Duffield Village News in brief....
News items from the Duffield Scene are reproduced
with the kind permission of Barrie & Diana Eccleston.
01332 - 841948
'Duffield Scene' covers all these stories and more in this month's FREE issue.
Or logon to www.duffieldscene.co.uk where the 'Scene' can be downloaded in PDF form.
All information, letters, news, articles, diary events, photographs and suggestions should be
marked “Duffield Scene” and handed in at Duffield News, Town Street, Duffield
or posted to: 52 Tamworth Street, Duffield DE56 4EZ.
Contacts: Barrie & Diana Eccleston
Phone: (01332) 841948 E-mail: info@duffieldscene.co.uk
For more local news, check out the
Duffield Community Association Website
- May 2008 Edition (In brief) -
A Golden Deal for Ecclesbourne School
Ecclesbourne School has
paved the way for
developments which will
benefit the whole
community as well as
provide bettersporting and
academic facilities for
students.
Working in partnership with
the Derby-based Radleigh
Group, the school is
proposing a new indoor sports
hall with changing facilities, a
fitness suite, upgrading the
existing netball/tennis courts
and a five-lane heated indoor
swimming pool at the school’s
site on Wirksworth Road.
Dr Paul O’Flanagan retires
After 31 years living and working in Duffield, Dr Paul O’Flanagan retired from Appletree Medical Practice on the 1 May 2008.
During his time in Duffield he became a highly valued and cherished part of the Community and the team at Appletree medical centre.
Duffield Carnival 2008
Some stalls and pitches for
Duffield Carnival in Eyes
Meadow on Carnival Day
Saturday June 28th are still
available.
There is a growing demand so
if you want to ensure a place
e to exhibit your wares please
contact Derek Cook, secretary
of Duffield Community
Association on 840098
The Duffield Deanery Walk will take place on Saturday
May 17th, starting at St.
Alkmund’s Church car
park at 9.30am.
It’s a 15mile cross country
circuit to Deanery churches at
Allestree, Mackworth , Kirk
Langley, Quarndon and
people can join and leave the
walkers at any point...it’s a
family event and the advice is
stout shoes, waterproofs and a
packed lunch.
Proceeds from the event will
help rehabilitate homeless
people in Derby.
Please contact Mike Stanier
(840849) for sponsor forms
and further details..
Amber Painting Group
An annual exhibition of
paintings by members is to
be held by the Amber
Painting Group from May
16th to May 22nd (9.30 am -
4.30pm) in the Cromford
Gallery at Sir Richard
Arkwright’s Mill at
Cromford. Entrance is free
and all donations go to
support Air Ambulance.
- April 2008 Edition (In brief) -
Changes Made to Aid Patients.
Changes have been made to
the patients appointment
system at Appletree Medical
Centre.
These changes have been
introduced in order to improve
the availability of routine
appointments for patients and
ensure all urgent problems are
handled within appropriate
timescales.
Appletree now has a daily
Triage Doctor who deals with
urgent requests for
appointments (within the next
48 hours), urgent medication
requests and home visits etc.
Patients can now book a routine Doctors or Nurses
appointment up to 6 weeks in
advance.
Make a routine appointment
with a Doctor by selecting ‘Option 1’ on the automated
telephone system 24 hours of
the day or night.
If you are unable to obtain a
suitable appointment via the
automated system, please
contact the Receptionist and
you will be passed to the
Triage Doctor.
Appointments
Urgent
(within 48 hours) and
Home Visits:
If you need an appointment with a Doctor or home visit
within the next 48 hours
please telephone the surgery
as usual and select ‘Option 2 -
Book an appointment with the
help of a receptionist’.
The receptionist will take your
details and a contact telephone
number.
The Triage Doctor will then
phone you back as soon as
possible and discuss with you
what course of action is
appropriate.
This may mean arranging an
appointment to attend surgery,
a home visit, an appointment
with a nurse, answering yourqueries/offering advice on the
phone, organising some tests
or issuing you with a
prescription.
A spokesperson for Appletree
Medical Centre said:“Our aim
is for you to see the most
appropriate person quickly
when you need to be seen; and
to save time and unnecessary
trips to the surgery for
problems that can be resolved
by telephone.”
Appletree Medical Centre,
telephone number
0844 477 3476
www.appletreemedical.org
Hazelwood Crown Green
Bowls Club is a well
established bowls club and
would like to encourage new
members from the Duffield
area.
Their bowling green and club
facilities are virtually second
to none, and greatly admired
byvisitors from otherbowls
clubs.
Hazelwood has social
bowling, competitive league
play and numerous internal
events and social occasions;
also junior coaching.
If you are an existing player
or new to the game you are
most welcome!
Contact: Mike Nadin
Tel: 01332 840682.
Laura Allen weaving her Magic
Those of you who
purchased a copy of the
Duffield Calendarfor
2008 may have had their
first introduction to
local artist, Laura Ellen
Bacon (see March)
Laura Ellen Bacon creates
large-scale, woven willow
artworks all over the UK,
on a loose theme of
nesting and attachment. “My work can often be
found high up in the
boughs of a tree, or
perhaps on buildings,
cliffs and even in water,”
says Laura.
Since graduating from the
University of Derby,
Laura has exhibited and
created her work across
the country and recently
in Spain and Ireland.
“My work can take me
from three days to several
weeks to complete andevery sculpture is unique,
being literally woven
around the site.
It’s most exciting to work
away from home, but I do
have a huge love of
Derbyshire”she says.
Last year was a busy one
for Laura, including an
appearance on BBC1’s
Countryfile, a meeting
with Sir Richard Branson
and the creation of two
artworks for Chris
Beardshaw’s award-
winning garden at
Hampton Court Flower
Show.
Expansion for 'PURE ESSENTIALS'
Although many local
businesses have closed down
through lack of support,
Pure Essentials Centre for
Complementary Therapies is bucking the trend by
expanding because of local
support.
“We are very grateful for the
remarkable support and
encouragement we have
received from people since we
opened our doors almost three
years ago. We felt the time was right to
expand the range of therapies
we offer and are pleased to
introduce:
Katy Henry, an acupuncturist
with six years experience and
successful practices in
Mickleover and Nottingham;
Catherine Fuller, has, for the
last five years, been a
Homeopath in Lincolnshire
before moving into this area;
Stuart Welbourn is
Hypnotherapist with 10 year
experience, a busy practice in
Mickleover and local radio
and TVappearances to his
credit and finally
Clair
Graves, with five year
experience as a Life Coach
Reiki Master/Teacher an
Family Practioner.
So, if you are organising an
event and looking for
something special why not
support your local business
and give Karen a call on
01332 842116 - you could
even book in for a therapy
session to melt away the
stress.
More Benfits for Meadow Lovers
My grateful thanks to all the
people who came for the
work party on February 23rd
It was a very successful “Spring Clean”, probably
even more so than if I had
been there, some of my
colleagues would say.
Now that we are getting fairly
regular visits from one of
schools - namely William
Gilbert, plus Cub Scouts and
Beavers - we have a proper
education pack to help
children get the best out oflooking at wildlife.
On the morning of Saturday
26th April, 9.30 -12.30, why
not come and see the latest
improvements to your own
local nature reserve, The
Millennium Meadow.
Thanks to funding by the
energy company Eon, we now
have a new gate providing
wheelchair access and threeoak benches.
Sterling work by Tim Brooks
of Groundwork Derbyshire
has provided a new
interpretation
/notice board by the main
entrance and a new full
colour information leaflet for
general distribution.
Local sponsorship for these
items has come from Benz
Bavarian, Duffield News,
Smartmove Estate Agents and
the Royal Garden Chinese
Restaurant. Meadow Musings by Rodney Wood
- March 2008 Edition (In brief) -
Mindless vandaliism upsets doctors
The doctors at Appletree Medical Centre are disappointed to report that the surgery is again subject to annoying vandalism, with repair costs running into several hundred pounds. several hundred pounds.
In a letter to the Duffield Scene
the doctors say: “ We are aware
that in the evenings and at the
weekends, our car park is a
welcoming venue for youths
who wish to play various
games of football,
skateboarding and cycling, as
well as more mature young
men who gather in their cars,
coming and going with the inevitable excessive speed and
skidding manoeuvres.
A great deal of litte is left
behind which has to be
cleared on almost a daily
basis.
Games with footballs are also
continuing, with the paintwork
and windows of the front
surgery walls constantly
bespattered by muddy football
imprints.
Our Appletree Medical Practice
sign has been totally destroyed
on one occasion during the
period of a bank holiday last
year, our CCTV cameras
confirming that this was done on several nights by deliberate
kicking of a ball towards the
sign. At considerable expense,
we have replaced the sign, only
to find that the letters are again
being broken off.
We also have CCTV evidence of youths climbing onto the
single floor portion of our
building, usually using the
wheeled bin as an access
platform, and 20 or 30 of the
slate tiles have been broken as a
result.
There is obviously
considerable risk for anyone
attempting to perform this act.
We would ask local people to
consider whether any of their
family members are culprits,
and try to dissuade them from
performing these acts of petty
vandalism.
The police are involved in
random patrols and
prosecutions will follow if any
culprits are apprehended.
Ecclesbourne School, the
Police, villagers and nearby
residents have all be asked to
help track down the
irresponsible vandals who may
come from out of the village.
Footpath improvement
Thanks in no small part to the efforts of Duffield’s County Councillor Patrick Clark and Amber Valley Councillors Stuart Bradford and Chris Short, the footpath on the Ecclesbourne School side of Wirksworth Road are being improved.Ecclesbourne students now
have a new pavement to walk
on and hopefully they will
keep off the grass verge which
enhances the appearance of
the thoroughfare, especially
when it’s allowed to grow!
Soon the other side of
Wirksworth Road will have
the pavement brought up to
standard.
Derbyshire Gold Card
Travel Permit
Starting in April 2008
the new scheme will
allow cardholders to
travel all overEngland
on local buses FREE
after9.30am.
People over 60 will
qualify and under-60
because of a disability.
Forms will be available
shortly from Duffield
News in Town Street,
- February 2008 Edition (In brief) -
JOHN SHARES HIS HONOUR WITH WIFE PAULINE
“It came completely out of
the blue. I consider this
honour to be for both my
wife Pauline and myself - as
he rcontribution to squash
has been just as great, if not
more, than mine,” was how
John White greeted the
news that he had been
made an MBE forhis
services to squash.
After all the initial
difficulties, building works
have finally got underway
for the new Croots Farm
Shop with a planned
opening date of early June
2008.
‘’We’re delighted to finally
see the first foundations being
laid down’’said Steve Croot “we have a very busy five
months ahead of us.”
As well as sorting out all the
equipment needed for the
butchery and shop, Steve has
been busy looking for new
and different suppliers,
although he is keen to source
as much as possible from
within a 30 mile radius of the
farm.
They are also starting to think
about staffing requirements
with plans to recruit around
eight people to work in the
butchery, deli, and the coffee
shop as well as someone to
help them out with the
accounts.
Full details and application
formswill be available on
theirwebsite orby phone on
01332 883072in the next
few weeks.
NEW PLAYGROUND
FOR GRAY’S REC
Great news for the
toddlers and younger
children of the
village...a brand new
playground will soon be
completed at Gray’s
Recreational Ground
off Snake Lane.
- January 2008 Edition (In brief) -
HUNDREDS OF MEMORIALS MADE SAFE
Memorial testing has now taken place to ensure the Cemetery on Hazelwood Road is a safe place for both visitors and staff. In all more than 1100 memorials have been checked for safety and stability at a cost to the Parish Council in excess of £6000.
Where memorial stones have
been found to be unstable, they
have, where possible, been
made safe on a temporary basis
by the use of supporting posts.
As a last resort some large
memorials that could not be
made safe in this way have been laid down, but this has been limited to under 30 in total.
The testing was conducted by
independent trained
professionals who used
calibrated testing equipment to
a measure of 35kgs. Read more in Duffield Scene
BRINGING BACK TRADITION TO A GOOD OLD VILLAGE PUB
Customers are returning once more to The Patten Makers as the word is spreading that the new managers there know what they are doing as they go about restoring its image as a good community pub. Best friends Sheila Fossbrook
(left) and Claire Muldoon
form the best possible
working relationship...Sheila
an expert on the cellar side
and an engaging hostess
behind the bar and Claire, an
excellent cook and equally
entertaining when not in the
kitchen.
“We have both been in the pub
trade for many years. our
strengths dovetail nicely, we
both love the village and see
this as a wonderful
opportunity to get back the
reputation The Patten had as a
place to go for quality draught
beers, pub games and some
good crack in the bar, said
Sheila who lives in the pub
with her husband Simon and her children Bryn (12)
Ashleigh (11) and Luke (9
and their American bulldog
Kilo and Staffordshire bull
terrier Megan. Read more in Duffield Scene
ALL ROUNDER SONIA CEMENTS HER PLACE IN THE TEAM
The Governors at Ecclesbourne School have approved the appointment of Sonia Robinson as Senior Administration Officer/ Clerk.
In addition to her duties
for the governing board,
Sonia is also Personal
Assistant to the Head
Teacher and Admissions
Officer too. “This keeps me very
busy. and I love busy!
I have over 30 years of
experience in office
administration and all
that this entails.”. says
Sonia.
It’s almost a full school
term since she
commenced her new role at Ecclesbourne School
and now she has been
confirmed in the post. Read more in Duffield Scene
- December 2007 Edition (In brief) -
OLDEST VILLAGE SCHOOL SEEKING ASSISTANCE
Duffield’s longest-established school is hoping parent power could help it to solve a budget shortfall. Unusually, William Gilbert
Endowed Primary – founded
in 1565 - currently has nine
free places throughout the
school.
It is paid £1,500 per pupil by
the local authority, so that
could add up to a cut of £13,500 in the school’s
income. Read more in Duffield Scene
DUFFIELD CRICKET CLUB PAVILION VANDALISED
Repeated acts of vandalism on at least seven separate occasions have caused thousand of pounds worth of damage to Duffield Cricket Club pavilion. Repeated acts of vandalism
on at least seven separate
occasions have caused
thousand of pounds worth
of damage to Duffield
Cricket Club pavilion. Read more in Duffield Scene
ROLLING BACK THE YEARS AT ECCLESBOURNE REUNION
The first of the Ecclesbourne School Golden Anniversary reunions (pre- 1987) proved a great success with some 200 students coming from far and wide and bombarding the School with letters of appreciation. Read more in Duffield Scene
FORMER ECCLESBOURNE STUDENT IN PIONEERING VENTURE
Former Ecclesbourne School studentand
Yorkshire Post Business
Editor David Parkin has
launched a new Internet
venture providing news,
information and events
for Yorkshire business. Read more in Duffield Scene
- November 2007 Edition (In brief) -
RESIDENTS WANTACTION OVER KILLER X-ROADS
Residents on Broadway and
Cumberhills, are accelerating
their fight to get speed
restrictions/calming measures
imposed neartheirhomes
after a recent fatality there.
In a letter to Derbyshire
County Council and the
Police on behalf of local
residents, Derek Brown, who
has lived in Cumberhills Road
since 1977, has watched as the
traffic has increased
alarmingly, especially over
the past two years.“I believe that the time has
arrived for some action to
curtail the excessive traffic
speed and this applies equallyto both the 30mph zone of
Cumberhills Road and 40mph
of Broadway, (B5023).“The staggered junction of
Cumberhills Road/ Broadway
and Wirksworth Road is
particularly difficult to
negotiate both on foot and in a
vehicle.“There have been several
collisions at this junction over
the past two years and one
which very sadly resulted in
the death of a motorcyclist a
couple of weeks ago.“The lack of a pedestrian
crossing at this junction
makes it difficult to negotiate,
particularly at rush hour.
“Cumberhills Road is
increasingly used by ‘rat-
runners’as a short-cut to
Derby city and the A38, thus
avoiding the A6, with its now
restricting Bus Lane and 30
mph limit.“The number of households
on Cumberhills Road has
recently almost doubled with
the building of 22 dwellings at
Cumberhills Grange, many
with two cars per family,
resulting in even more drivers
and pedestrians using the
roads in this small area.“In addition, Broadway and
Cumberhills Road are also
recognised as a ‘thrilling and challenging route’( Duffield to
Wirksworth ) for motorcyclists a
recommended in Motorcycling
magazines and web-sites such a ‘www.BestBikingRoads.com’.
Read the article in full in this months Duffield Scene
RECORDS BROKEN AS ECCLESBOURNE ENHANCES REPUTATION
There were 241 students
in the Key Stage three
results with 114 boys
and 127 girls and we
were delighted with
these results overall.
These were our BEST
results ever.
All core subjects
exceeded the performance
target set two years
previously.
The School performs at
approximately 20
percentage points
higher than national
figures when comparing
Level 5 achievement in
the core subjects of
English, Mathematics
and Science.
The School has been
particularly successful
with higher levels of
attainment.
The School performs at
between 32 and 47
percentage points
higher than national
figures when comparing
Level 6 achievement in the core subjects of
English, Mathematics
and Science.
Level 6 and above - 2007
- English 79, Maths 88
and Science 80.
Eighty five percent of
students achieved 5+ A*-
C grades and 82%
achieved this figure
including Maths and
English.
We were delighted with
these headline figures
which demonstrate that
the School target of 83%
at 5+ A* - C grades was
exceeded by 2%,.
The number of A* - A
[38%] matches the
significant increase that experienced over the
previous 2 years.
The A* grades remained
high [13%] as was the
number of A* - B grades
[66%].
Read the article in full in this months Duffield Scene
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