‘Faithful in Difficulties’ – The Lives of the “Leadswingers”, creators of the First World War trench magazine of the 3rd West Riding Field Ambulance Service, 1915-1919 19th February ‘Faithful in Difficulties’ (In Arduis Fidelis) was their regimental motto. In between saving lives on the First World War battlefields of Flanders, including at the bloody battles of the Somme and Passchendaele, a small band of young Royal Army Medical Corps servicemen from Sheffield, with shared

Redstart Dr Mark Eddowes is a local man from Bonsall. His day-job is as an airport safety consultant but he is also an independent ornithological researcher. Mark explores in detail what we can all sense from our own observations – with a changing climate, our springs are advancing, and our songbirds must migrate back here and breed earlier to keep up. They are shifting northwards and vacating previous breeding grounds to the south. He draws in particular on county records an

On Friday the 2nd of January 2026, doors open at 7:00 PM Stories and Music begin at 7:30 PM    In the at All Saints' Church Hall, Matlock Bank DE43JG "I saw a banshee once, just outside of Galway..."When Charlotte was 8 her Grandad told her the beginning of a story but refused to tell the full tale. Years later a chance encounter led her to find the rest of his story buried deep within an archive gathered from families in Ireland. Not only did she discover this unbelievable l

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

SATURDAY 10TH JANUARY, 7.30PM With a voice as deep as a southern sunrise and guitar work sharp enough to cut through any honkey tonk noise, Mark brings a fresh edge to classic country, with a sound of his own. Known for his rich vocals and masterful guitar work, Mark delivers songs that feel both nostalgic and new. On stage he's equal parts calm confidence and electric energy, letting his guitar speak as boldly as his voice. His music offers listeners storytelling they can

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

The Matlock G&S Singers present a Come & Sing Seasonal Songs evening...under the baton of Mel Gilbert. The choir will also be performing a selection of songs. Friday 12th December 2025. All saints Church Hall, Smedley St. Matlock DE4 3JG. 7.30 doors open 7pm. Admission £5 Tea Coffee and Mince pies will be provided but please feel free to bring your own drinks and nibbles if you would like. Free parking at Hall/on road.

– 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

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

A position has just opened in our More-than-Human Resources Department! As the heroic head of the hiring committee for the divine pantheon, it's up to you to put together a team of sacred scribes, astral accountants and celestial problem-solvers. Tim has got the candidates for you to consider. With the right team of Godly governors in place, this incorporeal corporation is going places! Bureaucracy, administration and record-keeping are not modern phenomena. They've been a p

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

15th November to 14th December 2025 – ADVERTORIAL – Wildlife artist Richard Whittlestone has been a professional painter for over 40 years and selling his work from here in the Peak District since 1986. Earlier this year he acquired one of his early paintings, dating from 1989, which he had sold many years before. "I was struck by my attention to detail and tightness of brush-work", says Richard. "I paint in a much looser style than I used to and work in acrylics rather than

Sunday 23rd November, 10.30-12.30 “Isn’t jazz played in seedy basements late at night?” Yes – but you can also immerse yourselves in the cool sounds of mellow jazz whilst enjoying an amazing breakfast at The Medway Centre in Bakewell! The Jazz Breakfast is deservedly one of Oxfam’s most popular annual events. Come with your family and friends to relax, chat and read the Sunday newspapers, which we provide, while enjoying a sumptuous buffet of cheeses, cold meats, eggs, smok

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

Wirksworth Community Choir are a small, but perfectly formed, four part choir and we are looking for new members. All voice parts are very welcome….especially tenors. We have a variety of abilities and our well known musical director, Adam Green, encourages everyone’s best, to produce great choral singing. We have no audition but the ability to read music is a plus, though not a necessity. We have performed in and around Wirksworth for 40 years and sing anything from Britten

Imperial Rooms, Matlock – Wednesday 26th to Saturday 29th November, 7.30pm Pay What You Can Matinee: Saturday 29th November, 2.00pm The High Tor Players return to the stage this November with Arthur Miller’s timeless classic The Crucible, performed at the Imperial Rooms, Matlock, from Wednesday 26th to Saturday 29th November at 7.30pm each evening. Founded in 1937, the High Tor Players are a long-established Matlock-based theatre group known for their high-quality, community

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

L-R: Prof. Roger Clough with Rotary members, Margie Stuckey and Dr John Burn We were delighted to welcome Prof Roger Clough to our evening meeting on 29th October at The Rutland Arms, Bakewell for a very stimulating presentation and discussion based on his book Oldenland – how to grow old gracefully, understand others and enjoy your later years! Roger is a retired academic from Lancaster University who has written numerous books on ageing and social care – and widely spoken p