This email has been sent to the blog by Parwich Parish Council, the following appeared in a circular from Rural Action Derbyshire and provides information from a charity offering refurbished computers with some software and a warrenty for people in rural areas at a small cost.
Arthur Rank Centre – Computers for Rural People
Living in a rural area, whether on a farm miles from anywhere, or even in a country town, means spending time and money travelling about to get things done.
Email and Internet provide enormous opportunities when you can’t just pop round the corner to the shop or library etc, yet computers are usually expensive items, and few people want to buy one “just to see if one day it might be useful”. Once you have one and know how to use it, and appreciate what it can do, you don’t mind paying but that first step is often inhibited by the cost.
The Arthur Rank Centre is committed to supporting the rural community, and has set up the “Computers for Rural People” scheme to provide computers at very low cost to encourage people to take the first step. (more…)
Free caddy liners distributed across the Derbyshire Dales
The distribution of free compostable caddy liners to all 33,000 households across the Derbyshire Dales is set to be completed this week.
An annual supply of liners for residents’ kitchen food caddies was part of the agreement between Derbyshire Dales District Council and contractor Serco when a new recycling service was launched last autumn.Residents received an initial supply of the liners with their new recycling containers from October last year. From now on they will receive a free annual supply of 52 liners each year.
Additional liners can be bought online at www.caddyliners.com or from the District Council’s reception desks at the Town Hall in Matlock, Bakewell Agricultural Centre and the leisure centres in Ashbourne, Bakewell, Matlock and Wirksworth.
A District Council spokesperson said: “Local people might notice their annual supply of caddy liners differs from the initial supply as these have no printing on them, but they do comply with the strict compostable standards set by the recycling company.It’s important that only liners approved by the District Council are used to transfer food waste from kitchen caddies to kerbside caddies for the weekly collection. Alternatively, our message to residents is don’t use a liner at all; simply wash out your kitchen caddy after use.”
A wealth of information about waste and recycling in the Derbyshire Dales is available online at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/waste
We would like to introduce our services. We have 12 wheelchair accessible vehicles available for hire for trips out etc. during the week, evenings and weekends. Our vehicles range from 12 seats to 16 seats. (more…)
We are updating the directory of local businesses and services – https://parwich.org/village/directory/ – which can also be found using the INFO tab at the top of this page.
If you run an enterprise based in Parwich, Alsop, Ballidon or Pikehall and would like to be included in this list, contact parwich@hotmail.co.uk or any member of the Blog team. Please give a brief description of the business/service together with contact details. If you are aware of anyone not on this list but think they might wish to be included please pass on the message.
The final results for our Street Light polls have now been counted. It may be possible to still vote for several days, but these votes will not be included in the information sent to Derbyshire County Council (DCC).
PARWICH.ORG readers supported the general principle of ‘part night lighting with decisions being made on a light by light basis’. The poll results agreed with DCC’s proposals for 16 lights, did not reach any consensus for one light, and disagreed with the proposals for 16 lights.
There is a clear recommendation that more lights be part night than the County Council proposes, (more…)
There continues to be strong support for some form of reduction in street lighting (86%), with the largest group in favour of making a decision on a light by light basis. So far the individual street light polls in general suggest some lights remain on all night in Main Street (including Chestnut and Sycamore Cottages) and Shaw Lane, through routes, including some that the County Council propose part night, but there is a split vote in relation to Smithy Lane, also a through route. In contrast for the rest of the village the polls support all lights being part night, more than proposed by the County Council, with the exception of Kiln Lane where there is support for the Council’s proposal to turn some lights off completely.
Parwich Parish Council have set up a sub-committee to forward their views, and will be taking these poll results into account on Wednesday. The County Council’s community engagement runs to the 2nd of April, so you can still contact them directly. The polls here at PARWICH.ORG will continue open until next Sunday (31st March), so those who have not done so already can still vote:
Polls for individual Parwich street lights: (more…)
Here are some interim results from the polls at PARWICH.ORG on the County Councils proposals for part nightstreet lighting in Parwich village, which are being discussed at tonight’s Parish Council meeting.
Although there is a wide range of genuinely held opinions, so far there seems to be strong support for some reduction in street lighting (86%) with the largest group in favour of making a decision on a light by light basis.
Decide on a light by light basis – 53%
Turn all lights off for part of the night – 23%
Turn street lights off altogether – 10%
Keep all lights on all night – 14%
Looking at the individual polls (see Draft Interim Report for the workings out), PARWICH.ORG readers so far disagree with the proposals for 14 lights, have not reached a consensus for 4 lights, and agree with the proposals for 15 lights. (more…)
So far there seems to be strong support for some reduction in street lighting (89%), with the largest group in favour of making a decision on a light by light basis. Up to this morning, Friday 15th March, 36 people have responded to our general poll:
Decide on a light by light basis – 50%
Turn all lights off for part of the night – 28%
Turn street lights off altogether – 11%
Keep all lights on all night – 11%
In relation to the polls for individual lights, so far, things are less clear cut: some indicate agreement with the County Counci’s specific suggestion, others indicate disagreement with the proposals, though for many there is a split vote giving no clear consensus. (more…)
The poll in our previous post is so far indicating a majority support some form of part night lighting in Parwich. This further post contains individual polls for each street light in the Village.
You can have your say on which street lights are turned off for part of the night and which remain on by contacting:
Derbyshire County Council directly by Tuesday 2nd April 2013 on their Parwich consultation page or by post to Street Lights, Derbyshire County Council, County Hall, Matlock, DE4 3AG
Parwich Parish Council prior to their next meeting on Wednesday 20th March 2013, by speaking to a councillor, by emailing the Clerk on sandra.hampson@hotmail.co.uk, or by attending the open section of their meeting.
or here at
PARWICH.ORG by completing the polls below and adding comments. We will then forward poll results and any comments to the County Council prior to the close of the Parwich consultation on the 2nd April.
The County Council’s rationale in deciding their proposals can be seen on their website, but they will not understand as well as us how we might be effected, so please fill in at least the polls for the lights outside your house.
There should be a separate poll below for each Parwich street light (based on plan circulated by Derbyshire County Council): (more…)
Although the Council have already consulted on the general issue, we felt our readers might like to have a say on whether ‘part night lighing’ in general is a good idea:
Parwich households should have received a letter today telling them that Derbyshire County Council is now consulting on turning some Parwich street lights off for part of the night. (Click here for the consultation timetables for Derbyshire communities.) (more…)
Derbyshire Dales District Council is managing a scheme to make homes cheaper to heat.
Old and uneconomical boilers could be replaced for free as the District Council encourages local residents to improve energy efficiency. But the deadline for applications is the end of March.
Around £2.5m funding is being shared between 14 district and borough councils across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire after the District Council was successful in a national competition run by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In order to make homes warmer and more energy efficient, householders can apply to the scheme for the replacement of old and inefficient boilers, replacement boilers where it is not economical to repair, boiler repairs and installation of new heating systems.
To qualify for the free work, Dales residents must be owner-occupiers with savings of less than £16,000, and be in receipt of certain benefits such as Pension Credit, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or housing/council tax benefits.Anyone not receiving benefit but having a total household income of £18,000 or less, could also be eligible for support from the scheme.
The scheme is being handled by the established Warmstreets team, who have been working with Derbyshire Dales District Council over the past two years to provide loft and cavity insulation.
To enquire, call the Warmstreets team on 0800 043 9569.
I’m two miles from the Parwich Exchange. Has anyone else in our area experienced a serious drop in BT Broadband speed during recent weeks?
My BB speed has dropped from around 4.5 Mbps average (over a five month period – 6.5 Mbps peak) to around 1.75 Mbps. Since that time I’ve spent far too long messing around with repeated calls to the BT “Help” Desk, until this morning when they said an engineer would be calling in a week’s time to “do some checks”. Per the Help Desk, I’m currently connected to the “Test Socket”.
I’d be interested in others’ current (and past) experiences with BT and alternative Providers out here in the boonies. I’ve noticed some in our community use microwave, which sounds costly!
The Derbyshire Public transport unit have advised that there is a tendering process for the bus service in April. They said there is NO intention to take away a bus service from Parwich.
They are legally obliged to provide a service for children to school. They cannot provide details until after April of exact timetables. There may be changes to the services as a result of the re-tendering process and there will be notification in advance of any possible changes being implemented.
The Parish Council will be notified of any changes and will post these on the blog.
The first detailed policy review in 10 years of public car parks across the Derbyshire Dales begins soon.
And Derbyshire Dales District Council – which operates 33 pay and display car parks throughout the Dales – will be inviting local people and traders to give their views on the way ahead.
The first opportunity will be at the District Council’s latest series of Area Community Forums in February, at Shirley Community Space (St Michael’s Church) on Monday 4th, Wirksworth Memorial Hall on Monday 11th and Bakewell Agricultural Business Centre on Monday 18th. All start at 7pm.
A formal consultation programme will follow in March and April, including focus groups with traders, residents, disabled users, town and parish councils and tourism and stakeholder organisations.
Feedback will also be available by post and online.
Every household in the Derbyshire Dales currently receives a free car park permit enabling them all to park free of charge at every District Council car park before 11am and after 4pm every day of the week. For the past five years the District Council has also made parking free after 2pm for everyone throughout December to encourage people to shop locally. (more…)
This Business Peak District event is for local employers interested to find out more about Work Place Pensions, HMRC “Real Time” Information, Broadband, Personnel (HR).
Where? – Ashbourne Leisure Centre, Clifton Road, Ashbourne DE6 1DR When? – Wednesday 30 January 1.00 – 17.00pm
What? – You may not want to but you know you have to… It’s arriving to your business soon … Come and find out all about Work Place Pensions, HMRC “Real Time” Information, Broadband, Personnel (HR) top tip.
For the avoidance of doubt, not every property in the Dales gets a double collection next week: only those properties where collections have been missed to date.
So, the many Dales residents who have been lucky enough to have their usual collections through the snow will just get their regular collection next week.
We have received this from Deryshire Dales this morning:
Derbyshire Dales bin collections update:
To enable us to catch up with this week’s missed bin collections caused by weather disruptions, please note we will be collecting food, household waste and garden waste AT THE SAME TIME next week, from Monday 28 January, on residents’ normal collection day.
So, as a one-off, if we have missed bins because of the weather, we’re asking residents please to leave out food, household waste and garden containers together next week.
Properties that did not receive a recycling collection on Monday 21 January because of snow should get a collection this weekend.
Any recycling collections not possible this weekend will be completed on the next scheduled recycling day.
Any other recycling collections missed this week will now be completed on the next scheduled collection day.
Don’t throw out your old electricals. Donate them to Encore Re-use – Ashbourne’s furniture reuse project.
At this time of year, we tend to cast our minds to having a good old clear out. You’ll probably find that some of the things you want to get rid of are old electricals. Things that still work but perhaps you’ve replaced them with something more up-to-date. We tend to stick old, working electricals in a cupboard somewhere, up in the loft or stashed away in the garage. They sit there until they’ve become obsolete or worse still, eventually get thrown away.
Encore Re-use in Ashbourne is a furniture reuse charity that is crying out for good quality, working household electricals and appliances. Donate your vacuums, kettles, radios, microwaves, fridges, washing machines and other working items that you no longer use to the project and they will find them a new home. Everything’s tested for safety before being sold from their showroom on Henmore Trading Estate on Mayfield Road at very reasonable prices. Families on low incomes, students or just people on the look-out for a bargain can benefit – anyone’s welcome. (more…)
We have received the following communication from Derbyshire Dales District Council:
By working yesterday (Sunday), crews managed to catch up with most of last week’s snow-enforced missed collections. Any remaining areas missed last week will get a “double” collection (household waste and garden waste) this week – these households should please leave out household and green waste containers, plus food caddies, for collection.
Snow disrupted collections yesterday causing a backlog in collections.
The District Council’s contractor Serco is advising householders to continue to put out containers on the usual collection day for the rest of the week, but to be aware that collections in some areas could be delayed by 24 hours as the catch-up takes place.
Serco’s crews have already committed to working this Saturday (19 January) to ensure, subject to any further problems, all this week’s collections take place.
As we enter our third week of no landline and have had numerous second rate excuses from BT, we were wondering if anyone else in the Blog area have lost their service – BT tell us ‘it is an extensive problem both nationally and locally’.
We are now on our fourth promised repair date, all in the last week and all unfulfilled.
Commiserations to the Parwich households who have been affected by today’s power cut, which struck around lunch time. Repairs are currently taking place, with the aim of restoring power in time for Christmas Day.
Sadly, the lack of electricity means that Chris Hoolie will be unable to perform at the Legion tonight. However, the Legion is staying open: powered by candle light, and looking very picturesque with it! Meanwhile, The Sycamore still has full power.
East Midlands Ambulance Service launched a consultation about the future of the ambulance service in our region in September. Part of the proposals they are consulting on involves the creation of a smaller number of main hub ambulance stations, where staff start and finish their work, and from where they travel to local community facilities to await emergency calls. Rather than being dedicated ambulance stations these community facilities will be shared with other services such as the Police. To achieve this a number of the smaller dedicated ambulance stations will be closed, including the Ashbourne Ambulance Station (see the Ashbourne News Telegraph website for more information).
There is concern that this may result in reduced response time in rural areas such as in our villages. Where will our nearest community base be, and what will happen while ambulances are traveling back and forwards from their hubs in Derby or Chesterfield? The Ambulance Service argue that reducing the cost of maintaining these buildings, not always now in the best locations, will release funds for better direct patient services. The consultation still has another week to run (closing date Monday 17th December) so click here if you want to have you say directly on the East Midlands Ambulance Service website.
Alternatively for those opposed to the closure of the Ashbourne Ambulance Station, you can sign a petition at the Sycamore registering your concern.
Earlier this week our new waste and recycling contractor Serco Ltd issued a media statement in which they stated they were confident all outstanding containers would be delivered and missed collections cleared by today (Friday 2 November).
It is now evident that Serco won’t hit this target, so here’s a statement from Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Director of Community Services, Peter Foley:
We are hugely disappointed with the performance of our waste contractors, Serco. But whilst we appreciate they have experienced serious issues, the only thing that matters to us is that our residents receive the service they have every right to expect.
We are working with Serco on a continual basis to resolve the problems. At the highest level, Serco are fully aware that we are holding them to account and they have responded with an action plan that includes the use of significant extra resources.
We know from comments made to us by local people that the majority of households are delighted with the new service as it enables them to recycle more at home than ever before. So when Serco eventually get it right for everyone, it’s going to be a first class service.
However, Serco know their performance to date is unacceptable and they need to get it right – and soon – to comply with their contractual obligations. They are fully aware we are not prepared to accept anything less.
I am interested to know other peoples experience with their LPG pricing. Having experienced a couple of very sharp price rises this year, I am hoping other LPG users might arm me with comparative prices to be able to negotiate with suppliers.
In April this year we were paying 40p per litre which was then dramatically increased to 47p, and from 1st November is increasing to 51.38p – an eye watering 28% increase over what we were paying early in the year!
We have the Flogas top-up service, and it’s reasonably reliable, although we have on the odd occasion run out in peak times which can be pretty uncomfortable.
Broadband speeds seem to have become remarkably variable in the village, those of us using AOL on WiFi perhaps currently feeling the most frustrated. However everyone please don’t forget to register for better Broadband with Digital Derbyshire to help push improvements through.
10-20am Have just phoned the Council on their waste hotline (tel 01629 761122) to confirm that the general household waste collection is going ahead today. Took about 8 min to get through, but I guess that is not bad given the change over will be at its height. Cheryl and Patti and others will be calling about their missing blue bins.
They have confirmed that our black (or are they grey) general household waste bins should be collected today as normal on the old rota. They can’t confirm what time other than by 4pm. So leave your bins out.
Good luck dealing with the rubbish rainbow.
Peter
Added 12am: the bins around the Green and in Church Walk have now been emptied.
As a user of O2 for my mobile phone for longer than I can remember, I have been getting increasingly frustrated by their intransigence and lack of respect for loyalty. Having just had another very unsatisfactory call with O2, I have now decided to leave for an alternative service provider.
I’ve currently got a very good offer from “3”, but since the mobile reception in the village is so poor, I would like to ask readers of the blog for their experience of the signal on “3” in Parwich.
Indeed, I am sure it would be interesting to everyone to hear people’s experiences on local reception for any of the service providers.
From my perspective, I feel that the O2 signal strength has been dropping of late – but that could just be a reflection of my frustration.
Next Thursday (October 11th) will be the last week of bin collections under the old regime.
Next Wednesday (October 10th), households in Parwich should be receiving their new containers. We will be keeping our existing grey and green bins, but we will also be welcoming three exciting new pieces of kit into our homes. Let’s meet them, shall we?
1)A full-sized blue bin, which replaces the old blue box and blue bag. The main part of the bin is for glass and plastic bottles, cans, and beverage cartons. An additional removable “basket insert” will sit inside the bin, to hold paper recycling.
For some households, i.e. those that don’t have room for an extra full-size bin, existing blue boxes and bags will be retained.
Larger amounts of cardboard, i.e. those that won’t fit inside the “bin within the bin”, should be flattened and left on the street, next to the bin. Don’t just put them in the main part of the bin, though! This would be a hideous mistake!
2)A small plastic “caddy”, to hold food waste (including tea bags). This will be kept indoors, probably in your kitchen. Special liner bags will be provided, or you can just scrape your food waste straight into the caddy. Warning: don’t use any other plastic bags as caddy liners! You will get into terrible trouble if you do!
3)A larger kerbside caddy, that gets put out for weekly collection. When your indoor caddy fills up, just tip it into the larger caddy. You don’t have to empty the special liner bags; you can just tie them up and plonk them in.
The new collection regime starts on Wednesday October 17th. All Parwich bin collections will be on Wednesdays from that point on – unless it’s a Bank Holiday week, which will mean a Thursday collection instead.
For Alsop and Ballidon, it looks as if Wednesday will be your new collection day as well. For Pikehall, it’s probably going to be Thursdays instead. To check, follow this link and enter your post code. This will give you the first few collection dates, plus your own calendar to download. Note that the new regime doesn’t start until you’ve received your new bins, which does contradict some of the earliest dates on the main results page. (I’ve pointed this out to Derbyshire Dales, so they might correct this.)
Kerbside food caddies will be emptied every week. All the other bins will be emptied every fortnight. Yes, that includes your regular grey bin – but the theory is that you’ll be recycling so much stuff in your other bins, that there will hardly be anything left to put in your grey bin.
The fortnightly cycle will be: regular grey bins one week, green and blue bins together on the other week.
We will also mark each collection day on our DIARY page, and on the weekly “what’s on this week” posts. We will also keep a link to the collection calendar on our INFO page.
Derbyshire Dales are holding a number of roadshows, where you can get further advice from actual human beings, rather than websites and leaflets. However, none of them are coming anywhere near Parwich! But for those of you who are as “passionate about waste” as the council hopes you’ll be, here’s a link to the roadshow timetable, just in case you fancy making a special journey.
Still confused? (Or still not confused enough?) Then how about watching this special instruction film, put together by the good people at Derbyshire Dales District Counci?
(Sadly, it’s only eight and half minutes long, so some of the finer points of “best practice” may be somewhat glossed over.)
The website for Hartington Surgery – www.hartingtonsurgery.co.uk – is worth bookmarking, as it contains reliable, up to date information for the practice.
Note also that appointments can now be booked online, as well as repeat prescriptions. For both of these services, you will need to register for Patient Access, using a PIN and an Access ID. To obtain your PIN and Access ID, you will first need to contact the surgery.
Residents and businesses in the Peak District National Park are being urged to register their interest in getting better broadband internet coverage for the area.
The Peak District National Park Authority is keen to support three local councils – Derbyshire and Staffordshire County Councils and Cheshire East Council – who are working to get broadband access improved in the national park area.
Councillor Tony Favell, chair of the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “We know that getting good broadband access is one of the top priorities for local residents and businesses which is why it is also a high priority action in our new National Park Management Plan.
“Having good broadband access will boost efforts to create more local jobs and also make lives easier for the 38,000 national park residents and the millions who visit tourist accommodation in the area each year.
“The councils all need local people and businesses to register their need for better broadband so they can demonstrate this to potential suppliers and investors. I would urge everyone to do this because it could make a really significant impact on the future prospects for job growth opportunities.”
The roadshow is the latest element of an awareness campaign that includes an introductory leaflet that is being posted this week to all 33,000 homes in the Dales and online information at http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/including a list of Frequently Asked Questions and a YouTube video guide.
Available soon will be an online postcode search facility, and detailed instructions and a collection calendar will be delivered with the new containers by the District Council’s new contractor Serco Ltd early in October.
The information roadshow was launched in Bakewell this Monday (24 September) and the mobile unit moves into Wirksworth on Tuesday, Matlock Sainsbury’s on Wednesday and Ashbourne Market Place on Thursday from 9.30am to 3pm each day. (more…)
We have received this request for work from Annabel H :
I am looking for babysitting/child minding work any evening of the week. I am available for school collection as well as daytime and evening care. My name is Annabel Healy, and I’m living in Parwich with my parents whilst completing my MSc in Counselling and Psychoterapy at Derby Uni.
I have got lots of experience of working with kids of all ages, including being a nursery assistant, working on a school holiday camp for the past 2 years in New Zealand, and many babysitting jobs over the years! I did a BSc in Early Childhood Studies at Bristol University. I have my own car, references and CRBs are available.
If you would like to meet me the give me a call on 07949727546 or 01335390378 or send an email to alh5355@gmail.com
From early October the majority of the 33,000 households across the district will receive a new blue-lid recycling wheeled bin and two food waste caddies.
New contractor Serco Ltd will collect food waste weekly on the same day every week, and, on that day, they will also empty on alternate weeks the existing grey household waste bin one week and the new blue-lid recycling bin and existing green-lid garden waste bin together on the other week. (more…)
On Wednesday 26 September, the Agricultural Business Centre hosts a morning to help businesses promote themselves through social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging. The seminar, run by Business Peak District in association with Henmore Marketing, will explain why and how businesses are maximising social media tools and how you can join in the action.
The seminar is free however a charge of £10 will be made to cover costs to anyone who books but does not attend. Cancellation is available until 24 hours before the event starts.
I’ve just realised that it is a Bank Holiday week, so it’s all change for the dustbins. I have amended What’s on Where this Week, so apologies if I have confused anyone.
This week it is Friday 31st for the Green Bin and Saturday 1st for the Black Bin. The collection may be anytime between 7am-4pm, but remember the Green Bin men were very, very late last time, so don’t despair as they did eventually arrive.
Business Peak District sent us details of a day event aimed at helping local businesses improve their on-line presence:
FREE BPD Network Event – 19 September Marketing – Bringing your website alive and keeping your customers happy,
Business Peak District would like to invite you to the second Network Event on Wednesday 19 September 9.30 – 12.30 at The Royal Hotel, Hayfield. Once again we have some excellent speakers to offer advice and tips about email marketing campaigns, using videos and images to bring your website alive.
Where? – The Royal Hotel, Hayfield SK22 2EP When? – Wednesday 19 September 9.30am -12.30pm What? – Marketing – Bringing your website alive and keeping your customers happy – for anyone looking to use their website and email marketing campaigns to better attract their customers Why? – Promote your business locally, Networking and learn how to have an impressive visual website & carry out email marketing campaigns How? – complete the Booking Form by Monday 17 September via Survey Monkey link below to reserve a place!
We have an event packed with informative and helpful advice such as:
Duncan Wright, BSA Marketing, Glossop – a Practical Guide to email marketing campaigns
Dina Holland & Anna Brown, Derbyshire Retail Help – Open all hours – online selling skills
David King, David John King, Bamford – how to bring your website alive with video and images
Please leave your green bin out, there have been some delays this week with collections, but Derbyshire Dales say that the contractors should reach Parwich at some point today/tonight.
Just so no-one is confused it is the regular green bin collection tomorrow (Thursday) and the black rubbish bin on Friday.
The blue box and bag are not collected for another week.
Thursday – 3.30pm
Please leave your green bin out, there have been some delays this week with collections, but Derbyshire Dales say that the contractors should reach Parwich at some point today/tonight.
PARWICH.ORG 