A selection of articles and poetry
IMPROVED WAITING AREA TAKING SHAPE AT MATLOCK’S BUS STATION
New waiting facilities are taking shape in the partnership scheme to improve the bus station and taxi rank in Matlock's Bakewell Road.
Derbyshire Dales District Council is in the process of completing improvement works to the bus station - while keeping it operational - with new internal energy efficient LED lighting and CCTV now installed.
Window openings have also been formed and the steels are going in. Once the new windows are in place, external lighting, and real time bus information screens will be installed.
These improvements, together with new internal seating, will create a comfortable waiting area for bus and taxi passengers.
This final part of the project also includes the reinstatement of York stone paving on the Bakewell Road frontage along with three new seats and the remaining landscaping. New external directional bus and taxi signage will also be added to the building.
Part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Bus Service Improvement Plan, the project also includes contributions from the District and County Councils.
Last year the District Council’s contractors completed a deep clean of the bus station building, installed new timber railway sleepers forming a new landscaped area comprising new trees and golden gravel west of the bus station exit and in front of Spa Villas car park, where new cycle parking has also been provided.
During summer 2024 the County Council extended the bus layby in front of M&S, making space for buses to pull up in-line with the new kerbline. This has improved accessibility for those boarding buses and removed the problem where an additional bus was unable to pull in fully, obstructing traffic.
There were also changes to the bus station exit onto Bakewell Road and resurfacing of the footway down to the pedestrian crossing outside Holland and Barratt.
RECORD YEAR HIGHLIGHTS CHALLENGES FACING DERBY CAT CENTRE
Cats Protection Derbyshire Cat Centre recorded an unmatched 1,012 adoptions in 2024, highlighting the growing strain the charity is under to find suitable homes for the increasing number of unwanted cats.
The site in Ashbourne is the largest in the charity’s network of adoption centres, with 66 homing pens which can each house individual cats, bonded pairs or a mother and her litter, all cared for by a dedicated team of staff and volunteers.
The cost-of-living crisis proved a triple challenge to the centre last year with increased vet costs, a rise in abandonments and more cats arriving with serious medical issues.
Centre Manager, Helen Wood has been at the centre for 26 years so has seen first-hand the crisis unfold.
Helen said, “We had one of the hardest years at the centre last year. We are so pleased to have homed so many cats and kittens, but there are still so many out there needing our help.
“As a charity, we have seen a 34% increase in cases of cats being abandoned, often in heartbreaking circumstances where only sheer luck meant the cats didn’t die before they were discovered.
“While people may reach desperation point, there’s no excuse for discarding pets with no thought for their survival. Although we are always busy, we ask people to get in touch and we will do all we can to help, either by taking cats in for rehoming or offering support and advice to keep them in their homes.”
A rise in the cost of vet treatment has led to some owners putting off seeking treatment for poorly pets, eventually surrendering them when they can no longer cope.
Helen added: “The health of some the cats that are coming in to us is really quite sad to see. These cats may have to spend a significant amount of time with us while they are treated and then they need time to recuperate. Pen space is limited so having cats spend significant periods with us means we can’t bring in other cats that need our help.”
Among cats at the Derbyshire centre currently looking for homes are Titch and Wendy, who came from a multi-cat home. The one-year-olds have both suffered with knee issues but Wendy’s were more severe, requiring orthopaedic surgery to make her more comfortable. They are a super friendly pair who need to be rehomed as a pair.
The Derbyshire Cat Centre relies on local support. “We really wouldn’t be here without the generosity of our supporters, from our centre volunteers to those that tirelessly fundraise or donate spare food or blankets – every little bit really does help and we are extremely grateful,” said Helen.
Cat lovers can help the centre via its Amazon wishlist, where food and toys are available to buy (http://www.amazon. co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/3TOHS97VRS2SI) or through one-off or regular donations (https://www.cats.org.uk/donate?b=363)
For more information on Cats Protection Derbyshire Cat Centre visit http:// www.cats.org.uk/derby
BIRD KEEPERS IN DERBYSHIRE URGED TO STEP UP EFFORTS TO FOLLOW AVIAN FLU GUIDELINES
The trading standards team at Derbyshire County Council is urging bird keepers to take steps to combat the spread of bird flu, as cases have been dealt with in other parts of the country.
Anyone who keeps poultry or other captive birds must register them with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and make sure they are following government guidelines to meet the minimum biosecurity standards to protect their birds.
Keepers can register their birds online:
• Register as a keeper of fewer than 50 poultry or other captive birds
• Register as a keeper of 50 or more poultry or other captive birds
• Register a captive bird of prey
DEFRA and the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have provided a biosecurity checklist for bird keepers as well as advice about how to prevent avian flu and stop it spreading.
Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, Councillor Carol Hart, said, “Avian influenza is a highly infectious disease affecting many species of birds, including poultry, pet birds and wild birds.
“While it’s not currently in Derbyshire, cases have been dealt with in other parts of the country, so I am urging anyone who keeps birds in the county to register their birds, follow the government guidelines, and limit the spread, if we can.”
Bird flu is a notifiable animal disease. Anyone suspecting any type of avian influenza in poultry or captive birds must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. Failure to do so is an offence.
How to spot and report bird flu in poultry or other captive birds
If anyone finds dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or other dead wild birds, such as gulls or birds of prey, they should report them to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77. Defra has also launched an online reporting system making it easier to report sightings.
Childhood memories of the war
Coming home from Sunday School, on the morning of 3rd September 1939, my sister and I saw my mother waiting at the garden gate, which was unusual, as she would normally be in the kitchen seeing to the roast Sunday dinner.
“War has been declared”, she announced, but it didn’t mean much to us, being just 9 years old and my sister 6 years old. My mother looked serious as we followed her indoors.
Gas masks appeared and were hated as they were made of rubber, which fitted over the face, and had a metal filter at the end. It was contained in a box, with a string attached, to put over your shoulder. We carried them with us outside everywhere, and to school, but I don’t think they lasted very long as gas wasn’t used.
Next came the blackout material which had to be put up at every window and glass door so that no tiny light showed. Some men were recruited and on their sleeve they wore an armband with ARP on (Air Raid Precautions). They wandered up and down the streets to see if anyone was showing andy chink of light and, if so, they would receive a warning and perhaps a fine or even a prison sentence.
All street lamps were off and the few cars and buses around then had to have shields on their headlights. So there was utter darkness in the Winter months. I remember an old auntie coming to visit one afternoon and the darkness had fallen as she was leaving so my mother had the idea of lighting a candle in a jam jar and tying string around the top of the jar and so with this she set off – but arrived back soon after to say the candle had gone out!
Sirens had been installed on the top of Town Halls in every town and the wail of them alerted us to German planes coming over and we were to take cover.
Some people had dug into their gardens and had Anderson shelters put in. In cities, others took cover in underground stations.
We just stayed indoors and carried on.
Lots of instructions on big hoardings appeared.
“Keep Calm and Carry on”
“Be like Dad and keep Mum”
“Dig for Victory”
The last one was taken up by a lot of people who were not eligible for the fighting forces. Lawns were dug up and allotments started growing vegetables and fruit to help out with rations.
Everyone had been issued with a Ration Book and registration numbers. We had to register with a local grocery shop and a butcher and also for milk.
Rations per week for each person: Butter, 2 oz. Margarine, 4 oz. Bacon, 4 oz. Cheese, 2 oz. Lard, 2 oz. Sugar, 8 oz. Tea, 2 oz. Eggs, 1 *. Meat, 1 shilling and 2d (approx. 6p) worth, 2 chops. Soap was rationed in 1942. Sweets – 12 oz every 4 weeks. *Powdered eggs were available from 1942, from the USA and in a carton which was equal to 12 eggs, every 4 weeks.
My Dad went to work in a factory in Coventry, making munitions, so his ration book went with him. He was billeted in Coventry with an elderly single lady for all of the war years and she became a family friend, who also sent Christmas presents to my sister and me.
We visited her after a bad bombing of the city and we went to see the ruins of Coventry Cathedral.
After food rationing came clothes rationing and we had coupons for anything we needed to buy to wear.
So another instruction was mad public – “Make do and mend”. Most women didn’t need telling as they had always done so, and knitting and sewing were a normal, everyday part of their lives.
As the bombing by the German Luftwaffe planes intensified in ports (sinking ships) and in the towns and cities, the evacuation of children took place. Thousands of children left their families and were herded onto trains to a destination in the country. People were asked to take one or two of them but some siblings were separated. Some settled in, but others had unhappy lives.
My mother had two elderly people from London to stay with us. Our sitting room contained a 3 piece suite and a piano, so the piano was transferred to our living room and replaced by a single bed. It was now a bed-sit for one elderly lady, named Miss Fielder, who was independent and looked after herself, using our kitchen to make her own meals. The second lady was totally blind, and had been a nurse, so she stayed in our third bedroom and had her meals with us.
My father came home for a short weekend every third weekend, arriving on the train at 5pm on Saturday and returning on Sunday or, if he was on a night shift the following week, travelling back on a Monday morning.
There were no televisions or telephones then, except for some businesses and doctors, so we listened to the radio at 6pm to hear the news. I think we were only told good news, like how our RAF had brought down German planes in a fight over the Channel or flown over Germany and bombed their cities.
We knew about our casualties when the Telegraph boy took a telegram to a house, telling the parents that their son was killed or missing. A neighbour received one; and my friend’s mother received one after her son went down with his ship when it was hit by a torpedo. He had been in the Merchant Navy and his ship was a merchant ship which had been bringing in much-needed food.
So many names on the War Memorial.
As Winston Churchill said “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.
Although rationing of some foods remained until the 1950s, we were healthy on the 3 meals per day, which was a normal routine, along with all the exercise from walking. Living in a small town, like Matlock, which is surrounded by countryside, we had the added bonus of being able to roam the footpaths and fields, picking bilberries, blackberries and mushrooms for free.
A few foods were not rationed and occasionally, as they came available, queues formed outside shops as word spread. It was very disappointing, after queueing to get near the shop, to hear that a notice had gone up saying “Sold Out”!
Saccarins had been introduced to eke out the sugar allowance but were in short supply. One Saturday, my mother borrowed a bicycle for herself and as I already had one, we cycled together to Bakewell where I was told to join a queue at a shop for saccharins and she joined a queue at a butchers for off-ration sausages. We got both and, I recall, some strawberries in season and we cycled home very pleased with ourselves and thinking the 16 mile cycle ride was well worth it. As a 12 or 13 year old, I suspect my legs ached!
Oranges and bananas, which had been part of our diet, disappeared and a song about bananas was sung called: “Yes, we have no Bananas, We have no Bananas today”, which was amusing to us.
Lots of things were done to keep up our spirits. Cinemas stayed open to show films and shows were put on at the Town Hall, as were whist drives. Dance Halls still opened and people carried on dancing. My mother was very fond of dancing and would sometimes take my sister and me, together with a friend, to the local village dance on a Saturday evening. The walk back home began down a lane where soldiers were stationed in an old mill, and where a soldier stood on guard. As we got near, he would command “Halt, who goes there, friend or foe?” My mother would answer “Friend” and then the reply from the guard would be “Step forward friend and be recognised”, so she stepped towards him. And then we were allowed to continue our journey. I wonder what would have happened if she had said “Foe”!
What joy and jubilation was felt when, at last, war ended in September 1945 and we had won although at the cost of so many lives and the ruin of so many towns and cities.
I was 15 years old and had been working in the offices of a company which had come from London and taken over the building of Patons and Baldwins to make munitions at the start of the war. They were now returning to London and we were all given the opportunity to go with them. I thought perhaps I would – but my mother put paid to that idea!
Vera Wragg (nee Hunter)
WINTER
Winter you frighten me,
with your dark cold eyes.
Your wrinkled hands,
that reach out to me.
Winter,
with your loneliness,
your selfish pology.
You inflict darkness,
covered in empty dreams.
Winter,
like a brittle ghost,
casting cold shadows.
You feed me yesterday,
when I long for tomorrow.
Winter,
in with your big stick,
roaring like a lion.
Then out like a Spring chick,
the bleakness and gloom gone.
Winter,
a foe, never a friend.
All we can do now
is wait out the rain and wind.
Just hope for no more snow.
Keith J Furnival
Wirksworth
Dad
Feeling a bit low today.
Been on my own, just thoughts in my head.
I find a book that belonged to my dad, 25yrs without him.
I hold the book and memories flood back.
I can see his face, hear his voice.
Tears start to well in my eyes, as I touch the book.
I think about him holding, and turning the pages.
My fingers, where his fingers touched so long ago.
I gently stroke the cover, and dad is with me again.
Dad I miss you so much x
Alison Higgins
Wirksworth
Garden visitors
It looks cold and icy out.
I wonder how the garden birds keep warm, with their thin downey feathers on little bodies?
The bird feeder is busy this morning.
The blackbird is having a drink.
Robin red breast and the sparrows are pecking around, picking up all the seed on the ground.
The blue tits are flitting too and fro from the nut feeder.
The squirrel comes to visit and the birds scatter.
I'll have to shoo him off, the birds need to eat and keep their energy levels up so they can keep warm.
I love feeding my feathered friends, they all have individual characters.
I can watch them in the warm, from my kitchen window.
Alison Higgins
Wirksworth
Mr Thomas's Writing Shed
If I was a poet like Mr. Thomas,
I'd have a cottage by the sea, and a writing shed, with vistas of trees, the sea shore and birds.
I would sit in peace, and let my mind wander, and write till I was free!
The sun would shine through the window and feel like the breath of a dragon on my face.
I don't have a writing shed with views of the sea,
I only have a chair at the kitchen table with views of the garden.
The sun shines through the window and lights up my pages.
I'm ready to let my mind wander and write till I'm free!
Alison Higgins
Wirksworth
Snowdrops
Walk slowly here
Beneath the wind-tossed boughs.
Let not your eye be held too long
By the wildly-waving treetops,
Nor by the flying clouds and sparkling sky;
Nor even, when you drop your gaze,
By the mellow graveyard stones
Remembering those long laid to rest.
Walk slowly here
Upon the quiet earth, and look around!
Look around and see the myriad snowdrops –
Hopeful, fresh and delicate as dreams –
Laid out in drifts across the grass.
And watch the placing of your steps
Lest you should trample underfoot
And spoil a single trusting flower.
Caroline Bennett
Sunday 2gether at St. Anne’s Baslow
9th February and 30th March (Mothering Sunday). All-age services at 9.45am
Children are welcome at St. Anne’s! Although Sunday 2gether is our most child-friendly service, children are welcome at all of our services.
We have a children’s area at the back of the church where you will find toys, books and simple craft and colouring activities for them to engage with.
Relaxed service, dramatised Bible story, songs and hymns (old and new). Crafts and refreshments – something for everyone!
BASLOW SENIOR CITIZENS CLUB
Councillor Susan Hobson attended Baslow Senior Citizens Christmas party in the vVillage hall to present a cheque to the Chairperson, June Powell from her discretionary fund.
The Chairman expressed her grateful thanks on behalf of the members. Each member was presented with a cyclamen plant funded by the grant at the end of the afternoon .
The Club meet fortnightly on Fridays at 2pm in Baslow Village Hall
AGREED MOVE FOR CRICH POST OFFICE, DAILY OPENING & LONGER HOURS
Post Office has agreed to move Crich Post Office to a new location – Nisa Local, Market Place, Crich, Matlock, DE4 5DD.
The final arrangements for the move are now being made and the move date will be announced in the near future.
The current, long-serving, owners are to retire from the role, and the premises at Market Place, Crich, Matlock, DE4 5DD will be withdrawn for Post Office use.
The owner of Nisa Local wants to take on Crich Post Office at their store. The priority is to safeguard Post Office services to the local community in the longer term.
There will be a Post Office counter at the retail counter, which will be open throughout the stores opening hours of Monday to Saturday: 7am-9pm; Sunday: 8am-8pm. This will provide 96 hours of Post Office service a week for the convenience of customers.
This will be an extra 66 hours a week including daily opening, an end to lunchtime closing, earlier opening and later closing.
The new premises will be approximately 40 metres from the current branch and with roadside parking available.
BASLOW WI DARLINGS
Top Hat Celebrant- Anna Wright
Yes, I'm definitely going to have a Celebrant. Our Baslow charismatic Celebrant, Anna, has convinced me. I'm imagining an amalgamation of music and mirth. Mingling magical moments and a myriad memories into a momentous macrocosm of merriment. Oh, and a couple of Kate Treve's cakes.
The Raffle
I won. It wasn't rigged, Anna drew my ticket. I got the pink Possum Merino gloves sent from our New Zealand sisters for Christmas. Overjoyed darlings, I'd “had my eye on them” from the start. I love them.
BASLOW WI
JUMBLE SALE SATURDAY 29th MARCH
BASLOW VILLAGE HALL 2-3.30pm
We've not had a Jumble Sale for ages, so this is going to be a very big event. We've loads of treasure to share, clothes, toys, books, bric-brac – the usual high quality “surplus to requirement” items. Think “green” darlings, be brave and buy our Nearly New. We'd love you to find a Baslow bargain whilst saving the planet.
New Years Eve Chatsworth Garden Walk
A dozen Darlings met up in the morning. I know it sounds strange but I'd missed them over Christmas, even with all their faults and foibles! So it was lovely to share Chatsworth's Garden surprises together.We found giant Snowdrops growing in the rockery and clouds of delicate pink almond blossom near the trout stream. Then coffee in The Stables – couldn't get a word in edgeways, there was so much chatter.
Colleen Taylor-Hill
Not only is Colleen part of our Baslow Village Hall Christmas Design Team, she's joining the “creme de la creme”, our Baslow WI Top Management Team, “rubbing shoulders” with Baslow's President, Lorna Wilson and other dignitaries. What a Star.
For The Diary
5th February Book Lovers Club
5th February WI Team Lunch, 12.00 at Charlies followed by Team Meeting at 2.pm
6th February Book Worms Club
12th February 2pm, BVH with James Pogson from Northern Tea talking about coffee
19th February Lunch Club, 12-12.30pm, Chesters, Chesterfield with Sue Priestnall
25th February 10.30am, Chatsworth walk with Vikki. Free parking in February.
26th February 2-4pm WISA with Christine Thompson
4th March The Great Big Bus Adventure. Catch 218 from Bakewell at 9.40am, stopping in Baslow’s Nether End at 10am and travelling to Sheffield's Pete McKee Exhibition in The Weston Park Museum with Jane.
Jane Walker
Bakewell Library February Reading Recommendations
The Reading List
by Sarah Nisha Adams
Category: Adult Fiction
Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life after the loss of his wife Naina. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his disinterested granddaughter, Priya, who tucks herself away reading whilst he watches David Attenborough. Aleisha is working at the local library on Harrow Road when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper with a list of books that she's never heard of before, let alone read. In turn, each story on the list gives up its magic, transporting Aleisha away from the painful realities she's facing. And when Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm of a granddaughter, Aleisha discovers that the reading list will be a lifeline for him too. And so, begins a new chapter between two lonely souls, who'll learn that fiction can teach them a whole lot about real life.
The Reading List is an exquisite novel and a reminder as to why we love to read and the power that a book can hold over the reader for a lifetime. Definitely a feel-good read and a sentimental story.
Rating 5/5
Three Hours
by Rosamund Lupton
Category: Adult Fiction
3 hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds. It is a morning's lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods. It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for.
In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. Told from the point of view of the people at the heart of it, the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils, teenage Hannah in love for the first time, the parents gathering desperate for news, the 16-year-old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, the students taking refuge in the school theatre. All experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption.
This bone chillingly atmospheric novel is an unbelievably amazing and brilliant read. It is also traumatic, engrossing, unforgettable and intense. I loved this book and marvel at the writer’s ability to weave such a story. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a mystery thriller.
Rating 5/5
The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club
by Faith Hogan
Category: Adult Fiction
When Elizabeth's husband dies, leaving her with crippling debt, the only person she can turn to is her friend, Jo. Soon Jo has called in her daughter, Lucy, to help save Elizabeth from bankruptcy. Leaving her old life behind, Lucy is determined to make the most of her fresh start. As life slowly begins to return to normal, these three women, thrown together by circumstance, become fast friends. Until Jo's world is turned upside down when she receives some shocking news. In search of solace, Jo and Elizabeth find themselves enjoying midnight dips in the freezing Irish Sea. Where they can laugh, cry and wash away all their fears.
The character development in this novel is exceptional. The novel itself is heartwarming and left me feeling very upbeat, the writer’s extensive vocabulary added to my enjoyment of the novel, especially her amazing balance between humour, drama and tension. I will be reading more by this author.
Rating 5/5
The Mad Women’s Ball
by Victoria Mas
Category: Adult Fiction
The Salpetriere asylum, Paris, 1885. Dr Charcot holds Paris in thrall with his displays of hypnotism on women who have been deemed mad and been cast out from society. But the truth is much more complicated – these women are simply inconvenient, unwanted, those who have lost something precious, or wayward daughters. For Parisian society, the highlight of the year is The Mad Women's Ball, when the great and good come to gawk at the patients of the Salpetriere dressed up in their finery. For the women themselves it is a rare moment of hope. Genevieve is a senior nurse – after the childhood death of her sister Blandine, she shunned religion and has placed her faith in Dr Charcot. But everything begins to change when she meets Eugenie, the 19-year-old daughter of a bourgeois family who have locked her away in the asylum.
I enjoyed this fast paced, well-researched story that I am sure other fans of historical fictions will love. However, I did feel that the novel was lacking in development, but it was still an enjoyable read.
Rating 4/5
Little Wing
by Freya North
Category: Adult Fiction
1969. Florence Lawson, a 16-year-old girl who dreams of being an artist, finds herself pregnant and banished to one of the most remote parts of the UK. 1986. Dougie Munro, searching for adventure, leaves the Isle of Harris for art college and a career in London. 2004. Nell Hartley, content with her life in Colchester, discovers a shocking truth about her family. Between the sprawl of London, suburban Essex, and the wild, unpredictable Outer Hebrides, three lives collide and interweave as questions are asked and secrets surface. What happened to Florence? Why is Dougie now so reluctant to return home? How can Nell make peace with the lies she's been told? A novel about resilience, forgiveness and the true meaning of family, about finding one's place in the world and discovering how we all belong somewhere and to someone.
This tearful read is excellently crafted and completely honest in its view that sometimes there is not a happy ending. The authors descriptions of both the characters and their settings are vivid and undeniable. I enjoyed this book even if it did make me cry.
Rating 5/5
CLOSURE OF VIA GELLIA FOR FELLING OF DISEASED ASH TREES
Via Gellia road between Cromford and Newhaven (A5012) will be closed at various points by Derbyshire County Council from Monday 27 January 2025 for the felling of trees suffering from ash dieback.
Work by the county council’s contractors to clear trees, from both land that the council is responsible for and privately owned land, will continue until the end of February 2025. Throughout this time, sections of the road will be closed completely to traffic on weekdays between 8am and 4pm. Onsite signage will advertise the sections of closures and show access or diversions to local communities as the work progresses along the road. Overnight one lane will be open with traffic lights in place.
A large proportion of trees along the Via Gellia are ash trees and many have become infected by the disease which causes decay under the bark, making the trees brittle and more prone to falling over in high winds. As branches and stems die back there is a greater possibility of deadwood falling into the road and causing a safety risk.
The tree felling will involve removing all ash trees within 20 metres of each side of the road as very few of them are unaffected. Those few currently unaffected would be very likely to succumb in the future and would need to be revisited. The method to remove all at once has been agreed with Natural England and the Forestry Commission.
The county council is supporting landowners along the route who have a legal responsibility to remove diseased trees on their land and is coordinating tree removal as part of a plan to clear affected trees on county council-owned land.
Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, Councillor Carolyn Renwick said: “Ash dieback is a blight across the whole country and Derbyshire is particularly hard hit due to our limestone environments which is favoured by ash trees. The steep valley sides of the Grange Valley have offered protection from wind and rain making the Via Gellia ideal conditions for the disease to grow.
“The badly diseased trees are a threat to road users and we’re taking action jointly to remove that threat before the nesting season begins.
“Due to the vast area of trees affected, it means land along the route will look very different once the tree-felling has taken place. Replacement trees will be planted in winter 2025/26.
“We’re grateful that many landowners on the Via Gellia have chosen to work with us to help minimise disruption and costs for all involved.
For more information and regular updates about which sections of the road are closed visit www.derbyshire.gov. uk/viagellia