You can see details of the times via the local bus services page, and please be aware that Stagecoaches fares are slightly dearer than the Bowers / High Peak and Stotts fares.

If you’re travelling further afield into Manchester, one of the system one day tickets may be of better value for you, and you can details on them on the fare’s and tickets page

In addition don’t forget even though it’s a bank holiday, the green bin, boxes and bags will be collected as normal on Tuesday.

The trail was put together by a group of local residents to celebrate the area’s heritage, and has successfully bid for and obtained lottery and other funding to develop the trail from an initial idea to an option of four colour-coded trails of various lengths to cover the areas heritage

Various points of the trail are marked with board like the one on the right outside Hadfield Hall, that explain some of the history of that area, from the reservoirs that form the Longendale Chain to the details around some of the mills that formed Hadfield’s contribution to the cotton and later food and even munitions industries, along with some mention of Hadfield’s fame or infamy (depending on how you like your comedy)  as the location for the League of Gentleman’s Royston Vasey.

My contribution to the proceedings was to make, what I hope was a short speech, the text of which you can see below :

Mr Deputy Mayor, Chair of the County Council, Ladies and Gentleman

It is a privilege as High Peak Borough Council’s DL and executive member for community services to have been asked to say a few words at todays opening of the Hadfield and Padfield Heritage trails which has and is an excellent community project that has sought to involve everyone from those attending nursery and local schools to those in nursing and retirement homes and everyone in between.

 

Hadfield and Padfield have a long history with first mentions of the villages going back to around 650 AD, and whether you know Hadfield and Padfield as just a place to live or visit, or you learned of Hadfield in particular through the league of gentlemen, many of the place on the trail will have special meaning for you.

 

The trail covers many aspects of the history of the area from Mills that are no longer there, to the factories that took over those mills that produced everything during their lifetime from munitions to sweets and jams.

 

The trail also covers the important part that the Logendendale Valley trough the Longdendale Chain of Reservoirs played in improving and providing a clean water supply for the whole of the Manchester area, with feats of Victorian engineering that have lasted well over 100 years and will no doubt last many more decades to come.

 

Some of you today will have arrived by train with the line that now ends at Hadfield station having its own unique place in history, and in the past stretching across the hills to Sheffield, but now allowing people a more sedate progress by forming the Longendale Trail which allows people of all abilities the chance to view some of these magnificent feats of Victoria engineering along with the countryside surrounding it.

 

Tribute must be paid to the volunteers of the Hadfield and Padfield Heritage Trail Group who lead by its Chair Joy Holdsworth gathered together to come up with a way of celebrating the rich heritage of the area and after successful securing lottery and over funds come up with the trails that we are here to celebrate today.

 

I offer thanks to the many volunteers who have played any part in putting together both the trail and today’s events, with particular mention for Pete Wolwrath of Plum Tree. I’m sure and hope that this project will spur on locals of other areas across the High Peak and beyond to consider getting together and better celebrating their local heritage.

The event was well timed in terms of enjoying the great weather of the weekend, and was really well supported by the local community, with many of them playing a part in either the trail or the event itself, showing a great sense of community spirit which I’m sure the organiser of the heritage trail will no doubt be considering way the make use of the ‘spirit’ in the future – well done to all involved.

DNCC Office Photo

On Friday, I attending the official opening by High Peak MP Andrew Bingham, of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce Glossop offices / training facility in the old Co-op building on Norfolk Square.

A facility that whilst welcome in terms of getting a clearer ‘base’ for the Chamber of Commerce in the far north of the County, has a main purpose of dealing, with the contracts that the chamber has with regards to providing back to work training and associated services for the likes of A4e on behalf of the Job Centre, along with various elements of training aimed at specific groups.

Now whilst to a certain extent any additional facilities that provide additional training and business support should be and are welcome.

I can’t help feeling that to a certain extent the opening of the facility on Friday in both Glossop and a similar facility in Buxton, are only opening because of the current ‘financial’ climate and the contracts that they have for services to the ‘unemployed’, rather than because there is a specific want to extend the services of the chamber more fully to local business in this area, and that rather than celebrating the opening of two new facilities in the High Peak, we were to a certain extent celebrating the failure of the government’s current policy of austerity, which has led the economy, which was making a modest recovery when Labour left office to having contracted in the past quarter by 0.3% leading to us been in a double-dip recession.

he surgery which is taking place in the usual venue of the Gamesley Residents Association Office on Winster Mews in Gamesley, will have no specific focus this month.

Cllr Anthony Mckeown said “Although most folk will no doubt be settling in to enjoy the Jubilee bank holiday, you may have that one issue, concern or grumble that you want to get off your chest, and our surgery on Saturday is the perfect opportunity”

The surgery runs from 9.00am until 10.00am and locals are welcome to call even if they don’t have a particular issue or grumble to raise with the councillors.

Councillor Mckeown also said “Don’t forget that councillors aren’t just available at surgeries and if you can’t attend our surgery in person or at all, we still want to hear from you and there’s a variety of ways you can get in touch – you can view those ways by going to my website at www.anthonymckeown.info/getintouch  for further information.”

In more recent years since moving down south he has become a councillor on Bath and North East Somerset Council.

On Thursday 19th June, as detailed below he is returning to Glossop to launch his new book.

Glossop Library

           Tuesday 19^th June 7pm                   

           The Book Launch of

   The Peak District:

   A Cultural History

By

John Bull

Former Glossop County Councillor and

chair of the National Park Planning Committee

who lived in Hayfield and Glossop for 30 years

explores the social history and literature of

the Peak District.

         Free event with refreshments

Tickets from the library 01457 852616

glossop.library@derbyshire.gov.uk

There’s been too particular events during the month, one encouraging people to walk to work (you can view details by clicking here) and the other on encouraging people to walk to school (again details can be viewed by clicking here).

The main reason for flagging this up, is aside from it being a simple good health campaign, is that it also gives an excuse to highlight a video done (as I understand it) for the American version of this campaign, featuring the cast of the much loved “West Wing” :

You can see details of the times via the local bus services page, and be aware that Stagecoaches fares are slightly dearer than the Bowers / High Peak and Stotts fares.

If you have an issue you want to raise but can’t attend tomorrow morning – please visit the get in touch page for way to get in touch.

The report which was considered by the council’s Corporate Select Committee on the 17^th April and approved by the council’s executive on Tuesday night set’s out a proposed strategy for car parking across the High Peak from now until 2015, along with a detailed action plan for the first year and recommendations to review charging and investment plans around car parking prior to the 2013/14 budget cycle.

But one thing it doesn’t set out now (and may not even when the review moves on to charging later in the year) is any proposals to add to, or increase charges for parking, what it does set out to do, is review various elements of parking, the details of which you can view for yourself in the report which is available on the council’s website or by clicking here

In terms of ‘on street parking’, the key action agreed in the report is to :

b. Review on-street parking through amendments to the limited waiting parking areas and in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council as highway authority.

The details for why the review is requested is set out in the on street parking section of the report which is on pages 11 and 12 of the report, and highlights that at current 1 in 4 drivers would rather risk a penalty notice than pay for parking and that because of this reduced turnover in parking spaces, not only can the council lose money, but there is also a loss of income to local businesses as well.

With reference to blue badges, again there is no proposal to introduce a charge, the key action agreed in the report is to :

f. Review the charging for Blue Badge holders for off-street parking;

Now this may conclude like nearby Tameside to introduce a charge, but equally it may recommend no change, but as with the issue of on-street parking, there is a section of the report on page 14 and the top of page 15 that lists some of the issues around disabled parking.

The review also considers issues around car parks in general, residents parking, coach and truck parking, motor bikes, taxis and more or less anything else you might want to consider on parking, along with an action plan (on pages 21-25) that details dates within the year when more information on the various stages of the ‘review’ will be complete.

Taking place from 10.00am until 11.30am in the open air(ish) venue of the Glossop Market Arcade, the shopper’s surgery will feature along with myself,  Councillors Colin Waude and Godfrey Claff who represent Howard Town, Graham Oakley from Whitfield, Garry Parvin from Old Glossop, and Bob Mckeown from Hadfield South.

There’s no particular theme for Saturday’s surgery, and the assembled councillor’s will no doubt be happy to hear (and where possible) answer any comments, questions or concerns you may have, or if you have no issues to raise with just say hello if you are passing by.