Sadness as another tradition set to bite the dust

BEING realistic, the writing was already on the wall for the Mappleton Bridge Jump.

It had no organising body for the last few years, so no insurance, no accountability and, although divers made sure it was safe for people to take the leap, it always felt like it was in its twilight years.

Its glory days, when it was a proper competition, with a proper boat race, a proper award for the winners, and proper organisation for all the people who flooded the village to come and see it, were something to cherish.

And that’s why our next few Memory Lane pages will be filled with a look back at the unusual way people from Ashbourne kicked off their calendar year.

And it’s important to add that the Okeover Estate is entirely justified in its decision not to allow the event to go ahead on its land.

It’s farm land, at the end of the day.

Historic and beautiful farm land at that.

And preserving our precious green spaces should always be a priority.

Last month should have seen the glorious Dovedale Dash being resurrected after a series of cancellations due to the weather and the pandemic, but pressure piled on Dovedale over the summer months gave the landowners, in this case the National Trust, cold feet.

Now that same pressure has led to another cherished and spectacular tradition being canned. And probably for the last time.

There’s little we can do about these summer influxes. It’s a sad consequence of living in the beautiful area that we do.

It’s just sad that it’s the locals who ultimately end up paying the price.

Not to mention the charities that these events would have supported.