Once again at Bakewell Methodist Church we are celebrating the Christmas story with a Festival of Nativities. The invitation is to everyone to come and see the meaningful story of Christmas pictured through beautiful Nativity crib scenes, including a life-size scene with all the characters around the crib. Come and discover again how the birth of Jesus came about and why that brings so much to celebrate in this season! The Festival is open every day from 1st to 22nd December

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Edwards Every year about this time children (and parents and grandparents) will be anticipating one of the high points of the year-Santa Specials on Steeple Grange Light Railway. Not surprisingly because as well as a gift from Santa in his Grotto there will also be mince pies, a hot drink and a ride on one of the railway’s small but real trains. This year the Specials will run on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December, one mile north of Wirksworth by

On Thursday 4th December Christmas really begins in beautiful Wirksworth, with the town Christmas tree lights being turned on. As usual this will follow the Peace Ceremony which will take place at 5.30pm on Memorial Hall Gardens. Residents will then gather at the Market Place at 5.55pm and the tree lights will be turned on by the Mayor, followed by the singing of a family-friendly selection of carols. This year the fantastic Raise Your Voices Choir will accompany the singing

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

Matlock Music Society continues its exciting 2025/26 season with a concert on 28th November given by PIVA, the internationally acclaimed early music ensemble. Returning by popular demand, the group will help ease us into the Christmas spirit by celebrating the Yuletide season, performing seasonal music and songs from Tudor times. Since forming in 2002, PIVA has become established as one of the UK’s leading early music ensembles specialising in the popular dance and ballad mu

Visit Bakewell Christmas Market Weekend and browse through the incredible selection of festive stalls, delicious food and drink and not forgetting the vast selection of entertainment planned for over the weekend. There will be over 100 stalls, gazebos and trailers in the beautiful historic market town centre with local brass and silver bands, choirs and DJ. The 15th Bakewell Christmas Market 2025 will be held on Market Street, Granby Road and Riverside Crescent and welcomes

Residents in the Hope Valley and Derbyshire Dales are invited to get into the festive spirit while supporting families affected by life-limiting illness this Christmas. Blythe House Hospice is set to host a series of wreath making workshops in Bamford, Ashford-in-the-Water, and Matlock - with every penny raised helping local people receive expert end-of-life care at home. Funds raised through the events will directly support hospice services including the Roaming Car. The t

We have just enjoyed the hottest summer on record but the nights are now drawing in, mornings and evenings are becoming cooler and our thoughts must, inevitably, turn towards Christmas! The seventeenth Festival of Christmas Trees will take place at All Saints’ Parish Church, Bakewell between 11 and 21 December 2025. The church will be full of Christmas trees, mainly “real”, some artificial or created, but all decorated in such a way as to celebrate different aspects of our B