SPRINGWATCH BACK IN DARLEY DALE AN ILLUSTRATED TALK BY JACK BADDAMS MONDAY 20TH APRIL Last year Jack Baddams, a researcher and presenter on the Springwatch programme gave a talk about the early years of the programme. On April 20th he will return to tell us how the programme has developed since its first appearance on 30th May 2005 It is the BBC's largest outside broadcast programme with a crew of 100 and 50 cameras. He will explain how the programme is made and how the team

Soprano soloist, Olivia Thompson and mezzo-soprano soloist, Tabitha Smart Bakewell Choral Society are holding their Spring Concert on Saturday, 25th April at Bakewell Parish Church starting at 7.30pm. The programme consists of three very much-loved Choral Works, Gloria by Vivaldi, Magnificat by Rutter and Magnificat by Pergolesi. The concert is conducted by Alan Eost, and is accompanied by the South Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra. Bakewell Choral Society has a policy of encour

Photograph courtesy of Robert Booth Derbyshire Swift Conservation is to hold a public event to celebrate the second year of grant funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to save Derbyshire’s Swifts by protecting and creating nesting sites keeping our summer skies alive with their calls for future generations. The celebration will see workshops for families and a talk from renowned Swift expert, Edward Mayer. There will also be the opportunity for the public to learn

Severn Trent is hosting a week of community events in Matlock to unveil a major new £20m investment in the town – and to listen to feedback from residents. The company is staging a series of drop-ins from 13th April when staff can talk through the proposals, answer questions, and hear what local people think. The plans include a major upgrade for Matlock Sewage Treatment Works which will boost site capacity to serve future generations, plus improve the health of the River D

This annual free public festival not only celebrates the town’s vibrant food and drink scene but also serves as an important fundraising event for local charities. Over the years, the festival has helped raise significant funds to support community projects, while also boosting the local economy and morale in Bakewell. Sample the best of local and regional produce, artisan food, and drinks whilst supporting charities and local causes through festival participation. Come and

Step into history with the Peak District Mines Historical Society and T’Owd Man as they revive the annual miner’s holiday at the legendary Magpie Mine near Sheldon. Explore the mine's site with expert guides and dare to peer down the shafts if you’re brave enough. Browse stalls from PDMHS, Wirksworth Mines Research Group, and Goodluck Mines Preservation Society. Chat with specialists, discover mining artefacts, and uncover the fascinating stories behind our local heritage.

Bamford Sheepdog Trials and Fell race will be held on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th May at Bamford Recreation Ground. Gates open at 9am and the fell race starts at 1pm. This historic, traditional event is always a brilliant day out and offers a great atmosphere for all the family. It is amazing to watch the dogs and handlers at work and watch the teamwork between man and dog that has been built up over years of training. These are skills that have been passed over the generation

Local band Third Quarter and Mark Bradshaw A charity concert… ALL proceeds will be going to Ashgate Hospice as everyone involved has given their time for free. Local band ‘Third Quarter’ deliver a fabulous mix of rock, jazz and blues from across the decades, providing a rich mix of music from toe tapping dance numbers to laid back blues, including many of the songs that you know and love, but have possibly long since forgotten. Lead vocals and percussion: Gary Hannan. Lead

Forget Henry VIII and his gargantuan appetite, it's time to have a look at what ordinary people would have been eating in Tudor times. This talk looks at the food and drink of ordinary Tudor people together with how it was cooked and how it was eaten. What foods were available? What contribution did different foods have to diet? Did they have enough to eat? Talks are held in the Peveril Centre, Methodist Church, on Buxton Road, Castleton, at 7.30pm. Visitors are welcome. Fur

Don Witton and family with Society President Jenni Wedgwood (right) and a selection of RHS Award of Garden Merit plants Two AGMs in one night sounds like tough going, unless, of course, you are a member of Hathersage Horticultural Society! The first AGM was despatched with customary efficiency by President, Jenni Wedgwood who outlined another packed year, thanked retiring vice president and committee member, Wendy Ellicock for her considerable contribution and welcomed Mary

The wonderful team at Baslow Bowls Club undertaking a pre-season clean up Baslow Bowls Club are seeking new members for the 2026 season. They’re a friendly club and would love to welcome you if you feel like giving it a try. Bowls is an intriguing game – it looks quite easy but in fact needs a great deal of skill to get it right every time. But the beauty of it is that anyone can play – young or old and anyone of any age or ability is welcome at the club. It’s a great way o

Derwent Valley Floral Art began their 2026 season with a demonstration by Ann Russell from Cheshire called ‘Tree of Life’. Members and guests were entertained with stories of Ann’s life and treated to seeing beautiful flowers displayed so creatively. Our next meeting on 2nd April is a workshop titled ‘Spring Basket’. Members and visitors are very welcome to join in and make and take home a beautiful arrangement ready for Easter. Everything will be provided in the cost whic

Saturday 4th April, 3pm–7pm Steel City Line Dancers in action – there’ll be performing at Chesterfield’s first daytime country disco party in April Chesterfield’s upcoming Country Daytime Disco Party has received a major boost with the news that Steel City Line Dancers – one of the region’s fastest-growing line dancing communities – will be part of the event. The group, which has attracted more than 500 participants since launching last year, will be appearing at the daytime

The next Rotary Club of Bakewell Community Coffee and Repair Café will be held at the Bakewell Methodist Church Hall on Saturday 28th March from 10am to 12.30pm. Come along for refreshments and bring your items for repair. Trusty volunteers are there to help and you could even learn how to fix things yourself. There are fab electrical repairers who will try and bring life back to your small appliances. The 'glues and screws team' (Dave Rawson and Harry Gregory, pictured) hav

Matlock Music’s 2025/2026 season continues on Friday 20th March with the much-anticipated return of the Wihan String Quartet of Prague, with Leoš Čepický and Jan Schulmeister (violins), Jakub Čepický (viola) and Michal Kaňka (cello). The quartet is one of the leading string quartets to emerge from the great Czech school of performance. The New York Times praised its deeply pleasurable and traditional sound and it was called one of the world’s finest chamber ensembles by BBC M

The new clubhouse and a view of a previous show In April this year, an exciting new chapter in the history of the Matlock Rugby Club will begin with the demolition of their existing Clubhouse. This will be replaced by a new Clubhouse which will include a large function area, new toilets (including a disabled toilet), a large kitchen, bar, club kit shop, decking area and disabled access. The new facility is scheduled to be open late in 2026. The now annual Rotary & Rugby Cl

Long sunny days in the Spring and Summer of 2025 were the backdrop to a wonderful year for birds both in the woodland on Froggatt Edge and the wetland in Lincolnshire which Brian manages as mini nature reserves. A lot was going on – Pied Flycatchers, Marsh Harriers and Barn Owls all had a successful breeding season. Accompanied by photos and videos the Group’s chairman will describe how the year unfolded very differently in the two places. From March to August there were bir

Back by public demand. Macaws have vibrant plumage, which is suited to life in Central and South American rain forests, with their green canopies and colorful fruits and flowers. The birds have large, powerful beaks that easily crack nuts and seeds, they also have gripping toes that they use to latch onto branches and to grab, hold, and examine items. The birds have graceful tails that are typically very long. Macaws are intelligent, social birds that often gather in flocks

You could be running 5k in the stunning Peak District countryside with a group of new friends by June, even if you’ve never run before in your life. Tideswell Running Club (TRC) is launching a free new Couch to 5k programme, starting on 1 April 2026. TRC is known for being a friendly and inclusive club, where enjoyment of running is more important than how fast anyone goes. It has members of all ages from their 20s to their 70s, and organises a monthly ‘chip night’ where me

Christ Church, Holloway, will be hosting a Come and Sing, Words and Music event at 6:30pm on Good Friday, 3rd April. This will be a celebration of the great liturgical and musical tradition of Good Friday, with a choir formed from singers throughout the area. Several well-known anthems will be sung, including Mozart’s ‘Ave verum corpus’ and Stainer’s ‘God so loved the world’; and the hymns will include ‘There is a green hill far away’, ‘Praise to the holiest in the height’, a