Ranger-led Peak District hike

Most people do not go walking to experience a low, but there are three on a ranger-led Peak District hike next month.

Held on November 12th, it starts at Great Hucklow village cross at 12:00 GMT and then carries on to Grindlow and Foolow in a four mile route that is completed by 15:30 GMT.

While some may prefer shorter, lower-level walks of this kind in the autumn and winter, others might still wish to get on higher moors.

The same weekend offers two other ranger guided walks in the national park, including one above Bamford and Derwent with views of Win Hill and another exploring wartime air crash sites on the Kinder Plateau, both of which are on Sunday, November 13th.

In the latter case, this coincides with remembrance Sunday and offers a chance to pay respects to the airmen lost in the incidents.

Don’t forget to bring your walking boots, waterproofs and food and drink.

Dovedale Dash

THE  Peak District is the venue for the popular cross-country race, the Dovedale Dash.

Now in its 56th year, the event covers a four-and-three-quarter-mile course over field and dale, on rough paths and tracks. It features a crossing of the River Dove at the Stepping Stones beauty spot.

This year’s race take place on Sunday November 6 at 11am. Last year over 1,500 runners of all ages and capabilities competed.

There are trophies for winners in the open class, under-18s, under-14s, over-60s, women and locals.

This year, there will also be a separate race for under-10s, starting at 10am.

Entry is £5 on the day only, starting from 9am, and there is no charge for parking.

Full details are available at www.dovedaledash.co.uk, or contact the  organisers on 01335 350 410 or 01335 350 239

And the good news – the toilets will still be open so there will be no Paula Radcliffe moments!

Ride Sheffield petition to prevent byway sanitisation

This should be of interest to anyone that rides in the Peak District, local or otherwise. Access and trailbuilding group Ride Sheffield have been in touch to say that they need your support to help make the Sheffield Rights of Way team reconsider planned surfacing work on the Jumbles Road/Houndkirk byway in the Peak District.

Red hightlights are where the work is planned….

The notice, posted by the Sheffield Council Rights of Way team, says that they plan to improve the surface of three different sections across the moor, resurfacing the existing path with locally sourced crushed gritstone, in an attempt to slow down erosion and improve the drainage.

However, Ride Sheffield are campaigning to make the council reconsider. They believe the surfacing work will destroy the character (and fun) of an archetypal Peak District Bridleway, something they say has happened to other trails in the area.

They have created a petition in the hope that if enough riders express their concerns over the surfacing work, the Council will reconsider and attempt to carry out the work in a more sympathetic manner.

If you agree with this, they’d like you to sign the petition, which can be found below.

http://www.petitiononline.co.uk/petition/prevention-of-planned-surfacing-work-on-houndkirk-jumble-rd-byways/3751

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Sheffield bus axe protest

RESIDENTS of a Peak District village are protesting at changes to buses which will see a commuter service to Sheffield axed at the end of this month.

The 51A runs from Castleton into Sheffield via Bamford village, Ladybower and Broomhill and is one of only a few direct services from Bamford to Sheffield each day.

More regular services run on the main road through the Hope Valley but are a mile from Bamford village centre.

The railway station is a similar distance away.

Ghostly goings on at Bolsover Castle

FOLLOWING the success of last year’s Hallowe’en events at Bolsover Castle, English Heritage is promising even more ghostly apparitions and gruesome tales from the grave for its biggest ever Hallowe’en event.

Hallowe’en week will see family activities during the day and two evening openings when Bolsover Castle’s ghostly secrets will be revealed with special illuminations, ghostly effects and costumed actors.

Time Travellers Go…Ghosts and Ghouls 

From Monday 24 to Friday 28 October, special children’s activities are on offer with Time Travellers Go…Ghosts and Ghouls. Let your little horrors scare themselves silly this Halloween with creepy crafts, spooky activities and ghost hunting galore! Take part in a knee trembling trail around the grounds to find the hidden tomb and discover who lies within. Create your own terrifying decorations in our craft area and wander the grounds with our very own ghost hunter as he tells gruesome tales of times gone by! Adult £7.80/Conc £7.00/Child £4.70/Family £20.30. EH members free entry. Plus £1 for every child (members and non-members)

The Ghostly Castle at Night

On Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October Bolsover Castle will open its gates at 6pm for two nights of spooky Hallowe’en fun. Have you got what it takes to brave the castle after dark? Find out about some of Bolsover’s more horrific happenings and ghostly goings on, then explore the site by torchlight and meet some the castle’s previous residents: they are dying to meet you.

The Castle at Night Hallowe’en event is from 6pm- 9pm (last entry 8.15pm) on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October. Booking tickets is recommended as places are limited. Adult £10.00, Concessions £9.00, Children £6.00. Purchase tickets online at www.english-heritage.org.uk/bolsovercastle or by calling 0870 333 1183.

BBC Film To Focus On 4×4 Problems In Peak Park

A BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary to be screened at the end of this month focuses on the challenge of managing opposing views about 4×4 and trail bike use on green lanes in the Peak District National Park.

Film-maker Richard Macer spent a year following the Peak Park Authority’s rights of way team and was given behind the scenes access  to help the public understand the challenges of managing a complex legal issue that arouses strong passions about the balance required to conserve and enhance the environment, while allowing people legal access to the countryside.

The documentary is part of a series caled Tales From The National Parks and will be screened at 9pm on Sunday 30 October on BBC4.

Woman lost in Peak District

A WOMAN suffering exhaustion was carried to safety by mountain rescue team volunteers after she got lost during a day’s walking in the Peak District.

The 65-year-old had been on Bleaklow with her daughter in her 30s when they got separated in thick fog.

Fears were raised for the mother’s wellbeing, and she was eventually discovered by a search dog team in a cold, wet and exhausted state, unable to walk any further.

Rescue team members carried her off the hill on a stretcher.

When walking in the Peak District ensure you have a map, compass, and a working torch, and know how to use them!

Snow and Arctic winds on the way

ARCTIC winds, frost and snow will force us to turn up the heating this  week that is if you can afford it!

It will be warm today but in a sign the October heatwave is truly at an end,  the Met Office predicts snow will hit the ­Pennines and Peak District by  Tuesday.

Also, the dry autumn has left East Anglia and the Midlands facing drought warnings,  meaning they are likely to be hit by water restrictions in the new year.

Peak Park governors up for election

The Peak District National Park Authority is  recommending 22 of its governing members go up for election in a trial of direct election for national parks.

The authority is currently governed by 30 members, of whom 16 are councillors appointed to the role and six are elected parishioners.

But the authority says all members – apart from the remaining eight state-appointed experts – should go up for election in the pilot. It aims to improve local engagement and was requested by Defra.

Future of Dovedale toilets – public meeting November 1

Residents, visitors and organisations are invited to have their say on the future of the public toilets in Dovedale at a public meeting.

The Peak District National Park Authority is holding the meeting at Thorpe Village Hall on Tuesday November 1, from 5pm to 6pm.

The Authority’s chief executive Jim Dixon, director of operations Richard Campen and head of property Keith Jennings will be there to hear people’s suggestions for alternative ways to maintain the public toilets.

The toilets at the iconic beauty spot are owned by the Authority and cost more than £17,000 a year to run and there are no income generators for the Peak Park to offset the cost. In the light of the budget cuts this seems a reasonable position to take.

However, Dovedale and the surrounding land belongs to the National Trust and the car park is privately owned and at £2.50 per car perhaps the responsibility should pass to someone with a big snout in the trough.

Princely praise for Peak District

PRINCE Charles has sent a message of support to the Peak District National Park in recognition of its 60th anniversary year.

The Prince’s message was read out at a service in Edale Parish Church, which was organised by Peak District National Park Authority chairman Tony Favell and led by the Rev Dr Simon Cocksedge, vicar of Edale.

The Royal message praised the Peak District’s record in pioneering services that are now part of country life and singled out the ranger service, which began in Edale in the 1950s, for providing a bridge between farmers and visitors.

Crime falls in Derbyshire

CRIME is continuing to fall in Derbyshire, according to the latest figures published by the police.
During the first six months of the year, overall crime fell by six per cent across the county compared to the same period last year – meaning nearly 2,000 fewer victims of crime.
Between April 1 and September 30 crime fell from 34,898 to 32,934 offences.
House burglary is down by 17 per cent, vehicle crime nine per cent and criminal damage nine per cent.
Violent crime is also bucking the trend with a 15 per cent reduction equating to a thousand fewer victims of crime.
What hasn’t been factored in of course, is the number of crimes that do not get reported for whatever reason!!

No power for 1,000s after Winster fire

Thousands of homes and businesses in Derbyshire were left without power overnight after an explosion at an electrical substation.

The station at Winster, near Matlock, was damaged on Wednesday afternoon and more than 30,000 properties in Matlock, Darley Dale and Cromford were affected.

By Thursday morning about 5,000 customers were still without power but this was restored by about 16:00 BST.

Western Power Distribution said it was investigating the cause of the blast.

Thorntons breaks world record

You Tube

Largest chocolate bar: Derbyshire’s Thorntons breaks Guinness world record

Public Support Chesterfield Canal Project

A STAGGERING 13,000 people have backed a petition to show there is support for restoring Chesterfield’s canal.

Less than a year ago the Heritage Lottery Fund reportedly said the waterway’s mammoth rennovation did not hold much heritage value or public support.

Now that has been proved otherwise by the Chesterfield Canal Trust petition.

The canal stretches from the River Trent to Chesterfield, through tranquil countryside to what will be the multi-million pound Waterside development.

In total restoring 20 miles, with nine left to close the gap, will cost around £32m. Funding is being sought in chunks and the petition will help bids by showing how much support there is for the massive initiative.

Latest progress includes a 200m stretch being rennovated at Mill Green and Staveley’s new canal basin.

The Heritage and Lottery Fund said discussions are ongoing about the project’s development and support that may be offered in future.

Over £91.4m has been awarded for more than 215 projects on canal or river navigations by the fund.

Software problem makes £340,000 bus signs ‘unreliable’

Derbyshire County Council has admitted that a software issue means that £340,000 worth of bus information signs may never work.

The boards, which advise when buses are due, were bought three years ago, but 35 remain in storage and eight have not been switched on.

After the purchase bus operator Trent Barton told the council the software used for the signs was “unreliable”.

The council has been unable to find better replacement software.

The Conservative-run authority said it was still trying to resolve the issue – along with an additional problem affecting 25 of its other bus information signs which have been out of order for several months.

It said it could not rule out that both sets of signs would never work again.

What a complete waste of money.

National Park Authority sets out views on direct elections

Article taken from the Derbyshire Times who explain the situation better than I:-

THE Peak District National Park Authority, one of two national park authorities chosen by the Government to pilot direct elections, is recommending that all 22 of its council and parish members should be considered for election.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) asked the Peak District and the New Forest to pilot direct elections following a review of the governance of England’s 10 national parks, the results of which came out last month.

At present, the Peak District National Park Authority is governed by 30 members, 16 of whom are councillors appointed by district, county and city councils within the national park, six elected by parish councils within the park, and eight appointed by the Defra Secretary of State for their national expertise.

Defra has already ruled out applying direct elections to the Secretary of State-appointed members, who are recruited as experts on major national park issues such as cultural heritage, landscape conservation, recreation management and planning.

But Defra has asked for the Authority’s views on how many council or parish members should be directly elected, without increasing the overall size of the Authority.

A majority of members decided it would be wrong to be selective about asking council or parish members to give up their seats, and therefore all 22 should be put forward, and it would be up to Defra to decide.

They also voted on the principles on which direct elections should be held:

•That local residents achieve a greater sense of ownership of Authority decisions

•That elections do not damage the working relationships with local authorities or parish councils

•That the most cost-effective and efficient process should be identified

• That the costs of holding elections should not be borne by the Authority.

At present, only two out of the UK’s 15 national parks have a proportion of their members directly elected – both in Scotland – the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs. In each case they are community members, their equivalent of parish members.

Great Peak District Fair returns to Buxton

The Great Peak District Fair – set-up to celebrate local culture, food arts and crafts – returns to Buxton’s Pavilion Gardens on October 15 and 16 to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

VAL to sort out drunks and troublemakers

POLICE in Buxton have been making use of a new van which has been brought in to keep night time revellers in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales safe.

A Violence, Alcohol harm and Licensing (VAL) van is being deployed in town centres across the High Peak and Dales.

It is one of four vans purchased by Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service which are being used across the county as part of its responsibility for safety at licensed premises.

Kitted out with both static and mobile CCTV cameras, the van provides officers with a mobile base to work from and aims to prevent alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and violent crime.

It can also help police to detect offences by providing officers with footage which could be used as evidence.

And I thought the budgets were being cut? Obviously there must be a strong argument for buying vans and making redundancies – I just can’t see it!

Crich scoops awards

A POPULAR tourist attraction in Crich is celebrating after landing two accolades at the prestigious Derbyshire Heritage Awards.

Crich Tramway Village, which is home to the National Tramway Museum, was named winner in two categories at the awards last week at the Silk Mill in Derby.

It triumphed in ‘Best Exhibition’ and ‘Working with Children and Young People’.

The first award was for the new Stephenson Discovery Centre exhibition, while the second was for the centre’s Learning Department for its work on the Renaissance East Midlands-funded ‘MuBu’ project ‘Hear All About It’.

Are we returning to the Dark Ages?

The controversial plans of the county coucil to permanently switch off nearly 900 Derbyshire street lights in a bid to save £400,000 a year are sending us in the East Midlands back to the dark ages.

The authority is considering turning off up to 60,000 of its 89,000 lamps between midnight and 5.30am, with one per cent – 900 – switched off permanently in some rural areas and non-residential areas.

What effect will this have on crime and people feeling safe in their communities? and what about school children affected by the permanent switch off?

Letters of concern to Derbyshire County Council please.

Derbyshire has a new Poet Laureate

Derbyshire has a new Poet Laureate. Matt Black  was unveiled by Derbyshire County Council yesterday and was described as “An entertaining and thought-provoking writer, who composes poems for adults and children”.

Matt is the fourth Derbyshire Poet Laureate following on from Peak District writer Ann Atkinson and will be in his new role until September 2013.

“There was a young woman from Bakewell…………………”

Local brewery take awards at Sheffield Festival

A FAMILY-run brewery on the edge of the Peak District has won the “Best Beer Brewed in Sheffield” award at the cities 37th annual beer festival.

Bradfield Brewery won the coveted prize for its Farmers Blonde after a blind tasting session at the festival, held at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.

Meanwhile, the brewery’s Farmers Steel Cow ale won a gold award in the “Best Bitter” category.

Time to park the rows over tickets

A very good letter appeared in the Derbyshire Times from Cllr Simon Spencer who is Derbyshire County Council deputy leader and cabinet member for  highways and transport concerning blue badges, parking tickets and parking officers.

Everyone gets irate about this subject matter but having read the letter I have a new sense of responsibility.

Read it at http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/community/letters/time_to_park_the_rows_over_tickets_1_3813152
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Pleasley colliery shortlisted for award

PLEASLEY’S historic former colliery has been shortlisted for one of the country’s most prestigious heritage awards.

Members of the Pleasley Pit Trust have worked tirelessly to preserve the iconic headstocks and winding house at the site, while the old colliery spoil heaps have become a thriving nature reserve.

Now all the hard work has been honoured by English Heritage with a nomination in its Angel Awards, which were launched by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

They celebrate the work of individuals and groups who have saved a significant historic site which was at risk of being lost forever.

The Pleasley trust is one of 16 local groups which have been chosen to go forward to the finals on 31st October.

It is one of four sites shortlisted in the ‘The Best Rescue of an Industrial Building or Site’ category.

The project began with work on the land and development of the site, including landscaping and construction of a car park.

Phase two focused on the conservation of the site’s key features, including the remaining colliery engine houses and the head gears, along with other Grade II listed structures.

Work has been supported with investment from East Midlands Development Agency via the Homes and Communities Agency’s National Coalfields Programme.

The restoration project cleaned up the derelict industrial landscape following the closure and demolition of the colliery in the 1980s.

It also created a landscaped gateway entrance to the Pleasley Pit Country Park.

The Land Trust provide the Pleasley Pit Trust with advice and support on the management of the historic site.

English Heritage experts met recently to sift through more than 200 applications for the Angel awards, looking for passion, perseverance and imagination, as well as the scale of the challenge and how well it had been tackled.

The nomination marks a double celebration for the site after 90 hectares of the country park was designated as a Local Nature Reserve this summer.

It allowed members to press ahead with turning it into a top attraction.

Wind farm protests

CAMPAIGNERS against a proposed wind farm near four north Derbyshire villages have been urging people to continue backing their campaign after council planning officers carried out a site visit.

Banks Developments has submitted a planning application to Bolsover District Council to build three, 125 metre-high, wind turbines and an 80 metre-high anemometer mast.

But campaigners argued the development will create a noisy eyesore and is too close to houses as developers launched an advertising balloon yesterday over the proposed site in Palterton.

Barlborough-based Banks Developments has argued that any noise from turbines can be controlled and that the project will produce enough zero-carbon energy to power more than 4,000 homes which is the equivalent to 14per cent of homes in the Bolsover district.

It stated that the site was chosen due to the suitability of the landscape and subsequent wind strength and it claims nearby communities will benefit from the environmentally friendly scheme. Banks Developments feels there is a growing recognition of a need for wind farms.

Afterall they are only modern day windmills and what would you rather have - them or pylons?

Best Museum in Derbyshire

STAFF at Ilkeston’s Erewash Museum are celebrating after scooping Museum of the Year award at a county ceremony.

The team were also awarded Best Exhibition for the Swing Back to the Forties event on a successful evening at the Derbyshire Heritage Awards.

Share of £5m for community enterprises

Local villages have one month to apply for a share of £5 million Lottery cash to create  community enterprises and revitalise their area.

Projects have until 5pm on Thursday 20th October to apply for up to £30,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS Active competition.

Anyone living in a rural village of less than 3,000 people, with an enterprising idea can register to be in with a chance of a grant.

All applicants have to do is outline the idea in on online form and the best ideas will be chosen to complete a full application for a grant of up to £30,000.

The Village SOS television series broadcast over the last few weeks, followed the journey of six UK villages as they used a Big Lottery Fund grant to set up a new community business, including a Peak District community that started up a new local food project and cookery school.

East Lodge is AA Top Performer

Rowsley’s hotel and restaurant East Lodge in the Peak District has renewed it its status as an AA ‘Inspectors Choice’ Red Star top hotel – at the prestigious annual awards ceremony in London last Monday – singling out East Lodge not just as one of the finest hotels in the region, but as one of the cream of a select few hotels in the UK – as confirmed by the AA’s own Inspectors. In the words of the AA’s own website, Red Star hotels “stand out as the very best in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, regardless of style”.