Protecting the Green Belt in Belper
Green Belt Policy was established in 1955 primarily to stop urban sprawl and to permanently protect belts of open land.
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ENVIRONMENT
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Secures Funding For Two Sites
Photo: Orchids at Chee Dale A Derbyshire Wildlife Trust project to improve the visitor experience at two of its most
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Midlands Wildlife Charities Team Up To Save Birds of Prey
Birds of prey are in trouble in the Peak District. They should be a common sight on the hills and
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Planning For Belper Goes Green 2019 Now In Full Swing!
by Cherry Anderson The festival, which will be held on the weekend of 31st May and 1st, 2nd June at
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Join a Torchlit Newt Survey with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Join Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to learn about the newts that live at the Trust’s Avenue Washlands nature reserve, at Wingerworth.
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Encouraging Ospreys to Nest in Derbyshire
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust are attempting to encourage the return of ospreys to Derbyshire. In recent years ospreys have been seen
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, March 2019
March brings: the vernal equinox on the 20th and a super Moon on the 21st. Mars is still prominent in
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Green Belt Deletions in Amber Valley
Space to build 2,010 extra houses in Amber Valley by 2028 is set to be freed up by deleting land
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Transition Belper’s Green Exchange – February 23rd At No28
February’s Transition Belper Green Exchange Café will be held at No 28, Market Place, Belper on Saturday 23rd February from 10.00
Read MoreFashion Revolution Event
Do you wear clothes? Do you know who made your clothes? I don’t mean which shop they were bought in
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, February 2019
February brings: a line-up of planets, Comet Iwamoto (binoculars needed), Mars is still visible in the evening; use it to
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Poem: Birdwatch Hour
Marking the end of the Big Garden Birdwatch run by the RSPB from 26th-28th January 2019, which asked members of
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UK’s First “Young People’s Forest” to be Planted Near Heanor
Ambitious plans to plant the UK’s first “young people’s forest” on a former coal mine near Heanor are set to
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Plastic Pollution Affects Derbyshire Birds
Above is a photo snapped by Mary Wilde at Ogston Reservoir in Derbyshire. It shows two great crested grebes in
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Green Belt Under Threat in Amber Valley
Details of the areas which Amber Valley Borough Council may delete from protected green belt land to pave the way
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Garden Waste Collection in 2019
When does it start this year? Collections for garden waste run from 25th February 2019 until 29th November 2019. The
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Cromford Quarry to be Reviewed
A giant Derbyshire quarry will be reviewed by the county council due to concerns that its operator may miss a
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HS2 Gives Too Little Time to Councils and Public To Read Plans
Council leaders have slammed a decision which left the public with just 10 weeks to read through eleven THOUSAND pages
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, January 2019
January’s Night Sky brings a total lunar eclipse in the early morning hours of the 21st. Comet Wirtanen may still
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HS2 “Disastrous” for Derbyshire Wildlife
The Derbyshire WIldlife Trust have declared that they are “extremely concerned about the extent of damage that HS2 will have
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, December 2018
December brings the Geminids Meteor Shower, followed by the Ursids. For those with binoculars it may be worth searching out
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Wildlife: Angelic First For Derbyshire
It is a recorded first for Derbyshire as angel’s wings fungus has appeared in a Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Woodland Nature
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Opinion: What If There Had Been No Government Cuts To Sustainable Energy?
BelperStuff travelled to London last Monday to attend the SERA (Labour Environment Campaign) celebration, 10 years of the Climate Change
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Which Rare and Dangerous Animals Are Being Kept in Capitivity Here?
Dangerous snakes and a rare Asian leopard cat are being kept in South Derbyshire. Owners of animals that are
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Trust Calls For a Wilder Future for Derbyshire
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has launched a new campaign to secure a wilder future for our county. Over the past 50
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Green Exchange – November 24th At No28
November’s Transition Belper Café and Green Exchange will be held at No 28, Market Place, Belper on Saturday 24th November
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Bessalone Hill: Appeal Lodged To Build 185 Homes
An appeal has been lodged to push through plans for 185 houses on a protected hillside near Belper. The applicants,
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, November 2018
In November’s night sky: The Taurids and Leonid meteor showers. Mars is still bright – look for it in the
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Insect Found Near Cromford is New To Derbyshire
In early August during an invertebrate training event, at Rose End Meadows near Cromford, a participant captured an unusual looking
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Green Exchange – October 27th At No 28
This month Transition Belper’s Green Exchange will be on Saturday October 27 10.am – 1.00 pm at No 28 on
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, October 2018
In October’s night sky: The Draconids Meteor Shower may be a good one this year. Moonlight will spoil the Orionids
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200th Badger Vaccination in Derbyshire
Early this morning a dedicated team of volunteers vaccinated the 200th badger of the year as part of Derbyshire Wildlife
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Derbyshire Wildlife Festival 2019
It’s back and wilder than ever! Derbyshire’s very own Wildside Festival is back for 2019 – and bigger, in fact,
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RSPB Plea To Stop Persecution of Birds of Prey
Earlier this week RSPB reported that there had been 68 confirmed instances of bird of prey persecution in 2017 –
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Ambergate Hydro Dream Dies
In a newsletter to supporters the Ambergate Hydro Project Team have finally admitted there is no possibility of realising the
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St. Peter’s Wins Silver Eco Church Award
By Anne Clark St Peter’s Church is very pleased to announce that they have been given a Silver Eco
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Amber Valley Green Belt Twitter Controversy
A borough councillor claims that a business chosen to conduct an independent green belt land review is “inappropriate” due to
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Sustainable Living Shop To Open on Saturday
On Saturday 22nd September, at 11am, Belper will see the opening of a new shop. This one isn’t another gift
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Belper Wins Gold Again!
For the ninth year in a row Belper has won a Gold award in the Large Town category of the
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Storm Ali Fells Huge Tree Near Mill
At around 2pm today Derbyshire County Council recieved a call about a large tree knocked over by the high winds
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Budget Cut Targets Lead To Snow Warden Plea
Derbyshire County Council are asking for residents and farmers who are willing to help keep their communities safe when bad
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Book Review: Rainforest, Dispatches from Earth’s Most Vital Frontlines
Rainforest is a personal story, drawing on Tony’s many years’ experience at the frontline of the fight to save the
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St Peter’s Church To Show “A Plastic Ocean” Documentary
On Friday 21 September at 7.00 pm St Peter’s Church and Transition Belper will be holding a special screening of
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, September 2018
September’s night sky brings a Harvest Moon. Mars, Saturn and Jupiter are all close to the horizon and can be
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Rare Pine Marten Travelled Over 100km
A statement was released yesterday from The Vincent Wildlife Trust confirming that the pine marten recovered from the A38 near
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Derbyshire Police Cut Carbon Footprint In Half
Derbyshire Constabulary’s carbon footprint has reduced by 54% in the last eight years. A figure of 11,249 CO2t in 2009/10
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Rare Pine Marten Discovered In Derbyshire After 16 Years
Derbyshire Wildlife trust have announced that a rare pine marten, the first spotted in the region for 16 years, has
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Book Review: Ground Work – Writings On People And Places
We are living in the anthropocene – an epoch where everything is being determined by the activities of just one
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7K Raised For Charity By Open Gardens Event
Belper Open Gardens event at the end of June was a fantastic success once again with around £7000 being raised
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, August 2018
In the Night Sky Over Belper: The Perseids Meteor shower provides the highlight for this month, Mars is very bright,
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Crich Lane Volunteers Set To Walk Away
Transition Belper’s team of volunteers who have carried out a much-lauded transformation of the Crich Lane Festival Gardens are on
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Date Change For Crich Parish Neighbourhood Plan Referendum
The Neighbourhood Planning Referendum for the Crich Parish Neighbourhood Plan has been re-arranged for the 6 September 2018. The original
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Green Exchange Café – Saturday 28th July
The July Transition Belper Café will be held at No 28 Community Hall, Market Place, Belper on Saturday 28th July
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Belper’s Green Spaces Recognised By Green Flag Award
Belper Parks, Belper Cemetery and the Belper River Gardens are amongst eight green spaces and parks in Amber Valley to
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An Ode To Bullsmoor: The Bullsmoor Song Project
On midsummer evening I took a walk over Bullsmoor and it struck me again, as I looked down on the
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DerwentWISE Celebrates 5 years With Superhero Picnic
On Thursday August 2 DerwentWISE will be celebrating at Darley Parks with a superhero picnic. The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust are
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, July 2018
In July’s Night Sky, there is a Total Lunar Eclipse on the 27th of July. Venus shines brightly in the
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Belper Judged For East Midlands in Bloom
On Monday 2nd July Belper was visited by judges for East Midlands in Bloom, the regional stage of the Royal
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Strutts Centre Rain Gardens Receives National Acclaim
The Trent Rivers Trust’s award winning rain gardens featured on national television last week when the BBC’s Gardeners World visited
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Green Exchange Café – Saturday 23rd June
The June Transition Belper Café will be held at No 28 Community Hall, Market Place, Belper on Sunday 23rd June
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St Peter’s Church: Community Garden To Open In June
St Peter’s Church in Belper will formally open its new Community Garden on the 23rd of June. The Church had
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, June 2018
In June’s night sky Venus is prominent in the west and Jupiter in the south. Saturn also rises in the
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Belper Went Green
This weekend saw the annual eco festival Belper Goes Green increase in size from previous years, both in terms of
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Spring Observations: Jo Kirk
I didn’t see any nuthatches last year so was delighted to see one early in March looking for insects on
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Belper Goes Green 2018: Derbyshire Eco-Festival Announces Final Line-Up
Transition Belper’s Belper Goes Green has announced the full line-up for its 6th eco-festival, which takes place on Friday 1st
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Green Exchange Café – Sunday 20th May
The May Transition Belper Café will be held at No 28 Community Hall, Market Place, Belper on Sunday 20th May
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, May 2018
In May’s Night Sky: Venus is the “evening star” in the west. Jupiter is the bright object in the southeast.
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Transition Café At No 28 On Saturday
Transition Belper’s café will be on Saturday 28th of April at No 28 Community Hall, 28 Market Place, Belper from 10.00am
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Belper Goes Green Festival Targets Single Use Plastic
Organisers of the 2018 Belper Goes Green Eco festival are leading the way to tackle single use plastic. The festival,
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Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Asking Nature Lovers To ‘Act Swiftly’
Nature-friendly farmers, planners, local authorities, wildlife experts and people who care about nature are being urged to seize a unique
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The Slug, the Bad and the Ugly
Your essential guide to managing the slug population and keeping sane in your garden this spring, by Jo Dyer I
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Opinion: “Don’t Let Bullsmoor Disappear”
In the last few days Bullsmoor has disappeared into the fog. The same days that the public enquiry has been
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, April 2018
In the April Night Sky: Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are all visible but are low in the sky. Venus becomes
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Great British Spring Clean Event Rescheduled
On Saturday, April 28, at 10am the Town Council will be joining the rest of the country in the rescheduled
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Transition Belper Measures Air Pollution In The Derwent Valley
Over the past few months Transition Belper and local volunteers have been measuring air pollution at key points in the
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Wye And Upper Derwent Group AGM And Crich Chase Meadows Talk
A talk about Belper’s Crich Chase Meadows and Wye and Upper Derwent Group AGM will be held on Monday April
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Green Exchange Café Celebrates The New Season
The March Transition Belper Café will be held at No 28 Community Hall, Market Place, Belper on Saturday 24th March
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Amber Valley: Local Plan Paves Way for 10,000 Houses in 10 years
Local Democracy Reporter: Eddie Bisknell As part of a bid to find space for nearly 10,000 homes around Alfreton, Belper,
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Council Flip-Flop On Belper Lane Planning Application
A dramatic last-minute repeal was granted to the Belper Lane development as Amber Valley Borough Council referred the controversial application
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Derby City Councillors Call On Pension Fund To Divest From Fossil Fuels
Derby City Councillors have called on the Derbyshire Pension Fund to divest from fossil fuel after increasing pressure from local
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Wyver Lane Nature Reserve Receives Funding Boost
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is celebrating a grant of £3726.22 awarded by the Co-op Local Communities Fund as well as an
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, March 2018
In the night sky over Belper, Venus appears low in the twilight sky this month, pairing with Mercury on the
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Winter Observations: Jo Kirk
January and February are often the coldest months of the year and although snowdrops are flowering another cold spell is
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Opinion: New Local Group Asks: “What Are You Doing About Plastic?”
Belper Beats Plastic is a Facebook page which was set up recently with a view to encouraging Belper residents to
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Crate Digger: 5 Plastic Platters for A Plastic Free February
Here are five songs to provide a soundtrack for a Plastic Free February. Plastic Jesus: Tia Blake Plastic is often
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Plastic Free February: Transition Belper Café At No 28 Takes On “Pointless Plastic”
On Saturday 24 February at 10 am Transition Belper will be holding its monthly Green Exchange. The theme for February’s
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Plastic Free February: Quad To Show Special Screening Of Powerful Documentary
On Wednesday 21 February at 18.45 Derby Quad will be holding a special screening of the Film “A plastic ocean.”
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Plastic Free February: Waste And Recycling Myths Busted
Derbyshire County Council have a list of 12 myth-busting facts on recycling. It offers suggestions, advice and information on what
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Plastic Free February: Council Asks Residents To Rate Recycling Centres
Every year Derbyshire County Council invite residents to give feedback about their local household waste recycling centre. Residents can fill
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, February 2018
The brightest object in the night sky this month (apart from the Moon) is the star, Sirius. Jupiter and Mars
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Plastic Free February: Plastic Fantastic – Or Is It?
Plastic pollution is becoming one of the biggest man-made threats of the modern world, and at the rate the issue
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Developer Wheeldons Should Be “Ashamed” Say Campaigners
Campaigners have said that Wheeldons should be ashamed of their proposals to build on the Green fields of Belper –
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Nailed Launches ‘Plastic Free’ February
Few people would have imagined the dramatic, devastating impact that the BBC’s wildlife documentary Blue Planet 2 would have on
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Plastic Free February: Schools Library Service Presents New Exhibition
The Schools Library Service has an exhibition of beautiful objects made from recycled materials which are currently on display in
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Public Inquiry Set To Examine Bullsmoor Plan
The Secretary of State For Housing, Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid has announced that he is to call in
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Green Exchange Gets Regifting At No 28
We all know the dismay we feel when presented with a gift we know will never be used but that
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Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s New Shop Encourages Residents To Get Involved
The Christmas decorations are all packed away and it’s that time of year when many people start to think of
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A Bags For Life Challenge
The Amber Valley Green Party has laid down a Bags for Life Challenge. They say that when it comes to
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Big Garden Birdwatch Survey This Month
27 – 29 January 2018 is Big Garden Birdwatch weekend. The RSPB are asking the public to help in the
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, January 2018
No bright planets in the evening sky this month, but we can enjoy views of Jupiter and Mars if we
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Domestic Wood-Burning Stoves And Open Fires
Amber Valley Borough Council has responded to concern over “smoke nuisance” caused by the growing use of wood-burning stoves and
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Highland Cattle Return to Belper Parks Wildflower Meadow
Highland cattle have returned to the wildflower meadow in Belper Parks to help with the conservation of the site over
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, December 2017
There are no bright planets on view in the night sky over December. The highlight of the month will be
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Protestors In Belper March To Save World Heritage Status
Over a hundred protestors marched through Belper town centre to campaign against the approval of developments which could potentially threaten
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Autumn Observations: Jo Kirk
This autumn (late August – mid November) I have seen young collared doves, terns riding the thermals, a large black/brown
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Book Review: The Plant Messiah by Carlos Magdalena
Having spent much of his childhood in the mountains of the Basque country, his mother a florist and a great
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, November 2017
If you want to see a planet in November you are going to have to get up early. Night time
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Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to Open Shop in Belper
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is opening a new charity shop at 6 King Street on 15th November. The Wildlife Trust says the
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Chance To Comment On Updated Local Plan
Belper residents now have their opportunity to comment on the details of the updated Local Plan for Amber Valley. The
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‘Thought Provoking’ Environmental Film Draws Large Crowd
Transition Belper teamed up with St. Peter’s Church on Friday October 27 to hold a second screening of the inspirational
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Belper Eco-Festival To Return For Sixth Year
The sixth Belper Goes Green eco-festival returns on Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd of June 2018 at the Rugby Club,
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Green Exchange Returns On Saturday
Transition Belper’s Green Exchange returns to No 28 on the Market Place this Saturday (28th October) from 10.00 am to
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The Day The World Turned Day-Glo
The Sun turned orange and pink today (Monday 16th of October) casting a strange light over Belper and the rest
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, October 2017
October brings a thin crescent Moon, the Orionid meteor shower, and Venus is the morning star in the east. The
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Damage Caused To Festival Gardens
On Friday, September 30, visitors to the Festival Gardens on Crich Lane reported that flower beds had been vandalised. A
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Council Starts Campaign To Bust Waste Myths
Derbyshire County Council have launched a campaign designed to bust common myths about recycling. Do you get confused about whether
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Award Winning Documentary ‘Demain’ To Be Shown In October
The award winning humanitarian documentary Demain (Tommorrow) is to be shown again at St Peters Church, Chesterfield Road, Belper on
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Belper Takes Best Large Town Category In East Midlands In Bloom Award
Belper has again been awarded ‘gold’ in the Large Town Category of East Midlands in Bloom and also won the
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Green Exchange Set For Produce Swap And Plastic Advice
Transition Belper’s Green Exchange at No 28, Market Place, Belper on Saturday 23rd September from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm
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Council Asking For Car Parking Comments
Amber Valley Borough Council are giving residents and businesses the chance to have their say on the way the Council’s
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, September 2017
This September we may have missed the Harvest Moon- or have we? In the early morning, Mercury, Mars and Venus
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Autumn Footprints Festival Starts This Weekend
Slap on your crampons and explore Amber Valley as the Autumn Footprints Festival returns from Sat 9th – 24th September
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All Options On Table For Belper Relief Road
Pauline Latham, MP for the Mid-Derbyshire, held a meeting on Thursday 31 August with Belper residents to discuss ideas for
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Birds, Moths and Amphibians
Birds are perhaps our closest meeting with the wild and may be the reason why the RSPB (Royal Society for
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Traffic Pollution Survey in DE56 Postcode Area: Can You Help?
If you are concerned about traffic pollution in Belper and the DE56 postcode area, now is your chance to take
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Belper’s Beautiful Parks Win Green Flag Award
Belper Parks, Belper River Gardens and Belper Cemetery are amongst the eight parks and green spaces in the Amber Valley
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Space is the Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, August 2017
The night sky in August brings us the Summer Triangle, the annual Perseid meteor shower and a last chance to
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Royal Horticultural Society Judges Marvel At Belper in Bloom
RHS quest to find cleanest, greenest and most beautiful places in the UK. From Aberdeen in Scotland down to St
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Meadow Returns To Belper Lane End
A new project is under way to create a wildflower meadow at Belper Lane End. The aim of the project
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Deadline To Object To Fracking In Derbyshire Approaches
August 10 will be the deadline for all objections to the first Derbyshire exploratory well for fracking. The contentious environmental issue,
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Well Worth Celebrating
This weekend’s Well Dressings at the River Gardens provided a wonderful outdoor gallery of creative endeavour as people ambled down
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Space Is The Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, July 2017
July’s night sky brings more chances to observe the planets Jupiter and Saturn. For early risers Venus continues to shine
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Opinion: My Journey To A Plastic-Free Life
A couple of years ago, I started to reduce the amount of plastic I buy and use. I was particularly
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Vegetable Plot At Memorial Gardens Vandalised
Plans for the Memorial Gardens have had to be changed after much of the new vegetable garden was damaged. With
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Reflections – Thoughts On Belper Goes Green 2017
I have now led the Belper Goes Green teams through 5 years of planning, doing, tweaking, reviewing and making every
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Derbyshire Takes Steps To Breathe Easier On National Clean Air Day
National Clean Air Day will take place on the 15th of June, with events taking place around Derbyshire to encourage
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Space Is the Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, June 2017
We have now reached the summer months and, in these months, the night sky is never really dark. However, warmer
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Fifth Belper Goes Green Festival A Huge Success
The fifth Belper Goes Green Eco festival, organised by Transition Belper, saw thousands of visitors attending the event at Belper
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Election Special: Looking For A Climate Of Honesty
Seven years ago Cameron and Clegg formed their coalition and set in train the ideologically driven ‘austerity’ programme. At the
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Belper Neighbourhood Plan To Be Delivered By Belper Town Council
Notice has been given about the winding up of the steering group of the Belper Neighbourhood Plan. Replacing it will
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Plenty To Do At Belper Goes Green
There is a vast array of things to do, to get stuck into, learn, create and have fun at Belper
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Review: Demain (Tomorrow)
Trump. Brexit. Cyber warfare. Automated Jobs. The world is in crisis. It’s a troubling time, and not just for environmentalists
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Belper Goes Green Going Greener
This year Transition Belper, who are the organisers of Belper Goes Green, hope to replace the mountain of plastic glasses
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International Dawn Chorus Day: Birds At Dawn
The short poem was written while I was listening to Radio 4’s six and a half hour broadcast of birdsong
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Election-Free Zone As Community Comes Together For Belper Goes Green
Belper Goes Green organisers have declared their 5th annual festival an Election-free Zone – a haven from the campaigning, rosettes,
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Space Is The Place: Viewing The Night Sky Over Belper, May 2017
In May’s night sky Jupiter is resplendent. Saturn’s ring system is easily seen through a small telescope. Venus shines in
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New Belper ‘Cycle Quality’ Tube Map Highlights Need For Change
An updated version of the Belper Cycle Quality tube map has been produced incorporating feedback and showing how cycle provision
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Fracking Month: “How I Started Amber Valley Against Fracking”
I first started Amber Valley Against Fracking (AVAF) back in September 2015, after hearing on a local radio morning show that
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Fracking Month: Alternatives To Fracking
So it’s all very well to criticise fracking, but what are the alternatives? If we are to progress to a
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Go Green Café: Bicycles and Transport Theme
Visitors to No28 are being asked to bring their bikes in for maintenance advice. The newly rebranded ‘Go Green Café’
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