News-in-brief from Draycott-In-The-Moors & District in early July 2022.
In this post we have news of…: huge helicopter factory coming / world-class guitarist in town / award for Pete Wilkinson? / Draycott Fayre is back…
There are also loads of events in & around our district this next few weeks! Kids’ camps, Draycott Scarecrow Festival and a Summer Ball are the highlights: please go to our What’s On page
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Choppers incoming!
Things have certainly been hotting up over the last few weeks in Cresswell concerning the development coming to the Business Park. (If you remember, permission was granted eight years ago for the site to have both a housing estate of around 160 homes and a major extension to the current industrial bit of it).
First there was the row over the roundabout proposals, which the developers want to go back on with an appeal against the decision; then there was the reaction to the design plans for the housing on the site; and, just in, now there is the prospect of a huge new helicopter-making factory on the site!

The area that Hill Helicopters Ltd is asking for on the site is enormous. It’s at the furthest (eastern) end of the site, and stretches from the railway line to Leeses House Farm. (Anybody who likes walking the footpath-track from Rookery Crescent to Painsley Farm is actually walking the boundary of the site the company wants). Included will be almost 300 parking spaces, with provision for more as the company expands (which it intends to).
The area is so huge, it will be bigger than the housing estate, though, to be fair, half of it is to be left (for now!) as grassland.
One helipad is even planned to be in a small artificial lake…. very James Bond! However, that bit of glamour is probably quite deliberate, as Hill will be selling their helicopters to the rich & famous.
If you wish to study Hill’s application and comment on it, click here for the relevant webpage. Watch out for the detail – e.g. how much flying will be going on over our heads? How many workers will be coming in & out? Etc. The deadline for comments to be in is 27th July.
The sudden acceleration of these matters is proving a bit much for many Cresswell residents, so a special meeting of the village council, on July 11th, has been called to discuss what the position of the residents should be. All are welcome to the meeting – click here for details of it.
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Happy day
One event to take our minds off planning developments is the annual Draycott St Margaret’s Fayre, which takes place on Sunday 10th July (i.e. next weekend). This fun day draws thousands of visitors to the village and raises a deal of money to help preserve our ancient church.
There are three separate strands to the weekend.
First off, all householders across Draycott, Cresswell & Totmonslow are invited to take part in the Scarecrow Festival. You should be getting your scarecrows up now, ready for judging next weekend. First prize is a £100 Amazon voucher, so it’s worthwhile…
Then there is the live-music night, in a marquee on the field in the centre of Draycott Level, on Saturday 9th July 6pm till late.
And of course, there is the fayre itself on Sunday 10th July with lots of stalls, children’s games, Viking re-enactments, birds of prey stand, a Dog Show and much, much more!
Tickets are easy to get: for the Saturday Live-Music Night, you can buy them in advance at The Draycott Arms pub, or on the door for £5; for the fayre, pay on the gate £5 (under-18s go free!)
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Pete’s neighbourliness
It’s good to hear that one of our district councillors, Pete Wilkinson, has been nominated for a ‘Good Neighbour’ award. Draycott falls into the Checkley Ward of the Staffordshire Moorlands Council area, and Pete is one of the three district councillors for this ward – so he represents us at SMDC. You may even have voted for him.
Mostly the award comes for the work that Pete did helping to renovate Hollington Village Hall, as he lives that way (his day-job is as the owner of the Raddle Inn over there).
Pete is shortlisted for the BBC’s Make A Difference Awards, in the “Great Neighbour” category. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in September.
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World class player
Finally, expect a sell-out when Gordon Giltrap comes to give a concert in this neck of the woods. Anyone who knows anything about blues & rock guitar will have heard of him – the great Brian May (of Queen) described him as “one of an elite few who truly have become legendary in their field”.
He appears in Hilderstone (the next village due south from Cresswell) on Friday 22 July (see our What’s On page for details).
It seems a bit strange that such a major artist comes to be playing at little Hilderstone Village Hall, but it’s all down to a scheme to bring the arts to ‘remote’ rural areas.
Whatever, it’s an amazing opportunity for young aspiring musicians to see one of the greats up close.
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