Melbourne Village Voice October 2022

PLANNING FOR NEW HOUSING IN AREA

UP TO 700 homes could be built on land op posite Melbourne View Hotel in new plan ning documents published on October 10

A new local plan setting out areas that could be built on over the coming years is in the first stages of preparation by South Derbyshire District Coun cil

Parcels of land put forward for possible develop ment include the area opposite Melbourne View Hotel plus land at Trent Lane in Kings Newton and Jawbone Lane in Melbourne District council lor Martin Fitzpatrick is urging local residents to contribute to the plan that is now open to consul tation

The local plan is a document that sets out how development including housing, business construc tion and infrastructure such as roads and other fa cilities can best benefit the area for which the council is responsible

Targets for development are set nationally by Government and the local plan is the approach by how those targets can best be met for a specific area, taking into consideration the needs of the local population and the priorities for the area Councils have to produce a local plan by law and they have to last for a minimum of 15 years

The plan is still at very early stages so the fact that land has been put forward does not necessar ily mean planning permission would be granted to build there

As part of the local plan, land is judged on its merits and one factor that can count against it

by Lucy Stephens

being built on is the fact it is good for farming, which is the case for much of the local area

Cllr Fitzpatrick said: “The local plan is probably the single biggest undertaking by the council and it will impact on each and every resident’s lives Ultimately, the plan will decide how many new houses should be built and where they should be located Furthermore, the local plan will look at is sues surrounding sustainability and infrastruc ture and how we can tackle climate change within our new developments ”

The council will be undertaking several consul tations with the public, the first of which will take place this month and next The first phase will propose over 100 questions on a wide range of sub jects

Cllr Fitzpatrick added: “The first phase of the public consultation will not decide where new houses will be built However, residents will be able to view maps of our area with land that has been proposed by the owners as possible sites for development in the future The consultation does propose over 100 questions in order to stimulate resident feedback, but you can choose how many questions you may wish to comment on I don’t ex pect many people to comment on every question

“Planning and Development has and always will be a contentious issue and, as residents, we very rarely get the opportunity to steer the develop

Continued on Page 4

These pirates were a real treasure at the Melbourne Festival Reports and pictures inside.

Ten years of selling rare, unusual items

WHERE in the same Melbourne shop can you buy a wheel from a Hawker Typhoon aircraft and a gold engagement ring? The answer is Millpond Antiques where Nicki and Rob Coombes have just celebrated 10 years in the antiques business in Mel bourne

Specialising in unusual and rare items, Rob is all too willing to show off the collection of rare furniture, antique clocks, jewellery and almost anything imaginable! Nicki specialises in ladies’ compacts, jewellery and handbags, while Rob en joys restoring and repairing clocks and furniture Rob has a background in designing heat pumps and air conditioning systems, and the business grew when Nicki would travel with him looking at antiques while he was on business They de cided initially to take a small unit in Melbourne Hall craft centre, and when the picture framers moved on, they transferred into the bigger prem ises in the former tractor shed Then when the deli closed they expanded into the 15th century aisled barn they now occupy

“The business has changed massively,” Rob said, and explained that, while the TV antique shows have an influence, other TV programmes

actually impact directly on the market: “When The Great British Bake Off was on, we were sell ing lots of tea sets and cake stands, but that dropped away almost immediately the series ended,” he said

Now younger people are also buying good qual ity furniture, having realised that the cheaper mass produced furniture does not last as long Rob also said that young children were fre quent visitors to the shop, with the Courtyard events attracting families, and they show a keen interest in history like the swords, coins (includ ing one dating back to Viking days) gemstones and fossils

One regular customer to the shop over the past decade, John Thornton from Hemington, said he had been going for years, having bought clocks, jewellery and silver items

“I am so delighted when I visit, he said, “it’s al ways a joy ” He has also had items repaired: “If you ask for something to be done, you know it will always be done,” he said, adding: “It’s a great place to find an unusual birthday or Christmas gift ”

On the jewellery side, Nicki said that so far they had facilitated 18 engagements, with some actually made in the shop, with couples finding a ring, and then making the proposal there and then

“That means a quick visit to the wine merchant opposite for a bottle of Champagne,” she said Rob said that the future will doubtless mean

more online trading, but he was optimistic that customers would still be visiting the shop

“We advertise nationally,” he said “ and sometimes people even plan holidays around making a visit to the shop and the Hall”

Rob and Nicki (above) wanted to thank all their customers for the support they have received over the past 10 years

Terry’s hopes for his two years in charge

AFTER serving on Melbourne Parish Council as vice chair since 2018, Cllr Terry Summer lin has taken over as chair, with the chain of office passed on from Cllr Sheila Hicklin

Terry said he had turned down the opportunity previ ously, as he felt he had not had enough experience, but now with some six years under his belt since he joined the council, he agreed to take on the addi tional responsibility

His roles on the council have included chair of the burials sub group, and he has repre sented the council on the East Midlands Airport Community Forum He now additionally takes on the roles of head of fi nance and risk

He said he was very much looking forward to the next two years One of his aspirations is to try to raise the profile of the council and gain wider engage ment in the community

“Sometimes things have hap pened outside of our control,” he said, and quoted the example of the routing of the No 9 bus route, saying: “On the airport forum group we were shown a map of the public transport routes and there was a big gap around Melbourne so we sug gested that could be an area of improvement

“Next thing we knew the route along Potter Street was being planned, which we could

have advised, if asked, would be problematical ”

Asked what issues the coun cil would be facing, Terry men tioned the refurbishment of the cemetery chapel “The recent structural survey has shown that there are several high pri ority improvements which need to be made over the next two to five years; we have earmarked funds to cover emergency work but grant funding will need to be explored for future renova tions,” he said

He said he would also like to see what could be done to im prove the Market Place, to make more of it The planters have made a good improvement and it would be great to expand on that, maybe with a better no

ticeboard there too Signs ap proaching the village along some routes could also be im proved

Terry also said the council was very aware of the cost of living issues impacting on peo ple and, whilst individual households could not be sup ported, it may be possible to offer support through commu nity groups, such as Melbourne Community Care

A Melbourne lad from birth, Terry has a keen interest in family history and has already traced his “Tivey” connections back several generations He is also an avid crown green bowls player at the Kings Newton Bowls Club and a qualified ref eree, a Derby County season ticket holder, and the proud owner of an extensive vinyl record collection dating back many decades

“Christmas 1969, mum and dad gave me a second hand record player and that started my lifelong interest in ‘60s and ‘70s music,” he said In addition to parish council duties, he is a trustee on the Thomas Cook Alms Houses Trust

Terry wanted to pay tribute to outgoing chair Sheila Hick lin, who had served on the council through the unusual Covid years and was instru mental in the successful WW1 celebrations

by Frank Hughes

Concern as bus service is halted

CONSIDERABLE dismay has been voiced over the sudden withdrawal of an evening bus service linking Swadlincote with Derby via Melbourne and Ticknall

However, talks are ongoing to try to reinstate the number two Arriva evening bus

The number two serves Derby, Melbourne, Ticknall and Swadlincote but it has been cut in the evenings from October 2

The sudden move has affected many people in the local area, in cluding those trying to visit loved ones in hospital, people trying to get to work, and others combating isolation by attending social gatherings

Melbourne parish councillor Dave Calvert said at the council’s latest meeting on October 4: “People have complained to me in the last few days It’s unbelievable They can’t go to hospital to visit in the evening ”

Claire Matthews, landlady of Chequers pub in Ticknall which she runs with her husband Tony, said: “We have a lot of customers who use the bus throughout the day and evening, people who use the whole route, Derby to Swadlincote and all stops in between

“The Chequers is a social gathering place for people We have just come out of the worst 24 months imaginable for the commu nity and our business and we feel this decision will mean many people living in social isolation will suffer

“One of our customers comes from Shelton Lock regularly On winter evenings he has a pint or two and sits next to the fire, he has a chat to everyone and gets the bus home, now he can't get to us! That's just one example from many including members of staff, one lives in Melbourne and another in Chellaston; both rely on the bus for work and now face an agonising decision on whether to try and continue to work ”

Andrew Heafield, manager of Melbourne Assembly Rooms, said: “We are increasingly attracting people from outside Melbourne to our events and performances who rely on public transport to get

by Lucy Stephens

here, I can foresee difficulties if that is no longer an option ”

A spokesperson for Arriva said: “We know how important our bus network is to our customers in Derbyshire and the decision to make changes to services is never one we take lightly

“A combination of reduced passenger numbers since the pan demic and higher operational costs mean that some of our services are no longer economically viable without Government funding Unfortunately, the subsidy that enabled us to keep our evening services between Melbourne and Swadlincote running was with drawn at the start of this month

“We are working closely with Derbyshire County Council with the aim of finding a sustainable way forward that will allow us to reinstate the service We would like to apologise for the disruption that this situation has caused our customers and reassure them that we will keep them updated as our conversations with the Council progress ”

Cllr Martin Fitzpatrick, district councillor representing Mel bourne, told parish councillors at their latest meeting that the local county councillor, David Muller, and South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler had written to the county council asking for the matter to be considered

“It is being reviewed as a matter of urgency,” he told councillors

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “The Arriva number 2 was a commercial service and the council provided the funding for the evening service which the operator ran Arriva have made some changes to the service during the day, so we need to make some changes to the evening service to fit in

“We are doing all we can to get this sorted as soon as possible and hope to get the evening service back up and running in a few weeks time We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused ”

Craft fair ’s £2k for charity

A TWO DAY craft fair in Melbourne raised nearly £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support

The event organised by the Crafteasy group of Melbourne Methodist Church was held on the mornings of September 30 and October 1

Both were extremely busy with sales of handmade crafts, cakes and coffee The total amount raised for Macmillan Cancer Sup port was £1,963

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The “Moving Forwards” arts and crafts contest was held by the Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust with the aim of sharing hopes for the future now that many Covid restrictions have been eased

Celia’s painting, “Jumping for Joy”, was crowned overall winner

She said: “I was elated to win! I liked what I had done but it’s nice that other people thought it was good too I had wanted to do a painting giving the feeling that life is starting up again It is of my twin sister ’s grandchildren, and when she sent me the image I immediately thought of how it depicted the joy of coming out of lock down and enjoying life again ”

Celia is a successful watercolour artist whose work has most re cently appeared at Melbourne Festival She has had a solo exhibi tion of her watercolours in Loughborough Town Hall

Celia said: “I have a daughter with Down’s Syndrome and I find that my watercolour painting helps me to relax, lose myself by con centrating and zoning in on my painting, and forget the pressures of caring 24/7 for my wonderful daughter, Anna ”

Judges were impressed with the “movement and vibrancy” of Celia’s painting, saying: “It depicts joy and a sense of leaping into a brighter future ”

Celia, who won artist’s materials along with her first prize acco lade, thanked the judges for their time in judging the competition

MELBOURNE artist Celia Brookes is jumping for joy after her ex uberant watercolour painting was named winner in an NHS art competition

Shops showing confidence in Melbourne

THERE has been a further vote of confidence in Melbourne’s inde pendent shopping scene with the arrival of a new business and the expansion of another

New neighbours on Melbourne’s Derby Road are Cherizena cof fee and tea wholesalers, which opened during the festival trail weekend, and children’s shop Lucky + Gray

Cherizena is now open in the premises formerly occupied by Lucky + Gray, which has doubled its footprint by moving into the shop next door

Sarah Martin is the manager of Cherizena, which is owned by her sister Tanith The company has two other branches, in Ashby and at Belvoir Castle

Cherizena sells speciality coffee and loose leaf tea, along with hot chocolate and sweets

Sarah said: “The shop had become available We like Melbourne It seems such a lovely community When we were doing the shop up, people were really friendly and popped in to say hello

“We opened over the Festival weekend and it was really busy People were really friendly and welcoming ”

Amber Kavanagh, who owns Lucky + Gray with her husband, has seen considerable success for her shop selling organic, sustain able clothing and toys for children

Having opened a year ago, the shop has now doubled in size from its original premises to its current shop, suggesting a strong local enthusiasm for its ethos

“As a kids and lifestyle store, we have a considered collection of sustainably made products for the modern family,” she explained “It’s all small batch clothing, and all organic

“It’s well received I think people generally in Melbourne and the surrounding areas appreciate quality It seems that people appre ciate where things have come from and where they are made I’m happy to tell you exactly where something is from, the origin of it

“Far too many things in the world are throwaway unfortunately If you pay a smaller cost, somebody is getting hurt along the way “We encourage passing on our items to family members too

Otters are back after a 50-year absence

OTTERS have been caught on video for the first time at Calke Abbey the first evi dence of the creatures’ pres ence there for at least half a century

A trail camera, which is trig gered by movement, was set up near the property’s outdoor hub, Calke Explore, after the ranger team spotted signs of the play ful critters there earlier this year

This was the first time that any evidence of otters had been seen at Calke for at least 50 years

A few decades ago, otters were on the brink of extinction in the UK but, thanks in part to improvements in water quality, numbers are recovering, the National Trust has said

However, it still remains a fairly rare treat to spot otters as these shy creatures keep away from humans and are mostly ac tive at night

“It’s really exciting to have footage of otters on site,” said area ranger Meurig Palin

“Otters are at the top of the food chain, so their presence is a sign that the streams and ponds at Calke are in good health and full of the fish they feed on ”

The rangers at Calke have long suspected that otters might be on site as the series of inter connected brooks and ponds leading to Staunton Harold now also managed by the Na tional Trust are the perfect habitat for them

Their suspicions were height ened back in February, when the ranger team discovered otter faeces, known as spraint Then, when a large fish was

found part eaten at Calke in April, they knew there were ot ters about The only thing that remained was to find them

As well as an otter, the video footage shows lots of other wildlife including fallow and muntjac deer, bats and tawny owls testament, said the trust, to the hard work that Calke’s team has put into improving biodiversity on the estate and showing just how busy the es tate is even when human visi tors have left for the day

Ranger Emily Mabbott said: “Although we sometimes focus on improving an area for a spe cific species, more often we’re managing the estate in a way that will benefit all sorts of wildlife

“Planting nectar rich flowers for insects to feed on, planting more trees and looking after meadows makes Calke the per fect home for all sorts of crea tures and we’re really pleased that we can now add otters to that list ”

From Page 1 ment in our area The new local plan gives everyone the chance to have their say ”

To engage in the local plan process residents can either visit the SDDC Offices in Swadlincote for drop in sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from October 11 for five weeks or attend a roadshow event at the MSP on November 2, between 3 30pm and 6 45pm

A copy of the consultation documents should be available on the SDDC website very shortly

Cllr Fitzpatrick also added that residents can email their views and comments on the new local plan to him at martin fitzpatrick@southderbyshire gov uk

ABOVE: Sarah Martin, manager of Cherizena in Mel bourne’s Derby Road, and (LEFT) Amber Kavanagh from Lucky + Gray with a friend’s baby, Finn.

New school head Sam is simply loving the job

VILLAGE school children have a new head teacher and he is loving the job.

Sam Moore has taken over the headship at Aston on Trent Primary School after the retirement of previ ous head Lindsey Kalirai, who had been in post for many years

“I’m loving being the head teacher at Aston Primary,” he said “The children are fantastic They like coming into school and they are keen to learn They are incred ibly lovely, kind and caring children

“We have got extremely supportive parents and I would say that the Aston community is really excited

by Lucy Stephens

about this new journey that the school is going on ”

This is the first headship for Mr Moore, 36, who was previously a teacher and a member of the senior lead ership team at Aston

So what are his plans for the school?

Among the new projects for Aston Primary is an ex pansion of its Forest School provision so it is available to all children There are improvements to the school environment in the pipeline too

“I’ll be continuing the high standards of education that the school achieves, and looking to improve com munications with parents,” he said

“And we’ll be providing an enhanced and exciting curriculum for the children to engage in ”

But among the greatest pleasures for Mr Moore, along with many teachers and heads across the UK, is the joy of seeing children back in the classroom after being kept at home during lockdowns for so long

“It was an incredibly tough time for children and families because of what they lost,” he said

“We have incredibly social children They go to clubs and love school, and the fact they couldn’t see friends or socialise or do hobbies or see classmates had a mas sive impact

“The first day back to school after lockdown, they skipped and ran through the school gates One of the biggest joys for me was seeing them come back after lockdown I hope we can continue that enthusiasm for learning as we begin the next chapter in the school’s life ”

The new head is pictured outside the school and (right) taking part in the Pricey 10k fun run with daughter Nellie More on the charity run on Page 18

Blaze out after two weeks

FIREFIGHTERS were called to finally control a blaze in a Melbourne wood that had been smouldering for two weeks

Attempts had been made by the owners plus neighbours and passers by to try to bring to heel the fire in Brick Kiln Wood, just below Brown’s Field

The original fire had started two weeks before and firefighters from Mel bourne were called to fi nally put it out on September 17, the first day of the Festival trail.

Wood owners found a saw that could have been used to cut down wood for the original fire, plus tins of alcohol and other detritus.

Brick Kiln Wood is not on a footpath and fenced off.

Over a two week period the fire had spread a long way into the wood with leaves sparking flames along its various routes

REMEMBERING OUR

THE rare sound of fully muffled church bells was heard across Melbourne, Aston and Ticknall following the death of Her Majesty the Queen

According to tradition, church bells are nearly all fully muffled following the death of a monarch The last occasion this happened in the UK was the death of George VI in 1952

For Remembrance Sunday and funer als church bells are normally half muf fled, giving an echo effect

On the evening of September 8, when the news was announced, ringers at Mel bourne Parish Church lowered the flag to half mast and fitted leather muffles to the bells, a procedure which means they make a quieter, more sombre sound

All bells are muffled but for the largest, the tenor, which is left unmuffled on one side From a distance, this sounds as though it is being slowly tolled

Bell ringers in Melbourne rang a quar ter peal about 45 minutes of non stop ringing immediately after the an nouncement of Her Majesty’s passing, and then again the following day

To mark the Proclamation of King Charles on September 10, the church’s flag was raised to full mast, and all 12 bells were rung fully unmuffled all ac cording to tradition

The flag was then lowered the follow ing day to half mast and muffles re fitted to the bells

A further muffled quarter peal was rung on Sunday, September 18, in the memory of the Queen, and on the day of the funeral, the tenor was slowly tolled 96 times by Jenny Halliday and

AMONG the visitors from Melbourne to Lon don were Tracey Ridley and Amelia New stead, who took an early train on September 10, getting there by 8am Tracey said: “We managed to get to the Buck ingham Palace gates, where we left our bouquets and cards

“There was a sombreness in the air

“The Union Jack was at half mast over Buck ingham Palace As the day progressed, more crowds gathered

“With so many flowers, they now had to be left at Green Park, just over the road from the palace At 12 15pm we heard a cheer, and could see mo torbike riders and cars coming up The Mall, As they got closer we could see King Charles III in his car, who waved to the crowds ‘God Save the King,’ shouted the crowd

“The ‘standard’ flag then appeared, to notify us that the monarch was in residence

“We stayed in London all day, we walked past the many white news tents from all around the world, spotting and chatting to news reporting veteran Angela Rippon (with whom they are pic tured), who was reporting for an Australian news team ”

Amelia returned to London on September 16, queuing for 13 hours to file past the Queen’s cof fin lying in state Tracey said: “We were both very happy we managed to get to London, and pay our respects to a remarkable lady, who has been a dedicated Queen for over 70 years God Bless the Queen ”

Melbourne couple Alistair and Victoria Roe, who travelled to Lon don on September 14 the day the Queen’s coffin was moved from Buckingham Palace to Westmin ster Hall described feeling drawn to the occasion

Alistair, who has retired from a long standing career in the police force, said: “We felt strangely drawn to going I swore my oath of allegiance to the Queen

“In 2015 as a superintendent in Leicestershire, I had the honour of being one of the commanders for the reinterment of King Richard III, and now I have stood on The Mall as Queen Elizabeth II left Buckingham Palace for the last time ”

Victoria said: “We have only just celebrated 70 years of Her Majesty on the throne That was such a massive achievement I felt this need to want to go and pay my respects to her ”

The Roes got to London in good time and spent three and a half hours in the crowd outside Clarence House after first visiting Green Park to see the floral tributes

Victoria said: “When we were in the crowd, it was erupting into applause when the litter pickers, street cleaners and police of ficers came out

“Then, at 2 22pm, we could hear bagpipes and it all went silent You could hear muffled crying It was just eerie We got our first sighting of King Charles III then It was wonderful how the Royal Family conducted themselves I just feel privi leged that I was able to go I feel pleased that I did it, and that I went and paid my respects ”

Melbourne Methodist Church member Alan Brady (pictured below) was another who braved the queue to see the Queen’s coffin, travelling to London on Friday, September 16

Leaving home at 5am, he re ported how “respectful” the queue was, with thousands inching pa tiently forward, and taking three hours to get from Lambeth Palace to Westminster Hall, a distance of under a mile

Describing finally reaching Westminster Hall, Alan said: “It was this most majestic scene, the most majestic thing I have ever seen It was just beautiful, serene, incredible, just amazing walking down the steps ”

Reflecting on the day, he said: “I’m 62 She was the only Queen I have known I think she was an amazing public servant

“I just felt it was the right thing to do, to hon our her amazing life of service to our country, the like of which will never be seen again

“Somebody described it as a bit of a pilgrimage In the scheme of things, 12 hours of queuing was nothing compared with what she has done for us ”

A QUARTER of a million people across the UK travelled to London after the death of Her Majesty The Queen to view her coffin lying in state in Westminster Hall.

Huge numbers of floral tributes have been laid in memory of the late monarch in Green Park.

LUCY STEPHENS speaks to people from the area who felt compelled to travel to the capital to pay their respects.

Nigel Coupe between 10 30am and the start of the funeral at 11am Immediately after the fu neral, the bells were then rung muffled once more

Muffled ringing also took place in Aston on Trent and Ticknall

l Alistair and Victoria Roe’s photograph of the Queen’s coffin procession.

BELOVED QUEEN

MEETING The Queen, for those who did, was a true highlight in anyone’s life as two people from Melbourne and Wilson recalled

Noreen Smith, 98, of Wilson, made a highly memorable trip to London in 2009, having been invited to a special tea party by the Royal household

Noreen found herself one of a select group of 90 who had been invited to Buckingham Palace as part of a cele bration for former land girls, of whom she was one as a teenager in Ashby in the Second World War

Travelling with her grand daughter Jackie with whom she is pictured, Noreen enjoyed a sumptuous lunch at The Royal Opera House before travel ling to Buckingham Palace for tea

Then an already enjoyable afternoon got considerably more memorable still.

“I was chatting to somebody across the table,” said Noreen “I turned around and The Queen was already sitting next to me! She was ever so easy to talk to. It was just like chatting to your best friend She was re ally charming.”

Her Majesty stemming from the days when he worked for The Press Association’s pic tures department in London.

It was a job which led to him twice meet ing the late monarch, the first time being ac cidental.

OVER the years thousands of portraits of The Queen have been painted Now she is gone, these images have added poignancy Melbourne artist Laura Donaldson felt com pelled to put her talents to use after hearing of The Queen’s death on September 8

“I heard the news on the Thursday and was surprised at how moved I felt,” said Laura, whose husband, Richard, is in the armed forces

“Richard got home and had heard it in the car He said how he had made his oath of allegiance to The Queen and that added to the sense of loss “I felt moved to do a drawing of her straight away ”

Copies of Laura’s digital portrait of The Queen (above left) have been selling at the Creative Mel bourne Gallery, with a proportion of the sales going to Help the Heroes, a relevant charity given the connection with The Queen and the armed forces

At Melbourne Festival, meanwhile, a portrait of The Queen (above right) by collage artist Danielle Vaughan had added significance to be shown so soon after her death

Danielle completed her work using postage stamps, with those from the Commonwealth being used as flowers on her hat

RIGHT: Kevin Iliffe (on the right side in a beret) on duty at the Cenotaph.

LEFT: The Legion team in front of Marble Arch with Kev fourth from the right.

SOME 30 minutes after the official announce ment of the death of the Queen, Melbourne man Kevin Iliffe received the call he had been expect ing and had been planning for, for many years

Operation London Bridge had been set in mo tion a collection of plans and arrangements for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II with Kevin a part of the eight strong team from the British Le gion responsible for the columns of standard bear ers to be present at the funeral flanking the Cenotaph in Whitehall

‘Kev’ is the youngest of three children born to Jack and Gladys Iliffe in Queensway He had joined the Army as a 16 year old and had served with the Grenadier Guards for six years, touring Germany and seeing action in Northern Ireland as an infantryman

The Army’s gain was the Navy’s loss as he had originally intended to join the seafaring branch but when he was turned down at the recruiting office in Derby, he simply walked a few hundred yards to the Army office and signed up as a junior Guardsman there and then

Signing up for the Army meant he was ac cepted at the Legion as a branch member and has continued that membership to the current day After leaving the Guards he became a standard bearer for the branch but it was with his win at the National Standard Bearer ’s competition at the Royal Albert Hall in 2003 that his association

with the legion at a higher level began

He was promoted to National Parade Marshall with responsibility for the 90 standard bearers at tending the Festival of Remembrance at the Al bert Hall and some 10,000 ex servicemen marching on Remembrance Day in Whitehall With the numbers involved and the age of many of the participants it was a feat of organisation and precision that Kev is very rightly proud of

He spent seven days prior to the Queen’s fu neral in London As ceremonial advisor to the Le gion he had been privy to the plans for many years but there was still a lot of organising and rehearsing for the day of the funeral to do with nothing left to chance

Due to the traffic in London, practice and preparation took place at night, not finishing till 9am On the day of the funeral Kev and his col umn of standard bearers had to be in place at the Cenotaph from 7 30am and were in place throughout with Kev at the front right and the world watching, standing to attention with eyes forward representing his country, the Legion, his family and Melbourne

When asked about his involvement, Kev will only say ‘what a privilege’ a typical response from a quiet, reserved and deep man who was proud ‘to have done his bit’

ANDREW HEAFIELD

Noreen, who was subsequently featured on the news sitting and talking with Her Majesty, said she had talked to the monarch about the late Prince William of Gloucester, who had once paid a visit to her and her husband’s farm in Wilson.

Another person who got the chance to ad mire The Queen’s ability to make people feel valued is Martin Stephens, a teacher at We ston Primary School who lives in Mel bourne

Martin shared fond memories of meeting

Martin told how The Queen had visited the organisation’s offices in 1999, and he had simply been told: “Sit still and look smart”, whereupon the passing monarch stopped to ask him what he did

Around 10 years later, Martin described a further Royal encounter at Windsor Castle.

He was working on Investiture pictures when The Queen passed through, comment ing that he had “ … worked at The Press As sociation for quite a long time”

Martin said: “She made you feel that she was interested in you as a person. It’s amaz ing to think of how many people’s lives she influenced during her reign as Queen.”

Derbyshire Day fund-raiser for church

MAYPOLE dancing, food, drink, crafts, and a full church ringing with the sound of people enjoying themselves many people turned out to enjoy the first ever community Derbyshire Day at Weston Parish Church

Earlier this year a friends’ group was formed to safeguard the historic church set in a peaceful spot on the outskirts of the village of Weston on Trent, amid fears it may have to close due to lack of funds

On September 24 the group held the church’s first ever ‘Der byshire Day’ as a fund raiser to help maintain the building

Proceedings were formally begun by Rev Tony Luke, who also an nounced the official opening of a new copse area at the back of the church, which has this year been created by volunteers

The copse and circular trail has involved a number of trees being removed, and the cutting back of invasive ivy, plus lots of clearing and tidying

It means visitors can now wander the trail and take in views of the Trent Valley that have previously not been available

The community day featured maypole dancing under the expert tuition of village resident Daryl Dawson, accompanied by husband Bryan on the fiddle, plus trips up the tower which were taken by more than 70 people keen to sample stunning views from the top Organisers said: “We’re hugely grateful to everyone who took part on the day and contributed to its success: Aston on Trent Ukulele group, woodworker Bob Neill, Calling Time folk singers, Aston on Trent bellringers, Punjabi Kitchen, Aston and Weston Scout Group, Mark Cummings, Coddiwomple Cake Boat, Colours by Karen Elaine, Suzilu Little Pictures and Crafts, Daryl and Bryan Dawson, artist Victoria Brown, Rolypoly Face Painters, Sue Tomlin Candles, Lesia Werbowy, Denise Craven Resin Crafts, Helen Wicks with the tombola, Rosie Hamilton Jewellery, the Ukrainian Social Club in Weston on Trent, for gazebos and other equipment, Derbyshire Tea company for donating tea for the refreshment stall, and Davyln Construction for giving the portable toilets ”

The next community event at the church will be the Christmas Light Festival

December 10

11

welcome

TOP: The Maypole dancing in full swing.

ABOVE: Busy scene inside the church.

ABOVE RIGHT: Bryan Dawson from Weston on Trent, who played the fiddle to accompany the maypole dancing

BELOW: Church warden Jayne Williamson with vicar Rev Tony Luke cutting the ribbon for the new copse.

Everyone’s a winner as the Festival returns

Lucy Stephens

MELBOURNE Festival returned in force this year with 150 artists in 60 venues, plus lots of sun shine, music, creativity, food and smiles

As festival director Sharon Brown put it: “There were great expectations resting on this year ’s Melbourne Fes tival as the first full scale festival since 2019 Judging by feedback from artists and visitors over the weekend we succeeded in delivering a fantastic event ”

Over the trail weekend of Septem ber 17 and 18 there were some famil iar faces amongst artists and returning visitors who love coming to Melbourne each year to enjoy the fes tival, but there were some newcomers showing their work too

Among the new artists were Yryna Furta and Anna Prodius, who were exhibiting at the Creative Melbourne Gallery’s moving sunflower themed ‘Home from home’ exhibition, having arrived in the UK after fleeing Ukraine earlier this year

“The festival is very good; we are very impressed at how big it is, how many different artists there are, and also how many people are interested in art,” said Anna, who along with Yryna now lives in Milton

Among the returning artists this year was ceramicist John Handley, who was showing his work in the beautiful Market Place offices of Tuk Architecture, the major sponsors of this year ’s event

“I always love the Melbourne Fes tival,” he said “I make all year round, to sell here The first time I came, I just loved it, and I thought there is just such a lovely atmosphere and friendly people ”

Another festival old timer, painter Tim Rose, said he has been showing his work every other year for the past 15: “I always like coming here ”

Newcomer Jim Tarpey, who was showing his 3D relief in Melbourne as a first time exhibitor, said: “There are lots of visitors

Lots of people have been interacting with us, talking about the work ”

One artist to attract lots of interest was Giles Davies, whose intricate collage land

scapes crafted from magazines have previ ously seen him on TV show “Home is Where the Art Is” He said it was his second visit to Melbourne Festival, while another first timer was felt artist Steph Jansen, who said she was showing her work having vis ited and enjoyed the festival last year: “I re ally enjoyed it,” she said “I liked the vibe of it, there’s just a nice feel about it ”

Sharon Brown said: “The general feed

back from artists was that Melbourne Fes tival is one of the friendliest events they take part in with volunteers to welcome them and support them over the weekend and really helpful hosts

“It was lovely to see lots of families out and about enjoying the art and the family festival Our pirates brought a real smile to people’s faces as they hunted for their treasure around the trail

“The food stalls were successful and local restaurants, cafes and pubs had an ex tremely busy weekend as did the churches their biggest weekend of the year! We even had a big win with parking this year; over 400 cars used the car parks at Tori and Ben’s Farm Shop and Melbourne schools and both schools and Community Care will receive a £500 donation for their help

“It was fantastic to see the village full of happy people enjoying Melbourne at its best! We would like to say a huge thank you to our, hosts, volunteers, sponsors and everyone who helped make the weekend special

“The Creative Melbourne Gallery will be showcasing Melbourne Festival artists all year round and we will be back with the 2023 Melbourne Festival on 16 and 17 Sep tember ”

More pictures and

Landlords...

n THE MELBOURNE Festival concert pro gramme got off to a brilliant start with a per formance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings at the parish church

Organised by Friends of the Parish Church, in conjunction with the festival, the concert fea tured Graham Oppenheimer and friends and the Regency String Quartet

It included a performance by Phoenix Zhou, an amazing 10 year old violinist who attends Repton Prep School

A packed audience enjoyed a magical perform ance of one of Vivaldi’s best known works, The Four Seasons, recognised by many as one of the most famous pieces of classical music Starting with Spring, where birdsong and a spring storm feature, the movements take listeners through to Winter, with its ice cold winds, snow and chatter ing teeth!

The second half performance of Octet for Strings, written when Mendelssohn was only 16, was introduced as a piece which musicians love to play, and the talented ensemble visibly enjoyed themselves particularly the lead violin part played by Katie Stillman With themes repeating between violin, viola and cello the work becomes instantly familiar, but with some darker and more mysterious elements in the later move ments

The series of concerts put on by the Friends of the Melbourne Parish Church over the past few

months has created a growing expectation of quality music which does not disappoint, and the forthcoming Jazz event on October 7 with the Dime Notes, will doubtless be another sell out night

Now for something completely different, to quote Monty Python The Festival Funhouse Comedy Night had an unusual even slightly bizarre atmosphere at times, with the comedians not quite fathoming the vagaries of a Melbourne Festival audience!

Some original comedy featuring Hip Hop, Rap and a Loop Station started the night, with the talented Vince Atta weaving local humour into clever rhymes and stories

Middle act Patrick Draper used his dead pan style to entertain the crowd with short poems, vi sual gags and banter with local characters

Final act Brummie Karen Bayley was a bit of a ‘Marmite’ act with some really enjoying her tales of being a “cougar” and her experiences at Weightwatchers Compere Tony Cowards, always affable and quick witted, kept the whole show on track

The Festival Comedy shows, which raise funds to support the festival, continue on October 28 with a completely new line up, featuring head liner Alex Boardman who has a string of top writing credits to his name along with a great reputation on the comedy circuit, Maff Brown a writer for Mock the Week and Jack Dee and Philip Phillipson Sean Moran comperes

Words: LUCY STEPHENS an Pictures:

Photograph: Jansen Brown Studios

ABOVE: Duncan Thurlby takes metal sculptures. BELOW: Boxing hares in the gar

IVAL IN TURES

n MEET one of the young creators who has won a place on next year ’s Melbourne Festi val trail: Natalie Cooper, who was crowned with first place in this year ’s Emerging Artist award

The award has been part of the festival since 2014 when it was set up to engage and involve younger artists

Artists aged between 18 and 25 who are based in the East Midlands are invited to submit a piece of work along a theme, which this year was ‘Culture’

And 19 year old Natalie impressed judges with her piece: You’ve Got to Face Reality, which was inspired by devastating flooding in Matlock in 2019

The semi abstract piece of work made from cardboard was inspired by a remark made by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said in 2019 after visiting Matlock: “In the end, you’ve got to face the reality that places like this are vulnerable to flooding We’re going to see more of it ”

Natalie (pictured) said her piece was in tended to raise awareness of climate change, and was her own protest at Mr Johnson’s remarks suggesting that flooding should simply be accepted rather than solutions sought in other words, it should not become part of our culture in the UK

Speaking to the Village Voice after her win, The Derby University fine art student said: “Because of climate change, flooding is getting worse It’s destructive, but when Boris Johnson came to Matlock he made a comment saying we are going to have to get used to it Because Matlock is a rural place, it won’t get as much funding as a city ”

The Emerging Artist award is sponsored by Arts Melbourne CIC and Harman Smith Wealth Man agement Natalie wins £500 in prize money, a place on next year ’s festival trail, and the option of a year ’s mentoring with one of the main festival supporters

Runner up was Kristina Krupickova’s piece, Haunted, which told the story of a disturbing family tragedy

Festival director Sharon Brown, announcing Natalie as this year ’s winner, said judges had been impressed with her use of every day materials to build an image whose strong sense of perspective and restrictive use of colour gave it added impact

Speaking to all entrants, she also pointed to the fact that a former participant in the competition, Olivier Leger, was one of the artists on this year ’s festival trail

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

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

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Call: 07376 716462 or email: alicia@ashfarmhydrotherapy.co.uk

Please contact us on: 01332 862796

TOP (from the left) Artist Carole Baker shows her sketchbook to a visitor; Lucy Stevens exhibiting in Melbourne Assembly Rooms’ Lounge; Ukrainian artists Anna Prodius (left) and Yryna Furta; artist Oliver Lovley painting in situ; John Handley with one of his pots

d FRANK HUGHES

of The Dower House

Remembrance

MELBOURNE Royal British Legion will hold an ‘Open Air Service’ at the Melbourne Memorial, Church Square on Remembrance Day, Sunday, No vember 13, beginning at approximately 10.55am once those on parade have arrived.

The parade will muster at the Melbourne RBL Le gion, Derby Road at 10 20am The parade route is: Derby Road, Church Street, leading to the parish church

There will be a designated area specifically for the public Any individual wishing to lay a wreath, is asked to contact branch president David Worrall on 01332 863547 as soon as possible.

All wreaths ordered will be hand delivered to the relevant organisations/individuals before the event.

If you are laying a wreath, please be aware that the wreaths will be laid ‘in order ’ and that you will need to be positioned accordingly

The Service of Remembrance will begin at ap proximately 10 55am After the service the parade will return to the RBL Legion via Castle Square, Potter Street and Derby Road whereupon an infor mal concert is given by Melbourne Town Band. Everyone is welcome.

Road closures will take place.

A rehearsal regarding the procedure for the Open Air Service will be held at 10.30am on Satur day, November 12, in Church Square Anyone who intends to take part or who wishes to know more about the parade is invited and encouraged to at tend

SCHOOL DAYS

TOP: Mrs Reed with Penguin Class at Melbourne Infant School.

ABOVE: Mrs Mcdonald and Miss Tivey with

LEFT:

TOP:

MIDDLE:

BOTTOM:

class

Melbourne Infant School.

with

starters

Primary School,

the Hill.

Buonaguro and Mrs Longman with

Wrens class at Weston on Trent Primary School.

with

class

Primary School.

School,

START

...

WHO can remember their first day at school?

The Village Voice traditionally travels round local primary schools to take pictures of reception chil dren as they start out in education.

With six primary schools within the area where we circulate, it’s great to see some shy smiles coming out amongst these four and five year olds!

And it's especially nice to be able to go out and about to take these pictures after the past two years of Covid lockdowns.

Many thanks to all our schools who have allowed us in to take these photographs or who have sent them in themselves.

The Village Voice wishes all these children and their teachers the very best for a successful school year.

INFANT SCHOOL

Vacancy for a Co-opted Governor (volunteer vacancy)

The

If you

Mr Price with new starters at Dame Catherine Harpur ’s School, Ticknall.

VICTORIA HANCOCK (nee Smedley)

4 April 1941 12 July 2022

VICTORIA was born in Barrow on Trent during the Second World War After leaving school she went to work for Rolls Royce and worked for them for over 30 years She then went to work for many years at the Derby Royal Infirmary, initially for the director of nursing and then she became the voluntary services co ordinator, a role she held until she retired from the hospital

Victoria was married in 1960 but tragically her first husband, David, died in 1978 After that, in 1980, she and her only daughter Christine, moved to Melbourne She then met her

DENYS COLLYER

second husband, William Hancock, and the couple were married in Melbourne Parish Church in November 1982

In 1987 Victoria and William moved into Castle Mews in Melbourne They were amongst the first resi dents there and she lived there for 35 of her 42 years in Melbourne She was chair of the residents’ association until she moved away in April this year

Locally Victoria was best known as the manager of Mel bourne Community Care (MCC) It was a job she felt privileged to do for over 10 years, and was something very close to her heart and of which she was rightly proud She understood the value and importance of volunteers and greatly appreciated their hard work and commitment

Many of those still associated with MCC fondly remember her period running the organisation and her enduring legacy

Two of her great passions were music and gardening, and both gave her great pleasure She was a member of the Tick nall Garden Club Her favourite music was classical or choral music with her favourite service at church being choral even song She would often go on trips with the church choir to various cathedrals around the country

Victoria had a strong reli gious faith which was very im portant to her and saw her

Nigel and Hayley would like to thank everyone for their kind words and messages after losing our lovely dad in July. Over £600 was generously donated to Prostate Cancer UK in his memory. Thanks to the staff at Melbourne Hall Tea Rooms, and especially to the members of the Male Voice Choir & Operatic Society and attendees at the service who sang so spiritedly.

IRENE THOMPSON

Fred and family would like to thank all friends and relatives for their kind words and messages of support on the loss of Irene. It is appreciated and will always be remembered. Thank you also to J. P. Springthorpe, the Revd Ian Hunter, Simon and the choir of St. Michael with St Mary’s Church, and Sandra at the Royal British Legion.

Irene will be sadly missed.

OBITUARIES

through some challenging times in her life, not least the loss of two husbands and the tragic death of both parents in a car crash She found strength through her faith

Church life and the commu nity of Melbourne were very im portant to her She was often on side duty or part of the church warden rota

Victoria also received the Bishop’s Badge for her contribu tion to church life and commu nity Among her very many qualities, she was able to under stand and connect with people, often going out of her way to help others, and consequently she was held in very high re gard and respected by so many

Earlier in the year Victoria decided that she wanted to move closer to her family, in cluding three grand daughters and one great grand daughter Her family all live in the West Midlands and she realised her dream when she moved to Hampton in Arden

Whilst not an easy move to make, leaving longstanding friends in the area, she quickly settled into her new community, looking forward positively to being part of village and church life, but also fully intending to maintain contacts with old friends, and had even planned to return for Melbourne Festi val

Sadly, she passed away on July 12 Her funeral took place on August 15 at St Mary and St Bartholomew Church in Hamp ton in Arden

The family would like to thank all those who attended the service and have sent mes sages of condolence which have been a huge comfort to them They would also like to thank everyone for their very kind and generous donations which will go to either Melbourne Commu nity Care or her local church She will be remembered fondly with love by her family, and her many friends, and she will be greatly missed

IDA WRIGHT 17 February, 1923 21 August, 2022

BORN to Josiah and Clara Weston at the fam ily’s White House Farm in Tonge, Ida had an older brother, John, and went to school in Bree don

In those days, people left education aged 14 unless they went to grammar school, and that was indeed the path that Ida followed, with her first job aged 14 as a maid at Langley Priory War broke out two years later and Ida re turned to work on the family farm

Dad Josiah was running a kiln with his brother in law A continuous lime kiln, the fire was enticed from chamber to chamber, the stone being stacked and the lime removed as the fire went round Josiah worked an 84 hour week in 12 hour shifts, alternating with his brother in law, with each of them doing an 18 hour shift on alternate Saturdays to let the other go to watch Derby County play! Josiah would walk to work, feeding his cows on the way

In the next chapter of her life, Ida and Granville lived and worked on the farm, looking after grandma Clara after Josiah had died not long after the Second World War

Three children arrived: Michael, Joe and Ca role When Granville died when Ida was only 48, Michael and Joe took on the mantle of the farm But milking twice a day became too much for Ida and she began working as a barmaid at Tiffany’s nightclub in Coalville despite never having been in a pub in her life!

She trained to be a cook, getting a job cater ing at Loughborough College of Art, where she loved the friendship and the students with their wacky hairdos

After her mother died, Ida moved from the farmhouse to a cottage opposite in 1978 Her son Michael then renovated the farmhouse and moved in a few years later With Joe also living

he returned to education at age 24 and sub sequently graduated from Aberdeen Uni versity

He then took up a career in teaching, which took him from Aberdeen to Bournville College in Birmingham, on to Derby College as vice principal and, for 19 years, he was founding Principal of Sandwell College in the West Midlands Douglas’s partner for more than 50 years was Debbie, whom he had met in the Lyric Musical Society in Aberdeen The couple celebrated their golden wedding only a year ago They were students together at uni versity, married in 1971 at Kings College Chapel in Aberdeen and both graduated in 1972 In 1973, Lois was born and 18 months later Jo arrived to complete the family

next door, Ida was surrounded by family with four out of six of her grandchildren growing up with their grandma just opposite

When Carole married in 1985 and went abroad, Ida loved her trips to go and see her: on one occasion booking herself on to a three week bus tour in New Zealand where, characteristi cally, she made lifelong friends with four other ladies on the tour

Together with Carole and her husband Jim, Ida enjoyed many exciting adventures, travel ling amongst other places to Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Uzbekistan

Back home in Breedon and Tonge, she was an active member of the community, fighting hard in the ‘Battle for Breedon’ to save the village’s community centre, which famously went all the way to the High Court

Alongside that, she was the church warden at Breedon Priory Church for many years, on one occasion taking a couple of leather clad Dutch bikers on a special tour to see the famous angel, and back to her house to tea and a look at her cellar!

Every weekend in the summer would be spent selling raffle tickets at the garden centre to raise money for the church Ida was also a champion flower arranger and loved her garden, which she would open every year, raising extra funds with ice cream and home made jam Un able to stand seeing nature’s bounty go to waste, she loved to make wine from elderflower, elder berries and dandelions

Ida loved to dress up in fancy dress for the an nual fete, making fabulous home made cos tumes for all the family

Always wanting to try her hand at something new, she learned to sail at Staunton Harold Reservoir aged 82 Other things she learned over the years included bell ringing and Italian, the latter, also in her 80s

She loved her family and spent much time with her grandchildren The last decade of her life was spent quietly in Tonge, with regular vis its to her daughter in Sussex

Only in 2022, during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Carole’s Sussex village, Ida was asked if she would prefer to watch the parade as it passed by or take part in it Ida en thusiastically said she wanted to join the pa rade despite this meaning she had to use a wheelchair rather than simply watch from the sidelines

Rev John Dawson travelled from Basingstoke to conduct Ida’s funeral he had been vicar at Breedon Priory Church when she was warden there Ida’s six grandchildren carried her coffin into a packed church

Along with her three children, and six grand children, Ida also leaves 10 great grandchildren

ham, as an active member of British Junior Chamber, he organised two Lord Mayor ’s Shows and in 1979, the Year of the Child, he raised and presented a cheque for £30,000 to Princess Anne for Save the Chil dren at a Royal Gala, that had been a year in the planning He also played piano all his life

He travelled widely in Europe and the United States as an ambassador for Friend ship Force, a charity which forged peaceful and friendly international links at grass roots level

DOUGLAS was born in Aberdeen to James and Nell Keith He was their first born and the eldest of four children, with brother Edwin and sisters Margaret and Helen Life changed dramatically for the family when his mother, Nell, died when he was only 16, which cut short his education at Robert Gordon’s College He left school without qualifications or a path to follow and, after a variety of unsatisfactory jobs,

He was also a lifelong member of the Church, having left Aberdeen as an or dained elder in the Church of Scotland, and wherever his career led, he remained a member of the Church He served as a member of the PCC (Parochial Church Council) in Breedon, until very recently when ill health overtook him, and he took immense pleasure from playing the organ in local churches

Douglas’s life was enriched with many social connections and memberships As a teenager he was a member of the church choir and Youth Fellowship In Birming

In the Midlands, he was president of two rotary clubs, a president of Melbourne Rugby Club and a founding member of the Melbourne Sporting Partnership Douglas will be remembered not just as an extraordinary man but a big man, larger than life in so many ways He enjoyed mak ing speeches, often impromptu, but always entertaining particularly on a Burns night He was renowned for his humorous nature, and twice was awarded the honour of being Wilson’s village idiot in recognition of some legendary silliness!

Above all else Douglas was a family man and Lois and Jo gave Douglas and Debbie five grandchildren Laurie, Izzy, Bea, Barnaby and Annabella As “Pops” he de lighted them with his quirky humour Above all he loved them as the remarkable young people they have become

DOUGLAS KEITH 6 October 1942 21 August 2022

Busy fifth year for university group

by Frank Hughes

DO YOU know how Nettle fold Crescent in Melbourne came by its name?

The answer to that question has been one of many interest ing gems to be discovered by Melbourne’s University of the Third Age group as it marks its fifth birthday this year

It has been a busy spell for the Melbourne and District U3A group, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the organi sation starting in the UK as well as five years since the local group began

As part of the celebrations in Derbyshire, the county’s 17 U3A groups held a ‘walking baton relay’, where a golden baton was walked across the county

This set off in Derby City on September 7, when marathon walker John Merrill initiated the event

Having completed its penul timate journey from Long Eaton, the baton was handed over at Melbourne Market Place for the final leg of the trip

Melbourne’s group took it to Alvaston Park, led along a route planned by the walking group’s leader, Sharon Clark In total the baton traversed al most 150 miles of Derbyshire countryside

‘MADu3a’ also featured in the Derbyshire u3a Network photography competition with a stunning picture of Melbourne Pool by photography group leader Lorraine Dowell being awarded second place

The photography competition had the theme ‘The Spirit of Derbyshire’ and was judged by an expert panel for interest and relevance as well as technical quality

Lorraine’s picture featured a snowy winter scene of the pool The winning photo by Steve Wood from Dronfield U3A was of Chatsworth House

As well as walking and pho

tography, the local organisation has 20 other groups and activi ties for anyone no longer in full time employment

Details can be found at https://u3asites org uk/mel bourne area/welcome

The group was due to hold an open afternoon on October 6 at Melbourne Assembly Rooms

Last year, the group made contact with Australia’s Mel bourne City U3A and was in

vited to give a presentation via Zoom about our Melbourne

A working group of six mem bers was set up to summarise the village’s history and bring together some of the connec tions between the namesakes in an illustrated talk

The original connection with Lord Melbourne is well known, but some 20th century connec tions, particularly with Mel bourne’s Norman church, were

T he Common Touch...

WHISTLEWOOD Common is nine years old this month and the change to the land that was just a field with one slightly poorly oak tree in it is incredible

The trees are looking so tall! The or chards are bearing so much fruit and the new community garden is very productive

I think this gives us hope that land can be restored quickly, providing us with much needed nourishment both for our bodies and souls That is one aspect that we are really proud of; not only is the land restored but it has provided a space for people to heal, develop and grow, with one of our aims being the wellbeing of all

This autumn there are several chances to experience this side of our work at Whistlewood with regular wellbeing events In Breathwork for Wellbeing, Re

becca Sharp guides you through a specific breathing pattern to assist with releasing the everyday stresses and anxieties

Weekly there is Yoga as well as commu nity garden volunteering and monthly we have ‘Green Connection’ days run in con junction with Derbyshire Mind connecting with nature to support mental health An other specific event will be a day dedicated to the Menopause ‘Embrace the Change’

A day to educate and nurture you through this particular phase of your life

Children’s wellbeing is vital to the work at Whistlewood where we are supported by Derby Forest School, who nurture small children in the Nature Nursery and also for older kids in the holiday clubs

We’ve seen all our trees growing up and, after several years of connecting children

BUSINESS HELP FOR REFUGEES

UKRAINIAN refugees interested in starting their own business are being invited to a special advice event in Melbourne this month

The event is being hosted by the South Derbyshire Business Ad vice Service on Monday, October 17, between 10 30am and 1 30pm

Minibus transport will be available from Repton and Swadlin cote

It will be an opportunity to meet local business support agencies, network with other members of the Ukrainian community, and find out more about running a business in South Derbyshire

The event and the transport are free of charge Hosts, friends and others who can help with interpretation are very welcome

The morning’s session is aimed at those who are considering self employment or looking to establish their business in the UK

David Richards, business adviser at the South Derbyshire Busi ness Advice Service, said: “This is a great opportunity for individu als and businesses to find out about the advice and support that’s on offer, to explore financial assistance, and to ask questions ”

To attend contact business@southderbyshire gov uk or telephone 01283 595 791

The South Derbyshire Business Advice Service is funded by South Derbyshire District Council

FUNERAL DATE

of particular interest For ex ample, in 1935, Lord Mayor of Melbourne in Australia, Mr T F Nettlefold, gave a donation to the restoration of the church bells; Nettlefold Crescent was subsequently named in his ho nour

The group said it hoped that the relationship between the two Melbourne u3as, on oppo site sides of the globe, would flourish

Melbourne Dental Practice

with nature, we’ve seen some amazing young environmentalists grow up and move on to ‘big school’ with more knowl edge about the environment than most adults! They will never forget the deep connection they’ve developed with the land and we love seeing them come back to our events with their families

The diversity in our provision for well being is mirrored by the diversity of plant and wildlife on site This provides a strong network for supportive projects which take place here at Whistlewood

We plan to continue this into the future and we’d love you to join us for planning the next 10 years of our project: 2023 is going to be just as exciting

KATHERINE PARRISH

REQUIRE A GENTLEMAN TO PLAY

FROM

RATE OF

l Members of Melbourne’s U3A starting the final leg of the walking baton relay in Castle Square, Melbourne.

LEFT: Michael Smith wearing his

medal.

CENTRE:

way

FAR RIGHT: Aaron Lugg, Stephen Price’s nephew, who

run

What’s On

GUIDE TO EVENTS IN

Wed 28 September - Sat 5 November

Creative Melbourne Gallery Exhibition Still Life & Wild Life

Wellington House, Church Street. Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm

Friday 14 October: 7.30pm start.

Saturday 15 October: 11am start.

from

AREA

O 300 take part emorial runs

daughter Freya, mother and nieces and nephews joined hundreds of people who came together to enjoy the two events The 10k run was part of the RunDerby Race series and was won by Michael Smith, of Belper, in a time of 36 minutes and 30 seconds

you for the Music’.

Friday 28 October: Melbourne Festival Funhouse Comedy Night.

Tuesday 1 November:

& Company

Hey Beatles

Wednesday 9 November - Christmas

Melbourne Gallery Exhibition Autumn Glow

Wellington

Wednesday 9 November: Melbourne Area Forum

Aston

Centre,

Michael said this was his first Pricey 10k and he had thoroughly enjoyed it “It was lovely running down at the canal, just re ally picturesque,” he said The fun run, fittingly, was won by Stephen’s nephew, Aaron Lugg, 12 “I did this in 2019,” said Aaron “I just love running, and obviously Stephen did as well ”

His mum Sian, Stephen Price’s sister, said: “Stephen’s passion was for running He would have loved all his friends and

family coming together to race in his mem ory ”

More participants in the fun run were the new head teacher of Aston Primary School, Sam Moore, his seven year old daughter Nellie, and Tom Bamford, Freya’s year six teacher at the school Mr Moore said: “It was lovely to run with the children and see so many people joining in There has been a real community spirit ”

Profits from the events will be split be tween three causes chosen by Stephen and Michelle’s daughter Freya: The Aston School Parents Association; Pride Park Girls under 11 football team, for which she plays; and heart muscle charity Cardiomy opathy UK

ABOVE: The event pulled

hundreds

people.

TOP LEFT: Members of the Price family: (left to right) Aaron Lugg, Stephen Price’s nephew, his brother Stuart Price, mum Patricia Price, Annie Price and his daughter Freya Price, and Dylan Price

LEFT: Seth Burton in Stephen Price’s signature ‘airplane’ move as he comes home in second place in the two mile fun run.

Ticknall end the cricket season on a high

TICKNALL Cricket Club’s 1st team ap proached the month of September with a little trepidation, still looking over their shoulder. They commenced with a home game against Spondon and put on a compet itive score of 262 for 6, Borrington making yet another century.

However, Spondon completed a comfortable win getting the required total with four overs to spare, losing only five wickets

The first team’s next fixture saw them take the long journey to Eckington but taken in a more re laxed state of mind as other results from the pre vious week meant Ticknall could not be relegated

Eckington, however, was still in a deep relega tion battle and it showed in the game On a diffi cult pitch they put on 255 4, to which Ticknall never got close, being bowled out for a meagre 126

The final game of the season saw Ticknall make a short trip to Alvaston and Boulton In a relaxed end of season match, Ticknall made a massive 302 3, aided by an opening partnership of over 200 by Borrington and Wood scoring 102 and 133 not out respectively Boulton made a fist

of the chase but eventually were all out for 241 A fine win to complete Ticknall’s season

The second team started the month with a fine win against local rivals Melbourne on their own turf, making 214 8 in 45 overs Melbourne were bowled out for 194 with Wilson taking five wick ets for 40 runs in his nine overs

Their second game of the month was cancelled due to rain

The end of season fixture saw Ticknall at home to Alvaston and Boulton which ended in an excit ing encounter Boulton made 240 9 in their 45 overs and an exciting chase (Fry 70) ended with three balls left of the game when Ticknall were all out on 214

The third team had only one game in Septem ber which unfortunately ended in defeat by one wicket against Wootton Ticknall mustered only 75 before Wootton made the required score with only one wicket remaining

Overall, it was a very satisfactory finish to the season for Ticknall Cricket Club

The first eleven ended sixth in the premier di vision, the second team finished seventh in their division and the third team ended eighth in THE final ladies’ softball cricket festival was held at the Derbyshire County Cricket ground on Sunday, September 18.

Dynamo teams pick up after their slow starts

AFTER a slow start to the sea son both Melbourne Dynamo senior sides’ form picked up in the month of September as the first team won two out of their three games and the Reserves claimed two victories as well

The first team began with a hard fought 1 0 home victory against current league leaders Holbrook Angels with new sign ing Matt Brian getting the only goal of the game This was fol lowed up with a 6 2 win on the road against Belper United Re serves A hat trick from youngster Charlie Tovell was supported by a Matt Brian double and a tidy James Smith finish to push Dy namo towards the top of the table

The only blemish of the month came a week later as the Dynamo team welcomed the visit of Mickleover R B L The visitors, who play in a division above Melbourne, claimed a narrow 1 0 win with a late de flected goal in the CMFL League Cup to end September in disappointment after a re

Melbourne Dynamo Reserves under the new management of Ross Carcary have begun life in the MRA premier division in some style and recorded a stun ning 5 1 away win against Boabab United in their first game

Joe Shadbolt hit the ground running with four of the goals and a strike from Alex Walsh completed the scoring

An entertaining 3 3 draw away to Sleetmoor United fol lowed a week later with goals from Shadbolt (two) and Finn Charles It was a match which saw the home side claim a last minute equaliser to leave Dy namo Reserves to come away with just a point

This was soon forgotten as Carcary’s men ended the month with a battling 2 1 away win against Willington an even more remarkable win consider ing Dynamo had several play ers missing through injury Goals from Sam Simpson and a rare Olly Walsh finish claimed the three points

TO commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Kings Newton Bowls Club opening in 1982 there is to be an evening celebration of food, music and dancing at the Melbourne Assembly rooms on October

theirs Borrington, Cork and Rahib Ali all made over 1,000 runs apiece and Ben Sexton was the leading bowler for the club, taking 40 wickets

At this time of year specula tion is rife across the leagues concerning the movement of players but Ticknall have a fine balance between experienced and young up and coming play ers

It is a good mix and, if this can be maintained for next sea son, success can only be just around the corner

campaign

With some 20 teams competing from across the county, it was a great atmos phere enjoyed by both players and support ers

After a damp and grey start against Chel laston, Melbourne Mavericks played some good cricket Shaw’s heroic fielding re sulted in not only a fantastic wicket being taken, but also a dislocated finger! Sadly, the Mavericks lost by 30 runs

Next up for the Melbourne team was West Hallam White Roses. The Mavericks seemed to warm up in this match With some strong batting from the Patel mother and daughter pairing; the whole team gained confi

dence However, there was a distinct lack of wickets taken and the victory was narrowly missed.

The final match was against Darley Dale The sun came out and so did the big hitters. Mardon and Stokes hit a handful of boundaries and two wickets cleanly bowled by Patel (Anya) and Oxspring, ensured a convincing win by 20 runs.

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable and successful first season for the ladies and next season will hopefully see Melbourne Town Cricket Club hosting festivals of their own

Anyone wishing to join the fun should contact either Alex on 07966933583 or Sara on 07469395889

turn to form in the league

BEST SEASON YET

THE Kings Newton Bowls Club season is coming to a close soon probably the most successful in the club’s 40 year history

The mixed Tuesday team captained by Richard Robinson fin ished runners up, therefore achieving promotion to league one

The Thursday afternoon men’s second team vets led by Bill Bun ston firstly reached their league cup final, although they were nar rowly defeated on the day Then, with a great run of victories towards the end of the season, they ended up second in the league, winning promotion to division two

Captained by Paul Chambers, the men’s Friday evening first team comfortably won division two, with a couple of games in hand Winning the league gained entry to the end of season Champion of Champions handicapped knockout competition involving the cham pions of all four divisions

In the semi final, Kings Newton fairly comfortably saw off league one winners Horsley This led to the final against Premier League winners, Stretton Angelsey, a very strong team Kings Newton had a 40 shot start, which over 10 games isn't a lot, but thanks to some tremendous performances hung on to win by four shots A great re sult

This season has seen a large number of new full members, many from the now closed flat green club Therefore, it was decided to hold a doubles knockout purely for these new members The after noon was a great success with a good number of entries which saw Meg Smith and Albert Milbourne defeat Jo Mallard and John Rogers in the final

TWYFORD

THULSTON

MILTON

STANTON

TWYFORD

WALTON

AMBASTON

MELBOURNE

BRIDGE

ISLEY WALTON

ELVASTON

BARROW-

WESTON

-TRENT

MILTON

SMISBY

Cricket club’s final day double celebration

MELBOURNE Town Cricket Club had two reasons to celebrate on the last day of the 2022 season. Their second team claimed the league title while the first team somehow escaped relega tion, both winning their final games to achieve this.

The second XI began September where they had been all season top of the table But, with Chellaston 3rds chasing them closely, a comfortable winning draw away to Darley Abbey 3rds extended Town’s lead at the top

Batting first Ash Elwell top scored with 70 ably supported by Marcus Radcliffe (70) and skipper Fraser Radcliffe (56) as the seconds totalled 279 8 Despite three wick ets from Sam Barker (3 39) the home side hung on for the draw on 202 7

A free week for Melbourne saw Chellas ton win, meaning nothing less than a vic tory for Fraser Radcliffe’s side would be

good enough to claim the title going into the last game off the season, at home to Alre was 3rds

It was the visitors who batted first, scor ing a credible 209 8 as the inform Barker took 3 42 plus two wickets from Lara Shaw

In reply Melbourne were struggling on 20 2 but a quite superb knock of 102 by Ranjit Rathore along with Elwell, who chipped in with 61 not out, took Town close It was left to skipper Radcliffe to complete the victory in style to earn a seven wicket victory and with it the Seven South league title

The club’s first team began the month agonisingly close to the relegation zone in Four South and a 20 run defeat at home to local rivals Ticknall 2nds didn’t help mat ters The visitors put 214 8 on the board off their allotted overs with Matt Barmby claiming 3 36 plus two wickets apiece for James Hogwood and Muhammad Nadeem

Melbourne lost wickets constantly and all looked lost on 105 5 but a battling 49 from skipper Alex Slater took town close only for his dismissal to see Melbourne slip to 194 all out

The following week the first team enter tained bottom of the table Hilton firsts who scored a decent 189 5 as Sohail Hussain bowled superbly in taking 3 23

The first team had the worse start imag inable as they fell to 12 4 and, despite 38 from Slater plus 33 from Nadeem, they were all out for just 122, slipping into the relegation places going into the last game of the season

Away to Hartshorne firsts, nothing less than victory would see Alex Slater ’s men relegated and batting first Town slipped to 22 2 but a partnership of 133 in just 19 overs from Slater and Mark Rossi (77) helped Melbourne on their way to a huge 285 8 off their allotted overs Skipper

Slater ended with an excellent 111 not out

Spells of 4 39 from Nadeem and 2 46 by Hogwood stemmed the flow of Hartshorne runs and the home side fell well short in the end on 190 9, giv ing Melbourne a 95 run victory

Then news came through that Wootton had beaten Uttox eter and the first team’s sur vival in Four South was confirmed a double celebra tion to end the 2022 season

The club would to thank its main sponsor Adrian Wagstaff Wealth Management plus jun ior sponsor Lion Court along with all the local companies who sponsored a banner or a matchball Without their sup port the club wouldn’t be able to offer the opportunities they do to the local community and be yond

l Melbourne Town CC’s 2nd team, 7 South league champions: back row (l r) Ian Griffiths, John Collins, Liam Landers Sung, Sunny Dhiman, John Mayers, Lara Shaw; front row Paul Scrimshaw, Ranjit Rathore, Meadow the dog, Fraser Radcliffe (skipper), Ash Elwell and Sam Barker. Photo: Marshall Payne