Happy Easter to all our readers - we are pleased and proud to bring you the April edition of the Village Voice.

On our front page, Frank Hughes brings news of a new consultation which could see Melbourne library given over to the community to run. There’s no doubt that savings have to be made but we do urge readers to make their views known about this precious community resource which is valued by many.

On our inside pages there is a full appreciation of the life of David Bellis, one of the founders of the Village Voice who died in March after a short illness. John Harrison’s tribute on page two, our own memories of David as a Village Voice colleague, plus Jean Grimley’s obituary really sum up our dear friend who will be sorely missed.

March turns out to have been a very busy month on the news front and further stories dotted around our pages include the possibility that podiatry services may be moved from Melbourne – despite some patients telling us this would be much less convenient. The local bus service from Melbourne to Derby has also been reduced from half hourly to hourly, and will now not include Barrow-on-Trent at all except for county-subsidised services – see page 7 for details. Also on that page, we bring further news of a new weekly street market which is planned to be tried out in Melbourne on Thursdays.

If you can, do support local mum Dawn Aston, whose fundraising efforts for cancer charities – a disease from which she is herself currently being treated – we feature on page 3. Further on, you will be able to find out the latest about Melbourne couple Yvonne and Clive Karusseit and their continuing struggles to stay in this country due to a Home Office mix up.

In sport, big congratulations are due to Melbourne Dynamo Reserves who won a divisional two cup at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Jake Whitby from Smisby has won a major amateur gold medal in judo, and looks set to be representing his country in the sport.