The Places and Spaces project is progressing. Further to the members meeting held in May, we are publishing (see link below) a complete list of the sites that were selected. We have also attached the list of selections sorted by themes.

The list is not final, and will be added to as and when further places and spaces are notified as being of relevance to the project.

A further meeting was held on 19th July and it was agreed that three of those themes would be further developed.

The three themes are;

1. Gateways to the town.
2. Vulnerable and at risk sites
3. Heritage trails

Three groups have been set up to progress these elements of the project. If anyone is interested in being involved please get in touch by email to our email address on the contact page on this website.

List of selections made at Places and Spaces Meeting 14th May 2015

It was damp drizzly morning when we all gathered for our trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. We started to worry a bit when 8.30 came and the coach didn't. Fortunately, Simon was able to open the cafe so at least we were not waiting in the rain.

Eventually, the coach arrived and we set off for Wakefield and in an hour and half we arrived at the Park and into sunshine. Our guide John met us in reception and we elected to do the ninety minute tour. It is a wonderful park and as John explained the illusion of rolling country side was maintained by the clever use of hedges and ha-has.

There were many interesting sculptures to be seen around the grounds of the park. They have only a temporary residency of approximately two years before they move on and make way for a new batch.

There was a very interesting set by Barbara Hepworth and one of our party was very excited to see works by Elizabeth Frink.

The time went all too quickly and it wasn't long before we were boarding our coach for the twenty minute trip to the Hepworth Gallery.

Rachel met us in Reception and her five years with the gallery was evident in the breadth of knowledge. She had a wealth of information about the artist and the other exhibits. The gallery is mainly dedicated to Hepworth’s last decade of work but it is a dynamic exhibition and preparations were under way for a new exhibition by Sir Anthony Caro.

All too soon it was, again, time to leave. A fascinating and thought provoking day.

Words by Steve Orridge
Photos by Louise Pisano

Poole’s Cavern visitor centre was packed for Buxton Civic Association’s 46th AGM. Mike Monaghan in his first address as Chair of the Association welcomed members to the meeting and described how the next few years could be the most exciting in BCA’s history. Building on the strong foundations that had been laid down over the past ten years, Mike explained that the Association was now able to focus on using its wealth of experience and knowledge in reaching out to other Buxton organisations and developing influential partnerships to help shape the future of the town.

Paying tribute to the board and to the staff, Mike said that the strong business model that Poole’s Cavern provided enabled BCA to manage and constantly improve its extensive estate of woodlands, and to provide support to other like-minded organisations in the town.

Peter Philipson, Director with responsibilities for the Woods gave a presentation on the work of the Wood Watch committee and explained in detail the work that had been done earlier in the year to create a woodland ride. Supported by RSPB and a grant from the Forestry Commission he explained that this work would complement the glades, which gave Grin Wood its SSSI status.

Considerable investment had also been made in improving some 1.5km of paths in Grin Woods and also in Corbar where the final link in the Ring of Trees walk had been completed. This would not have been possible with out the generous donations of materials from Lafarge Tarmac and support with transport from Lomas Distribution.

Simon Fussell talked about the Environmental Quality Mark that the Association had been awarded for a second year, and explained how the EQM supported the board’s objective in providing an environmentally sustainable business model. It provided a benchmark against which decisions could be made to ensure that the environment was always put at the forefront. The Association was also pleased to be able to support the work that Derbyshire Wildlife Trust was doing to vaccinate badgers in the area from Bovine Tb.

Brian Shawcross, Finance Director, reported another successful year. We increased visitor numbers, controlled costs and generated a healthy surplus on a turnover of over £0.5 million which will allow us to plan for future improvements.

Mike thanked the two retiring director’s, Tim Middleton and Owen Longden for their hard work and support and welcomed Nigel Manning to the board.

It had been decided at the last AGM that major planning issues would be opened up to the membership and it was encouraging that so many members attended the meeting to discuss the Nestle Station road proposal and made their feelings about the scheme clear by voting unanimously to reject it. BCA needs to continue to be vigilant on the planning front and the strengthening of the planning group was to be welcomed, with the addition of Derek Bodey and John Anfield as consultants.

Mike thanked the Association’s staff, the directors, volunteers and other committee members, and everyone else who had supported the Association.

Following the formal business of the AGM, Mike Wilde (Chair of the Membership and Communities Group) and Simon Fussell (Business Development Manager) gave an interesting and stimulating presentation on the recent project “Places and Spaces – telling the story of Buxton.”

AGM Documents

Chair Report to 46th AGM

Environmental Report

Buxton Civic Association held its 46th AGM on 22nd June at the Poole's Cavern visitor centre. We have posted a few photographs from the evening and a full report will follow later. The minutes from the AGM and copies of the Chair's, Woodland, and Environmental report will also be made available to members.

Mike Wilde (Chair of Membership and Communities Committee) Alan Roberts and Simon Fussell took a display of our latest projects into Town on 20th June as part of the Nationwide Civic Day celebrations.

The display generated a lot of interest, especially the Spring Garden canopies project. You can get an update on our projects by downloading our June Newsletter. See Link below.

Project updates

Report on BCA members dawn chorus walk

International dawn chorus day dawned, wet, very wet, and with just enough of a wind to make sure that you stayed chilled and cold. So it was just before five am on Sunday morning, that we, six adults and two children, gathered in Poole's Cavern visitor's car park, with rapidly dampening spirits and even damper Cagoules to celebrate international dawn chorus day with an early morning walk in Grin woods. A song thrush was awake though and despite the rain, sang us a welcome song, as we set off into the gloom and dankness of grin wood. Now I am not going to claim that I know the wood like the back of my hand, but over the twenty five years that I have been walking there, I guess I would say that I know it reasonably well. Not as well as the younger members of our party though. They seemed to know all the secret paths, and having the super observational skill of the young, had soon spotted what they thought might be badger claw marks. They might well have been right, but by now any self-respecting badger would have been tucked up in his sett; dry, warm, cosy and settling down for a nice lie in.

We stopped by the tree with the swinging branch and listened. Blackbirds and Robins competed with each other orchestrating a beautiful melody whilst in the background a wren favoured a more atonal call. As we moved on the rain intensified, robins and blackbirds continued to vie for pride of place and Steve claimed he heard a tree creeper.

We stopped again in the clearing that links the glades. A wood pigeon made a brief appearance, a blue tit kept up a steady barrage, and a couple of crows called from the top of the canopy. The light fitfully and reluctantly chased away the shadows and the wood began to resemble its old familiar self. The birds were falling silent. The rain was steady; we beat a hasty retreat back to the car park. It had been an experience.

The number and variety of species that we heard on Sunday was disappointing even allowing for the rain. One of the reasons for creating the woodland ride is to increase the variety of habitats available , that will in the long run improve the bio diversity of the wood and lead to an increase in the range of flora and fauna.

Species that we didn't hear but we know are in the woods are; Nuthatch, Coal and Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Pied Flycatcher.

You can listen to a short clip of the some of the species that we heard by clicking on the link below.

Dawn Chorus in Grin Woods

Members of Buxton Civic Association enjoyed a trip to London recently to take in a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster in February. A question and Answer session was hosted by Andrew Bingham MP for High Peak in one of the committee rooms at Portcullis House. This was followed by a tour of the Palace, taking in both the Lords and the Commons, and a look at some of the places made famous by the recent BBC programme, “Inside the Commons”.

Mike Monaghan Chair of the Association said “The trip was a great success and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We have had some suggestions for future tours and members will be contacted shortly with these.”

Press release - BCA Members discuss the proposed development of the old Buxton Mineral Water site.

BCA Planning Team Comments on this application

Hilary Lawrence has resigned after twenty seven years as a director of Buxton Civic Association, and to celebrate her outstanding contribution, a presentation evening was held at Poole’s Cavern visitors centre. She was presented with two pieces of work by a local artist Pauline Townsend, by Mike Monaghan the Chair of BCA. Mike told members that he was delighted that Hilary was going to remain a member and that Brian her husband was now on the board. He paid tribute to her dedicated service over the years, in particular with her leadership of the planning committee. She had done a difficult job extremely well and had guided the Association through the minefield of planning with great skill and diplomacy.

Replying to Mike, Hilary explained how much the Association had changed over the years that she had been involved.She explained that she felt that the catalyst for change was the introduction of planning awards by BCA. This got people involved and the Association became better known as a result.

She had enjoyed her time on the board, and paid tribute to the people who had served on the planning committee with her, and reiterated her feeling that it was vital for BCA to be continue to be active in the planning process. She wished Mike and the Association well for the future.

A selection of photographs (Taken by Alan Walker) from the presentation evening held on 9th February 2015 for Hilary Lawrence who retires as a director from Buxton Civic Association after 27 years.