As you are aware BCA are members of the Buxton Visitor Economy Strategy Board. Before Dai Larner left, he asked this Board to act as the Steering Group for the two High Street Regeneration Grants that HPBC have submitted for Buxton. Council Officers appointed consultants to draw up a proposed scheme for the Future High Street Fund bid. Sadly, we do not feel that we have been given the chance to adequately fulfil this steering role. We are very aware of the narrow constraints of the grant scheme, including the short time scale.

As you know this scheme has been out to public consultation over the last couple of weeks, and some BCA members attended a meeting last Wednesday and went through a number of concerns that BCA had with the scheme along with proposed changes to the scheme. (See link below)

We along with other groups in the town are very keen to see improvements to this crucial part of the town but have serious concerns about the scheme being promoted by the consultants. Opportunities such as this grant do not arise often and it is crucial that we get this submission right for the town.

BCA along with other organisations have managed to mobilise in a very short period of time and have held special meetings of our memberships to consider our responses to the scheme. As a result, each of us has submitted detailed responses and proposals to the council.

BCA's response can be found by clicking on the link below, along with a press release that we sent to the Advertiser last week.

Many thanks to all those members who attended the meeting and or sent in responses to the council. We will update the website with further news in due course.

BCA Response to Proposed Future High Street Application

BCA Response to the Future High Street Fund bid for Buxton February 2020

BCA Press Release

High Peak Borough Council Future High Street Fund Application

Future High Street Fund Application for Buxton

Thank you to Prof Richard Pattrick for these fascinating photographs of hairice forming in dead trees in Grin low during the recent cold spell.

The following explanation has been taken from Wikipedia

Hair ice forms on moist, rotting wood from broadleaf trees when temperatures are slightly under 0 °C (32 °F) and the air is humid.[1] Each of the smooth, silky hairs has a diameter of about 0.02 mm (0.0008 in) and a length of up to 20 cm (8 in).[1] The hairs are brittle, but take the shape of curls and waves.[1] They can maintain their shape for hours and sometimes days.[1] This long lifetime indicates that something is preventing the small ice crystals from recrystallizing into larger ones, since recrystallization normally occurs very quickly at temperatures near 0 °C (32 °F).[1]
The hairs appear to root at the mouth of wood rays (never on the bark), and their thickness is similar to the diameter of the wood ray channels.[1] A piece of wood that produces hair ice once may continue to produce it over several years.[1]
In the year 2015, German and Swiss scientists identified the fungus Exidiopsis effusa as key to the formation of hair ice.[1] The fungus was found on every hair ice sample examined by the researchers, and disabling the fungus with fungicide or hot water prevented hair ice formation.[1] The fungus shapes the ice into fine hairs through an uncertain mechanism and likely stabilizes it by providing a recrystallization inhibitor similar to antifreeze proteins.[1][2]

Wikipedia article on Hairice

Have your say in Shaping Buxton.

Presentation made by Places and Spaces Group to Guests at the Celebration evening on 7th November 2019

Heritage Open Day 2019 Lecture notes by Jon White

Mark Cocker will talk to Buxton Field Club on 15th November at 7.30pm about Re-wilding

A date for your diary: Friday 15th November MARK COCKER is talking about Re-Wilding at Buxton Field Club. Mark is an author, naturalist and environmental tutor, who writes and broadcasts on nature and wildlife in a variety of national media. In 2018 he released a new book Our Place (Cape), on the fate of British nature in the twentieth century, and completed 30 years as a Guardian country diarist.

His 11 other books include works of biography, history, literary criticism and memoir. They include Claxton: Field Notes from a Small Planet (2014) and Birds and People (2013). The latter was published to international acclaim and was a collaboration with the photographer David Tipling.

Time: 7.30-9.30pm
Place: Buxton Methodist Church Hall, Chapel St, Buxton
Free to members, 18-25s, accompanied minors. £3 all others. Everyone is really welcome.

7.00 pm Tuesday 10th December 2019 at Poole's Cavern Visitor Centre

Everywhere nature is under pressure, and Buxton is no different from the rest of the country. As the pressure for more housing and roads increases the landscape becomes more and more fractured making it harder for flora and fauna to thrive and survive.
We need to take action to reverse this decline and it falls within the remit of BCA to take the lead on this. We have demonstrated our stewardship of the beautiful woodlands that we own but we need to look outside our own estate and bring together all the wonderful, dedicated hardworking groups in the town that care for and look after nature.
There is a need for a dedicated grouping to bring these concerned individuals and groups together and to attempt to address these important issues in the town. We have had informal liaison with the Buxton Field Club (a group of naturalists concerned with the study of natural history in and around Buxton) and several BCA members who share this concern. They agree that it would be helpful and valuable for BCA to create a group to fulfil this role.

Some of the immediate issues of concern are;
• the future management of the Nestle landholding at Lightwood
• the management of Fernydale Local Nature Reserve (adjacent to our Sherbrook Wood)
• the County Council land at Solomon’s Temple
• the management of wildflower areas at the Serpentine
• conservation of the important, highly threatened breeding population of Curlew and Lapwing in the immediate vicinity of Buxton
• the management of Cowdale Quarry
• the management of road verges
• spread of tree diseases in the town
• the conservation of breeding populations of swifts, martins, swallows and bats that use buildings in the town
• the conservation of wildlife on brownfield sites in the town

Many of these issues involve liaison, potentially lobbying and, hopefully, partnership working with other organisations (e.g. Nestle, High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and RSPB).
If you are interested in being part of the Biodiversity Group email us at;
We are holding an inaugural meeting at Poole’s Cavern on Tuesday 10th December 2019 at 7.00pm.
If you are interested in coming along it would be helpful if you could let us know at communications@buxtoncivicassociation.org.uk

Steve Orridge's end of term report and review of Butterfly surveys in Grin Woods, Lightwood and Cunningdale

Excellent report from Steve outlining the fantastic work that he and his surveyors do. If you want to join Steve's group of surveyors let us know at communications@buxtoncivicassociation.org.uk

Buxton Butterfly Surveys 2015-2019

Lyn Noble and Kathyrn Howson report on a very successful first En Plein Air competition

They knew that it would happen come rain or shine, and it did. Add to that a blustery wind and the stage was set for a challenging art competition in the “plein air” (remember your school French?).

On 28th September artists from as far afield as Plymouth and Whaley Bridge descended on the Pump Room to sign in for a five hour battle with the elements and produce a work of art that would be exhibited and judged in the Old Clubhouse at the end of the day.

More than 40 artists braved the elements and most people found a moderately sheltered location; two brave attempts to paint in the open were sadly washed away by the rain but the artists started again under cover. Despite, or perhaps because of the weather, everyone rose to the challenge and clearly enjoyed the day.

The judging panel was led by The Buxton Spa Prize 2019 winner, Simon Roderick. Also judging were Sarah Males, director of Buxton Civic Association and Kate Dickson, member of BCA and director of Creative Heritage (a Buxton Spa Prize sponsor). The Bingham Trust was represented by trustee Christine McMullan. Jonathan Dawson, Managing Director of Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust & Thermal Spa also joined the panel.

The prize winners were chosen as Kieran Ingram – First Prize, winning £500, David Lowther – Second Prize and Conan McPhee – Third Prize.

The event was sponsored by Buxton Civic Association, The Bingham Trust, Buxton Crescent Thermal
Spa and The Buxton Spa Company.

Organisers Neil Scowcroft and Kathryn Howson of The Buxton Spa Prize Team, are delighted with the success of the very first Come Rain or Shine! event and are already planning for next year . . .

Lyn Noble took his camera out and about to photograph some of the artists at work

Dr Catherine Parker Heath on Discovering Heritage in the South West Peak

Thursday 19th September at 7.30 pm, Poole's Cavern Visitor Centre, free to Members.