23,000 COPIES DISTRIBUTED FORTNIGHTLY
Your local paper, for local people, promoting local business for over 43 years.

THE PEAK ADVERTISER is an independent, locally produced paper for the Peak District area, including Bakewell, Baslow, Hope Valley, Tideswell, Matlock, Matlock Bath, and Wirksworth.

Current publication:

Distributed from:

Next publication is:

Which will be printed:

Distributed from:

Booking deadline:

What's On?

Find out what's happening in the Peak District, Matlock and Wirksworth. See also Coming Events Listings >

MATLOCK STORYTELLING CAFE PRESENTS: COMB AS TOLD BY CHARLOTTE MOONEY

Well Dressings and Carnivals

Forthcoming Well Dressings ~ Read more >

WORMHILL WELL DRESSING 23-31 AUGUST 2025

FOOLOW WELL DRESSINGS

STONEY MIDDLETON WELL DRESSINGS SATURDAY 26TH TO SUNDAY AUGUST 3RD

2 3

Open Gardens in the Peak District

Forthcoming Open Gardens ~ Read more >

LONGNOR CELEBRATES ITS HIDDEN GARDENS

SECRET GARDENS OF WINSTER 19th-20th July 2025 1.30pm to 5.30pm

LONGSTONE OPEN GARDENS SATURDAY 12TH AND SUNDAY 13TH JULY

2 3 4 5

WALKS WITH NELLIE IN 2025

by Sally Mosley Another year has whizzed by! Nellie and I have had some fabulous walks with highs and lows, hills and thrills, but thankfully no trips or spills, exploring into all corners of our beloved Peak District. As we all know, the weather has been a very mixed bag in the last twelve months, but then it wouldn’t be our green and pleasant land if it wasn’t. At times our walks have been a struggle through persistent rain and mud but there have also been occasions when i

LITTLE GREEN SPACE ~ BY PENNY BUNTING

Every year in the UK, around 10 million tonnes of food is thrown away. There’s a spike in food waste over the festive season, when many households hold gatherings – often with a focus on eating and drinking – and buy or cook more food than is needed. For example, millions of mince pies are discarded every year. And hundreds of thousands of turkeys and portions of Christmas pudding are also thrown away each Christmas. This is bad news for the environment, because when food e

ROB SCOTT

Rob Scott, our long-standing distributor in Youlgrave – Photograph by Andrew McCloy/The Bugle Rob Scott has delivered 500 copies of the Peak Advertiser in Youlgrave for nearly 25 years, and will be stepping down at the end of the year. We would like to sincerely thank Rob for his dedication, reliability, and long-standing service, and wish him all the best for the future. If anyone is interested in taking over the round, please contact the Peak Advertiser by calling 01629 81

MATLOCK BOXING DAY RAFT EVENT

The Matlock Raft Event is roaring back this Boxing Day, following last year's hugely successful day. The 2025 event promises an unforgettable experience, with organizers dedicated to going above and beyond to create a safe, thrilling, and memorable day for all. The Matlock Raft Event is a quirky, long-standing tradition held in Matlock, Matlock Bath and Cromford, Derbyshire, UK. Every year on Boxing Day (December 26th), brave participants take to the chilly River Derwent on

FOURTEEN REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL

• Saving fuel and car parking charges. Reducing pollution, less traffic thus improving the environment. • You may get a better deal – for instance local bakers, greengrocers, butchers could reward regular custom. • Good advice; butchers could advise on how to cook certain cuts of meat and what size joint you might need for a family get together. • Shopping at your local butchers cuts down on food miles and stress on the animals, therefore better quality meat. Plus traceabil

2025 CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL AT ALL SAINTS’ PARISH CHURCH, BAKEWELL 11TH-21ST DECEMBER

A reminder that the seventeenth Christmas Tree Festival at All Saints’ Parish Church, Bakewell will take place between 11 and 21 December 2025. After the festival’s opening during a short service at 7pm on Thursday, 11 December, the church will be open from 9.30am to 4pm daily (12 noon to 4pm on Sundays). Delicious home made refreshments and light lunches will be served in the Open Door Café each day between 10am and 3.30pm (12.30 to 3.30 on Sundays) There will be music to

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO A THRIVING BUSINESS: THE STORY OF LEE WEBB AND BIRCHOVER RECLAMATION LTD

My name is Lee Webb, and I’m the founder and managing director of Birchover Reclamation Ltd. My journey in the stone industry began at Penine Paving, Newhaven, where I spent 17 years learning the trade from the ground up. Those years gave me a real appreciation for the craftsmanship, hard work, and relationships that make this industry so special. After almost twenty years in the trade, I decided it was time to take the plunge and build something of my own. I found a small y

DERWENT GALLERY ‘THE COLOUR AUTUMN’ EXHIBITION

– Advertorial – Including paintings by Kristan Baggaley, Mark Preston, Tim Hulley and Pauline Rignall The Derwent Gallery, in Grindleford in the Hope Valley, has been selling fine art paintings of the Derbyshire Peak District during it’s thirty years years history, attracting artists and visitors from a wide area, and always have a diversity of painting styles and media. The exhibition features the changing of the season with burnt ochres of heather and bracken and dramatic

RISING NUMBER OF COHABITING COUPLES RISK HOMELESSNESS IF A PARTNER DIES WITHOUT A WILL

Laura Cowan, Head of Private Client Team at Graysons Solicitors A stark new warning has been issued to unmarried couples after national research revealed that most cohabitees have little idea what would happen to their partner – or their home if one of them dies without a will. According to figures from the Will Aid campaign, two thirds of cohabitees misunderstand the law surrounding intestacy, and a quarter wrongly assume their estate would automatically pass to their partn

Music in the Peaks and Dales

Forthcoming live music events and concerts Read more >

A TRIBUTE TO COUNTRY MUSIC WITH MARK BLACK AT THE WHITWORTH IN AID OF ALZHIEMER'S RESEARCH

BAKEWELL CHORAL SOCIETY – VIVALDI GLORIA, PERGOLESI MAGNIFICAT AND RUTTER MAGNIFICAT

Festive Music Comes to Bakewell: The Belper Jazz Company Featuring Jeanie Barton Presents a Christmas Special

2 3 4

Talk of the Dales

Local stories and contributions from writers in the Peak District, Matlock and Wirksworth.

PEAK FOREST READING ROOM RENOVATION

Peak Forest Reading Room is a registered Charity (No. 520493). The building is Grade II listed with historic connections to the Devonshire Estate and was built in 1880. The front of the building incorporates the ‘Venetian’ window, which was removed from the original Peak Forest Church when the ‘new’ church was built. This window dates from 1657 and is of historic significance. Several works to the roof and exterior of the building have already been undertaken, but the int

DERBYSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST (WYE AND UPPER DERWENT LOCAL GROUP)

Wildlife of the Peak District - An Illustrated talk by Peter Bull on Monday 19th January at 7.30pm Peter Bull has a passion for photography and has a gift for taking superb photographs of wildlife. He lives on the western edge of Hathersage over-looking the Hope Valley, Stanage Edge and Hathersage Moor. His talk will relate the wide variety of habitat in the Peak District, the wild flower meadows, ancient woodlands, bogs, moorlands, rivers and gritstone edges to the equally

CELEBRATING A WIN AT THE WORLD NATIONS CUP IN WALKING FOOTBALL

Bob Thorpe celebrating the win A local sportsman who has been playing football for over 70 years is celebrating a win on the world stage. Bob Thorpe, aged 74, of Dronfield Woodhouse, was a member of the England Over 70s team which lifted the World Nations Cup in walking football. Bob and his teammates beat Holland 8-1 to take the title in the Over 70s category in the FIWFA six-a-side competition at Torrevieja Sports City, in Spain, in October. In fact, the squad were unbeat

MATLOCK ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLE SOCIETY

Danny Wells At the last meeting of the year members and visitors welcomed back for the fourth time, Danny Wells. On this occasion he spoke about the “Art of Gardens” which was so interesting in many ways, he explained that on closer examination of many paintings there is a whole host of hidden details with flowers and foliages having secret meaning! This was very much the case in Elizabethan, Victorian and Edwardian times. To close the meeting, Mary and Mary served teas alon

BLYTHE HOUSE HOSPICE TREECYCLE

Residents across North Derbyshire can take some of the stress away from the post-Christmas clear-up by registering their real Christmas tree for Blythe House Hospice’s Treecycle campaign. Between 8th to 10th January 2026, hospice staff and volunteers will be collecting trees from postcodes across the High Peak, Hope Valley and Derbyshire Dales* for a donation to fund vital hospice services. Thanks to the devoted support of S ‘n’ S Trees of New Mills, all the money raised wi

BAKEWELL CHORAL SOCIETY – VIVALDI GLORIA, PERGOLESI MAGNIFICAT AND RUTTER MAGNIFICAT

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SING IN The SPRING CONCERT? Bakewell Choral Society's Spring Concert will be on Saturday, 25th April at Bakewell Parish Church. They will be performing Vivaldi Gloria, Pergolesi Magnificat and Rutter Magnificat. Rehearsals start on Monday, 5th January 2026. Guests are invited to come and join at the start of the spring term and to sing in the concert. All voice parts are welcome. If you have not sung with Bakewell Choral Society before, the fee for rehearsa

BRITISH FLOWERS ROCK

It’s almost January and there’s not much going on in the garden. It’s the time of year to hole up indoors and look back on last year and plan for next season. If you kept notes on your plot in 2025 (or did the cheats version and took photos of things as they were happening like I do) now is the time to decide what went well and what didn’t. It’s also the moment to design your bouquets for 2026. Once you’ve got the cutting-patch bug and grown annuals you can tweak and refine

BAKEWELL AND DISTRICT PROBUS CLUB WORKING IN DUBAI EDUCATION

L-R:John Hopkins and Club Chairman, Paul Davies On a recent typically cold, grey and wet December day, the members of Bakewell and District Probus Club were reminded of sunny skies and summer warmth by their colleague, John Hopkins, who presented a talk about his experiences as a schools inspector in Dubai. Having spent a career in teaching, culminating in a headmastership in Wales, and approaching the age of retirement, John was presented with the opportunity to serve as an

TWELVE MATLOCK SCENES

Just two of the twelve Matlock shop window scenes created by Frances A trip into Matlock town and the Christmas festive displays are starting to add cheer to the mundane job of basic shopping. Non more so than the lovely painted windows around the town. One particular show is eye catching and is a real compliment to Matlock. It is compiled of 12 snowy, recognizable scenes of Victorian Matlock. The artist responsible is Frances Thomas who lives in the town and although makin

BASLOW WI DARLINGS

St Anne’s School Choir and Christmas Tea Oh, Bless them, they were wonderful. A chorus of joyful voices melting our hearts. Perfect. Nothing beats St Anne’s School Choir at Christmas. Then Christmas tea, a lovely finalé to our WI year. Chatsworth Christmas Outing Happy chaos. Some of us were early, some late, some poorly and some were there but we never found them. It was busy and it was tricky to keep together because there was a plethora of young burgeoning media influencer

DERBYSHIRE DALES CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR BIN COLLECTIONS

Derbyshire Dales District Council has announced its bin collections schedule for the Christmas and New Year period. The most significant change is for Dales residents who usually get waste and recycling collections on Thursdays. As Christmas Day falls on a Thursday this year, their Christmas collection is brought forward to Saturday 20 December, while what would have been a New Year’s Day collection is a day later on Friday 2 January. Usual Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday col

RIVER NETWORK CELEBRATES COMMUNITY SPIRIT AT THE CHRISTMAS VICTORIAN MARKET

River Network proudly showcased its commitment to community support at the Christmas Victorian Market in Matlock, where their dedicated team highlighted the phenomenal work being done in housing, foodbank services, and family support. The market stall served as more than just a festive display; it provided the team with invaluable experience in retail and retail management, while also fostering skills in security and security management. This initiative allowed team members

STONE DONATION HELPS IMPROVE HERITAGE RAIL COMPANY EXPERIENCE

If you take a nostalgic trip on heritage railway Peak Rail you are likely to see how a generous donation of stone by independent local company Longcliffe Quarries Ltd has enabled the company to make some significant improvements. Peak Rail operates a steam and heritage diesel service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales. The limestone has been used for a platform extension at Rowsley and for foundations for rebuilding a footbridge at D

DARLEY DALE WI

The ladies of Darley Dale WI concluded a very interesting and enjoyable programme for 2025 when they met recently. President, Sue Lamb welcomed everyone to the meeting including visitor, Kath. Fellow member, Jayne Hayward provided greenery and trimmings for the making of Christmas wreaths. After a deft demonstration by Jayne everyone soon got into the spirit and produced original decorations. Several members had attended the Autumn Celebration event at the Winding Wheel in

FARMING LIFE CENTRE SECURES CRUCIAL FUNDING TO COMBAT RURAL ISOLATION

As a small, vibrant charity, The Farming Life Centre relies entirely on diverse funding streams to deliver life-changing projects — every pound goes straight back into supporting farming and rural communities across the Peak District. The Farming Life Centre is delighted to announce that they have received generous funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and the National Lottery Community Fund to expand their much-needed Rural Befriending Project. This funding wi

DERBYSHIRE OPEN ARTS 2026 CALLOUT FOR ARTISTS AND MAKERS

Derbyshire Open Arts is an annual event that promotes the work of artists and makers across the county. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the event which has grown into Derbyshire’s largest open studio event and will take place over the Spring Bank holiday weekend, Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th May 2026. There are many benefits to artists of being part of Derbyshire Open Arts including: • promotion of your work and venue via social media platforms, newspapers and maga

FREE PARKING THIS CHRISTMAS IN HIGH PEAK

Parking in Borough Council car parks will be free again this year this December as High Peak residents and businesses prepare for, and celebrate, the festive season. The Council is offering free parking in its pay and display car parks on Saturdays 6, 13, 20 and 27 December, and on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, to encourage people to support local businesses and shop local. Parking will also be free in Buxton on Saturday 22 November and Glossop on Saturday 29 November fo

CROMFORD WI NOVEMBER MEETING 'FROM WIGS TO WEALTH' RICHARD ARKWRIGHT

Our informed and interesting speaker, Dave Berry talked us through Arkwright's life – from his very lowly beginnings in a poor family from Lancashire to his wig making apprenticeship, his famous water powered cotton spinning machine, factory building and finally to finding fame and fortune as one of the richest men in England. At one time declaring he could 'pay off the country's debt' – which he declined to do incidentally! We learned about the court battles and rivalry in

Discover the Peak District

Attractions, experiences, activities, dining, and places to visit in the Peak District, Matlock and Wirksworth

THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN THE PEAK DISTRICT

DINING IN THE PEAK DISTRICT

SUMMER IN THE PEAKS AND DALES MAGAZINE

Read the Peak Advertiser online

View Current Issue

Back issues

23,000 COPIES DISTRIBUTED FORTNIGHTLY Your local paper, for local people, promoting local business for over 43 years.

What's On?

Well Dressings and Carnivals

WORMHILL WELL DRESSING 23-31 AUGUST 2025

FOOLOW WELL DRESSINGS

STONEY MIDDLETON WELL DRESSINGS SATURDAY 26TH TO SUNDAY AUGUST 3RD

Open Gardens in the Peak District

LONGNOR CELEBRATES ITS HIDDEN GARDENS

SECRET GARDENS OF WINSTER 19th-20th July 2025 1.30pm to 5.30pm

LONGSTONE OPEN GARDENS SATURDAY 12TH AND SUNDAY 13TH JULY

WALKS WITH NELLIE IN 2025

LITTLE GREEN SPACE ~ BY PENNY BUNTING

ROB SCOTT

MATLOCK BOXING DAY RAFT EVENT

FOURTEEN REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL

2025 CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL AT ALL SAINTS’ PARISH CHURCH, BAKEWELL 11TH-21ST DECEMBER

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO A THRIVING BUSINESS: THE STORY OF LEE WEBB AND BIRCHOVER RECLAMATION LTD

DERWENT GALLERY ‘THE COLOUR AUTUMN’ EXHIBITION

RISING NUMBER OF COHABITING COUPLES RISK HOMELESSNESS IF A PARTNER DIES WITHOUT A WILL

Music in the Peaks and Dales

A TRIBUTE TO COUNTRY MUSIC WITH MARK BLACK AT THE WHITWORTH IN AID OF ALZHIEMER'S RESEARCH

BAKEWELL CHORAL SOCIETY – VIVALDI GLORIA, PERGOLESI MAGNIFICAT AND RUTTER MAGNIFICAT

Festive Music Comes to Bakewell: The Belper Jazz Company Featuring Jeanie Barton Presents a Christmas Special

Talk of the Dales

Local stories and contributions from writers in the Peak District, Matlock and Wirksworth.

PEAK FOREST READING ROOM RENOVATION

DERBYSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST (WYE AND UPPER DERWENT LOCAL GROUP)

CELEBRATING A WIN AT THE WORLD NATIONS CUP IN WALKING FOOTBALL

MATLOCK ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLE SOCIETY

BLYTHE HOUSE HOSPICE TREECYCLE

BAKEWELL CHORAL SOCIETY – VIVALDI GLORIA, PERGOLESI MAGNIFICAT AND RUTTER MAGNIFICAT

BRITISH FLOWERS ROCK

BAKEWELL AND DISTRICT PROBUS CLUB WORKING IN DUBAI EDUCATION

TWELVE MATLOCK SCENES

BASLOW WI DARLINGS

DERBYSHIRE DALES CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR BIN COLLECTIONS

RIVER NETWORK CELEBRATES COMMUNITY SPIRIT AT THE CHRISTMAS VICTORIAN MARKET

STONE DONATION HELPS IMPROVE HERITAGE RAIL COMPANY EXPERIENCE

DARLEY DALE WI

FARMING LIFE CENTRE SECURES CRUCIAL FUNDING TO COMBAT RURAL ISOLATION

DERBYSHIRE OPEN ARTS 2026 CALLOUT FOR ARTISTS AND MAKERS

FREE PARKING THIS CHRISTMAS IN HIGH PEAK

CROMFORD WI NOVEMBER MEETING 'FROM WIGS TO WEALTH' RICHARD ARKWRIGHT

Discover the Peak District

Read the Peak Advertiser online

23,000 COPIES DISTRIBUTED FORTNIGHTLY
Your local paper, for local people, promoting local business for over 43 years.