With the government’s proposed Step 3 roadmap out of lockdown planned from 17th May 2021, Crich Tramway Village is planning to open its indoor exhibitions and Workshop viewing gallery.

Some of the major restoration projects for the workshop at Crich Tramway Village are continuing and this requires re-organisation of trams in the main Crich depots.  These include London County Council 1 (Bluebird), Newcastle 102 and London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) 1622 and Blackpool Brush Railcoach 298.

In addition, Cardiff Horsecar No. 21, which has been on loan to Crich for around 12 years, will be returned to The National Museum of Wales, Derby 1 is going into store and Halle 902 will also be going into store after spending some time on loan in Blackpool. 

All these tramcar moves have provided an opportunity to refresh the display in the Exhibition Hall, enabling the recent acquisition, the 1913 Barnsley & District Combination Car (a vintage bus), to be displayed in the centre and tramcars Gateshead 5 and Southampton 45 to be more easily viewed.

Workshop Co-ordinator and Duty Engineer, Dan Heeley said:

The Vehicle Movement Plan was made after diligent consideration of the best moves possible for tram conditions, restoration and ultimately new and better displays for our visitors.  

After a difficult year in 2020, it is important that we move forward with restoration, for which we have received funds and assistance from our partners, including the Blackpool Railcoach Fund and The Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation for Blackpool 298.

Crich Tramway Village is currently open for outside spaces from Saturday to Thursday, and following the government’s roadmap to recovery intends to open the indoor exhibition spaces from 17th May 2021 Saturday – Thursday, with Covid-19 measures in place.  Please visit the website for opening days and times and Covid-19 guidelines: www.tramway.co.uk

 

Derbyshire County Council library service has two mobile libraries, based at Buxton and Long Eaton, serving around 150 communities across the county. These communities are visited once every four weeks and the mobile libraries offer a range of services for everyone including fiction and non-fiction books for adults and children, large print books, books on tape and books on CD as well as a selection of local studies books and information.

The mobile libraries have a lift for wheelchair users and people with mobility problems.

They visit Crich and Frtichley on Tuesday mornings. The Council have have updated their timetables for the the period 17th May to 23rd July. 

For Crich and Fritchley, the libraries will be visiting as follows, although these times have not changed from the last update we published.

Fritchley, The Green: 10.00 - 10.25 am

Crich, Market Place: 10.30 - 10.50am

Crich, Culland View: 11.00 - 11.20am

Crich, Cliff Inn car park: 11.25 - 11.40am

The visiting dates during this period will be: June 1st and June 29th.

For full details see the Derbyshire Mobile Library web-site.

 

Crich Area Community Arts Sharing Project is trying to collect together your writing to share with the community in print and digitally. ‘Rhymes and Lines’ could be any sort of writing – it doesn’t have to be poetry – try songs, prayers, essays, or what about short stories?

Try the “What if...” approach. Take an episode that happened, nearly happened or could have happened to you, then “What if...” something else had happened and take it from there.

Or try the chemistry experiment approach. Take two unlikely people and mix them together in a controlled environment and what would happen?

Be inspired by what's going on around you –interactions, movements in the natural world in your gardens, out on your walks: a first snowdrop, a buzzard being mobbed by crows, the scent of a fox. There’s also lots going on inside you: strong feelings, distant memories, plans.

Keep within 500 words so be ruthless with your editing and keep to places and types of people you know well.

Send to clarelimb68@gmail.com by end of March.

Today saw the delivery of plated festive meals to older members of our community who will be on their own for Christmas.

Dawn Harper, who has been cooking hot meals for vulnerable and isolating people throughout the first lockdown and again since November, was anxious that her regular clients should not miss out at Christmas. With some local funding coming available from the family hampers appeal, Dawn and Cathy Bowness have masterminded the production and delivery of complimentary hampers to a number of people and pre-cooked Christmas dinners to others who they knew would be on their own for Christmas day. Over thirty people have benefitted. Delivered by a small team of regular volunteers, the hampers and meals were well received by all. 

Thanks are due to Dawn and Cathy for the tremendous amount of work and organisation that has gone in to this community project. The service also helps to maintain regular contact with some of the people who may normally attend the Crich Luncheon Club at the Glebe, but who have been unable to meet for most of this year.

The Crich Willow Weaving Group came together during the first lockdown and started to create a number of artistic pieces (see previous news items relating to the Art Sharing Project). Within a few months of distanced outside working, they agreed to jointly create an uplifting piece for the village.

The Angel Gabriel was the inspiration of their teacher Mogs, with all of the group delighted to contribute. Gabriel now graces the planter on the junction of Bulling Lane and Coasthill as you head up from Crich Market Place.