to it.

This latest cash input brings the total awarded to the project to £1.9million. The Sporting Partnership had received an earlier grant specifically to address improved drainage for the site and work on that aspect of the project is now almost complete.

It is hoped that new work on the site will start in September, initially with the pitch layout moving on to preparing the footings for the new club house.

The MSP applied to become a company limited by guarantee and

has been granted that status with named directors, two each for cricket, football and rugby, a parish councillor, a representative of South Derbyshire District Council plus current secretary Douglas Keith and chairman John Harrison.

The closing date for application from those with an expression of interest in becoming the project manager was July 6 and a short list is in the process of being prepared with decisions on the outcome to be announced within the next few weeks.

It is hoped that work on the project will be completed in time for the 2014 cricket season.

The Sporting Partnership in conjunction with South Derbyshire District Council will be holding a consultation evening to present the project plans and current status on July 17.

Posters have been displayed throughout the town and flyers have been posted advertising the event which will be held at Melbourne Assembly Rooms between 5pm and 8pm. Melbourne residents are encouraged to attend.

● MELBOURNE Inner Wheel held its AGM at the Melbourne Assembly Rooms in June. The Inner Wheel President was delighted to hand over cheques on behalf of the members of Inner Wheel to Debbie Moore, of Derby Carers, and Gay Evans, community fund-raiser for Treetops Hospice.

YOUR COMMENTS NEEDED THE PLAN to extend the Melbourne Conservation area has certainly stirred considerable interest locally. The district council would welcome comments from local residents and interested organisations by July 19, either in writing or by e-mail. The proposal includes a swathe of land including Bare Hills and Brown's Fields, and is extended from 58 Ashby Road, up to and including the Melbourne Arms.

A GARDEN Party was held at Melbourne Junior School on Saturday July 6. In addition to the garden party activities which included live music, games, crafts and cream teas, some pond creation work was carried out by volunteers. The garden creation scheme is a partnership initiative between the school and Melbourne Area Transition.

Supporters of the project were invited to the free event to show them the progress on the garden and say thank them formally for their support.

More bad weather ... it’s nothing new SO AWFUL and fickle has the weather been over the last couple of years, that the weather men met in mid-June to try to make sense of the droughts, the very wet 2012, and the extended and very chilly spring this year. The experts are baffled, and even admit they are baffled.

Are the acute weather experiences just what has to be expected, or are we in a permanent climate change with global wind and water streams the culprit? Or is it the doomster's favourite culprit - global warming melting the icecaps, and causing huge variabilities?

But our Victorian forebears took the British climate for granted, and didn't agonise about causes.

We had this year a very cold spring, with

frosts and cold snow and rain even into June.

Not at all dissimilar to the year 1853. JJ Briggs, whose endlessly fascinating diaries have been edited so professionally by Philip Heath, wrote an entry dated May 19 of that year.

"The most extraordinary weather that ever occurred in the month of May. During the last part of last week, there have been cold, cutting easterly winds, dark and gloomy skies with alternate showers of rain, hail, sleet and heavy snow falls. These have constituted the fabled union of January and May. On the afternoon of the 9th snow fell as heavily as ever I saw it at Christmas … the next morning snow lay on the ground in sheltered places a foot deep."

This terrible May followed the previous November when JJ Briggs reported "the highest flood on the Trent since the great flood of 1795".

The cold May in 1853 was followed by an entry on November 3: "A remarkably late harvest – some wheat in this parish is not yet harvested. The long continued wet weather has spoiled thousands of quarters of wheat."

But JJ Briggs did not speculate about the causes of the vile weather; he just accepted as the norm the huge variations, and dealt with the ensuing problems. This was just normal, one of the expected hazards of life. Perhaps we should adopt some of the Victorian stoicism in the face of what cruel fate is heaped upon us. – DOB

CElia’S paiNTiNg pROvES aN awaRD-wiNNER MELBOURNE artist Celia Brookes has won an award at the prestigious Patchings Art Festival.

The international competition is one of the highlights of the annual art, craft and design festival. With more than 1,000 entries in various categories, Celia won ‘The Nature in Art Award’.

Delighted to win, she said: “I had entered the competition previously but hadn’t won an award. And I have heard that it is to be published in the Leisure Painter magazine, so I am thrilled!”

The award-winning painting depicts a group of Melbourne farmers in the 1940s and was inspired from a photograph Margaret Stafford had of husband Alan, then aged four. It may be viewed by visiting www.patchingartcentre.co.uk and selecting the Leisure Painter Winner.

Celia will be holding an exhibition of her work at her home, The Laurels, Derby Road, Melbourne, on August 17/18. Refreshments will be available and proceeds will go to Derby Down’s Syndrome Association.

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4 Village Voice July 2013

Country Living with Robert Parker

I HIT the big time the other day and I don’t know if I like it. No I haven’t won the lottery or any other big prize but I have been working in a very big field.

I mowed a 96-acre field which took just over three hours – a record for me. The usual average field size for us would be 12 to 15 acres and this large one was on a crop farm 20-plus miles from home.

The farmer had failed to plant any wheat last autumn and opted to sow a quick-growing grass called ‘Westerwolds’ and sell the crop to his livestock neighbours.

We were hired to harvest the crop. Unusually, there were only two in-field obstacles, one tree and a small clump of trees, so there was very little to break the monotony and I have to say it was a little like that.

When I was halfway across the field I was looking to the far hedge to see how much more I’d got to do. The quality of the grass and hence the silage was superb and would be very good

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feed for the large dairy it was destined for. I must say I would prefer three 30-acre plots.

Next job for me was nearer to home – to mow our first hay of the year on some very old wild flower meadows next to the reservoir. The biggest patch was about eight acres with some down to an acre and a half. The whole area of around 19 acres took an hour to mow.

The diversity of plant life and the amount of insects and butterflies was amazing and very nice to see. All very romantic, of course, but not at all profitable.

The resulting hay from these meadows will be virtually worthless as its feed value will be very low and most cattle and sheep would opt for the crop from the big field.

If all our cattle and sheep were fed this meadow hay instead of the more modern grass, milk and meat yields would be half of what they are now. So just remember this when you see all the lovely wild plants in the next few weeks.

● PICTURED is a group of Melbourne Community Care volunteers at their annual afternoon tea party held at the home of John and Beryl Symonds at Ticknall, during National Volunteers week.

Baby sign language group is top again

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WHEN local young mother Bernadette Dooley was made redundant from her long-term job at Derby University she decided to change career and venture into an expanding small business to really make a difference.

Two years ago she started a franchise of TinyTalk baby signing, a business established 11 years ago to teach sign language skills to under two-year-olds. Now she runs sessions in Ashby, Overseal and Swadlincote for parents, carers and babies.

By helping babies learn some British Sign Language they can make themselves better understood from as early as six months. Endearingly, Bernadette told the story of “Jeremy” a two-yearold who was not yet talking; after just two weeks of attending classes he gave his mum a clear sign that he wanted something … a hug!

Bernadette had attended signing classes with her two children, William and Katherine, and had seen the benefits. She said the classes were also “massively enjoyable” with an opportunity to chat to other parents and carers.

“Having been running now for about 11 years it is a well tried and tested approach – and it

works,” she added. She keeps her classes “fun, friendly and relaxed, which is the best learning environment".

For the second year in succession Bernadette’s group has been awarded ‘netmums’ most popular pre-school class in the area. Netmums is the UK’s biggest parenting website and receives over a million votes in an annual poll.

In her spare time Bernadette fills her utility room with empty baby-wipe packets! She is a collector for the charity Ellie’s Brain Tumour Trust, which was set up by another signing teacher, Heather Othick, who tragically lost her daughter aged 14 to a brain tumour.

Heather struck a deal with a recycling company for 2p to be refunded on every empty baby wipe package returned. This has meant that over 800,000 packets have been recycled, raising more than £16,000 to fund research and support families.

So far, Bernadette has sent 8,000 herself, gathered from local mums and organisations and her classes. You can read more about Tiny Talk baby signing and Ellie’s Fund on www.tinytalk.co.uk/bernadetted or ring 07786 360873.

Village Voice July 2013 5

Backing for the WE’RE ON THE Melbourne arms THE JULY meeting of Melbourne Parish Council saw an unusual mix of people attending with two PCSOs, two district councillors, a county councillor, four members of the public and yours truly.

Two agenda items generated the most excitement during the meeting. The first was the co-option of a parish councillor to replace Cllr Cliff Crawford, who had stood down earlier in the year.

The second was the SDDC Proposed extension of Melbourne Conservation Area to include the Melbourne Arms and Brown’s Field. The project is currently out for public consultation and the council discussed the proposal under the Planning Applications element of the agenda.

The consultation closes on July 19. The pros and cons of the extension were discussed. Concerns were expressed that the proposals have been contrived with the express reason to prevent any development since English Heritage de-listed the Melbourne Arms earlier this year.

However, arguments in favour of preserving the Melbourne Arms building and supporting the extension of the Melbourne Conservation Area were carried by a majority vote.

The poor state of road surfaces in Melbourne raised by Mrs Eileen Hardy was addressed in part by County Cllr Linda Chilton in her report to the council when she advised that Derbyshire County Council is working its way through the county, carrying out road repairs. The Government has allocated £4million over two years to Derbyshire to finance the repairs.

For the district council, Cllr John Harrison

TOM MILLS reports from the July meeting of Melbourne Parish Council apologised for the late cutting of grass verges in Melbourne and for the untidy state that they had been left in.

Commenting on Melbourne Sporting Partnership and the status regarding the work on the recreation ground Cllr Harrison advised that £600,000 had been granted to the project for the inclusion of an artificial playing surface.

This brings the total in grant funding to £1.9 million. (Full story on this on Page 3).

Other points from the meeting: ■ Subject to some minor changes to the wording, the proposed changes to the parish council committee structures was agreed.

■ A speed watch operation carried out on Station Road resulted in eight cautions and one ticket being issued.

■ Repairs to Swarkestone Causeway have been approved to proceed.

■ A request that the parish council consider the purchase of a defibrillator to be located in the town was made by Cllr John Harrison.

■ A request has been made for a Dog Bin to be located in Jawbone Lane, Kings Newton.

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cumstances and it is up to them for how long.

In Derbyshire, in the 2011-12 academic year, figures show that there were 78,543 days lost to holidays – out of 11,098,584 days possible. That is 0.66 per cent.

Lion Court looking forward to arriving at the office every day ● THIS year's Astonbury Music Festival was held in both All Saints’ Church and the War Memorial Hall and was the best ever, raising funds of over £1,400 which were split between the Aston Well Dressers and All Saints’ Church.

Performers of all ages gave outstanding performances throughout the weekend and both venues were full. Many performers were local but some were not, like the teenage bands from the Yamaha School of Music and Tom Bailey, who delighted with his manic humour.

A surprise guest, Derby opera singer Catherine Fitchett, joined Tony Luke for a remarkable duet in the Church. Catherine is also the mother of Luke Fitchett, one part of a duo featuring Alison Hurt, who performed at both venues.

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Musical evening for charities ROS and David Bell of Melbourne have organised, through Melbourne Inner Wheel, an informal musical evening at the Assembly Rooms starring their American friends Dann and Annette with Dann’s singing group E.Young & Co. Annette was a backing singer for the Motown group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.

With a programme of some easy listening, Mo-

town, some 50s, 60s … in fact a little of everything, it should prove to be a very entertaining occasion. All the proceeds from the event will be shared between the Padley Centre in Derby and The Calcutta Cathedral Relief Service.

Tickets priced at £7.50 are available from Ros Bell (863139). The event, takes place on Friday, July 26, at 7.30pm.

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A DERBYSHIRE charity is looking for helpers to run a vital hearing clinic in the local area.

Simon Keeling, service manager for CamTAD (Campaign for Tackling Acquired Deafness), explained that the charity supports those who have an acquired hearing loss by running a local clinic at the Melbourne Surgery, to help patients having any problems with hearing aid equipment.

The charity has been running for over 27 years, runs over 30 outreach clinics in Derbyshire and in 12 months will service more than 2,400 hearing aids. The clinics are there to provide regular support to those who use NHS provided equipment and, being local, avoid the need for a

■ AT THE recent AGM of the Melbourne Photographic Society, the majority of the members attended to discuss a range of issues and to elect the committee for the forthcoming season.

Members received reports on a range of society matters including the financial report which shows the committee in sound financial order with sufficient reserves to purchase replacements for a number of items of essential equipment including a new digital projector.

Members showed their appreciation for the grants received over the past year from East Midlands Airport and Derbyshire County Coun-

lengthy trip into Derby for an appointment.

Simon said: “Often, people are distraught when their equipment fails – it might be through faulty use or just a battery problem, but without the assisted hearing they can’t even ring anyone to make an appointment.”

So the regular clinic on the first Wednesday every month in Melbourne is a vital support for those who need it.

User Mrs Christine Eastman (pictured) said: “It is a vital service – you should see the queues every time; it is very much appreciated.” She had dropped in from Ticknall and was happy to promote the service available.

Simon mentioned that acquired hearing loss is often an age-related thing, but can be caused by working with loud machinery and, increasingly, there is a concern about the longer term impact on younger people listening to MP3 players too loud.

If you are interested in volunteering you will be provided with proper training to do the simple maintenance, battery replacement and fault diagnosis, and it is no more than a couple of hours work once a month. Simon can be contacted by email camtad@camtad.org or by telephone 01332 258143.

Simon is pictured with Chris Appleby, who co-runs the clinic, and Mrs Christine Eastman. cil, which allowed the purchase of a new scanner/printer and display screen.

The society has held a number of very successful fund-raising events over the past year, which has contributed significantly to the healthy financial position.

The meeting concluded with the election of officers for the coming season: President Ian Pettit, vice-president Gavin Lake, treasurer Mary Garratt, programme secretary Ian Pettit, competition and exhibition secretary Dave Bell, advertising and promotions secretary and website Paul Cooper (co-opted following the AGM).

New curate moves in PARISHONERS from the Melbourne Church of St Michael with St Mary welcomed the new curate with a party in the rectory gardens on the afternoon of Sunday, June 30.

It was a big day for new curate Angela Plummer, who had been ordained at Derby Cathedral only that morning.

With a large party of family and friends at the cathedral to witness her ordination, they were also able to join her in the afternoon to meet the Rector, the Revd Dr Mark Powell, members of the parish church and the Benefice. It was a splendid occasion enjoyed in fine weather – and Angela was still on a high some days later.

She has come to Melbourne with husband John from their home in Wingerworth.

Daughters Rachael, 22, and Lucy, 19, are studying at Leeds and Sheffield universities respectively.

Angela originally hails from Rotherham but lived overseas until she was 11, travelling the world with her parents, her father being in the Army. Her youngest sister was born in Cyprus.

Schooled in Wath upon Dearne – a year behind William Hague – she chose to go to work straight from school and started her employment with Williams and Glyns Bank, later becoming the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Angela met John whilst working for the bank and when he was promoted to assistant manager they moved to Chesterfield and were married in 1989. Whilst working at the bank, they had both looked for something they could do together and, arising from John’s pleasure of regularly buying flowers for Angela from a shop in Chesterfield, they bought the shop and started a new career together. Angela had private tutoring in floristry

and John attended Broomfield Hall for training part-time. Business took off and they opened another shop in Matlock which Angela ran.

As a family they started attending church in Wingerworth on a regular basis about 10 years ago. An interest in the Ministry developed for Angela and, having attended many study courses, she found an awakening that took over her life.

After two years of study and a third year pursuing Fresh Expressions through Derby Diocese, she became an accredited Lay Minister.

A desire to continue learning developed and, following a meeting with the diocesan vocation advisor, she started on a two-year path of discernment and, after a selection interview, trained for ordination.

John has been a rock, giving incredible support during the process that Angela has gone through and having relinquished the floristry business he, too, has started a new job working in Derby.

The couple (pictured) are now both settling into life in Melbourne.

TM

Village Voice July 2013 7

Windows booster THE trustees of the the Thomas Cook cottages, on High Street, Melbourne, have agreed to install secondary double glazing in the pensioners' homes.

A planning application has been submitted to South Derbyshire District Council.

The cottages are a notable Melbourne landmark, having been built in the late 19th century, and are listed Grade 2.

● MELBOURNE Probus club held its annual garden party at Melbourne Catholic Church Hall in June.

Pictured at the event are (l-r) Terry Harrison (vice-president Probus), Linda Chilton (Derbyshire County Councillor), Richard Heath (president Melbourne Probus), David Horton (president Castle Donington Probus) and Eleyn Parry (president Ashby Probus).

Redundancy cash that helped to build a school

by Frank Hughes IF YOU were unlucky enough to suffer redundancy how would you use your payment? A new car, a new bathroom, or bank it…or how about using it to build a school?

That’s exactly what Mat Bonner did when he lost his job from Egg in Derby. As a result there is now a primary school in Osubenso in Ghana bearing his name.

Mat explained that he had a dream to do something life-changing in Africa and “while many people talk about doing it, I wanted to be someone who did it!”

After a chance acquaintance with a village elder Mat set about re-building the primary school over the following six months.

“It was hard work,“he said, “but it was the best experience of my life and I would do the same again.”

He described how he lived in the rural village without electricity, water or adequate sanitation, in conditions he described as “Extreme Camping!”

He was also introduced to the Ghanaian diet of stew and “fufu” – a stodgy mashed yam mix.

But by the end of six months they had built by hand a school for 58 children below the ages of 13. In an area where literacy can be as low as 40% basic education is the key to a much-improved life.

Mat returned to the UK in June 2012, but he was soon back in Ghana, with his luggage comprising 36 water filters to enable the school and the rest of the village to purify the local water captured during rainy seasons. This is the only source of healthy drinking water.

Mat also made connections between the school in Ghana and Woodstone School in Leicestershire, who now provide longer term support and send books and equipment to their fellow pupils in Africa.

His third project for the village is to improve the very basic health clinic they have. “Without electricity,” he said “if a woman goes into labour, the child will be delivered by candlelight. A £1,000 generator will make all the difference,” he said.

Mat is in the process of registering a charity called Volunteering for the Vulnerable which will encourage more volunteers to fundraise and devote skills to improve the quality of life in African villages like Osubenso. It is an ambitious project and as well as his day job in the Bulls Head at Wilson, he is actively raising funds.

His next effort is a grand prize draw to be held in August – with a top prize of a week’s free accommodation in a Portuguese villa.

The inspiration for Mat's philanthropy were grandparents George and Iris Down, who he remembered always collecting for charities in The Gambia.

Mat said his granny had been very poorly while he was out in Ghana, and sadly passed away very soon after learning he had safely returned home. Doubtless she would be immensely proud of his achievements. Mat is also very appreciative of all the support of Kevin Hall, the landlord at the Bulls Head, Rosie Dale, of Golden Paws in Melbourne, for all her help, along with many other local supporters.

If you wish to support Mat or find out about his charity work, he can be contacted by email (mat.bonner@hotmail.co.uk) or found on facebook.

Wanted: Classic cars for display DO YOU own a classic or vintage car? Melbourne Arts Festival is looking for classic cars to take part in a small display that forms part of the Festival on September 14/15. If you would like to participate call Helen Saunders on 01332 865342.

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8 Village Voice July 2013

Your Village Voice Village Voice is proud to promote Melbourne and the surrounding villages, helping to attract visitors and shoppers to our area while keeping our own community in touch with local events.

As well as being home delivered, every page of every edition is available for easy reading online through our website.

Local businesses which publish their web address in their advertisements in Village Voice can be visited online from anywhere by a simple click on their web address in our online edition. Distant friends can keep in touch.

Village Voice is a truly local independent newspaper dedicated to help keep local people informed and local traders in business.

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● THE main welldressing on The Green at Aston on Trent is featured with Welldressers and guests after the Blessing of the Wells. From the left are: Hayden Wheeler, Revd Paul Hygate, Mrs Sandra Murray, Cllr Pat Murray, Revd Diane Grice, Hilda Norton, Pat Simpson, Revd Tony Luke and Natasha Hyde with Peppa Pig and children dressed as characters from Roald Dahl books.

Sun blesses the well dressers ASTON on Trent Well Dressing Festival got off to a cracking start with the sun shining for hours before Rob Archer, chairman of the organising committee, welcomed everyone for the Blessing of the Wells. The service was conducted by the Rector, the Revd Tony Luke, the Curate, the Revd Paul Hygate and the Methodist Minister, the Revd Diane Grice.

This was the 17th well dresswith parents and children alike.

The main well dressing titled ing festival that has taken place There was rousing music at volACETUM was located on The in Aston and it was compleGreen and was the brainchild of ume from Aston’s Rebel mented by more stalls and chilRousers, while Melbourne’s Susan Winter and designed by dren’s rides than on previous Doug Ball. The name, apart Stargazy Folk Band took the occasions. There were eight well from being a type of vinegar, lunchtime slot on Sunday. dressings on display with a Entertainment throughout was the original name quoted in ninth – Un-Gnome – a mystery the Domesday Book from which the weekend centred mainly on well dressing that I couldn’t Aston has derived and meant The Green and the White Hart find. car park with a fixed exhibition East Farm. It depicts Aston in earlier times.

– Aston through the Ages – in The WI’s dressing had a the church. water theme and the remaining A concert by Newhall Brass dressings were inspired by the Band was the last event before Heritage Centre frieze, which joining villagers and visitors for for the weekend was displayed a closing service outside the church. in the parish church.

“It was a great event, “ said The theme for the children’s fancy dress competition was Mr Archer. “I was delighted The Wonderful World of Roald with the whole weekend." He Dahl with A Witch, a Golden praised the efforts and contribuTicket and Miss Honey taking tions of all those that had been involved in any way to help the first three places.

Peppa Pig was on walkabout make the event such a success.

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SETTING out on July 21, a team of nine cyclists will attempt to cycle from John O’Groats to Land's End (960 miles) in 11 days!

The riders from Ticknall and Coalville Wheelers are riding to raise funds for one or more of the four chosen charities: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, CRY (Cardiac Risk among the Young), Cancer Research at the QE Hospital Birmingham and Dame Catherine Harpur School, Ticknall.

Each of the riders is supporting the charities for very personal reasons which the rider would be prepared to talk about. During the ride the team is hoping to be joined for a short stretch by legendary cyclist Les West, winner of the Milk Race twice, second in the world amateur road race championship and fourth in the world professional championships.

All of the income raised will go to the charities, and all the riders are funding their own accommodation, subsistence and travel so that the amount raised can be maximised.

The riders are inviting individuals and organisations to support them through sponsorship via their website http://ticknallcoalvillejogleride.wordpress.com

Village Voice July 2013 9

Couple’s task to save albatross YOU CANNOT really get much further away from the natural habitat of an albatross than Kings Newton, but local residents Iain and Lynn Gardner are on a mission to protect the species.

Having just returned from a symposium to support the Albatross Task Force, Lynn explained her interest.

“When we were holidaying in New Zealand we had the chance to see five species of Albatross at close quarters, and they are absolutely fabulous.”

To see their nesting sites, and see them in flight was a holiday highlight. However she also learned how they were in danger of extinction, with 17 of the 22 known species threatened, mainly from the fishing methods used in eight countries in particular.

“In Namibia,” she explained, “the fishing lines can be 80 to 100 miles long. Squid is used as bait, and the albatross dives to scavenge on the bait, gets caught on the line and drowns.”

With the introduction of simple technologies, such as weighting the lines, or attaching stream-

ers, the birds can be protected. Where this has been introduced there has been an 80% reduction in bird loss.

The albatross only lays an egg once every couple of years and spends most of its life flying around the world, mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, in search of both food, and a mate.

They do not reproduce quickly enough, therefore, to cope with the current levels of loss. The protection of huge numbers of birds is achievable through education of the trawlermen, and this is the work of the Task Force which Iain and Lynn support.

“The symposium was brilliant,” Lynn said, “being held in the Royal Geographical Society underneath Dr Livingstone’s picture of Victoria Falls. There were some 350 delegates attending, all with the common purpose of saving the Albatross.”

The RSPB is continually looking for new supporters, she added.

And if you should spot an albatross in Kings Newton, you will be very lucky!

FH

Private hire drivers targeted FOURTEEN private hire drivers saw an unexpected blue light flashing in their rear view mirrors as Derbyshire Police and South Derbyshire District Council licensing officers took to the streets on the look-out for non-compliant vehicles.

Police motor vehicle experts and licensing staff from the council worked together to stop potentially dangerous vehicles being used by licensed private hire businesses.

Said Stewart Broome, South Derbyshire’s Senior Licensing Officer: “We are working together to ensure that there’s no hiding place for unroadworthy private hire vehicles in South Derbyshire.”

In a survey of the 14 cars inspected during the operation six were suspended immediately by the district council, and of these six, five were issued prohibition notices and two were recommended for prosecution by Derbyshire Police.

“Our aim is to ensure that the vehicles licensed by the council are maintained in a roadworthy condition at all times. When we find a vehicle that is not, we will take immediate action to ensure that the public’s safety is not at risk," said Mr Broome.

“We also ensure that the driver is licensed with South Derbyshire District Council.”

A Derbyshire Police spokesperson said: “We will be on the road again soon to ensure that private hire drivers in the district take their responsibility for other people’s safety seriously.”

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Gun club on the mark A LOCAL airgun club recently hosted a vintage airgun fayre and belltarget competition at Melbourne Royal British Legion to raise funds for the RBL Poppy Appeal.

The club, Melbourne Marksmen, was formed two and a half years ago by enthusiasts who wanted to bring this form of lowpowered competitive indoor shooting to Derbyshire. The club opens every Thursday evening from 8pm onwards in the Royal suite of Melbourne's RBL and enjoys a healthy membership with ages from 18 to 80, both male and female.

The fayre was held with the objective of promoting belltarget shooting and making it accessible to anyone who wanted to try it out. There were competitions for the serious enthusiasts, a fun shoot for the youngsters, food, a raffle and prizes galore.

There were also 14 display tables of old and vintage airguns for sale dating from the 1900s to the 1980s. Prices ranged from £25 up to £2,600 for a fully engraved pre-war BSA with gold inlay in a display case.

The fayre ran from 11am until late afternoon and many newcomers were introduced to the sport of belltarget shooting.

The club members ensured that everything ran smoothly and were always available to answer any questions.

Over 100 people attended the event and at the end of the day club members could reflect on a job well done. The takings, just shy of £700 but rounded up by a member, were donated to the RBL Poppy Appeal. The Poppy Appeal was chosen because members of the Marksmen include ex-servicemen.

In the picture are (l-r) John Goodband (RBL chairman), Chris Hough (Melbourne Marksmen), Andy Boardman ((Poppy Appeal) and Dave Smith (RBL president).

Committee honour for MP SOUTH Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler is a high flyer. She has been chosen once again by her fellow Conservative MPs to be a member of the very select 1922 Committee.

Mrs Wheeler said: "I am really honoured to be re-elected." She makes the point that the 1922 Committee of 18 senior MPs, which meets weekly, is "seen as a barometer of party opinion", and within the Conservative Party is regarded very highly.

10 Village Voice July 2013

● THIS year’s open gardens event at Breedon on the Hill was organised by the WI. With 14 gardens open for the public’s enjoyment, a Teddy Bear hunt for children and a selection of tabletop and shed sales scattered around the village and in Tonge, it proved to be very popular. The event raised more than £1,000 for Breedon Church funds.

Pictured is a section of the garden of the old chapel.

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PLEDGES continue to pour in for community land purchase in support of Melbourne Area Transition.

After meeting rigorous criteria and receiving official sanction from the Financial Conduct Authority, Melbourne Area Transition is this month launching its most ambitious project yet – a community share issue to help create a new productive landscape for community access and practical use.

Even ahead of the official launch, local people have pledged more than £18,000 of the £50,000 needed to buy the land and establish the initial stages of the project.

The “not-for-profit” community interest project has so impressed the National Forest Company that it too has promised significant financial backing.

Shares will be issued in the name of Whistlewood Common Limited, the name chosen by the Transition group in a recent workshop at one of its monthly meetings.

The visionary model of low-input, high-yield woodland food production will, in time, create jobs and establish a new type of space where the community can meet, learn and celebrate.

The community owned Whistlewood Common will plant orchards, forest gardens and showcase fruit-growing systems, as well as other trees and plants of use to the community, by for example: establishing a cider apple orchard; encouraging planting of local fruit varieties, such as the “Newton Wonder” apple; planting trees suitable for local use, such as for willow weaving, hazel poles, fencing, and firewood; offering courses in fruit growing, horticulture, woodland crafts and forestry skills; and providing new opportunities for employment for local people.

All local residents, as well as people and groups in any way associated with Melbourne and neighbouring villages who care about the landscape and local economy are invited to subscribe and join the project. Further information is available at http://www.whistlewoodcommon.org/

Village Voice Postbag MAY I, through your paper, pay tribute to Bill Hopper, as I was unable to attend his funeral because I am, at the moment, in hospital battling with leukaemia – a battle I intend to win.

I worked with Bill when I first joined Burton on Trent branch (then National Provincial) in 1968. Bill was my “Branch Accountant” and I was so grateful for such amazing support from a senior colleague. He was knowledgeable, caring, and funny and along the years we had very many happy times at work, together with our many colleagues.

I was then fortunate enough to follow Bill as manager of NatWest at Melbourne. A hard act to follow but the customers of Melbourne branch

made me feel at ease. I, like Bill, became an active and very welcomed part of the community. I cared enormously about my customers, just as Bill did and I hope I did some justice to his hard work there. I was an “old fashioned “manager – Bill taught me a lot.

I was sadly and reluctantly made redundant from Melbourne branch in May 2000 and I have missed my job and my customers.

My friend Maureen Barker and I often visited Bill during his illness, both at Wallfields House and Old Lodge. He always had a smile and a laugh for us. He was a pleasure to visit.

We extend our sympathy to his family.

Val Hackett

General Custer comes to the tearooms PHILIP Rosser, president of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, welcomed guest speaker Graham Stow to the club meeting for a special event held at Melbourne Hall Tea Rooms, a previous home for Rotary for many years.

After the excellent ' American Supper’ produced by Louise Blunt, Graham introduced the Rotarians to 'The Life and

Death of General George Armstrong Custer'.

In spite of a very full business career, including H R directorships of Littlewoods and Asda and latterly CEO of the Britannia Building Society, a year as High Sheriff of Staffordshire, of which he is now a Deputy Lieutenant, and imminent Mastership of The Worshipful Company of Curriers, he has

managed three visits to ' The Little Bighorn'.

He is an enthusiast on military history in general and gave a detailed, informative and most entertaining account of the real story behind this now almost mythical battle and the defeat, for which Graham thought Custer was not wholly to blame, and was warmly thanked by the president.

Village Voice July 2013 11

Charlie and the days of the pig-stick man ...

by FRANK HUGHES NOT TOO many people in their 80s can claim to be a lifelong resident of Kings Newton, but Charles Robey is among a select few.

Born in Railway Cottages at the bottom of Trent Lane in 1924, he has moved no further than a few yards up the hill, and is still there nearly 90 years later.

Charlie clearly remembered life in the old thatched cottages, having to pump water from the well, going to bed by candlelight, a coal fire for heating and cooking and a rudimentary two-seater loo.

He described his father as “a subsistence market gardener” – one of 176 in the area – who made a living from strawberries and flowers.

“Life was very different from now,” he said, recalling how his father kept a pig for domestic consumption.

“The pig-stick man would come on a Sunday, and I had to boil up loads of water – but I would disappear as I didn’t like to see what happened.”

Thereafter joints of ham and bacon would hang from the ceiling near the fire, being cured.

At that time, too, there was a path down to the Trent, and a ferry service over to Weston. In summer there was swimming and picnicking on the bank of the river, and he learned to swim upstream of the railway bridge, where non-swimmers were taken.

The railway played a bigger part in local life than is realised today. For 21 shillings you could get a ticket from Melbourne to London, and there were regular trips to places such as Trentham Gardens or Alton Towers, taking virtually the whole village away for the day.

Charlie attended school in Melbourne – there were two in those days, the “church” school on Penn Lane and the one in what is now the Assembly Rooms. He remembered a strict disciplinarian, Mr Barratt, as head teacher. But he did reasonably well there, and gained a scholarship to Bemrose in Derby, which meant an early bus and a mile

walk to the school.

The war years brought huge change to Kings Newton with the setting up of the military base where engineers learned bridge-building skills. Later in the war the Yanks arrived and set up a tented camp on the other side of the railway, where they built pontoons. He remembered they evacuated overnight, leaving a grand piano in the mess tent, where they used to hold dances for the soldiers to meet local girls.

At 16 he secured a job with Rolls-Royce with the help of his grandfather and Horace Percival Smith, who clearly saw his potential. He was sent on a day release scheme to Derby Technical College where he gained a BSc (Hons) in Engineering. First as an errand boy, and then a trade apprentice, this was a route into the “detail office” and eventually the design team – boosting his pay to £4/10s in old money.

Those early days were ones of transition for Rolls-Royce into the new jet engine age

and the subsequent merger with Frank Whittle’s business. He went on to work on the Dart Engine and the 211.

Charlie met Pat at a dance in Derby Assembly Rooms, and they married in 1954.

Being ‘canny’ with money, they married in March to benefit from the tax allowance and they honeymooned with a trip in a Dakota to the Channel Islands.

They then set about building a house. At that time there was a £1,000 limit on the house building and you needed a licence – which were in very limited supply as councils kept them for council housing.

But he managed to secure both and set about building the bungalow he still occupies nearly 60 years later. Luckily for Pat he managed to get it built in a year, as they were camping in an old freezing bus converted into living quarters.

He also had aspirations to be a Yeoman, living off the fat of the land, and set himself up breeding pigs – one became two, then he built up to 100 pigs, which he tended to before and after his day job at Rolls Royce, much to the amusement of his colleagues.

A highlight of his life was a meeting with Lady Thatcher. Then, as now, there was a row brewing over secondary education for Melbourne children. With comprehensive education being introduced the outlook for secondary education was uncertain.

Charlie and others put together a plan which involved building extra classrooms on the Bemrose site, and took this to the council and then the Department of Education. Being “bolshy” he was invited to go along – and he told her of the plan – which she agreed to look at.

Although this was not the final outcome it was instrumental in the building of Chellaston School ‘for Melbourne children'.

Charlie retired in 1983 after 41 years’ service and now enjoys a quiet family life.

He has son Michael and daughter Claire and two grandchildren who he sees regularly. Reflecting on a lifetime in Kings Newton he said it was a fantastic place to live, and clearly he would not want to live anywhere else.

Promote Melbourne looking to the future PROMOTE Melbourne is alive and well. This was evidenced at its most recent meeting when an undertaking was given to organise the Melbourne Late Night Shopping event on December 6.

The full agenda included inviting volunteers to manage the various elements of organising the late night shopping event and, in an upbeat meeting, everyone volunteered to take some of those actions on board.

There seemed to be a determination amongst those present to make things work. There was also an element of looking to the future: What else are we going to do and when should we be doing it?

The first step in the next phase will be moving towards adopting a constitution and the election of the three principal officers. This is planned to take place on Monday, July 22, at the Wesley Hall (6pm). Once this has taken place the follow-on will be for Promote Melbourne to apply to become a Company Limited by Guarantee (a not for profit organisation).

Third time lucky? ● THE HIDDEN gnomes of Aston on Trent came out to play on a Sunday afternoon in June. Ten gnomes popped up on a route round the village, each holding a letter of the alphabet.

The challenge for the children was to locate them all to win a paint you own gnome kit. For the grown-ups there was a head scratching treasure hunt with lots of prizes to be won. All proceeds from the event, £300, were donated to the DLRAA and 107th Aston, Weston and Shardlow Scouts.

Pictured are: back row (l-r) Natasha Hyde, organiser, Cllr. Ann Hood (chairman SDDC) , Frank Hood (consort) with Anna and Emily Greathead.

TWO CONTROVERSIAL major planning applications over the last two years designed to develop 55 Derby Road, Melbourne, have been rejected by South Derby District councillors.

It could be now third time lucky for Adam Devey-Smith, owner of design firm The One Off. A new planning application for the site has been presented, aiming to use the current building to create two flats, and behind the house to build a five-bedroom dwelling and provide parking space for residents' cars.

The planning application can be viewed on the District Council website under reference 9/2013/0445. The application should be adjudicated in September.

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Village Voice July 2013 13

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s Comes to town “WHAT A wonderful day” and “what wonderful weather” were just two of the comments that summed up Melbourne Carnival.

People turned out as normal in their hundreds and were treated to a special carnival atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.

The Big Top with Circus Sensible was a success with everyone. The circus performers provided entertainment and fun for young and old alike. It was also a marvellous place to shelter from the sun. Committee member Tracey Ridley was full of praise for all those taking part and providing entertainment including the Town Band for playing and marching in the extraordinary heat.

The floats taking part in the procession were dominated by the young , Puddle Ducks taking first prize with Kangaroos and Scallywags second and third. The Decorated Shop window competition was won

by Isobel the Florist.

Guest of Honour Andrew Jackson with his sister, Linda Matthews, were in the lead car, first amongst a fleet of Triumph Stags.

Miss Melbourne, her attendants and other guests followed in the remaining cars. At the Carnival ground, Mr Jackson delivered a well-received address to formally open the event.

The arena was very colourful and there were lots of stalls to entice people to part with their money.

The Carnival Committee wasvery pleased with how well the event had gone and as they faced a big clearing up job they pleaded for more volunteers to help on the day for future years.

ABOVE: Guest of Honour Andrew Jackson with his sister, Linda Matthews, are joined by Rose Minifie, chair of the Carnival Committee, and Tracy Ridley, joint organiser.

TOP CENTRE: Miss Melbourne Georgina Smith waiting for the procession to start.

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14 Village Voice July 2013

OBITUARY PETER JAMES SHONE 1946 – 2013 PETER was born in Derby and attended St Mary’s Roman Catholic Infant and Junior schools. This was followed by Bemrose Grammar School where he made lifelong friends through his love of sport, especially football.

When he left school Peter became an apprentice at Courtaulds in Spondon and worked for the same company until he retired in 2003. By then he was Engineering and Site Manager of one of the company’s factories in Coventry.

Peter excelled at many sports, representing Derbyshire at football and athletics – but football was his main sport. He played for several clubs in Derby, Gresley Rovers and culminating in over 100 appearances for Burton Albion. He later managed Gresley Rovers.

Peter married Janice in 1970 and they returned to Peter’s family roots in Melbourne. They settled into family life and had two daughters, Beth and Kate.

Peter was extremely proud of his family. He became a member of

Melbourne Badminton Club and in later years, Kings Newton Bowls Club.

When he retired Peter was diagnosed with an aggressive soft tissue tumour in his right arm and, after several operations in Birmingham, it was decided that amputation was the best way forward. Peter was a very positive person and wasn’t going to let this defeat him. He learnt to play bowls with his left arm through sheer determination and still managed to bowl in the club’s first team. Unfortunately last year the tumour progressed to his spine and, after two oper-

ations, Peter became paralysed from the chest down. After five months in hospitals in Birmingham and Derby he returned home but sadly passed away on April 2.

Peter’s funeral was held at Our Lady and St Philip de Neri Catholic Church in Melbourne followed by cremation at Bretby Crematorium. His life was celebrated by family and many friends at Pride Park Stadium where for many years he had been a season ticket holder together with Beth and son-in-law Nigel.

Peter’s positivity and cheerfulness rubbed off on everyone and, as a result, he had many visitors during those last few months. His first granddaughter, Isla, was born in the Royal Derby in December and he had worked out his route, by wheelchair, from his ward to the maternity unit as he was determined to be the first visitor.

The family would like to thank everyone who came to Peter’s funeral and for their kind donations to Sarcoma UK and Rainbows Hospice, which amounted to £1,200

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Midsummer night dream “THE BEST event the Assembly Rooms has put on yet,” announced one of the guests at the recent Midsummer Opera Night.

The old school hall had been transformed with fabulous opera posters draping the usually stark walls; mood lighting and extravagant table dressings with beautiful floral displays added colour and style to the evening.

Opera Emporio, featuring soprano Hannah Kirk, tenor Richard Owen and bass John Kiefert treated the audience to a full programme of wellknown arias and songs from musicals. Starting with the Drinking Song from La Traviata the audience needed no further encouragement and by the end there was certainly more than one Dean Martin in the room to join a chorus of “Volare”.

On the journey we were seduced by Hannah’s “On my lips” from Giuditta; we were entranced by the “La ci darem” duet from Don Giovanni and moved by the superb “O soave fanciulla” from La Boheme. The accomplished pianist Phil Smith provided the musical backing.

Between each opera section the food from Penny Heath was a delight, with well-crafted dishes to suit the sumptuous occasion.

The event had been promoted to raise funds to start addressing the acoustics problems in the main hall, although if all performers had operatic voices there would be no need! Event organiser Margaret Gildea was delighted with the success of the night and thought that the event would raise more than £1,200.

A small band of helpers enabled the event to run smoothly and a host of local businesses, including the One Off, Forteys, Bittersweet Chocolates and Throughmic provided support while many others donated gifts for the attractive “goody bags” for the ladies.

For those who didn’t know if they liked opera, there were a few converts on the night; for those who do, there is another opera event later in the year, with a History of Opera as part of the Melbourne Festival on September 21.

FH

Village Voice July 2013 15

Robinsons go to school with dolphins JOHN and Yvonne Robinson have now been on their mammoth sail round the UK for over two months. Having started at Dartmouth on May 10, the Melbourne adventurers have visited all the “Celtic” parts of the UK and notched up more than 1,000 sailing miles.

Among the memorable experiences along the way are the people they have met, the natural world around them and the wonderful coastline of the UK. They have encountered a huge array of people on their trip, ranging from harbour masters, fishermen, fellow sailors, publicans and ordinary locals.

John said: “It is easy to forget how British people are generally cheerful, courteous and helpful to their fellow men – the trip has reminded us of this wonderful aspect of our national character.”

Top billing in the natural world has been the school of dolphins that played around the boat across the Bristol Channel and the island of Skomer. They played on the bow wave, dived under the boat and squeaked to each other.

Skomer is a paradise for bird watchers, especially in May’s breeding season, John reported.

“We could not believe the sheer numbers of birds including puffins, kittiwakes, Manx shearwaters, fulmars and others. We could literally touch some birds such as puffins if we had

wanted to, so close were their nesting burrows to the footpath.

"Whilst anchored off Skomer we had a flypast of flocks of birds every few minutes.

Among many other examples are soaring sea eagles in Scotland and seals swimming up to inspect the boat."

The scenery off the coastline has been incomparable, whether it is the Pembrokeshire coast with a riot of colourful flowers, the panorama of the Snowdon Mountains when viewed from the sea on a bright summer day or the quiet open vista of Strangford Loch with the back drop of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland.

They have had some difficult weather to handle, however. The worst was around Lundy in the Bristol Channel.

“We sailed there from Padstow and moored up off the landing point, intending to go ashore next morning, but the weather blew up overnight so it was like trying to sleep in a fair ground ride. Next morning we could not go ashore as it was too rough to launch our dinghy and we had a very uncomfortable five-hour sail under motor power into the teeth of the wind to reach shelter at Milford Haven.”

As they sail John and Yvonne are raising funds for Sudep, an epilepsy charity. You can follow progress, view photographs and sponsor them at www.thecrusoes.wordpress.com

● IT WAS another full house for local ceilidh band The Derbyshire Ranters at the Riding School, Calke Abbey, in June.

The event was attended by the chair and consort of SDDC, Councillor Ann Hood and consort Councillor Frank Hood. Also enjoying the evening was MP Heather Wheeler, who said: “This band has blown me away – they were tremendous."

Pictured are (l-r) Beryl Symonds, Heather Wheeler, John Symonds, Ann Hood (SDDC chair), Frank Hood (consort), Terry Summerlin, Gayle Summerlin and Pat Philipson. ● MATTHEW Smart, son of Derek and Karen Smart, from Ticknall, and Lucy Brooks, daughter of Colin and Elaine Brooks from North London, were married and celebrated their wedding at Langley Priory, Diseworth in May. The bride was attended by her sister Stephanie Brooks and best man was lifelong friend Stephen Forryan. Usher was close friend James Freeman from London.

The couple celebrated their honeymoon in Thailand and returned to start the next chapter of their life together in a new home in Melbourne.

Photo: Steve Walton Photography

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16 Village Voice July 2013

Barbara’s a ton-up lady MELBOURNE has a new centenarian, Barbara Grace Hudson.

Barbara was born on June 20, 1913, in Sutton Coldfield.

She came to live in Melbourne in 2006 to be closer to her family as she became less mobile. She now lives opposite her niece, Romey Cunnington in Dunnicliffe Lane.

Barbara is a charming lady and has become a welcome member of the Melbourne Wednesday group.

She spent most of her working life with the Post Office-Communications except for two years when she volunteered to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) with visions of world travel. It was a disappointment to find she was stationed in Droitwich.

However, she did ride her bicycle the 30 miles to give herself some independence and transport.

She has many lively memories of her time in the ATS. Barbara married Joe in 1958 and they continued to live in Sutton Coldfield until he retired and the couple then moved to Dawlish.

Barbara had always loved the sea and the seaside. She remembers her first cruise at the age of 15, a prize won by her father in a competition.

She has continued to enjoy cruising, her last

being a Christmas cruise to the Mediterranean in 2010.

The occasion of Barbara’s 100th birthday was marked with a celebration four-course meal for family and close friends at Mileburne Restaurant and a beautiful cake made by Romey.

When asked what has contributed to her longevity she admitted that it ran in the family, although a glass of red wine or a Bombay Sapphire Gin might help. I’m told, she is also partial to liqueur chocolates.

TM

Diamond day duo KEN and Leonora Leech celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on June 20. They were married at Melbourne Methodist Church in 1953 with matron of honour Nena Dodds, bridesmaids Miss Dorothy Calow and Miss Joan Wearing attending. The best man was Ken’s brother, Eric Leech.

The wedding reception was held at the Wesley Hall and a two-tier wedding cake was made for the occasion by Leonora’s uncle, a baker. After two glorious weeks' honeymoon in St Ives, the couple settled in Melbourne.

Ken had first spotted Leonora at Ticknall Methodist Church Sunday School Anniversary service where Leonora was in the choir. The following week, the Melbourne Methodist Garden Party took place at Bleak House and Leanora was running a stall.

Ken’s sister-in-law had given him the gossip and Ken was on his bike heading for the garden party. He introduced himself and they decided to walk out together for their first date. The bike was put to good use with Ken frequently cycling from Church Gresley to Melbourne in addition to him cycling to his work in Burton on Trent.

Ken had served two years' National Service in Egypt before returning to Burton to complete his apprenticeship as a printer.

Working as a solicitor’s clerk in Bletchly, Leonora had volunteered to join the police as part of the war effort and became a Women's Police Constable. After the war, she transferred to CID until the family relocated to Derby.

Leonora resigned from the police and took up a post as a solicitor's clerk in Derby. It was at this time that she met Ken in June 1951.

The couple have had a busy life, both enjoying a variety of jobs. Ken moved from Burton to Bemrose in Derby before taking a post in time and motion at Fairystep Shoes, Melbourne, followed by a brief return to printing before joining Severn Trent treatment works as a shift engineer until formal retirement age.

Leonora joined Pipes Solicitors in Melbourne

soon after they were married until son Graham was born. Some eight years later she became estate secretary for Lord Lothian at Melbourne Hall. She later ran the gift shop on behalf of Mrs Andrew Kerr and then with her friend Barbara Simpson. She maintained her connection with the estate engaged with the payment of wages until 2011. Ken still has a part-time job at the hall, collecting money from visitors to the gardens.

The couple still enjoy themselves and are fit and mobile. Ken is a keen Rams fan and maintains his interest in proper photography (using film). He is also a member of Melbourne Male Voice Choir.

Singing is an interest that both Ken and Leonora have always had. They belonged to the Melbourne Operatic Society, Leonora was a member of the Derby Choral Union and her speciality as a soloist, her favourite piece, the Messiah. She also belonged to the Chellaston Choir and a ladies choir.

Their special day was a busy one with lots of visitors, and the delivery of cards and flowers. A family party took place at the weekend with both grandsons Phillip and Robert travelling from London for the occasion.

■ DAME Catherine’s Harpur School, Ticknall, is celebrating 25 years as an independent school, and a new era with the new build.

On Saturday, July 20, from 3pm-11pm at Ticknall Village Hall there will be a fun day for

pupils, parents, ex-pupils and parents, village friends, neighbours and all supporters of the school. Throughout the day there will be afternoon tea and kids entertainment. From 5.30pm there will be a hog roast, bar and music.

Village Voice July 2013 17

Choir dedicates annual concert to former members THE MELBOURNE Male Voice Choir Annual Concert was held in conjunction with students from Chellaston Academy Soul Patrol and Street Beat Groups at the Assembly Rooms and was dedicated to two much-missed choir members, Alan Beadling and David Hancock.

The evening commenced with sustained applause in their memory.

It was the first full concert taken by the choir's new musical team of Dave Sewell and Andrea Leeming. From the reaction to the choir's performance by the audience, which included the chairs of the district and parish councils and choir vice-president, Councillor John Harrison, they should be well pleased with the start they have made.

Traditional pieces 'My Lord What a Morning' and 'Gwahoddiad' and 'My Heart Will Go On' from Titanic and solos from Ron Kenning and Graham Cameron were particularly well received.

The evening was also the first public performance of Soul Patrol and Street Beat, groups from the music department of Chellaston Academy under their head of music, Ian Baggott.

This continued the choir's policy of encouraging and providing a public platform to the district's young musicians. Soul Patrol and their singers and the drummers of Street Beat soon got the audience's feet tapping.

They were a lively and complete musical contrast to the choir and it was a pleasure to watch as their confidence grew from the experience.

They added considerably to a most enjoyable evening.

The choir will be performing in the Millennium Chapel at the National Memorial Arboretum and on August 10 in the Marble Hall at Kedleston Hall.

Anyone wishing to join the choir will be welcome on practice nights, Friday evenings in the Thomas Cook Memorial Hall at 7.30pm.

£2,000 Booster for funds MELBOURNE Male Voice Choir held an Auction of Promises and Fashion Show at Melbourne Assembly Rooms to a delighted and sell-out crowd. The event provided a welcome boost of just over £2,000 to choir funds.

The whole evening was arranged and organised by a choir sub-committee led by Barry Cake.

Thanks to generous offers from numerous local traders and enthusiastic bidders, the evening was one to remember.

Over 40 items of goods, vouchers and services were on offer, including a side of beef, an MoT, various meals, a handbag, hanging baskets, Derby County and Burton Albion tickets, men's dress hire, car waxing and a variety of others. The top bid of the evening was £200 for tea for two at the House of Commons, donated by MP Heather Wheeler.

There was a lively bar and a keg of Reverend Eaton bitter had been donated by Shardlow Brewery. Choir chairman Peter Dawn acted as MC and Mike Stanton kept the bidding flowing

Members of the Parish Council Chair Jane Carroll Vice Chair/Highways Wendy Earp Burial Grounds Sheila Hicklin Recreation & Ameneties Andrew Jackson

during the two sessions.

Sally West introduced a feast of feminine fashion modelled by her beautiful team. A veritable bonanza of beneficial bids kept things spinning along admirably.

An amusing 'stand-up bingo' was won by Angie Lamb with the audience remaining thoroughly entertained to the end.

Pictured at the auction are (l-r) Peter Dawn, Mike Stanton and Barry Cake.

Bird’s eye view of the world TWO DEDICATED twitchers, Alan Davies and Ruth Miller, promise a fascinating evening when they come to Melbourne to relate their record-breaking odyssey to 27 countries.

Their massive journey was a successful attempt at a new world record for the highest number of bird species seen in a single calendar year.

This fascinating travel and adventure story is packed with fantastic images of mammals, scenery, people and of course, birds.

It is a gripping, often hilarious account of an epic journey by two dedicated twitchers. Alan said: "Birds are my passion, the focus of my life. The reason to suffer altitude sickness in the Andes, trek across the Karoo desert in 45C to glimpse a small grey Eremomela, empty my stomach over the side of a small boat just to see an Isabelline Wheatear, it has always been birds – it is what I live for."

A native of North Wales, Alan previously manager of an RSPB reserve in Conwy, and Ruth travelled together on their epic travel.

Friends of the Parish Church are sponsoring the illustrated talk on July 18, in the Parish Church at 7.30pm.Tickets will be on sale at £4.

● MEMBERS of Melbourne Footpaths Group are pictured working on clearing the Cockshut Lane to Derby Road footpath: John Banister, Barry Thomas, John Sheppard and Stewart Mansfield.

Melbourne Parish Council Quarterly Report - July 2013

863269 865019 865726 07931 541387

David Carpenter Nigel Collyer Sarah Dunnicliff Christopher Howard OBE George Hudson Rose Minife Robert Parker Margaret Sharp David Smith Malcolm Stockill Paul Willmore

864521 07831 540538 862162 07795 484120 07503 247953 07795 362936 07973 297404 862471 862699 694598 863044

Jacqui Storer - Clerk

07854 063620

Welcome to the Parish Council Quarterly report where I hope to keep you up to date with the activities of the council.

• • • • • •

At long last all the arrangements for CCTV in the town centre have been completed and weather permitting it should be installed by the end of the month.

Repairs to the safety surface at the Lothian Gardens have been carried out.

The Sporting Partnership is forging ahead with their plans for a much improved facility with the Council’s continuing support. In the short term the Pavilion at the Sports Ground has had some repairs carried out.

The hanging baskets have been positioned by our new contractor who will maintain them over the coming months. The council would appreciate any comments from residents.

Christmas seems a long way off but The Council have established a working party to consider improvements to the lights.

The changes to responsibilities of the Council with establishment of a community group to run the Assembly Rooms and the approaching changes of management at the sports ground have prompted The Council to look at the way it organises its committees. We are currently reviewing this structure aiming to improve the way it delivers services for the benefit of all residents.

• Useful Numbers • •

The state of the highways and pavements are a constant problem especially with the hard winters we have experienced. We are pleased that some improvements are being made by Derbyshire County Council. Councillors continue to monitor their areas and report problems.

The burial committee sadly have been obliged to fell a cedar tree at the cemetery which has become potentially dangerous. We congratulate our sexton on his hard work caring for the cemetery.

Aircraft Noise & Complaints Clean Team (fly tipping) Street Lighting Faults Potholes

0845 1088540 0800 5872349 0845 6058058 0845 6058058

SDDC Saturday morning refuse freighter service - Saturday 10th August in Castle Square.

All meetings of the council are open to members of the public and you are welcome to attend and make your views known. Full Council is held on 1st Tuesday in the month. Committees 2nd Monday in the month. All meetings 7.30 Melbourne Assembly Rooms. No meetings in August.

Jane Carroll - Chair, Melbourne Parish Council

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18 Village Voice July 2013 ■ SUMMER Nights Film Festival 2013 will tour a selection of classic and contemporary films to National Trust locations throughout Derbyshire in August and September. Presented on a giant screen

by QUAD, Derby's centre for art and film, Summer Nights offers the chance to enjoy the great outdoors for a unique cinematic experience.

The dates of the screenings are: Calke Abbey, Friday, August 9, Psycho (15) and Les Misérables (12A) on Saturday, August 10; Kedleston Hall, Friday, August 16, Mamma Mia (PG) and Quartet (12A) on Saturday, August 17; Sudbury Hall, Saturday, August 24, Les Misérables (12A) and Life of Pi (PG) on Sunday, August 25.

JOHNSON/ Barbara Mary Susan would like to thank relatives, friends and neighbours for their messages of sympathy and support following her sad loss. Special thanks to Burton Hospital for their care, all those responsible at St. George's for Barbara's Memorial Service, Marie, Jennie, Ray, Gill, Alison and Malcolm for their kindness and help.

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Broad smiles on a narrowboat NO, IT'S not a barge, nor a longboat – it’s called a narrowboat!

Messing around on one is a fabulous pastime for a wide variety of people. The Trent & Mersey canal wends its way through our region from Burton to Sawley, giving a different perspective from which to view the villages of Willington, Stenson, Swarkestone, Weston, Aston, and Shardlow.

Some 18 miles of inland waterway offer a delightful eight hours of cruising – including a brisk workout ‘locking’ at the seven locks en-route. Which helps explain why our local area now has three of the largest canal marinas in the country.

Visit the marinas and you will see a vast array of narrowboats: capacity is 585 at Mercia Marina Willington, 300 at Shardlow and 600 at Sawley – which is a heck of a lot of boats. If they were all 65ft narrowboats out on the canal at the same time they would stretch from Sawley to Burton.

Hiring is popular with families, often trying to cover the maximum distance before they have to head back to the boatyard. Dad, wearing the mandatory Captain’s cap, will be the one who gets the blame for misjudging the outward leg.

Unable to find a place to turn round 65ft of narrowboat on a 20ft wide canal, he could have to keep going for another two hours to find a ‘winding hole’, giving him an extra two hours on the return leg to dream up an excuse why he will be four hours late getting the boat back. In August it costs £1,075 (7days) or £1,880 (14 days) to hire a 45ft narrowboat for up to four people. A 55ft boat for up to six costs £1,395 for 7 days in August or £975 in October.

Then there are folks who buy a narrowboat with a view to cruising the waterway network all year round. Some boats look pretty beaten up but nirvana to the lone boater who just wants to escape the rat-race.

Also cruising the network are those who have invested £120,000 or more in a state-of-the-art ultra-modern designer narrowboat.

Seventy feet of luxurious living with designer kitchen, sumptuous bathroom, central heating, washing machine, and plasma TVs, plus a log-burning stove in the galley and a painted watering can on deck to add a touch of authenticity.

My new exercise regime consists mainly of a daily brisk walk along the towpath of the lovely Trent & Mersey between Swarkestone and Aston. But what is slightly curious is that even in the height of summer one can walk the towpath for an hour or more

David Taylor walks the towpath to discover the big attraction of life afloat – and what it’s really like

photo: http://www.grannybuttons.com/

without encountering a single boat actually on the move.

Stationary or cruising, narrowboating is not a cheap hobby. A new boat can depreciate in value rapidly. Maintenance and servicing is costly (steel sitting on water in all weathers, plus temperamental electrics, engines, motors and pumps). For a realistic estimate of maintenance costs, ask any boat-owner (then double what he tells you!) Insurance, licences and safety certificates for a 60ft narrowboat can amount to £1,400 a year.

One of the biggest costs is marina mooring (typically in the Midlands region, £2,500 pa for a 60ft narrowboat). It seems the only additional cost to go cruising is diesel fuel which costs around £1.40 per litre when used for propulsion rather than heating.

A litre of diesel will run a modern engine for around an hour, which will get you 3 miles on a lockless section of cut, or maybe half that distance on a section with an average number of locks.

The canal equivalent of a World Cruise doesn’t seem to float everyone’s boat. Exploring the UK’s inland waterway network, seeing different places from an entirely different angle and at a relaxing pace is not the sole attraction of narrowboat ownership.

Investing in one of these colourful beauties and simply ‘parking’ it in a marina has its own attraction.

Around 15,000 people live afloat with 7,000 of 35,000 licensed boats used as permanent homes. Lots of tinkering, lots of painting and lots of polishing – but seemingly a delightful way of life. Doing what narrowboats were originally designed to do - i.e. move - is optional.

Airport lifts inspirational award

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EAST MIDLANDS Airport has been successful in achieving a Local Impact Award in the ‘Work Inspiration' category as part of Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Awards.

The airport was awarded the title for its dedication to inspiring young people across the East Midlands through a number of programmes designed for the workforce of the future.

The Inspiring Young People programmes focus on three main areas: work experience, the airport's dedicated on-site education centre, the Aerozone and a school attendance scheme.

The work experience programme at the airport concentrates on a variety of areas to suit the aspirations of students and maximises the opportunities students have when visiting the airport.

The programme, which is available to students aged 15 and over and lasts for one week, is designed to provide an insight into working life at the airport.

Jessica Gilbody, community relations manager at the airport, said: “To have been recognised by Business in the Community is a tremendous achievement for the airport.

“As a major employer in the region, we are committed to working with our local community and supporting education across the region. Our aim is to give young people more opportunities to develop their skills and learn about a local business.”

The Responsible Business Awards are the UK’s longest-running and most respected corporate responsibility awards set up to champion and raise awareness of the best examples from across the UK of business making a positive difference.

The Local Impact Awards specifically celebrate companies and individuals who are creating local impact in their community, through initiatives such as volunteering and inspiring young people with work placements.

Debut walk MELBOURNE’S Walkers are Welcome group has announced that it will be holding a launch event on Sunday, October 13.

Village Voice July 2013 19

Scouts off to norway SEVENTEEN Scouts and leaders from the 1st Melbourne Scout Group visited the Norwegian National Camp – Stavanger 2013.

The camp is held every four years in different parts of the country and this year was attended by some 15,000 Scouts and Guides from many countries.

The co-leaders of the trip were Dave Calvert and Richard Trevena. Dave has had connections with the Madla Group – a village on the outskirts of Stavanger – since the late 1970s when he was with Eccleshall Scout Group in Staffordshire.

On his return home to Melbourne, he brought the connection here in 2004, since when the two groups have camped together on several occasions in

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES PLUMBERS AND GAS HEATING ENGINEERS GAS SAFE REGISTERED HEATING ENGINEER AND PLUMBING SERVICES both countries and in Holland.

The leader at the Madla group has tried for many years to have the event held at Stavanger (Norway’s third largest

city) and has at last succeeded.

It was held in a number of fields between Madla and the more gentle shores of the Hafrsfjord, necessitating the closure

of about half a mile of main road. Following the event, the Melbourne contingent stayed on as guests at the palatial HQ for a further three days.

... and to the United StateS A GROUP of young people from the107th Derby (Aston, Weston & Shardlow) Scouts & Trent Explorers have packed their rucksacks and set off in anticipation of an exciting exchange adventure from Derby, UK to Derby, Connecticut, USA. The Scout leaders have formed an alliance with a US troop, BSA Troop 3 Derby and it is hoped that this summer’s visit will be the first of a rolling exchange programme between the two Derbys.

The group , six Scouts and nine Explorers, aged 11-17, flew to New York for a couple of days sightseeing, before spending several days with host families in ‘the

other’ Derby. The Scouts met with Anthony Staffieri, the mayor of Derby CT, at the town’s Independence Day fireworks celebration, to present him with gifts from civic bodies here in the UK. South Derbyshire District Council has donated a plaque, Derbyshire County Council some china and Councillor Lisa Higginbotham, the Mayor of Derby, presented the Scouts with a gift for her American counterpart.

The Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, William Tucker, a resident of Aston on Trent, has also leant his support.

The UK Scouts spent a further week

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with the US troop at their spectacular lakeside campsite – the Edmund D Strang Scout Reservation in Goshen, Connecticut, where they were able to participate in a wide variety of sports and outdoor activities and gain US merit badges.

The UK group hopes to host BSA Troop 3 in 2015 for home visits and a joint camp at Peak 2015 at Chatsworth.

To fund their fares and equipment, the Scouts, Explorers and their parents have raised around £7,000 from a host of events.

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at: http://localgiving.com/charity/trentexplorers

Maria’s a charity champ MELBOURNE rarely fails to surprise with the good works some people do, and Maria Hanson is an inspiration!

Pictured with Adam Devy-Smith, managing partner of The One Off, Derby Road, Melbourne, Maria is accepting a generous donation to support her work providing special moments to those with life shortening conditions.

Maria began the charity in 2006 inspired by an idea she and her cousin, Delia, had to provide memorable experiences for those diagnosed with serious illnesses where time is limited and precious moments mean so much.

Sadly, Delia lost her life to cancer before the dream was realised, but Maria has carried on and her charity now receives 50 nominations every month for special treats.

Maria remembered watching a TV item about a child being flown to America for a holiday and thought that, for as little as £100, she could provide something great, and she has gone on to demonstrate that 600 times over. Whether it is a special birthday treat, a ride in a fast sports car, or even a wedding arranged at short notice, Maria has sourced it and organised it.

She also had the bright spark of providing ‘Comfort Packs’ in hospital wards for families of children being admitted to hospitals with critical illnesses. Doing research Maria said she found “there was often very little time between diagnosis and hospitalisation and parents arrived in places like intensive care with nothing other than a purse”; her idea was to put a “Comfort Pack” in place for such eventualities.

The pack contains 28 items, such as toiletries, cups, utensils, tea and coffee, tissues etc – things that would really make a difference in the early days coping with the harrowing situation of a child being admitted to hospital. Six hospitals and two hospices are included in the scheme, and it is

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expanding.

The brilliance of the idea is that people can help so easily – you apply for a list of items, and when shopping, for example, you see a 3 for 2 offer, you buy an extra item and drop it into the collection basket either in the store, or into the MeandDee office at 33 Derby Road, Melbourne. “People can donate for as little as 15p,” Maria said “knowing that every penny will make a difference.”

She is immensely proud that her charity pays virtually nothing for administrative costs.

It doesn’t stop there. Maria is now fundraising to buy a holiday caravan for families with a seriously ill child.

“It is about creating memories,” she explained “and there will be a memory box to collect souvenirs of the time spent together.

"People don’t realise that after a loved

one has been diagnosed, you don’t have time to arrange such things, and for the not so well off you often don’t have the money either.”

Her target is to raise £15,000 to provide this facility at the seaside.

Inevitably there is a huge cost supporting all this good work, and Maria is a consummate fund-raiser. She is in the middle of organising an annual ball, with a host of “tribute” acts to be held on September 28 at Burton Albion FC for 250 people. But there are so many other ways people can help.

You are invited to drop into the office, visit the website at www.meanddee.co.uk or call on 01332 863827.

As Adam Devy-Smith remarked when making the donation, “she is truly amazing, and can be very proud of her achievements".

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20 Village Voice July 2013

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TELEPHONE 862658 or 862593 or MObILE: 07778 306 664 An independent community paper designed and published by Village Voice Newspapers.

Typeset by Greenborough Ltd., t/a Voice Productions.

Printed in England The publishers of Village Voice are not responsible for any content or claims in advertisements in this newspaper.

Advertisements may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers.

22 Village Voice July 2013

Oliver’s a racing cert to be a success OLIVER Royer, like many youngsters, wants to be a Formula 1 driver and recent events have taken him one step further to achieving his goal even if it is still a long way off.

Karting for him has been a passion that started on a family holiday in Cornwall and having 15 minutes in a corporate kart, aged just six.

Eighteen months ago Ollie’s parents decided to send him on a course of five days in Manchester to learn the basics. The final day included a practical and theoretical test.

He was then asked to compete once a month indoors and, after a couple of months, he won his first trophy. Encouraged by his progress, Ollie’s parents decided to buy him his own kart. This enabled Ollie to compete outdoors on bigger and faster tracks.

March this year saw Ollie take his racing licence (ARKS) test and prepare for his first race as a novice driver. You have to do this for five race meetings, gaining signatures for each one showing you are safe and competent. For these races you have to start at the back of the grid.

Ollie finished his final race in June at a meeting in Gloucestershire, winning a trophy as big as himself – his third trophy in five meetings.

The final race was part of a special memorial for a long-standing servant of the Rissington Kart Club who recently passed away.

Winning this prestigious trophy along with a new set of tyres, a sponsorship cheque and a bottle of bubbly for the parents was icing on the cake for his final novice outing.

So where next? Ollie has just secured a contract with the Bullrun race team. Richard Adams, CEO and a driver with the winning Bullrun

Lotus Evora team in the Britcar Challenge, has followed Ollie over recent events and believes he has what it takes to go further.

Ollie is very fortunate to have this support, both financially and as a coach, to develop the required fundamental driving skills. The youngster meets Richard on a monthly basis to discuss lessons learnt and how to improve. Ollie will now race at least once a month in a club championship in Northampton but is looking further ahead to next year to compete in a series titled ‘Super One' which races all over the country and is televised on Motors TV on Sky.

DENTURE REPAIRS

TRIATHLON TEENAGER FOURTEEN-year-old Elliott de la Fuente-Parker took part in his first triathlon at Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire on Sunday, June 9. He came fifth out of 35 and so far has raised more than £270 (and rising) for the Chellaston Uganda fund.

Elliott (left) was inspired to do this two years ago when he saw his Aunt Soni take part in a triathlon event and since then he has taken part in the Melbourne fun run and other local running events.

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CONGRATULATIONS to the Grace Dieu 1st XI for winning the Leicestershire School’s Under 13 County Cup Final. This is the fourth consecutive year that Grace Dieu have been County Champions at Under 13 level, winning it twice (in 2011 and 2013) and being joint winners (in 2010 and 2012). Praise in particular must go to Matthew Moody who captained the 1st XI and scored five half centuries (including one in the County Cup Final). All the boys are currently on tour in Jersey marking a successful end to their spectacular season.

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THE 2012-13 season saw Melbourne RFC achieve a double of promotion and cup success. MRFC would welcome new players of all abilities. Fitness training is on Mondays at 7pm, with skills session on Wednesdays at 7pm. Both sessions are held at Cockshut Lane, Melbourne. Please view for the club website for details. www.melbourne-rfc.com

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Village Voice July 2013 23

Grange outfit poised for a tilt at runners-up spot TICKNALL Cricket Club has had a solid if unspectacular first half of the Derbyshire Premier League season.

Luke Harvey's talented side sit seventh out of 12 in the table but have tasted defeat only once – at Denby on June 8.

Despite their position, the Grange outfit are well placed for a crack at the runners-up spot, being just 13 points behind Derbyshire cricket powerhouses Ockbrook & Borrowash and Sandiacre Town. Unfortunately, bigspending Swarkestone have a 62point lead over Ticknall, meaning a tilt at the title is likely to be beyond the Grangers. However, a solid finish is likely, especially if the likes of Derbyshire's Paul Borrington, Harvey and Shahid Khan continue to fire

with the bat.

Again, Borrington, 25, leads the way in Ticknall's list of run scorers with 550 at an average of 55, while Harvey has a 341 at 31 – but his superb century in the draw against Chesterfield suggests the best is yet to come.

Khan has hit 361 at 32.82, while his 24 wickets have cost just 22.17 each. Brother Ali Khan, a first class player back in Pakistan, has had a more difficult time since signing as the club's overseas player for 2013, with just 12 wickets so far at 35.92 each.

But new signing Tommy Taylor, 17, promises much after arriving from Barlaston in the North Staffs & South Cheshire League. He bowls at a good

pace – taking five on debut against Sandiacre – and is more than capable of hitting big runs.

Away from the first XI, Ticknall's 2nd XI have enjoyed an up-and-down time in Division Four South of the Derbyshire County League. They were early-season pace-setters but are now in mid-table, while the 3rd XI are going solidly in Division Eight South.

The 4th XI look like spending another season in the bottom division, but bringing through young players is the priority there.

The club's youth sides are, as ever, bringing through scores of quality players – with the Grange awash with dozens of youngsters on practice nights.

● TICKNALL Cricket Club formally displayed the new electronic score board sponsored by Fisher German, at the Grange. Pictured are : Paul Bunyan (TCC secretary), David Merton (head of Fisher German) and John Dumelow (TCC chairman), receiving a cheque for £3,000, the cost of the scoreboard. First team players Luke Harvey, Paul Borrington and Shahid Khan are looking on.

Bowlers suffering away-day blues THE CROWN green league bowling season has reached the halfway point and the away form of Kings Newton teams is causing concern.

The men’s first team suffered heavy defeats away at Ashbourne, Sitwell and Stapenhill but had some excellent performances at home with victories over Rolleston 10-2, Horsley 10-2 and Tutbury 11-1 and hold a mid-table position.

The Men’s ‘A’ team started the month with three wins over RollsRoyce, Winshill and Breadsall, putting them into second place but two heavy defeats followed, 11-1 away to Rykneld and a surprise home loss 9-3 to Spondon putting promotion hopes on hold.

The Vets first team are currently top of their league with victories over Burton Cons Club and Littleover B with five good points against Stretton. The final game of the month saw Roger Timmins and his team 9-2 winners at home to promotion rivals Tutbury in a game played in awful conditions. The Vets A team are in the bottom two of their league after a disappointing run of results but with

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hopes of better things to come in July with only 15 points separating third and 10th positions.

The Ladies teams are also finding victories hard to come by in both Vets and Mid-week evening leagues. Points against strong opposition, Brackens 2, and Chadesden 3 have been welcome and a 6-4 victory against Allestree ended the month on an optimistic note. On Sunday mornings it’s business as usual with a comfortable 8-2 win at Newhall and 6-2 against Lamb A, but losing the aggregate.

The club’s Open Doubles Competition took place in June. The 32 entrants enjoyed a good day in sunny conditions with the pairing of Alan Hicklin and Roger Timmins taking the trophy with runners-up Neil Hill and Frank Trevena.

The club has been chosen to host the Charity Cup on Sunday, September 1, at 11am. This rewards the club for the quality of its facilities and green which are tended by greenskeeper Norman Widdowson and a group of very willing workers.

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With one lap covering 2.5 miles including inclines and descents, it's ideal whether you're looking to push yourself or just add some variety to your schedule by training at an international sporting venue.

The venture is designed to allow fitness enthusiasts to run, jog, walk or cycle away from the hustle and bustle of main roads, while taking in the surroundings of one of the UK's most famous motorsport venues.

Open to those of all ages and fitness levels, each evening will run from 5.30pm until 8pm, with a small donation of £1 per participant.

The remaining dates dates are: Cycle in the Park Thursday, July 18, Monday, August 5. Run in the Park Thursday, July 25, Monday, August 12.

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24 Village Voice July 2013

SPORT

Town soar clear at top of table MELBOURNE Town First Team had an unbelievable month of June, winning four of their five league games to go 26 points clear at the top of the table – remarkable considering the team was only promoted into the 4S league last season.

They began with a rout at home to the then top Elvaston 2nds,

Melbourne Town CC 2nd XI (back row l-r): Marc Towell, Andy Stanley, Joe Storrar, Ken Grant, Robert Banyard, Jason Lander; front: Bruno Rost, Ranjit Rathore, Julian Humpidge (capt), Paul Maddocks and Simon Fletcher.

who were bowled out for just 32 with pace bowler Matt Briers taking the best ever figures by a Melbourne Town player 8-17. Ben Newton chipped in with 2-14 as Town secured an eight- wicket win.

The following week away to Mickleover, Melbourne were struggling on 6-2 but a stand of over 200 by Lee Tallis (137 not out) and

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Neil Thurlow (83) took them to a hugely respectable 257-4.

Mick Meakin then took 6-50 as the home side were shot out for just 100.

At home to Spondon 2nds a week later, Melbourne reached 832 with new signing Matt Archer hitting 53, but for once the middle order collapsed resulting in a total of 132 all out.

Two wickets apiece from Slater, Briers and Meakin gave Spondon a scare as they lost eight wickets in reaching their total.

Melbourne finished the month with a rain affected game away at Burton. Melbourne had first bat on a very green wicket, struggling to 147 all out with Matt Briers top scoring on 31. Then the rain came. Burton were left with just 21 overs to bat and they seemed on target until two wickets in the last over from skipper Alex Slater saw Town take an unbelievable victory by just five runs. Slater took 5-60 with two wickets apiece for Briers and Meakin.

MELBOURNE Town Seconds struggled in June with some disappointing results. They began the month with a losing draw at Quarndon 4ths, the home side amassing 210-7 with Jason Lander returning figures off 5-44 plus a wicket for junior Ollie James. In reply Town fell short on 151-7 with Bruno Rost top scoring on 55 aided by 37 from opener Andy Stanley.

A week later at home to rivals Ticknall 3rds, Melbourne were bowled out for 165 thanks mainly to skipper Julian Humpidge, who hit 56. Despite 5-33 from paceman Marc Towell, Ticknall reached their target to seal a two-wicket win.

A 75-run defeat away to Draycott saw the hosts hit 175-6 batting first with three wickets from Towell and two from Humpidge stemming the flow. But Melbourne were bowled out for just 100 with only Rost (31) doing well.

The seconds ended the month with another losing draw, this time at the hands of Ashbourne 1sts, who hit 197-8. Two wickets apiece here for Keith Roberts, Ranjit Rathore and Ross Coxon. However, once again the batting faulted to just 111-9 with only Rost (25) and Humpidge (20)scoring any runs of note.

MELBOURNE Town Thirds are also struggling this season, although they did win their first game as Clifton conceded. They were then beaten by 53 runs at home to Washlands 2nds as the visitors hit 197-8 off their overs with skipper Scrimshaw taking 4-69. New signing Rob Banyard with 62 stood firm as the thirds were bowled out for 144.

A rained-off game away to Yoxhall was followed by a home defeat by top of the table Rolls-Royce 3rds by 58 runs with Royces just 141 all out – thanks mainly to 3-17 from Kev Towell and 3-20 by Scrimshaw.

In reply Melbourne were bowled out for just 83 with only Ross Coxon and Vinny Hallifield making double figures.

The third team ended the month with a four-wicket loss to Dunstall 4ths but hit their highest score of the season so far in making 151-5 with newcomer Keith Roberts 43 not out, Coxon (32) and Mike Starkie (26 not out). But, despite two wickets apiece for James Hogwood and all-rounder Vinny Hallifield, Dunstall eased to victory.

The thirds' batting was much better a week later away to Elvaston 4ths when they scored 143 all out with runs from Matt Brian (47) and Ross Coxon (32), but the home side reached the score for the loss of just four wickets.

Away at Ashbourne, Melbourne were bowled out for just 100 with Keith Roberts (29) and Vinnie Hallifield (20) doing well. Despite 330 from skipper Paul Scrimshaw and 2-27 from youngster Adam Poyser, Ashbourne won by just two wickets.

The third team were on the wrong end of a 134-run loss a week later as Tutbury 3rds scored 229-9 with Scrimshaw 4-59 and two wickets from Ashley Elwell and James Hogwood doing well with the ball. Town were shot out for just 95 in reply.

Melbourne ended the month away to high-flying Hartshorne 2nds and, despite 41 from skipper Scrimshaw, they were bowled out for 111. In reply Hartshorne eased home by four wickets with new signing Adam Dolman impressing with 3-31.