The Chair's Blog for July: Summer fun, the forest and fundraising
The Chair's Blog for July: Summer fun, the forest and fundraising!
July has been my second full month in this role and the pace hasn’t slowed down as yet – but I love to keep busy, meeting so many of our residents, businesses and visitors to the district, as I continue my whistlestop tour of the many events taking place in South Derbyshire.
What’s been happening this month?
We started the month on a real high! I had the privilege of joining our Environmental Engagement Manager, Kate Allies, from the Environmental Education Project (EEP), at the University of Derby, as she accepted the Civic Award to support two of EEP’s projects looking at the Night Sky – Nightwatch and Bat Talk and Walk. Nightwatch was a great success two weeks ago, and people can still book a place on the Bat Talk and Walk in September – highly recommended!
As well as a great opportunity for the public to explore nature at night, the partnership with the University of Derby has also contributed towards research by Dr Chris Barnes into nature connectedness linked to dark sky experiences – the whole subject is fascinating!
My travels around the district then took me to Granville School’s fundraising fete, raising money to send pupils to Kenya to support education projects out there. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? South Derbyshire’s young people supporting their fellow children in other parts of the world. We had a great time at the event, thanks so much to the school, students and parents for making us feel very welcome.
And then there’s our four-legged friends! I was honoured to officially open the Paws on the Pitch event at Hartshorne Cricket Club, organised by Broken Souls Rescue; raising money for the charity that supports and rehomes dogs and cats across the district. There was so much going on, including a dog show, live music from local bands, craft stalls and of course a bouncy castle! The dog show had some fantastic categories – Best Ears, Best Eyes and the Fastest Biscuit Eater! I hear they raised over £1,800 on the day, which is fantastic! Sue and I were delighted to be a part of the event.
We then took part in the Crich Pilgrimage, where we joined other dignitaries from across Derbyshire to support the Mercian Regiment. This annual event is dedicated to all serving and retired members of the regiment and their families. It was a fantastic day up at the Memorial Tower, overlooking the beautiful village of Crich.
We made our way down from the tower to join the wonderful Sukhmani Ladies Group in Stenson Fields to celebrate their 25th Anniversary celebration. Our Active Communities team at the Council has worked with this group for nearly 20 years - taking them on walks around the National Forest from April to October each year.
The ladies who represent our local Sikh community made us both feel very welcome and told us all about the many social opportunities they offer their members, as well as physical activity opportunities such as walking and chair based exercise.
Next stop - the Swadlincote Small Business Showcase! Held in the centre of town, this event was a fantastic way to promote the work being done across the district by those smaller businesses that keep our economy moving. It was also great to see those businesses in their infancy, such as SwadPod, who wouldn’t be able to showcase their work like this, without the opportunity made available to them by the Council’s Economic Development team. I love to see the work being done to support our communities every day; it’s not always seen, but it’s there and it’s fantastic to meet the beneficiaries of the support.
We’ve now made it to the middle of the month! And, I have to say this visit was one of my favourite visits. I got to meet a fantastic young man called Samuel at Walton on Trent Primary School, who had organised his own cake stall to raise funds for the school’s Sensory Garden. While I was there, I planted some trees and flowers too. It was great to see what an impressive young man Samuel is and how much he cared for his local environment.
On the 18 July we launched the fantastic new Sparrowhawk adventure playground at Rosliston Forestry Centre – and what a day that was! The sun was shining, and we had some wonderful children with us from Rosliston Primary School to test out the equipment – in fact some of the big kids from the Forestry Centre’s staff did too! This Sparrowhawk installation has been much-anticipated and certainly didn’t disappoint! I understand from the team up at Rosliston that it’s been a huge hit since being opened, and people are visiting from far and wide over the summer holidays to play on it! Well done to the team!
My wonderful Vice Chair, Cllr Alistair Tilley attended the Swadlincote Fire Station Open Day during this week, which sounded like lots of fun; with a bouncy castle, Dexter the Fire Dog, face painting, a mini fire engine ride and lots of our fantastic local emergency services teams there to meet the public.
I was delighted to be joined by our Council Leader, Cllr Robert Pearson and Samantha Niblett MP, among a number of other dignitaries at Eureka Park towards the end of the month, as we officially opened the Miners’ Memorial. We learned so much from the sculptor, Anthony Hammond, who shared his process and thought behind his Bevin Boys Memorial Garden sculpture of a pit pony and driver. Absolutely fascinating, in fact you can see the video here.
Located in one of our Green Flag Award parks, this beautiful new space is a place for reflection, remembrance, and community, honouring South Derbyshire’s mining heritage and the Bevin Boys who served during WWII. The project blends history, art, and community - and it was fantastic to see so many people join us for the unveiling.
On Sunday 27 July I attended the Bolsover District Council Civic Service, where my counterpart in Bolsover, Cllr Duncan Haywood, was officially named Chair of the Council for the coming Civic Year. Congratulations to Duncan and his Vice Chair, Cllr Duncan McGregor. I also got to spend a bit of time with the other local Mayors and Chairs, including Erewash’s youngest Mayor ever, Cllr Harry Atkinson!
To finish off the month’s activities, I joined hundreds of local people at the first ever Music in the Forest event at Rosliston Forestry Centre. This event has formed part of the series of Music in the Park events, taking place across July and August. It’s such a relaxed way to enjoy the outdoors, while listening to some fantastic music, delivered by lots of local musicians.
There’s lots more to come for myself and my consort, Sue Taylor, over August I’m sure. But for now, I’d just like to thank everyone that invited us along to their events, and gave us a real July to remember.
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27 August 2025