Is this finally start of bright new future for the town?

IT’S often said by people living in Ashbourne that we feel like a “poor relation” to other big conurbations in the Derbyshire Dales.

Bakewell and Matlock, chiefly, appear to be given preferential treatment when it comes to channelling of district council resources, and even allocations of land for housing.

And, when it comes to our green spaces, it’s a tough one to argue. Ashbourne’s park is in dire need of some TLC.

Credit where it’s due, the Memorial Gardens is kept well by Derbyshire Dales District Council. Borders are fairly free of weeds, the shrubs and trees are kept on top of and the grass is always perfectly trimmed.

But dig a little deeper and there are parts of the park which really let Ashbourne down. One has been the bandstand. This crumbling relic was allowed to linger for far too long and, naturally, became a target for vandals. Its removal is perhaps a sad sign of the times, but also a welcome step in the right direction.

The district council has £70,000 burning a hole in its pockets to build a new bandstand, and new shelter to replace the green hut everyone forgot about years ago.

But is this what the town wants? Is that the best way to spend what will probably be one of the largest council investments for quite a while.

Thankfully, there’s now a group to help decide that. The newly-formed band of likeminded locals dubbed the Ashbourne Fishpond Meadow Improvement Group have been walking around the park with the key decision-makers, acting as a voice for the community.

Changes won’t happen overnight. It might be many years before the group achieves its goals, but the fact a new force for good is being developed is very welcome news.

A new pavilion, a fresh impetus for the town centre from the Ashbourne Town Team, a renewed market from Ashcom and now a group bringing new enthusiasm to our park all comes together to herald what we can all hope will be a bright new future for Ashbourne.