Peak District View

Air Ambulance scam closed down

2011-11-16T09:16:00.001Z

DERBYSHIRE, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance has welcomed a High Court ruling closing down companies that operated a misleading charity collection.

Three connected firms were shut down in the public interest by the High Court in London following an investigation by Company Investigations of the Insolvency Service.

The investigation found the three companies, primarily operating in the Midlands, made misleading representations that the proceeds raised from the onward sale of unwanted clothing would be donated to local air ambulance charities. The reality was this did not happen. Due to the failure of all three companies to maintain adequate accounting records, it is not known what became of any proceeds generated through the sale of clothing items collected by the companies. No evidence of donations made to any Air Ambulance Charity was found.

The investigation also found the companies operated in a similar manner, attempting to pass themselves off as authorised collection agents by making charity bag drops in residential areas, with attached leaflets bearing similarities to the logos of official air ambulance charities. At no time throughout their trading histories were they ever authorised by any air ambulance service to act as charity fund raisers.

Ranger-led Peak District hike

2011-10-27T09:34:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-26T10:30:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-26T10:25:00.002+01:00

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

2011-10-21T09:24:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-20T09:34:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-19T10:36:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-18T09:37:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-18T09:35:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-18T09:33:00.002+01:00

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

2011-10-14T12:25:00.001+01:00

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

2011-10-14T12:22:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-14T12:20:00.002+01:00

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

2011-10-14T12:19:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-14T12:12:00.001+01:00

You Tube

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

Public Support Chesterfield Canal Project

2011-10-11T13:17:00.000+01:00

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’

2011-10-11T13:15:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-11T13:13:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-11T13:11:00.001+01:00

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

2011-10-11T13:10:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-11T13:06:00.002+01:00

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?

2011-10-07T09:30:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-06T10:52:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-06T10:49:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-04T09:23:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-03T09:44:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-03T09:41:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-03T09:38:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-03T09:34:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-03T09:28:00.002+01:00

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”.

Police checks at Stanage and Longstone

2011-09-30T10:13:00.002+01:00

CHECKS were carried out on 54 vehicles in the Longstone Edge and Stanage areas of the Peak District in a crackdown on illegal off-road bikers.
Police checked that all the vehicles they stopped had insurance, tax and MOTs and checked that they were safe.
A total of 47 were off-road motorbikes and officers spoke to them about Operation Blackbrook, which is a long running scheme to reduce illegal biking.

Debate on planned sale of Ripley Town Hall is put back

2011-09-30T09:36:00.000+01:00

Councillors have voted to delay a debate about the proposed sale of Ripley Town Hall.

A 1,200-signature petition was handed in before the Amber Valley Borough Council meeting, calling for the hall to be returned to Ripley Town Council.

The borough council was given the 130-year-old building in the 1970s but plans to sell it to help save £2m over the next two years.

Councillors voted to defer a debate until they are closer to a decision. This seems somewhat strange because wouldn’t you have a debate to enable a decision to be reached? Perhaps that is why I am not a councillor – I do not have twisted logic!

What's with the warnings? Ashbourne's got it wrong!

2011-09-29T15:03:00.000+01:00

The following extract from a Derbyshire based website suggests that prospective road law abusers should come to Ashbourne.

"Defects were found on school buses during a safety crackdown in Ashbourne.

Operation Safedrive took place at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and involved police officers and other agencies.

The team inspected 15 buses and coaches as they arrived at school and found two buses with defects that needed to be fixed as soon as possible.

Another bus had to be towed back to the depot for immediate repairs after officers found two wheel nuts which had sheared off.

The team then set up outside Ashbourne Fire Station and handed out a mixture of warnings, notices and fixed penalty notices to:

*6 drivers for using their mobile phone while driving

*3 drivers for having tyre defects

*2 for number plate offences

*1 driver for not being in proper control of the vehicle

*1 for not having a valid MOT

Twenty-eight drivers were stopped for not wearing a seatbelt.

In addition, VOSA issued five immediate and two delayed prohibition notices for defects on vehicles which seriously affected their roadworthiness.

Seven vehicles were also found to have no road tax."

PC Ian Salsbury said: “The check was extremely positive, reassuring the people of Ashbourne of our and our partners commitment to road safety. I would like to thank all the agencies involved in the checks.”

When parking offences carry an unavoidable and substantial fine imposed by lowly wardens, how can it be right that our expensive police force spend time giving "warnings" to motorists?
Surely, the crimes drawn to our attention here require instant and punitive action.

"Book 'em Danno"

Fight to stop sale of Ripley Town Hall

2011-09-29T09:37:00.000+01:00

Campaigners have begun a fight to stop a council selling off a town hall in Derbyshire.

Ripley Town Hall was put up for sale by Amber Valley Borough Council in June.

The authority said selling the 130-year-old building and offices next door would help it save £2m over the next two years.

A petition with more than 1,200 signatures calls for ownership of the hall to be transferred to Ripley Town Council instead.

Ripley Town Council said it should be offered the building for free as it gave it to the borough council when the authority was created in the 1970s.

In a statement it said that if the town hall was sold then the police office, the registrar’s office, the town council’s offices, and the council chamber would have to be relocated, which would be “extremely costly and very problematic”.

The council said it was putting the 2.8-acre site on the market because the authority no longer needed such a large building. Then why not lease the excess to other businesses?

The sale of the property will be discussed at a council meeting on Wednesday.

£5.5m moor restoration

2011-09-28T11:56:00.000+01:00

A £5.5 MILLION conservation project is under way in the Peak District to restore pollution-ravaged areas of peat moorland. Work is being carried out by Moors for the Future, a partnership led by the Peak District National Park Authority.

Funding has come from a range of bodies, including Yorkshire Water, the National Trust, Derbyshire Council, Sheffield Council, the RSPB and the Environment Agency.

A team from environmental consultants Wildscapes has been involved in the latest phase of the work, one of the biggest conservation projects ever undertaken in the UK. The scheme aims to return 1an area of badly damaged peat moorland to a healthy condition and to protect a much larger area.

Polluted air has been killing off the plants that keep the moors healthy. Overgrazing, summer wildfires and the weather have also contributed to a management problem that, in large moorland areas, cannot be tackled by one organisation alone.

The partnership’s mission statement is to secure the legacy of 8,000 years of moorland life and ultimately to vastly increase the number and diversity of mosses and moorland plants that provide the basis for an important ecosystem.

Wildscapes was selected to deliver the latest phase of work because of their local knowledge of the delicate moorlands, as well as their heather and moorland restoration skills which have been developed from past initiatives, including the Coalfield Heathlands project as well as work for the National Trust.

Their efforts will help stabilise bare peat in some of the most damaged areas of moorland, including Kinder Scout, Bleaklow and Saddleworth, near Manchester.

All bottled up and no where to go

2011-09-28T11:53:00.000+01:00

High Peak borough Council have again unanimously rejected resubmitted plans for a large water bottling factory at Cowdale Quarry near Buxton.

Local residents, conservationists and countryside campaigners are celebrating after working so hard to keep this beauty spot protected.

Cowdale is an important part of the buffer zone between the Peak District and Buxton, and crucial for stopping industrial sprawl, noise and light pollution affecting the Peak District National Park.

Chris Sabian is a writer with http://www.peakdistrict.com and co-owner of http://www.paragonprints.co.uk

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More injuries in Peak District

2011-09-28T11:50:00.000+01:00

A 16-year-old student was stretchered from a footpath after breaking his ankle while on a field trip.

The student, from Rotherham, was with a party on an outdoor education trip near Millstone Edge, Hathersage on Friday when he went over on his ankle, causing an open fracture.

Group leaders gave the boy first aid and alerted mountain rescuers. Edale and Buxton Mountain Rescue Teams went to the scene and an Edale team paramedic treated the student at the site, on a rocky footpath.

He was then stretchered to a waiting ambulance and taken to hospital.

The Derbyshire cold Eyre

2011-09-28T11:45:00.000+01:00

Mia Wasikowska has admitted that she was surprised by how cold the Derbyshire
moors were during the filming of Jane Eyre.

The Alice In Wonderland actress has the lead role in the new film adaptation
of the Charlotte Bronte novel.

She said that it was so cold, she got hypothermia on the second day of shooting. You should try living here “me duck”.

Tourism promotion row

2011-09-26T15:00:00.000+01:00

A ROW is looming over a tourism campaign aimed at attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Community leaders say the Staffordshire Peak District brand was adopted to ensure that the Moorlands gets its fair share of national park tourists.

But only one third of the Moorlands falls within the Peak District boundary and opponents fear tourism outlets in other areas, such as Biddulph and Cheadle, could lose out.

How was the motion passed in the first place?

Former Moorlands District council leader Ron Locker has tabled a motion to Saturday’s full meeting of the district council calling on the authority to ditch the brand and market the Moorlands in its own right.

Volunteer speedwatch a success

2011-09-26T14:57:00.000+01:00

POLICE in Hathersage are thanking volunteers for helping to spread the word on road safety.

It is after more than 200 letters have been sent out to motorists found speeding through the area during 2011.

They were found during Community Speed Watch checks carried out by the Hathersage Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team and a team of 27 volunteers from throughout the area.

Between January and September this year a total of 36 checks have taken place as part of the scheme in many different villages including Stoney Middleton, Calver, Grindleford, Bradwell, Foolow, Eyam, Froggat, Curbar and Hathersage.

Community Speed Watch was set up in the Hathersage area in November 2010 to target residents concerns about issues with speeding and to give people a chance to work alongside officers on road safety issues.

Signs, paid for by the Safer Derbyshire Dales Community Safety Partnership, are put up to advise drivers about the checks and anyone caught speeding is sent a letter which advises them about their speed and reminds them about the limit.

Data recorded through the scheme may also help officers to identify locations for future speed enforcement checks.

Dovedale Loos at Risk

2011-09-26T10:06:00.000+01:00

Ideas are being sought to help avoid the closure of public toilets at a Peak District beauty spot visited by about a million people each year.

The Peak District National Park Authority, which faces budget cuts of £1.7m by 2015, said the toilets at Dovedale cost more than £17,000 a year.

It wants to hear suggestions from local people and organisations by the end of October.

The toilets are likely to shut in March 2012 if a solution is not found.

They are situated within Dovedale‘s car park, which is privately owned, with the surrounding land belonging to the National Trust.

Elsewhere the park authority own other facilities nearby, such as car parks or snack kiosks which help support the associated toilets, but in Dovedale this is not the case.

Residents of the nearby village of Thorpe, which many visitors pass through on their way to Dovedale, have raised concerns that the closure could increase the numbers using their public toilets.

The answer to me is straight forward. The owner of the car park who collects £00000000000?s a year should provide the toilets as a matter of courtesy. Problem solved.

Derbyshire County Council to pay farmers to clear snow

2011-09-22T10:11:00.001+01:00

Farmers with their tractors would be paid a minimum of £200 if they sign-up to help clear snow from rural areas this winter, Derbyshire County Council said.

The authority said it needed help from farmers to remove snow and ice from roads and lanes their gritters could not reach in previous years.

Wouldn’t getting the terminally unemployed to do it be cheaper?

Top farmers’ market returns

2011-09-22T10:08:00.000+01:00

THE UK’s second biggest farmers’ market returns this weekend, with over 80 stalls of specialist products and crafts.

Derbyshire Dales District Council’s multi award-winning Bakewell Farmers’ Markettakes place this Saturday, 24 September.

Supermarket sells Chatsworth grapes

2011-09-22T10:05:00.001+01:00

Juicy grapes grown and hand-picked in England will be launched by a
supermarket for the first time this week.

A crop of golden yellow fruit harvested from vines on the Chatsworth estate
in Derbyshire will be introduced by Waitrose.

The grapes are the Muscat of Alexandria variety more usually seen in the
sunny climes of Spain, France, Chile and South Africa.

They were carefully cultivated on the Duke of Devonshire’s estate and their
arrival follows an English wine boom that saw vineyards here celebrate record
production, equal to four million bottles, last year.

Derbyshire greats honoured with blue plaques

2011-09-22T10:00:00.003+01:00

Members of the public have chosen six of Derbyshire’s “great and good” to be honoured in the county’s 2011 blue plaque awards.

Derbyshire County Council started the scheme in 2009 to celebrate well-known local people.

This year’s winners include Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, and Sir Joseph Whitworth, who standardised the industrial screw.

Anyone nominated must have died at least 20 years ago.

The other winners were:

William Barron of Borrowash – a 19th century gardener who designed the
gardens at Elvaston Castle.

Samuel Slater, Belper – known as the father of the American Industrial
Revolution.

John Smedley, Lea Bridge and Matlock − regarded as the man who made Matlock. Smedley turned his father’s ailing cotton mill at Lea Bridge into a highly
successful enterprise.

Alison Uttley, Cromford and Dethick − an author of more than 100 books,
Uttley is most famous for the Little Grey Rabbit children’s stories based on her
childhood at Castle Top Farm, Cromford, where she was born in 1884

Work is now under way to find locations for the plaques.

Internet Costs Police Thousands

2011-09-20T11:57:00.003+01:00

The chairman of Derbyshire’s Police Federation has called for phone and internet firms to rethink how much they charge police to access their networks.

Derbyshire Police paid out almost £104,000 in the past financial year to check records during investigations.

The companies said they were only recovering costs and charges were agreed with police in advance.

But Insp Mark Pickard, who has led the federation since February, is calling for a more charitable approach.

Mobile phone and internet records have become increasingly central to police investigations over the past decade.

But phone companies and internet service providers said the cost of making information available to forces was “significant”.

According to the phone companies they cost recover an agreed fee from the police depending on the nature of the enquiry. These fees only cover costs and this is supported by legislation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

The Home Office said it was satisfied with its current guidance which requires companies to prove their charges are appropriate.

Perhaps the police should recover the costs of an investigation against the guilty party or would that infringe on his/hers human rights?

Live music cafe for former Tansley shop

2011-09-20T09:54:00.000+01:00

A CHEF hoping to promote local food is leading a venture to convert a village shop in to a tea rooms.

Hathersage man Oliver Kemp is hoping to create a new cafe in Tansley. The plans could also see local musicians playing at the former shop and post office, at the Knoll.

Mr Kemp hosted a meeting with villagers to discuss his proposals after six residents raised fears about noise, parking problems, loss of privacy and the venue encouraging drunken and anti social behaviour.

The district council granted a premises licence for the venue. Mr Kemp is now set to submit a planning application to convert the building.

The proposals could see a tea rooms created, serving homemade cakes and food with plans to serve evening meals at weekends in the summer and host live music.

Wildfire threat to Peak District

2011-09-20T09:42:00.000+01:00

More wildfires could break out in the Peak District if summers get hotter according to the Peak Park Authority.

Fires caused by heat and human carelessness, can damage wildlife, pollute drinking water supplies and disrupt roads.

A national conference is being held in Buxton, to discuss ways of tackling and preventing them.

The Met Office has predicted that climate change could result in wildfires happening more within the next 30 years.

The facts are that for every degree of temperature increase, a 10% increase in rain is needed to compensate. Rainfall is apparantly decreasing by 10%.

To the general public it is hard to explain the risks to moorland when the summer has been so wet but the problem with wildfires is that they burn down into the peat so they don’t actually go out by themselves.

Delegates at Wildfire 2011 will discuss the latest techniques, best practice and research relating to the prevention and suppression of wildfire in the UK.

Edale MRT to the Rescue

2011-09-20T09:39:00.000+01:00

A CLIMBER was airlifted to hospital after falling 20ft at Curbar Edge in the Peak District. He was climbing in the Avalanche Wall area when he fell at around 3pm on Saturday. Edale Mountain Rescue Team treated him for lower back pain before carrying him to an air ambulance scrambled to deal with the casualty.

Crew members, joined by members of Buxton Mountain Rescue Team, helped an injured walker in Grindsbrook, above Edale, later in the day. The 24-year-old had slipped while descending into Edale and suffered a dislocated shoulder. Rescuers carried him on a stretcher to an ambulance and he was driven to hospital in Chesterfield for treatment.

As the teams were returning to their vehicles they were informed a 66-year-old walker, from Bournemouth, had collapsed with exhaustion and hypothermia near to Edale Cross.

What would we do without them – all volunteers. Have any of the three rescued made a donation to the MRT coffers? If they haven’t then ought to!

Shake up for National Park

2011-09-20T09:35:00.000+01:00

Members of the public will be able to get involved in key decisions over the future of some of Derbyshire’s best loved landscapes after the Government announced changes to the make-up of Britain’s national park authorities.

Pilot schemes are to be launched in the Peak District and New Forest, where direct elections will be introduced for the first time to select some park authority members. If the elections are deemed successful in improving the way those parks are run, they could be extended to other park authorities at a later date.

Define members of the public.

Discovering the hidden treasures of Erewash

2011-09-12T10:24:00.002+01:00

The Erewash walking festival, starting this weekend, has a packed schedule of walks over 16 days, visiting some of Erewash’s and Amber Valley’s most beautiful hidden gems.

Most of the walks are close to bus and train routes enabling everyone to get to the start point.

The event kicks off on Saturday with a launch event at Shipley Country Park Visitor Centre, followed by a short circular walk of about 3.5miles from 10.30am around the park.

In total there are 32 guided walks until Sunday, September 25, catering for both seasoned and inexperienced walkers.

The walks, led by volunteers and members more than 20 partner organisations, are all free and take place in Amber Valley and Erewash boroughs – areas well known for their natural beauty, superb scenery, industrial heritage and attractive towns and villages.

A walk on September 16, called Castles and Coals, will take in Codnor Castle, Langley Mill and the Erewash Valley. Led by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, the eight-mile walk will start out at Codnor Market Place at 10am and take in sites of both historical and wildlife interest.

There are also themed walks around wildlife in Stanley and heritage walks in West Hallam and Butterley.

Other highlights include Round about Alfreton on Monday September 12 and a strenuous exploration of the highlands of the borough on Wednesday September 14 from Alport Heights.

Erewash-based groups involved in leading some of the walks include Erewash Ramblers, Memories of Ilkeston and District Historical Society and the Friends of Kirk Hallam Lake and Meadows.

The West Hallam Rural and Walking Society will be leading a walk around the village on Friday September 23, taking in sights of historical and natural interest.

Many walks are suitable for all the family but there are some walks designed for children, including Points, Posts & Prizes On Sunday September 18 at Shipley Country Park at 10.30am, for which Booking is advised

A comprehensive guide detailing all the walks and events, is available free of charge from Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire by calling 01773 535232

Alternatively pick one up from Shipley Country Park visitor centre or log onto www.gdd.org.uk to download.

To book your free place on a walk call Derbyshire County Council on 08456 058058.

Damien Hirst’s Mythical Creatures Appear at Chatsworth House

2011-09-12T10:22:00.002+01:00

Damien Hirst is moving on to mythical creatures, and while they may be unpickled, they are still not quite in pristine shape.

Two new Hirst works will go on public display at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire next week. The newest, Legend, is a winged horse that has been partly surgically flayed, exposing muscle and bone. The other is a unicorn called Myth, with skin removed from its legs.

Hirst said the pieces were a continuation of his interest in the relationship between science and religion. They follow Hirst works such as Hymn, the large anatomical toy and the Virgin Mother, a dissected pregnant woman.

The works will be part of a Sotheby’s selling exhibition of monumental sculpture atChatsworth, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Devonshire.

Hirst reckons that mythical creatures are the way to go which confirms the myth that he is off his rocker.

The sculptures up for sale range from the 1930s to the present day and include work by artists including Marc Quinn, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Barry Flanagan and Lynn Chadwick. They are on public display from 16 September to 30 October.

The case for planning reform

2011-09-12T10:20:00.002+01:00

The Government’s controversial planning reforms should receive full
support as far as I am concerned. Opposition by groups like the National Trustamounts to “hysteria” in my opinion.

Coalition proposals to simplify the planning process and favour all “sustainable
development” are vital for economic growth.

Critics argue the changes would lead to urban sprawl and the destruction
of Britain’s natural environment and yet a survey of businesses by the British
Chambers of Commerce (BCC) found a majority thought the planning process was a
barrier to growth.

A total of 69 per cent thought decisions on planning were taken on
political grounds, not on the merits of an application, and 54 per cent thought
councils ignored the advice of their planning officers.

To me these survey findings clearly show that the planning process is a
barrier for companies and that, in some cases, it’s holding back the economic
growth we so desperately need.

We need to get the debate on planning reform away from hysteria and back
to common sense. Business people understand that planning has a purpose and
that developers can’t just build anything, anywhere. It’s not a case of
throwing out the rule book to grow the economy at any cost. Yet there’s clear
evidence that the system is too complicated, too costly, and too uncertain.

It creates mistrust among businesses, undermines investment and holds
back our recovery. We all want to protect areas of great beauty and natural
diversity, yet business’s experience of planning shows that the system is a serious
brake on economic growth, prosperity and jobs. It can’t be right that sensible
proposals to reform the planning system are portrayed as changes that will lead
to urban sprawl, environmental degradation and shoddy buildings.

As for the National Trust jumping up and down perhaps they should look at
their own record of development. They have built hundreds of new homes and have
planning permissions to build many more.

They apparently firmly believe that planning reforms should deliver
benefits to communities and the environment as well as the economy. However,
they have ridden rough shod over campaigners who were against their
developments and for which the gain has not been for the local community but
for the National Trust themselves.

The National Trust state that dice are heavily loaded to favour
development and local people simply won’t get enough say – Pot calling the
kettle black isn’t it?

Let us not forget the latest row that has seen the Campaign to Protect
Rural England (CPRE) accused of “gross hypocrisy” after receiving a
£620,000 grant to support neighbourhood planning.

Talk about cake and eat it. It’s gross hypocrisy for them to take
thousands of pounds of taxpayer’s cash to assist with the government’s planning
reforms yet at the same time be shamelessly opportunistic and attack them.

Their credibility is completely undermined and perhaps they should think
about paying their government funding back. But I bet they don’t.

This debate will rumble on but hopefully the Government will stick to its
guns.

Great Kinder Beer Barrel Challenge

2011-09-12T10:19:00.000+01:00

THE tradition of the Great Kinder Beer Barrel Challenge in the Peak District rolls on next weekend.
Eleven teams of eight runners will carry a full beer barrel from the Snake Inn on the A57Sheffield to Manchester road to Edale village on Saturday, September 10.
The challenge, which involves a 900ft climb over three miles of the boggy terrain of high peak moorland followed by a knee-cracking descent into Edale valley, started 13 years ago as the result of a bet between a local shepherd and the landlord of the Nags Head Inn in Edale.
Each team member receives customary liquid reward and the fastest team wins a full barrel of beer. Money is raised for local charities through sponsorship and fundraising. Peak Ales and Bradfield Brewery are offering their ales as prizes.
The race start at the Snake Inn at 12.30pm and teams are expected to finish in Edale village square at around 1.30pm, where there will be a barbecue.
An evening of entertainment in Edale village hall will include Hope Valley College Big Band.

BBC Radio Derby’s fifth annual Derbyshire Day

2011-09-12T10:16:00.002+01:00

BBC Radio Derby’s fifth annual Derbyshire Day celebration takes place on Sunday 25 September between 11:00 -16:00.

This year it marks a pair of 40th anniversaries – the launch of the radio
station and the opening to the public of Sudbury Hall (this year’s venue).

The outdoor event is free to attend, but there is an admission cost for the
National Trust’s Sudbury Hall and Museum of Childhood if you wish to tour them
as part of your visit.

Derbyshire Day has become an opportunity for the people of the county to come
together and celebrate their surroundings and heritage.

On offer at the event will be local food, entertainment and crafts. It’s also
a chance to enjoy the history, wildlife, and countryside on offer at the country
home of the Lords Vernon.

Guided bird walks will be on offer around the area to discover more about the
hall’s surroundings. It’s a family event, but no pets will be allowed except
assistance dogs.

There will be designated disabled parking in the hall’s main car park and at
the front of the house, with transfer available as well as a drop-off point.

Heage Windmill to open for free!

2011-09-05T11:27:00.000+01:00

HEAGE Windmill is to open for free as part of National Heritage Weekend.

The 200-year-old, Grade II listed six sail windmill – which was restored in 2002 – will open on September 10 and visitors won’t have to pay a penny.

I've been, and it's well worth a visit (even when you have to pay).

There is adequate parking on the site, off Chesterfield Road, in Heage.

Heritage open days celebrate the country’s architecture and culture by offering free access to properties.

Jane Eyre to Boost Peak District Tourism

2011-09-02T10:22:00.004+01:00

With release of Jane Eyre on Friday, September 9th in the UK, the Peak District is expecting a tourism bonanza.

The film starring starring Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, Jamie Bell and Dame Judi Dench has been filmed on location around Haddon Hall and is expected to bring sightseers flocking to the area.

Recent hits which have brought film fans flocking to the area include Pride & Prejudice,The Duchess, The Other Boleyn Girl and Robin Hood.

Haddon Hall has made a suitable Thornfield Hall before. It was cast as Thornfield by Franco Zeffirelli in 1996 and ten years later in the BBC version. Now it is director Cary Fukunaga’s turn.

This time more than 100 cast and crew transformed the building, with scenes being filmed in the minstrels’ gallery, the state bedroom, the kitchen and even the private apartments.

The cast and crew were billeted at various locations during the four weeks of filming, with many of the stars staying at the nearby Peacock at Rowsley.

Other locations include the ruins of Wingfield Manor near Alfreton, which double as Thornfield after it is ravaged by fire, and White Edge Lodge – a former gamekeeper’s cottage, now a National Trust holiday home on the Longshaw Estate – which serves as The Moor House.

And the wild romantic landscape that first inspired Charlotte Brontë is allowed to speak for itself. Stanage Edge, one of the area’s most dramatic natural landmarks, has been chosen to capture Jane Eyre’s profound sense of isolation. The area around her school is filmed near Edale and the softer countryside where Rochester rides around Thornfield is represented by the lush water meadows below Haddon Hall.

Charlotte Brontë visited Hathersage in 1845 and is thought to have based much of her novel on landmarks she encountered in the area.

Chatsworth Country Fair from September 2 to 4 – if you can afford it!

2011-08-31T15:38:00.005+01:00

It was always a weekend to look forward to in early September – Chatsworth Country Fair and this year it is 30 years old.

On September 5 1981 the event launched and it has showcased the best of the countryside to thousands ever since. Now firmly on Derbyshire’s social calendar, the fixture has prospered through decades of massive change.

However, this year I flatly refuse to go. In times of financial hardship and austerity measures Chatsworth Country Fair organsisers are clearly taking the piss. look at these prices:- tickets cost £15 on Friday, £17 on both Saturday and Sunday with under-14s admitted free.

Unbelievable and an absolute disgrace to be charging so much. Can fair president, former Yorkshire and England cricketer Michael Vaughan, of Baslow, justify this exorbitant entrance fee?

Good Hope at Hope Show

2011-08-31T15:37:00.004+01:00

The Hope Show, held at Marsh Farm in Hope, is run by an army of local volunteers, and is a key event in the Hope Valley social calendar.

The event was the first show under new president Steve Fox, who was brought up inBamford and now lives in Hope with his wife, Jayne.

More than 8,000 people were estimated to have visited the show for a great family day out, enjoying both the attractions on offer and the goods available at the 80 stalls on site.

Dad’s Army star Arthur Lowe honoured with blue plaque

2011-08-31T15:36:00.004+01:00

A blue plaque dedicated to Dad’s Army star Arthur Lowe was unveiled at his
Derbyshire birthplace by comedy co-star Ian Lavender.

Lavender, who played Private Pike in the long-running sitcom, was in Hayfield
to lead the tribute to the much-loved Captain Mainwaring actor.

The ceremony was organised by Derbyshire County Council following a vote on
its website.

Lavender said he thought Lowe would have been “chuffed” with the honour.

The Flying Childers Inn, Stanton in Peak

2011-08-31T15:35:00.004+01:00

I came across this interesting article in the Telegraph about “The Flying Childers Inn”,Stanton in Peak.

It is a stone’s throw from Chatsworth House, Haddon Hall and Bakewell in the Derbyshire Peak District.

Injured man rescued after Derbyshire fall

2010-09-07T08:09:00.000+01:00

"This map is crap"

A 42-year-old man has been rescued after falling from a place known as the Lord's Seat at Rowter Rocks, Birchover in Derbyshire.

The man tripped and went over the edge, hitting two ledges and falling more than 40ft before being rescued by Derby Mountain Rescue Team on September 4th.

He was taken to the Royal Derby hospital with injuries to his back, neck, shoulder and face.

Tourism Boost for Peak District

2010-09-06T17:21:00.002+01:00

"If only the weather was better!"

New figures reveal that tourists spent more than £1.46bn in the county in 2009 - up by around £40m on the previous year. And the total number of tourists visiting the area was up by around one million to more than 36 million, giving a further boost to the encouraging upward trend.

The independent research, carried out on behalf of East Midlands Tourism, also showed that tourism supports more than 25,000 jobs in Derbyshire - a rise of around 900 and almost half of all new tourism jobs generated in the region.

So do these figures underline the Prime Minister's view that tourism will be one of the key drivers to kick-start the UK out of recession.

We are officially back

2010-09-06T16:50:00.000+01:00

As promised, but a little later than expected, the Peak District View Blog is back giving you a light hearted and sometimes outrageous look at what is going on in the Peak District and surrounding areas. Sit back, subscribe and enjoy.

We'll be back!

2010-01-03T16:30:00.001Z

Sorry to disappoint all our usual correspondents but we will be back online early in the new year.

Derbyshire v Middlesex

2009-07-26T13:08:00.000+01:00

ONCE again, the weather denied us the potential of another engrossing final day's play at the County Ground.

Three weeks after the Leicestershire fixture was washed out when all results were possible at the end of the third day, Derbyshire's LV County Championship game against Middlesex suffered a similar fate yesterday.

That was a pity because, even though the whole of the first day was lost to the rain, both sides showed every willingness to make a game of it and when Derbyshire dangled a rather large carrot under Middlesex's noses, a close contest was in prospect.

With a lead of 159 overnight, Derbyshire allowed themselves the first session to get that advantage up to a total they could feel comfortable with, while at the same time allowing enough time to bowl their opponents out.

Middlesex were also in need of points to help them get away from the bottom of Division Two.

They had indicated a willingness to chase whatever score they were presented with in however short a time and can only have been delighted by being set a sporting 280 to win in 68 overs.

Derbyshire declared on 258-7 after Wayne Madsen and Dan Redfern took their third-wicket stand to 69 in the morning to maintain the home side's control on the timing of their early exit.

Madsen, who had a fine home debut, scored 71 and Redfern 43. Wickets were sacrificed willingly the closer we came to lunch but it was a good session for the batting side.

The declaration was on the generous side, from Derbyshire's perspective – little more than 4.1 per over on a wicket that had become an easier batting surface – and Middlesex set out with purpose.

However, their target became stiffer when a heavy shower knocked another 18 overs out of the equation before they had the chance to put a run on the board and suddenly the asking rate was 5.7.

Undeterred, Nick Compton evoked the spirit of his grandfather and did all he could to deny Derbyshire the early wickets they needed.

There was no recklessness about his attacking play but he and Sam Robson put on 86 for the first wicket in 20 overs.

Derbyshire surely did not believe it would take them so long to claim their first wicket as they put attacking fields in place and they may have been starting to fear Middlesex could take the initiative as Owais Shah strode to the middle to replace Robson, who was run out for 29 by smart work from Chris Rogers.

Shah showed what he was capable of with his unbeaten 129 in the first innings and pushed up the scoring-rate from the start as he raced to 23 off 13 balls.

With Compton on 62 and 159 more needed in 26 overs, another heavy shower blew in and this time there was no chance of getting back on the field, which was a real shame.

Both teams deserve credit for their intentions but there was only one winner this time.

Holiday ideas at family fun day

2009-07-26T13:00:00.000+01:00

A FAMILY fun day will be held in and around Derby's Tourist Information Centre.

The event will take place on Tuesday to give people a chance to find out what to do and where to go during the summer holidays.

There will also be a number of activities, plus various offers available, including discounts for Alton Towers.

Centre staff will be available to help people with their inquiries and to plan the best activities to keep youngsters entertained.

A small charge will apply for some of the activities, which take place between 10am and 4pm.

Hilary Benn hails law to protect parks

2009-07-26T12:57:00.000+01:00

ENVIRONMENT secretary Hilary Benn was in Derbyshire yesterday to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of legislation establishing National Parks.

The MP took a walk around Dovedale to meet countryside volunteers before moving on to Ilam Youth Hostel, which has benefited from a £2m upgrade.

He then moved on to the Moorland Discovery Centre, Longshaw Estate, where he met volunteers creating a moorland garden in the grounds.

Mr Benn said: "The Peaks – the first National Park to be designated – was chosen for its unique and outstanding natural beauty. Sixty years on from the National Parks Act, the parks are places where people live, work and relax – supporting everything from recreation and tourism to conservation and farming.

"More than ever before, we are aware of the environment around us and our responsibility to it.

"This is a huge opportunity for our National Parks to be a beacon – they should be leading the way to a prosperous and sustainable future."

Natural England will consider wind farms in national parks

2009-07-26T12:54:00.000+01:00

The UK currently has 2,500 onshore wind turbines.

However the Government want to build thousands more across the country as part of meeting climate change targets.

Many of the turbines will have to be built in wind swept spots considered important areas of natural beauty.

However Natural England said society needs to move beyond the "knee jerk nimbyism" that rejects wind farms in any areas of the countryside and even consider areas such as Areas of Outstanding Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Parks.

Campaigners vowed to fight any developments that will ruin the view or threaten wildlife.

At the moment there are no major wind farms within national parks. Even developments close to national parks such as four proposed wind turbines on the borders of the Peak District National Park have caused outrage. The development was opposed by the Peak District National Park Authority but is due to go ahead after a recent ruling by the High Court.

Last week Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Minister, set out future plans for more renewable energy to built in the UK including 6,000 onshore wind turbines.

Many of the wind turbines will need to be built in remote rural areas famous for their natural beauty and face stiff local opposition.

However Helen Phillips, Natural England's Chief Executive, said local communities need to start accepting wind farms in the countryside.

"As a society, we have to move from knee-jerk nimbyism to an informed consensus that there are landscapes where sustainable renewable energy infrastructure is desirable and should be encouraged, just as there are landscapes that should remain sacrosanct and free from development," she said.

Andrew Wood, Executive Director for Evidence and Planning, said national parks will be expected to play their part.

"We need onshore wind farms and we should be open to the idea that some of that will be in protected landscapes," he said.

Angela Kelly, Chairman of the Country Guardian group that campaigns against wind farms, said local communities in national parks will never accept wind farms.

"Wind farms should not be in national parks. What is the point of putting something aside for its natural beauty and then industrialising it?" she asked.

Dustin Benton, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said any developments would be unlikely to pass the planning process.

"Major wind farms would be very unlikely in a national park because the reasons we have these areas is to protect the beauty of Britain – which automatically makes it difficult for development of any sort," he said.

However a spokesman for the British Wind and Energy Association said it was not just natural beauty which is taken into consideration when planning wind farms.

"Wind farm planning decisions are not based just on landscape impact criteria, but take into account other factors such as reducing carbon emissions, benefits to local community and potential of the renewable sector to create employment," he said.

Award for Peak museum

2009-07-26T12:52:00.000+01:00

A PEAK District museum has been named as the county's finest in a prestigious competition.

The Old House Museum scooped Museum of the Year 2009 at the Derbyshire Renaissance Heritage Awards.

Judges praised the commitment and enthusiasm of the over 100 volunteers who help at the Bakewell heritage site.

Manager Anita Spencer said: “This museum simply could not open without the aid of its volunteers.”

Disappointment at Carsington wind farm appeal decision

2009-07-26T12:50:00.000+01:00

Joint News Release from Derbyshire Dales District Council and The Peak District National Park Authority

A High Court Judge has today determined that proposals for the erection of four 102m wind turbines on land at Carsington Pastures can proceed.

Derbyshire Dales District Council originally rejected the proposals, however, following a Public Inquiry, they were given the go ahead in September last year by a Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.

Derbyshire Dales District Council and the Peak District National Park Authority subsequently lodged a joint appeal to the High Court challenging the Secretary of State’s decision on the grounds that the developers, Carsington Wind Energy Limited, failed to have regard to alternative sites in the locality which would not have such an adverse impact upon the Peak District National Park.

The appeal was subsequently considered in the High Court by
Lord Justice Carnwath who has ruled that, whilst there are statutory provisions and policies relating to the National Park and Conservation Areas which require that special regard should be paid to their protection, there was not a positive obligation to consider alternative sites which may not have the same effects as the proposed development.

In the absence of any specific national or local policy guidance requiring consideration of alternatives, Lord Justice Carnwath determined that the Planning Inspector approached the matter in an appropriate way. Accordingly, the appeal against the Secretary of State’s decision was dismissed.

The leader of Derbyshire Dales District Council, Councillor Lewis Rose, said: "I am very disappointed with the decision.

The district council has never questioned the desirability or need to promote renewable energy sources, however, there is a clear need to undertake a balanced assessment of such proposals. Unless developers are required to consider alternative sites which may have less impact, such a balanced judgement cannot be reached."

Councillor Hilda Gaddum, chair of the Peak District National Park Authority's planning cmmittee, said: "We made this joint appeal because it is our duty to fight threats to the national park landscape.

"We are disappointed with the judgement as we feel it is important that alternative sites are always considered first before making a decision to locate a wind farm 1.5 miles from a national park boundary.

"The authority has approved a micro hydro power site at Alport Mill, solar panels and individual wind turbines in appropriate locations within the national park and will continue to support measures to provide more renewable energy. However, applications must also continue to be judged against the need to protect the natural beauty of the Peak District National Park landscape.

"We need to spend time reading the judgement in detail to fully understand the implications for the future."

New conference facilities

2009-07-26T12:49:00.000+01:00

TWO new conference suites have been created at a Derbyshire reservoir.

Carsington Water, owned by Severn Trent, is now hiring out the new rooms at its visitor centre. The suites include audio equipment, DVD players and flip charts plus catering.

Bid to raise the profile of parks

2009-07-26T12:45:00.000+01:00

AIMS to raise the profile of Derby's parks and involve the community in them more have been set out by Derby City Council.

The authority has produced a parks strategy, which outlines its goals to make parks more secure, engage residents in them more and let more people know about them.

The plans will go before the council's cabinet for approval on Tuesday.

After that, an action plan will be drawn up to achieve the aims set out in the strategy.

Wind farm case puts public out of pocket

2009-07-26T12:38:00.001+01:00

Wind turbines have been given the go-ahead at Carsington – but campaigners say the appeal has been a huge drain on the public purse.
The Peak District National Park Authority joined forces with Derbyshire Dales District Council to lodge an appeal to the High Court after a Planning Inspector ruled that four 102m wind turbines should be built at the Dales beauty spot.

But last week Lord Justice Carnwath, sitting in the High Court in London, said the wind farm should be built.

The appeal has cost the two authorities just over £34,000, with the Peak Park paying 85 per cent.

Laura Stevens of Matlock Climate Action Forum said: "I'm very angry and think the authorities were ill advised. They were just gambling with our money.

"There was no consultation to see if residents were happy for them to go-ahead and spend our money."

Stephen Salt, planning and development director for applicants West Coast Energy, said the wind farm would make an important contribution to the East Midlands renewable electricity target.

He added: "The council's action has now resulted in significant cost to local ratepayers and it is hoped that we can now draw a line under this matter and work with the council to deliver the benefits of the development to the local community at the earliest opportunity."

But a Peak Park spokesman said the decision to lodge an appeal was based protecting the national park landscape.

He added: "Given that national parks have the highest level of protection under planning law, we believed alternative, less harmful sites should have been considered. It was an informed decision by the district council and ourselves to go to appeal based on advice from a QC that there were strong grounds for challenge."

Jan Southway of Protect Carsington and Hopton Action Group added: "It is disappointing. We've been fighting this for a long time.

"The local planning system is set up to make sure planning decisions made at a local level are fair for local people.

"They were absolutely right to challenge it and say that it was not right for the region."

but since when has Carsington been in the Peak District National Park

DOME OF CREATION

2009-07-19T14:49:00.000+01:00

PEAK District Products (PDP) stages its second annual Great Dome Art Fair next Saturday and Sunday, between 10am and 4pm.

Last year was the first time its full 60-plus membership had come together to exhibit under one roof. It was a huge success, drawing more than 6,000 visitors, and culminated in PDP winning the Best Visual Arts award at Buxton Festival Fringe.

The venue is the Great Devonshire Dome, in Devonshire Road, Buxton. The town campus of the University of Derby, it has the largest unsupported roof in Europe, bigger than St Paul's in London. Admission to the event is free and work on display this year will include paintings, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, textiles, fashion, photography, stonework, sculpture, stained glass, precious metals, calligraphy, woodcarving and mosaics.

There will also be a series of demonstrations and a programme of illustrated talks in the Lecture Theatre by PDP members, including textile artist and author Verina Warren.

Check the website for the full programme. This year, there is a display of work "Inspired by the Dome", including pieces by jeweller Lucy Palmer, silversmith Brett Payne, photographer Bridget Flemming, furniture maker Chris Fleming and ceramicist Catherine Rooke.

More details at www.peak-districtproducts.co.uk

Cloudbursts force council to pull plug on Highland attractions

2009-07-19T14:47:00.000+01:00

ORGANISERS of the Ashbourne Highland Gathering have told of their disappointment at having to cancel the event for the first time in its 25-year history.

The anniversary festival – one of the biggest outside of Scotland – was due to take place tomorrow, attracting about 10,000 spectators from across the UK.

But 20mm of rain fell in the 24 hours up to yesterday evening, leaving the town's recreation ground, where it was due to be held, waterlogged.

And Met Office forecasters are predicting more showers after this week's "unusual" summer downpour evoked memories of freak weather in 2007.

Bernie Brown, of the festival's organising committee, said: "It rained all night Thursday and we knew it was going to rain more, so we had no choice but to call it off.

"We didn't want to wait until the 11th hour, particularly with people coming from Scotland, Wales and all over England.

"It's the first time in 25 years it's been cancelled and we're extremely disappointed, but there's nothing we can do about the weather."

Officers from Derbyshire Dales District Council visited the Cockayne Avenue site, where the Highland gathering is held, yesterday morning. After an inspection they told the event's organisers that it could not go ahead on the council-owned land.

An open-air concert by rock bagpipe band the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, planned for tonight next to the recreation ground, will still go ahead, though.

The financial blow from cancelling it should not impact on next year's event, Mr Brown said.

In 2007 the festival was blighted by rain which churned up the ground.

After that council officials and organisers decided to draw up an "emergency procedure", which led to yesterday's early inspection.

Derby's Caribbean Carnival – with a parade to the city centre today and a music festival in Osmaston Park tomorrow – was still going ahead as of last night.

But Nezrine Hudson, from the West Indian Community Association, said they were checking the weather forecast to decide whether it might have to be scaled back.

Met Office forecaster Andrew Kimber warned of more bad weather to come.

He said: "There will be more showers this weekend, not particularly heavy or prolonged, but it will be pretty cool and cloudy."

Mr Kimber said 10mm of rain or more could fall on Tuesday alone.

High Court backs wind farm plan

2009-07-19T14:45:00.000+01:00

A plan to build four huge wind turbines overlooking a reservoir in Derbyshire has been backed by the High Court.

In September, planning inspector Robin Brooks said the project near Carsington Water could go ahead.

But the Peak District National Park Authority decided to appeal against the decision, claiming the wind farm would have "a major impact on the landscape".

But a judge at the High Court in London said he could find "no error of law" in the inspector's ruling.

Carsington Wind Energy, which is behind the project, said the turbines would produce much-needed energy for about 5,500 homes.

The 102m (335ft) turbines - nearly twice the height of Nelson's Column - are planned for Carsington Pastures, between Matlock and Ashbourne.

Although the wind farm would not be inside the Peak District National Park it would be near the boundary.

The proposal from Carsington Wind Energy, part of West Coast Energy, was initially approved following an eight-day public inquiry in July 2008.

Derbyshire Dales District Council joined the park authority in the appeal to the High Court to block the development.

Steve Salt, from West Coast Energy, said: "We have other projects in Derbyshire where there is a lot of support from local people.

"But there is also an anti-group and those tend to get publicised more than the supporters - but now we have received a major boost."

MPs Hoping to Repeat Mountain Rescue Fundraising Success

2009-07-15T10:19:00.000+01:00

Three Peak District MPs will get lost this weekend – all in a good cause. High Peak’s Tom Levitt, Staffordshire Moorlands’ Charlotte Atkins and Angela Smith from Sheffield Hillsborough will be somewhere near Kinder Scout on Sunday (19 July). No fewer than four mountain rescue teams will be deployed – as part of a training exercise – to rescue them and transport them back to safety.

If a mountain rescue team is required for a genuine emergency during the exercise, which could last up to six hours, they will be diverted accordingly.

Two years ago Mr Levitt raised over £1,600 for Buxton Mountain Rescue Team and he hopes to repeat that success this weekend. This time the beneficiary will be the umbrella body, the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation (PDMRO).

“This rescue service is staffed entirely by volunteers and funded almost entirely from donations,” Mr Levitt explained.

“This is not just a celebration of their work but a significant contribution to their essential running costs.” The local MPs have supported campaigns in Parliament and elsewhere to give extra support to mountain rescue – such as they get in Scotland and Wales – without losing their essential voluntary nature.

People who would like to donate to this worthy cause by sponsoring the MPs should contact Tom Levitt’s Buxton office for a sponsor form or visit www.justgiving.com/tomlevitt2. All funds raised will go direct to PDMRO.

Villagers to re-enact plague tale

2009-07-15T10:18:00.000+01:00

EYAM has gone down in history for the heroic sacrifice its villagers made when the Great Plague struck the small Peak District settlement.
They bravely decided to cut themselves off from the world to avoid the further spread of the deadly disease across the north of England – a decision that effectively sentenced many of them to death.

Now, nearly 350 years later, the current residents of the village are retelling the story of their forebears in a promenade version of Don Taylor's play 'The Roses of Eyam', using the actual locations where the historic events happened as the setting.

Director Nicola Wright said that this is the first time that the play has been performed in such a way and it has brought the sense of history alive.

She said: "It's very emotive even just rehearsing it in the churchyard and outside the plague cottages.

"It makes it quite unique."

The production, which is part of the Buxton Festival Fringe, is a community effort with the majority of the cast living locally.

And for cast member and lifelong Eyam resident Joan Plant, being in the play is even more poignant.

She discovered several years ago that she is related to plague survivors the Blackwell family, who were made famous by Margaret Blackwell who is said to have recovered from the illness after drinking bacon fat.

Joan (63) said: "It's history, it actually happened, we know all that, but actually to be part of it, knowing your family survived and what they must have gone through, it's quite a deep feeling.

"It's very emotional and you think about it in a different way."

The events of 1665/6 are very much part of Joan's life in her work as parish administrator at Eyam church and she is proud of her heritage.

She added: "Everything that happens in this play, I know now that I am part of it which is a very emotional thing.

"Sometimes I cannot get my head round it. I feel honoured and privileged and feel proud of them for what they did."

The play runs from Wednesday to Saturday this week and Nicola hopes that having overcome the challenges of staging a play without an actual stage, the way that it weaves around the audience and moves from location to location will have viewers captivated.

"I am hoping the audience will get really involved not only because the events are taking place in the situation they originally took place in, but because the cast is coming through the audience," she said.

"It creates a sense of being there and being part of it."

Tickets for 'The Roses of Eyam' are still available priced £7.50 for adults and £5 for children by calling Eyam Hall on (01433) 631976 or Buxton Opera House on 0845 127 2190.

Performances start at 7pm on Church Street.

Safety boost for Peak firefighters

2009-07-15T10:16:00.000+01:00

AROUND £600,000 has been invested in new personal protective equipment (PPE) for Derbyshire's firefighters.

The new workwear, which will be worn when tackling fires and other operational duties, is lighter than the old kit.

The fabric is designed to breathe, leaving the body as comfortable as possible during high temperatures.

Now in red and grey, and with reflective markings, the kit features a shaped collar to integrate with the helmet, under arm gussets, a radio pocket with torch facility, and extra material around the knees so the trousers don't tighten up and stick in a fire situation.

It also comes with detachable badges and has been designed with female firefighters in mind.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Sean Frayne said: "We are determined to ensure that our firefighters will have comfortable, fit for purpose, lightweight, smart, modern, professional kit that will enhance their safety."

The new kit came into service on Monday.

The old PPE is being donated to the Nottinghamshire Police Aid Convoys to kit out firefighters in Albania.

Pub set to hold its own Oktoberfest

2009-07-15T10:15:00.000+01:00

Plans are underway to turn Belper into a mini-Munich for a beer festival in October.

The George and Dragon pub, in Bridge Street, is planning to host an Oktoberfest-style event to tie in with the annual beer festival in the German city.

Landlord Craig Tennick said he wanted to put up marquees in the beer garden, and have bands performing to add to the atmosphere.

The pub recently held its first real ale festival, where almost 30 real ales and ciders were put on for Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, to tie in with rugby and tennis games on the pub TVs. The bar sold out both nights.

Craig said: "I wanted to offer a bit of something different because Belper hasn't really got any real ale pubs with a good range.

"It was brilliant."

Sustainable development in the Peak District

2009-07-15T10:14:00.000+01:00

Community groups and businesses in the Peak District have won £1,000s to develop renewable energy, organic gardening, energy efficiency and wildlife projects.
The Peak District Sustainable Development Fund has handed out grants to organisations as part of its community work.

Recent grants include £41,600 to Parwich Memorial Hall Committee to help develop its new village hall with renewable energy technology; £12,500 to the South Yorkshire Energy Centre, to help train Peak District groups in energy efficiency and conservation for older buildings; and £7,100 to Peak Organics, an allotment-based project run by JJM Learning, to run organic gardening workshops for people to learn how to do it at home.

The Fund channels nearly £200,000 a year from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs into environmental, educational and social projects across the Peak District.

Its panel of local independent assessors decides on larger grant applications four times a year.

The Peak District National Park Authority, which manages the fund, has just appointed a new panel chairman, Harry Bowell, and deputy chairman Cllr Tracy Critchlow.

Mr Bowell said: "It's heartening to see such far-sighted schemes being developed all across the Peak District.

"We are delighted to be able to help local groups and businesses who are prepared to meet the challenges of climate change and help safeguard the long-term future of our area."

The authority thanked previous panel leaders Anne Ashe and John Herbert.

To find out about the Sustainable Development Fund or get general advice on any sustainable development project, call 01629 816312

Chatsworth secrets prove hit with visitors

2009-07-15T10:13:00.000+01:00

AN exhibition of some of Chatsworth House's previously unseen treasures is proving a hit with visitors.

A variety of unusual and historical items, on display for the first time, includes a telephone presented by inventor Alexander Graham Bell to the 9th Duke of Devonshire in the early 20th century.

Also on show is a mahogany personal weighing chair used by the 6th Duke to weigh his guests, including Russian Tsar Nicholas 1.

And the garden reveals a grotto built by Duchess Georgiana, lined with crystals of copper ore discovered in a local mine

Hundreds of people have already visited the exhibition, which runs until August 31. For more information visit www.chatsworth.org.

Historic hoard of coins goes on show at British Museum

2009-07-15T10:10:00.002+01:00

PART of the largest hoard of historic coins ever discovered in the UK, found at Tutbury Castle, has gone on display.

Unearthed from the bed of the River Dove, the Tutbury Hoard originally comprised 360,000 silver coins believed to have belonged to Thomas Earl of Lancaster.

It is thought the coins were buried as the Earl fled the Staffordshire castle following his rebellion against King Edward II in 1322.

They were discovered by Duchy of Lancaster in 1831 and were separated but are now to be reunited for the exhibition at the British Museum called Ruin and Rebellion: Uncovering The Past at Tutbury Castle.

Lord Shuttleworth, chairman of the Duchy of Lancaster Council, which manages the castle, unveiled the exhibition.

The hoard forms the centrepiece of a display of artefacts and documents about the castle's history.

Dr Gareth Williams has been working with experts from Tutbury Castle and the University of Birmingham for the last seven years.

Dr Williams said: "Of particular interest is the rebellion of Thomas of Lancaster in 1322 which resulted in his defeat and attempted escape. It is here we believe £1,500 was taken from the castle and buried in the river bed – around 360,000 coins in all.

"Over the years, individual pieces have turned up in various places. We are delighted to have been able to bring together coins and related material to create the largest ever display of coins from this important cache. Even so, this is only a tiny fraction of the original Tutbury Hoard."

Team effort brings title

2009-07-15T10:09:00.001+01:00

STAFF at a Derbyshire garden centre have been celebrating after helping to scoop a top accolade in an online poll by Gardeners' World Magazine.

Findern Garden Centre, in Burton Road, is part of the Wyevale group, and helped the firm win the Best Garden Centre accolade.

More than 7,900 gardeners rated the 122 garden centres in the group, including Findern Garden Centre, as best for value for money, service, choice, quality and overall performance.

Marc Haigh, manager at Findern Garden Centre, said: "We are delighted to have helped the group win the title.

"It is a testament to how hard our staff work and I would like to thank the team for helping win this top accolade."

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2009-07-14 12:59:39

Town at its floral best

2009-07-15T10:08:00.001+01:00

A DERBYSHIRE town was today welcoming judges from a national flower competition.

For the last three years Belper has won the silver award in the East Midlands in Bloom Competition's large town category.

This year organiser Belper Town Council is hoping the town will scoop the gold award and, with judges arriving today, is urging everyone to get involved by placing flowers outside their properties and even picking up litter.

Judges will be meeting at St John's Chapel, in The Butts, at 10am and then going on a tour of the town, visiting the Memorial Gardens, King Street, Wyver Lane nature reserve, Belper Cemetery, and the former Herbert Strutt School.

Wind farm ruling delay

2009-07-15T10:07:00.000+01:00

A controversial decision which could see giant turbines built on Carsington Pasture has been delayed – but authority chiefs say they are expecting the High Court outcome any day.
Last week the Peak District National Park Authority joined forces with Derbyshire Dales District Council to ask Lord Justice Carnwath, sitting at the High Court in London, to block plans for the 102m turbines.

The application was given to go-ahead after West Coast Energy took its case to the Planning Inspectorate.

A spokesman for the Peak Park said they were expecting the decision last week but the process was taking longer than expected.

He added: "The early indication was that it was only going to be a day or so but they are wanting to think about it for a bit longer.

"Initially people thought it would be so quick because it appeared a fairly clear cut decision one way or the other."

l The Politics Show East Midlands will be live from Carsington on Sunday to discuss the wind farm plans.

The BBC1 show, presented by Marie Ashby, will look at arguments for and against the turbines and will be speaking to campaigners and residents.

Traders anger at road closure plan for Hathersage

2009-07-15T10:06:00.000+01:00

FURIOUS businesses fear they could lose thousands of pounds in trade if council bosses go ahead with a road closure through a popular Peak District village at the height of the tourist season.

Derbyshire County Council issued warning letters to stores, pubs, tea shops and banks in Hathersage just this week, warning that Main Road will be closed from Monday for two weeks for resurfacing.

Boss Fran Beardon, of outdoor pursuits store Outside, on Main Road, said: "We're fighting recession and they've decided in their wisdom to select a tourism destination for road works during our busiest period.

"We've been looking forward to July to safeguard businesses and jobs and the fact the council is riding roughshod over this lifeline beggars belief."

The council visited shops and, on Tuesday, sent letters outlining the road closure, from School Lane to Station Road, with diversions and additional work, under traffic controls, further along Main Road, near Barnfield Drive.

It apologised for potential noise, disruption and inconvenience and asked for co-operation and understanding.

But businesses including Outside, North Face, Outside Cafe, Coleman's Deli, Paul Bowyer's butcher's, Hathersage Lido organisers, Barron's filling station, the Spar shop and more have raised concerns, according to Mr Beardon.

Mr Beardon is campaigning for people to call the council and request the work be postponed for a suitable period or to alter plans to allow traffic in and out.

He added: "It's such short notice we're running out of time so all we can do is phone and write to the council to postpone this plan.

"Roads need to be maintained but this is not an emergency and Hathersage is a key area for the Hope Valley and a main thoroughfare that needs to stay open during July and August."

A Derbyshire County Council spokesman said: "Work starts to resurface the main road in Hathersage next week. We realise this will be inconvenient for local people and businesses but this road needs resurfacing.

"We've avoided the main summer holidays and will keep disruption to the minimum possible."

Walk back in history

2009-07-15T10:05:00.001+01:00

HISTORY lovers can discover just what the Normans did for us on a walk to the remains of Pilsbury Castle in the heart of the Peak District National Park on Tuesday July 28.
The easy-going walk, entitled '1066 And All That', starts at 10am as part of the nationwide Festival of British Archaeology.

Booking is essential on 01298 84992, and there is a £2 charge for transport back to Hartington. The walk finishes around 4pm and includes some high stiles. Walkers need a packed lunch and sturdy shoes.

Biker rescued after 40 ft plunge

2009-07-15T10:03:00.000+01:00

Mountain rescue teams in Derbyshire have helped to bring a 20-year-old man to safety after he lost control of his motorbike and plunged 40ft (12m).

The biker, from north Wales, was travelling along the A54, southwest of Buxton, on Friday night when the accident happened.

It is thought he hit a metal barrier and was then catapulted down a ravine.

Rescue teams used a rope pulley to bring the man to safety.

He was treated by paramedics for a severe leg injury.

He was then taken by ambulance to hospital for further treatment.

Mark Williams of Buxton Mountain Rescue said: "We quickly realised the casualty was in a precarious location on the very steep ground, together with those personnel on site.

"The rope pulley system was needed to recover everyone safely."

The road was closed for a while as a result of the incident.

As for the rest of them

2009-05-23T23:43:00.000+01:00

MARK TODD South Derbyshire

Total second home allowance claims in 2007-8 of £19,023. Mortgage payments, bills, plumbing work and £25 a month food. Contributions towards kitchen units, lighting replacement and carpet. Furniture including table, chairs and sideboard. Full details on his website, "hopefully" by early June.

LIZ BLACKMAN Erewash

Second home allowance claims of £22,588 in 2007-8 – just under the maximum allowed – which paid for flat rental fees. Has not claimed any mortgage interest. Bought household items for rented flat with the approval of Commons authorities.

PATRICK McLOUGHLIN West Derbyshire

Thousands of pounds for maintenance and repair work at Derbyshire home, including £3,000 towards new windows and £1,268 for decorating sitting room, bedroom and en suite bathroom. Said he was not planning on repaying any of the money back. Mr McLoughlin is to chair a committee that will review all expense claims of his party's MPs.

DAVID TAYLOR North West Leicestershire

Has claimed for council tax, estate service charges, utility bills, furniture, fittings. Is paying back all money for furniture. Said he would also apply other interim rules retrospectively. Admitted daughter uses London flat when she is working in the capital. Receipts will be published online by mid-June.

JANET DEAN Burton

In 2007-8 claimed £17,261 for second home in London – £14,400 rent for flat used since 1997. Other expenses include council tax £1097.88, water charges £266.13, insurance £181.25. All receipts to be published "soon".

DENNIS SKINNER Bolsover

Says in the past five years his expenses are the lowest for all MPs and, in 39 years as an MP, he has never claimed a penny in mortgage payments or money for foreign travel. His total expenses in the last five years were £500,000 less than the highest claim. Said his expenses details were available for anyone who wanted to see.

TOM LEVITT High Peak

Claimed mortgage interest payments for 12 years on his council flat, which he said did not even have a garden, but mistakenly over-claimed for six months. All of the money was repaid. Claimed for furniture, some of which was second hand. About £25 a day for petty cash and food when he was in London. Details online in June; future claims will be published month by month.

PAUL HOLMES Chesterfield

Claimed rent on his second home flat for eight years. Received £20,500 from his second home allowance in 2008-9, 90% of which was paid on rent to a commercial company. He did not think any of his claims had been excessive.

MARGARET BECKETT Derby South

Total second home allowance claims in 2007-8 of £16,974. Claimed £1,920 for a new pergola and plants for her Derby constituency home. Commons staff thought it was excessive and disallowed £600 for plants from the bill.

She said her full allowance details would be released with the cabinet's in the next few weeks.

"Over the years what is acceptable has changed and we need to change now too," she said.

Engel: All claims for costs 'directly incurred by me'

2009-05-23T23:42:00.000+01:00

NORTH East Derbyshire MP Natascha Engel claimed for a herb-chopper, can opener, tool kit and more than £1,500 of white goods, in total expenses of £63,431 from 2005 to 2008.

In August and September 2005, she claimed for a dishwasher, fridge freezer, washing machine, microwave and kettle at a cost of £1,666.75.

Three months later she got £2,308.95 for furniture from John Lewis. In the next three months to the end of March 2006, she received £504 for kitchen utensils.

She also claimed £2,900 for a John Lewis three-piece corner sofa – but was only given £2,000 – and £235 on a drain survey.

A £79.99 cool box to carry the contents of the MP's fridge between her second home in Derbyshire and London home each week was also claimed.

Since September 2006, Ms Engel has only claimed for mortgage interest, utilities, council tax, phone bills, cleaning, home insurance and water bills. She has never claimed for food and put details of her expenses on her website. Ms Engel said: "I furnished some of my house in Barrow Hill but never claimed for costs not directly incurred by me."

MP Mallaber a bit more like it

2009-05-23T23:41:00.000+01:00

AMBER Valley MP Judy Mallaber has shown the Derby Telegraph her expense claims since 2004.

Her main expense was her mortgage interest. Between 2004 and 2008 she claimed a total of £15,584.02, with £3,891.94 of that received in 2007-08.

She also claimed £1,598.01 for a burglar alarm in those years for her constituency home, for when she was staying in London.

Other expenses were £3,240 for cleaning and £1,800 for service and maintenance costs, including £70.50 for a boiler service.

The Labour MP claimed only for food in 2005-6, when she received £2,000. She said it "did not feel right" claiming for food and has not done so since.

She said she did not feel the total £3,240 bill for a cleaner for her constituency home was excessive. A TV licence was also paid for from the public purse.

Mrs Mallaber said: "I'm a bit embarrassed it (the expense claims) is so low. But I had a national job before I was elected and had a base in London, so only needed a home in Amber Valley. Many other people have done it the other way round."

Hoon 'stuck to letter of law and spirit of the rules' Yeh, yeh, yeh

2009-05-23T23:40:00.000+01:00

GORDON Brown was forced to defend two more of his Cabinet ministers yesterday.

The Prime Minister insisted there was "no problem" with financial arrangements that meant Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon, who lives in Derbyshire, and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell did not pay capital gains tax on second homes.

The PM has branded the behaviour of Communities Secretary Hazel Blears in avoiding £13,000 of Capital Gains Tax (CGT) as "totally unacceptable".

But he insisted the cases of Mr Hoon, who lives at Breaston, and Mr Purnell were different.

Neither paid CGT when selling London homes because the taxman considered them to be their main residence – even though they had been designated as second homes to claim Commons expenses.

Downing Street insisted Mr Hoon and Mr Purnell had stuck to the "letter of the law and the spirit of the rules".

It was reported Mr Hoon did not pay CGT on an estimated £300,000 profit from the sale of his London home in 2006. Mr Hoon said he rejected "any suggestion of wrongdoing".

Double dose of water fun

2009-04-26T22:37:00.001+01:00

VISITORS to Chatsworth House will be able to enjoy a water spectacular at the stately home this summer.

Over the coming weeks the Emperor Fountain will reach twice its normal height to around 200ft.

Water will also come pouring out of the mouths of stone fish and hidden water jets will come out the floor of the Cascade House and in the glade around the Willow Tree fountain.

The Water Spectacular will take place along with the usual playing of the fountains each weekend from Saturday, May 2, between 11.30am and 2.30pm.

More information on the stately home is available at www.chatsworth.org

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2009-04-26 10:51:42

Richest people in Derbyshire see wealth plummet

2009-04-26T22:35:00.002+01:00

DERBYSHIRE entrants on the latest Sunday Times Rich List have been revealed.

But in line with the rest of the country's wealthiest people, their fortunes have fallen over the last 12 months.

John Kirkland and his family, owners of Heage-based construction group Bowmer & Kirkland, have seen a massive 58% dip compared to 2008, losing £160m to £115m.

John Bloor, owner of the Triumph motorcycle business and Swadlincote house building firm Bloor Holdings, is worth 42% less than in 2008 at £275m.

The Duke of Devonshire is one of only two millionaires in the East Midlands top 20 whose wealth has not changed, remaining at £500m.

JCB owner Sir Anthony Bamford and Donington Park owner Tom Wheatcroft also appear on the list, despite falls in their wealth.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2009-04-26 10:35:27

New homes plan for old cheese site

2009-04-26T22:35:00.001+01:00

AFFORDABLE houses could be built on the site of a former cheese making factory which has closed with the loss of 150 jobs.

A master plan is being drawn up to secure a new future for the Hartington plant after the announcement by Long Clawson Dairy it was to close.

The company, which bought the factory in September last year, has switched production of Stilton making to its other factories in Leicestershire.

The company has agreed to appoint a consultant to work with the Peak District National Park Authority, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Derbyshire County Council and the Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership to look at possible options for the site.

They include, six affordable house, a playground and a site for a new village cemetery.
Click here!

Attempts will also be made to keep some employment on the site.

Jim Dixon, chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, said: "All the authorities have agreed to work with Long Clawson to look at all the needs of people in Hartington and see what is possible on the site when the cheese making factory closes.

"We would like to secure the future of this site as quickly as possible given the current economic climate. The local community will be consulted as proposals are made.

"Our planning officers are already working with Derbyshire Dales District Council and the Peak District Rural Housing Association to look at a proposal for six affordable houses, but this will be part of a larger master plan for the whole site."

Hartington Creamery has been making cheese since 1875.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2009-04-26 10:33:04

Calke Abbey opens doors to its curious treasure collection

2009-04-22T08:51:00.001+01:00

Throughout the range of grandly-furnished rooms, Calke Abbey has been alive with activity as staff prepare to reopen to the public for the summer season. Antiques have been dusted, the final touches have been put to new displays and, outside, the estate's gardeners have been toiling beneath the spring sun. Lynne Dixon reports.

THANK goodness there were not any feng shui experts around in Victorian times urging people to clear out their clutter.

After all, if the Harpur Crewe family at Calke Abbey had decided to go all minimalist in the 19th century, there wouldn't be the mind-boggling array of almost 13,000 stuffed birds and mammals, butterflies, fossils, minerals, shells, artworks and general curiosities left for us to marvel at now.

Today, this fascinating National Trust mansion, nestling peacefully in the secluded hollow of a historic deer park in the pretty South Derbyshire village of Ticknall, is a beautifully preserved time warp; its contents and interiors almost unchanged since the 1880s.

The Harpur Crewes were an eccentric family of collectors, who simply never threw anything away. They were inveterate hoarders, which explains the vast and amazing collection of extraordinary treasures on show at Calke Abbey to modern day visitors.

The wonderfully named Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe, who lived between 1846 and 1924, was probably the family member with the greatest passion for the natural history of the Calke Abbey park and estate.

He amassed an enormous collection of stuffed birds and mammals, trophy heads, shells, minerals, birds' eggs, grasses and antiquities of every kind which can be seen in the house today.

It all helps to make this imposing baroque country house, dating from 1704, the most perfect example of faded grandeur, or "shabby chic" that you are ever likely to come across. Yes, it is constantly lavished with care and attention by its devoted team of staff but, despite that, Calke retains its air of decidedly faded glory.

This, of course, is exactly how it's meant to be because Calke is the House that Time Forgot.

That's just how the National Trust wants it to stay, explains house manager John Parkinson. "Calke is a vivid example of a great house in decline and it's presented as it was when the Trust took it over in 1985. We have stopped it getting any worse but we don't want it to get any better either. It's a fine balance."

Over the past few months, before the house reopened to the public for the new season recently, the housekeeping team got stuck into a major spring clean to ensure everything was shipshape for the expected influx of visitors.

But not too shipshape, of course. That wouldn't be at all in the spirit of Calke Abbey – which, incidentally, never was an abbey at all, despite being built on the site of a 12th-century Augustinian priory. As a matter of interest, the house was not even named Calke Abbey until 1808.

To give you a brief rundown of its history, Calke Abbey was founded by Richard, 2nd Earl of Chester, a wealthy landowner. But the independent religious community at Calke was not to stand the test of time and, by the mid 1100s, religious activity was reduced to serving as a cell to the nearby priory at Repton. This state of affairs lasted until Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.

From then on, Calke passed through many different hands until it ended up with the Harpur family in 1622. The Harpurs held on to the house until Henry, the last family resident – grandson of Sir Vauncey – handed it to the National Trust in 1985, although he continued to live in a small corner of it until he died in 1991.

But Henry passionately wanted this great and "secret" house to be preserved for the nation and, to this end, the dedicated staff at Calke beaver away endlessly to retain the mansion's unique "unpolished" look, dubbed the "Calke shabby effect".

John Parkinson heads up the housekeeping team, consisting of assistant house steward Nigel Jackson, Jenny Fahy, Gill Mitchell, Yanni Simpson and Neil Hall, who have all been trained in specialist methods of cleaning and conserving a stately home.

Over the past months it has been all hands to the pump to prepare Calke for its spring opening, as Jenny Fahy will testify.

"All the team know not to over-clean," she says – which, of course, is trickier than it sounds. Nevertheless, years of experience have taught these dedicated workers just how little elbow grease to use!

Their recent spring cleaning operation was carefully planned, as Jenny and her colleagues drew up a plan of work on a logical room by room basis.

"But things never go according to plan," Jenny laughs. "There are always challenges along the way, like the year we were having the underground Elizabethan drains replaced and discovered a load of skeletons!

"We had to bring in an archaeologist to assess the site and he confirmed that it was an old burial ground, Calke being situated on the site of a former priory. It was fascinating to see the skeletons as they were all positioned to reflect their hierarchy. They were left undisturbed and the new drains were installed along a different route!"

Part of Calke's annual spring clean involves the team going round each room to "relax" the curtains.

Jenny said: "This simply means taking off all the tie-backs and drawing the curtains closed so the material can hang freely, allowing some of the creases to fall out"

The team lay the curtains on huge tables, cover them with net then carefully vacuum the dust off with a specialist appliance, ensuring no snagging of threads.

Jenny adds: "Each room is then emptied before we carry out a "high clean" from the top of scaffolding and ladders, doing the chandeliers and cornices first."

As wall-mounted hunting trophies are a key part of Calke Abbey, the housekeeping team take care to keep them in good condition.

"We brush the deer heads down in situ using soft natural hair brushes and specialist vacuum cleaners. We have to be careful and wear rubber gloves and masks for cleaning the taxidermy because it's preserved with an arsenic solution," said Jenny.

Calke's other taxidermy displays are all enclosed in glass cases, so generally do not need cleaning – unless any insect infestations are spotted. "As soon as we see any sign of this, we call in a conservator who freezes the animal to kill off any bugs," Jenny said

"All taxidermy is preserved using toxic chemicals, so this always requires professional handling."

For more information on the opening of the house, park, garden and church at Calke Abbey, telephone Derby 863822, e-mail calkeabbey@national trust.org.uk or visit www.nat ionaltrust.org.uk/calke

New for 2009 are daily behind-the-scenes conservation tours of the house (except for Thursdays and Fridays when it is closed). The tours are from 11am-12.30pm and are included in the price of admission to the house.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2009-04-21 09:37:35

Get taste of Tudor-type food with TV star Ruth

2009-04-22T08:50:00.000+01:00

COOKING Tudor-style will be the lesson of the day at an event at Haddon Hall.

The stately home in Derbyshire will host a Tudor Cookery Weekend, with BBC presenter Ruth Goodman from the show A Victorian Farm.

The TV star will help prepare an authentic Tudor feast.

It will be served in the hall's banqueting room, which has been used for entertaining and dining since the 15th century.

Visitors are invited to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Tudor cookery first hand at the sessions, which will take place this Saturday and Sunday from noon until 4pm.

For more information visit www.haddonhall.co.uk

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2009-04-21 09:36:24

County caravan park's UK award

2009-04-22T08:49:00.000+01:00

A DERBYSHIRE caravan park has won a national award for customer service.

The Golden Valley Caravan and Camping Park, in Amber Valley, has won the British Holiday and Home Parks Association's Exceptional Service Award.

Park owner Darren Fretwell said: "I am delighted we have been acknowledged at a time when more and more people are choosing to holiday within the UK.

"Delivering consistent high-quality service is one of the best ways to attract people and keep them coming back."

The business has earned praise from the Country Land and Business Association.

CLA spokesman Tim Barnes-Clay said: "The Golden Valley Caravan Park certainly deserves this award."

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2009-04-21 09:29:13