Fracking Month: Fracking And The Environment
There is a growing controversy around the question of fracking (using a mixture of water, sand and chemicals under extremely
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ENVIRONMENT
Fracking Month: Spell
N is for nature, wondrous and wild, O for the ozone that nearly retired, F for forget-me-not, fennel and furze,
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Fracking Month: In Space No One Can Hear You Frack
If you were a Martian visiting Earth for the first time, you would find it abundantly clear that fracking poses a
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Award Winning Documentary ‘Demain’ To Screen In May
An award winning humanitarian documentary Demain (Tommorrow) is to be shown on the 21st of May at Number 28, Market
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Space is the Place: The Night Sky Over Belper, April 2017
April’s night sky is dominated by the bright planet Jupiter. There are still opportunities to view Mercury at the beginning
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New Bessalone Planning Application Submitted
A planning application for 185 new houses on Bessalone Hill has today been submitted by C and K Balls. The
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Amber Valley Borough Council Introduces Fixed Penalties For Fly-Tipping
New measures to deal with the blight of fly-tipping have been introduced in Amber Valley, with “Fixed Penalty Notices” of
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Guest Column: Kathy Fairweather
Gardening is one of the favourite hobbies in Britain. It can become rather addictive; I know a few people whose
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Guest Column: Cllr Ben Bellamy
Last Saturday was a special day for the people of Belper, and indeed the whole of the Derwent Valley. But
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Garden Theme For Next Transition Café
The March Transition Belper Café will be held at No 28 Community Hall, Market Place, Belper on Saturday 25th March
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Earth Hour At The Unitarian Church, March 25th
Celebrate Earth Hour at the Unitarian Chapel on Short Row, Belper, on Saturday 25 March, 8.30pm to 9.30pm. Doors open
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Viewing The Night Sky Over Belper: March 2017
March brings more chances to view Venus before it disappears from our evening sky: Jupiter will take its place as
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Local Interest In Plans For The Belper Mills
Two recent Neighbourhood Plan events attracted over 70 local residents who came to discuss and suggest future uses for Belper’s
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Have Your Say on the Draft Local Plan for Amber Valley
After a meeting of the full Council on the 1st of March, Amber Valley Borough Council voted to put its
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Protests As Proposed Local Plan Goes To Public
Amber Valley Borough Council has voted in favour of the new draft Local Plan going to public consultation. At the
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Co-op Protects Belper Murmuration
A couple of weeks ago Nailed was contacted with a rumour about the murmuration of starlings which a great many
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Town Prepares For Great British Spring Clean
This Saturday, March 4th, at 10am the Town Council will be joining the rest of the country in Keep Britain
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Battle Lines Drawn For Greenfields Future
Amber Valley Borough Council have outlined proposals for a new Local Plan which includes Bullsmoor and Belper Lane sites as
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Belper Chosen to Represent East Midlands in 2017 RHS Britain in Bloom Awards
Belper in Bloom has been selected to represent the East Midlands in the Large Town Category in the Royal Horticultural
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Big Six Customers Urged To Get Switching Advice at Transition Café
Following the recently announced huge increase in NPower energy prices and the threat that others may follow, customers of the
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Jo Kirk: Seasons and Moons
The snowdrops are flowering and the green shoots of bluebells are up and even the odd daffodil is forming buds.
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Neighbourhood Plan Springs Back Into Action
The Neighbourhood Plan for Belper has arranged two new events in the forthcoming months as they seek to finalise a
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Viewing The Night Sky Over Belper: February 2017
Belper seems to have spent most of January under a blanket of cloud and fog, let’s hope that February gives
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Guest Column: Winter Gardening Advice
It’s the end of January, 5 weeks past Christmas and the shortest day. Looking out of my window at the
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Transition Café At No 28 This Saturday
After the success of the Transition Café at No 28 in October, Transition Belper now has the opportunity to make
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Green Party Co-Leader to Visit Belper Next Week
Caroline Lucas, the co-leader of the Green Party, will be visiting Amber Valley on Friday February 3. Caroline, who is
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Inside Belper’s Secret Garden
Every Sunday morning, instead of sleeping in late or cooking a hangover busting fry-up, the small, but tireless volunteers of
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Garden Waste Collection Scheme Still Proving Popular
Amber Valley Borough Council’s Garden Waste Scheme will recommence collections on the 27th of February. The scheme is still proving
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The Night Sky Over Belper: January 2017
January started off nicely with a pleasing alignment of Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon on the 2nd of January.
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Belper Entered Into RHS Britain in Bloom 2017
After the success of last year’s East Midlands in Bloom competition, in which Belper won Gold in the large town
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Solar Panels Reduce Amber Valley Council’s CO2 Emissions
Amber Valley Borough Council is doing its bit to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and at the same time is saving
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DerwentWISE Community Grants Now Open For Applications
DerwentWISE is offering a number of small grants for a wide range of innovative community projects that help people to
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The Night Sky Over Belper: December 2016
In December we can look forward to the Geminid and the Ursid meteor showers, another supermoon on the 13th /
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Wildlife Observations: Spring – Autumn 2016
Walking about town, by the river, or looking out of my garden window, the birds I have seen this year
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Guest Column: Even A Small Garden Can Have One Tree
The autumn this year has been one of the nicest autumns for many a year. The colour of the leaves
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Belper Residents Reminded To Be Prepared For Floods
With winter approaching, Derby County Council are reminding householders to check if their home is at risk of flooding and
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Neighbourhood Plan Group Invite Local Residents To Discuss Housing Needs, Heritage And Character
On Sunday the 27th of November, the Belper Neighbourhood Plan volunteer group will be holding an open meeting to discuss key
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Neighbourhood Plan Seeking Traffic Survey Helpers
As part of the NP4B (Neighbourhood Plan for Belper) report, the group are surveying traffic and road usage in the
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Residents Fight To Save World Heritage Status
Between 150 and 200 concerned residents attended a public meeting on Wednesday (19th October 2016) at Strutts Community Centre to
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The Sky Over Belper: The Orionid Meteor Shower
Late October has a number of astronomical events of interest to the casual astronomer, in particular a chance to see
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The Reality Of Climate Change: “The rains must come this year, they just have to come..” Victor Mughogho
How does climate change directly affect us in the UK? Looking around at the audience of the ‘Speak Up For
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A Poem For National Poetry Day
Errand What message is sent with drills not of seed corn but of nature bent to an unholy toil with
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Belper Astronomy Group: Space is the Place
The Belper Astronomy Group had its first meeting in the Top Bar of the Queens Head on Thursday 15th September.
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Gardening Column: September
The end of summer, for many, often signifies the end of our enjoyable time in the garden and just a
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Arkwright Society Shortlisted For National Heritage Award
The Arkwright Society for the rescue of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Gateway and Cromford Creative was one
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Open Meeting Lead By Centre For Sustainable Energy
On the 28th of September, at St John’s Chapel, there will be an open meeting on ‘Sustainable Energy In Belper’s
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Belper Takes Gold At East Midlands In Bloom Awards
Yesterday (14th September) at the East Midlands in Bloom awards at Mansfield, Belper won Gold in the Large Town Category.
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The Sky Over Belper: Satellites Are Spinning
Unfortunately cloud cover prevented observers in Belper from seeing the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. This was a pity
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Public Invited To Belper Neighbourhood Plan AGM
A warm invitation is extended to all interested members of the public to attend the AGM of the Belper Neighbourhood
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Walking Festival Steps Out 10 September — 25 September 2016
Amber Valley is holding its annual Autumn Footprints Amber Valley & Erewash Walking Festival. Set in the heart of picturesque Derbyshire, visitors will
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Belper Astronomy Society To Be Formed
Are you an amateur stargazer? Do you want to learn more about the universe? A new astronomy society is being
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Protect Derwent Valley: Become A ‘Weir Watcher’
Derbyshire’s Lower Derwent Valley has some of the most important historic weirs on the planet – now local people are
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Fly-Tipping On The Increase In Amber Valley
Almost 500 complaints about fly-tipping have been received by Amber Valley Borough Council over the past 12 months — up
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Standing Room Only: Community Mobilises To Oppose Housing Plans
Many had walked the half mile or so up the hill from their Mount Pleasant homes in atrocious weather conditions
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Developers Lay Siege To Belper’s Green Fields
Hot on the heels of the withdrawn Bessalone plan and the fight to oppose plans for housing and a factory
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Historic England Adds Objection To Bullsmoor Plans
Historic England have weighed in to the Bullsmoor Planning Application controversy with a lengthy dissection of the application on heritage
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Sign Up For Garden Waste Scheme NOW
We previously covered the end of the free Garden Waste service (brown bins) due to extreme cuts in funding from
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The Sky Over Belper: The 2016 Perseid Meteor Shower – 17th July to the 24th of August
The Perseid meteor shower is predicted to peak between the hours of midnight on Thursday the 11th of August and
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We, The Uncivilised Film At The Ritz Followed By A Q&A Session
On August the 23rd We, the Uncivilised will be screened at The Ritz Cinema, Belper. Afterwards there will be a
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Green Flag Awards for Parks
Belper Parks, Belper Cemetery, Belper River Gardens, Cray’s Hill Recreation Ground, Crossley Park Ripley, Pennytown Ponds Somercotes, Heanor Memorial Park
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Residents Unhappy At Bullsmoor Consultation Level
Following the submission of a Planning Application to extend the Valliant factory and car parking and to build 150 homes
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Bullsmoor Building Plan Back On the Agenda
Belper boiler company, Vaillant, along with housebuilders, Peveril Homes have submitted plans for 150 homes, 6,000 sq ft of industrial
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Gardening Column: Belper’s Well Dressings & Open Gardens
The last four weeks saw Belper buzzing with an exciting range of events. Belper Open Gardens, The Food Festival, Well
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Amber Valley Against Fracking – Petition
Back in December we told you about fracking coming to Amber Valley (original article) and in May reported on Amber
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In Bloom Judges Wowed by Bloomin’ Surprise
After Rough Truffles, led by Tracey Wilkinson, kicked off the East Midlands In Bloom judges tour with the In Bloom
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Council May Introduce Fee To Remove Garden Waste
Amber Valley Borough Councillors are considering reintroducing an annual charge for the Council’s garden waste service. If approved then the
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Bessalone Plans Withdrawn
The Planning Application submitted by JC Balls to build 201 houses on Green Belt land at Bessalone Hill, off Crich
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Belper Open Gardens Delights and Inspires
Visitors to Belper Open Gardens this weekend couldn’t fail to be delighted. For a modest charge of £3, there was
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Belper Open Gardens Trail Starts This Weekend
This weekend, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of June from 11.00am to 4.00pm, will see enthusiastic horticulturists open their gardens
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Opposition To Bessalone Plans Escalates
In response to the Planning Application submitted on behalf of JC Balls to build, in ‘Phase 1’, some 201 houses
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Proposal to Build on Green Belt Land Unites Labour and Conservatives.
A planning application has been submitted to Amber Valley Borough Council to build 201 houses on Green Belt land between
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Community Rallies Together to Fight Bessalone Housing Plans
The Planning Application submitted by JC Balls to develop Green Belt land at Bessalone Hill that separates Belper from Nether
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Fourth Annual Belper Goes Green Eco-festival a Huge Success
This weekend saw the fourth annual Belper Goes Green Eco-festival being held at Belper Rugby Club. Hundreds attended on each
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Interest Growing In Neighbourhood Plan
There was lots of interest in the Neighbourhood Plan from the public attending the very successful “Belper Goes Green” festival
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Interview: Experimental Sonic Machines
At Belper Goes Green we were lucky to interview part-time gardener and full-time creator of surreal soundscapes, Mr Peter K
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Outrage At King Street Tree Plan
London And Scottish Investments have made a planning application to Amber Valley Borough Council to sub-divide 27 King Street –
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Take Your Part in Bright Green Future
Bright Green Future is a new training programme created with Big Lottery funding by the Centre for Sustainable Energy. The
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Transit of Mercury: A Good Day for Solar Observation in Belper
Belper Transition and the Big Energy Project had a successful viewing of the transit of Mercury on Monday the 9th
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Amber Valley Protests Fracking
On 9th May INEOS, who hold fracking licences for parts of Amber Valley and Derbyshire held an invitation only presentation
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Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Forest Schools – May
Come and join Derbyshire Wildlife Trust for our monthly Forest School sessions in the woods at Millfields near Carsington Water.
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The Transit of Mercury: Monday 9th of May 2016, 11.45 am Onwards.
The planet Mercury will transit the Sun on Monday the 9th of May. Planetary transits of the Sun are relatively
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Gardening: Column
The beautiful sunshine this Good Friday must have signalled to most of us that spring is on its way and
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Belper Goes Green – Blooming Junk Community Arts Project
‘Roses are red, Violets are blue, can you make a recycled flower or two!’ As part of the festival we
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Forcing Parliamentary Debate to Protect Hedgehogs
Oliver Colevile, Conservative MP for Plymouth has started a national campaign to increase protections for hedgehogs and Pauline Latham, Conservative
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The UK’s Natural Environment Benefits From Our Membership of the EU – Independent Report
Press Release from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust A report commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB and WWF-UK from the Independent Institute
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NPlan4B: Culture and Heritage
“PLAN FOR BELPER” your town – your plan – your future Culture and Heritage The Neighbourhood Plan for Belper is
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Heritage At Risk Project Seeking Volunteers
A new heritage project has just started in the Lower Derwent Valley and they are looking to recruit anyone who
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Gardening Tips: Crocosmia String
Hallo gardeners. Have you tidied up the old stems and leaves of flowering perennials yet? If not, here’s something you
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Belper Open Gardens 2016 Seeks New Garden Owners
Belper Open Gardens was held for the first time in 2012, with 18 keen gardeners sharing their gardening enthusiasm, whilst
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Poem: Snowdrops Mirror by Jo Kirk
Snowdrops mirror a distant blizzard and flurries remind the early spring that winter’s realm has stretched its wings, the slender
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Gardening Column
This winter has been very unusually mild and short so far, as many early signs of spring have shown. From
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14 Houses for Garden Grab Scheme
A development of 14 new houses has been proposed to replace a house and extensive gardens at 189 Kilbourne Road,
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Win Cash for Your Electricals
Over the Christmas period thousands of unwanted or broken electrical appliances are being replaced over the county. To tackle waste
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Shaky Future Ahead for Green Energy in the UK
Less than a week after the historic climate agreement was agreed in Paris, DECC has published its response to the
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Belper MP Votes for Fracking at World Heritage Sites
On 16/12/15 the House of Commons voted on whether to allow fracking under National Parks. The Peak District was specifically
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Derwent Valley Cycleway
Derwent Valley Cycleway is a project to develop a cycleway through the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site. The objective of
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A New Oak Tree for Belper
At 11am this morning, the Environmental Group of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour planted a new oak tree at the
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Recycling – How are we Doing?
In Amber Valley we recycled a third of our domestic waste. The target for 2022 is 55% so we are
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Belper’s Vigil on Climate Change Reaches World Leaders.
Nearly 150 world leaders arrived in Paris on Sunday to begin the COP:21 talks on climate change; a potentially historic
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Rope and Ball Sculpture for Belper Park?
A rope and ball knitted sculpture similar to this could be coming to a Belper park next year. The knitted
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Gardening Column
This year has seen one of the nicest autumns for a long time. The variety and warmth of the autumn
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The Naming of Storms is a Difficult Matter
By C.L.Washbrook Knowing that Britain was about to be hit by some insane (mid latitude) storms, the Met Office and
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Jo’s Gardening Update
The warm autumn has obviously confused the plants. There is a primrose already flowering in my garden. Also a few
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Candlelit Vigil for Paris 2015
The newly formed ‘Inner Transition’ group are in the process of organising their first event! There will be a Candlelit
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Divest Derbyshire Campaign Launched
DIVEST DERBYSHIRE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED Today (November 1st) twelve groups (a) across Derbyshire have launched a Divest Derbyshire campaign to get
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