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Open day for the new village hall extension was held on Sunday 25th March. Visitors were encouraged to inspect the newly built community room, as well as the changing rooms and toilets completed in 2014.

Representatives on the various subsections of the club were present, as well as other interested parties. Complimentary refreshments were provided.

Lots of local people attended on a beautiful spring afternoon, as well as members of the management committee of the Club. Lee Rowley, MP for North East Derbyshire visited during the afternoon, and was very supportive of the efforts of Ridgeway  in  providing such excellent community facilities.

The Sports & Social Club was formed as a war memorial to the first world war. 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the end of that war and so on the day the main village hall was named as the ‘Memorial Hall’, and the new extension was named as the ‘Centenary Room’.

The new extension to the Village Hall is now substantially complete. Bult of matching brick and tile materials, the new extension forms an unobtrusive addition to the existing village hall building.

Work was started in September, and the extension has been built and fitted out to a high standard.

The extension comprises a main room of 65 sq. metres, which is about one half the size of the main hall.
It is a thoroughly modern building, with up to date levels of insulation. There is under-floor heating, supplied by a high efficiency boiler. The lighting is all LED.

There is also a good sized storeroom which also houses a small kitchenette, and a corridor linking to the existing changing rooms and toilets.

We were helped greatly by a grant of £48,000 from Biffa Award, part of the Landfill Communities Fund.

It is expected that the new room, once commissioned, will come into use in the early part of 2018.

Sunday’s Craft and Farmers Market was a busy affair. Despite the time of year,  the weather was ideal, and a record number of people attended.

Stalls included artisan bread, cheese, preserves, locally reared meats, mushrooms, handmade chocolates, cakes, honey and draught and bottled real ales. Lots to buy and lots to eat and drink on-site.

Lots of lovely Christmas gifts were available – a wide range of crafts, including jewellery, candles, soaps, cards, bespoke clocks, pens, textiles and much more.

There were songs with a seasonal flavour  from a local singer, Renate Reynolds.

Mulled wine, mince pies, tea and coffee were prepared by volunteers of the Sports & Social club and were very popular.

Building work has commenced on the new extension, funded by virtue of the Biffa Award grant, and here are three photos here showing the work.  Access to the changing rooms and showers will be maintained for the cricket and football teams.

We are pleased to announce that the proposed extension to the village hall is to go ahead.

Planning permission was obtained last year, and we have now received the confirmation of a grant of £48,000 toward the building costs. This grant comes from Biffa Award, a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to communities and environmental projects across the UK.

Mick Mason, Chair of Ridgeway Memorial Community and Sports Centre said: ‘This Biffa Award grant is fantastic news, not just for the club, but for the whole community.  The new extension will give us more room to hold an even wider variety of activities to benefit everyone, especially the range of activities we can offer during the day.

Work is planned to start as soon as possible, and we hope to be completed by late November 2017.

The recent Coffee & Cake Afternoon held by the Ridgeway in Bloom team was very well attended.Held in the village hall, there was lots of interest for visitors.

Chesterfield Canal Trust was present with their mobile information trailer. Eckington Town Team was represented with its Heritage Trail.  Moss Valley Wildlife Group had information and leaflets about the wildlife and geography of the beautiful Moss Valley. Handley Rose Nursery was selling a variety of roses and there was an exhibition of Ridgeway history.

Refreshments were available, with a selection of biscuits and cakes. The afternoon was a success, and funds were raised for  ‘Ridgeway in Bloom’.

The village carnival, held on the 9th July was a great success.  The weather was kind and thousands flocked in to enjoy an afternoon which had something for everyone, whether you just wanted to relax, have a drink and listen to some music, watch the various dogs in the dog show or watch the birds of prey display.  Thanks go to Amanda Gray and the rest of the Carnival Committee for their hard work over many moths to put the show on and also to the many helpers on the day.

Profits from the day go towards maintaining and improving the Club’s facilities which are admired by many visitors to the grounds.

The village tennis club is holding an event this coming Sunday, 4th June 2017 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm  as part of the LTA’s Great British Tennis Weekend initiative.

There will be an opportunity for free play, some adult coaching and mini-tennis for the youngsters.

To book a place go to www.lta.org.uk/gbtw  then find the event through the search process and register for the time and type of event you want to book onto.  You can just turn up but you may then have to wait to play.

The Tennis Club starts its summer season with an Tennis and Coffee Morning on Sunday the 2nd April 2017 from 10:30 to 12:00. It’s chance for members to rejoin or for anyone interested in having a go and see what the club can offer. Membership fees are very reasonable at just £60 for an adult for the year, £140 for a family and £28 for a junior if you join on the day.

Sunday’s Craft and Farmers Market was a busy affair despite the cold weather. Lots of people attended, and the weather stayed fine, despite storm ‘Angus’ causing havoc in southern England.

Stalls included artisan bread, cheese, preserves, locally reared meats, mushrooms, handmade chocolates, cakes, honey and draught and bottled real ales. Lots to buy and lots to eat and drink on-site.

Lots of lovely Christmas gifts were available – a wide range of crafts, including jewellery, candles, soaps, cards, bespoke clocks, pens, textiles and much more.

Mulled wine, mince pies, tea and coffee were prepared by volunteers of the Sports & Social club and were very popular.

Atmospheric live music on site, from a local singer, and Bessemer Brass, a local brass quartet.