Somercotes Winding Wheel Wildflower Meadow

Somercotes Parish Council has commissioned Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire to create an urban wildflower meadow around the Winding Wheel. read more

New 101 Police Service Number

Derbyshire Police are introducing a new 101 number for non-emergency calls.

A Derbyshire police spokesman said it was hoped the 101 number would reduce inappropriate 999 calls.

The total cost of a call is 15p from landlines and mobile phones.

The number can be used to report a stolen car, a minor traffic collision or suspected drug dealing, police said.

Dispose of Needles Safely

Modern Living involves many hazards. One problem can be needles and syringes that have been discarded without care.

If you find a needle, DO NOT PICK IT UP. Please call Amber Valley Borough Council’s needle hotline 0800 092 51 31 free anytime day or night. Their aim is to collect a needle within two hours of any reported incident.

Advertise Local Events

If you have any forthcoming local events you would like to advertise in the the Parish Newsletter and on the web site, or if you have any interesting stories to tell about the Parish, or pictures you would like to share with other readers, you can contact Glynis on 01773 603810 or call into the Parish Council Office between 10.30 am and 2.30 pm, Tuesday to Friday or contact us by email.

Poop Scoop Bags

Since the Borough Council decided to stop providing Poop Scoop Bags, the Parish Council has been providing them completely free of charge.

So many people have called into the office for these bags that we have been impressed that so many people in the community are concerned about keeping the parish free from dog mess. There is, however, still a problem with dog fouling and it is hoped that those people who have not bothered in the past to clear up after their dogs will now do so using the free poop scoop bags.

These are available from your Parish Wardens, Colin and Les, or you can call into the Parish Hall Office between 10.30 am and 2.30 pm Tuesday to Friday, and ask Glynis for a supply.

Ruby on Nottingham Road also has a supply of bags.

Visit your Local Nature Reserve

The four ponds are balancing ponds for the drainage of the surrounding land. Moorhens, Coots and Mallards can be seen on the ponds and regularly breed. Mayfly, Damselfly and Dragonflies are seen throughout the summer and 25 species of water beetle have been recorded on the site. If you are lucky you may see Kingfishers flying low over the water and grass snakes during the summer.

Pennytown Ponds was once part of a large parkland known as Cotes Park as early as the 14th century. At the beginning of the 19th century the park was sold off in smaller parcels of land. Cotes park hall once stood in the centre of the park but this disappeared with the development of the industrial estate. A reminder of its existence is the stone outbuilding at the top of the bridlepath.

The ponds became isolated and forgotten as the industrial estate was developed during the 1970s, however, the site was designated as a County Wildlife site in the 1980s. Investment in the 1990s and the works of the Pennytown Ponds group and Groundwork has given the area a new lease of life, with the site becoming a Local Nature Reserve in 2002.