December Christmas Day, Christmas Eve was a dark cloudless sky lit by a half moon, village folk travelling back from Tideswell cathedral of the Peak Midnight Mass had steamy cold breath in the night sky. Santa arrived and by morning a soft thin cover of snow had turned the village white. Many folk walked up Main Street for the ten am morning service. Vicar John Fountain began his sermon with the black dog of Winston Churchill, he had balloons waiting. Black balloons to place your worries and red balloons to put your anger into.

Children of the village then used the advent candle flame to burst the balloons and announce the birthday party of Baby Jesus.  The service was a joint benefice and saw standing room only in St Johns as parishioners from Taddington and Monyash filled the isles. Chelmorton was in good Christmas spirit and villagers walked down Main Street for Christmas Day. News of 2014, the first service of January will be a christening as well as a family service to celebrate one of the new Race children.

First snow arrived Dec 5 th , a big windy day turned wet and then with cold came the first snow of the winter. A soft scattering lay on the fields the following morning as sunshine returned to warm the village. A number of morning frosts had loosened the tree leaves and with that big wind the branches of local trees have become bare after a long autumn of golden colours.

December Carole service, 15th 3pm 2013 with a difference, Vicar John Fountain has rallied the 2013 nativity to have strong adult focus, moving from the youngsters he has organised short intense music lessons for the none musical adults and children of Chelmorton to deliver the notes for the Christmas nativity, everyone welcome, practice sessions are timetable in the church.

December 1st, family service with sheep. The TOS service will be welcoming sheep built by the village children ready for Christmas day. Children should bring their woolly creations to St Johns for family service Dec 1st.

Nov 9, Chelmorton Christmas music group rehearsal. Getting ready for Christmas, the music rehearsal is aimed at those who have never played an instrument to be ready for Christmas in Chelmorton, November rehearsal is Saturday 9th November at 2.30 in the church

Nov 3 Woolly work at Family Service at St Johns.

Chelmorton children stick, roll and twist in working party ready for Christmas. First of the month family service for November theme was 'Saints and Sheep', preparing for advent, 10am sunshine amongst the rain storms for children to race up Main Street and begin preparations for Christmas. David Race had pipe cleaners, local wool and lashing of glue ready. Local Mums chipped in to help and with instructions they began building nativity sheep for Christmas. Church wardens, Irene Ottey and Howard Clark kept an eye on the fun as children chose coloured pipe cleaners for the legs of their woolly work. It was a strong youth community event building in team work to create a flock for nativity.   Check photos of the working team of children on www.chelmorton.net .

Halloween Oct 31 - Terror in Main Street Chelmorton, a gap in the rain for a dark sky Halloween in Chelmorton, an exceptional turn out of youngsters on a round of trick or treat, from tiny toddlers to the school squad. Costumes of zombie, devil and vampires were all about the village. Many folk took part in a traditional Halloween evening. Knocking at the door of Primitive Hall, children and parents were scared to death as a wicked witch leapt out, adults were recuperated with a shot of Tequila to continue their Main Street tour of terror.

October gales  in Chelmorton dont stop the evensong .- Leaves in mid October blocked the grids as many recent years, Chelmorton docks returning on a few wet days. Gales forecast for October 27th did not stop the Sunday evensong at St Johns Chelmorton. Vicar Richard hosted a heart service before a good number of the congregation retreated to the Church Inn Pub at the top of Main Street. Gales rolled into south east England for the Monday but Chelmorton remained stable, windy and wet but nothing too unusual for an October Monday. Trees still holding their golden leaves ere a picture of colour while many cattle had been sheltered in their barns by local farmers.

October - A new web site for Chelmorton - Four hundred pounds for web design of a new village internet site. Village meeting to discus what should be on the site takes place at the Institute Tuesday Oct 8th. www.primitivehall.demon.co.uk contnues to welcome news of all local groups and expects to continue news support for the surrounding villages of the parish along with sister sites of www.chelmrton net. Over the last decade the site has gained a strong hit rate from all over the world.

Richard Taylor Brown new vicar arrived, instituted Dec 2012

Family Service St Johns Chelmorton First Sunday of the month at 10am school time

June onwards fish and chips. Fish and chip van Thursday evenings by the Institute on trial to see if it becomes permanent after a first visit during Jubillee celebrations..

Buxton Carnival Chelmorton float entry July. 2013 prize winning entry with tractor and hay trailer float full of Chelmorton youngsters

Second Wed of the month film circle in the Institute

Library van every second Tuesday at eleven.

Chelmorton  News Extracts

2013

ctober - A new web site for Celmorton - Four hundred pounds for web design of a new village internet site. Village meeting to discus what should be on the site takes place at the Institute Tuesday Oct 8th. www.primitivehall.demon.co.uk continues to welcome news of all local groups and expects to continue news support for the surrounding villages of the parish along with sister sites of www.chelmorton net. Over the last decade the site has gained a strong hit rate from all over the world.

October Harvest Festival.

Harvest supper and village auction of produce, proceeds shared between Village Aid and the church repair funds. Seven pm at the Church Inn pub, please book places with Irene Ottey 01298 85235

Family communion in the church of St John Chelmorton for Harvest Festival service Sunday Oct 6th. Ten am, please bring produce on the day or hand in to Irene Ottey or David Race between 2pm and 3pm on Saturday the 5th.

27th September Macmillan Coffee morning. Standing room only, Carole Alcock hosted another very busy coffee morning at the Chelmorton Village Institute. Main Street was long jamed solid as a tremendous turn out rallied for the anual event.

13th July Buxton Carnival Chelmorton entry. Following in the tradition of farm tractors and trailer floats in Buxton Carnival 2013 is no exception for Chelmorton. Tracey Worth, Lady of Hollinsclough  rallied David Bagshaw for his smart red tractor to pull a long open trailer from Paul Bagshaw. The theme remains as past years, 'Elvis' village children and adults alike are encouraged to wear Elvis/music costume and take part in the village entry. The float will again be built outside Primitive Hall on the morning of Saturday 13 July. John Gould is set to help with the traditional hay bails to build the trailer sides. Bacon sandwiches on hand for energy, the float will proceed to Buxton at 12, the Buxton Carnival follows from two in the afternoon, keep your fingers crossed for sunshine and be sure to practice your Elvis favourites, 'Hound Dog' must be at the top of the list!

Summer grass to cut, bicycle races and Biggin for joint benifice service. With the last days of July most grass had been taken on a first field cut between rain showers and sunshine. Hollinsclough village celebrated a great Saturday school fete with over sixty runners in the Crome Hill fell race. Lloyd Taggert added the fell race  win to his Chelmorton Chase list of victories. The balmy summer evenings found Chelmorton folk   listening to Rossini at the Hazel Grove Orchestra as children settled in the village from the end of their GCSE exams. Road diggers arrived just prior to the village cycle race but the weather was kind and sun shone for the Sunday event. While two wheel excitement reigned on the roads of the White Peak most folk of the diocees headed south on the Ashbourne road for a joint benefice by Vicar John Fountain held at Biggin. Union Jack flag flying on the pole outside the church basked in the same sunshine as the cycle race. A strong congregation for the joint service of all the local villages . John Fountain listed Nelson, Abraham Lincoln & Nelson Mandela in his sermon. The busy congregation sang loud and celerated the joint services event with lashings of refreshments that were bolstered with a fine helping of fruit bread, 'fold it over and get it with two bites' was the local word from the new church wardens.

Easter weekend, threat of a double sermon for Easter Sunday, the Mr Man surprise and great slegding, snow drifts from the late March extreme weather remained against every wall, Blue bins uncollected stood like senturies and a wild snow tiger paced the village green scaring tourists from the stone phone box. Common Lane stayed blocked by six feet snow drifts but the path to the church of St John the Baptist was dug and clear. The benefice had a busy agenda set. Maundy evening Thursday for foot washing was at St Leonard's in Monyash. Chelmorton villagers and David Race were at Hartington for a silence before the cross at St Giles. Red, blue and yellow cloth lay before the cross toped with a crown of thorns. Saturday evening saw Vicar Richard Benson at Chelmorton, he took the service of light with David Race. The church in darkness, a procession of villagers to light a small bonfire in the church yard. Vicar Richard lit the church candle from the bonfire and the procession returned from the snow to the warm isles of St Johns. Each person then lit their candle from the vicars and the church glowed awash with light. Alleluia, bells rang out from parishioners at the recognition of rebirth, Chelmorton quick to celebrate in the Church Inn pub opposite under a clear sky of bright stars. A casualty to the Easter snow was no sunrise hillside service at Taddington on Sunday morning.  Easter Sunday focus was back in Chelmorton, a ten am service, clocks change and all. Main Street busy with a big turnout of villagers and a raft of visitors from Hartington to swell the pews to full. Vicar John Fountain took the service, he threatened two sermons, one from Palm Sunday but settled for one. Organist snowed in Margaret and David acted as choir for a rousing first hymn that set a fine tone for the whole service. Vicar John was on top form with a lot of children in the congregation. There was a quiz set for the youngsters to win Easter eggs. No hunt in the church yard, too much snow, but a lot of fun on questions about pancake day, length of lent and Jesus re born. A huge graphic egg supported the sermon, the dark-side turned to light and just when the children believed they had all the fun of Easter, Mister Man Mr Happy jumped out of the Chelmorton sermon egg to bring even more cheer, there was  joy aplenty in the young faces. Outside for bank holiday the fields around Chelmorton lay frozen from the clear star darkness laying another white frost to the top of the snow, extra slippery, the drifts made a perfect playground off snow sledding to burn off the indulgence of chocolate Easter Eggs for one of the busiest Easter Bank holidays in many a year.

Extreme weather forecast. March 22. Friday forecast of extreme weather, by late afternoon a heavy snow fall came down and a most unusual wind from the east. The snow was not sticky and blew with the wind, wherever a stone wall stopped it a drift built very fast.

More snow on Saturday closed the village as drifts built over eight feet tall. Common Lane was completely blocked by many drifts. Local farmers dug Main street with tractors and by Sunday two yellow road diggers arrived to open the Ditch to the A515, bread and milk soon arrived from Buxton in deliveries organised by Gill Fountain.

Monday saw Sky TV news arrive to film in the village, reporter Mike McCarthy for Sky interviewed Paul Mycock at the Church end of Main Street. By Tuesday the Bakewell road link was dug through but Common Lane remained blocked all the way to easter weekend.

Bernard Hulley RIP Funeral of Bernard Hulley at St Johns Chelmorton 1st of Feb, service taken by the vicar Richard and very special words by David race. David spoke from the heart on Bernards life from the RAF to a life long work in electronics. There was talk of the inter village domino leagues and fond memories of many hours at the Church Inn pub in the village of Celmorton.

Epiphany Sunday Jan 6th. Another full Lady Chapel of children. Ten   am family service, first Sunday of the month, many village children in attendance, three Kings on the alter, Lilly plaid violin as every one else roared out 'we three kings' for a hearty rendition. Vicar John focused on the meaning of the gifts, a King, A God and a man. Family talk that focuses the children was centred on the new altar cloth. Consensus was it should carry the crib design that has become so familiar to the Chelmorton art work during services. It should follow the trail adventure which the family services have taken. Vicar John talked about a book to be written on that adventure and asked children to highlight their best memories.David Race has set the closing hymn, 'The peace of the earth be with you' The children knew the music without accompaniment to close a splendid first on the new year family service. Feb Family service will not be at Chelmorton, it will be at Taddington to celebrate Christingle alongside Taddington school.