The purpose of this site is to provide useful, important and interesting news, information and insight for residents and visitors, with the hope of enriching the life of the village, and the aim of bringing our community closer together.  If you have any information you’d like to add to the website or updates you’d like to make, please contact the webmasters (click ‘contact’ tab above).

 

Milford & Makeney May Day celebrations are back!

The highlight of Milford & Makeney’s social calendar is back – see poster below.

More details for the day can be seen here. For a write up of last years’ event, and photos of previous events, see here.

Milford entered for Britain in Bloom competition

Milford has entered the East Midlands in Bloom (EMIB) competition for many years, and last year (as in 2021) got a Gold award in the village category. So impressed were the EMIB judges last year though, that they have entered the village into the nationwide Britain in Bloom village category for 2024 – a major accolade for the village.

BBC Radio Derby heard the news and interviewed Milford volunteers on Monday 4th March – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h9vchz

There were two interviews – fast forward to 1:38:30 for one on The Greenspace and 2.22.50 to one by the Spring Garden. There was also an article created on the BBC website following this here, and an article can also be found in The Derbyshire Times here.

Judging for the EMIB competition will take place in the first two weeks of July and, for Britain in Bloom, in the first two weeks in August. When the actual judgement days are known work parties will be organised for 2-3 weeks before, tidying every inch of the judging route. We’ll need all the help we can get – volunteers will be very welcome!

Hello Velo!

Come along to the Grand Opening of Milford’s new cycle shop, Velo Bavarian (VB) in the former Co-op/Just Ice building on the A6, on Saturday March 9 10.00 until 4.00. Come for a look round, meet the VB team, Matt, Luke and Jimmy and visiting cycle suppliers. Cycle (and car) park entrance on Foundry Lane.

For more photos and the history of Velo Bavarian from when it was first set up in its former home on the A6 in Flaxholme, Duffield, see here.

Milford and Makeney Flower & Produce Show

As a reminder, this will be held on the 14th September 2024 in Milford Social Club. Full details of categories and prizes, plus entry forms, and are now available on the Flower and Produce web page here.

CHILDREN’S CATEGORIES ALSO, WITH FREE SUNFLOWER SEEDS AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN

GET SOWING AND GROWING READY FOR SEPTEMBER 2024!

Allotments cleared on Bridge View

The Bridge View Allotment Association has continued its programme, starting last year, of clearing overgrown allotments and offering them to new tenants. 

Two large parties of volunteers have cleared two very overgrown allotments over the 19th and 20th January – for more details and photos see the article here.

These allotments have now been split into four half allotments, but these have all now been taken. There will be other allotments coming up for rent in the future though, so please e-mail Carol Hawley at chawley79@gmail.com if you want to be added to the waiting list. To apply you must live within 5 miles of the former Holy Trinity Church just below the allotments.

Wassailing at the Thistlefields Orchard 14th January

As ever, there was a good turnout, of over 50 people, to the wassailing of the Holly Bush’s Thistlefield Orchard  on the 14th January 2024. See here for more details.

Milford Mills Development – December Update

Amber Valley Borough Council have finally approved the planning application submitted by the developers of the proposed building of 67 houses on the Milford Mills site, Wavensmere, albeit with some constraints. This application has had a long and tortured history. This latest iteration was submitted in May (see here for more details) following completion of an archaeological survey and subsequent remedial work. Since May Wavensmere have prepared the site for building and put in the infrastructure.

Wavensmere have said that if the permission came through before Christmas, they would be planning to start work in earnest in early January. They anticipate that the build will take 18 months to complete.

Christmas Star finds new home

The Christmas Star, fabricated by the Milford Craft Group, was displayed on The Triangle in 2021 and The Baptist Church in 2022. This year it has been erected on the Greenspace by the Craft volunteers and the Forest School children. The Greenspace will be its final home.

The Greenspace also had its annual Christmas gathering on the 17th December at 2pm, with mince pies, children’s crafts & hot chocolate, with a great turnout (see report here).

Christmas wreath workshop a great success

The Christmas Wreath Workshop, now in it’s second year, held at Milford Baptist Church on the afternoon of 1st December, was another great success with over 50 people attending.  Generous donations raised £200 for Hope for Belper.

BBC Radio 2’s Vernon Kay runs through Milford for Children In Need

As part of his challenge to run the 115 miles from Leicester to his home town Bolton in just 4 days (see here for details) in order to raise funds for Children In Need, BBC Radio 2 DJ Vernon Kay ran through Milford on his second day. Crowds gathered on the A6 at 9.45am on the 15th November 2023 and at 9.55 Vernon, and his entourage of well wishers running along with him, went past and then sped up Chevin Road. The picture below (from the Derby Evening Telegraph) is as he passed Milford School on Chevin Road.

The video below was taken as he went past Bank Buildings.

He was remarkably chipper at the time, but this was the longest day of the four, at 40 miles, and he was considerably more tired when he arrived at Hope in the evening. For more pictures of his day, see the Derby Evening Telegraph article here.

Big Milford Bulb Plant 11th November 2023

After a mail drop round the village, many volunteers turned up on a beautiful sunny day to plant up the front bed of The Triangle community garden on the junction of the A6 and Chevin Road with 2200 bulbs. These should give a beautiful display all year round. See here for a much more detailed report.

This is Blooming Milford’s biggest project this year. For more details of what Blooming Milford has been up to since July, see their latest update, here.

Milford Community Greenspace – November update

Since our last report in July we have completed The Peace Garden, made plans for a new water collection facility and had very successful Apple Day and Bonfire Night events on the site.

Forest Schools continue to be run on the site and the regular Monday volunteers continue to diligently do their planting, harvesting, chicken care, weeding, composting, laying of chip bark paths and tidying to keep the Greenspace shipshape and welcoming for the users. For the full update since July, see the article here.

Floods hit Milford again

For the third time in 4 years, on 21st October 2023 the Derwent burst its banks in Milford, after 33 hours and 5.4″ (137 mm) of rain. In comparison to the previous recent floods the flood levels were not quite as high – this time Duffield and Belper suffered more – but the A6 between Moscow Farm and Milford was closed by floodwater for some time and there was considerable disruption for many.

For more photos, see here.

Clean sweep for Milford – Four Gold awards in the East Midlands in Bloom competition

As in 2021 and 2022 Milford entered the East Midlands in Bloom (EMIB) competition this year and was judged on Wednesday 5th July. 

For a more detailed write up of the efforts of Blooming Milford, Belper Town Council and local residents in getting the village ready for the 5th July, see here. For a write up of Blooming Milford’s other activities in the village since October 2022 see here.

We finally found out how Milford had done in the competition in the EMIB award ceremony, on Wednesday 20th September in Spalding, Lincolnshire. There was very good news – the whole village got a Gold award (86/100), same as 2021 and better than the Silver Gilt award of 2022. Special praise was given to The Greenspace, the riverside path in Hopping Mill Meadow and the gardens of Millers Way, and Kate Tuck, Chair of the Greenspace, got a Judges Award for her vision and hard work in making The Greenspace happen. Meanwhile, in all three of the individual categories entered (best commercial premises (Milford Social Club); best front garden (The Old Bike Shop on the A6) and best pub (The Holly Bush)) Gold awards were given too – so a clean sweep for Milford! It should also be mentioned that Belper got a Gold award too, and without the help of Belper Town Council neither Milford nor Belper would have got their awards.

Milford Community Greenspace – July update

Read the latest update here – follow the creation of the Peace Garden, preparations for East Midlands in Bloom judging and a write up of the successful Open Day on the 2nd July.

Community History Day at Milford School on the 1st July

A day of activities at Milford School for visitors to discover the history of Milford school and the village was organised by the school, Belper Historical Society and volunteers from the Belper North Mill education team on the 1st July at the school. Proceeds from donations went towards the rebuilding of the stone wall bounding the playground.

For more photos and details of the days events, see article here.

New Interpretation Panels and Information Points installed across Milford & Makeney

In a major new initiative by Derwent Valley Mills/Belper Historical Society (The Great Places Scheme Wayfaring Project) this June, you can now do your own historical tour round the village. All the old historical Interpretation Panels have been replaced with 5 new ones. 

In addition 10 Information Points have been added at sites of particular historical interest, indicated by red water wheels. At these points you can get more information on your phone using the QR code under the water wheel. You can also gain this information by looking at the website Milford – Derwent Valley Mills

A map of the location of all the Interpretation Panels and Information Points in Milford & Makeney can be found here. 

As part of this initiative, new information on the original use of The Tower on Sunny Hill has been included. Thought The Tower was built as a siting or semaphore tower? Think again! See here for details.

Milford Mills Development – June news

Planning application for an indoor cricket facility on the site approved

Chevin Homes’ application (Go to Amber Valley Borough Council (AVBC) website here and insert this application number AVA/2022/0371), for an indoor cricket club to be built on the site, was considered by the planning board for Amber Valley on Monday 12th June 2023 and approved unanimously by the councillors of the board – in line with the planning officer’s recommendations. Three people spoke against the planning application:  Ruth Baker (Milford resident) spoke raising her concerns regarding noise, lack of privacy for the residents in the housing development, road safety and parking. Emma Roberts  (headteacher of Milford school) raised safeguarding concerns and parking, and Jamie Walls (local AVBC Councillor) talked about how many people in Milford had contacted him with their concerns and that Milford needed sports facilities for itself – not a niche facility for cricket.  John Fearnehaugh (Chevin Homes) spoke in favour and promised to install secure fencing at the rear of the school at Chevin Home’s expense in response to Emma’s safeguarding concerns.

Milford & Makeney May Day Parade 2023

The annual Milford & Makeney May Day celebrations took place on Saturday 13th May and, as ever, proved to be highly entertaining for the villages. Although cool to start with, the weather soon brightened into a glorious day.

For more photos and a full report on the day, see article here.

Milford Community GreenSpace April Update

Despite the sometimes inclement weather the Greenspace volunteers  been busy on The Greenspace over the last two months. More improvements have been made to the 8ft x 10ft shed, with drainpipes, gutters, water butts and a green Sedum roof.

A Pallet Wall has been completed and 130 bags of chip from various sources carried up the steps to the Greenspace, to improve the existing paths. A wormery, herbarium, willow wicker wall and dogwood herb feeders have been added, the pond reset and deepened and the children’s story telling area tidied and a new canopy added. For much more detail see the April report here. Also, do take part in the Greenspace Easter egg trail over the whole of Milford, details here.

Rainbow captured by residents

On the evening of Friday, March 17th, Susie Windle took this spectacular photo of a double rainbow from her home up on The Chevin, at the same time as co-webmaster Ashley took a shot from his study on Bank Buildings (below).  ‘Susie’s image eclipses mine, for sure’ admits Ashley.  ‘It was still a wonderful moment but I know I should have run up Jackson’s Lane!’

For more information, see here.

Did Rod ‘Strutt’ his stuff in Milford?

Do you remember live music at the Strutt Arms in the 1960s?  It’s reported that Rod Stewart sang there.  Bryan Bennion has some choice memories of seeing Gary Farr – and even Alan Price of Simon Smith & The Amazing Dancing Bear fame.  Read more here

The King William has a QUIZ NIGHT every Wednesday at 9.00 pm and Live Entertainment at 9.00 pm on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays.  

 Milford Social Club has fortnightly Live Entertainment on a Saturday and Sunday: All 9 pm start on Saturday and 3 pm on Sunday (unless specified).  Free admission.  

 

Have a need?  A want?  A sale?

This website has always been a resource where we can help you with a particular appeal. For instance: Do you need a recommendation for a good plumber?Would you like help with sponsorship for a charity? Are you keen to form an activity group within the village? Want to sell some horse manure for the garden? Just go to this page by clicking here and fill in the contact form.  Click here to read about a garden plot to let.

WHAT’S ON THIS WEBSITE

The News & Events box to your left will keep you up to date with what is going on – and coming up! The Menu tabs above open up lots of ‘sub-menus’, extra pages which fall under the main menu headings.  For instance, hold your cursor on the Information tab (or the box to the right) and you will see pages which, with one click, will lead you to information about essential and useful resources provided in the village and beyond e.g. schools, shops, pubs, public footpaths, churches, restaurants, residential homes, places to stay, doctors’ surgeries and MP surgeries, bus times and businesses. The Activities tab will reveal all the organisations and interest groups in the village – everything from Maypole Promotions to the Knit Knatter Club. The History tab mines the area’s rich heritage seam and we hope, in time, to make this area of the website a substantial archive.

Appeal Please let us know if there any inaccuracies to this website.  We would also like to hear from you if you can help in any way to improve the site.  Is there some useful information you can add?  Maybe you run a business or are part of an activity in the village that we ought to know about?  Perhaps you have some reminiscences of Milford and Makeney life along with some old photos?  Here is the webmaster’s email address again: webmaster@milford-makeney.org

With thanks to the Milford & Makeney Community Group for promoting the establishment of this website and to Ashley Franklin and David Moreton for sponsoring and managing the site.