Melbourne Village Voice June 2017

MASKED RAIDER SNATCHES RINGS OFF WOMAN, 96, IN BED

A LADY in her 90s had her rings stolen from her fingers by a masked burglar, who smashed his way into her Melbourne home while she lay terrified in bed.

Police investigating the appalling incident want to know if any local residents were visited by a door-to-door sales person in the days leading up to the burglary, which happened on Derby Road on May 22.

The woman, 96, told the Village Voice: “I was in bed and I heard this almighty crash. I shouted ‘Who is it’? Next thing he was running upstairs.”

The thief, who is described as very tall and slim, wearing dark coloured clothing with something covering his face, then burst into the lady’s bedroom.

“I was screaming,” she said. “He said ‘I’m not going to hurt you’. He whipped the pillow from behind my head. He was at my dressing table and swiped everything off there. He noticed I’d got my rings on and he whipped off my engagement ring.”

The burglar took the lady’s engagement and wedding rings, which she had owned for 77 years. He also took cash and other items of jewellery.

“I was screaming ‘Get me a doctor’; it was awful,” she said.

“It’s really shook me up – the noise of him kicking the doors.”

The burglary happened between 10.30pm and 10.50pm.

DC Mark Walker, from Derbyshire Constabulary, said: “I would particularly like to hear from anyone in the area who was visited by a door-to-door sales person in the days prior to this burglary.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Walker on 101 quoting reference number 17000214313. Alternatively, send him a message online by visiting the Contact Us section of the police force’s website: www.derbyshire.police.uk/ContactUs.

You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

n The sky above Aston on Trent was filled with blue balloons as children from the primary school helped to mark

Miss Melbourne crowned –Page 3

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Legion plans Great War battlefields trip

“THEY can’t come to us – so we’ll go to them.” Those are the words of Melbourne’s Royal British Legion which is organising a trip to the battlefields of northern France to pay an act of remembrance to those who lost their lives in the First World War, the end of which marks its centenary next year.

Next summer, Legion members plan to visit the graveyards or memorial sites marking the deaths of all those from Melbourne who died in the Great War of 191418.

They want to hear from anyone who would like to join the trip, and especially anyone related to those whose names are

on Melbourne’s War Memorial as having died in the First World War, who is interested in going along.

In an emotional detail, the organisers of the trip plan to take some soil from Melbourne to the memorial sites and graves, so that the men forever buried in France will have something from their home where they lie.

Branch secretary Brendan O’Neill said: “The Melbourne Royal British Legion has decided that we need to do this – to understand the present we need to learn from the past. These guys gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

The trip is taking place in 2018, from Fri-

day, June 29, to Monday, July 2. The Legion wants to visit as many grave sites or memorials to those from Melbourne who died in the fighting as they can. They would be very pleased if relatives of those listed on the war memorial (from the 191418 war) were able to join them and visit the final resting place of their forbears. To find out more, and discuss costings, contact Andy Boardman on 0774 8873966 or email andyb72@hotmail.com. Organisers will need to know final numbers by September 4 so the trip can be arranged. After the trip returns it is planned to hold a further ceremony in Melbourne Cemetery.

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Perfect setting for water music

SURROUNDED by a stunningly colourful display of June blooms, and with the striking backdrop of Melbourne Pool framing the stage, there can be few venues for a garden concert quite as idyllic.

More than 200 people gave their picnic baskets and camping chairs the first airing of the summer to enjoy a ‘Concert by The Pool’ in the Dower House garden.

The musical entertainment was provided by Jake in the Box, covering Jake Thackeray’s comic songs, then a ‘slimmed’ down Melbourne Town Band, followed by The Open Road – a collective of 11 friends and musicians performing acoustic and folk –and finally the well-loved folk trio, the Travelling People.

Organiser Andy Heafield said: “There was a lot of hard work went into the event, and a few worried moments when the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms, but we were fortunate the rain stayed off, and the comments from both audience and performers have been really pleasing.”

Andy also said “…there were a lot of people to thank, not least the many helpers and performers; Throughmic for the amazing sound quality; the Civic Society and Melbourne Footpath groups who helped the less mobile on the sloping paths and those who generously provided raffle prizes. But a very special mention goes to William and Griselda Kerr, who ‘loaned’ their garden for the day – their generosity and kindness has

been just incredible.”

The event was to raise funds for the continuing improvements at Melbourne Assembly Rooms. Having completed the project to transform the lobbies and kitchen, the next aim is to get the main hall redecorated. It is hoped the event will have raised more than £2,000.

There will be another chance to see the Dower House garden in its splendour later this season, when it opens as part of the National Open Gardens Scheme on June 24 and 25 from 10am to 5pm on both days. (Admission £3.50 – children and dogs on lead free). Details from www.ngs.org.uk. –FH

n THIS year’s Miss Melbourne has been named, and she is Iman Willmore.

Iman was crowned at the annual Miss Melbourne contest at the Royal British Legion on May 19.

Organiser Tracey Ridley said more than 150 children had turned out to the disco on the night, with more than 50 entering the contest to be Miss Melbourne or one of her attendants.

She said the judges had unanimously named Iman as a

worthy Miss Melbourne.

Traditionally, the winner of the competition helps open the carnival celebrations by riding in the procession. This year’s carnival is being held on an 80s theme, and will take place on Saturday, July 8, at the school playing fields.

Our photographer Pete Clough captured this shot of Iman surrounded by her attendants (l-r) Ruby Bradbury, Lilly Copeland, Ava Miller, Emilia Rowe, Madison Whetton and Isabel Olivia Brown.

Awsum ... Jonny in surprise school visit

HE set the country alight and scored four ‘yeses’ from the Britain’s Got Talent judges –but comedian Jonny Awsum remembered his roots when he returned to his old village school in Barrow-on-Trent to perform his routine there.

Jonny Awsum was Jonathan Edwards when he was a pupil at Sale and Davys, but it was certainly an awesome experience for the excited children when he turned up one day out of the blue.

Jonny’s surprise visit had been arranged by two governors, Fliss Moore and Nicola Read.

The well-known stand-up comedian works in large venues all over the UK and recently hit the headlines after appearing on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.

Jonny brought the TV crowd to its feet with his innovative routine which involved an impromptu musical number that started with the help of Ant and Dec before triumphantly finishing with a whole chorus line.

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l Jonny Awsum gets a helping hand from pupils Joseph Moore and Lacie Rushbrook.

The act was a huge hit with the judges and even managed to put a smile on the face of notorious grump Simon Cowell, who gave it a thumbs-up.

The school said everyone “went wild with

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excitement” when Jonny turned up unannounced to perform his act in the hall.

Instead of Ant and Dec helping him out on stage, it was pupils Joseph Moore and Lacie Rushbrook who stepped up to the

challenge.

A spokesman for the school said: “Clapping, cheering and laughter filled the school and everyone had so much fun! What a fantastic end to the school week.”

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Country Living

with Robert Parker

NOW that butter has lost its “bad for you” label it seems that some commentators are suggesting it’s in short supply and the price is nearly double what it was a year ago.

Milk production was slightly down in the last year, so less milk would be diverted to butter production from the fresh liquid market. But, as regarding a shortage, it is nonsense and of course the stuff can be winged in from many other countries.

Farmers have certainly not made any gains from this as most milk buyers have dropped their prices a little in the last few weeks. So it would seem that the usual suspects are creaming the profits off us – namely the supermarkets.

They do do a good job for the consumer, but they do a better one for themselves!

n I’ve noticed something lately which may have been happening for years but I’ve not seen it.

Lots of immature fruits and nuts are falling from trees during a very wet and windy period in the last few days.

The worst of these is the horse chestnut or conker trees which had a massive crop on them, probably due to a favourable May with some warm weather which produced a gigantic display of flowers.

We also have walnut trees which are losing a lot of tiny nuts, leaving very little still on the trees.

Is this a normal phenomenon and do the trees abort fruits that they know they can’t sustain?

I know in cereal crops you get blind sites where there should be grain and I assume this is a variation of the same thing.

n Silage making went very well with the earliest start I can ever remember and the earliest finish.

This is only the first cutting which was generally a good deal lighter than normal and with the recent rains the chances of a better crop next time are promising. The quality of the conserved silage will be very high and there will be good chances of reducing purchased feeds to balance it up.

WALK THIS WAY ...

WALKERS around the area will have less excuse to get lost after 10 new signs were put up by Melbourne Footpaths Group to show them the way.

The only project of its kind in Derbyshire, the aim was to provide the public with information about distances to local destinations and footpath numbers.

Every footpath in Derbyshire has a parish number, and there are 36 in Melbourne.

The signs have been mainly paid for from the group’s funds, which have come from leading

walks and repairing signs for two nearby parish councils. The group says it also gratefully received a grant from county councillor Linda Chilton’s community fund which went towards the design work.

The sign materials were sourced locally, printing was carried out by Ashfield Printing of Spondon and the signs were designed by Melbourne’s Anthony Freeman, of Origin Design.

The final assembly was carried out by group members

John Sheppard and Barry Thomas.

The venture was supported by the council’s Right of Way department and has made a contribution to its “Rights of Way Improvement Programme” targets.

Footpaths group chair Paul Sturges said: “If anyone wondered who we were when we won Melbourne's Community Group of 2017, there are our wonderful new signs at strategic points all over Melbourne to remind them.”

£1,000 fine threat upsets dog owners

A NEW order under which dog owners can be fined up to £1,000 for letting their pets off leads at the newly named Melbourne Sports Park has upset local canine lovers.

As reported in last month’s Village Voice, the sports park at Cockshut Lane is now the subject of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which prohibits dogs from being off the lead at any time.

The district council surveyed park users at its opening in September about the idea. A spokesman said other consultation included liaison with the parish council, schools and neighbourhood groups.

Respondents at the park opening were split 50/50 on the issue and the MSP (Melbourne Sporting Partnership) decided to go ahead with the order with the aim of preventing dog poo from contaminating the ground – where it can cause serious health risks, especially for children.

But dog owners say it is unfair to prevent them from exercising their pets off the lead with a ball at all times, especially when the sports ground is often completely empty during the daytime.

They also say the ground is one of the few places where dogs can be exercised off lead at a convenient walking distance from Melbourne. Many other places insist on leads and woodland areas with long grass are not suitable for throwing a ball, an activity which gives energetic pooches a lot of the exercise they need.

With the question of poisoning at Poppy Wood, it leaves dogs with few places in the area to chase a ball.

Another argument put forward by dog owners is that irresponsible people who don’t pick up their dog faeces are not deterred by having the canine on a lead – they still don’t pick it up.

Body found in canal

POLICE recovered the body of a 72-year-old woman from the canal at Swarkestone on May 23.

A member of the public saw the body in the water and officers were called to the canal between Deepdale Bridge and Barrow Bridge at around 10.15am.

have a picnic.

“I admit there’s a minority who wouldn’t pick up poo and they are spoiling it for the rest of us. We are all being tarred with the same brush.”

Fellow dog-owner Simon Lavis uses the ground every morning before work to exercise his cockapoo Bertie, accompanied by young son Olly.

“It just seems that it’s a bit disproportionate in its impact on dog owners,” he said.

“We do support the Melbourne sporting facilities and know there is a dog fouling problem in Melbourne.

“I take Bertie out every morning with Olly for a walk, almost always we go up there and throw a ball for him, there’s nowhere else you can go to throw a ball for him which is a reasonable walking distance.

“I understand the problem, but there are more proportionate and reasonable ways of dealing with this. I didn’t come across any consultation about it.”

Dr Lavis, who is a lawyer, suggested that time or space sensitive measures – which could involve banning off-lead dogs at certain times, or limiting them to certain places on the ground – might be a better compromise, instead of effectively criminalising people for letting their dogs off the lead with the threat of a substantial fine.

n EAGLE-EYED users of Melbourne’s sports park will have noticed a plaque on the wall near the old cricket pavilion which gives background on the origins of the recreation ground.

The legend on the plaque reads: “This recreation ground was given to the town of Melbourne by Admiral of the Fleet Lord Walter T Kerr CCB as a thanksgiving to God for the victory of the Allies in the Great War 1914 to 1918.”

That responsibility passed to Melbourne Parish Council with the three landowners being the parish council, the district council and Melbourne Rugby Club. Those bodies have passed the management of the ground to the Melbourne Sporting Partnership (MSP).

One owner, Robin Peel, has a home which backs directly on to the Cockshut Lane ground and has been using it to exercise his dogs by throwing a ball for the past 25 years.

Robin, who suffers with a bad leg and diabetes, has been advised to diet and exercise by his doctor.

He said: “When there is no-one about and there are no sports activities taking place, providing my dog is controlled and under supervision, why shouldn’t she be allowed off the lead to chase a ball?

“With the (ban on) dog fouling, I agree with that 100 per cent. I agree with the leads when there are activities taking place. But recreation takes various forms – sky diving, sailing, rugby, football, cricket, tennis, walking, or maybe you just want to go on there with your children and

John Harrison, chairman of Melbourne Sporting Partnership, said: “For voluntary groups providing and running sports and recreation facilities, the issue of dogs can be difficult to manage. Dogs, sport and children’s play areas do not go well together. Equally, owning and exercising dogs is an important and popular lifestyle choice for many people.

“The challenge is to find a compromise that works for all based the concept of responsible dog ownership.

“Now that the Melbourne Sporting Partnership has responsibility for managing the facility on behalf of the parish council, the district council and the rugby club (the three landowners) the view of the MSP was that having regard to the health and safety of those using the sports facilities and the health risks of dog faeces that the compromise solution was to continue to allow dogs on to the sports park but only provided that they are on a lead, and the district council has now approved the order to that effect.”

The PSPO lasts for three years but can be reviewed at any time. To make your views known, contact the district council’s environmental health team. –Lucy Stephens

Navigation was closed while police investigated. The woman was from Derby.

Crackdown on causeway

SIX drivers of overweight vehicles were caught in a one-day crackdown on Swarkestone Causeway.

The county council has recently installed high-tech signage on either side of the ancient bridge in an attempt to deter vehicles over the 7.5 tonne limit.

Police and Trading Standards officers caught six offenders on Tuesday, May 16. People can report breaches via the county council website.

tes r Da a Special Dinne

l Robin Peel with his Cockapoo Jet at the Melbourne Sports Park.

Chip and Pin is No.1 micropub in country

MELBOURNE’S newest drinking establishment has been showered with another accolade.

In a review by the national daily newspaper, The Times, The Chip and Pin was listed as the No.1 micropub in the country.

Landlady and co-owner Elaine

Chadwick said that at first she thought it was a wind-up when someone had put it on Facebook, but she had a look online and “just could not believe it”.

She dashed round the corner to the newsagents to buy up all the copies they had – as they only had two, had to order a load more so all the owners got a copy.

It has been a remarkable local success story, which has seen the former HSBC Bank building transformed by a group of like-minded friends into a successful small business gaining national recognition in just three years.

The newspaper piece was written by

Pete Brown, and was part of a four-day guide to different kinds of pubs around the country. It was published on May 7. Mr Brown is a renowned author on the subject with several top selling books to his name.

The unique nature of the pub without a bar, where you are served at your table, was one of the features highlighted.

Elaine said that people quickly get used to that but you can easily spot any new customers as they come in and head for the kitchen, thinking it is the bar.

Interviewed on Radio Derby about the story Elaine said the secret of success was good beer, no music, a welcoming atmosphere and good conversation.

We can all drink to that, knowing that, if it is in the Chip and Pin, we are in the top micropub in the country!

– Frank Hughes

Simon on board as new member

AFTER two resignations last month, numbers were partially restored at this month’s parish council with the appointment of Simon Green as a new councillor.

Simon said he had moved to Melbourne a couple of years ago, and, aged 33, he was now putting down roots here. Originally from Market Bosworth, he has a background in law, but his career is in banking and finance.

Cllr Margaret Sharp congratulated Cllr Linda Chilton on her recent appointment as chair of Derbyshire County Council. Cllr Chilton said that with the elections it had been a quiet month; she updated on two local footpaths matters and on the new weight warning signage approaching Swarkestone Causeway, which she had personally witnessed being effective.

Reporting from the district council, Cllr John Harrison mentioned the completion of £25m worth of improvements to the local council housing stock, the relocation of the council depot, and the success of an appeal by Springwood Fisheries enabling one of the chalets there to be occupied by an on-site manager.

He also advertised the next Safer Neighbourhood meeting and Area Forum on Monday, June 19. As it is will be in Melbourne he urged more members of the public to attend.

Asked why, when the parish council had so strongly objected to the blue advertising display at 39 Market Place, the application had been allowed, Cllr Harrison said the decision was one delegated to the planning officer and not made in committee.

In other business, Cllr Andrew Jackson reported that the Sporting Partnership was delib-

FRANK

reports from the latest meeting of Melbourne Parish Council

erating on two competing demands for space –one from the tennis club, seeking to build three new courts, and the other from the bowls club, who were still keen to move from the present site. Both organisations had been invited to pitch to the Partnership to see if both could be housed. Also, Cllr Jackson sought backing to proceed with a plan to light a remembrance beacon commemorating the end of World War 1 on Sunday, November, 11, next year.

He is liaising with Melbourne British Legion, who agreed it would be a fitting tribute. He said that Melbourne had never had a beacon before, so imagined this could be a very special occasion. Clerk to the council Jacqui Storer had arranged a Dementia Awareness and Befriending event, taking place on Wednesday, June 28, in the studio room in Melbourne Assembly Rooms. It is open to all businesses and the public. The aspiration was to make Melbourne a dementia-friendly place.

Cllr Sheila Hicklin reported that the AGM at MARS would be taking place on June 22. She also mentioned that the fund-raising event in the Dower House had raised over £2,000, and that the community venue had been nominated by Live and Local in the National Touring Awards category of Most Welcoming Venue.

Just 10 minutes to reject homes plan

PROPOSALS to build up to 150 homes between Aston and Weston-on-Trent which attracted 300 objection letters have been decisively rejected by planning councillors.

At its latest meeting on June 6, it took 10 minutes for members of the South Derbyshire District Council Planning Committee to unanimously throw out the plans put forward by Gladman developers.

The developer had applied to build the homes on the west side of the Weston Road on the approach to Aston.

Gladman had even suggested they would include space for a community facility or GP surgery in their development – local patients currently attend surgery in Alvaston.

But Chris Nash, the council’s planning officer, said no weight could be attached to this because no GP practices in the area had any desire to provide such a facility in Aston-on-Trent.

He told the meeting that council officers

had asked the CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) whether a GP surgery could be provided in Aston-on-Trent, saying: “… the answer is no, and there’s no desire of practices around the area to do that. The weight that we can afford to that offer is none, I’m afraid.”

Gladman’s proposals had attracted so many objections that listing all the arguments took up a total of eight pages in the council’s planning documents, with the Campaign for Rural England; Aston and Weston’s parish councils; local campaign group SAVE (Save Aston and Weston Village Environments); Lakeside Gardens

Residents Association; MP Heather Wheeler and former county councillor Rob Davidson plus 300 residents all arguing the application should be refused.

The application did receive a solitary letter of support from someone who said Aston needed more housing which would lead to more facilities and a better bus service.

Speaking at the meeting on behalf of SAVE, the organisation’s vice-chairman, Albert Willow, said as part of his threeminute speech: “Building 150 houses would obliterate all that clearly defines the uniqueness and independence of both Aston and Weston. Indeed, if this development went ahead it would reduce the physical separation of the two villages.”

Planning officers had recommended councillors turn down the application because it was not in the Local Plan – the document that sets out where houses can be built.

Gladman Homes had said 30 per cent of the development would have been set aside for affordable homes, and that they were planning to provide a “high quality development” that “…respects the local rural character whilst softening the edge between the village and the countryside beyond”.

– Lucy Stephens

School fair a grand affair

THESE children were enjoying traditional summer fun at a fair held at Sale & Davys Primary School in Barrow-on-Trent. The fair happens annually and is held by the school in conjunction with St Wilfrid’s Church.

This year youngsters turned out to enjoy a range of activities including games, a tombola and hair braiding. The event on May 20 raised nearly £1,000, which will be split between the church and the school.

LEFT: Millie plays whack the rat.

ABOVE: Riley and sister Addison play hook a duck.

Digital project’s free home visits

A DIGITAL project which aims to de-mystify the technological world is now offering free home visits to anyone who can’t get to its regular outreach sessions.

DIG-IT is run by Citizens Advice South Derbyshire and provides training with digital and internet skills, such as using smartphones, tablets and email.

The service operates sessions at Melbourne Library every three weeks with the next one on June 23.

Co-ordinators Jane and Emily will also visit people’s homes free of charge.

“We have clients well into their 90s who are not confident leaving the house for group sessions, so we visit them in the comfort of their own homes,” said Emily. “They are able to take advantage of

the one to one support and it’s wonderful being able to empower them in this way.”

DIG-IT is able to provide laptops, tablets, and even WiFi if service users are not in possession of equipment and broadband themselves.

DIG-IT’s group session at Melbourne Library runs from 10.30am to noon on Fridays every three weeks. The sessions give people a chance to get together and discuss their experiences using IT, as well as ask the DIG-IT team questions about their laptop, smartphone or tablet.

If you’re interested in having a home visit with the DIG-IT team, or you would like to join them at one of their Melbourne Library group sessions, please contact them on 01283 210 109 or digit@southderbyshirecab.org.uk – they say that booking is essential.

Homes plan appeal date

AN APPEAL lodged by the Melbourne Hall Estate into the refused planning application to build 15 houses on Blackwell Lane is due for consideration next month.

The appeal was lodged by the trustees of the Melbourne Maintenance Fund, trustees of the Melbourne Trust, and trustees of Lady Lothian’s Settlement in March this year, after South Derbyshire District Council turned down the application in September last year.

The application was refused on the grounds that ‘the site was outside of the village confine and within the countryside’, contravening policies set out in the Local Plan Part 1 and the emerging Local Plan part 2.

It was also considered that “due to its siting” within an undeveloped open rural context and historic entrance into Melbourne it would result in harm to the character, appearance, and significance of the Melbourne Conservation Area.

Although grounds of appeal have not yet been circulated, the appeal hearing is understood to be listed for July 11 in Swadlincote.

‘Butterfly safari’

THERE will be a “butterfly safari” at Rosliston Forestry Centre on Sunday, July 2, at 2pm.

Local enthusiast Peter Brewster will be leading the walk, which is two miles long with no stiles, and costs £1.

Anyone who wants to go along should meet at 1.45pm for a 2pm start in Rosliston Forestry Centre foyer.

Air ambulance shop gets warm welcome

MEMBERS of the air ambulance service say they have felt truly welcomed by the local community as people gathered to watch their latest shop open in Melbourne on May 26.

Parish council chair Margaret Sharp opened the premises by saying: “On behalf of the parish council and the people of Melbourne, I’d like to welcome the air ambulance shop and I hope it is a success.”

On hand on the opening day was pilot John McCallion, who said: “The charity needs to have financial income and these stores do a fantastic job. More importantly, they are in the community that we serve which automatically gives us a connection between what we do as an organisation and the community.”

Rachael Abi Rached, the charity’s area manager, added: “We’re so excited to come to Melbourne, and I think what we felt during the store all week is the huge community support and the massive support behind the charity – it’s so positive.

“I genuinely feel people are happy to have us here and we will be very well supported.”

Melbourne’s shop manager is Fletcher Smith, who worked for the charity as a volunteer for four years at its Belper store, before becoming assistant manager there.

This branch of the air ambulance covers Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, an area spanning 3,850 square miles.

Its two helicopters attend on average six missions a day with a response time of 13 minutes.

Also operating the national children’s air ambulance service, the charity is entirely funded by donations and gets no money from the Government.

l Miss Melbourne Iman Willmore, volunteer fund-raiser John Burney, pilot John McCallion, John Williams (chairman of the charity’s board of trustees) and Melbourne parish council chair Margaret Sharp officially open the new shop.

Glasshouses can’t make way for new homes scheme

PROPOSALS to knock down redundant nursery glasshouses on the outskirts of Melbourne and put up six homes there instead – in a scheme actually supported by some local residents – were reluctantly rejected by council planners, because it would mean building into the countryside.

The decision was made by a meeting of South Derbyshire District Council’s Planning Committee that the former market gardening glass structures on Station Road could not be redeveloped for housing.

That was in spite of the fact that, unusually, the plans had attracted more than twice the amount of support from the community as objection.

But the meeting heard how councillors’ hands were effectively tied by the fact that the proposed homes – despite their 15 letters of support – would have been outside the settlement boundary for Melbourne, which could then set a precedent for other developments in the countryside.

The plans had been to knock down the glasshouses and create a courtyard style housing development of one three-bed and five larger homes, designed in a culde-sac formation.

The planning meeting heard that the existing site was in need of “tidying up”.

Councillor John Harrison, who represents Melbourne, told how he had been down to visit and was “horrified by what

I saw – the site is an absolute abomination”.

Residents who wrote to the planning department to support the plans said the area was “rundown”, would “benefit from new housing to get rid of old derelict buildings” and that the new homes would be “more pleasing to the eye than a few dilapidated sheds”.

However, there were also six letters of objection on the grounds that the homes would be an unjustified intrusion into the countryside, with comments that the proposed designs were “overbearing”.

Finely balanced arguments centred around the risks of councillors going against the Local Plan – the document that sets out what housing can be built

Burgled twice in four months

A BURGLARY victim from Melbourne has spoken out about crime in the village after being targeted twice in four months.

The householder said: “Melbourne isn’t the same as it was many years ago. Whenever you speak to anybody out of Melbourne and you say were you come from, they think it’s one of the most sought after places to live, but … I don’t think people quite appreciate what is going on here.”

The first incident happened just before Christmas with burglars smashing their way through the patio doors.

Not only did they steal thousands of pounds worth of goods, including an Omega watch, a jewellery box, a TV and china, they also took wrapped up Christmas presents including those from the householder’s grand-daughter.

in the area – which sets strict boundaries on existing villages to stop building development in the countryside.

“My little granddaughter had made some little wallets for her cousins, all wrapped up with kid’s handwriting on them,” she said. “That upset me more than anything, that they took them. You can’t imagine the feeling.”

The proposed development would have taken up 38 per cent less floorspace than the glasshouses already there, but under planning rules it would still have been defined as building on greenfield land. –

Lucy Stephens

The woman’s home was then attacked a second time on April 15, with burglars forcing their way into the back door, smashing the TV and throwing an iPhone into the garden pond, where it was discovered weeks later.

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Heather wheels in for a third term

HEATHER Wheeler is still the Tory MP for South Derbyshire after a convincing General Election win.

On the morning of June 9 when Britain woke up to shock news of a hung parliament, the Conservatives managed to keep hold of their seats in South Derbyshire and North-West Leicestershire.

Mrs Wheeler won with 30,907 votes, although the Labour candidate, Robert Pearson – who is

a district councillor in the Midway ward – managed to increase his party’s vote share in the county to just over a third with 18,937.

In the last election in 2015, Labour’s Cheryl Pidgeon received 13,595 votes to Mrs

LUCY STEPHENS REPORTS ON THE GENERAL ELECTION

Wheeler’s 25,066.

Mrs Wheeler, now re-elected for the third time, thanked all candidates for fighting a “… good positive campaign, doing it the proper South Derbyshire way”.

Speaking on the election podium after her victory, she said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be the Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire again. I just love doing this job.

“I hope I do a good job, it’s the only job I’ve actually ever wanted to do, so thank-you to everybody out there, to all voters, for putting me back in Par-

liament.

“I will do my very best to make South Derbyshire not just the best place to live but the best represented in Westminster, too.”

Conceding defeat on the podium, Mr Pearson offered congratulations to Mrs Wheeler who he said “… will, I know, continue to serve South Derbyshire with pride and passion”. He went on to thank South Derbyshire residents for turning out to vote in large numbers and, as he put it, demonstrating on doorsteps how much they cared about politics.

This year saw record numbers of postal votes in the county with 11,283 people making their electoral choices in this way.

Turnout was good with 52,751 votes cast, which represents 69.06 per cent of the county’s 76,380 electorate, and there were 120 spoiled papers.

The results came in shortly after 3am on the Friday.

In third place was Lorraine Johnson for the Liberal Democrats with 1,870 votes.

The remaining candidate, Marten Kats for the Green Party, was supported by 917.

BRIDGEN BREEZES BACK

TORY Andrew Bridgen was returned to Westminster in the North West Leicestershire seat with an increased majority.

The pro-Brexit Conservative polled 31,153 votes – to stretch his majority to 13,286.

Mr Bridgen kept Labour rival county councillor Sean Sheahan in second place. Cllr Sheahan recorded 17,867 votes.

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The Liberal Democrat candidate, Michael Wyatt, was unusual in that he had campaigned for leaving in last year's EU referendum – against his party's policy.

However, it did not prevent

l Andrew Bridgen.

him being well beaten into third place. He secured 3,420 votes which placed him ahead of Green Party candidate Mia Woolley, who got 1,101 votes.

The turnout in North West Leicestershire was a high 71.27 per cent.

Mr Bridgen has been an outspoken MP, including reportedly saying he was in favour of US president Donald Trump coming to the UK on a state visit earlier this year.

The full result was:

BRIDGEN Andrew James (Conservative) 31,153 votes

SHEAHAN Sean (Labour)

17,867 votes

WYATT Michael (Liberal Democrats) 3,420 votes.

WOOLEY Mia (The Green Party) 1,101 votes

Raising local groups’ profiles

MELBOURNE Community Care group and Melbourne Assembly Rooms are hosting a community awareness event on Saturday, June 24, to enable all local societies, groups and clubs to advertise themselves and raise their profile.

Andy Heafield, the development manager at MARs, said this was an invitation to all clubs and societies: “If you need new members, if you have an event to promote, or just want to raise your

profile in the community, this is your chance!”

The event will run from 10am until noon, and there will be a café serving refreshments.

Local groups wishing to take part will be allocated a space to promote membership, their activities and generally raise their profile.

Groups wishing to participate will be allocated a space – but there is a limit and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

l Heather Wheeler (fourth from the right) with some of her supporters following the General Election count at the Green Bank Leisure Centre in Swadlincote.

‘Eyesore’ land homes approved

FIVE further homes are to be built along Ashby Road in Melbourne after councillors agreed the proposals.

Back in 2015 Alexander Bruce Estates won outline permission for the development on former allotment land to the left of the road exiting the village.

Now the detailed plans have been given the green light at a meeting of South Derbyshire District Council’s Planning Committee.

The homes, three plots of which have already been reserved, range in size from two to four bedrooms.

But the proposals have divided opinion with some local residents raising objections while others have supported the idea.

Council planning documents show that 16 objection letters were sent in ahead of the debate on May 9.

Residents living opposite the proposed new homes have raised fears about flooding and car parking, saying that the grassy verge where the homes are to be built is currently used for overflow parking by Ashby Road residents who will now lose that space.

They also felt the new homes would be too overbearing with clear views into windows on the opposite side of the road, while some said they had not been notified about the plans.

But planners also received five letters of support saying the scheme would “significantly improve the approach to the village”, and “would convert a very unsightly piece of wasteland and create a wonderful approach to the town centre”.

The meeting itself was also divided as to whether the new homes would add to or detract from the entrance road to Melbourne from Ashby.

Cllr Peter Watson, who sits on the committee and

represents Aston ward, said: “I think that here we have got a very imaginative scheme which will tidy up a piece of unsightly land.

“This piece of Melbourne, having known it for more than 50 years, has been an eyesore, here we have an opportunity to (build) five imaginative, attractive houses which are not packed in close together as others are further down Ashby Road.”

Cllr John Harrison also supported the Alexander Bruce plans, saying that much of the basis for original objections had, in his view, been dealt with.

But Cllr Robert Pearson, who sits on the committee and represents Midway ward, agreed with residents that the proposed new homes were too overbearing, saying: “I found it quite out of setting in terms of the houses opposite it.”

He added: “When you look at the entrance to the village of Melbourne I think this development impacts significantly on that.”

A press release from Alexander Bruce Estates said the homes “…will be constructed in a traditional style using locally sourced materials such as oak beams, cast iron gutters, clay paver and natural stone detail”.

Responding to concerns on flooding, the developer’s engineers added: “The proposed drainage for the site has been designed specifically to attenuate any enhanced runoff generated by the development and so will not enhance risks downstream.

“The strategy is designed to accommodate a one in 100 year flood event generated by the site via its underground geo-cellular storage unit. The outflow from this system will be regulated to its practical minimum discharge points.”

– Lucy Stephens

LEFT: Sophie, 8, from St John Fisher School feeling peckish.

BELOW: Waggiest tail competition prize winners (l-r) Mike Skelton and "Suzy" (3rd), Shaun with "Little Bob" (1st) and mum Fay Howard with "Cherry" (2nd).

All the fun of the fete

A LITTLE drop of rain did nothing to dampen spirits as people turned out to enjoy all the fun of the fete at Elvaston.

The event run by Elvaston Communities Group has been held annually for a few years with profits going to charity.

This year people turned out to enjoy stalls, rides, a marching band, games and a dog show at Elvaston Cricket Ground on May 29.

Group chair Eve Wilson said the day had been “hard work but very very rewarding” for organisers.

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Pupils build their very own car

Class five at Aston-onTrent Primary School have spent several months building a Goblin kit car, after winning it as a flat pack in a competition run by the Advanced Propulsion Centre in conjunction with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

The competition involved designing what children thought transport would look like in 2050, and they were delighted to win the car to build and race.

As the school explained, the principles behind the project were to encourage young people, particularly girls, to take an interest in engineering.

The car, the Aston Arrow, has had its first successful test drive and Donington Race Track has given permission for the class to practise racing it there.

On June 21 Class five will be racing the Arrow at Stafford and then on July 5 at Rockingham for the Gathering of the Goblins, where the events include drag, slalom and

sprint races.

Class teacher Judith Long said: “This has been a wonderful opportunity for the children in year five. They have had the experience of constructing a vehicle from scratch which they can actually drive and race against other schools. They have been able to see their ideas and designs come to fruition. The whole project has promoted the face of engineering and has generated an enormous amount of excitement in the whole school community.”

In order to make the car the school was ap-

pointed a mentor from Loughborough Univ sity, Dr James Knowles, and the build beg in January.

Children worked in small groups to bu the chassis and then had to design and ma the bodywork using recycled materials as as possible.

School caretaker Chris Grant worked w the small groups, and Des Gosling Mobili from Melbourne, sent in three mechanics work alongside the children – and the final sign features a leaky boat as a bonnet!

RIGHT: v lesson fr the 1950s Mr Shon first ever class of v students

LEFT: Mr Eley Mr Myer class 4M taken in

THESE young engineers are proud of their creation – a real live motor car!

Recalling the day in 1977 that school was out –forever

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IT IS 40 years since the bell rang for the last time at Melbourne Senior School – and this summer there will be an exhibition all about it at the Assembly Rooms.

The school’s closure in 1977 is the theme of this year’s exhibition held by Melbourne Historical Research Group.

Photos and research covering all age groups will be on display, and the group also aims to include a film show.

Village Voice readers are being invited to contribute material to the show, such as copies of class photos or their own reminiscences of life at Melbourne Senior School.

Anyone who has anything they would like to offer is asked to get in touch with the research group either by the website: exhibitions@mhrg.org.uk or by phoning 01332 864598.

The show is being held at Melbourne Assembly Rooms on Saturday, July 1, and Sunday, July 2, from 10am to 5pm.

l Taking part in an outdoor PE lesson from the 1950s with school teacher Mr Rosevear.

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Village Voice Postbag

AN AWARD VERY WELL MERITED

THE recognition given to Tel Potts, of a Lifetime Award, was certainly well merited (at the inaugural Melbourne Community Awards).

The report in the May edition of the Village Voice rightly gave prominence to Tel’s contribution to local cricket over most of his adult life, as a player, as a leading member of the cricket club, and latterly as an inspirer and trainer for local boys and girls.

Tel has been active in many other areas of Melbourne life – as a parish councillor, a leading tenor in the Melbourne Male Voice choir, a member of the Melbourne Town Band, and as a much valued Royal British Legion Poppy fund-raiser with his wife, Sue.

Their fund-raising efforts, over many years, were officially recognised by the Legion in a joint award.

A well known and popular man, and a good family man, Tel was chairman of the committee which created the Lothian Gardens, as Melbourne’s contribution to the Millennium celebrations. The Lothian Gardens has been a much appreciated play area for the young, and a restful space for the older folk of the town.

Tel, with his able committee, went through a series of public meetings to reach a decision on what would meet the wishes of most of the residents of the town. He raised significant funds for the project by running what proved a most successful local lottery.

In his speech of thanks for the Lifetime Award, Tel emphasised the help and support of his wife, particularly in her active support of the Melbourne Cricket Club.

David Bellis, King’s Newton

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP

MY beautiful cat George recently went missing in Melbourne. I put up posters, posted leaflets and asked people to share it on social media.

Despite everyone's best efforts I was informed a cat matching his description was found dead.

I rushed there and, devastatingly, it was him.

The lovely Jonny Crowhurst found him in the road and moved him onto the pavement, and then looked me up on social media.

Although we are heartbroken we are so thankful we got to bring him home.

We want to thank everyone who tried their best to find him for us. We will be forever grateful.

The power of social media and community

World War vet is ‘re-awarded’ his gallantry medals

spirit is amazing. Thank you so much.

Holly and James, Melbourne

A NORMANDY Landings veteran from Melbourne was “re-awarded” his Second World War medals by the Grenadier Guards in a ceremony held at the Royal British Legion.

Frank Green, a 95-year-old resident of Pool Cottage, was awarded four medals for gallant service to his country during the 1939-45 war: the 1939-45 Star, the France & Germany Star, the Defence Medal and the War Medal.

Frank wore his medals individually pinned to his chest when taking part in the Remembrance Sunday parade in Melbourne last November, but now has had them properly mounted by the Grenadier Guards, who re-presented them to him in a special ceremony.

Frank, born in 1921, worked at Grimethorpe Colliery in South Yorkshire after leaving school.

This was a protected occupation at the time but Frank, in his own words, “didn’t want to miss out” on the war effort so tried to do his bit by joining the Navy.

This did not work out but he joined the Army in 1941, and was posted to the 4th Battalion

Hannah’s UNICEF sale boost

THIS caring 10-year-old raised more than £165 for charity by organising a toy sale at her school.

Hannah Guilford, a year five pupil at St Hardulph’s Primary School in Breedon, held the sale on May 12 in aid of UNICEF. She said: “I wanted to do raise money for UNICEF’s work in Syria after I saw a report on the news about how the conflict there was affecting children.

“Lots of children don’t get clean water or basic food and many schools had been damaged, which means that more than two million children don’t have a chance to learn.

“I asked all the children at school to bring a few toys to donate to the sale and I was really pleased that so many people supported me and we were able to collect so much money for the charity.”

Grenadier Guards in June of that year as 2622172 Guardsman Green, having done his initial training at Caterham.

The battalion was part of the 6th Guards Tank Brigade and saw action in France, Holland and Germany.

During that time the 4th Battalion was part of Operation Goodwood, Operation Market Garden and The Battle of the Bulge, including the Normandy Landings on June 6, 1944.

Frank was demobbed in August 1946 and returned to work at Grimethorpe Colliery.

Pictured with Frank, who also received a huge cake, are: Andy Boardman, Peter Hales, David Worrall and KevinIliffe.

The Grenadier Guards have had an affinity with Melbourne over the past 20 years. This stems from Guardsman Daniel Blinco who served in 1st Battalion and was murdered on December 30, 1993, by an IRA sniper.

Many Grenadiers return on Remembrance Sunday each year to pay their respects.

Flooding remedy in the pipeline

ENGINEERS working to try to improve Melbourne’s drainage system have removed a pipe that had been inserted into the middle of a large watercourse underneath The Lilypool, which means water should now flow much more freely.

The excavation works underneath The Lilypool have formed part of continuing efforts by the county council, the district council, Davidsons builders and Severn Trent Water to try to work out why Melbourne floods so badly when it rains – and improve it for the future.

Regular public meetings are held and the latest one, which took place at the Assembly Rooms on May 11, heard the most recent progress that has been made across the village.

Work has included digging up The Lilypool where engineers found what was described as a “huge” culvert – a stone-sided natural watercourse – measuring 13 by 19 inches, into which a much smaller pipe had been inserted and the rest blocked up with clay.

TURNING THE SKY BLUE

BLUE balloons filled the skies above Aston Primary School to mark the beginning of Dementia Awareness Week.

Aston-on-Trent Richmond Village manager Joanne Wilson visited the school to help children release 200 balloons as part of the week’s blue-themed activities. The idea was to help raise awareness of dementia, with local businesses, associations and residents also invited to display blue bunting, balloons and ribbons as a sign of “unity and friendship”.

Joanne Wilson said: “We are very pleased to work alongside the Alzheimer’s Society and take part in this wonderful initiative and have invited the whole village of Aston on Trent to join us.

“Dementia can touch anybody’s life, and we feel it is really important to raise awareness for those who are living with dementia or supporting a person who has dementia. We invited the school children to take part by celebrating the beginning of Dementia Awareness Week with a releasing 200 balloons over the village.”

Head teacher Lindsey Kalirai said: "We feel it is important for our children to have an awareness of how their local community is developing and begin to understand some of the challenges some people are living with.

“I explained to them about dementia so that they understood why we were releasing the balloons as part of Dementia Awareness Week, and am delighted that we have had the opportunity to become involved."

June 24 diary dates

ALL the fun of the Great British Summer is to be had in Findern on June 24 as the village holds its traditional fete.

The event features a daytime fete lasting from noon to 4pm followed by an evening do from seven to 11pm.

Music, entertainment, crafts, activ-

ities, raffles, stalls, a Bake-Off, homebaked cakes, food, drinks, parades and displays are all promised.

n TEN local bands, entertainment for children and local food suppliers will be the order of the day at the Midsummerish Festival at Whistlewood Common on June 24.

Engineers have now removed the pipe which, it is hoped, will now allow water to flow away down the large culvert rather than trying to force its way through a too-small pipe.

Other work has involved:

l Improvements to the drainage underneath Huntington Lane, which should mean the area which joins Jawbone Lane and Station Road will no longer collect a lagoon of water during heavy downpours;

l Investigations to discover who owns Carr Brook; and

l Enlargements to drains in the courtyard car park behind Tivey Way, on the Sweet Leys estate. Severn Trent engineers have advised the public that when problems are reported to their customer services department, it is always useful to accompany any reports with photographs so these can be shown to crews when they attend.

To contact Severn Trent with any problems, log on to https://www.stwater.co.uk/help-and-contact/overview/

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POLICE have released pictures of bikes stolen from Stanton-by-Bridge in case anyone has been offered them for sale.

The garage of a home on Ingleby Road was broken into between one and 6.30am on Friday, May 5.

Among the items stolen were two cycles and a motorbike.

PC Paul Russell, from Melbourne Safer Neigh-

bourhood Team, said: “The pedal cycles in particular are quite rare and so I would ask that if anyone has been offered such items for sale … that they make contact with me.

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STANLEY JAMES SLATER 1918-2017

STANLEY was born on January 2, 1918, and spent his early years in the Peartree area of Derby, living in Balfour Road.

After school he went to work in a draper’s shop, a butcher’s and then as a progress checker at International Combustion, where he captained the football team in 1938.

Life changed radically in 1939 when he volunteered to join the Army. Working in engineering, he needed to obtain permission from his employer to enlist and after doing so he joined the Sherwood Foresters, and trained at Normanton Barracks just five minutes from home.

After training, most of his unit were sent to the Far East, but he had been retained at the barracks, which probably spared his life as the troops sent were captured by the Japanese. He later found out that his retention was due to the intervention of his next-door neighbour, an ex-regimental sergeant major.

When sent on active service, he was despatched to the desert campaigns in North Africa with the 1st Division, 2nd Battalion of the Foresters. There he was blown up and transported to Bizerte in Tunisia to recover. His turnaround was quick and he was transferred to the American 45th Division under General Mark Clark. He was involved in the invasion of Italy in 1943, first in Pantelleria and then Salerno.

Later that year, among the first troops to enter Naples, he was captured crossing the Volturno river, marched and taken by cattle truck over 1,500 kilometres to Stalag 4B POW camp near Dresden where he stayed until liberated by the Russians. The inmates’ last act was to destroy the camp. During his war he witnessed horrors that we cannot dare to imagine today.

Happier times arrived after his

Church’s repairs bill given boost

THE bill for urgent repairs to a village church has had a significant boost with half the initial target money donated by a generous local business.

repatriation. He became a civil servant working at Sinfin Lane. He met his wife, Lilian, in 1946 whilst dancing in Derby and in 1947 son James was born. Also around that time he got involved in a bit of smuggling; he and a friend would travel to Ireland to buy things like stockings and jewellery or anything he could sell to “make a few bob”. He got to know the customs officers who turned a blind eye to his antics and his special coat with hidden pockets.

After the civil service, he moved to Derby Carriage and Wagon Works as a traverse driver. When he finally retired, not one for slowing down, he decided to take on a part-time job at Campbells Engineering where he continued into his 70s.

A keen gardener, his gardens in Abingdon Street and, after he moved 1998, at the Woodlands, Melbourne, were always beautifully tended and smelled sublime. His roses were a wonder. His lack of inhibition would mean lots of singing and harmonica playing.

Younger years were spent ballroom dancing at various clubs and bombing around in his little blue Mini.

He also enjoyed his whisky, which some claim carried him into his 99th year, with family members joking that his youthful looks and demeanour were down to pickling.

He passed away peacefully at home on April 29, just months short of becoming a centenerian.

He leaves a son, two grandchildren and three great granddaughters.

Breedon Group, formerly known as Breedon Aggregates, has given £5,000 to the Priory Church of St Mary’s and Hardulph at Breedon-on-the-Hill.

With its dramatic location on the top of the hill, the church needs major repair work, especially in the tower.

The total cost of repairs is estimated to be around £130,000 but the initial target is to raise £10,000 for the most urgent jobs.

The church has said that while there is a long way to go, “this early boost to the campaign is very welcome”.

To donate, you can log on to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/breedonchurch

Other supporters have also helped reach the target with donations totalling £2,390.

FAB-ulous news for volunteer group

THE FUTURE of a voluntary environmental project in Aston-on-Trent now looks brighter, despite council cuts.

Earlier this year The Village Voice reported how Friends of Aston Brickyard (FAB) – a volunteer group which has transformed a former industrial site on the edge of the village into a wildlife haven – was fearing for its future.

It lost, through redundancy, the support of the county council’s community engagement officer, who had been on site every month to help guide their work.

But now the county council has appointed a ranger based at Clay Cross who is able to support the group with any professional help.

In addition, the group reports that the county council has also provided additional tools for them to continue its work.

FAB’s schedule for the next few months includes developing a recently dug pond and creating a marsh area, surveying wild flower species, removing hybrid and Spanish bluebells to encourage the English variety to prosper, maintaining trails and working with the local Scout group

to build new habitat piles for wildlife. A spokeswoman for Derbyshire County Council said: “We’re pleased that the group is happy with the solution and acknowledge the hard work of the members in managing the Aston Brickyard.”

FAB is now seeking to acquire a portable cabin or similar for use as a site office and storage for wet weather. If anyone has such a unit which they no longer need, they are asked to contact Friends of Aston Brickyard member John Holloway on 075 1166 1583.

Going down market garden memory lane

A MARKETING gardening archive is being created by the Melbourne Arts Festival for all to share – and the memories of local residents are being eagerly sought.

This year’s arts festival is focusing on Melbourne’s market gardening heyday and the team is busy collecting people’s memories, anecdotes and old photographs.

Melbourne was known for the quality and quantity of vegetables grown in the parish, and arts festival organiser Sharon Brown said she wanted to thank people who have come forward so far to share their memories.

…and ask us about work experience, our ‘DepARTures’ art project, Community and Sponsorship Funding and our Aerozone and Airport Academy …and feel free to ask us any other questions you may have about the airport and its operations.

The festival team reports that at the first few “Tea and Memories” sessions at the Senior Citizens’ Centre, people reminisced about working for O J Hatton, life as a land girl, the Prisoners of War working in Melbourne and market days.

Anyone who wants to take a trip down memory lane to contribute to this project is invited to drop in for a cup of tea at the Senior Citizens’ Centre on June 20 or 27 between 2.30pm and 4pm for an initial chat.

Those who can’t make it but want to know more should call 07765 819428 or pop into Community Care.

CHRISTINA Oppenheimer has been co-opted on to Ticknall Parish Council, following the resignation of Stefan Green after 13 years serving the parish.

At the parish council’s annual general meeting in May, Cllr Green was presented with a book token as a gesture of appreciation for his dedication to the council, which has involved extensive work investigating and handling the village’s flooding issues.

l Tim Hall (left), chief executive of Breedon Group, Rev Canon Mary Gregory and Simon Jones, chairman of Breedon Parish Council.

Charity bike ride to remember Sophie

THE family and friends of a brilliant young scientist who died of a blood disorder aged 26 are raising awareness of stem cell donation, after a failed match meant she did not survive the disease.

June 6 would have been the 27th birthday of Dr Sophie Miller, whose family live in Melbourne. In her memory, on Sunday, June 4, a group of her friends completed a 94-mile bike ride from Melbourne Parish Church to Cambridge –the university where Sophie gained a first class degree in Natural Sciences and completed her PhD, as well as being captain of the university’s women’s basketball team.

In a sad irony, Sophie was working before her death at the Copenhagen-based stem cell research centre DanStem. She then fell ill with Myelodysplasia, a disease in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells. Hospi-

talised for several months in Nottingham, a stem cell match was found for Sophie via the Anthony Nolan register –the charity for which her family and friends are now raising awareness and money.

The match, which came from America, was judged to have been nine-tenths perfect – and this was enough for doctors to perform a transplant. But this slight mismatch contributed to Sophie’s body rejecting the donor cells, and she died just before Christmas.

Sophie’s mother, Liz, said: “I don’t think people realise just how easy it is to become a donor.

“People think of the old days when it used to be much more difficult – the first step is to give a saliva sample to see if you are a match.

“Anthony Nolan is a fantastic charity; they really do work hard. In Nottingham Hospital where Sophie was for four

months, I used to see the bags of stem cells come in daily with Anthony Nolan written on the side. It really is very easy to help to save a life.

“Sophie was a beautiful girl and a lovely person. We are all devastated.”

Sophie’s friend James Robinson, who organised the Anthony Nolan bike ride, said: “Sophie was the kind of person who had a plan, and her plan was to get better. She was always focused on recovering and seeing everybody again – her dying was never really on the cards, which was why it came as such a shock to everybody.

“It makes you think that somebody who was entirely healthy can suddenly get such an awful disease – it makes you more appreciative of things we do have and the fact that we take our health for granted most of the time.”

Lawrie Mallyon, senior community fund-raising manager at Anthony

Road to be closed in Melbourne

BLANCH Croft in Melbourne is to close from July 11-13 outside house number 19, to allow water works conducted by Severn Trent.

An alternative route will be signed via George Street, South Street and Derby Road.

Access will be maintained wherever possible and the road will re-open as soon as the work is finished, which may be sooner than advertised.

Derbyshire County Council apologises for any inconvenience caused while work takes place. Anyone needing further information should ring Call Derbyshire 01629 533190.

Nolan, said: “The fund-raising that the family and friends of Sophie Miller are doing is remarkable and we are truly honoured that they have chosen to remember Sophie in this way during a very difficult time.

“It costs £60 to recruit each person to the Anthony Nolan register, so fundraising is vital. The more fund-raising we do, the more potential donors we can recruit.

“In Sophie’s case we were fortunate to find her a match but her transplant was sadly unsuccessful. This is why we also need to raise funds to carry out continued research at the Anthony Nolan Research Institute.”

You can support the bike ride and find out more by logging on to www.virginmoneygiving.com/sophiecycle2017. To find out about joining the register, visit www.anthonynolan.org

– Lucy Stephens

It’s ration books at fund-raiser

IT WAS ration books and 40s fashions at the Melbourne Assembly Rooms for a fund-raiser held by the Breedon WI. Organisers said the event was “very successful” with food delivered rations-style and many of the audience dressing up in 40s costume to add to the period atmosphere.

Breedon WI will be supporting the Breedon Summer Sunday on July 2 with the return of Open Gardens, and plans are underway to organise another music night with Natalie Nightingale.

n NEWLY re-elected Derbyshire county councillor Linda Chilton has double reason to celebrate – not only did she win back her Melbourne seat in the May elections, she has also been named county council chairman.

Councillor Chilton is pictured receiving the chain of office from outgoing chairman Steve Freeborn.

The post involves chairing full council meetings – a role a little like the speaker in the House of Commons – as well acting as the county’s representative at functions.

She said she was “extremely pleasantly surprised” by the accolade.

RIDERS: (l-r) Ian Hickman, Amy Jones, Robert Jones, Sarah Hickman, Liz Miller, Katy Hickman, Harald Carlens, Laurence Gartside, Tony Miller, Oliver Temple, James Robinson, Toni Mattos, Nicola Jones and Maya Beano. Inset: Sophie Miller.

SITUATIONS VACANT

University group to set up in Melbourne

tion between them.”

JOB VACANCY

Full Time Factory Operative

Duties include:

■ Label rewinding (training given)

■ Forklift driving

■ General duties

■ 40hrs/week £8 per hour.

Please contact 01332 864895 or email helen@pid-labelling.co.uk

Treetops Hospice Care ASSISTANT SHOP MANAGER -

Melbourne -

16 hours per week (some weekends included) £8.11 per hour

Please visit www.treetopshospice.org.uk and click on ‘About/Job Vacancies’ to apply

Registered Charity No 519540

Saturday June 10th was Chantry Farm Shop’s last day of trading. Many of you will know that the last 6 months have been challenging for us as a family. As a result of this we have made the decision to close the shop. We would like to thank all of you for your support and custom over the last 16 years.

With very best wishes, Philip & Helen

Melbourne Dental Practice

- ESTABLISHED 30 YEARS -

TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE

To try and reduce the amount of clinical time lost due to missed appointments and late cancellations, the practice is now o ering a text messaging service. Any patients who wish to receive these will need to complete a text messaging consent form, available at reception. Please note, we cannot o er this service unless a consent form has been completed.

Naomi Fry BDS & Associates, Helen Baker BDS

● Family Dental Care using latest techniques and materials

● Friendly and caring service

● Cosmetic Dentistry including tooth whitening

Naomi Fry accepts child orthodontic patients on the N.H.S.

Castle Street, Melbourne, Derbyshire Telephone 01332 862942

A NEW University of the Third Age group is being set up for South Derbyshire, based in Melbourne.

The University of the Third Age, dubbed U3A, is an educational organisation for retired and semi-retired people. The launch meeting is being held in Melbourne on June 22.

Not a university in the normal sense of the word, U3A is a self-help organisation which aims to provide life enhancing opportunities.

No qualifications are needed to join, with the organisation saying that learning is pursued for the sheer joy of it, rather than for formal qualifications. According to the U3A website: “Members share their skills and life experiences: the learners teach and the teachers learn, and there is no distinc-

With a growing proportion of the local population in this demographic, South Derbyshire has been identified as the largest area in the region currently without a U3A group, and Andrew Hawkins, the local secretary of a group in Ilkeston is facilitating the start-up in Melbourne as a central location.

He explained: “Most U3A groups have a monthly meeting, often taking the form of a lecture, and they also have any number of smaller groups, organised by the members themselves, who follow subjects of mutual interest. It might be history, a language, dancing, music – in fact anything at all.”

People interested are being invited to come to an open meeting at Melbourne As-

sembly Rooms on Thursday, June 22, at 2pm to hear more about how things work, and what to expect. There will be an opportunity to ask questions as well. There will need to be enough people willing to form a steering group to take the organisation through the first year, with support from the U3A Trust, and enough interest to make it viable.

If you would like more information in advance, the website www.u3a.org.uk provides much more detail, and there is a link to local groups in Derby, Burton, Ashby and Ilkeston which demonstrate the range of local study groups and social activities.

You are also free to email Andrew Hawkins, at secretary@dnu3a.org.uk or call him (0115 854 2634) for any further information.

l Club members get set to blow out the candle on their birthday cake.

First birthday for table tennis club

TABLE tennis players from Aston-on-Trent have celebrated their first birthday with flourishing numbers – and a big slice of cake.

The club, which meets in the newly extended Aston Recreation Centre, marked its first anniversary in May.

One member is Anne Dickens, from Derby, who regularly goes there to play with her husband, John.

“The people are friendly, they’re not too serious, it’s good exercise and really good fun – it keeps you fit!” she said.

Barbara James, chairman of the Recreation in Aston project, said the club would like to thank Lee English from South Derbyshire District Council for his support, Sport England and Tesco, which provided two tables plus 20 bats and balls, plus a local resident who donated the third table.

Brian Canavan, from Melbourne, coaches the club’s players, having started playing the game at school.

Brian, who used to play in the German league while stationed over there as a member of the armed forces, came back to the game three years ago having seen an article in The Village Voice about table tennis starting up in Melbourne.

He said: “Barbara James has done so much to get the club going, and they have had the initiative to contact the Draycott club (a big table tennis club) to see if they could help.

“The atmosphere here is tremendous, it’s very friendly and they have made great progress.

“I have had so much out of table tennis and it’s nice to put something back.”

Players turn out to have a game on Monday evenings from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and on Thursday mornings from 10am to noon, paying £2 a session.

Pushing the boat out

MORE than 100 people turned out to enjoy a day by the water when Staunton Harold Sailing Club joined the national Push the Boat Out initiative.

The series of events were held by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) at 383 sailing clubs across the country to give more people the chance to experience the joy of boats.

Staunton Harold’s Push the Boat Out day saw 34 visitors aged from five to 65 take to the water in the club’s training fleet.

Sailing club commodore

Elaine Penhaul said: “A massive thank-you goes to all our volunteers, expert helms, safety and onshore teams and all our club members for ‘Pushing the Boat Out’ and giving such a warm welcome to all of our visitors!

Competition story time

MELBOURNE ROTARY may have wound-up but the newly formed Rotex group, comprising former Rotarians, is continuing the good community work and invited the winners of its recent writing competition to read their stories in public.

An audience of anxious parents, beaming grandparents and local dignitaries gathered to hear the junior-age children read. Organiser Kate Dumelow described how it had been the hardest of tasks to decide on winners; and, welcoming the guests, Margaret Sharp said she was delighted that Rotex had been able to continue with the good works.

Children from all four of the age groups read their stories and showed the breadth of their imagination, advanced understanding of difficult words and their love of a story, as well as summoning up the confidence to read in public.

The winning story, written by 10-year-old Annabelle Fletcher was read by Andy Cope, the author of the renowned Spy Dog children’s books. The story centred around Peter, a war hero, who had struggled with loneliness following the loss of his wife, Wendy, until the chance arrival of Mrs Belle Hook to befriend him.

Junior School headteacher Mrs Jane Whirledge thanked Rotex for providing both the audience and the purpose for the reading competition.

Glass act for the church

steady, go for the annual bash

RUNNERS are being invited to get their trainers on for this year’s “Brooksie Bash” – a charity event held in aid of Derbyshire Mind, which starts off at Foremarke Hall.

The run is returning this year and features a 10mile trail race plus a 5k run.

Organisers say the event is almost entirely trafficfree and uses mainly paths and bridleways, adding: “The scenic South Derbyshire route, which will be well marked and marshalled, heads through Ticknall and past Staunton Harold Reservoir before returning via Robin Wood to finish at Foremarke Hall.”

Running club Shelton Striders is organising the run again and there will be hot and cold food and drinks available with all the proceeds from the event going to the charity.

This year there will also be a 5k fun run and walk, in conjunction with Derbyshire Mind’s ”Enjoying Derbyshire” project, with other family activities also planned as part of the charity’s 50th anniversary.

The 10 mile race is pre-entry, with on-the-day tickets available only if there are any left, while the 5k fun run is on-the-day entry.

See http://sheltonstriders.org.uk/brooksies/ for tickets.

l Artist’s impression of the new annexe and disabled ramp giving access from Church Street.

MAJOR works to add a new glass annexe to the rear of Melbourne Methodist Church and create a disabled ramp at the side are set to start, after planning permission was granted.

The plans have been in the pipeline for nearly two years and will see the vestry building at the back of the church knocked down and replaced with a new glass structure with toilet and catering facilities.

A letter to the congregation from church officials said this was “one of the biggest and most exciting challenges we have ever faced”.

The idea is to allow the church and the Wesley Hall to function as separate buildings – currently anyone using the church building has to cross the yard to use the toilets or make tea, carrying trays of cups back and forwards from the two places.

The church wants to allow new activities to take place and increase its ability to serve the local community.

Its building is currently used for its popular Splash! children’s activity morning and tea services, as well as the normal worship calendar.

The letter went on to say that the proposed de-

velopment, “…will also make our buildings accessible to those with disabilities and provide modern facilities open to all”.

Building work is expected to last several months with “considerable earth works to provide wheeled access directly from Church Street”.

The new ramp will allow wheelchair and buggy users to get into the church straight from the Market Place.

The annexe will also include a meeting and serving area and there will be a new door, replacing an existing window, to provide access into the church.

The church is appealing to congregation members, anyone interested or who has used the building in the past to make an online donation towards the new building works.

To donate, log on to www.give.net/MMCannexe

Fund-raising will start formally over the weekend of June 24 and 25, with Rev John Hartley available in church from 10am to noon on June 24 to receive pledges of support and answer questions.

Copies of the plans and a 3D model of the development will be available.

l Children’s author Andy Cope and Spy Dog with (l-r) Edith, Annie, Florrie, Jasmine and Annabel.

WITH the football season at a close, Melbourne United now has around 270 children registered –the club reports.

This has all been made possible by the coaches and the club would also like to thank Paul Matthews for his efforts.

The girls’ game in Melbourne is growing, too, and with a female team to enter the U10 league.

Two new U6 teams will be formed for the coming season,

with U7s, U8s and U9s all continuing with what the club says have been “strong performances” in the Derby Junior Football League.

The club would like to give a special mention to its U10 tournament winners, U11 runners-up, U13 cup winners and U18s, who finished runners-up in division 1.

Melbourne United is always looking for volunteers. Anyone who wants to get involved should email melbourneufc@gmail.com

Youngsters’ first steps on road to Wimbledon

MELBOURNE Tennis Club continues to sow the seeds of fresh beginnings by fielding its first under-8 team and hosting its first home match.

The under-8s played their first match in the Derbyshire Tennis Association Aegon League – a mini red tournament against Church Broughton with four children chosen to compete with each playing four matches. This resulted in a draw with Oliver Clarke winning three matches, Layla Sherriff and Theo Shepherd winning two and Daisy White winning one.

The mini red team had their second match two weeks later, this time away at Chesterfield and ended up winning all three of their matches, beating Ashbourne nine rubbers to seven, Ilkeston 10-6 and finally Chesterfield B team 11-5.

The club is very proud of all the children who played and how well they handled themselves, both on and off the court, with the youngsters rightfully very excited with their wins.

Meanwhile, the seniors have had a jampacked May with all five adult teams in action.

The men's team competing in the Derbyshire League have made a super start to 2017 winning all three of their league games so far to leave them top of the table.

They began their campaign away to Ripley, winning a close game 5-4 with the pairing of Vinny Hallifield and Rob Clarke leading the way by winning two of their three rubbers.

John Mayers and Mark Earp also won two rubbers with club captain Ian Ward and Roger Spencer winning what turned out to be the deciding rubber.

Away again, this time against Duffield,

Melbourne won convincingly 8-1 with Howard Cheshire partnering Rob Clarke to three victories this time. Paul Hill and Bill Heath along with the Ward/Spencer pairing also won well to complete a superb win.

Melbourne ended the month top of the table with their first home match, which resulted in a 5-4 win against Belper. The Cheshire/Hallifield pairing led the way again winning all three rubbers plus one each from Luke Sherriff/Rob Wright and the ever present Ward/Spencer pairing left the team ending the month well.

Team captain Ian Ward said: “Team

spirit is high, the players have put Melbourne into real contention for promotion, especially Howard Cheshire and Vinny Hallifield who have won all their respective matches.”

Melbourne's Derby mixed team narrowly lost both their league games 4-5 against Ockbrook and Borrowash and 3-6 to David Lloyd.

Meanwhile, draws were the order of the day in the Burton League as the ladies drew 2-2 against Neatherseal B and Burton with the men also drawing their first match 2-2 versus Burton D.

STARLETS ... Theo Shepherd, Layla Sherriff, Daisy White and Oliver Clarke.

Melbourne seal glory in shield final

MELBOURNE put a tiring Stamford to the sword in an exciting second half display of attacking rugby to win the NLD (Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire league) shield.

A tight first half ended at 15-12 to Melbourne. Euan Holden opened the scoring with a penalty on three minutes before running in for a try himself, which he converted. Stamford hit back with a try.

Melbourne were physically smaller than Stamford, who were competitive at the breakdown. Melbourne’s scrum was good and lineout good as usual. Melbourne’s backs were sharp, but a few passes were put down. James Benstead scored halfway through the first half, but Stamford again hit back with a converted try for a half time score of 15-12 to Melbourne.

The second half was a different affair. Playing with a slight slope and wind advantage, Holden’s game management saw Stamford hardly leave their half at all. Handling errors were reduced and the tries started coming. Ash Stringer got a brace, to stretch the lead to 29-12.

Coach Matt Derbyshire then rung the changes. Centre Charlie Livesey scored with virtually his first touch. Joe Stuart and Andy Martin got in on the act before James Benstead finished off with one for the pack. Holden converted three for a 53-12 score – and Melbourne’s first win of the NLD shield. MOTM was Alex Nightingale.

The Stags’ last fixture of the season saw their hardest game in a cup semi-final at Leesbrook, losing 18-14. Tries from Hulme and Bilson with Bilson converting two.

The last weekend of the season saw the development XV and 1st XV in Derbyshire cup finals. The development XV played in the

Pennant final and came up short against a strong and physical Leesbrook 1st XV losing 7-31, with Tim Richardson scoring the sole try.

The 1st XV also faced strong opposition in Glossop. They went into an early lead with two tries from Page and Lockhart but Glossop proved too strong in the forwards to eventually beat Melbourne 38-14.

Rugby club awards dinner

DAVID

Fancy trying walking football?

THE Melbourne Sporting Partnership (MSP) is looking to set up and run a regular walking football session for local people who would like to give it a try.

The sessions will take place on the artificial grass pitch at Melbourne Sports Park on Friday nights starting on July 7 at 6pm. If there is sufficient interest organisers will also run a session on Sunday mornings at 9.30am.

Walking Football is a game that was first played in 2011 by the Chester-

SOUTH DERBYSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL

Councillor Linda Chilton

Councillor John Harrison

Councillor Jim Hewlett

ADVICE

SURGERIES

at the Assembly Rooms, High Street, Melbourne, 11am to 12 noon

Saturday 1st July

Saturday 5th August

Saturday 2nd September

field FC Community Trust, but it was a TV advert in 2014 that brought the game to people's attention.

Walking Football – football without running – is a game that more closely resembles five-a-side than 11-a-side. It was first invented to inspire the over50s to get more exercise and now thousands of older people (men and women) are re-discovering the joys of football by playing it at a more leisurely pace.

As people might expect, it being a

form of football, there are many rules of the game, with organisers saying these can be discussed at length over a drink in the Pavilion. The main rule to remember is that one foot must be kept on the ground at all times; if it looks like someone is running then they probably are and the whistle will be blown!

To register your interest in the sessions contact Peter Hass at peter.hass@campbellsci.co.uk or call Jane Radcliffe on 07718 654672.

“Listening to local people”

Smith and Peter Ilott hosted Melbourne RFC’s annual awards with a dinner for 96 at the Melbourne Sporting Partnership.

Pictured are (back row, l-r) Peter Upe. Josh Mallett, James Webster, Steve Hollingsworth, Gary Toplis and Chris Rudkin; (front row): Danny Lawson, Olly Page, Joe Stuart, Dan Walker, Josh Toplis and Josh Stanley.

Ticknall openers stack up 324-run record stand

THE cricket season is now well underway and the weather has been mainly dry, but at times a bit chilly. Ticknall 1st X1 has started well with three wins, one draw, one loss and an abandoned game.

The May 6 game against Denby saw Ticknall amass 324 for the first wicket partnership, with Tom Wood scoring 162 and Paul Borrington 139 – making this a club record. Denby replied with 271 for six, with Zain Abbas taking three for 81.

On May 13, the club travelled to Cutthorpe and batted first, scoring 279 for five – Paul Borrington 55, Joss Morgan 53 and Zain Abbas 80 not out. Cutthorpe made 144 all out, Ted Read 4-26 and Tom Taylor 3-32. doing the damage.

Bank Holiday weekend was the local derby away to Swarkestone, who lost the toss and were invited to bat scoring 294-8. Jake Needham hit 132 with Chris Durham adding 56, and Ted Read taking 4-67 and Zain Abbas 3-71.

Ticknall replied with 295-3 with Tom Wood scoring 105, Paul Borrington 54 and Joss Morgan 100 not out. Ifikhar Asghar took 3-54. Ticknall won with eight balls to spare.

Early in May the Ticknall seconds went to Elvaston, batted first and scored 313-2 with Luke Harvey 177 not out and Cilas Grace 62 not out. Elvaston made 201-4 in reply.

The following week saw a home game against Denby, who scored 249-8. Ticknall replied with 251-9, Ollie Roome making 54 not out.

Against Walton on Trent first team at the end of the month Ticknall posted 226, Devon Iliffe scoring 52 and Ollie Roome 62 not out. Walton passed Ticknall’s score with four wickets down.

The third team have had a difficult start to the season, narrowly losing to Clifton seconds, with Matt Holdgate scoring 104, but won against Ashbourne firsts, who scored 160-8 with Ethan Belisconi taking 3-26.

Ticknall passed the score with five wickets down, Matt Holdgate making 53.

The same day Ticknall fourths played Ashbourne seconds, chasing 266 and lost by 80 runs. Joe Sookias made 62 and Henry Geutjens 44.

Both these lads are only 13 years old.

A-MAY-ZING STUFF AS

MELBOURNE Town Cricket Club has continued its superb start to the 2017 season.

The first team ended May comfortably top of the table, winning all four league games. They began by beating local rivals Swarkestone 2nds by 21 runs after batting first and scoring 213-9 off their allotted overs. Muhammed Nadeem led the way with 67 not out, supported by Mark Rossi, who made 46. In Swarkestone’s reply Marc Towell shone with the ball, taking 3-46 with Matt Briers, Faren Price and Alex Slater taking two wickets apiece.

A week later Town entertained Barton, who scored a huge 2569 off their overs with Price taking 4-27 and Nadeem weighing in with 3-71. It was Price who started Melbourne’s reply well with 34 but at the halfway stage in Town’s innings they looked well behind the rate on 64-2 off 23 overs.

An amazing innings of 85 from just 42 balls by Muhammed Nadeem included six sixes. He was supported by Matt Briers (32) and it was left to Lee Tallis (31 not out) to hit the winning runs off the last ball.

A trip to Abbotts Bromley was next for Alex Slater’s men and, batting first, Town’s innings was held together by Matt Briers (59) with only Matt Grimmett (26) and Slater (23) getting into double figures as Melbourne scored a disappointing 138 all out.

At 54-0 the home side looked well on course for victory, but 4-38 from Marc Towell plus spells of 3-19 by Price and 3-51 by Slater saw Melbourne to a remarkable 18-run victory.

The first team ended May a healthy 27 points clear at the top as they won another nail-biting game, this time at home to Rolleston by just two wickets.

A superb spell of 4-42 by skipper Slater helped restrict Rolleston to 198-8 and Melbourne seemed to be cruising on 141-4 thanks to 39 by Muhammad Tayyab. But they lost four wickets for one run, leaving them staring at a first defeat.

However, inspired batting from Slater (35 not out) and Anthony Wagstaff (20 not out) put on 60 for the ninth wicket and sneaked an amazing win to finish the month.

Melbourne Town second team also had a very good month, beginning with a comfortable nine-wicket victory at home to Alrewas 3rds as the away side were bowled out for just 153. Ranjit Rathore did the damage with 4-47 along with Stephen Goalen, who took 334.

Izzy Anjilliath (50 not out), Paul Scrimshaw (43) and Simon Fletcher (42 not out) eased the 2nds to a comfortable win. A huge winning draw away to Yoxhall 1sts followed. Melbourne scored 2794, batting first with Alex Winter hitting a remarkable unbeaten 146 supported by Siv Sivapalan (43) and Ian Roberts (41), but the home side hung on for a draw closing on just 117-8 despite the efforts of Kaustav Dutta, who claimed 5-24.

At home to Abbotts Bromley 2nds, Melbourne claimed an easy nine-wicket win with the visitors bowled out for just 65 with James Hogwood (5-3) and Dutta (5-37) again taking the wickets. But the day after Dan Marshall’s men saw their unbeaten run ended away to Sawley 3rds. Ash Elwell (27) and Stephen Goalen (31) top scored in Melbourne’s total of 144 all out and, despite 3-55 from Goalen, the home side won by five wickets.

The seconds ended the month with a comfortable 96-run win away to Trentside 3rds as Melbourne scored 192-7 batting first. This was thanks mainly to an opening stand of 75 by Simon Fletcher (56) and Paul Scrimshaw (31) and it was Julian Humpidge (4-16) and James Hogwood (4-37) who did the damage with the ball as the home side were bowled out for just 96.

Town’s third team have made a remarkable start to their 2017 season and began with an outstanding 10-wicket away win against Ashbourne 2nds with the home side scoring 163-7 off their 40 overs. Sam Barker took 3-38 but in reply Ash Elwell (84) and Tony Papas (64) saw Melbourne to victory without losing a wicket.

A week later they were both at it again as Elwell (52) and Papas (40) knocked off 104 without losing a wicket as Kirk Langley 2nds were soundly beaten. Earlier, Elwell (4-23) and skipper Andy Holden (3-36) bowled the visitors out for just 102.

Away to Tutbury 3rds, Melbourne recovered from 22-4 to 119-8 on a difficult wicket and a stunning spell of 6-12 by Sam Barker left the hosts holding on for a draw on 41-8 when the rain ended the contest.

Andy Holden’s team ended May with their third win in four games as they beat top of the table Derby Congs 4ths by 84 runs. Town put 166 all out on the board batting first, once again recovering, this time from 28-4, thanks to Alex Blackhall (39), Will Goodman (26) and Sam Adcock (20).

A destructive spell of 7-33 from Ash Elwell secured a comfortable win as the thirds ended the month in fourth with games in hand.

– Alex Slater

l Ticknall Cricket Club 1st XI who beat Swarkestone over the Bank Holiday weekend.