Melbourne Village Voice July 2012

by DAVID BELLIS

IF EVERY adult in Melbourne were to spend an extra £5 a week on local purchases it would add about £4m a year to the town's economy.

That was the startling news to come out of a meeting organised by Promote Melbourne and involving an organisation called Totally Locally

"Totally inspirational, and everyone left the meeting with heads buzzing," was the breathless response of Ruth Malloy, following the meeting

Ruth is the chairman of Promote Melbourne, an organisation set up to give local business a focus and a marketing base for extending business in the town and the locality She is the proprietor of Cream, a retail home furnishing design business

Ru th had read about Totally Locally, the organisation of which charismatic Chris Sands is the originator He is truly evangelical in enthusiastically promoting the benefits for local communities of local business

Chris is no pie-in-the-sky merchant; he has a really solid track record in making a real difference in towns like Leek, Matlock, and others that have adopted the Totally Locally ideas, and run with them for everyone ' s benefit

And his idea has caught on in a big way – with 70 small towns signed up to his enthusiastic crusade for the community benefits of being "totally locally"

He stresses that everyone uses supermarkets, but his marketing theme is about protecting and developing local small businesses as an intrinsic part of a complete community – and he offers his ideas and expertise free of all charges

Forty residents came to Melbourne Assembly Rooms to hear his message – and the response was highly enthusiastic, from an audience which included Melbourne Parish Council chair, Jane Carroll, and Jonathan Little from South Derbyshire District Council It inspired Councillor Carroll to Cont’d on Page 3

WINNERS The Oakden School of Dance float (above) which took first prize in the Melbourne Carnival parade The weather held off until late in the afternoon and the Carnival once again attracted a llarge number of visitors, including the girl on the right who quickly headed for the toy stall

More pictures and report – Pages 12 and 13

BREEDON Parish Forum has several village activities under consideration for the next few months Currently in the pipeline there is a film show on the village green in August, with suggestions that it is on Saturday, August 12, to tie in with the finals day of the London Olympics (A 'Grease' night has been suggested) A barn dance for a date in August/September is also on the cards, along with a Ha llowe'en party for October If you have any thoughts or ideas, feedback will be welcome and any even suggestions will be considered Contact Claire on 07832424334

DOUBLE celebrations at Breedon are the order of the day now that the excitement of street parties and flotillas connected with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee have died down

The children, staff, governors and parents of St Hardulph’s Primary School and Breedon Play and Learn Pre-School are celebrating after receiving a “ Going for Gold” rating from Ofsted inspectors

St Hardulph’s C of E Primary School has been graded good with outstanding features

It is praised for its creative approaches to the curriculum and for the good achievement secured by pupils as they progress through the school and also for its effective partnerships with other schools in the locality Everyone is working to build on these to share both expertise and good practice

Overall standards achieved are above those expected by the time children leave

the school Very good behaviour and pupils’ attitudes to learning are supported well through the school’s ethos and shared expectations of all staff

The children benefit from a rich learning experience that is reflected in attendance which is high as pupils simply enjoy going to school

Leadership through teamwork is recognised as a strength, and includes teaching, non-teaching staff and the governing body

Expressing how pleased she was with the report, Mrs Nicki Robson, parent and chair of governors, said the excellent report was a reflection of the hard work and commitment of all staff at the school which translated into good progress by the children She added that the achievements of the school were borne out in the continually increasing numbers of parents who were choosing to send their children to St Hardulph’s, and

she was sure the school would continue to go from strength to strength

Everyone connected with Breedon Play and Learn Pre School were also extremely proud to receive a good Ofsted rating after their inspection

The setting was highlighted as a stimulating learning environment where the staff are dedicated, caring and work hard to ensure all the children’s individual needs are met

The children were described as confident, enthusiastic and eager to learn The report congratulated the staff on children being happy and secure

They learn how to co-operate, treat each other with respect and show sensitivity towards everyone Most importantly they have great fun!

❍ Full Ofsted reports are available at www ofsted gov uk

● PICTURED at the Parish Church Garden Party, staffing the Pickle Factory stall are Beth and Maureen Anderson, with buyers Jean and Paul Grimley and an undecided customer The event raised £835 The Parish BBQ will take place on Saturday, August 4, in the Vicarage Garden starting at 4pm Tickets are £7 with free entry for under-12s.

AND now for your delectation, divertissement and delight plans are in hand to turn the ‘building formerly known as the Leisure Centre’ into an Olde Time Music Hall – but for one night only in October

The organisers are looking for any local artistes who would be interested in appearing on the billing Jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists andfire-eaters are welcome to apply! No dancing bears, please; the risk assessment may be too complicated

It is hoped that the audience will dust down their Downton Abbey style costumes and join in the fun The event will be to raise funds for improving the facilities in the main hall

With tickets being pitched at around £15, which will be inclusive of a Penny Heath meal, this will be a night not to miss Full date and ticket details will appear later, but meanwhi le, if you know of any suitable acts locally please get in touch with Andy Heafield (863522) or Frank Hughes (862243)

I thank you!

FH

THE ACOUSTICS of Melbourne Catholic Church has been one of the deciding factors in its selection as a venue to host a concert by Martín Alvarado, billed as Argentina’s finest tango artist

Martín will perform in Melbour ne in a special concert on Sunday, August 19, as part of his 23rd international tour

“The setting will be a perfect place to hear Martín’s tremendous tenor voice, said his UK manager and promoter, Lisa Cherry-Downes

“I am very grateful to Father Anthony Axe for allowing us to use Melbourne Catholic Church and I would also like to thank William Moult, from Melbourne, for helping to organise this even t ”

Martin will have as his special guest Mikko Helenius, a classically trained pianist and bandoneón player from Finland

Tickets are £12 on the door (children under 11 free) or £10 in advance now from www,gigantic com or from

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THE MELBOURNE Area Forum held at Shardlow saw around 20 people attending including a number of district councillors, writes TOM MILLS. Having reported positive feedback and actions from the previous meeting held in April, the public questions section of the meeting was dominated once more with the topic of the raised land levels at the Cockshut Lane recreation ground in Melbourne and the impact on residents of Ashby Road and Washington Close

A spokesman for the residents, Paul Grimley, addressed the meeting reading from his prepared notes He made comment, observations and raised questions relating to the approved planning application, work not carried out in accordance with it, calculations indicating the volume of excess materials deposited on the site, stability of the site, inadequate drainage and soak away provisions He also raised questions about the availability of the independent engineers report

In response to Dr Grimley, SDDC Director

● Promoting Melbourne (back row (l-r): Simon Parker, SP Photographics; Paul Wilson, Melbourne

Print; Laura Fortey, Melbourne Sweets; John Starkey, Melbourne Cobbler; Craig Barker, Baseline Creative.

Front row: Christine Lee, Fair Trade and Promote Melbourne

Secretary; Ruth Malloy, Cream Interior Design and Promote Melbourne chair; and guest speaker Chris Sands, of Totally Locally

Cont’d from Page 1 pledge the support of the parish council

of Operations Officer, Mark Alflat advised that the independent engineer's report had been delayed due to the materials transport contractor only providing 50 per cent of the disposal dockets They have all now been rec eived and the report will be available by July 20 after which a date for a site meeting will be confirmed

Thanks were extended to Dr Grimley for drawing attention to video footage of water draining from a soak away into adjacent land “It has proved to be very useful,” said Mr Alflat, who was confident that the site is sound, that the ditches are doing their job and that work on the site is still ongoing

“Contractors were on site today,” he said “In the light of the unprecedented volume of rain during the last few weeks and the high incidence of flooding experienced throughout South Derbyshire, in locations that have never before shown indications of flood potential – over 4,000 incidents in all – the drainage system would appear to have held up very well "

Following a site visit by Cllr

John Harri-

son, the report of flooding in Washington

Close is believed not to be related to the raised land levels under discussion

In response to the question from a Melbourne resident –“when will the project be completed?”– the chair, Cllr Harrison said that progress on the site is dependant on availability of funds and that bids will be made to all the major sporting bodies to secure the required funding

Mr Alflat indicated that anticipated time scales should be available in time for the site meeting in a few weeks

■ Cllr Harrison outlined the changes to the Melbourne and Aston wards due to the boundary commission review resulting from the population growth in Hilton from 9,000 approximately to 14,000

With the budget process for 2012/2013 due to start soon, Derbyshire County Council is to commence a consult ation seeking the views from residents as to how the council should spend its money Cllr Harrison invited all present to participate in the consultation and to view the council website

■ A consultation under the title of the Derbyshire Health and Wellbeing strategy 2012-2015 was also announced and copies of the questionnaire were distributed to those attending

■ With the subject of dog fouling an e ver present agenda item for many parish councils, the district council is currently refreshing its Dog Control Orders and conducting a twomonth consultation starting on July 16 Individuals and parish councils are invited to respond to the consultation to ensure that dog control orders are in place where appropriate in all villages and towns in South Derbyshire

The totally locally theme was backed up by the assertion that a £5 extra purchase would make a "huge difference" to the local economy, meaning more jobs, better facilities and make Melbourne a better place to live If every adult in Melbourne did spend that £5 per week, it would add about £4m to the local economy "

Transition Melbourne, the local environmental group, is a strong supporter of the Totally Locally brand, as it coincides well with the environmental aims of Transition

   

A DECISION has still to be made over the safety of the route to school for pupils living in Barrow

A walk between Barrow and Chellaston Academy to demonstrate to Derbyshire County Council representatives the dangers faced by pupils has finally taken place

The walk was held to assertain if the route should be classed as safe or unsafe

A general invitation was extended to parents to participate in the w alk to be undertaken by council officials

Unhappy with the initial decision by council officials to commence the walk at 7 45am on July 4, from Chellaston, it was resolved that it would start in Barrow A group of parents joined the walk, which took place an hour later than when

the children would be required to leave home

The panel was due to meet on July 10 to discuss the outcome and their conclusions will be sent to the cabinet member for education for resolution in the August/September council meeting

The outcome of the walk and decisions are therefore unlikely to be made public by the council for some months, leaving the Barrow community and pupils still in the dark about what is going to happen

If the walk is deemed safe, any subsidy will be withdrawn

If deemed unsafe the authority will be required to provide transport

Currently the coach operator is running the service for an each way fare of 60p, and this is likely to continue while the service is viable

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SUMMER has arrived but no one has told the weather and the appalling conditions continue

I’ve been criticised in the past about my preoccupation with the elements, but letting June’s weather go unmentioned would be plain wrong The month broke all rainfall records since 1860 and, of course, other parts of the country have had the worst of it

A near neighbour recorded over nine inches during the month – I believe the average is around one and a half inches

The precipitation has manifested itself in different forms Between Melton Mowbray and Leicester last week a violent hail storm saw hail stones the size of tennis balls fall for a few minutes Cars were

damaged badly and greenhouses smashed to bits A friend who lives around that area said solar panels were completely destroyed along with significant roof damage June is generally the month to make hay but none will have been gathered, and silage making has been severely affected I’m concerned about the lack of sunshine on crops and livestock and I suppose people too An article in a farming magazine said the apple crop in the south of England would be very poor due to bad weather during blossoming because bees were inactive

All the above is very depressing and to add to this a letter arrived this morning telling me that our milk price was going to

be cut by two pence per litre from August

1

1 This follows a similar reduction on June

These cuts take over £50,000 off our bottom line per year and they will make any profit milking cows in the negative balance Nothing can be said about this that hasn’t been said befor e but it is very disappointing and will hasten reduction in cow keepers in the country

■ It certainly is a year for weeds and some of them seem rampant A lot of our grass fields have monster crops of nettles, thistles and docks and are going to need controlling soon Spraying is the preferred option but cutting is the last resort The old saying “to mow thistles in June is much too soon” won’t apply th is year

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● THE BREEDON Open Gardens event took place over the weekend of June 30

Pictured are Sharon and Malcolm Males in the Chapel House garden of Simon and Vanessa Jones.

Things to do & see at Calke

Come and enjoy Calke as we spring into summer!

Remember there is fun for children every weekend and during the summer holidays with lots to make and do in Squirt the Stallion’s Stable

Forthcoming events

Garden of Imagination

Saturday 14th July – Friday 31st August 11am – 5pm

Calling all explorers! Discover the challenge of the wild grass labyrinth in our summer garden of imagination, new for 2012 Den building skills and magnifying glass super sleuthing will lead to all kinds of adventures

Wedding Open Day

Sunday 15th July, 11am- 4pm

An exclusive opportunity to preview the Riding School and celebrate the opening of a stunning new wedding venue in Derbyshire

Games People Played

Monday 16th – Wednesday 18th July and Monday 30th – Wednesday 1st Aug 11am – 4pm

Join us for fun, games and sports from the past and present

Calke’s Live Archaeolo Week

Monday 23rd – Sunday 29th July

Come and join our dig in the gardens on Saturday 28th and finish the week with a family archaeolo day in The Riding School on Sunday 29th Squirt’s stable will be open everyday with children’s archaeolo activities

The Railway Children Thursday 2nd August Gates 6pm Play 7pm

Bring a blanket and a picnic and enjoy this enchanting family tale presented by Heartbreak

Productions Adult £14, Child £8, Family £45 Booking Required on 084 4 2491895

Opening for 2012

House: Open Saturday – Wednesday 12 30pm

MELBOURNE Community Care will be holding an open gardens event on Saturday, July 21 (10 45am to 4 30pm) Melbourne Hall gardens will be open from 1 30pm

Admission to all gardens is by passport available at £5 from participating gardens in Church Square, Church Street, Castle Street and Potter Street It is also available from the Community Care office

■ MELBOURNE Operatic Society will be performing its summer concert at Melbourne Assembly Rooms on Thursday, July 26

THE PARISH Council meeting for July had news of comings and goings. The chair, Cllr Jane Carroll, announced that she had received a letter from the Parish Clerk, Norman Hill, giving notice of his intention to retire from the post at the end of September

In a few words to the council members Mr Hill said: “On a recent holiday with my family, I realised that perhaps it was now time for me to stand down and spend more time with them ”

Mr Hill has been clerk to the council for 37 years, longer than any of the current councillors have served in their roles

Cllr Carroll thanked Norman for his contributions and efforts during his long and dedicated service to the council and to Melbourne

On the plus side, she introduced Malcolm Stockill as the new councillor attending his first meeting following a ballot by members in June Cllr Stockill filled the vacancy created following the death of Cllr Brendan Freeman earlier this year

Malcolm Stockill has lived in Melbourne since 2003 The son of a publican from East Yorkshire, he has worked in the road haulage industry for most of his working life and holds various transport management qualifications

Malcolm’s hobbies are motorcycle sports He is an Auto Cycle Union regional steward and clerk of course (referee) for off road track racing events His other interests are in using, or repairing computers, IT and village life

Having received apologies for absence from several councillors and both district and county councillors, it was straight in to the public spot with Adam Seal, of Melbourne Neighbourhood Watch, reporting on recent crime incidents in Mel bourne These included four vehicle crimes and a break-in at a property in Blanchcroft

Cllr Paul Wilmore commented that he had also been a victim of crime when a wing mirror was broken off his car He was surprised that the incident was not included in the report

He added that the perpetrator had been apprehended by the police and, on admission to

the offence, he was released without charge, leaving the victim to pay for the damage He

COUNCILLOR Jane Carroll is the new chair of Melbourne Parish Council She took over last month from Councillor Nigel Collyer, whom she thanked for all the hard work and commitment he had shown

Cllr Carroll was first elected to Melbourne Parish Council in 1987

Having served as vice-chair for the past two years, she is looking forward to her term of office She is honoured to be elected and has a strong commitment to the work of the council, which, she feels, is not always as well understood as it might be

She is confident that some of Melbourne’s perennial issues can be resolved or progressed during the next two years

The improvements on the recreation ground, working with the Sporting Partnership, to deliver improved facilities and the successful transformation of the Leisure Centre to the new management group are two immediate priorities

There are hopes, too, that the traffic issue can

questioned if the crimes reported to Neighbourhood Watch always exclude crimes similar to his recent experience

A member of the public, Annie Dowell, having written to the council asking how she could get involved, was invited to address the meeting She spoke of her desire to get involved, identifying animal welfare as one of her prime interests and volunteering to ad dress various groups and perhaps schools on the topic, with the council’s support

The acoustics in the room currently used by the council for their meetings are very poor and hearing what is being said is difficult for councillors and members of the public It is hoped that in the short term meetings can be held in an alternative room

Other topics that came under discussion included:

■ The damaged shelter located in the Lothian Gardens was deemed to be unfit for purpose

be advanced, she said

"This problem has been around a long time and it divides opinion, but it is essential to get a solution which is workable and practical "

Cllr Carroll is also keen to promote Melbourne as a welcoming centre for those walking in the area through partnership with the Melbourne Footpaths group

The theme of her leadership will be to involve and engage more with the wider community believing that the parish council can improve communications and develop better understanding of the areas of responsibilities it has

As well as her parish council duties, Jane has a full-time job as practice nurse at Melbourne surgery and is an active supporter of the Labour Party However, she revealed that she is nearing r etirement and is contemplating reducing her nursing hours in the future – FH

PARISH Council meetings are open to the public and held at the Melbourne Assembly Rooms on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 30pm

The remaining dates for 2012 are: September 4; October 2; November 6 and December 4

Parish Council Committee meetings are held on the Monday following the Parish Council meeting at the Melbourne Assembly Rooms The remaining dates for 2012 are: September 10; October 8; November 12 and December 10

and the supplier has volunteered to replace it with another model at no cost to the council ■ A draft independent assessors’ report on the earth mound created on the recreation ground is being considered by the district council, but it is incomplete and waiting more information

TEN-YEAR-OLD Jensen Fern, of Melbourne, went to visit the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas on June 30 with his father Mathew and ended up holding the Olympic Torch

They had travelled to the National Memorial site to help celebrate and show their support for Armed Forces Day. The day coincided with the visit of the Olympic Torch carried by Johnson Beharry VC – a real life war hero who, although critically injured in a roadside ambush in Iraq, still managed to save two of his fellow soldiers from certain death

He is the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross and the first since 1982.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Jensen to see the Olympic Torch at close quarters and he never expected to have the opportunity of holding it as there were thousands of people attending the event Jen sen and Mathew were just very lucky to be in the right place at the right time Jensen is a year five pupil at Melbourne Junior School. He had taken part in a project this term to design and decorate a T-shirt with the theme and sporting spirit of the Olympic Games, which he wore on the day He is also a keen cricketer and plays for the Melbourne Town Kwik Cricket team

Jensen is pictured holding the Olympic Torch with Johnson Beharry VC at the Arboretum

A PACKED audience filled the village hall at Ticknall to watch the New Perspective Theatre offering, The Honey Man These productions are ideally suited to smaller local venues and, as recently reported in The Guardian, often do not get the recognition they deserve

The Honey Man is a multi-layered tale of growing up and growing old, of the relevance of ancestral roots, of social responsibility, all sewn to gether into a two-person drama

The two characters, 16-year-old Misty and the Honey Man become friends after a chance meeting and an unlikely friendship

develops between them, based on their similar social displacement

The Honey Man lives for his bees and honey, and relies on ancient herbal remedies; Misty is torn between separated parents, unreliable friends and her responsibilities as a child of a big country estate They discover a connection between them from the past has a deeper resonance

Tyrone Huggins, who is the author of the play, played the title role with complete authenticity and the audience were drawn into his spellbinding performance Esther Smith is a very talented young actress playing the

part of the inconsistent, yet ‘know-it-all’ teenager many parents could identify with

The production, by Suzanne Gorman, was delightfully simple but highly effective with good quality set, sound and lighting Jane Bevan deserves every credit for bringing this quality event to us and, if you can excuse the awful pun, there was a real buzz in the audience after it

If you have not attended one of these shows you really are missing out It would be fantastic to see more of them in our local villages

PARENTS of young children will be unhappy that the work of a group of energetic and committed parents has been frustrated in their original efforts to promote the creation of a new secondary school for Melbourne children

The group was launched over a year ago and is called Secondary Education for Melbourne

But as Alan Saywell, the group ' s spokesman said: "Our only objective is securing the best possible education for our children We are not campaigning for a new school, free or otherwise at this point "

Rose Minifie was the leader of a group who reflected the fears of local parents that Chellaston Academy would be unable within a short number of years to take every Melbourne child whose parents wished them to go to this very high achieving local Academy

Mr Ray Ruszczynki, the long-serving head at Chellaston Academy, has confirmed that there is no short term danger of Chel-

laston being oversubscribed But, as the Melbourne parents have recognised, he said: "There is a risk that housing developments in the catchment area will dramatically change this position "

Mr Saywell confirms that more housing sites have been promoted for development in South Derbyshire and that, although the Academy "will m ake every effort to accommodate Melbourne children the current admissions policy means the application of a lottery system if there are insufficient places in the school

The Academy governors are sure that the Chellaston site cannot be expanded

Although there are no plans to change the catchment areas, the risk of many new homes in the existing catchment area is real The group believes the "worst case scenario for Melbourne parents would be the application of a lottery entrance procedure

The group has reluctantly come to the conclusion that a new school cannot be jus-

tified, given that there is spare capacity in the three secondary schools in Swadlincote

Although they have consulted widely with local MP Heather Wheeler, County Councillor John Harrison, county council officials, and with Mr Ruszczynki, the dream of a secondary school in Melbourne for Melbourne cannot be realised

Alan Saywell said: There is a gap in performance in the secondary schools between Chellaston and the alternative schools (Granville, William Allitt and the Pingle)"

But standards are rising in the three schools at a rate better than national averages

The group ' s current remit is to monitor the situation, cont inue to liaise with interested parties and to keep the Melbourne community informed on a regular basis

■ Parents and other interested parties can contact the group by e-mail at education4melbourne@gmail com

THE POPULARITY of Remembrance Day in recent years has resulted in a problem of accommodation in the parish church.

It has been suggested by the Melbourne branch committee of the Royal British Legion, with the backing of the Melbourne Parish Council, that – as in many places –the Remembrance service is conducted outdoors around the War Memorial.

This would combine the two present services into a revised situation, involving the various denominations and organisations

Richard Heath, the Melbourne RBL branch president, said: "Anyone with strong views on the change or indeed supporting the idea should contact members of the RBL branch committee or write to the Village Voice for publication.

“If views are strong enough, the branch will arrange a meeting for discussion "

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THE GREEN in Aston on Trent was a busy spot on the morning of Saturday, July 7, as people gathered for the opening of the 16th annual well dressing festival with a short address, a prayer, a hymn and the Blessing of the main well

The ministers then led people around the centre of the village to bless all the other wells that had been prepared by various groups and organisations during the week leading up to the festival weekend

The sun was shining and the village looked festive with bunting, flags and flower displays all adding to the colour

There were plenty of stalls in strategic locations around the village and the church was decorated with splendid displays, many relating to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

The main well on the green with an Egyptian theme was bold and rich, looking like a huge papyrus The other smaller wells reflected various

● MELBOURNE'S Lee 'Elvis' Jones has presented a cheque for £765 to Yvonne Stevens, chair person for Cancer Research UK, Hilton, fund-raising group. Lee raised the money performing as the "king" in an Elvis tribute act at the Melbourne Royal British Legion Royal Suite Lee was accompanied at the presentation by his parents, Chris and Brenda, who have both been treated for cancer.

Pictured (l-r) are: Chris Jones, Yvonne Stevens, Lee Jones, Julie Kenward (treasurer CRUK, Hilton) and Brenda Jones

anniversary celebrations and one, prepared by a group of young people in Aston, reflected modern technology depicting a QR code

This was no ordinary well – although it was simple in design and construction It was a working QR code that, if scanned using a smart phone, gained people access to a website for Aston Sam Maw of Groundwork Derby and Derbyshire worked with the young people to create this masterpiece

Pictured are (back row l-r): Pat Simpson (main well dressing co-ordinator), the Rev Dennis Smith (Methodist Minister ), Rob Archer (well dressing chairman), Haydn Wheeler (parish council), Susan Winter (well dressing artist and co-designer), Hilda Norton (well dressing designer), the Rev Tony Luke (Rector, All Saints Church) and the Rev Paul Hygate (Curate, All Saints Church); front row: Natasha Hyde (festival co-ordinator) with children's fancy dress participants

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AFTER months of planning the great day finally arrived. The Bell Ringing 'Olympics', the 2012 finals of the National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest took place in Melbourne on June 23

The parish church bells had been thoroughly checked over, microphones, Hawkear, Strikometer and all the other high-tech equipment were in place, making the vestry and church house resemble NASA's Mission Control Most importantly for some, the beer was racked and settled in the tent on the Dower House lawn

Wayne Spiers arrived early to set up the BBQ catering for early arrivals needing breakfast, and the Melbourne church ringers and volunteers set out drinks and home made cakes in the Senior Citizens Centre and St Mary's Hall

Television crews from both ITV and BBC interviewed organisers and contestants, the results being screened by both channels on the evening news bulletins

At 11 o 'clock the church was full (standing room only at the back) for the welcome and draw The five judges were already imprisoned in Church House for the entire day –food and water provided

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Melbourne's local ringers pulled rabbits, each with a team name attached, out of a splendid Magician's Hat made by Shirley Granelli Birmingham (the favourites) were drawn to ring first – not the most popular spot tactically; would it be their undoing?

The Melbourne team was drawn in eighth place, due to ring at 3 o 'clock but unlucky St Paul's Cathedral had to ring last at 4pm – a long time to 'hang around' and keep away

● Above: Chairman of Derby Association of Church Bell Ringers, Revd Clive Thrower, presents the Taylor Trophy to the captain of the winning team, Birmingham Top: the Melbourne team which finished second

from the beer tent!

The church emptied and the contest began Most people stood around outside to listen as the first band practised, adjusted rope lengths and then rang the test piece of Stedman Cinques At noon the church door was unlocked, the Birmingham ringers emerged and headed for refreshment while the second team, Leeds, took their place This pattern was repeated all day until St Paul's ringers completed their piece at 4 30pm

Meanwhile people patronised the food stalls and bar and wandered round the pool and Church Square listening to the bells while children played on the bouncy castle

LIKE THE ending in every true fairy story – Mrs Jo Sadler, headteacher at Melbourne Infants School, makes a wish and her fairy godmother (aka the Parent Association) makes it come true

As if by magic and along with the help of our local village carpenter FE Toon & Sons, Promote Melbourne and Budgens, the lucky children of Melbourne Infant School have their very own hand-carved storytelling chair

This magnificent piece of artistry will take pride of place under the wooden all-weather gazebo The children are very excited and can’t wait to use it, come rain or shine

The Parent Association would like to thank Promote Melbourne for their kind donation, Budgens for choosing them to participate in the ‘school voucher scheme’ and everyone in Melbourne who collected vouchers

The new Storytelling Chair is in the infants school playground and pictured are: (back row l-r) Julie McLean (Melbourne Infants PA), Sam Lavington (Budgens, Melbourne), Gary Toon (on behalf of F E Toon and Sons Ltd), Mrs Sadler (head teacher) with pupils Annabelle Fletcher, Alexander McLean, Imogen Ferrie and Jamie Ireland

and enjoyed the many other activities provided for them

A couple of slight showers dampened the day but not for long, and even the sun appeared briefly

While the judges compared their findings, the church filled again, first to listen to an organ recital by Simon Collins, followed by a short service led by Revd Mark Powell At last the results were ready First a critique of each piece was given, and then the list read out by the chief judge, Professor Ian Roulstone, in reverse order

The tension rose as the top two teams remained – had Melbourne managed to dethrone Birmingham?

Not quite, but a very close-run contest and the Melbourne team's highest position yet!

Thanks were extended to all involved in the organisation of the event and the crowd dispersed to take final refreshments before heading home to Exeter, York, Leeds, London, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and Birmingham

Next year s contest is to be at Ripon Cathedral Who knows, there may still be a chance to beat the Brummies

Thank you to all in Melbourne who supported and contributed to the wonderful day in so many ways; the Scouts for the marquees, Griselda Kerr, who lent us her lawn, the cake-bakers and helpers, Simon Collins and Mark Powell for the recital and service, our local tower and handbell ringers, and the team who organised much of the day and then rang so well –

Ruth Smith, Melbourne Ringing Master

PRE-SCHOOL children at Scallywags took part in an Olympic painting competition in conjunction with Co-op Travel in Melbourne As part of the competition the children visited the local travel store and learnt about what the shop did and about the forthcoming London Olympics

The Co-op Travel staff selected two winners, Lucas Andres and Esther McQuilton, who rec eived art kits; all the other children received a prize for taking part

The children's artwork was displayed in the Co-op shop window

YET another Melbourne pub landlord has found it unsustainable to continue in business

Following the departure of James Cripps from The Alma in February, Ye Olde Packhorse landlord was forced to quit at the end of June

Chris Baggot (pictured) had turned the pub around from a sleepy establishment into a lively, thriving community pub

The notice from the brewery could not have come at a worse time for him, with his wife expecting their second baby Not only has he had to find a new job, he now has to find a new home

The impact will also be sorely felt by the 16 young staff he regularly employed His sub-manager has already moved to a job in Cornwall but others are still trying to find work

Facebook messages have been pouring in from regulars expressing incredulity with the brewery’s decision to serve notice

One contributor summed it up: “The problem tenants like Chris face is not a local issue and it is not new – commonly known as the beer tie , it has rumbled on since Beer Orders were introduced in 1989 to improve competition in the pub trade Essentially, stringent contracts from the big brewing 'pubcos' can prevent landlords buying beer on the open market at competitive prices

According to CAMRA and the Fair Pint campaign ‘pubcos’ are able to make substantial excess profits, by forcing landlords, and ultimately the consumer, to pay higher prices ”

Last November, the Coalition Government concluded an inquiry into the issue and stated that “the beer tie is lawful practice [and] whether or not a lease or tenancy includes a tie is a commercial decision [for] both parties”

It found “litt le evidence to indicate that tied

pubs are more likely to close"

However, this is not many people's experience with some estimates indicating that seven pubs a day are being closed

A new all-party group of MPs, “Save the Pub,” challenged the objectivity of the conclusions, having found that the response included text copied and pasted from a pub industry document

This led to a heated debate in the House of Commons in January 2012, where MPs voted for a statutory code of conduct to free landlords from beer tie contracts Despite this Norman Lamb, the responsible minister at BIS, announced in February that he was ignoring the resolution and instead was pressing on with the voluntary code of conduct

How many more good pub tenant landlords do we have to lose? Both CAMRA and Fair Pint campaigns are urging customers to petition their MPs

Frank Hughes

AURICULAS were the speciality topic for discussion when David Tarver visited the Ticknall Garden Club at the recent meeting David took his audience through the history, types and culture of this plant

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THE GREAT Melbourne Gnome Hunt took place recently and as usual, it was raining at the start of the day However, the sun came out to brighten the day as the competitors set out on the hunt.

The event attracted a whole range of age groups from babes in arms to some very, very mature citizens. Most of the gnomes were located but there was a winner with a perfect score The gnomes were later auctioned and, at the end of the day, the event had raised £500 for the URC funds and provided lots of fun for everyone Charlotte and James Shields are pictured locating one of the gnomes

THE NUMBER of people taking part in the Melbourne weekly walk has reduced and the organisers are keen to recruit more participants

The walkers meet outside the school gates on Pack Horse Road at 1pm on Wednesdays The walk is completely free and is led by trained leaders The routes are varied each week, taking in the beautiful views throughout Melbourne while using only firm and level paths, making it ideal for pushchairs

The walk lasts between 45 mins and one hour and covers between two to three miles If you would like any information about this walk or any others that take place in South Derbyshire, contact Tor Pitts on 01283 563483

If you’re looking for specialist commercial insurance advice for your business, your local team of professionals at Howell Shone Insurance Brokers are on hand to help.

Our friendly team will be there every step of the way to advise and guide you, and if the worst happens and you need to make a claim, we’ll take you through the process and ensure you get a fair settlement of your claim.

Howell Shone Insurance Brokers – serving businesses in the East Midlands and Melbourne for 30 years.

To find out more call Peter Shone on 01782 629211 www.howellshone.co.uk

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A FEW drops of rain didn’t dampen the straw – or the enthusiasm – at Weston on Trent s annual Scarecrow Trail

Hundreds of visitors descended on the village to follow the trail and view some 50 scarecrows of all shapes and sizes

from the Royal Family to Angry Birds, Titanic to the Disney princesses

This year ’s event raised £1,600 to be divided between the Treetops Hospice at Home initiative and Weston Village Hall

As usual the public voted for their favourite scarecrows and the winners were announced at a trophy presentation and curry competition at the village hall

The 2011 winners, Mick and Tracy Rees, retained their crown with this year ’s creation, Wallace and Gromit (top picture) –

BRIAN GROOME

1935-2012

astride a vintage BSA motorcycle which once belonged to Mick’s father Having recently come across it for sale onl ine, Mick bought it back into the family and has lovingly restored it to its former glory

Children’s Choice winners, the Ward family, risked life and limb to perch their scarecrow, Royal Madness on their roof!

A stuffed Suggs from Madness reprised his performance at the

BRIAN was best known as the landlord of the Crewe and Harpur at Swarkestone

He was born in Chellaston and then moved with his parents to the Corporation Hotel in Derby He attended Manor School at Littleover and Trent College, leaving at 16 to train in hotel management in London

Called up for National Service when 18, Brian spent his time in the Royal Army Catering Corps

He was attached to NATO headquarters in Paris, and always said that his two years ' National Service in Paris were the best two years of his life

Brian then worked with his brother, Roger, and Roger's wife Mary at the Corporation Hotel, prior to moving into the Crewe and Harpur with his late wife, Pat, in 1959 He remained there until 1992

He then moved to Weston on Trent, moving ten years later to Budleigh Salter ton in Devon, with Maureen

When he retired from the Crewe and Harpur, Brian joined the Kings Newton Bowls Club, where he became a very able and competitive bowler He also was a great help to the club, giving freely of his expertise as a successful publican

As a landlord, Brian was first class, always welcoming and friendly The excellent food and drink he provided, together with the special atmosphere he created, ensured that the Crewe and Harpur was always busy

He was a true gentleman, fondly remembered

Queen’s Jubilee Concert, complete with sound effects

The most unusual scarecrow (The Thinker, made from plumbing pipes!) was produced by the Cooper family, and the quiz was won by Joanna Hufton

The presentation ceremony was followed by a curry competition in which Trevor White’s Prawn Dhansak pipped Darren Faulkner ’s Vegetable Balti to the curry crown

by everyone who met him, as demonstrated by the large attendance at his funeral held at Weston Church

Brian is survived by his wife, Maureen, daughter Jennifer, step daughter Maxine, brother Roger, and grandchildren Alex, Georgia, Jake, and Mike – Mick Walters

TOP: Wallace and Gromit with creators Mick and Tracy Rees, with visitors Juliet, Rebecca and Abigail Lee. ABOVE: Topical scarecrow scene Ready for any Weather, being viewed by Emily, Kaitlin and Fran Langton.

THE Melbourne Royal British Legion Branch and Women’s Section have paid tribute to Kevin Iliffe on becoming the RBL National Parade Marshal.

Through the Royal British Legion, Kevin has been involved with Standard Bearing and Ceremonial Duties for the last 16 years, representing the Melbourne Branch During that time he has won county, regional and national competitions and has travelled all over the world carrying out the duties associated with these positions He has stated what a massive honour this has been Kevin was selected for the position of National Parade Marshal in 2009 by the National Chairman of the Royal British Legion and served three years as deputy in order to learn the role He was officially appointed National Parade Marshal by the National President at the RBL National Conference in Scarborough

The position is held for three years The role is to advise the RBL on all matters ceremonial and to organise national parades Kevin is now also responsible for the training of parade marshals and standard bearer judges throughout the RBL organisation and runs courses for such each year

Part of the role is to select the judges for all the regional standard bearers competitions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and to organise the National Standard Bearers competition and Parade at the annual National Conference He receives many calls from around the country from branches requesting advice

He also has responsibility of selecting standard bearers to represent the RBL on War Grave Pilgrimages throughout the world through Poppy

Travel

But Kevin says that one of the most enjoyable aspects of the job is his part in the RBL Festival of Remembrance Concert at the London Albert Hall where he is responsible for all the 100 RBL standard bearers and on the following day ‘Remembrance Sunday’ getting 10,000 people from Horse Guards Parade to the Whitehall Cenotaph before the arrival of Her Majesty the Queen

On June 27, at the Melbourne Royal British Legion Club, a presentation (above) was made to Kevin by Margaret Stockley, president of the Melbourne RBL Women's Section, of a bottle of whisky and an engraved tumbler in recognition of his national appointment

● A NEW bench has been donated to Stanton by Bridge by the Village Hall Committee to replace one that was originally on The Green to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.

The new bench was installed by David Kidd and Bob Wheat and shared with fellow villagers for a photograph in time for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations held in Stanton

THE SECOND round of Derbyshire

County Council’s £180,000 Sports Action Grant scheme has brought benefits to Melbourne and Swarkestone Melbourne Assembly Rooms was awarded £612 to increase use of the venue by providing a range of sport and non-sport activities for children

Relationship Advice

Melbourne RFC Ltd received £1,000 to develop two colts rugby teams – the funding will be used to buy specialised equipment and contribute towards coaching fees

Swarkestone Cricket Club has received £1,000 towards its contribution to provide a two-lane hard surfaced net facility

Unfor tunately not a ll relationships a re successf u l a nd t herefore, during such stressf u l a nd troubled times, you need someone you ca n depend upon to ta lk you t hrough t his difficu lt period

At A lex a nder & C o we place great empha sis on negotiation a nd a greement where possible, rat her t ha n conflict a nd confrontation In t he event t hat negotiation a nd sett lement is not possible our experienced litigators a re on ha nd to a ssist Kelly Glenn heads our matrimonia l tea m a nd is a solicitor wit h considerable experience in a ll a rea s of Fa mily L aw Kelly ca n advise on a ll a spects of sepa ration, children issues, fina ncia l division, deeds of sepa ration, fa mily protection a nd domestic violence injunctions

We a re plea sed to offer a n initia l 30 -minute free inter view wit h no obligation For f ur t her information a nd to a rra nge a n initia l consu ltation plea se e-ma il Kelly Glenn k g@a a ndco co u k

THE NEW management at the Melbourne Assembly Rooms is combining with Clubs Complete to hold two activity courses for children aged four to 14 during the school holidays

Clubs Complete is one of the Midlands largest sport, activity and summer camp organisations

The courses are being held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-

day between July 30 and August 1 and on the same days of the week between August 13 and 15

The course runs from 9am to 4pm and children can book for anything between one day and all six Development Manager at the Assembly Rooms, Andy Heafield said: When management of the Assembly Rooms was transferred we hoped to provide sum-

NINE new members of the board of Melbourne Community Centre Ltd, who will run the newly named Assembly Rooms, will join the five members of the original board There are also two members nominated by the Melbourne Parish Council, creating a managing board of 16 members in total

At a meeting on June 21, the nine new members were elected from a total of 12 local people who had put their names forward T he residents who voted were members of the company, by dint of having paid a subscription of £5 Any resident may apply for membership

The elected board members were (in alphabetical order): Robert Anderson, David Bailey, Elaine Chadwick, Mark Cooper, Frank Hughes, Jo Rost, Jan Street, Lynne Williams and Neil Wright

mer activities for local children and, thanks to a grant from SDDC and by working with Clubs Complete, we have been able to do this

“If this scheme proves to be succesful we hope to be able to expand the activities in the future to cover more of the school holidays ”

The sessions are activity based and on any of the days children will have the opportunity to have a go at many different ones including languages, drama, dance, circus skills, gymnastics, team sports, athletics, cheerleading, arts and crafts, cooking and multi-cultural arts and crafts

For further details or to book, you can pick up a leaflet at the Assembly Rooms, go on line on http://www clubscomplete co uk/ or call 07857 086386

 

A SUCCESS and great fun was how the Melbourne public expressed themselves when they turned out for the Carnival

After a week of nail-biting and worry for the organisers with events everywhere being cancelled because of the weather, they stuck to their guns and went ahead There were no signs of it turning out to be a great summer ' s day, but it was dry, at least until four o’clock

Rose Minifie and her team of stalwarts carried the day and, with some small changes to the format, provided the ingredients for a fun time

The floats assembled in Castle Square and were judged by guests of honour John and Liz Burney They

then took pride of pl car of a fleet of four convertibles with M Sian Davis, and her a following three cars O carnival site they con cial opening saying: “ noured and thrilled invited ” With a smaller mai stage to split the at crowds the focus wa tainment provided by Town Training Band the Infants and Jun the Oakden School of With the ‘It’s A Kno tion taking place in t nine teams of eight ba

ace in the lead Triumph Stag iss Melbourne, ssistants in the On arrival at the nducted the offiWe are very hoto have been in arena and no tentions of the s on the enter-

The Melbourne , children from ior schools and Dance ockout’ competihe main arena, attled it out dur-

ing the afternoon with Melbourne United FC successful in first place, with On a Roll and Eden taking joint second

The junior event followed and was won by The Olympians

With lots of entertainment, good quality stalls, the beer and tea tents and a good turnout, the committee should be delighted that all the ingredients were there for everyone to enjoy the Melbourne Carnival

The twinning floats were: 1st Oakden School of Dance, 2nd The United Reformed Church,and 3rd Melbourne WI

The Best Dressed Shop Window was postponed until Wednesday, July 18

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AT THE age of 78 you might expect Denys Collyer to be putting his feet up, but not a bit of it He is still doing a bit of farming on the land he and his father have worked for the best part of a century.

Denys grew up in the depression years of the 30s and came from one of the hundredodd market gardening families around Melbourne He remembers times being quite difficult, coping with the fluctuations in income from a seasonally based lifestyle And then there were the war years immediately after – coping with rationing and austerity

Doing heavy hoeing and weeding work – by hand – was very hard, particularly when you were limited to one egg and 1s 2d (6p) worth of meat in a week

Denys shared some of his reminiscences of Melbourne over the years He went to Salisbury Lane school from the age of five to seven, then transferred to the National School on Penn Lane until the age of 11 when he moved up to the senior school in what became the Bill Shone Leisure Centre

He remembers the harsh discipline meted out by some of the teachers in particular “Slappy” James; but even more fearful was the discipline at home, had he been caught misbehaving at school

Recalling the war years, his memory goes back to a Thursday morning when bombs fell on Melbourne, hitting the shoe factory and the bottom of Church Street (the area now occupied by the senior citizens’ centre) where 11 billeted soldiers lost their lives

He said: “The German bombers had their own intermittent drone as they came over, and you could hear the anti-aircraft fire from emplace-

JUST £7.50

LONG-FORGOTTEN shops and businesses came back to life for Melbourne Historical Research Group s annual exhibition

Under the title Shops and Shopkeeping in Melbourne, bill headings and invoices from as far back as the 1840s were mixed with photographs, drawings and miscellaneous memorabilia to tell the story of the various drapers, ironmongers, grocers, bakers and butchers shops etc from the 17th century onwards

Many visitors were particularly charmed by some Victorian and Edwardian drapery items salvaged from Thompsons' Drapers in the Market Place when it closed in the 1950s after more than a century of operation

And many took an interest in the varied career of Sid Gregson, resident proprietor of the Welcome Cafe since the 1940s The Welcome Cafe had previously been Toon's butchers, and it is interesting to note that the Toons were Melbourne butchers 200 years earlier, when one of

ments on Donington Park ”

The railway was of vital importan ce then both for training and for the transport of limestone from Cloud Quarry to the steel works in Sheffield Engineers were trained at Kings Newton, and he recalled seeing them build, dismantle and rebuild temporary bridges

It is a terrible shame to see the market gardening all but gone from all of the families which were supported on land which is now housing," he said, but he foresaw it happening The scale of operations and the power of the supermarkets meant that the outlets for small scale produce are simply no longer there

He remembered his father's twice weekly trips to market in Derby to sell his vegetables, salad and strawberries

And he recalled the big social events throughout the year The Sunday School annual celebration in May and the Witness Procession at Whitsun were always two of the big occasions His wife, Ruth, also remembers Rogation Day processions through the fields to bless the crops

All of these seasonal events seem to have disappeared in a world less connected with our agricultural heritage

Denys is enjoying semi-retirement these days, and is still active in both the Melbourne Male Voice Choir and the Operatic Society He is still a keen reader – a hobby which began long before electricity in the house, when he had only candle light to read by

He remains a member of Probus, too

Denys and Ruth are also kept busy these days with their nine grandchildren from the five children they have – Frank Hughes

their shops was pulled down by Matthew Lamb, of Melbourne Hall The shop had stood in the road at the south end of Castle Street, and was purchased by the Melbourne Estate solely for the purpose of demolishing it, being a nuisance!

Mr

Gregson, who will be celebrating his 90th birthday this month, is pictured at the MHRG exhibition taking a special interest in the display dedicated to his life and career, especially that relating to the Welcome Cafe

MELBOURNE couple Pat and Keith Richie have recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary Pat and Keith met at the Alexandria Cinema in Derby as 16-year-olds and were married at Derby Register Office two years later.

They have three grown-up daughters, Linda, Karen and Wendy, who who are all married They have five grandchildren and a great granddaughter

Keith was a railway man working at the Derby loco works for 40 years. He then worked for Spiroll Engineering also in Derby for 20 years, eventually retiring at 75

The couple originally lived in Etwall where Pat worked as a nursing assistant at the hospital until it closed She followed this by working for South Derbyshire District Council as a warden for the sheltered accommodation in Melbourne's Peniston Rise from 1983 to 1989.

Pat and Keith enjoyed a surprise party at the Priest House to mark the occasion Organised by Karen and Wendy for family and friends, over 50 people attended. They will be continuing their celebrations travelling south to holiday with Linda and her husband later in the summer

THE final decision on the controversial planning application to build eight units of accomodation – seven two-bed and one single bed apartments – at 55 Derby Road, Melbourne, has been delayed

Originally planned for a final decision in July, it now appears that the full planning committee will not be asked to make that decision until August

The application by Adam Devey-Smith, of the oneoff, has proved to be a serious worry to many in the town, because of the perceived increased risks from yet more traffic bei ng in circulation on the already congested Derby Road

In the planning application9/2012/0390, the applicant has a 16-page assessment of the traffic implications of the plans The report from the traffic consultants, commissioned by the applicant, Edwards and Edwards of Coalville, concludes that "the proposed development will result in a reduction in traffic flow on the highway network during the morni ng peak and the evening peak"

Although Melbourne Civic Society has given a qualified approval recommendation, Melbourne Parish Council has come out strongly against the proposals

And many local residents believe that the extra housing, with only four parking spaces made available, will merely increase parking pressures in Derby Road and adjacent roads and lanes

It seems a final decision will be made e arly next month

GLEN Pattinson, formerly of Misterton, Doncaster, and Katie Mountford, formerly of Calke, were married at St Giles Church, Calke Abbey The Rev Dr Mark Powell performed the ceremony

The couple extend their thanks to family, friends and all businesses involved for helping to make it a fantastic day

● CHELLASTON Academy pupils set off for Uganda on June 29 with great enthusiasm for the trip and looking forward to working on the projects in Kampala. This is the fifth year a group of 24 sixth-form students will have spent a month in Uganda’s capital, maintaining and developing two sponsored orphanages

They will enjoy a range of experiences, work, pleasure and travel during their time away and will have lots of stories to tell when they return on July 25

THE CHILDREN of Melbourne

Infant and Junior Schools have been helping the Rotary Club of Melbourne to collect second-hand books to send to children in African schools and orphanages

Melbourne Rotarian Margaret Sharp visited the schools with Ted Harvey, a fellow Rotarian from Swadlincote, to see the response from the children

It was amazing, she sa id "Hundreds of books have been donated, all in good condition "

The Rotary Club will also, in conjunction with the schools, continue to support its adopted village of Bucence in Southern Uganda through the practice of sending donated school uniforms for the children there

The club is very grateful for all the support and co-operation the local schools give them in their projects

The books are shipped to South Africa free of charge courtesy of Cape Fruits and Schools Aid Charity and organised by The Rotary Club of

Swadlincote and its contacts with the Rotary Club of Kirstenbosch in South Africa

Pictured with Rotarians Margaret Sharp and Ted Harvey are children from Melbourne with a selection of the donated books (l-r) Ralphie Millins, Nicholas Cook, Bertie Lowe and Hattie Lowe

AROUND 1,800 walkers left the National Sports Centre in Douglas on the Isle of Man to compete in the 85-mile Manx Telecom Parish Walk 2012 The conditions were wet and remained so for the majority of the race

The island s largest community sporting event is subject to standard race-walking rules and requires each participant to finish the course within 24 hours

Among the starters was Ian Fuller, of Ticknall, and his walking partner, sister-in-law Helen Having withdrawn from the race last year at 45 miles, the pressure was on to finish the course As part of his pre-race training Ian had put in 750 miles of walking in all weathers (gales, rain, hail, sleet, snow) – mostly in the dark – and it obviously paid off

Race rules require walkers to have a support crew and this year Ian and Helen's comprised Ian's wife Edi, Helen's husband Simon and Dylan, Ian s colleague from work

Helen was having a tough time at one point, not able to take in any energy, which slowed the pair down However, the whole team pulled together fantastically well with Helen putting in a hugely courageous effort They managed to make up time over the last 25 miles to finish under the required 24 hours with a time of 23hrs 46mins 30secs

Ian and Helen both agreed that the best word to describe the event is 'relentless' While Ian said: " It's definitely the hardest physical challenge I have ever faced I've got mighty sore feet, but I'm very chuffed indeed and I've managed to raise over £1,500 for Macmillan Support "

With only 203 finishers they should both be feeling very pleased

A BUSINESS run by Melbourne mum Bernadette Dooley has been named by the UK’s biggest parenting website, Netmums.com, as the number one Favourite Pre-school Classes in North West Leicestershire.

Bernadette said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to win this award, and delighted that TinyTalk is the favourite pre-school class of parents in North West Leicestershire. The TinyTalk magic formula really works and helps parents learn how to use sign language to communicate with their baby before their baby can talk

"I’m so pleased that the mums love what I offer so much ”

Mum of two Bernadette was one of this year's Melbourne competitors in the London Marathon and is a member of the Melbourne Jogging Group

U-TURNS are in the news, and the planners at Swadlincote have provided an example of their own in changing their minds on a controversial decision

As reported in our May edition, the owner of 2 Melbourne Lane, Ticknall, was issued with a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) for a number of trees in her garden, which she wished to fell These included 12 birch trees, a beech, maple and two sycamores

But on appeal, and following discussions with the owner ' s technical expert and the council's structural engineer, the district council has agreed "it is no longer justified to confirm the order"

The experts agreed to allow the removal of the birch trees, "to avoid any danger of structural damage (to the property) in the future"

The council's tree officer advised that, without the birches, the trees in the order " are not of sufficient quality to warrant an order"

Competitive Prices

Pre-Packed Cash & Car r y Sales from The Yard

Also Logs and Kindling

The Common, Melbourne, Derby DE73 8HU

MELBOURNE PARISH COUNCIL VAC ANC Y - CLERK/RFO

Melbourne Parish Council require a Clerk/Responsible Financial O cer to provide administrative suppor t and advice in all aspec ts of its work

The Parish Council and its committees meet twice a month except in August Candidates need to be computer literate, competent in all aspec ts of administration including nancial management It is desirable but not essential to have an understanding of local government regulations governing the conduc t of Parish Councils

The clerk will work from home and computer and o ce equipment will be provided A casual user ’s travel allowance will be paid to attend training etc outside the village Salar y – Local Government Scale £9,008 00 - £9,984 00 for 15 hours per week

A person speci cation and job description are available on Melbourne Parish Council Website Please send C V and covering letter to The Chair Melbourne Parish Council, Jane Carroll, 5 The Woodlands, Melbourne, Derby DE73 8DP by 8th August 2012

Chair Jane Carro l 863269

Vice Chair/Highways

Melbourne Parish Council Quarterly Report - July 2012

I was honoured to be elec ted Cha r of the Parish counc l at the AGM in May and look for ward to working with Council members and the people of Melbourne I take this oppor tunity to thank Cllr N gel Collyer, previous chair, for a l h s hard work

Nigel’s last duty as chair was the signing of the documents for the transfer of the management of the Leisure Centre (Melbourne Assembly Rooms) to the Melbourne Community Group Ltd The Parish Counc l are suppor ting the Group to make sure that that this is successful This means that the Council no longer has a Committee to deal with the centre management but we receive regular repor ts from Cllr Howard and Cl r Carpenter our representatives on the Community Group’s Board

The Diamond Jubilee event was a great success and en oyed by ever yone who attended The Council is grateful for the hard work of volunteers, Council sta and per formers for making it such a great day The monument was restored in con unc t on with the Civic society for unvei ing on the day and at last the light is work ng

It was good to welcome to our June meeting many Melbourne residents raising the r concerns about a planning app ication and the pitch levelling at Cockshut Lane Playing F elds We a so received a presentation from Melbourne Footpaths Group and as a result endorsed their bid to be the rst Parish in Derbyshire to achieve “Wa kers are Welcome” status

To nd out more go to w w w walkersarewe come org uk

The Council is press ng ahead with a number of strategic nit atives -

1 Installation of CCTV in the town centre

2 Continuing suppor t for the Melbourne Spor t ng Par tnership s plans for new facil ties at Cockshut Lane

3 Working to clean our streets and community areas from the potential threat of dog foul ng

4 Looking at ways to commemorate the ife of the late Cllr Brendan Freeman

5 Meet ng with Derbysh re County Counc l to discuss a suggested one way system

Members of the Publ c are ver y we come to raise issues at Par sh Council meetings on the rst Tuesday in the month at 7 30pm in the Me bourne Room at the Assemb y Rooms (except August) Members of the public are also welcome to attend committee meet ngs held on the Monday fol owing the month y meeting Jane Carrol - Cha r, Melbourne Parish Council

Melbourne Dental Practice

IT’S ALWAYS good to listen to an enthusiast eloquently speaking of his great hobby Certainly the Probus Club of Melbourne proved a very attentive audience when Mike Kelly came to tell of his consuming interest in the re-birth of a great national asset

He spoke of the team of dedicated amateurs who had undertaken the restoration of the Cromford Canal, in the Derwent Valley

Describing the Cromford to Pinxton Canal as a "Sleeping Beauty", he said that it is a "national industrial monu-

ment, an engineering marvel".

The canal was built between 17891794, and in the 14-mile length there are no locks But there are two aqueducts and four tunnels. The Butterley Tunnel is an underground canal junction, where barges can turn round

The restoration of what at the turn of this century was called a "stinking ditch" is the work of the Friends of Cromford Canal, a charitable organisation formed in 2002 to restore, preserve and maintain the Cromford Canal as a navigable inland waterway system for

the benefit of the public.

Highlights of the canal include the Leawood pump house, as well as a wealth of great views, all well illustrated by Mr Kelly.

He also related just some of the problems in the restoration work

The canal is within the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site, and it has got to be a splendid day out for the family – if only to marvel at the achievement produced two centuries ago with just shovels and wheelbarrows.

AS PART of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Lord Ralph Kerr unveiled the newly restored monument in Castle Square, Melbourne.

It was originally erected in the Market Place and thought to commemorate the Reform Act of 1832 It was on the site of the parish pump and a gas light standard was added in 1836 An engraving on it notes the re-opening of the market in 1836, proving the increasing prosperity and growth of the town However, it was moved to Castle Square in 1888 to make way for a grander memorial commemorating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee

Neil Wright, chairman of Melbourne Civic Society, took the lead in supervising the monument s restoration in partnership with the parish council and were grateful to receive a grant of £1,000 from East Midlands Airport Sponsorship Fund and a similar amount from Derbyshire County Council’s Community Action Grant

The civic society would like to thank the local craftsmen who carried out the work: Rob Heath and his team, Andy Harris and Andy Weston, stonemason Graeme Mitcheson, who added the final touch, and Derbyshire County Council Street Lighting department for the electrical work Thanks also to committee members Pam Adams and Barry Thomas for their contributions to a project which turned out to be a fitting tribute to a great royal occasion

The civic society is pleased to report that the light is now working and it thanks Councillor John Harrison for his support in granting £1,000 from Derbyshire County Council's Community Leadership Scheme towards the project

THE JUBILEE celebrations may be done and dusted for the most part, with the bunting and flags packed away, but there will be yet one more opportunity to mark the Queen’s reign Plans are well advanced for a Jubilee Concert in the grounds of Melbourne Hall

on Monday, September 3, with all of the main musical groups from the town performing Melbourne Town Band will start off the evening, followed by Melbourne Operatic, Melbourne Male Voice Choir, and A Choir ’d Taste The theme for the programme is British music mostly from the Queen’s reign There will be the chance of

● Heather Wheeler MP, Lord Ralph Kerr, Cllr Jane Carroll, Neil Wright, County Cllr John Harrison and District

Cllr Jim Hewlet at the memorial moments after unveiling the new inscription

audience participation in a grand finale of the favourites

Ticket prices have been set for £8 adult and £4 children (under 16) They will be on sale from mid-July from Melbourne Sweets and Treats, or Frank Hughes (tel 862243)

With the opportunity to wander through the splendid Melbourne Hall Gardens before the concert and during an extended interval, on what is bound to be a glorious evening, this really will be something to look forward to The concert itself will be in a large marquee, with Lord and Lady Ralph Kerr ’s kind permission, just in case the weather misbehaves

CHEERS Probus Club of Melbourne members and guests enjoyed a celebratory lunch to honour the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee It was held at the St Mary's RC Church Hall, the weather preventing the planned outdoor picnic lunch

THE Diamond Jubilee Celebration Party in the Square was a great success and Melbourne Parish Council is grateful to all the people who gave freely and willingly of their time to make the event such a happy day

The event was well attended and enjoyed by individuals and families from across the town who set up their tables and braved the grey skies

The organisation and enthusiasm for the event was mas terminded by Kate Dumelow Her dogged determination and planning over several months ensured that everything went smoothly on the day Kate worked with a small team of willing volunteers, Tracy Ridley, Ian Statham and Michael Sephton

The town was fittingly decorated with flags and bunting and our thanks go to Councillor Andrew Jackson for organising this Parish council staff ensured Castle Square was prepared for the party Clerk Norman Hill was responsible for financial and operational support He ensured that Derbyshire County Council closed the road and that Arriva buses were rerouted The sexton, Robert Holman, worked hard to erect road closure signs and stalls and getting the rubbish bins in place Lengthsman Jim Bancroft cleaned Castle Square before and after the event

The event was opened b y Lord Ralph Kerr, who gave a speech reflecting the significance of the day and unveiled the refurbished monument in the Square Our thanks go to Neil Wright and the Civic Society for delivering the monument project and giving us a start for the event

The children’s tea party organised by Tracy Ridley will be memorable for all those attending All children in Melbourne and Kings Newton have been presented with mugs to commemorate the occasion Michael Sephton worked hard and cheerfully to give support on and before the day

All entertainers gave wonderful performances and we are particularly appreciative of The Boys Next Door – professionals who gave their time and expertise Ian Statham from the band ensured immaculate timing of the stage performances – a great achievement with such a packed programme Mark Dale did sterling work as compere and made sure everything ran to time

The evening ended with a marvellous display of fireworks provided by Andrew Warden from the Fireworks Company at Foremark

Thanks go to traders – Zeera, ice cream and chip vans, Richard Stage Hire Company, Face Painters, Kniftons toilet hire, Anthony Freeman for poster design and production and Brian Dollamore , who allowed the use of his electricity supply

The event was made possible by the financial backing of Melbourne Carnival Committee, the disbanded Melbourne Business Association and the parish council

We apologise if anyone has been left out from this account but be assured that the efforts of unsung volunteers are much appreciated Jane Carroll, Chair, Melbourne Parish Council

THE centre of Melbourne looked fantastic for the Diamond Jubilee Promote Melbourne (an alliance of local businesses) would like to say a huge thank you to Melbourne Parish Council for making the town look so well dressed for the Jubilee weekend It was greatly appreciated

Ruth Malloy, Chairman, Promote Melbourne

A VERY big thank-you to everyone who visited the Milton Open Gardens event or helped in some way towards making this our most successful year ever

This year we were much luckier with the weather; we managed to get sunshine for most of the afternoon, in between the days of rain and, accordingly, we made £1,370 for the Air Ambulance

Ten of our gardens were open and we had many new visitors from as far away as Littleover, Quarndon and even Lichfield, so our advertising must be working!

A BBQ was enjoyed a fterwards by the garden owners and helpers to round off the very successful day

L Clay

THIS is a polite request to the two people who took our 2 6m wooden sleeper from the Lilypool garages area (Castle Lane end) around the end June/beginning of July Please can you return it It wasn’t in the skip and it was not being thrown out Alternatively, we would be happy to receive £25 for it, which is what we p aid

I assume this was an honest mistake so would not take the matter any further on either return of, or payment for the sleeper Morag Howat, Puzzle Cottage, 78 Castle Street

Graham Twells

GRASSROOTS

sport in Melbourne received a significant boost following the news that Melbourne United Football Club has received a grant of £5,000 from the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity

The funding, which is spread over three years, will allow MUFC to continue to grow in size with the introduction of new teams at the youngest age groups.

This coming season (2012/13) it is intended that new teams will be set up at both under 7 and under 8 age groups This will provide natural growth to the club and continue to provide opportunities for football for young children of Melbourne and the

surrounding area

Further funding during the following year will be used to continue to develop the club with the introduction of additional new teams at the youngest age

Management of the project will be undertaken by Barry Fox, one of the coaches, and will be overseen by the executive management committee of Melbourne United Football Club.

Scott Parsons (coach), Liam Rooney (senior development officer) and Barry Fox (under-12 coach and grant arranger) are pictured with a group of under 8s at a recent Melbourne United taster day held at the Cockshut Lane recreation ground

MELBOURNE Rugby Football Club has started its summer touch rugby programme, which takes place every Friday until August 31

The fun programme is open to all ages and all skill levels – no previous experience required –and is a great way for potential new players to get fit, have fun, improve rugby skills and make friends, all without any pressure

Session times are 6 30pm for minis and juniors (16 and under) and 7pm for youth and seniors and cost just £1 Just turn up with a water bottle at the Cockshut Lane grounds

Social Action Fund The grants are available on a first come first served basis

“This is a great opportunity for us to support local volunteers who have been inspired by London 2012, and have sporty plans for their summer carnivals, galas, fun runs and events,” said Hayley Lever, CST Chief Officer

TUG of WAR teams from as far away as Belgium took part in a five-a-side Tug O’War Federation Championship event in Melbourne

One of the home teams secured a third place in the catch weight section

Several of the club's female members were away taking part in a women ' s event competing for a place in the nationals Two of Melbourne’s

members, Vicky Smith and Emily Cook, were successful and will be paired with two other girls representing England in the Nationals taking place in Wales in a few weeks time

Pictured are (l-r): John Key, Paul Gregory, Chris Gorman, Patrick Storrar, Ben Archer, Ellise Cudworth, Sam Holmes and Alex Allingham

All coaching will be by qualified coaches at RFU Level 1 and Level 2 and have full CRB clearance ■ DERBYSHIRE'S Community Sports Trust (http://www communitysportstrust co uk) has grants available of up to £250 for local community organisations, clubs and parish councils across the county, to help them run events with a sporting theme this summer

The grants are part of a nationwide Community Games project, funded through the government’s

MELBOURNE COMMUNIT Y C ARE SHOPPING TRIPS/SOCIAL OUTINGS

“Volunteers are working really hard year in, year out, in villages and neighbourhoods across Derbyshire, often on a shoestring The grant can help them to pay for equipment, medals, marketing and other resources that they need to put that extra little ‘pazzaz’ into their event This funding will help to bring the spirit of the 2012 Games to community playing fields this summer ”

In addition to the funding, local volunteers can download event support material from http://www communitygames org uk/ and Village Games (http://www villagegames org uk/) websites

For more information, and an application form, visit Derbyshire 2012 Event Fund

MELBOURNE Town Cricket Club's 1st XI continued their good start to the season in June – despite the bad weather – and stand 28 points clear at the top of the table with a cup quarter-final to look forward to

They began the month with a winning draw at home to Lullington Park 3rds with Melbourne hitting a season ' s best 287-4 off their 46 overs This was mainly from an unbeaten stand of 136 in just 15 overs by Matt Briers (95) and Mick Meakin (53)

Earlier Mark Rossi helped himself to 72 as Town set a tough run chase but, despite Melbourne’s efforts, Lullington held out for the draw on 202-6

Away to Rolleston 2nds a week later, Melbourne lost their unbeaten tag as they went down by four wickets Batting first, Melbourne could only muster 155-8 with 57 from Rossi

Two wickets apiece for Alex Slater and Julian Humpidge couldn’t stop the home side reaching their total with just 18 balls to spare

The following day, Melbourne won through to the quarter-finals of the cup with a convincing seven-wicket home win against South Wingfield 2nds with 14 overs to spare

Good spells from Meakin (2-23) and Jason Lander (2-24) were backed up by a remarkable hattrick from stand-in skipper Humpidge in his spell of 4-30

Town had a total of just 143 to chase which they

did with ease, opener Andy Potts top scoring with 63

The first team's batters were in good form the following week away to Aston 2nds, smashing 2773 Matt Briers was top scorer with 68 in a partnership of 106 in just nine overs with skipper Slater (53) Earlier Humpidge (58), Rossi (39) and new signing Neil Thurlow (32) had laid the foundations

In reply the home side were shot out for just 114, Slater leading the way with 3-20 plus 2-9 from Humpidge capping a good game all round

A rained off game versus Alrewas followed but Melbourne ended the month well clear at the top after earning a winning draw against closest rivals Trentside 2nds, scoring 247-6 in their allotted overs, thanks mainly to 82 from Potts, 61 from the league's leading run scorer Rossi and Humpidge (45)

The visitors struggled to 176-8 in reply with Meakin doing the damage with 4-41 aided by the league's leading wicket-taker Alex Slater (2-46) Melbourne sit a comfortable 28 points clear at the halfway point in the season

Melbourne Town 2nds had an indifferent month, starting with a heavy away defeat to Draycott first team Melbourne batted first, only mustering 97 – thank s mainly to Ben Newton (26) and Ranjit Rathore (25) which Draycott reached for just three down

A rained off game against Packington was fol-

lowed by a losing draw at home to Ashbourne 1sts which saw Town bowl out the visitors for just 149 Newton led the way with 4-40 along with 3-40 from Jason Lander The 2nds were cruising to victory on 58-0 but the loss of Andy Stanley (27) and skipper Ken Grant (25) saw a collapse and Melbourne held on for the draw in the end on 101-8

A much-needed victory was earned at home to bottom of the table Kings Bromley 1st XI Town bowlers restricted Bromley to just 148-8 with two wickets apiece for Lander, Newton and Rathore With Grant (45) starring with the bat aided by 34 from Newton, Town secured a comfortable eightwicket victory

A rained off game away to Quarndon saw the seconds end June in a comfortable mid-table position

Melbourne Town 3rds had a much tougher month, failing to win any of their league games but some good individual performances bode well for the future

They began June away to Rolleston 4th XI, who amassed 227-4 off their allotted overs with Dan Marshall taking 2-48 In reply Town were shot out for just 129 with skipper Paul Scrimshaw top scoring on 26

A rained off game versus Ashbourne 2nds was followed by a low-scoring affair against Yoxhall 2nds Melbourne were bowled out for just 81 with Scrimshaw again top scoring on 27, but a great spell of 5-26 by Scrimshaw plus another senior

● THE BREEDON 6 5k Run and Fun Day, sponsored by Breedon Aggregates, took place at St Hardulph’s School

The course is a marvellous mixture of road, field, grass and footpaths, starting from the Breedon Quarry and heading immediately up the steep hill to St Hardulph's Church

With a starting line-up of 60 club affiliated and unattached runners taking part, the run was won by Cory Parker, of Burton AC, in a time of 23 35 with clubmate Gordy Smith runner-up only 38 seconds behind. The first lady home was Claire Smith, of Charnwood AC, in 28 52 The fun run was won by 11-year-old Marietta Popp

wicket for Ollie James pushed Yoxhall right to the end to lose by just four wickets

Ashbourne were the visitors next and spells of 1-25 off 14 overs by Dan Marshall and 2-30 off 13 by veteran John Hallifield helped restrict them to 174-5 In reply Melbourne struggled, ending on 98-3 off their overs Mike Starkie top scored with 42

A rained off game at Castle Donington was followed by a narrow defeat to local rivals Ticknall 4ths in which Town bowled the hosts out for just 114 Marshall was once again the pick of the bowlers with 4-42 aided by 3-35 from H allifield and 2-9 by youngster Ashley Ellwell

Melbourne’s reply was held together by Scrimshaw once again, who was ninth out for 49 as his team fell 17 runs short on 97

A strong Dunstall 4th XI proved too strong for the thirds a week later as they hit 206-3 and bowled Melbourne out for 68, Scrimshaw with 30, the only batsman to make a significant contribution

The third team ended the month with a heavy six-wicket defeat by Ticknall 4ths again, this time being shot out for 66 but 3-34 by Marshall pushed Ticknall hard for their victory

The club would like to thank this month's sponsors who are so important to the running of the club with their financial support: L M Blasting, Brian Mayhew, Melbourne Garage, Richard Heath (president), Haynes Furnishers and Reeds Rains

SPORT

FOLLOWING the success of Melbourne RFC U17 colts in the 2009/10 and 2011/12 seasons with teams reaching the Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire competition semi-finals and finishing second in the NLD league, the club has decided to run two colts teams at U17 and U19 levels, and to appoint dedicated coaching staff for the 2012/13 season

The coaching team will be led by James Whitfield, from Leicester Tigers academy, and pre-season training started on July 2

By running two teams, the club can accommodate more players; anyone born between September 1, 1993, and September 1, 1996, is welcome to join the squad

If you are interested contact David Lowson2@btinternet com

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TICKNALL Cricket Club enjoyed a bumper first half of the 2012 season as they chase down the Derbyshire Premier League title.

The Grange outfit sit fourth in the table in what is proving one of the most open seasons in years

Luke Harvey s men are also through to the quarter-finals of the Derbyshire Premier Cup after a fine victory over Nottinghamshire Premier League big boys Cuckney

Derbyshire star Paul Borrington was key in the tight home win, clubbing a six in the final over to secure the win It was the latest of several fine innings this season

In the Dunstall Twenty20 Cup, Ticknall smashed rivals Quarndon to reach the last four and a match with 2010 Derbyshire Premier League champions Lullington Park

It promises to be an explosive encounter – if the weather holds off to allow play to comme nce

The club's winter signings have so far enjoyed mixed fortunes

All-rounder Scott Chilman – tipped as a possible future captain of Ticknall – has tasted success with both bat and ball

Canadian international Nitish Kumar has so far played just one match, but there are high hopes of him once he is available

Several youngsters have also been given first-team bows, with Richie Woodburn, the latest member of his family to pick up the willow, showing plenty of ability and potential

Devon Iliffe and Oli Roome are also challenging for first-team spots as the club's youth system continues to flourish

Sadly, popular Australian all-rounder Sam Jubber returned home recently and his dynamic fielding and explosive batting have been missed

Off the field, Ticknall's annual big bash party went ahead but was affected by the poor weather

The club hopes for better weather soon as they chase a first Premier League title two years after promotion to the county elite

● Ticknall 1st XI (back row l-r): Nitish Kumar, Ryan Cowley, Graham Chamberlain, Zain Abbas, Eddie Ikin, Scott Chilman and Kevin Holdgate (scorer). Front row: Shahid Khan, Ricky Kniveton, Luke Harvey, Paul Borrington and Rhodri Evans