Gritter, oh gritter, how we long for you!
The snow is a beautiful icy-blue
The drifts are impressive, the surfing sublime
Even though Parwich is nowhere near a coastline
But we need to get out and back to work
Mind you, a day off is a really welcome perk
The wind howls, the fire’s stoked up
The Horlicks (aarghh) comes out for a hot, steaming cup
A few memorable days when Nature rules our lives
Until the exhausted gritter arrives ….
Some roads are now open (not yet the A515)
And it’s all back to normal, to the treadmill of life
No more scraping of shovels, no more gaiters and boots
No more shop shelves empty of foods
Let’s be honest, we’ll miss the snow
Thank you gritter, see you in 10 months or so.
Our thanks to M.Lowndes for pointing us in the direction of this witty and wonderful piece of film, shot on the A515 at Newhaven on Monday afternoon. We have been advised that conditions have once again deteriorated since then.
Now, on Monday evening, the road from Parwich to the B5056 is passable with care, and the B5056 south to Ashbourne is also clear. We understand it is possible to get to the A515 through Alsop en le Dale, however we have not had any current reports of conditions on the A515 (Buxton Weather report there are still closures on the A515).
With the temperature again well below freezing and the possibility of more drifting, please keep on adding comments on road conditions, especially first thing Tuesday morning.
Tuesday 6-30am Road out of Parwich to Red House all OK to travel, narrow in places with a little ice; to allow passing look for vehicles ahead and oncoming. DS
The competition is open to all, for photographs taken within 6 miles of Parwich village and reflecting the title ‘Signs of Spring’. The title can be interpreted literally, for example spring flowers or lambs, or with lateral thinking, for example servicing the lawn mower or even a car spring in a pot hole. Click here to see the rules.
Entries so far are shown below (click on each photo to enlarge), but keep them coming in (email entries to parwich@hotmail.co.uk):
Police are thanking mountain rescue teams and members of the community for their help during severe snowy conditions over the weekend.
It is as police continue to take a high number of weather related incidents, especially in more rural parts of the county, with the some of the worst affected areas being in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales. Heavy snowfall on Friday evening made many roads in the area impassable, including the A515 between Ashbourne and Buxton where dozens of motorists became stuck due to drifts and jack knifed lorries.Derby, Edale and Buxton Mountain Rescue Teams helped police to check that drivers were safe and offer assistance, along with a number of local farmers with tractors who worked with highways to clear as much of the road as possible.
The police helicopter was also called out to help a woman who had fallen and broken both of her wrists at Hartington, on Sunday, March 24, as vehicles were unable to get through. Crews transported a paramedic over to the woman, and then both the woman and the paramedic back to an ambulance.
Chief Inspector Tracy Harrison, from the force’s contact management department, said: “The heavy snow fall has meant a higher number of calls to police throughout the county, with numerous reports of motorists becoming stranded as they travelled through the Peak District.We would like to thank mountain rescue teams and all local volunteers for their valued assistance in helping to clear the roads and keep motorists safe, especially at a time when emergency services are stretched due to the volume of calls.”
We have a guest staying in Tom’s Barn with her lovely but rather elderly dog, Lottie, who is diabetic and very partial to Bonios which form an integral part of her special diet. Unfortunately, her supply has come to an end and this is proving rather a crisis as Janet doesn’t have them in the shop and we can’t get our cars out onto the road, even if the road to Ashbourne was clear…
Trevor W has most kindly offered to buy some if he succeeds in getting to Ashbourne later today but meanwhile – and just in case he can’t get through – does anyone have a spare box of Bonios we could borrow and replace when the weather and roads improve, please?
Please ring us on 519 if you think you could help out. Lottie would be eternally grateful, as would Jill her owner and of course, so would we too!
Because of the bad road conditions, Mum had to be taken to Hospital by air ambulance yesterday, as it was impossible to get an ambulance into the village.
I would just like to thank everyone out of the village who helped to get her to the air ambulance which landed in Bells yard. Now it is impossible to get into see her.
I must also say a big thank you to the paramedics who came to her – they were brilliant – and also to the doctor that came out. It had taken him three hours to get here from Belper.
Yesterday’s rescue service was provided by the Derbyshire, Leicester and Rutland Air Ambulance charity (DLRAA). If you would like to make a donation towards the vital work which they do, please visit their website. And if you would like to get involved within the village, Parwich First Responders are still short-staffed and desperately looking for new volunteers. Please ring Sue on 390334 or Patti on 390206.
Our thanks to Chris H for these photos, which show the helicopter landing yesterday.
Here are some photos showing the valiant efforts being made to keep a road out of Parwich clear. Note that even with the snow plough going through, the road out of the village to the B5056 is only passable with great care and good clearance in a 4×4. There have now been several people in 2 wheel drive cars who needed to be towed out.
Although the snow plough clears a route through, the drifting quickly puts snow back on the road. If you leave the village be aware conditions may be much worse on your return.
Following advice from parents regarding road closures and snow drifts we have taken the decision to close school today (Monday 25th March) – we hope to reopen tomorrow.
Thank you to everyone that has been keeping the Blog up to date on the changeable road conditions. With tonight’s temperatures well below freezing and the possibility of more wind, it is not certain what the Monday morning traffic will meet, so please keep the comments coming in.
Well here we are back in the depths of winter and another budget under our belts; 1p off a pint of beer effectively means, if you sup 340 pints, you will get one free. Motor tires have risen in line with inflation, for anybody lucky enough to still be able afford to run a car, the proposed increase in fuel duty is temporarily postponed. You’ve never had it so good!
At a loose end? Pop along to ‘Honest Patti’s Furniture Showrooms’: genuine reductions, buy now, pay nothing for five years, then ten years interest free credit. Sale must end Easter Monday; doors open 6.00am every day. Christmas delivery guaranteed. We won’t be beaten on price.
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:
Mrs Weatherman and I were discussing this time last year going out cycling in our T-shirts – but my suggestion of getting out and enjoying the spring in similar attire met with short shrift today!
The weather is presently stuck in a pattern dominated by an intense anticyclone over Scandinavia which is sucking air straight from Siberia over much of the UK. The snow was provided by a “warm” weather front skirting the southwest but sadly not managing to dislodge the high pressure fully.
Although thankfully not a regular occurrence, it is not unheard of at this time of year, and indeed even later. I have a recollection in my youth of carving the date of 24th April into an 8 foot snow drift above Chapel-en-le-Frith circa 1980. So we seem to be stuck with the icy conditions for some time to come – no let-up in sight for the coming week, but probably no more large dumps of snow forecast at the moment. That could change toward the end on the week if the high diminishes to allow weather systems in from the Atlantic. These periods often end with a brief spell of heavy snow followed by a quick thaw……..
We have reports that the B5056 to the Bentley Brook is impassable at this time (9.30am on Saturday). A car has become stuck and there’s drifting. Intrepid villagers are checking out the Alsop Road. Send your comments into us if you have useful information.
Spring has now officially started. Unfortunately the weather seems to have missed the memo, so here at PARWICH.ORG we are optimistically holding a photography competition entitled ‘Signs of Spring‘.
Due to the current weather conditions we have decided to close Parwich Primary School today (Friday 22nd March). We intend to reopen on Monday 25th March as normal.
The Peak Park Authority has adopted new guidelines on sustainable building in the National Park (click here for the Supplementary Planning Document). It is not a quick read, but does contain guidelines for traditional and historical buildings, for new builds and for low-carbon/renewable energy, as well as flood risk and drainage. Anyone planning building work or considering more sustainable energy use should read it. Continue Reading »
Given the number of keen photographers in our midst, perhaps some ot them might consider guesting at this gallery?
New gallery shows the Peak District through the camera lens
Pictures by some of the finest local photographers are featured in a new gallery highlighting the special qualities of the Peak District National Park.The gallery, upstairs at Bakewell Visitor Centre in the Old Market Hall, showcases the Peak District national park’s finest views including iconic landscapes, farm animals, wildlife and plants.
The new, permanent display space has been created by the Peak District National Park Authority not only to highlight the beauty of the area but to support a newly formed group of local professional landscape and wildlife photographers in selling their work. The photographers are: Ian Daisley, Graham Dunn, Karen Frenkel, Chris Gilbert and Alex Hyde. Continue Reading »
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. Continue Reading »
Janis Castledine, late of Newton Grange and Parwich , died aged 61 on March 7th at the Royal Derby Hospital after a long and valiant battle with a brain tumour. She will be sorely missed by her family and all those who knew her. Jan lived in Parwich only a short while, living in one of the cottages on Creamery Lane where she planned and created a fantastic cottage garden from a sad looking back lawn. Janis was also involved in other village activities and was a committee member of the history society in its early days. After she left Parwich she continued to be a regular visitor to Flaxdale House for weekly painting sessions with Gill Radcliffe and she never left without a walk around the garden to see what was in flower and to appreciate Mike’s latest gardening activities. In fact she was an inspiration to Mike and Gill when they first came to Parwich and planned their gardening improvements, and many of the plantings were with Jan’s advice.
Her funeral is to take place on Thursday 21st March at 10am at St Peter’s Church, Chesterfield Road, Belper with the committal at Markeaton at 11am.
This year’s ‘National Parks: Actively Yours’ photography competition is now running (18th March to 26th April). Click here for more information or continue reading.
Photo competition entrants can seek inspiration at the new Photo Gallery in Bakewell Visitor Centre, showing the work of a group of local professional photographers.
Well here we are back in the depths of winter and another budget under our belts; 1p off a pint of beer effectively means, if you sup 340 pints, you will get one free. Motor tires have risen in line with inflation, for anybody lucky enough to still be able afford to run a car, the proposed increase in fuel duty is temporarily postponed. You’ve never had it so good!
interest free credit. Sale must end Easter Monday; doors open 6.00am every day. Christmas delivery guaranteed. We won’t be beaten on price.
Spring has now officially started. Unfortunately the weather seems to have missed the memo, so here at PARWICH.ORG we are optimistically holding a photography competition entitled ‘Signs of Spring‘.
