April...

OUR main news story in the April edition concerns rubbish. The vast, shocking amounts of it on local roadside verges.
Volunteers have been busy litter picking over the past few weeks, with friends Pam Worrall and Judith Long picking up 52 black bin liners full of rubbish.
And Melbourne Civic Society and the local footpaths group have collected 16 bags of the stuff, including car parts. They even found five or six deer skeletons along the verges.

Churches make up this month’s centre spread feature. A 21-year campaign to get a gate installed preventing vehicular access to the historic Priory Church of St Mary and St Hardulph at Breedon has finally been won. The building has attracted much vandalism over recent years, which is why local people have been so keen to get a gate to prevent vehicles accessing it at night.

Over in Ticknall repair work is currently being undertaken to the Methodist Chapel, which dates back to the early 1800s. Funding has been secured towards the roof and ceiling repairs, but it is envisaged there will be additional costs. And in Aston-on-Trent, the bell ringers in the parish church are clapping for joy at the installation of a new staircase to the bell tower.

We tell the story of a couple who cycled for 15 miles on a tandem bike to get married. Jessica Knowles and Tim Featonby finally tied the knot on April 1 in Breedon, the third time they had had to reschedule due to the pandemic.

Photographer Fabio De Paola is celebrating success in the Pets and Domestic Animals category of the British Photography awards for his striking shot of a dog enjoying a blow-dry. It’s a picture worth seeing in this month’s edition.

The Village Voice Team.