Melbourne Village Voice December 2022

SANTA’S TRACTOR TREAT FOR KIDS

SNOW, Santa, Mickey Mouse and a lit-up tractor gave more than 120 children in Melbourne a festive treat to remember

Jayne Sloman, who organised the Santa Tractor event at Melbourne Inn in early December, said she would like to make the event an annual occasion in memory of her father

Jayne told how her father, Clive, had helped her organise a Santa Tractor event in Allenton last year but had sadly passed away from Covid in early 2022

Now she said she was determined to bring Santa’s Tractor to Melbourne each year in his memory

The festive event involved a spectacularly lit-up vehicle and the big man himself looking more resplendent than ever in his grotto, where 123 local children got the chance to have a chat

Mickey Mouse paid a visit, and there was even a flurry of the white stuff from a snow machine to help make the occasion as festive as possible

The Santa Tractor visits places

every year and is a free event that raises money for charity via a voluntary donation bucket

“All the children absolutely loved it,” said Jayne “We even had some dogs meeting Santa!

“It was just amazing, a magical day It made me feel good I can’t get my dad his slippers and his presents any more, so this is a nice thing to do in his memory ”

The Santa Tractor event this year raised money for Helping Hooves, a Community Interest Organisation based in Derbyshire that offers therapy programmes involving working with horses and farm animals

Helping Hooves’ services include one-to-one support; substance and alcohol recovery plus work with peer support and school groups

This is not Jayne’s first charity event She and her husband, Barry, have for the last 10 years been organising Santa visits and delivering Christmas presents to families who may be struggling over the festive period

BELOW: Katie joins Santa and Mickey in front of the tractor, and (left) an elf with Santa and Mickey

by Lucy Stephens

Showing off their creative side

IT has been an autumn of art and creativity, says the team at Creative Melbourne Gallery

During the past few months they say they have all seen the Creative Melbourne Gallery taking huge strides towards establishing Melbourne as a hub for the creative arts, raising the profile of Melbourne and South Derbyshire

Melbourne Festival director Sharon Brown said: “It has been hard work, but we are excited to finally turn our ideas into reality, and feedback from the public has made it all worthwhile ”

In addition to the gallery in Melbourne the team is also curating exhibitions by their Ukrainian artists group at Swadlincote’s new Visitor Information Centre and at Repton Village Hall this Autumn

The gallery currently features a big variety of beautiful artwork depicting Melbourne and the surrounding area

Alongside the local images is this month’s main event, Autumn Glow – a beautiful exhibition with stunning paintings of

The exhibition continues until Christmas

For those interested in how to get their own creativity flowing Creative Melbourne has been hosting creative workshops and artist talks this Autumn

So far the programme has in-

cluded artist Sue Gardner sharing her secrets of how to paint highland cattle, Connie WanDocksey leading papercut workshops and Jane Bevan is leading a number of workshops to create Autumn decorations and Christmas wreaths using natural materials

‘Tough’ to respond to Local Plan consultation

RESIDENTS and groups have been responding to the consultation on the South Derbyshire Local Plan, which sets out housing and development plans in the district for around the next 10 years.

District councillor Martin Fitzpatrick said he had had contact from quite a few individuals and groups keen to get involved and that South Derbyshire District Council has had some good feedback

He also said there had been some controversy about the amount and locations of the roadshow events, with some councillors feeling there had not been enough outside Swadlincote area An added event in Weston-on-Trent was the best attended with more than 340 visitors

Other feedback to him, he said, was that the consultation was very technical and lacking in detail on the proposed housing sites Many comments were made about infrastructure, mainly GP services, to support any population growth in the area, and the need to improve services before more building Melbourne Civic Society commented that it was tough responding to the document, with “too many questions, several badly written ones and quite a few repetitive”

“The consultations could have been more informative and more accessible using modern technology,” they thought

Their comments focussed on protecting the existing conservation areas, maintaining separation between Melbourne and Kings Newton, restricting development to the current settlement area and opposing its extension, supporting the existing Melbourne neighbourhood plan

They also felt it important to: protect the natural environment, open spaces and good (grade three and above) agricultural land; support the

JOHN

by Frank Hughes

building of smaller one or two bed homes for single, young and retired people; and build more rental property (e g council housing)

They supported the inclusion of energy-saving devices and building materials in new development, including housing, industrial and public builds

They objected to a new bridge crossing of the Trent at Swarkestone, which would swamp the parish with new housing development and traffic and they encouraged working with East Midlands Airport to reduce noise, especially at night

On the freeport development, they opposed any development that “leaks” into the parish of Melbourne “We are sceptical about the proposed freeport, the figures relating to economic growth and employment are fanciful,” they said

Cllrs Jane Carroll and Terry Summerlin had also been working on a response on behalf of Melbourne Parish Council They responded on the question of accommodating the unmet need from Derby City, saying it was important the villages did not lose their characteristic village life, and thought that priority funding should be given to extend Chellaston Academy or create a new secondary to ensure pupils could access a local school

Their response also encouraged provision for renewable energy including the use of solar panels or other such sources on new builds with noise mitigation and heat insulation for all new housing The rural environment must be protected, they said

WALL

In responding to other sections, they felt the green belt areas within the district should be preserved, the rural aspects of villages should be protected to maintain village life characteristics, and there was a need to provide for young people starting on the housing ladder They wanted to see the threshold for affordable housing lowered to developments of five or more houses

my friends.

Completing the 150-odd questions in the response form has been recognised as hard going, and Cllr Fitzpatrick encouraged everyone to answer at least those questions that are really relevant or most important to them

the countryside by Peter Watson, Steven McLoughlin, Mark Langley, Sarah Kirby, Peter Clayton and Steph Jansen alongside ceramics by Andrew Mason, glass by Karen Worrall of KJ Glass and sculptures by Ian Patrick Palmer and Roger Davies

JIM WILLDER sends greetings and best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to all my family, friends and neighbours.

Top town status for Melbourne

IT’S official – Melbourne is indeed one of the best places to live in the UK

Clearly local residents will already be well aware of the fact but formal recognition for its status as one of Britain’s loveliest towns has now come courtesy of the Muddy Stilettos website Its recent listing of 250 top places to live in the UK has been given wide coverage in local media

In its write-up of Melbourne the Muddy Stilettos website has this to say: “Bordering the National Forest, this pretty Derbyshire town has Georgian architecture, over fifty shops and eateries and plenty of boast-worthy heritage

“Its old mill pool (known as Melbourne Pool) was picturesquely landscaped in 1845 for Lord Melbourne, the former Prime Minister from 1779-1848 And the beautiful Melbourne Hall was a secondary home of Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister, William Lamb

“As the second Viscount Melbourne, Lamb gave his name to the Australian city in the 1830s ”

Muddy Stilettos goes on to pick out some of its favourite shops and eateries, including Amalfi White, Harpur ’s, The Bay Tree and Melanie Louise It also recommends a visit to Melbourne Festival

According to the website, the average house sale price over the last year in Melbourne was £313,114 – six per cent down on the year before

The website also talks about good local schools and nurseries in the area, including Scallywags and Puddleducks

Other highly rated places to live in Derbyshire include Repton and Duffield, while over the border in Leicestershire the website also featured Ashby-de-la-Zouch on its top 250 list

THIS stunning angel is currently flying high on the ceiling of St Wilfrid’s Church in Barrow-upon-Trent, as part of a spectacular display launched in December

The newly renovated church – whose history spans around a thousand years – has been adorned with a thousand angels, made by local school children and other volunteers

It was due to be open to the public over the weekend of December 10 and 11, and any other individuals or groups who would like to see the display should contact stwilfridsheritage@gmail com

The angels are expected to be flying over the ceiling of the church throughout December and January

As the only privately owned, family run Funeral Directors in Melbourne, we are able to offer an extremely personal yet professional service at a reasonable cost, both in Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

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New memorial garden

A SPECIAL garden opening took place to honour fallen heroes and create a new green corner in Melbourne.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Derbyshire Griselda Kerr was at the new memorial garden at Melbourne’s Royal British Legion branch on Derby Road to help declare it officially open.

She was joined by local councillors Nigel Collyer and David Muller, branch president Dave Worrall, branch standard bearer Andy Boardman, and padre Rev Steve Short. After a welcome address and opening prayers, the garden was officially blessed by Rev Short.

The traditional Remembrance Exhortation was then read, followed by a playing of The Last Post and Reveille at either side of a minute’s silence

Club president Holly Stenson read The Kohima Epitaph, which was followed by further prayers and a final blessing

The memorial garden was officially opened by November 12, the day before Remembrance Sunday.

It was created this year out of a desire by the Royal British Legion to give their club premises more kerb appeal while also honouring the fallen

Royal British Legion committee members have been working over evenings and weekends to get the garden finished in time for its opening ceremony

The memorial garden has benefited from donations from Greens of Allenton, club members, Breedon Aggregates and Graphic Worx.

Centenary photograph

A HUNDRED years of history in Aston-on-Trent has been commemorated with a special photograph

The village’s war memorial hall has now been in situ for a century and members of the local community gathered for a photo to mark the occasion, as a re-enactment of one taken back in 1922

Shortly after Colonel William Dickinson Winterbottom of Aston Hall had provided the land on which the memorial hall was built, the public were invited to attend a service in All Saints Church on February 11, 1922, for the dedication of a bronze memorial to the 19 men of Aston on Trent who lost their lives during the 1914/18 First World War

Following the service, the congregation proceeded to the newly built War Memorial Hall where the public, which included local dignitaries and clergy, were addressed by the colonel’s wife, Mrs Constance Winterbottom, who then performed the official opening ceremony of the hall by unlocking the doors using a ceremonial silver

Reservoir hits a low level

WATER capacity at Staunton Harold reservoir over the early autumn of 2022 has dipped to some of its lowest levels in years, figures reveal

Levels at the reservoir are now recovering after being just under half full over a five-week period in October and early November

Figures recorded by Severn Trent Water show that the capacity of Staunton Harold reservoir has rarely dipped below 50 per cent over the past six years

But during October this year, the reservoir was persistently only around 48 and 49 per cent full

A spokesperson for Severn Trent Water said: “This year, the country has seen a period of exceptional hot and dry weather, with the six driest summer months since 1850 The hot summer, combined with a lack of rainfall throughout the year, has meant that our reservoir levels are lower than average

“However, we have worked hard throughout the year to preserve our water stocks to make sure our customers have an uninterrupted supply

“We are confident that a normal level of rainfall throughout the winter will refill our reser-

voirs, but we also need to be conscious of the impacts of climate change and be prepared should the drier weather continue throughout the rest of the year

“We are therefore asking our customers to continue to be mindful of their water use Considering how we use water at home is the right and responsible thing for everybody to do all year around as water is a precious resource

“Small behavioural changes can add up to a big difference and we would like to thank all our customers for their continued support in using water efficiently ”

At the end of November, the

water capacity at Staunton Harold reservoir had gone back up to being just over 60 per cent full, but this was still lower than in previous years

At the same time in 2021, the reservoir was nearly 95 per cent full, while at the end of November in 2020 combined records for that body of water and Foremark reservoir were showing a capacity of nearly 85 per cent Staunton Harold reservoir showed rare readings of being 100 per cent full during the early months of 2020, which saw some heavy storms

However, at the end of 2018, Foremark and Staunton Harold reservoirs were also down, being just over half full

key On November 13 this year, photographer Marc Dewhurst took a picture of members of local organisations, including the Royal British Legion and Aston-on-Trent Parish Council, outside the war memorial hall ahead of the Remembrance Day parade

l (l-r) Dave Worrall, Melbourne branch president of the Royal British Legion; Andy Boardman, standard bearer for Melbourne’s Royal British Legion; Cllr Nigel Collyer, vice-chair of Melbourne Parish Council, Griselda Kerr, deputy Lord Lieutenant for Derbyshire; Cllr David Muller, Melbourne ward representative on Derbyshire County Council; and Rev Steve Short, padre to the Melbourne Royal British Legion. Inset: A memorial stone donated to the new garden by Breedon Aggregates

Picture: Marc Dewhurst Photography

l Mrs Constance Winterbottom in the front row, far left, at the 1922 opening

l This picture shows the low level of Staunton Harold reservoir on November 20 this year.

Jean proves a black belting kickboxer at 80

WHETHER it’s two knee replacements, reaching the age of 80, or living with a littleknown syndrome – this mother and son don’t let obstacles stand in their way when it comes to fitness.

Jean Baldwin and her son Carl have been awarded a prestigious black belt in kickboxing, and their journey to get there has been truly inspirational

Jean, from Smisby, is one of the oldest people in the UK to have earned a martial arts black belt having recently done so at the grand old age of 80 Her son Carl has also been awarded a kickboxing black belt, despite living with Klinefelter syndrome, which in his case is so severe he was told he could end up needing a wheelchair by the age of 40

Jean told how she had been taking Carl for sessions at Martial Sports Gym in Swadlincote when trainer Jamie Fearn suggested she might like to have a go herself

At the time Jean was 76 and had never done any martial art

She said: “I put the gloves on and Jamie took me through a few little moves, and from that moment on I just loved it! He taught me pad work, and how to punch and kick ”

Over the past four years Jean has progressed through eight different kickboxing stages to reach the coveted black belt level

In order to achieve her black belt, Jean was part of a group of people at the gym for around three hours, where they were put through their paces with a large range of exercises in different combinations

So why does she do it?

She said: “I’ve always been active I think some of it with me is pride, I didn’t want to be 80 years

by Lucy Stephens

old and be like an elderly person!

“Even though it’s tiring and sweaty and it’s sometimes very hard, when you’ve done your training it feels so good! It’s an exhilarating feeling, that you’ve achieved something ”

Jean said working out at the gym had also completely transformed her son Carl Klinefelter syndrome, in which men have an extra X chromosome, affects muscle growth; it had left him painfully thin a few years ago

Carl has now embarked on Kombat Kai and is being taken on by Martial Sports Gym as an assistant instructor

He said he enjoyed martial arts as they tested the strength in his legs and the rest of his body too

Jamie Fearn, who has trained both Jean and Carl, said: “Carl started his martial arts journey with me some years ago when Jean brought him to the gym He began training Cobra Kickboxing with me as Jean believed it would help him with any issues that he had

“He took to the training straight away and proved to be a good martial artist and student Finally this year he achieved his black belt

“After bringing Carl and just sitting watching the session, both myself and Carl persuaded Jean to give it a try She tried it and loved the Cobra Kickboxing

“She has now started to train at karate with me while still keeping up her kickboxing skills For someone that age to start a combat sport, or any sport, is a true inspiration to anyone You’re never too old to try anything

“I’m extremely proud of them both and they should be proud of themselves and their achievements All members of the Martial Sports Gym in Swadlincote have huge respect for them ”

A HOME-GROWN tale of Melbourne’s very own three bears has raised £1,000 to help local children with diabetes

Melbourne’s Chris Astle raised the sum by writing an NHS-inspired book in lockdown Chris and her grand-daughter Sophie Bush, who has type one diabetes, have now handed over the £1,000 to the children’s diabetic clinic at Royal Derby Hospital

The cash was raised from sales of Chris’s book, NHS Bears in Lockdown, which she wrote in 2020 as a way of keeping in touch with her grandchildren during the time when families were kept apart

The book tells of the exploits of three teddy bears: Neil, Harriet and Sammy – whose names spell out NHS – and is Chris’s take on the 12 weeks following March 23, 2020, when the UK was put under its first set of strict restrictions

She was inspired to put teddy bears centre stage after seeing how people put cuddly toys in

their windows at that time

Now Chris has thanked everyone in the area who bought the book and contributed to the amount it raised

The diabetic clinic at Royal Derby Hospital has helped Chris’s grand-daughter Sophie with a device that has transformed the way she can manage her own type one diabetes, with which she was diagnosed aged

six

Like everyone with this type of diabetes, Sophie and her family must carefully monitor her blood sugar levels

The ’Libre’ device she now has means she can check her blood glucose levels via an app on her phone

Chris said: “I just want to thank everybody for supporting me in buying this book ”

l Carl and Jean training in their garden; and (left) Jean with Jamie Fearn from Martial Sports Gym.

MERRY Christmas to all, and a prosperous New Year – that’s the message from Melbourne Parish Council!

The parish council, which has responsibility for many areas of village life, would like through the pages of the Village Voice to wish everyone all the compliments of the festive season

l Chris Astle (left) and Sophie Bush (right) handing over £1,000 to Lucy Gee of the children’s diabetic clinic at Royal Derby Hospital

‘WONDERFUL, perfect, moving, emotional, going from strength to strength’ just some of the comments expressed about Ticknall Church choir following the Service of Remembrance earlier this month which was conducted by Canon David Edwards The choir consists of 16 female singers who perform two and three-part works At present they sing on the first two Sundays of each month

Hundreds then joined representatives from the Royal British Legion, Melbourne Parish Council and many other organisations to mark the two-minutes silence and wreath-laying ceremony at the village’s war memorial Karen Worrall’s beautiful playing of The Last Post and Reveille perfectly fitted the sombre mood of the occasion.

Last year the Remembrance Day parade was back in force in Melbourne after a low-key commemoration during Covid in 2020

Poppies turn green red

VILLAGERS gathered on the Weston-on-Trent village green to mark Remembrance Day against a backdrop of a stunning new poppy installation

In a first for the village, residents joined children from Weston-on-Trent Primary School and Rev Paul Hygate to mark Armistice Day on November 11 with a service and two minutes’ silence

The children sang a song of Remembrance which was specially written by class teacher Martin Stephens

The village’s recently installed sign was decorated with a beautiful poppy display hand created by local residents The poppy initiative was conceived and co-ordinated by local resident Kerry Than in memory of her father Barry Woods

Barry, who passed away in 2020, was a dedicated supporter of the Royal British Legion in his home village of Newhall

Kerry said she wanted to continue his legacy in support of the organisation, to honour his

memory, that of other lost loved ones and those who gave their lives in war Both individuals and village groups were inspired to rally round The display, supported by the parish council, includes hundreds of knitted and crocheted poppies produced by crafty individuals of all ages Weston Women’s Institute and the cubs from 107th Derby Scout group produced more colourful poppies created from recycled pop bottles, whilst WI members and pupils from Weston school also painted rocks to add to the display

Tallulah Reddy, five, from Trent Lane, saved up her pop bottles, got busy with her paints and produced 28 of the ‘pop bottle’ poppies all on her own! The intention is that the display can be added to, to create an even bigger spectacle in subsequent years

After the service on the green Kerry said: “I’m really proud It’s all come together with the help of lots of lovely people from the village like Victoria Brown, Jacky Sowter, Becky

Moore, Jo Cooke, Mel Hollingworth and Aline Nixon ”

l Rev Paul Hygate, Kerry Than, Jacky Sowter and Victoria Brown at the Weston-on-Trent village green Remembrance Day service

huge crowd of people gathered on streets to watch the traditional Remembrance Day parade process through Melbourne

Sofa so good for Melbourne

A MULTI-MILLION pound furniture business says it is “coming home” after moving its UK headquarters from London to Melbourne Mark and Julie Smith, who live in this area and are owners of high-end sofa company Arlo & Jacob, have moved its creative HQ all the way from the big smoke to Melbourne Industrial Estate Business directors say the move makes perfect sense with Melbourne’s excellent transport links to its other UK stores in Bristol, Harrogate, Marlow and Islington

It also means sofas will be designed and developed in Melbourne close to Arlo & Jacob’s factory in Long Eaton area

Long Eaton has officially been recognised as Britain’s centre of “quality upholstery manufacture”

The town has over 50 upholstery manufacturers and trade suppliers – more than any other

town or city in the UK

Its upholstery history spans nearly a century, with the industry employing 2,700 people in the area

Arlo & Jacob brand director Michelle White said: “Mark and

Arlo & Jacob was established in 2014 and hand-makes all its sofas to order, with a head office team comprising design, commercial, marketing, finance and retail of around 40

A further 30 men and women in the workshop are dedicated to cutting, fabric, interior materials, springs and putting them all together

Julie wanted to bring the business home They’ve grown and developed their own family here for more than 20 years, so from a personal point of view Melbourne makes a great base

“From a business perspective, this is the heart of furniture making in the country, so Melbourne seemed to be the ideal choice to grow this brand further The location is central for all our stores We’re very excited to be here!”

Arlo & Jacob’s new two-floor base in Melbourne will be the business’s creative hub, where new sofas will be imagined, designed and then fine-tuned with expert upholstery skills

The idea is that customers will be able to go to Melbourne to order their sofa, choosing fabric and design

The Melbourne HQ currently has about 10 staff, with further employees based in London who will be commuting up to South Derbyshire every week and are looking forward to exploring the local eateries and hotels

Postmaster ’s parting words

KEEP using your Post Office – that’s the parting message from Munir Ahmed, who has left the Melbourne branch after 10 years

In November Munir, of Nottingham, handed over Melbourne’s Post Office to Bengang Fang, the new postmaster Munir has been running the Melbourne branch since July 2012 and said he had loved every minute

“I’ve enjoyed working at Melbourne Post Office and love the interaction with the locals,” he said “I will be sad to leave I’ve enjoyed myself over the last 10 years.”

Munir said he thought it was important that local residents continued to use the Post Office in Melbourne, especially given the demise of other branches and also of local banks

He said: “I do find a lot of local people still are coming in and using the Post Office for

day-to-day things What I would say to the local residents is: ‘Continue supporting the local Post Office and other local businesses, these have been tough times for us all ’

“Losing the Post Office would not be a good thing for the village, especially with no banks, so do continue to support it Use it as much as you can, because a lot of villages are starting to lose their smaller post offices as we have seen with other villages around Melbourne.”

Munir said he had decided to take things a bit easier having commuted to Melbourne from Nottingham for the past decade.

He said: “I wanted to take a break from work and do some travelling as well as working on my property development business.

“I would like to thank all my customers and small businesses for the support over the past 10 years.”

l Bengang (left) and Munir at Melbourne Post Office

Laura’s charity calendar shots

A MELBOURNE born and bred photographer has put her skills behind the lens to good use by helping create a charity calendar. A much-loved organisation in the village is set to benefit.

Laura Firth, of MiniAperture Photography, has provided her photos in a special new calendar designed to promote great days out in Derbyshire, as well as raising money for charity at the same time

The calendar has been produced by Laura in collaboration with Sarah Bulmer of popular website www DerbyDaysOut co uk

Laura’s images have been used to illustrate months January to November in the calendar, of which 80 per cent of the profits will be given to four local charities, including Melbournebased me&dee, which creates special memories for families where a life-limiting illness has been diagnosed meaning time together may be short and precious

The other three charities set to benefit are child mental health charity Bridge The Gap, Derby County Community Trust and child safeguarding charity Safe and Sound

Sarah and Laura picked these particular charities because they represent and support a great many families and young people in the Derby area

Derby Days Out was launched in 2015 to provide a resource for families to find a great day out in the area

Sarah said: “I completely rely on my trusty A4 calendar every day for everything, so I wanted to create a useful family calendar while at the same time highlighting beautiful

by Lucy Stephens

places to visit around Derbyshire!

“I’m so proud to be part of this project with MiniAperture and to be supporting four amazing charities ”

Laura said: “When Sarah approached me at the start of the year and told me about her vision for creating a calendar for Derby Days Out, I could immediately picture it in my mind’s eye and I felt very excited about putting it together I also felt honoured that she wanted to collaborate with me on such an amazing project

“Promoting our wonderful county and the surrounding areas, supporting local charities and creating a beautiful piece of artwork for people to hang on their walls – how could I say no! We’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making this calendar a reality, the journey has been quite an adventure and it’s been an absolute delight to collaborate with Sarah “We’ve only just released 2023’s calendar and we’ve already got a handful of businesses on board for 2024!”

The calendar features a different attraction each month, giving families ideas for activities and events they can do together

Some of the businesses who are featured in the calendar include Derby County FC, Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Bustler Market, Heights of Abraham and Derby Museums

The calendar is available to buy online from the Derby Days Out shop: https://www derbydaysout co uk/shop

Weston is battered by winds

INTENSE winds hit Weston-onTrent in November, damaging roof tiles, fence panels and a tree

Onlookers in the area near Kings Mills Lane in Weston on Thursday, November 24, described winds so strong over a period of about half an hour that sheds were literally blown into the air

Even drivers felt safer stopping their vehicles to wait for the winds to die down One large oak tree was snapped in two by the weather

Ed Green, chair of Weston-onTrent Parish Council, said: “It was a very, very strong wind which caused trees to move very strongly Drivers had to pull over

“It took out a garden shed and several fence panels too ”

In order to discover whether the winds on the day were a tornado, the Village Voice consulted with Michael Dukes, director of forecasting at MetDesk

Mr Dukes confirmed that there had been a squall line going through the area at the time, associated with a cold front, producing a “short spell of intense rain and very squally winds”

He said that to establish whether the cause of the damage was a tornado, an expert would be needed to inspect the local scene and check whether the debris was consistent with rotating winds – which would be associated with a tornado – rather than straight line winds

ABOVE: The front cover of the calendar

RIGHT: Laura Firth (left) with Sarah Bulmer

Brothers Bank on their new look pub

by Frank Hughes

RATHER like a Dr Who style regeneration, the Chip & Pin micropub in Melbourne has seamlessly morphed into the Bank of Beers, under the stewardship of brothers Alex and Matt Allingham

Matt, who is head brewer at Leatherbritches Brewery in Smisby, said that he and his brother Alex had often discussed the idea of opening a pub When the previous owners left, they thought it was too good an opportunity to turn down

Alex said: “We wanted to retain much of the character of the original micropub, but put our own stamp on it, with our own style We want it to stay friendly and with a good offer of real ales, and complement that with more choice and an expanded drinks offer ”

The brothers described their style as “rustic/industrial/cosy” and the biggest change customers will see is the modern looking bar with traditional handpumps on the bar and wall-mounted taps for keg ciders and lagers

The £40,000 refurbishment

has been completed mainly by new manager Nathan Barnett His background in property renovation has enabled him to use a lot of recycled material, with the bar having been constructed from wooden pallets

He is looking forward to welcoming back many customers, both former and new, with the offer of the signature Leatherbritches beers, but with

new guest ales, ciders, wines and spirits

With seating extending into both the former meeting room and the old cask room, the bar can comfortably seat around 50 customers, who will also be able to enjoy traditional bar snacks including local GourmEgg scotch eggs

Asked about the choice of the new name, Matt and Alex said

and 12 in aid of the National Garden Scheme

they wanted to reference the former use of the building as HSBC bank, so it seemed quite appropriate

They will also be making use of the “Mad Brewer” branding they have established as part of the Leatherbritches business

The team also includes Harry Davies, who has been involved in the styling of the Bank of Beers

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CHRISTINE AND SARAH WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS 2023!

and the Queen’s Nursing Institute Last

The garden will open from 10am to 3 30pm over the weekend of February 11

l Harry Davies, Matt Allingham, Nathan Barnett and Alex Allingham behind the bar

WITH its lit-up courtyard, crowds of people, wreath-making and beautiful Christmas tree, the Ferrers Centre at Staunton Harold looked as pretty as a picture when it held its festive shopping night in late November

Complete with traditional organ grinder and music from Melbourne Town Band, Cat Howourth and John Beer, a big crowd of visitors enjoyed an

evening of shopping, mince pies and general Christmas spirit

This was the second time that the Ferrers Centre had held a Christmas shopping evening and they reported that the occasion had been very well attended

The evening also raised £837 for Ashby Food Bank with the sale of raffle tickets; all the shop-keepers had donated the prizes.

IT was a tight s bourne Market evening of Dec huge crowd watch the Chr being turned o son.

With hundred counting down to the big switch-on festive atmosph opening late, m bands, stalls fr nesses and eater small flock of Santa hats courte Animal Farm Sue Statham, Florist, who wo parish council t evening’s festivit really impresse Melbourne came ported it “All the stall-h had a good time They said they h lots of Prosecco a old customers!”

This year the had arranged for be closed to its Queensway in o more of the town Maria Hanso which had a sta said: “For us, i There was not o we didn’t have p us ”

At the latest m bourne Parish Co ber 6, council evening seemed big success

LEFT: Melbourne Town Band performing for the crowds enjoying the atmosphere, and (above) Matthew Cooke of Cooke & Sons Traditional Street Organ Grinders providing some festive music

SWITCHED ON OR CHRISTMAS

queeze in Melt Place on the cember 2 as a gathered to ristmas lights on for the seas of people all o the moment of n, it was a truly ere with shops usic from local om local busiries, and even a sheep wearing esy of Melbourne of Melbourne orked with the o organise the ies, said: “I was d by how well e out and supolders said they and enjoyed it had got through nd met new and parish council r Derby Road to junction with rder to include ’s businesses n, of me&dee ll on the night, t was brilliant ne second when eople in front of meeting of Meluncil on Decemlors said the to have been a

Meet us at The Baptist Chapel, Chapel Street, Melbourne

l Steel Harmonics entertains the crowds at the Melbourne lights switch-on

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

WHEN does Christmas begin for you? I think the reality is that Christmas comes much earlier than it used to. When I was a child (in the 1950s and 60s) at home we never put up decorations or a tree until Christmas Eve. Now the shops are proclaiming Christmas before Hallowe’en is over.

In church over the years we have had to adapt to this a bit. For some time now most churches have had a carol service on the Sunday before Christmas instead of after and Nativity plays take place at the beginning of December. There used to be 12 days of Christmas but now the party is over much sooner as the sales take over and our television screens are filled with summer holiday adverts.

But whenever we start or end our celebrations the spiritual importance of Christmas remains

It’s surely about being thankful that God enters our world to share our human lives. That Christ brings light into our lives and that Christ will come back to usher in a kingdom of justice and peace for all.

It’s also about mirroring the generous love of God in the actions of our own lives. And there are plenty of ways of doing that just at the moment, especially as so many people and families are facing the biggest struggle of their lives with the impact of the energy crisis and the current financial situations.

It’s a real blessing to be able to give presents to the people we love At Christmas people often make gifts to charities as well. This year some people will still be able to do that but many will have little spare money Some will be giving gifts other than money, gifts of time for the lonely, gifts of care for the sick, gifts of encouragement for the downhearted, gifts of hopefulness in a world which seems to have lost its way.

I pray that in our parishes and communities there will be an overflowing of love, joy and peace from our generous God. The God who longs for the best for all of God’s creation

May the love and peace of the Christ-child fill your hearts this Christmas and in the year to come.

...and a Happy New Year

FACING PAGE (top) Enjoying the switch-on fun are names to come possibly; (bottom left)Carla Shaw from Melbourne Animal Farm; (bottom right) Jack (left) and Oliver Lavis getting into the spirit of Christmas while some elves watch the scene

RIGHT: Ady Walters with daughter Jemima

LOOK who turned up to officially mark the opening of the Christmas tree in Kings Newton the other day?

It was only Laurel and Hardy!

Well, the famous duo are obviously no longer with us but Neil Hill and Graeme Hardy (who plays Stan Laurel) made excellent look-a-likes, and they are pictured in a Model T Ford with Monica Heath

A good crowd was at the Hardinge Arms to watch the switch-on, while over in Thulston (left), Santa also turned out to help locals turn on their festive displays for the season

ABOVE: Alfie, Aaryan, Maisie and Shreya chatting to Father Christmas about possible presents at the Melbourne lights switch-on

LEFT: Sue Statham from Melbourne Florist with Nish Dias

enjoying the evening.

Linda’s alderwoman award

Chilton has been made an honorary alderwoman after a full council meeting at County Hall in Matlock

Linda was one of 10 former councillors who made a significant contribution to the authority and were chosen because they rendered eminent service as past members of the county council

She was elected in 2013 and served until she retired in 2021 During that period she was appointed as council chairman in 2017

Leader of Derbyshire County Council Barry Lewis (pictured with Linda), said: “I congratulate our new honorary aldermen and alderwomen

“All 10 have served the county with distinction and thoroughly deserve the honour ”

All of the new honorary aldermen and alderwomen were presented with a badge of office; their names are on a roll of honour

Linda said: “The award, which was totally unexpected as I hadn’t received the council minutes, was agreed last year, but kept being deferred due to the Covid situation then in Sep-

tember cancelled again due to “It is lovely that we now have two aldermen here in Melbourne: I was chairman of the council when I presented John Harrison with his in 2017 ”

JOHN TODD OLIVER December 20, 1925October 8, 2022

OBITUARIES

JOHN was born in East Jarrow, Newcastle, to William Oliver and Priscilla Todd His father had joined the police force in 1919 in East Jarrow but found it hard supporting the couple’s five children – Ruby, Gladys, Thomas, William and John – so joined the Canadian Mounties in 1928

Tragedy struck the next day when William drowned in a canoe accident He is buried in a memorial cemetery in Canada

When the second world war broke out in 1939 John’s older brother Thomas joined the Navy but died aboard HMS Neptune in the Mediterranean, one of the war ’s least known naval disasters in which 764 officers and men were killed The day was John’s 16th birthday Undeterred, John joined the Royal Navy himself – having lied about his age – and started life as a signalman in January 1942

John spent 10 years in the Royal Navy and was serving on HMS Surprise when the then Princess Elizabeth did her Commonwealth tour of the Mediterranean

In 1952 John left the Navy and joined the police force Shortly afterwards he met his future wife, Rosemary, at Kettering General Hospital where she was working as a nurse The couple married at All Saints Church in Granby, Nottinghamshire, on March 9, 1954, a service conducted by Rosemary’s father Gerald Francis

John served with the police in Kettering,

Wellingborough and Northamptonshire, leaving in 1978 after 25 years’ service He and Rosemary had four children together, Gillian, Christine, Jacqueline and Ian

The next exciting chapter in the Olivers’ lives arrived when they moved to Ticknall as Rosemary had been asked to look after Airmyne Jenney, of Calke Abbey Working with Airmyne, Charles and Henry HarpurCrewe at the end of Calke Abbey’s tenure in private hands, the Olivers continued their association with Calke when crippling death duties at the demise of Charles in 1981 meant – after some wrangling – the estate passed over to the National Trust as payment

John stayed on to oversee security at Calke and manned the gate to visitors until he was 70 In one particularly interesting episode during his time there, he and Henry helped uncover the magnificent state bed which is one of the treasures of Calke

John’s health declined in his later years and he suffered a bad fall on September 8, 2022, the day of the late Queen’s death

His funeral service was conducted by Rev Steve Short at St George’s Church, Ticknall John’s police and naval helmets were placed on his coffin, along with naval and police flags, and his policeman’s truncheon His son Ian read out a poem that John had written for Rosemary:

“Though distance now divides us, and thy face I cannot see, Though hand in hand we cannot stand, I often think of thee ”

KAREN LESLEY STONE

October 20, 1965 – August 9, 2022

KAREN was born in Burnley in 1965 to Ken and Pam Bowes and moved to the Wirral aged four, after her father had finished working as a miner after a work related illness

Karen was a happy child who loved being the centre of attention, winning talent competitions and being on the stage She always worked very hard, and had seasonal jobs at Woolworths, WH Smith, Debenhams, before moving to the University of Wolverhampton in 1985 where she gained a Batchelor of Arts degree (Hons) in Humanities, majoring in French, German and History From university, after a year living in Strasbourg, she bluffed her way into a silver service waitress job in the Hotel du Glacier in Fiesch, Switzerland, when it was obvious she wasn't, and where her part Basil Fawlty, and part Manuel charm, and pigeon French and German, made her a very popular restaurant assistant, waitress and bar manager

After two years in Switzerland at the start of the 1990s Karen worked as a trans Europe coach courier, hard selling pot noodles and scalding coffees to weary and irritable travellers to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland, crossing Checkpoint Charlie many times

She worked for HM Customs and Excise, Federal Express, and had four years with DFS furniture company, finding her true calling in customer relations and after sales service

Karen worked for BMI at East Midlands Airport from 1996 to August 2012, starting on the checkout desk at Heathrow, and finally becoming a senior customer relations manager She loved working for BMI and became a very popular member of staff, being full of fun and spreading that happiness with her legendary funny risqué stories and

habits, and friendly and kind ways Karen was always very proud to be a part of BMI life

She moved to Melbourne in 2011 to Castle Mews from Burton, to be closer to work In Burton she had been a popular member of Burton Musical Theatre Company, where she took part in a number of their excellent shows, including one part as a very convincing tree in The Wizard of Oz From 2010, Karen was also a member of Friday Voices choir, who are a well known, multi-international competition winning choir based in Tutbury Karen loved to sing with them so much After BMI, Karen worked for Alstom, Hill-Rom, and had six years as a material analyst for Caterpillar, before enjoyable spells with Breedon Quarry and finally with Refresco Drinks UK

Karen met her husband to be, Charlie, in 2011, at a Centre Parcs fancy dress, when she was Tina Turner and Charlie was a Dalek They married in Antigua in December 2017

Charlie had moved into Melbourne in 2012 They loved walking a circuit around Melbourne Hall pool and the woods, and had a very romantic connection to a particular place at the pool where proposals of marriage and giving of rings, and much being in love was done

Karen fell ill suddenly with a cancer condition in 2021, and fought very bravely for 14 months before passing away aged 56 on August 9 Her funeral at St Michael and St Mary, Melbourne, on August 24, was very well supported, and the sound of her wonderful choir on that day in that beautiful church will be remembered by all who attended

Karen was a very well presented, popular, loving, kind, funny, musical, and ultimately, very strong, brave person, who gave much inspiration to others in her final year, and she will always be missed by those who met her and loved her

FORMER Derbyshire county councillor for Melbourne Linda

Children’s charities given £3.5k boosts

NICE surprises were the order of the day when three highly valued children’s charities were handed £3,500 apiece by a local company.

Truma Limited, a Fostonbased motor home equipment company whose co-managing director is Melbourne councillor Martin Fitzpatrick, held a special charity morning when three organisations were each given the donation

Melbourne-based me&dee was joined by the NSPCC and Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough to be given the cash boost Mr Fitzpatrick explained that the company had decided to donate a share of its profits to these particular organisations as Truma’s German founders highly valued children’s charities

“We do think of ourselves as a family business,” he told representatives from the charities, local councillors and South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler

“It’s sometimes very important to remember there are more important things in life than just working our socks off and doing the best job for our customers, and hopefully in a small way making some lives other than our own a little bit better,” he added

As part of the morning’s events, each charitable representative told the room about their organisation’s vital work, before being presented with a ‘golden envelope’

Maria Hanson said me&dee had received applications from around 300 families this year,

and that it needed support from businesses to help it in its work making special memories in situations where time is short and precious

The charity has a holiday lodge where families in which a life-limiting illness has been diagnosed can go for some muchneeded respite, and me&dee organise many other memorymaking trips and wellbeing packages to help make each moment special MP Heather Wheeler told the room that the area was “incredibly lucky” to have me&dee Kirsty Coxon, from Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough, told Truma employees: “You really

are a credit t East Midlan people of th who help us families real their journey you ”

Cllr David Rainbows wa rational plac ited in hi “fantastic” bu

Thanking “We all live miles per ho but you hav and the mone Barbara E fund-raising NSPCC, told

FINGERS ON THE BUZZE

IT will be soon time to replace the World Cup poster with the Melbourne Charity Quiz wall chart to track progress of your favourite team from the round of 32 down to the Grand Final, when two teams will compete for the honour of holding the shield for 2023

Organiser Paul Fox is hoping to fill all the entry slots in time for the opening date on Friday, January 27 “Entry forms can be obtained from me at pfswingwell@gmail com and will need to be submitted no later than Friday 6 January,” he said

Last year ’s champions, Surplice quirements, will doubtless be favour the bookies, but all the other three on last year ’s finals nights will be l to go one better and lift the coveted on finals night, on March 24

This year the chosen charity Trussell Trust Foodbank in Ashby year £1,200 was raised and dona Treetops

All community groups and organis are being encouraged to put in a t four members, although substitutes lowed The format for each quiz in

VILLAGE VOICE

Bill Morley death Ashame

IT IS with great sadness that I report the unexpected death of Bill Morley, the outstanding Deputy Head of Chellaston School from 1977 to 1997

He will be remembered with fondness and respect for providing guidance, advice, care and support for all pupils

Mr Morley’s funeral will be at 11 30 am at Trent Valley Crematorium, Aston-on-Trent on Tuesday, December 20 It would be heartening to see parents and pupils who were lucky enough to have been influenced by Mr Morley at his funeral Howell Thomas, Head Teacher 1977 to 1997

I WRITE after we have ju the Remembrance parade house on Church Street

Unfortunately we steppe front door to find that a do cated along the full length tage

We felt thoroughly asham the people who were part of had walked past such a s front of our house

This isn't the first time

FAMILIES are being warmly invited to go to the Wesley Hall in Melbourne after school in a new weekly initiative starting next year

Melbourne Methodist Church will be opening up the Wesley Hall on Thursdays after school starting from January 12

Any families who would like to go along will find a warm welcome with some food and chat, plus craft tables to keep young ones happy Meanwhile, organisations are being invited to apply for funding to open up as a ‘warm space’ by Derbyshire County Council

With plunging temperatures and rising costs, the county council has some funding available to help provide a warm area for people

The county council reported it had received 63 applications from Derbyshire from groups wanting to open as a warm space, of which five were from South Derbyshire

The county council has also reminded residents that all its libraries are warm and available to the public

Melbourne Library in the Assembly Rooms is open on Mondays from 2-5pm; Wednesdays from 2-5 30pm, and Fridays from 9-1pm and from 2-7pm

Melbourne: Fri - 10.15am & 11.15am

Assembly Rooms - Main Hall

Stenson Fields: Tues - 9.15am & 10.15am

Community Centre

Chellaston: Mon - 1.30pm - Scout Hut

Willington: Fri - 1:30pm - Village Hall

Text Tracey: 07866 689971 Facebook Music Time 2000

GIFTS AID (l-r): Cllr David Muller, Melbourne representative for South Derbyshire District Council; Kirsty Coxon from Rainbows; South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler; Maria Hanson, founder of me&dee; Lesley Dunn, consort to the chair of South Derbyshire District Council; Cllr Paul Dunn, chair of South Derbyshire District Council; Barbara Elsey from the NSPCC; Tracey Davenport, volunteer w ing director of Truma; and Mark Harrison

Girls, wanna have footy fun?

MELBOURNE Wildcats football club is looking to recruit new young players for one of the girls’ teams, writes EDITH STEPHENS.

The club wants to encourage year four girls to join its under nines outfit so that they can get back to playing matches, as they do not currently have an active team for this age category

The club would also like to hear from anyone wanting to volunteer to coach the players.

Players, who compete in the Derbyshire County League, take part in matches on Saturday mornings, and train between 5.30 and 6.30pm on Mondays on an all-weather pitch.

Coach Laura Gardner said: “It’s about girls having fun, getting some exercise, enjoying it, socialising with their friends and making new friends.”

Mary Stephens, mum of Daisey and Florence, both members of the Wildcats, said: playing football had “really helped” her daughters’ confidence and fitness.

Anyone interested in giving Melbourne Wildcats a go should contact Laura Gardner at Laura@basecampfood com or 07891 731886.

Volunteers honoured for dedication to sailing

TWO volunteers from Staunton Harold Sailing Club have been presented with awards by HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), in recognition of their dedication to the sport

Terry Forbes and Paul Munro were among those honoured at a glittering RYA Volunteer Awards ceremony held at One Great George Street in Westminster in November

The RYA is boating’s national governing body and 48 RYA Volunteer Awards were presented to recipients from across the UK

Terry Forbes received an RYA Community Award for Lifetime Commitment As Rear Commodore Maintenance at the club since 2001, his role has included managing large extensions to the clubhouse and boathouse, rewiring the training room and looking after any other facilities-related issues, including budgets and all the latest health and safety advisories He also regularly helps to run club racing

Club spokesperson Ann Nugent said: “Terry ensures that sailing is made possible and runs smoothly in every way, inside and outside the clubhouse Terry’s ‘can-do’ attitude and generosity of spirit always sees his annual working parties packed with members and every activity is carefully planned With his years of expertise and

REPORTING to the recent Local Area Forum in Aston-on-Trent, the local police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) described how they have had a busy period, seen some staffing changes and picked up an award along the way

The South Derbyshire SNT had been recognised at the recent Celebrating Achievements Awards evening at Pride Park as Neighbourhood Team of the Year The unit comprises the three teams covering Melbourne and Mercia, Swadlincote, and Etwall, Hatton and Hilton

Recently the local team had been work-

ability to find sailors with a multitude of useful professions, he has ensured the club and its facilities are kept in pristine order as costeffectively as possible ”

Paul Munro was presented an RYA Community Award for Outstanding Contribution A member of Staunton Harold Sailing Club for 15 years, Paul is an RYA Senior Instructor and Principal of the Sailing School, helping to run courses and junior squad weekends, and has also recently qualified as a power boat instructor

“Under his leadership, the focus is on developing lifelong sailors who go on to join a sailing club, and during the pandemic, he adapted the courses to instruct adults in single-handed boats so training could restart at the earliest opportunity

In its citation for the award, the club added: “Inspiring a love for sailing and ensuring young sailors forge great sailing friendships, Paul’s enthusiasm and management set the tone for a thriving junior section He became sailing school principal in 2017 and his passion and professionalism have ensured that the sailing school has flourished Paul has made an exceptional contribution to the club, spearheading, and supporting the club’s instructor resources and encouraging keen sailors to develop their own sailing and instructing skills ”

ing with 50 to 60 per cent fewer staff but with some recent changes and the addition of three officers due to start, residents were likely to see a lot more police presence

In terms of activity officers had been engaging with schools and looking at school parking safety, participating in Operation Sceptre with a nationwide week of action to target knife crime, as well as making a number of arrests for drug related and vehicle offences

Derbyshire Police have also recently issued a new online reporting tool for rural and wildlife crime to encourage communi-

T he Common Touch...

OUR Whistlewood Annual General Meeting at the end of November went really well. Lots of ideas for the future of the project were generated by everyone there, all grouped under the various headings of the ethics of permaculture: Earth Care, People Care, Fair Shares

It’s really exciting planning our 10th anniversary year and we hope you will get involved too We’ll have plenty of exciting events to attend and we hope some of you will join us in volunteering at Whistlewood

We’re going to have a few weeks rest over the holiday period, coming back in 2023 with our Wassailing event on Saturday, January 14. Join us at about 3pm to start celebrating our orchard in a very old and traditional way. You are welcome to come earlier, from 1pm to help volunteer with some fruit tree pruning – if you have your own secateurs please

bring them

We had two very successful Christmas events at the beginning of December with the lights switch-on and a natural Christmas wreath and decorations workshop, which raised over £550

The raffle was very popular and first prize was a Whistlewood hamper made up of homemade jams, jellies, chutneys and other handmade gifts.

One of the things we hear when we meet people at our events is the desire to get back to a more natural Christmas with less plastic, a focus on quality time spent with family and friends eating good food and drink

I think the past couple of years has given people a pause, a time to reflect on what is important in our lives – and plastic toys, tat and over consumption isn’t as satisfying as all

ties to report more incidents

Sgt Chris Wilkinson, from the force’s Rural, Wildlife and Heritage Crime Team, said: “We want to reassure our rural communities that we are here to support you if you need us By offering an online way of reporting these crimes directly to our team, we can take all the details we need to provide an efficient and suitable police response This should also save time for the person reporting the crime ”

The forms can be accessed from the website www derbyshire police uk/report

the adverts on TV make out

It’s worth thinking about the permaculture ethics when planning your celebrations If you want to spend some money and support your local community buying from our amazing local shops, charity shops and food producers is definitely the way; life and Christmas isn’t about quantity it’s about quality

Times are tough and money has to be managed wisely to get by. Why give that precious hard earned money to some large faceless corporation when it could do some good in your local community?

Wishing all our volunteers and young volunteers a very merry Christmas

We really value the support of the Village Voice and all the readers. We hope you all have a peaceful Christmas and New Year

– KATHERINE PARRISH

John’s long service to club is praised

TICKNALL Cricket Club recently held two events to conclude the year, writes Dave Fox

The club held its annual general meeting on November 30 at which reports were given on all aspects of the club over the last 12 months and included plans for development for the next 12 months However, the meeting was dominated by the retirement of the chair, John Dumelow His long service to the club spanned 50 years

It was acknowledged that John was the person who made the club from a one-team outfit to what it is today, a vibrant one playing at the highest level Praise and thanks were given to John from all those present and on behalf of all players and members past and present John has gone onto pastures new but will still be around the club to support and offer any guidance that is required

The second celebratory event, the annual presentation night, took place three days later at the club where a traditional fish and chip supper was followed by the presentation of trophies to acknowledge the success of players from all teams throughout the 2022 season

The evening was a chance for players, members, backroom staff and supporters to look back on a good season for all and to look forward to the new season in 2023

The trophy winners were as follows;

The 3rd team – best batter Ian Howells with 375 runs, and best bowler Zac Lucas with 37 wickets The 2nd team – best batter Michael Jacques 708 (one century), and best bowler James Payne taking 27 wickets The 1st team – was close with only 53 runs separating third from first, but best batter was Greg Cork with 1,069 runs including five centuries The best bowler with 37 wickets was Ben Sexton but was not present as he had returned home to Australia

There were two additional trophies awarded Young player of the year was given to 15-year-old wicket keeper Jake Cherry, who kept wicket competently throughout the season for the first team

The final trophy was presented to Matt Holdgate as club person of the year for his outstanding work as chair of team selectors (a difficult job) and for his hard work around the club generally Ticknall Cricket Club would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a good and prosperous 2023 cricket season

THE prospect of a penalty shoot-out may strike fear into the hearts of football fans everywhere – but this one in Melbourne was in aid of a great cause.

Members of Melbourne Dynamo’s Football Club under-15s side joined other teams to pit their shoot-out skills against each other in aid of local charity me&dee

Coach and club chairman Conor Raynor said this was the first time the club had put on a charity penalty shoot-out and it had been a great success

A total of £635 was raised for Melbourne-based me&dee, which helps families where time together may be precious and short because of a poten-

tially life-limiting condition.

The charity has a lodge where families can have time together, and it also arranges many other wellbeing activities to help create precious memories

The charity has also sponsored one of the club’s teams.

Me&dee founder Maria Hanson is pictured with the Dynamo team

Dynamo’s frustrating time

MELBOURNE Dynamo FC’s senior sides had a frustrating November with the first team hardly in action due to the weather, while the Reserves continued to find ways to lose matches in which they were leading

The first team began the month with a convincing 5-0 home win as Jack Goodband led the way with a double supported by Conor Poynton, Char-

lie Tovell and skipper Carl Allsop all weighing in with a goal

A week later Dynamo made it seven straight league wins as they destroyed Belper United Reserves 8-1

Jack Goodband and Charlie Tovell both smashed in hattricks along with goals from Owen Morrell and Conor Poynton to complete the scoring

But that was it for November for the first team

Dynamo Reserves started the month with a hard fought 3-0 win in the Derbyshire Junior Cup South as a Harry Foxon brace plus a rare Adam Smith goal saw them progress to the semi-finals

A disappointing 4-0 away defeat to Shirebrook Rangers followed, but a week later the reserves claimed a vital 4-1 home win over Boabab United A Finn Charles double, a tidy

finish from Charlie Tovell and a stunning strike from the prolific Jack Scothern got their names on the scoresheet

Melbourne ended the month with another defeat

Harry Foxon and Finn Charles had given them a 2-0 lead, but this was squandered as the away side Burton United claimed three goals and the points

A SPECIAL award for outstanding coaching of young people has been presented to Nelly Mardon, of Melbourne Wildcats

Nelly got a surprise when down at the pitch in Melbourne when Margaret Sharp and Kate Dumelow from Rotex presented her with the Ray Gill Award

Named after a past club president, the award is given annually in recognition of significant youth participation in sport

Kate and Margaret presented Nelly with the award having heard about her excellent coaching of girls’ teams in the Melbourne Wildcats

Nelly said: “It’s been a privilege to watch the girls become an integral part of the football club in Melbourne, which was initiated by Jamie O’Toole over three years ago

“So many young people get so much from being part of a sports team and it is high time these girls get that same enjoyment and opportunity to play team sport

“When my daughter couldn’t find anywhere to play football in an all-girl environment, where her confidence could grow and be nurtured, I was more than happy to volunteer

“The Melbourne Wildcats has become so important to so many young girls; friendships are made and skills are developed, and being part of that has been amazing The girls deserve a lot of credit as they are hungry to learn, have fantastic attitudes and are really incredible footballers ”

UNBEATEN MONTH FOR RUGBY CLUB

NOVEMBER saw Melbourne Rugby Club’s first team go the whole month unbeaten – quite the achievement with such a young squad and having beaten the top team away from home.

The squad dug deep in all four encounters during November, gaining two wins and two draws to secure third spot in the league moving into December and only four points adrift of first place November started with a strong 12-26 win against league leaders Long Eaton, with tries for Benstead, Page, Warren and Lucas and three conversions for Holden It was a win that secured five bonus points for Melbourne

The following week against Newark and missing a number of players due to injury and absence, Melbourne left it until late in the day but did secure a draw with the final score-line 14-14

Against Sutton Coldfield on November 26 came a true test of character for Melbourne, who once more came back fighting, having dominated the league leaders for most of the match, with three late tries to overcome a 14-point deficit, winning the day 31-38

A second draw against Matlock followed, with Melbourne scoring late to level things up at 19-19

Things were a more even picture for the seconds with a win, a loss and a walkover win during November

The win was thanks to two late tries from Melbourne against a tough West Bridgford side, securing a 25-12 final scorecard

In the following week came a thrilling encounter against Derby seconds, which Melbourne narrowly lost 31-26 before coming back out on the pitch at the start of December to score a convincing 170 victory against Ashbourne

The thirds also had an even month with one win and one loss, starting off by just coming up short against Mansfield seconds with a 19-22 final scoreline

But there was a much better result at the end of November with a triumphant 52-7 score against Derby thirds, a game that saw eight tries and six conversions for Melbourne

November was also highly successful for Melbourne Rugby Club’s academy side

They dominated Matlock Colts at the start of the month to win 47-10 before going on to another good win against Coventry Welsh (45-13)

The team then emerged on top once more against Leicester Vipers, with a 19-12 scoreline in the favour of the green and golds

l Pictured are Nelly Mardon (centre) with Margaret Sharp from Rotex (left) and (l-r) Gracie Free, Anya Patel, Emily Kelsall, Sarah Williamson and Florence Mardon