A HOME Office ruling on licensing fees has opened up a debate about the future of the area's village halls.A plan to hand control of room hire fees from committees over to local authorities has now been abandoned, after the Government listened to concerns from those behind the centres.Elaine Tagg, 75, who runs the bookings for Stanton Village Hall spoke to the Mail.She said: "We try to keep our prices down because there's no point having a hall that's over-priced and under-used."The...
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No fee rises for hiring village halls in East Staffs and South...
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Singer taking the town's name to another country
ON the other side of the world, there is a man who originally hails from Burton who believes he could be the next big thing in the world of country music.Martin Haywood, 61, was born and bred in Burton but emigrated to Brisbane, in Australia, with his family when he was just 11 years old and he now lives in New Zealand. He originally trained as a mechanic and spent several years in the Australian army before becoming a musician.Now, after 35 years of performing, Martin goes by the stage name...
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Rich Lyman, from Swadlincote chose 850-mile charity bike ride...
THE prospect of turning 40 may spur many people into getting a little more exercise – but one Swadlincote man is taking it to the extreme.Policeman Rich Lyman, of Tunnicliffe Court, decided to face the upcoming milestone by completing an 850-mile bike ride for charity.He will be joining dozens of other cyclists to complete a ride from Twickenham rugby stadium, in the London borough of Richmond, to Casino Square, in Monte Carlo, to raise money for the organisation Wooden Spoon, which...
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Church Gresley homes finished after 13 years of building
THIRTEEN years after diggers moved in a huge South Derbyshire housing development has finally been completed.The Castle Heights development, in Church Gresley, began in 2002, and 800 properties later, developer David Wilson Homes has confirmed its work is now done.A community almost with its own identity has been created in the village, with a new supermarket, doctors' surgery and a children's play area along with the homes.Church Gresley councillor Ben Stuart said: "I think as housing...
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Rosliston Primary children dig deep for tree planting project
MORE than 100 new trees have been planted as part of an educational experience for children at a South Derbyshire school.Rosliston Primary School pupils planted a tree each in a new copse being created on their school field thanks to a donation of saplings from the Woodland Trust.They will now look after and watch their trees grow for the enjoyment of themselves and future generations of pupils at the school, in Main Street.Head teacher Liz Greenwood said: "The children will be able to...
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Specials out on beat to tackle traffic issues in South Derbyshire
VOLUNTEER police officers have been out in force across South Derbyshire as part of a bid to crackdown on speeding motorists.Special constables from Swadlincote Police Station headed out in Newhall and Ticknall over the weekend to try to raise awareness of road safety issues in the area and warn motorists if they were caught flouting the law.A total of 24 vehicles were caught speeding in several 30mph zones in both areas in an operation that lasted just over three hours.Paul Wright, acting...
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Twycross steps forward to help fight growing wildlife tragedy
THE chief executive of Twycross Zoo has a surprising confession to make: "When I was a student I was quite anti zoos."What's changed her mind is the way zoos have responded to the challenges faced by endangered species in the wild by putting into place conservation initiatives – essentially becoming part of the solution, not part of the problem.Sharon Redrobe came to Twycross in 2013 with a burning passion to modernise the 52-year-old zoo, which she has now unveiled. The...
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Campaign to crack down on Syria case rise
A MAJOR campaign has been launched in Burton and South Derbyshire in a bid to help prevent youngsters travelling to Syria.The National Police Counter Terrorism Network is working with organisations across both areas following a recent spike in the number young girls fleeing to the war-torn country to meet with members of terror group Islamic State.The Mail has closely been following the case of Tareena Shakil, of Curtis Way, Shobnall, who remains on bail following her return to the UK last...
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Car left hanging over a bridge after crash in Tutbury
A CRASH in an East Staffordshire village left a car lodged on a bridge and a man having to be airlifted to hospital.The incident took place in Tutbury Road, in Tutbury, by the river bridge and left a nearby roundabout closed for more than four hours.Police were called to the scene just before 6.30am on Sunday, March 15. The man was trapped inside his vehicle for more than an hour – while the vehicle ended up perched on a brick wall close to a 30ft drop.Initial police investigations seem...
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Games machine in stolen tool smash at The Thorn Tree Inn, in...
POLICE are on the hunt for thieves who broke into a pub, dragged a games machine into the garden and smashed it apart before stealing its contents.The burglars used tools from the pub's shed to break open the machine that had been dragged into the garden of the Thorn Tree Inn, in Bretby Road, Newhall.Officers from Derbyshire Police are now launching an appeal to track down the culprits.Councillor Kevin Richards, who represents Newhall on South Derbyshire District Council, called the theft...
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Burton UTC opening delayed until next year due to lack of pupils
THE opening of Burton's University Technical College (UTC) has been put back for a year – because of a lack of pupils signing up to attend.Bosses at the college, known as the UTC, had been hoping to open the doors in September, but after the number of people signing up to attend did not meet 'the viable minimum', they decided to defer their plans until September 2016.Dozens of 14 to 19-year-olds who had been accepted at the new facility, in Waterloo Street, now have to find alternatives...
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Come on George! Make it a hat-trick in beer duty cuts
THE Mail is today calling on Chancellor George Osborne to help record an impressive hat-trick by cutting beer duty for the third year in a row.For the last two years beer drinkers, landlords, brewing and pub bosses have reaped the benefits after 1p was knocked off the price of a pint in the Budget.Now, we are all joining forces to ensure that we make it three years in a row ahead of the Budget tomorrow.The past two cuts have helped keep a whopping 1,047 pubs from closing and has seen the...
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Number of new shops opening in Burton described as positive by...
The number of new shops opening in Burton increased last year, according to figures published this week.Nine stores opened in the town last year, a survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers said – more than in 2013. Fifteen store closed in the town during 2014. In the West Midlands as a whole, including Burton, the number of closures was down on the previous year.Although there is still some way to go until the town's retail economy is back on track, bosses in the town say it points towards a...
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Children's Comic Relief cash is stolen from Linton Primary School
CHILDREN have been left sickened after money they raised for Comic Relief was stolen when thieves targeted their primary school in a daylight raid.Linton Primary School, in Main Street, was raided by burglars who smashed a door panel to access the building before stealing an entire safe full of charity money.Head teacher Catherine Hollis said: "It is so horrid to think someone could come in and do this, particularly for the children who have worked so hard to raise the...
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Alrewas crash victim named
A 48-YEAR-OLD man killed in a crash on the A513 on Friday has been named as Gregory Turner from Tamworth.Mr Turner's blue Audi TT left the road between Alrewas and Croxall before hitting a tree at around 11.05am.A spokesman for Mr Turner's family said: "We would like to thank all those who tried to help Gregory at the scene and would ask that our privacy is respected at this difficult time."Specially trained officers are currently offering the family support.Anyone who witnessed the...
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Pedestrian hit by a car in Overseal has died
A PEDESTRIAN who suffered serious injuries following a crash while walking in a South Derbyshire village has died.Marjorie Smith, 84, of Burton Road, Overseal, who spent many years in the village, was knocked down by a Vauxhall Zafira while walking down the road in her village at 6.30pm on February 28.A large section of Overseal was closed to traffic while recovery took place.She received serious injuries and police have now revealed that she died in the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on...
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Solar Eclipse 2015: Five ways to view this Friday's partial...
Certain schools across the country will prohibit children from viewing the solar eclipse this Friday, with one school in particular opting instead to display the event through a live video stream.Parents have criticised such precautions, believing the eclipse is something children can witness safely. As such, we have compiled a list of five ways that remove any risks when watching the rare occurrence.Eclipse viewers Probably the most obvious choice. Eclipse viewers are similar to 3D cinema...
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Solar eclipse 2015: How to watch the partial solar eclipse...
The partial solar eclipse will cover Burton and South Derbyshire in darkness on Friday March 20, when the moon will move across the sun, plunging us into temporary darkness.More than three-quarters of the sun will be covered by the moon at its peak, with the eclipse ongoing between 8.30am and 10.30am.Experts have warned against viewing the solar eclipse via the naked eye, and it is very dangerous to look directly at the Sun with your eyes or through a telescope or binoculars – should you...
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Andy Corbett is backing the Brewers to win promotion
FORMER Brewers defender Andy Corbett has backed his old club to win promotion.The long-serving player left Burton Albion following a testimonial in 2013 to embark on a two-year charity cycle ride around the globe with his brother Rob. The brothers are currently high in the Andes on the South American leg of the journey and are raising cash for cancer charities as they go. But Andy took time out to back the Burton Mail's campaign to get everyone behind his old club as they head into a vital...
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Swadlincote Rotary Club is good news all round
AS a group of kind and considerate people go, Rotarians take some beating.It is a rare and heart-warming pleasure to be surrounded by people who have left their warm homes on a cold, wet Thursday evening with the sole intention of helping others.Swadlincote Rotary Club is a group which gathers every week to do just that. The meeting had no fixed agenda, no targeted aim but something far greater — an agreement that what can be done, should be done.But, before anything could be done,...
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